Upon application of Mr. Henry Wynkoop for the payment of four Firelocks, purchased by him for the use of Congress, By order of the Board, an order was drawn on Messrs. John Nixon & others, the Committee of Accounts, for £7 17 6, which is to be charged to arms purchased for account of Congress. Resolved, That Mr. Thomas Cuthbert & Mr. John Britton be desired to purchase four Old Flatts for Hulks for covering the Gondolas at the Chevaux de Frize, and that they draw on this Board for the cost. By order of the Board, an order was drawn on John Nixon, Esq'r, & others, the Committee of Accounts, in favour of Mr. Jno. Wilcocks, for two hundred & fifty pounds, to be charged to the Gun Lock Manufactory carrying on in this city. By order of the Board, an order was drawn on John Nixon & others, the Committee of Accounts in favour of Mr. Jno. Mitchell, Commissary of Provisons, for five hundred pounds, to be charged to his account. Resolved, That 14 Barrels of 18s. Beer be sent down to the Gondolas, at the Expence of this Board, and that Mr. Sam'l Morris order the same to be put on board some Boat or Vessel for that purpose. By order of the Board, an order was drawn on Jno. Nixon, Esq'r., and others, the Committee of Accounts, for sixty pounds, in favour of Messrs. Thomas Richardson & Levi Hollingsworth, which is to be Charged to their accounts, being so much advanced towards their expences in Transporting 20 Canon lent this Province by Congress, now at Rhoad Island. Thomas Slater, Master, & John Peckham, Mate of the Brig't Betsy, who came from Virginia with said Vessel to the Roebuck Man-ofWar, and taken by Capt. Charles Alexander, Commander of the Continental Schooner Wasp, near New Castle, was by order of the Board Committed to Gaol there, to be kept in safe custody 'till the further orders of this Committee. Resolved, That Robert Towers, Commissary, send to Wilmington by one of the Stage Boats, Capt's Bush or Taylor, three quire of Canon Cartridge Paper, & three hundred weight of Gunpowder, to replace that quantity lent to the Gondolas by the Committee of that County. By order of the Board, the following Resolves of Congress are enter'd on the Minutes: "In Congress, 10th May, 1776. "Resolved, That Lieut. Ball of the Roebuck, & the three seamen that were taken with him and are now Prisoners in the Lower Counties, be exchanged for Capt. Budden & his son, Seth Davis & Sam'l Conyers. "That five of the seamen now Prisoners in the City of Philad❜a, to be named by the Committee of Safety, may be given up in exchange for the following Persons, vizt: "Mr. Lightboy, James Hage, William Martin, Jacob Wilson. Fortescue, a Pilot Boy, "That the said Exchange of Prisoners be conducted by such proper persons as the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania may appoint for that purpose. "Extract from the Minutes. "Sign'd, CHA'S THOMSON, Sec'y." In consequence of the above Resolution of Congress, Resolved, that Capt. James Craig, be and he is hereby appointed to conduct the Exchange of Prisoners there proposed, and this Committee name James Spencer, Thomas Phillips, James Ogelvie, John Shad & Owen Humphreys, as the five persons to be exchang'd for Mr. Lightboy, James Hage, Fortescue, a Pilot Boy, William Martin & Jacob Wilson. At the same time Capt. Craig, (by direction of Congress to this Board,) is desired to give in Exchange one other Prisoner in the Room of John Durry, now on Board the Roebuck. A Letter was wrote to the Committee of Safety for the Lower Counties, requesting they would take measures for sending L't Ball & the Seamen, Prisoners at Dover, up to New Castle, to be deliver'd to Capt. Craig, to be conducted by him on board the Roebuck, in order to be exchanged, agreeable to the Resolves of Congress. This Committee having made application to Congress for twenty pieces of heavy Canon, out of those taken at New Providence, for the defence of this Province, Robert Morris, Esq'r, deliver'd to the Board the following Resolves & Letter to Commodore Hopkins, Vizt: "In Congress, 7th May, 1776. "Resolved, That twenty of the heaviest Canon taken by Commodore Hopkins at New Providence, and brought from thence to New London, and since carried to Newport, be brought to the City of Philad'a and deliver'd to the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania, for the defence and protection of the said City, to remain there during the pleasure of Congress. "Sir: "Extract from the Minutes, "Signed CHA'S THOMSON, Sec'y." "The Congress having by the foregoing Resolve, agreed to lend twenty of the heaviest Čanon taken at Providence & carried to Rhode Island, to the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania for the defence of this City, I have to desire you will immediately deliver the same to the person or Persons whom the said Committee send to receive and bring them hither. "I am, Sir, your most humble Serv't, "To Commodore EN. HOPKINS, "To DAN'L TILLINGHAST." "Sir: "In Marine Committee. PHILAD'A, 10th May, 1776. "You will perceive by the foregoing, that Congress have ordered Twenty of the Canon you brought from Providence to be improv'd in Philad'a; And in order that the Benefit of that order may be realized as soon as possible, we direct that you order the said twenty Canon to be put on board the Fly, or any one other of your Vessels, and carried to New York, & direct the Commander of the Vessel to call on General Washington for his further proceeding, to whom we shall write on the subject; this to be effected in the best manner you can, but by no means to be done to the prejudice of more essential service. The Canon, however, must be sent as speedy as possible, by some conveyance that shall be judged best. "We are, &ca., Signed, "To Commodore E. HOPKINS." "JNO. HANCOCK, In Consequence of the above Resolves & Letters of Congress, this Board came to the following Resolutions: Resolved, That Mr. Thomas Richardson & Mr. Levi Hollingsworth do, as soon as possible, proceed to New London & there apply for the Canon, should they be at that place; If not, That they then go to Newport & procure them, and apply for the Fly or any other armed Vessel to Transport them to New York or Brunswick, by the Sound; or if the Navigation should be interrupted by the Enemy's Vessels, that they are then to procure the Canon to be conveyed by Land to some Harbour in Connecticut, & from thence to be conveyed in any proper Vessel. Upon the whole, they are to procure the Canon to be brought to this place at all events. That any sums that may be wanted to effect this service they are to draw on this Committee At a Special Meeting of the Committee of Safety, 11th May, 1776. By order of the Board, Robert Towers, Commissary, was directed to deliver the following ammunition, to be sent down to the Gondolas immediately, Vizt: Shot 18 pounders, 24 do. 500 240 60 320 25 Capt. Greenway was ordered to receive the following Powder, Shott & Wadds, & carry them down in the Pilot Boats to the Gondolas, and deliver them to the Senior Officer, Vizt: From Rob't Towers, 500 shot, 18 pounders, 240 do. And all the 24 & 32 pound shott on board his Ship or at Fort Resolved, That Capt. Whyte, Capt. Falconer, & Mr. James Wharton, settle with the several owners of the Shallops and Boats |