Resolve on Petition James Avery. In the House of Representatives Octo" 21st 1782 On the Petition of James Avery Esq Agent for the Town of Machias Praying that the Accts between said Town and this Commonwealth might be Adjusted and settled, and that said Town might be Allowed in the Settlement of said Accompts, hire for the Schooner Dilligent for the time she was employed by the Public, also that as the Money-granted by this Court on February 7th 1776 for the Relief of the Eastern Settlements, several Towns received together and gave joint Bonds to the Treasurer for the same, that said Town of Machias after settling for the proportion they received might be discharged from the Bonds given therefor. Resolved that the Committee for Methodizing and Settling the public Accompts be and they are hereby empowered and directed to Adjust and Settle the Accompts between this Commonwealth and the Town of Machias, & allow therein to the said Town the hire of the Schooner Dilligent during the time she was employ'd by the public, and to charge ye said Town with only the Real Sum they received of the Money granted by this Court on the 7th Feb 1777, for the Relief of the Eastern Settlements. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, The Committee of both Houses appointed to consider the petition of James Avery & papers accompanying them, beg leave to Report by way of Resolve: John Bliss p' order In Senate October 22d 1782 Read & thereupon Resolved, that the Commissary General of this Commonwealth be & hereby is directed to pay to James Avery thirty four pounds three shillings & four pence in money or provisions for the use of William Albee Lieu of the Artillery Company at Machias being for ten hundred & twenty five back rations due to said William Albee from the 7th of Dec 1779 to the 16th of August 1782, at eight pence p' Ration; & that the Agent of this Commonwealth be directed to deliver to the said James Avery Seven Suits of Cloaths for the Soldiers at said Machias & Charge the same to the United StatesSent down for Concurrence S Adams Presid In the House of Representatives Nov" 4th 1782. Read and concurred Approv❜d Nathaniel Gorham Speaker John Hancock Memorial Nathaniel Wells et als. To the Honble Senate & House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled the 25th day of Oct 1782 The Memorial of Nathaniel Wells, Edward Grow & Simon Fry Esq in Behalf of the several Towns in the County of York humbly shews that the said Towns Exerted themselves to the utmost of their Abilities for complying with the Resolve of Court passed the 30th day of June 1781 requiring them to furnish a Number of Soldiers to serve Three Months in the continental Army & actually Inlisted a Number of Men for that purpose but such were their unhappy Circumstances at that Time by Reason of the intire failure of the old continental Currency & the State of the New Emission Money that they were absolutely unable to furnish the Soldiers by them engaged with sufficient Sums of hard Money to defrey their Expences from thence to the continental Army tho the greatest Exertions were made for the purpose The Reason of their Failure was the Want of hard Money, there not being at that Time within the County a sufficient Sum of that Money to defrey the said Expences and such was the Embarisment of Trade their Coasts being at that Time unusually infested with British Privateers as rendred them utterly unable to procure hard Money from the places where it circulated which continued nearly Six Months without much Alteration in Consequence of which said Towns also fell & still remain greatly in the Arrear in payment of their Taxes Your Mem° beg leave to mention their service to the Commonwealth of the present War at all other Times said County has been among the foremost in furnishing Soldiers for the Continental Army notwithstanding the Difficulties they have laboured under & that the Circumstances of said County are distressing at present on various Accounts. Your Mem® are of Opinion that the Exaction of Penalties from a People in Distress for not doing what was not in their power to perform would greatly tend to discourage them & so operate to the Disadvantage of the Commonwealth Wherefore your Mem° pray that the peculiar Case & Circumstances of said Towns may be duly considered & that they may be exempted from any Penalties which they may have incurred for not furnishing the Soldiers required of them by said Resolve or that Relief may be granted them in such other Way as the Court in their Wisdom & Goodness may think proper & your Mem° as in Duty bound will ever pray &c Nath' Wells, Edwd Grow, Simon Frye Action on Foregoing. Commonwealth of Massachusetts In the House of Representatives October 30th 1782. On the petition of Nathaniel Wells Esq' and others in behalf of the County of York setting forth that, for the want of a Circulating medium and from other peculiar Difficulties attending them it was not in their power to raise the three months men called for, to serve in the Continental Army July A. D. 1781: tho they used their utmost Exertions to effect the same & praying that the penalty for not raising a part of said men may be remitted to them Resolved that the prayer of said petition be so far granted that a fifth part of said penalty be remitted to the several towns in said County and that the present towns in said County be fined & pay sixteen pounds per man for every man not raised according to the resolve for raising said men and assessed accordingly in the tax next to be issued Memorial Selectmen of Boothbay. To the Honorable the Senate & House of Representatives for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts We the Selectmen of the Township of Boothbay beg leave to represent to your Honors the confus'd and irregular manner in which the Town papers ly at present on account of the shift of Officers last March meeting in particular the Treasurer we cannot find any regularity in the Treasurers Books no proper Settlement from the beginning to end of it & the former Treasurer after a lawful Demand of him to Deliver up the receipts & other papers in his hands belonging to the Town has absolutely refus'd, which occasions great inconveniences for which reason we wou'd beg your honors to take the matter into your wise consideration & if your Honors should think proper we would beg that you would grant or appoint a Committee in Sum of the Neighbouring Towns to inquire into this matter & see that there is a proper Settlement of our Towns Accounts We wou'd likewise represent to your honors the Obstinacy of your Militia Officers in this Town, they have taken several Fines from men that they Draughted & cou'd not go into the service & have never accounted with the Treasurer for one Farthing since the War which seems to us to be very unjust We wou'd beg therefore that if your honors shou'd appoint a Committee as above that they may be empowered & directed to call the Militia Officers to account Respecting the fines & see that a proper settlement is made. We would likewise represent to your Honors the great inconvenience of having two Companies of Militia in this little poor Town where there is not more than one Company of able bodied Men, having so many Officers screen'd from Draughts comes very heavy on the remainder. We would therefore beg if your Honors think proper to bring the Militia in this Town into one Company Hoping your Honors will grant this our most ernest petition We are your Honors Most Obedient Humble Serv Benja Sawyer } Major part of the Select men of Boothbay Boothbay Oct 25th 1782 Memorial James Bowdoin et als. To the Honorable the Senate and the Honorable the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court Assembled at Boston The Memorial of James Bowdoin, David Jeffries and James Bowdoin jun" for themselves and others, humbly sheweth, |