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, President 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 re'ceived 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 offieers of the troop of Light Horse, and of an Infantry company, be accepted, and that commissions be issued accordingly.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, September 4th, 1788.

PRESENT:

The Honorable PETER MUHLENBERG, Esquire, Vice President.

Henry Hill,

Samuel Dean,

William Maclay,

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 President.

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.

Samuel Garrigues and Peter Lohra, were appointed and commissionated to be Notaries Public in and for this Commonwealth, agreeably to the prayer of their several petitions.

Richard Peters, Esquire, and Mr. John Curwen, made a report agreeably to the order of Council the nineteenth of July last, of a survey and admeasurement of that part of the Lancaster road called Jones' lane, proposed to be made on new ground, which being read, an order was taken,

day of

That public notice be given that proposals will be received at the Secretary's office, untill the for making good the said road, agreeably to the following courses and distances, vizt: Beginning at a white oak at the side of the Lancaster road, thence south sixty-four degrees, west two hundred and thirteen perches to a dead black oak, thence north seventy-three degrees, west nineteen perches to Goodman's bridge.

An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of said Richard Peters and John Curwen, for three pounds, being the expence of surveying the said road.

Mr. Thomas and Mr. McCalmont, a committee from the General Assembly, attended, and informed the Council that the House was now met, and ready to receive any business Council may have to lay before them. The Committee were informed that a message was preparing, and should be transmitted to the House to-morrow, together with a number of papers therein referred to.

An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of the Honorable Peter Muhlenberg, Esquire, for the sum of one hundred pounds, in part of his salary as Vice President, for which sum he is to account.

On motion,

Resolved, That agreeably to the supplement to the act of Assembly entitled An Act to alter and amend an act intituled An Act to remedy the defects of the several acts of Assembly heretofore made for regulating the elections of Justices of the Peace through

out this State, &ca., passed the twenty-seventh day of February last, the inhabitants of the town of Easton in the county of Northampton, are entitled to and shall be allowed a third Justice of the Peace, upon an election of such Justice being held within the said town by the freeholders thereof, and return made to Council according to law.

The following draft of a message from Council to the General Assembly, was read and approved, vizt:

A message from the President and Supreme Executive Council to the General Assembly.

GENTLEMEN :—The daring insult offered to the laws of the State during the recess of your Honorable House, by the insurgents of Wyoming, in carrying off the person of Timothy Pickering, Esquire, Prothonotary of the county, called for the immediate interposition of Government, more especially as there was no knowing to what further lengths their outrages might be carried, unless speedily checked.

For this purpose we issued proclamations offering rewards for apprehending those offenders whose names were known, and made application to the governments of New Jersey and New York, to co-operate in our measures, and received the most friendly assurances of their support. We also obtained the permission from the Honorable Congress that the troops of the Union then on their march to the westward, should proceed (if found necessary,) to Wyoming. These active measures, supported by the friends of government within the county, have been attended with success.

Colonel Pickering was released, a number of the rioters have been taken into custody, and apparent peace restored to the county. Sundry papers relating to the above transactions are enclosed in number one.

In order to carry into effect your resolution of the twenty sev enth of March last, respecting the seventeen enumerated townships, we appointed Colonel Stephen Balliot and Major William Armstrong, commissioners to ascertain the quantity and quality of the particular tracts of land contained in the said townships. To their report, marked No. 2, we beg leave to refer you.

In compliance with your resolution of the twenty-ninth of Febru ary last, we have negociated, by means of our delegates in Congress, with the United States for the tract of country, which on actual survey may appear to be their property, on Lake Erie, adjoining the northern boundary of this State. The report, with the documents on which the same is founded, are contained in the bundle No. 3.

The lowering the terms of lands in the new purchase, and freeing the surplus of the donation lands from the appropriation by which they are bound, are matters in our opinion worthy the attention of the House. By these means not only an old fund would be rendered productive, but a new one will be oponed.