When the bill reached the council of revision, they objected, " because it appears from the Preamble, that the Laws, by the said Bill intended to be continued, are already expired by their own Limitation; and the enacting Clause containing no Words of Revival or Re-enaction, the whole Law becomes nugatory, as that cannot be continued which does not exist." Whereupon, a bill to meet this criticism was introduced and became law Senate Votes. Fish-Kill: Samuel Loudon, 1777, pp. 172, 175-6.

Introduction 23

on October 1, 1779.* This law revived the commissioners and continued them until twenty days after the first day of the next meeting of a quorum of senate and assembly, and appropriated a sum not to exceed four thousand pounds. " As they had performed " divers Acts, Matters and Things ad interim, the legislature in this act validated them. Former acts made no provision for the removal of a commissioner or filling of vacancies, which authority was now vested in the council of appointment. The appropriation bill, enacted October 25, 1779, granted to the commissioners, or any three of them, an additional sum of money, not to exceed in all three thousand pounds, " to defray the Expence of the Business committed to them." 2 An attempt made in assembly, on February 18, 1780, to introduce a bill for reviving the commissioners, the act of October I, was defeated. 3 Among 1779, having expired, certain resolutions passed in assembly, on March 10, 1780, was one recommending the creation of a joint committee of three assemblymen and two senators, to examine and adjust particular public accounts during the recess of the legislature, including the accounts of the commissioners for conspiracies. The intention was to have this committee render a report to the next meeting of the legislature.