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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1776
A paragraph of a letter from Peter Timothy, secretary to the provincial convention and committee of safety of South Carolina, dated 5th January, to Christopher Gadsden, Esq.r was read, informing that the said convention have resolved to continue the delegates, and have constitutedany two of them a quorum to represent said colony.
A letter from General Washington, dated 31 December, 1775, enclosing a draught of Captain Matthews on the treasury of Virginia, for £100, lawful money, for amounts advanced to him by the General; and also sundry other papers;
Two letters from Lord Stirling, dated 8th and 11th January; a letter from Governor Trumbull, dated 6 January, 1776, with 3 enclosures, ∥being received, were read:∥1
[Note 1: 1 Washington's letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, I, folio 381. It bears an endorsement: "Estimate of expences of army at Cambridge abt. 275,000 dollars pr mo." It is printed inWritings of Washington, (Ford), III, 305. The letters of Lord Stirling are in No. 162, folios 360, 372. That of Governor Trumbull is in No. 66, I, folio 55.]
Resolved, That the letter from General Washington be referred to a committee of three.
The members chosen, Mr. [George] Wythe, Mr. [Samuel] Adams, and Mr. [James] Wilson.2
[Note 2: 2 "Congress has just received a letter from General Washington, inclosing the copy of an application of our general assembly to him, to order payment to four companies stationed at Braintree, Weymouth, and Hingham. The General says they were never regimented, and he cannot comply with the request of the assembly, without the direction of Congress. A committee is appointed to consider the letter, of which I am one. I fear there will be a difficulty, and therefore I shall endeavor to prevent a report on this part of the letter, unless I shall see a prospect of justice being done to the colony, till I can receive from you authentic evidence of those companies having been actually employed by the continental officers, as I conceive they have been, in the service of the continent. I wish you would inform me whether the two companies stationed at Chelsea and Malden were paid out of the continent's chest. I suppose they were, and if so, I cannot see reason for any hesitation about the payment of these. I wish also to know how many men our colony is at the expense of maintaining for the defence of its sea-coasts. Pray let me have some intelligence from you of the colony which we represent. You are sensible of the danger it has frequently been in of suffering greatly for want of regular information."Samuel Adams to John Adams, 16 January, 1776. John Adams,Works, IX, 373.]
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Resolved, That the letters from Lord Stirling be referred to a committee of five.
The members chosen, Mr. W[illiam] Livingston, Mr. [Thomas] M'Kean, Mr. [William] Floyd, Mr. [Samuel] Ward, and Mr. [Robert] Alexander.
Resolved, That the letter from Governor Trumbull, with the enclosures, be referred to the committee appointed to confer with Mr. Romans.
A letter from the committee of safety of New York, dated 11 January, 1776, was read;1 and referred to the committee on the state of the colonies.
[Note 1: 1 Probably the letter to the New York Delegates, printed in Force,American Archives, Fourth Series, IV, 1038.]
Resolved, That a committee of 5 be appointed to make an estimate of the number of cannon, that may be wanted for the defence of the United Colonies, and to devise ways and means for procuring them, and that it be an instruction to the said committee to enquire how large cannon can be cast in this country.
The members chosen, Mr. [Henry] Wisner, Mr. [Stephen] Hopkins, Mr. [John] Rogers, Mr. [Andrew] Allen, and Mr. [Robert Treat] Paine.2
[Note 2: 2 "A Committee of Congress, of which Mr. Rogers is a member, have been appointed, to make inquiry into the quantity of cannon on hand, and what will be wanted, and where, and on what terms they can be had. No report is yet made, but a letter from Mr. Chase to Mr. Paca, mentioning that Hughes, in Frederick, had contracted with the Convention to supply our Province at thirty two pounds ten shillings, being communicated to Congress, the members of the Committee were immediately very desirous to see Mr. Hughes, to know whether he would make the like contract for supplying the demands of Congress. This will convince you that a supply cannot be had from hence, and that you must rely on your own resources, by casting them in the Province."Maryland Delegates to the Council of Safety of Maryland, 2 February, 1776. Force,American Archives, Fourth Series, IV, 914.]
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Ordered, That Captain Matthew's draft on the treasury of Virginia, be delivered to the delegates of that colony; and that they be desired to receive the money, and pay the same to the continental treasurers.
Resolved, That no bought indented servants be employed on board the fleet, or in the army of the United Colonies, without the consent of their masters.
The Committee of Claims reported, that there is due,
To Jacob Hiltzheimer, for expresses, the sum of 356 1/10 dollars.
To Jonathan Trumbull, Junr for his expences to Philadelphia, and returning to New York with money, the sum of 99 7/10 dollars.
To Thomas Apty, for boarding several prisoners, the sum of 109 6/10 dollars.
Ordered, That the above accounts be paid.
Resolved, That it be recommended to the committee of safety of Pensylvania, to enquirewhether any into the character of theprisoners recruits or privates taken on board theRebecca and Frances transport,may be discharged and to dismiss such as may, with safety to theUnited Colonies, be dischargedthem accordingly.
The Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration the state of the trade of the United Colonies; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair, and Mr. [Samuel] Ward reported, that the committee had taken into their farther consideration the matter to them referred, but not having yet come to a conclusion, they desired him to move for leave to sit again.
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Resolved, That this Congress will,to Morrow on Friday next, resolve itself into a committee of the whole, to take into farther consideration the trade of the United Colonies.
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.1
[Note 1: 1 "A motion was made in Congress the other day, to the following purpose; That, whereas we had been charged with aiming at independency, a committee should be appointed to explain to the people at large, the principles and grounds of our opposition, &c. The motion alarmed me. I thought Congress had already been explicit enough, and was apprehensive that we might get ourselves upon dangerous ground. Some of us prevailed so far as to have the matter postponed, but could not prevent the assigning a day to consider it. I may perhaps have been wrong in opposing this motion; and I ought the rather to suspect it, because the majority of your colony, as well as of the Congress, were of a different opinion.
"I had lately some free conversation with an eminent gentleman, whom you well know, and whom your Portia in one of her letters admired, [Franklin] if I recollect right, for hisexpressive silence, about a confederation; a matter which our much valued friend Colonel W[ythe], is very solicitous to have completed. We agreed that it must soon be brought on, and that if all the colonies could not come into it, it had better be done by those of them that inclined to it. I told him that I would endeavor to unite the New England colonies in confederating, ifnone of the rest would join in it. He approved of it, and said, if I succeeded, he would cast in his lot among us."Samuel Adams to John Adams, 15 January, 1776. John Adams,Works, IX, 372.]
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