quest. The Committee therefore ask leave to offer the following order.

By direction of the Committee,

ISAAC WATERS, Chairman. Ordered, That the City Clerk be directed to cause the By-Laws and public acts of the City Council, to be published in the Boston NewsLetter and City Record, published by Abel Bowen, provided the same can be done on the terms now allowed by the City to other publish

ers.

The above order was passed and sent up for concurrence.

which required investigation, in regard to the power of the other board alone, to create a new office, however needful it might be.

The committee on Neck Lands made a final report which was accepted. The report stated the amount of receipts and expenditures, which gave a balance in favor of the city of $17 41. A considerable part of the expenditure was for planting a large number of elm trees.

An order, reported by the committee of Finance, was passed appropriating $12,000 for the payment of interest on the city and county debt.

etors of the Mill Dam, and the proprietors of lands on Pleasant and Washington streets, reported that they had come to a fair and equitable agreement; the report was accepted and the Mayor authorised to sign and seal deeds, &c.

Wednesday Dec. 27.- A communication from the Mayor was received relating to the Office of Health The Committee, on the difficulCommissioner, stating that Mr Jack-culties between the City the proprison had perforined the duties of that office, no person having been chosen to fill it, and while the ordinance to abolish it was in the course of enactment; that the Board of Aldermen had concurred in the vote of the Common Council to a bolish the Office; and that Mr. Jackson had a claim for his services up to the date when the ordinance appointing it was annulled.

The report of the committee on the petition of the Mercantile Wharf Company, recommending resolves fixing the boundary line between that company and the City's property, &c. was accepted, and the resolves passed.

The report of the committee on the vacant rooms in the New Market, and the report of the committee on the petition of John Sullivan, with a number of others, reported by the committee on unfinished business, were referred to the next City Council.

The committee on Finance reported the order providing for the payment of Enoch Patterson, as superintendant of streets, the sum of $1800 50, being at the rate of $1000 per annum; the report was referred to the next Council on the ground that principles were involved in it

Several ordinances, to prevent injurious practices in the streets, regulating the measurement of wood and bark, requiring all persons intending to build to give notice to the surveyors of highways, regulating the form and service of warrants, came down amended for concurrence: read and concurred.

The committee on the revision of the bye-laws made a final report, stating that nothing remained but to publish them in one volume with the city charter and the laws of the state relative thereto, and the same committee was appointed to publish the same, and 250 copies ordered for the use of the city.

The thanks of the Common Council, on motion of Mr. Curtis, were unanimously presented to John R. Adan, Esq. for the judicious, independent and impartial manner with which he has performed the duties of President of the Board for the past year. To which Mr. Adan replied in a feeling manner, thanking

N. H St. and Reg.

the Council for the assistance which || hand and superscribed by him.they had rendered him in the dis- They were sealed with wax, on charge of the duties of the chair, which was almost invariably imand recurring with much satisfaction pressed his family Arms, with the to the harmonious manner in which mottoes, "Sedulo et constanter," subjects of a very lively interest to and "Ad Mortem Fidelis." many of them had been carried through He briefly noticed the great improvements which had taken place under the auspices of the Council, the Marginal street, the revision of the by-laws, &c. and closed by bidding the members of the Council an affectionate farewell.

MATERIALS FOR HISTORY. The last number of the North American Review has an interesing article on the subject of collecting materials for American History, and suggest the propriety of taking

The Council then adjourned with-measures to procure, from the differout day.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

JONATHAN BELCHER.

ent public offices in England, copies of such papers and documents as may be of value in relation to the history of this country. We are glad to perceive that MR. BARTLETT has brought the subject before Congress and trust that such measures will be adopted as will end in the accomplishment of so desirable an object. One of the most accomplished historians of our country, (Gov. PLU

Gov. Jonathan Belcher, the son of the Hon. Andrew Belcher, of Boston, and grandson of Andrew Belcher, of Cambridge, was born, according to one of his letters to Secretary Waldron, on the 8th of January, 1682; graduated at Har-MER, of Epping, in this state,) some vard College in 1699, and not long after visited Europe, where he remained about six years; returned to Boston and became a merchant in extensive business. He was, in 1729 chosen an agent to the British Court, and on the death of Gov. Burnet, he was appointed Gov. of Massachusetts and N. H. in which station he remained eleven years. In 1741, he was superseded, on which he repaired to court where he vindicated his character from the charges which occasioned his removal, and in 1747, he was appointed Governor of NewJersey, where he died, at Elizabethtown, 31st August, 1757, 76.He was brought to Mass. and entombed at Cambridge. His letters were very numerous, and no one, perhaps, among his correspondents enjoyed a greater share of confi

years ago, commenced writing a History of America, a work very much wanted, and which we believe he was obliged to suspend, for no other reason than the want of certain papers and documents in the Board of Plantations in England. The State of Georgia has led the way in an attempt to gain possession || of these papers, and if congress take proper steps, we have no doubt the Britisn government will readily grant us copies. N. Y. Journal.

dence or received more letters from him than Secretary Richard Waldron. His letters were generally written by his private secretary or clerk, were subscribed by his own

CHRONOLOGICAL.

