400 HISTORY OP 



to the committee, upon inquiry into the facts therein 

 contained, it is ordered by this committee (three town- 

 ships dissenting) that the said Henry Zericher be allowed 

 five pounds of powder, and no more, out of the public 

 magazine, for the purposes expressed in the petition, he 

 paying for the same into the county treasury at the rate 

 four shillings per pound. 



The sub-committee appointed to essay the draft of an 

 answer to the letter of the committee of safety respecting 

 the provincial muskets, do now report to this committee, 

 the draft of the answer which they had prepared, in these 

 words, to wit : 



Lancaster, November 9th, 1775. 



Gentlemen : — Your letter of the 7th day of October 

 last, directed to the committee of Lancaster county 

 respecting the provincial muskets, in the hands of the 

 military associators and others in this county, has been 

 laid before this committee and taken into consideration. 



We find that the gentlemen who were the committee 

 of correspondence, appointed by the late county commit- 

 tee, had upon the receipt of your letter, published and 

 dispersed hand-bills throughout the county requiring the 

 persons possessed of such muskets to bring them in at 

 this time. As none are brought in, we beg leave to 

 suggest to you some facts, relative to those arms, and 

 wait your further directions. 



After the troops raised by the province in the late war 

 were disbanded, a number of muskets and military accou- 

 trements were lodged at a Mr. Carson's in Paxtang, 

 where they remained without any notice or care being 

 taken of them, until the unhappy disputes between Great 

 Britain and the Colonies rendered it indispensably neces-. 

 sary for our safety to associate and arm in defence of our 

 rights. The then committee of this county upon hearing 



