pence, payable out of the militia fines of the city and liberties of Philadelphia, being the ballance due upon his account for repairing the public arms belonging to the said city and liberties, according to the Comptroller General's report.

Ordered, That William Craig, Esquire, be appointed and commissionated a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the county of Philadelphia.

Upon the petition of a number of the inhabitants of the townships of Pinegrove and Brunswick, over the Blue Mountain, in the county of Berks, an order was drawn that Egedian Meyer, Esquire, Justice of the Peace for the townships aforesaid, be appointed and commissionated a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the county aforesaid.

The consid ration of Archibald Shaw's petition, praying remission of that part of the forfeiture of one hogshead of rum which belongs to the Commonwealth, incurred by him for neglecting to enter the same with the Collector of Excise in the city of Philadel phia, was postponed untill Monday next.

Council resumed the consideration of the report of their committee, which was read and entered on the minutes of the twelfth instant, containing an arrangement of the town lots and out-lots within the reserved tract opposite Pittsburgh, in order for sale; and thereupon

Resolved, That the lots aforesaid be exposed to public sale in the city of Philadelphia, on the nineteenth day of November next; and that certificates upon which interest is payable at the Treasury of this Commonwealth be received in payment therefor.

Resolved, That the Receiver General of the Land office be instructed to give public notice of the sale aforesaid in the Philadel phia newspapers and Pittsburgh Gazette, sixty days before the said nineteenth day of November.

Upon consideration of the petition from Henry Dickey, and a recommendation in his favor from four of the Justices of the Peace of this city;

Ordered, That the fine of ten pounds and imprisonment which was imposed upon him by a City Court held in April last, upon being convicted of keeping a disorderly house, be remitted.

An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of Frederick Sneider for fifteen pounds ten shillings, in full for his attendance as Doorkeeper to Council from the first untill the thirty-first of August, 1788, inclusively.

Upon the petition of Rebecca Riffets, now confined in the work house of this city,

Ordered, That the punishment at hard labour to which she was sentenced by a Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery held at Philadelphia, the sixteenth day of July last, upon being convicted of receiving stolen goods, knowing them to be such, be remitted.

Council taking into consideration the proclamation of his Brittanic Majesty, of the twenty-fifth of June last, prohibiting the entry of wheat, the growth of any of the Territories of the United States, into any of the Ports of Great Britain, and having reason

to believe that the said proclamation has been occasioned by some mis-information respecting the insect called the Hessian fly; therefore,

Resolved, That a letter be written to the Agricultural Society requesting them to investigate and report to Council as soon as convenient, the nature of the Hessian fly, the manner of its being propagated, and the effects of it upon the crops of wheat.

A letter from the Delegates of Pennsylvania in Congress, inclosing their proposal for the purchase of the Territory adjoining the northern boundary of this State belonging to the United States, at the rate of three-quarters of a dollar per acre, in specie or public securities bearing interest, and the acceptance of the said proposal by the Board of Treasury of the United States, was read. General Watt was appointed a member of the Board of Property.

A letter from the Honorable Samuel Johnston, Esquire, Presi dent of the Convention of the State of North Carolina, inclosing a declaration of rights by the said Convention, and the amendments which they wish to take place in the Constitution proposed for the future government of the United States, was received and read.

Upon consideration of the petition of Stephen Shewell, it was Ordered, That the fine of four hundred and fifty pounds, which is payable to the use of the Commonwealth, by the petitioner upon his being convicted of usury, be remitted.

The consideration of the case of Francis Wade, relative to the sale of his house, and the hearing of the several claims of Richard Wells, and Nicholas Young, and Peter Thompson, to certain city lots under old rights, were postponed.

The consideratien of the petition of Jeremiah Fisher, guardian of the child or children of Captain William Shippen, deceased, relative to their pension, was also postponed.

Council resumed the consideration of the petition of Archibald Shaw, praying remission of the fine, and that part of the forfeiture

of one tierce of rum which belongs to the Commonwealth, incurred by him for neglecting to enter the same with the Collector of Excise in the city of Philadelphia, in due time, and thereupon,

Resolved, That the prayer of the petitioner be granted.

A petition from George William Steinhauer, of the city of Phil. delphia, praying Council to remit the fine of one hundred pounds, which was imposed upon him by a Court of Oyer and Terminer held in this city in April, 1787, upon his being convicted of being concerned with John Rheiner, in altering the marks of a cargo of flour from common to superfine, was read, and an order taken that the said fine of one hundred pounds be remitted.

A letter from Colonel Zebulun Butler, Lieutenant of the county of Luzerne, inclosing a return of field and company officers for the upper battalion of militia of the said county, and a return of officers of a troop of militia Light Horse in the said county, was received and read, and on consideration, it was

Resolved, That the return of officers elected in and for the said upper battalion, be rejected, and the said election is hereby declared null and void.

Resolved, That the return made by the said Lieutenant of officers of the troop of Light Horse, and of an Infantry company, be accepted, and that commissions be issued accordingly.

James Read,

Abraham Smith,

On motion,

Resolved, That the letter from Council to the Agricultural Society, dated the first instant, together with their answer thereto touching the nature of the insect called the Hessian fly, (received and read this day,) be published in the Pennsylvania Packet, and that the printers of the said newspapers be requested to republish the several letters from Mr. George Morgan, of New Jersey, dated May the twentieth, and July the twenty-fifth, 1787, and June the twenty-fourth day, 1788, and the letters from John Jacobs, James Vaux, and Henry Wynkoop, dated the sixteenth day of August, 1788, upon the same subject immediately following the publication of the first mentioned letters.

Upon application of Captain James Chrystie,

Ordered, That the Attorney General be instructed to institute an amicable suit at law for determining the dispute subsisting between said Captain Chrystie and the Comptroller General in behalf of the Commonwealth, respecting certain certificates for soldiers' pay, which the Comptroller alledges are escheated to the Commonwealth.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Friday, September 5th, 1788.

PRESENT:

The Honorable PETER MUHLENBERG, Esquire, Vice Presi dent.

A letter from James Coyle, Esquire, a Justice of the Peace and Common Pleas for the county of Huntingdon, requesting leave to resign his said offices being read,

Ordered, That his resignation be accepted.