The Patriot of Saturday last contains an interesting Epitome, from one of its valuable correspondents, of the leading events which have transpired in this country, since the year 1765. We have copied the same into our News-Letter, as worthy of preservation, and as affording a valuable page of reference to the future historian

June 17, '75-Battle of Bunker Doc. 26, 1776-Washington havHill, in which the Provincials losting been constrained to cross the 449; the British, 1154, including 89 officers, and the village of Charlestown, containing 386 buildings, set on fire by order of the British commander, and entirely consumed.

Dec. 30, 1776-Battle of Prince- || States, in which our Independence ton, in which Washington was vic-is acknowledged. torious. The British lost 60 killed, and 300 prisoners. The American General, Mercer, was slain.

1777-Two vessels arrived in the United States with arms, &c. of which the Americans stood much in need.

sur

June 18, 1778– --The British evacuated Philadelphia.

June 28, 1778-Battle of Monmouth, N. J. in which the Americans were victorious.

July, 1778-Arrival of the French Fleet under Adm. D'Estaing.

November, 1778-Savannah cap

June, 1779-Expedition from Massachusetts under Gen. Lovell, which ended in the destruction of the fleet under Comm. Salstonstall, and the dispersion of the army.

July 5, 1779-Stoney Point captured by the Americans under Gen. Wayne.

Sept. 16, 1779-Savannah be

May, 1777-Col. Meigs, with 170 men, made a descent upon Longtured by the British. Island in whale boats, destroyed 12|| British vessels, and brought away 90 prisoners without losing a man. July, 1777-Lord Percy resigned his command in Rhode-Island to General Prescott, who was prised and captured in bed by Col. Barton and a small party which embarked from Warwick neck, and landed on Newport Island at mid-sieged by the French fleet under night. D'Estaing, and the American army Aug. 16, 1777-Battle of Ben-under Gen. Lincoln. nington, Vt. in which 1500 British regulars, and 100 Indians, under Col. Baum, were routed, and most of them taken prisoners, and a detachment to reinforce him, put to flight by a body of Green-Mountain Boys, under Gen. Starks.

Oct. 11, 1779-The besiegers attempted to storm the town of Savannah, and were repulsed with great slaughter, 600 French, and 200 Americans killed and wounded, among the latter Count Pulasky, mortally.

April 9, 1780-Charleston invaded by the British land and naval forces under Sir Henry Clinton. Surrendered May 12, 1780.

Sept. 26, 1777--Battle of the Brandywine, in which the Americans were defeated, with a loss of 1200 men killed and wounded, among the latter was Gen. La-Fay-ron under Adm. De Tiernay arrived ette, dangerously. at Newport, R. I. with 6000 troops under Count Rochambeau.

Sept. 11, 1777-Philadelphia, the capital of the United States, evacuated by Washington, and entered by Lord Cornwallis.

Oct. 4, 1777-Battle of Germantown, in which the Americans lost 1000 men; the British about 500. Oct. 17, '77-Gen. Burgoyne, after losing 2933 men at Stillwater, and other places, surrendered the remainder of his army, (5752) to the Americans, under Gen. Gates.

Dec. 77-Washington retires into winter quarters at Valley Forge; most of his troops being without shoes or tents, and sheltering themselves in temporary huts.

July 11, 1780-A French squad

Aug. 15, 1780-Battle of Camden, S. C. in which Gates is defeated by Cornwallis, who took 290 wounded prisoners, artillery, &c. Baron de Kalb mortally wounded.

Sept 22, 1780-General Arnold, having obtained the command of West Point, opened a correspondence with Clinton, and offered to deliver that fortress into his hands. His treason was discovered by the capture of Maj Andre, who had been employed by Clinton to confer with him.

Oct. 2, 1780-Arnold escaped to N. York, where he received 10,0331 Feb. 6, 1778-Treaty of alliance and a commission in the British arsigned between France and the U.my, as a reward for his treachery,