Warren Tompkins, Bolton, (History of Westcliester-county, original edition, ii., 359 ; tile same, second edition, ii., 664,) considered the Congress which was assembled, at the White Plains, on the ninth of July* 1776, as the same body as that which had been in session, in the City of New York, from the eighteenth of May until the thirtieth of June, preceding. In other words, both these learned historians regarded the third^nd the fourth Provincial Congresses as one and the same body

6 Journal of the Provincial Congress, " Tuesday, P.M., White Plains, 1 " July 9, 1776."

7 The Journal of the Congress, July 9, placed Colonel Van Cortlandt's name at the head of the list of "the new members present" who " took the general oath of secrecy," although the Colonel had headed the Deputation from Westchester-county, in the third Provincial Congress, as will be seen by reference to the Credentials of that Delegation', in tbe Journal of that Congress, "Die Sabbati, 10 ho., A.M., May 18, " 1776."

The explanation of that apparent contradiction may be found in the fact that that short lived third Provincial Congress was dissolved before Colonel Pierre Van Cortlandt took his seat in it or was qualified to do so 1 , by his taking the oaths of the office of Deputy.

8 George Clinton, Henry Wisner, John Alsop, WiUtam Floyd, and Francis Lewis, to the Provincial Congress, •' Philadelphia, July 2, 1776."

Journal of the Provincial Congress " Tuesday, 9th July, 1776." 1" Ibid.