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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
[April 5--;29, 1785]
April 5th. Sent to the Commissioner for settling Accots. in Marine Departt. Petitions of Daniel Leary & Capt. Seth Harding referred to him to report.(1)
Deliver'd Col. W. Smith a Copy of resolution of 4th Inst. for advancing him 2000 dollars on Account of Salary with Presidents Warrant subjoined.(2)
Deliver'd Samuel Frauncis Copy of resolution 4th Inst. relative to a Lease of his House & an advance of Cash.(3)
Deliver'd Mr Denning Commiss. for settling Accounts of Quarter Master's Dept. resolution relative to Accounts of Giles Wolcott's referred to him together with all the papers which came enclosed in Memorial.(4)
6th. Sent Mr Milligan Copies of the above resolutions of the 5th Inst.(5)
Pursuant to the resolution of Congress of the 22 March 1785 We the Underwritten Delegates for the states to our names severally annexed have recd. from the Secretary of Congress to be transmitted to
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a college, University or public seminary of learning in our respective states a Set of the Works of Thomas Wilson, D D. and late Bishop of Soder and Man presented to Congress by his son Doct Wilson pre- bendary of Westminster.(6) David Howell, State Rhode Island, &c.
Wm. Saml. Johnson, Connecticut.
Charles Pinckney, South Carolina.
John Sitgreaves, North Carolina
Richard Henry Lee, Virginia
John Beatty, State of New Jersey.
Gunning Bedford junr, Delaware.
Abiel Foster, New Hampshire.
John Lansing Junr, New York.
David Jackson, Pensylvania.
Rufus King, Massachusetts.
John Habersham, Georgia.
Sent Mr. Joseph Wright under cover of a Letter from the Secrey. of Congress Copy of resolution of 5th inst. granting him the sum of 2332/3 Dollars the amount of his Account for modeling and compleating a Bust of Genl Washington with the Presidents Warrant subjoined.(7)
8th. Sent Mr Milligan Copy of the Ordinance for regulating the Office of the Secretary of Congress---;Passd March 31st. 1785.(8)
Letter---;Pellon in behalf of Du tour stating debt due to him from the United States---;with some Continental money reced April 8th. 1785 is loged in the Iron Chest.(9)
18th. Transmitted to the War Office a Letter 2d March 1785 from Col. J. Harmar enclosing Return of Troops at Fort McIntosh.(10)
19th. Transmitted to ditto Two Petitions of Job Whipple and [Josiah] Converse with Copy of an Order of Congress of yesterday referring them to the Secy at War &c.(11)
Transmitted to the Office of the Bd. of Treasury a Memorial of Udney Hay referred to s[ai]d Board to report.(12)
Ordered that the papers which were in the hands of the grand Committee for their information in making the requisition for the present year, be transmitted to the Board of Treasury.
20th. Agreeable to the above Order the said papers were transmitted and a receipt taken for such part of them as the said Board thought proper to detain.(13)
22. Transmitted to the Executives of the several States from Newhampshire to Georgia inclusive 2 Copies of the proceedings of Congress from the 1st February 1785 to the 7th April inclusive.(14)
Delivered the following Members each one Copy of the above, Viz Mr. Ellery, Mr. Cook, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Smith, Mr. McHenry, Mr. J Henry, Mr. Hindman, Mr. Williamson, Mr. Sitgreaves, Mr. Spaight, Mr. Monroe, Mr. Bedford, Mr. Gardner 2 Copies, Ditto 2 Copies Committee of the States.
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Delivered to the board of Treasury 1 Copy of the above.
Delivered to the Secretary at War the Journals of Congress for 1783 & 1784.
Ditto Committee of the States and for the present year up to the 7th April.
Delivered to Mr. Pinckney 1 Copy of the proceedings of Congress up to the 7 April.
Delivered Mr. Wilson 1 sett as above.
Delivered Mr. Lawrence one sett of the Journals of Congress and Committee of the States.
Delivered to Mr. Jackson a Compleat Sett of the Journals 1777 & 1780 excepted.
25th. Delivered to Mr. Pinckney a Letter directed to Mrs. Timothy printer for the State of South Carolina---;also one directed to Mr. Miller printer at Charleston, South Carolina, which he is to forward.(15)
27th. Transmitted to the Board of Treasury the petition of Duncan Campbell with its enclosures to be by them forward to the Commssr. of Army Accounts to report.(16)
29th. The Committee on the peti[ti]on of Decemr. 13th 1784 of Laurens Oliver with the papers which came enclosed was discharged the 28th Inst. by order of Congress---;and the papers deliver'd him for which his receipt is taken and filed.(17)
MS (DNA: PCC, item 181). In the hand of Benjamin Bankson, John Fisher, and Charles Thomson. A continuation of Thomson's Memorandum Book, March 1--;31.
1 These petitions from Dennis (not Daniel) Leary and Seth Harding are not in PCC, but for the April report of Joseph Pennell on them, which was read in Congress April 18, see PCC, item 31, fols. 109--;11; and JCC, 28:232n, 276n, 279--;80. For two other matters concerning Harding before Congress during this period, see also JCC, 28:154--;55, 228--;29, 238n, 243--;44, 269.
2 For the salary of William Stephens Smith, the new "Secretary to the legation to the court of Great Britain," see JCC, 28:227.
