22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONVENTION [1775.

That no company be permitted to choose officers before a suffi-
cient number of men be enrolled to make up 50 privates, besides
non-commissioned officers.

That after enrollment in pursuance of these resolves, no man be
permitted to leave the company in which he shall have been enroll-
ed, without the consent of his captain in writing.

That the committee of observation in each county make dili-
gent inquiry after, and transmit to the convention or council
of safety, the name of every able bodied effective freeman as afore-
said, in their respective county, if there shall be any such, who
shall not enroll himself either as a minute or artillery man, or in the
militia, according to the preceding resolves, to the end, that the
convention may take order therein; against whom no further pro-
ceedings or measures shall be taken, but by the future order of the
convention.

That the committee of observation for each county shall divide
the militia of their county into battalions or companies of light in-
fantry, each of which battalions to consist of such eight companies
of militia as the same committee shall appoint; and the same com-
mittee also assigning to each battalion, one company of light infan-
try, which light infantry shall be armed in such manner as the coun-
cil of safety shall direct; and that to each of the said battalions
there be one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, two majors, one quar-
ter master, and one adjutant, who shall be appointed and commis-
sioned by the delegates of this province sitting in convention, or
at any time when they are not sitting in convention, by the coun-
cil of safety in the name of the convention; which officers shall
rank and martial the companies of their respective battalions.

That every company of militia be exercised one day in every
week, and that every battalion of militia be exercised in battalion
at such times and places as the field officers of the battalion shall
appoint, not oftener than once in every month, nor seldomer than
once in every two months; the day of exercise in battalion being
accounted as the day of exercise for that week.

That the colonel of every battalion of minute men and militia,
shall employ a skilful and able adjutant for his battalion, who shall
train and exercise the battalion, and the several companies thereof,
according to the directions of the colonel, and shall receive for
a month of thirty days, sixteen dollars; and that the companies of
minute men not formed in battalion, as to the purpose of being
trained and exercised by the adjutant, be esteemed as a company
of the battalion with which they shall exercise as before directed.

That every field and commissioned officer having no reasonable