While the excitement occasioned by the enactments of the Provincial Congress, authorizing local Committees to seize and imprison ami disarm and deprive of their estates those who should become obnoxious to those local demagogues and against whom, by fair means or l)y foul, an accusation of nnfrieiully thoughts or words against the Rebellion could possibly be trumped up, was at its height, and while some of the inhabitants of the County were already suffering from imjjrisonment, attended by the most distressing circumstances, under the provisions of those enactments, the Committee of Safety, whom the Provincial I'ongress had left on duty, with a limited authority, during a brief recess of the latter body, still further aroused the excitement and the indignation of the greater number of the Colonists in New York, of nearly all of those within Wcstchester-county, by the publication of the following Resolution and Orders :

" i.\ com.mittee of s.\1-kty, " For the Colony of New York, "September 16th, 1775.

'" Whereas, a great number of the men enlisted in " the Continental Service, in this Colony, arc desti- " tutc of Arms, and in order to carry into execution "the Resolutions of the Continental Congress, it is " absolutely necessary to have those troops armed : "And WHEREAS, every method to hire or purchase "Anns, hitherto attempted, has failed to jjrocure a " sutficient number of Arms for the said troops, and "the only method remaining is to impress Arms for " their use,

" Resolved, therefore. That all such Arms as are " fit for the use of the troops raised in this Colony, " which shall be found in the hands or custody of any " person who has not signed the (icnernl Ax.sociafion " in this Colony, shall be impressed for the use of the " said troops.