3 Ibid., p. 228.
4 Ibid., pp. 226--;27.
5 Actually, of the 4th Instant. Ibid.
6 See JCC, 28:188. Publication of the theological writings of Bishop Thomas Wilson (1663--;1755), arranged by his son Thomas Wilson (1703--;1784) the prebendary, had been a project of many years, and a second edition of the work had appeared in 1782 which the latter arranged for distribution in America soon after. Wilson had had one set sent directly to the College of William and Mary, which was acknowledged in July 1783, and it is believed that the sets now distributed by Congress had also been received early that year. Their fate the following two years is not known, but it seems to be no coincidence that Congress adopted this resolution for distributing the volumes to the states the day after thanking Danish authorities for their offer to arrange "episcopal Ordination" for American priests by Danish bishops to avoid taking an oath of allegiance to the Church of England, for which see Rufus King to Elbridge Gerry, March 21 (1st letter), note 2 (not in current volume).
This paragraph is in the hand of David Howell, who was the author of the March 22 resolution authorizing the distribution of Wilson's works. The list of signatures which follows includes the names of three delegates not in attendance at this time (John Habersham, David Jackson, and John Lansing), indicating that the distribution of the
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volumes was actually carried out over a period of several weeks. For an account of the entire episode, somewhat exaggerating the significance of Congress' adoption of this innocuous resolution, see Sarah Jordan Miller, "A Distribution of Books by the Continental Congress; The Nation's Earliest Legislation Addressed to Libraries," The Journal of Library History 22 (Summer 1987): 294--;311.
7 JCC, 28:238. For Congress' authorization of Wright's work, see these Letters, 20:602.
8 JCC, 28:212--;14.
9 Dr. Joseph Boyer Pellon's April 8 letter in behalf of Pierre Dutour's claim (6,497 livres Tournois) for subsisting Continental troops at Chambly in 1775--;76 is in PCC, item 78, 8:113--;14. An August 25, 1785, letter to Congress from Pierre Ayott on behalf of Dutour is in item 42, 1:63--;66. JCC, 28:242n, 29:657n.
10 No March communications to Congress from Lt. Col. Josiah Harmar are in PCC, but for four such letters and returns from the period December 5, 1784, to May 1, 1785, see PCC, item 163, fols. 389--;412, 431.
11 These petitions are not in PCC, but for their disposition see JCC, 28:157n, 276; and Samuel Holten to Converse and Whipple, December 29, 1784.
12 Ibid., p. 284n.
13 A receipt for the following documents "from the Secretary's Office April 20th 1785," in the hand of John Fisher and signed by Samuel Osgood, is in the Peter Force Miscellany, DLC.
"Robert Morris to Messrs. Willem & Jan Willink &ca, 22d Augt. 84, No. 1
Do to Do 4th October, No. 2
Do to Do 1st October, No. 3.
Do to Do 30th Sept., No. 4
Do to Do 14th Octr., No. 5
Do to Dr. Franklin, 30th Sept. 84, No. 6.
Do to Mr. Grand, Paris, 4th Oct. 84, No. 7.
Do to Do 4th Octr. ---;, No. 8.
Do to LeCoulleux & Co. 30th Sept., No. 9
Do to Grand Comme. 23d Feby., No. 10.
List of Orders on Several Receiver[s] favor of Quarter Master General.
Robert Morris Ltr to Grand Co[mmitte]e, 25th Feby.---;
Robert Morris ---; ---; ---; 19th Feby.---;
Mr. Marbois ---; ---; ---; 15th Augt. 1784.
Letter of Supt. Finance to Congress, 17th Augt.---;
Michael Hillegas Acct. ---; ---; 23d Feby. 1785.
From the Compt[r]oller to D. Howell Esq. 18th Decr. 1784
Messrs. Willinks Acct. Rend. 30th Sept. 1784.
Mr. Gojard's Letter 22d July 1784.
Mr. Le Grand 20th Octr. 1784.
General Accounts of Receipts and Expenditures, No. 1 @ 12.
Estimate of Arrearages from Registers Office dated 9th Decr. 1786,
Signd. Joseph Hardy.
Estimate of the Foreign & Domestic Debt.
Statement of the Times of the Payment of Principal and Int. of the Loans in France.
Return of the present Civil List.
Estimate of the Foreign & Domestic Debt signed J. Hardy 9th December 1784.
List of Pensions, Annuities & Grants."
14 For this printing of the journals, see Thomson's Memorandum Book, March 1--;31, note 27.
15 When the South Carolina delegates were originally asked to designate a printer who could regularly supply a South Carolina newspaper for the use of Congress, they had named the state printer John Miller, publisher of the South Carolina Gazette. Subsequently, however, they had learned that Anne Timothy, publisher of the Gazette of the State of South Carolina, had been named the state's printer, and these two letters were doubtlessly written to cancel a subscription from the former and to order one from the
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latter. No other references to letters to Miller and Timothy have been found, but for the context of this issue see Thomson to the Delegates, March 1; and South Carolina Delegates to Thomson, April 14.
16 For the disposition of Campbell's petition to Congress, see JCC, 28:66n, 187n.2, 245n.2, 305, 29:691n; and PCC, item 42, 2:247--;66.
17 For Oliver's December 8 (not 13th) petition concerning his services with Moses Hazen's Canadian regiment, see JCC, 27:685n, 28:17n, 131n, 317n; and PCC, item 35, fols. 135--;42. For related aspects of this issue, see JCC, 28:324, 433. His "filed" receipt is in the Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 9, fol. 136.
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