from the State House clock, the newly constructed hammer which the memorialist had invented and placed there by direction of the late President and Council, was read and referred to Colonel Willing, Colonel Smith, and Christopher Kucher, who were instructed to make inquiry into the necessary annual expence of keeping the said clock in repair, and report to Council. The following report was represented to Council, read and adopted, vizt: The committee to whom was referred the remonstrance of a number of the freemen of the city and county of Philadelphia, complaining of abuses and frauds having been committed at the general election held in the said city on the fourteenth of October last, and who were to report the names of such public officers as had acted in violation of the constitution or laws of this State, report that they have examined a number of the signers of the said remonstrance, and two other persons pointed out by them, none of whom know of any abuses or a frauds committed by the Judges or Inspectors of said election or by any of them, nor could your committee obtain the least testimony that operated against the integrity and upright conduct of the public officers of the said election The Council met. PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, December 10th.. PRESENT: His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President. Jacob Abel Esquire, was appointed and commissionated a Jus-tice of the Peace in and for the county of Northampton, upon a return made according to law for the district of the township of Easton aud Forks. Upon the report of the committee to whom was referred the petition of John Hudson, a prisoner in the jail of the city and county of Philadelphia, convicted of forgery, praying that the fine and punishment to which he was sentenced may be remitted, and also several recommendations in his favor. Resolved, That the fine of five pounds to the Commonwealth, and the punishment of eighteen months' hard labour imposed by the sentence of the Court of Quarter Sessions of the city and county of Philadelphia, upon the said John Hudson, for the said offence, be and the same are hereby remitted. The petition of Ludwick Gloss, who was convicted at the last Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace of Philadelphia county, of receiving stolen goods, knowing them to be such, praying a pardon, accompanied by a recommendation from the Justices of said Court, was read the second time; and on consideration, it was Resolved, That the fine of fifteen shillings payable to the use of the Commonwealth, and the punishment of six months' hard labour to which the petitioner was sentenced for the said offence, be remitted. On motion, Resolved, That the three months' imprisonment which is a part of the sentence of the last Court of Quarter Sessions of Philadelphia county against Philip Sharp, for an assault and battery upon Christian Hubert, be now remitted. Upon the second reading of the letter from Charles Campbell, Esquire, Lieutenant of the county of Westmoreland, relative to a supply of arms and ammunition for the defence of the frontiers, Resolved, That the same be referred to Mr. Dennison, Mr. Smith, Mr. Edie, and Mr. Woods. The Committee appointed on the thirteenth day of November last to make the inquiries required by the resolution of Council of the fourteenth of November, 1787, and to whom was referred the case of Lazarus Brown McLean, Esquire, Prothonotary of Huntington county, now made report, which was read, and on motion, it was Resolved, That to-morrow be appointed for the second reading and consideration of the said report. "The Council met. PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, December 11th, 1788. PRESENT: His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President. Amos Gregg, Samuel Miles, James Read, Abraham Smith, Richard Willing, Samuel Edie, Nathan Dennison, and George Woods, Zebulun Potts, Christopher Kucher, Agreeably to the minute of yesterday, the report of the com mittee appointed to make the enquiries required by the resolution of Council of the fourteenth of November, 1787, was read the second time, as follows, vizt: The committee who were appointed to make the enquiries required by the resolution of Council of the fourteenth of November, 1787, report: That several of the officers appointed by Council have neglected to settle their accounts agreeably to the requisition of the several acts of Assembly, which will appear from the returns of the Comptroller General herewith submitted: That Doctor Barnabas Binney, one of the sureties of John Nicholson, Esquire, Comptroller General, is dead, and that Matthew Irwin, the other, is a bankrupt: That John Craig, Esquire, who is one of the sureties of William Craig, Esquire, Prothonotary of Northampton county, has been lately appointed Collector of Excise of said county, and that Samuel Sitgreaves, the other, is a lawyer in practice at the courts in that county. The committee would therefore submit to Council the propriety of requiring from John Nicholson, Esquire, and William Craig, Esquire, other securities for the faithfull performance of the duties of their respective offices: That many of the public officers have given securities in their respective county's, and therefore the committee have not had it their power to ascertain their names or circumstances. Your committee beg leave further to report that they have seriously considered the complaints against the conduct of Lazarus Browne McLene, Esquire, Prothonotary and Clerk of the Sessions for the county of Huntington, and the testimony in support of the same taken by Alexander Graydon