Mr. McBean

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In Committee of Safety, April 1, 1776.

Present: George Clymer, Chairman, Alexander Wilcocks, Samuel Morris, Jun˙, Daniel Roberdeau, Barnard Dougherty, James Mease, James Biddle, Thomas Wharton, Junior.

Resolved, That Nicholas Fitzsimmons be appointed Third Lieutenant to the Floating Battery.

Mr˙ Barnard Dougherty having represented it as impracticable for the Commissioners and Assessors of Bedford County, from their great distance, to contract with Workmen for making the number of Muskets as ordered by Assembly,

Resolved, That he be authorized to contract with Workmen in any of the back Counties for completing the number of Arms as ordered aforesaid, and that he draw on this Board for the payment of the same.

Mr˙ McBean being brought before this Board, and charged with endeavouring to go on board one of the King' s Ships, in Delaware-Bay, contrary to the direction of this Committee, upon application to them for that purpose, — upon hearing his defence, and fully examining and considering the same,

Resolved, That Mr˙ McBean' s proceeding drown the River on his said design might have happened through a misapprehension of the verbal answer given by this Board upon his said application, as only implying a refusal to grant him their authority for that purpose, from which he inferred that he was at liberty to attempt it without such authority if he could effect it; and although this Committee are of opinion that his said design was ill-judged, and might have been attended with dangerous consequences, yet it does not appear that there is any ground to charge Mr˙ McBean with any evil intention to the prejudice of this country.

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By order of the Board an order was drawn on Messrs˙ Mease and Caldwell, in favour of John Handlyn, for eighteen Pounds five Shillings and ten Pence, being the amount of his Account for repairing Fire-locks belonging to Captain Jones' s Company, and for repairing Fire-locks left by Colonel De Haas' s Battalion, and since delivered to Colonel Wayne and others.

Adjourned to five o' clock.

At a meeting of the Committee of Safety agreeable to adjournment,

Present: John Nixon, Chairman, Daniel Roberdeau, Owen Biddle, James Mease, James Biddle, Thomas Wharton, Jun˙, Samuel Morris, Jun˙, George Clymer.