and Joseph Hubley, Esquires, under the direction of Council, with such other information as they have obtained, and are of opinion that the said Lazarus Brown McLene, Esquire, is not suffi ciently qualified to execute the duties of said offices. Your committee, from a sence of their duty, have been under the necessity of taking notice of a memorial presented to Council in December, 1787, on which they do not find any order has heretofore been taken, stating the conduct of John Nicholson, Esquire, Comptroller General, and Frederick Phile, Esquire, Naval Officer, respecting the seizure, sale, purchase, and re-sale, &ca., of the ship Ann. If the facts stated in the aforesaid memorial can be fully supported by testimony, your committee are of opinion they are of such a nature as to require and demand the attention of the Executive Council. As John Nicholson, Esquire, Comptroller General, has been absent for some time, your committee did not think proper to go into a full investigation of the subject, and therefore recommend that a special committee be appointed, with power to make the necessary inquiry into the facts alledged in said memorial, and report thereon. And on motion, it was Resolved, That the first paragraph of the said report, which relates to the neglect of some officers in the appointment of Council to settle their accounts agreeably to law, be re-committed and that the Committee be instructed to prepare and report to Council a draft of a resolution for obliging such delinquent officers to account. The Board then proceeded in the consideration of the other parts of the said report, and thereupon, Resolved, That John Nicholson, Esquire, Comptrollor General, offer to Council for their approbation two sureties for the faithfull discharge of the duties of his office, in the room and stead of Barnabas Binney, deceased, and Matthew Irwin, a public officer. And that William Craig, Esquire, Prothonotary of Northampton county, offer in like manner two sureties for the faithfull execution of the duties of his office, in the room of John Craig, Esquire, who is also a public officer, and Samuel Sitgreaves, Esquire, an attorney in the Court of Common Pleas in the said county. Resolved, That the Secretary be authorized and directed to call upon the Prothonotary's and Recorders of the several counties throughout this State for returns of the names of those persons who stand as sureties for pubile officers in the appointment of this Board. In the case of the complaint against Lazarus Brown McLene, Esquire, it was moved by Mr. Gregg, seconded by Mr. Woods, that Council come to the following resolution, vizt: Resolved, That the said Lazarus Brown M'Lene, be and he is bereby removed from the offices of Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas and Clerk of the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace and Jail Delivery of the county of Hunting ton. And on the question, to agree to the same, the yeas and nays were required by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Potts, and were as follows, vizt: Yeas. The President. Yeas. Nay. So it was determined in the affirmative. On consideration of that part of the aforesaid report which recommends that a special committee be appointed to make the necessary enquires into the facts alledged in the memorial presented to Council in December, 1787, by Richard Wells, against the Comptroller General and Naval Officer, and to report to Council thereon, Resolved, That Colonel Willing, Zebulun Potts, Doctor Gregg, Colonel Smith and Colonel Dennisen, be appointed a committee for the purpose aforesaid. Council proceeded to the choice of a Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas and Clerk of the Court of General Quarter Ses sions of the Peace and Jail Delivery of the county of Huntington, in the place of Lazarus Brown M'Lene, Esquire, removed, and the ballots being taken for the several candidates, it appeared that Andrew Henderson, Esquire, was duly elected to the said offices, and he was commissionated accordingly. On motion, Resolved, That the said Lazarus Brown M'Lene, Esquire, be removed from the office of Clerk of the Orphans' Court of the said county of Huntington, and that the said Andrew Henderson, Esquire, be appointed to that office in his room and stead, and be commissionated accordingly. Doctor John M'Dowell, of the county of Chester, and Israel Israel, Innkeeper of the city of Philadelphia, were offered and accepted as sureties for the said Andrew Henderson's faithfull discharge of the duties of his offices aforesaid, according to law. An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of Edward Burd, Esquire, for the sum of nine pounds fifteen shillings and three pence, for the travelling expences of the Judges and Prothonotary of the Supreme Court and their servants, &ca., on the northern circuit, in the fall of the present year 1788, which sum the said Judges have certified to be properly chargeable to the State. The Council met. PHILADELPHIA, Eriday, December 12, 1788. PRESENT: His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President. An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of the Honorable George Woods, Esquire, for sixty-three pounds ten shillings, in full for attendance in Council from the sixteenth of October untill the twelfth of December, 1788, inclusively, and two mileages, coming to Philadelphia and returning to Bedford. On motion, Resolved, That the Vice President and Mr. Woods, be a committee to consider of and report to Council, names proper for the several lanes and alley's within the reserved tract opposite Pittsburg, omitted in the last report. |