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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 --SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1776
Sundry letters and petitions were laid before Congress, and read.
A letter from the Indian commissioners at Pittsburg, August 16, enclosing a memorial from Alexander Ross.
Resolved, That the said memorial be referred to the standing committee for Indian affairs.
A letter, from R. Dallam, deputy pay master general, of the 6th:1 Whereupon,
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, VII, folio 57.]
Resolved, That an order for £440 Pensylvania currency, equal to 1,173 30/90 dollars, be drawn on the treasurers, in favor of Colonel Charles Read, being in full of a draught in his favor of the 6th instant, by Richard Dallam, deputy pay master general, and that the same be charged to the account of the said R. Dallam.
That 200,000 dollars be sent to Richard Dallam, deputy pay master general, for the use of the flying camp and militia; he to be accountable.
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A letter of the 5th, from Charles Preston, major of the 26th regiment, ∥a prisoner, was read.∥
Resolved, That it be referred to the Board of War.
A letter and memorial, from William Wild, of the 29 of August,
Resolved, That the same be referred to the convention of Pensylvania.
The state of Virginia having appointed, on the 23 of July last, William Brady, captain of a riffle company in the batallion to be commanded by Colonel Hugh Stevenson; William Pyle, to be a first lieutenant of a company in the said batallion; Christopher Brady, to be a second lieutenant of a company in the said batallion;
And Amos Thompson to be chaplain to the said batallion:
Resolved, That commissions be granted to them accordingly.
The Congress proceeded to the election of an adjutant for the batallion ordered to be raised in Westmoreland [county]; and, the ballots being taken,
Michael Hoofnagel was elected.
A petition from Charles Roberts, late commander of the schoonerThistle, was presented, and read.
Resolved, That Mr. [Josiah] Bartlett, Mr. [Richard] Stockton, Mr. [Thomas] Stone, Mr. F[rancis] L[ightfoot] Lee, Mr. [John] Penn, and Mr. [George] Walton, be appointed members of the committee to enquire into the causes of the miscarriages in Canada, in the room of those who are absent.
Resolved, That two members be chosen for the committee appointed on the 24 of July last, to take into consideration and report their opinion on the proposal made by the president of South Carolina, respecting General Lee, in the room of those who are absent:
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The members chosen, Mr. R[ichard] H[enry] Lee, and Mr. [George] Walton.
Resolved, That an order for 1,600 dollars be drawn on the treasurer in favor of David S. Franks; for which he is to account on the settlement of his accounts.
The state of Rhode Island having recommended sundry gentlemen for field officers of the two batallions raised in that state, the Congress proceeded to the election: when the following gentlemen were elected:
Resolved, That the batallion commanded by Colonel Lippit be ordered to New York, unless that commanded by Colonel Richmond is already marched.
Resolved, That the commissary, Mr. Mease be directed to deliver to the delegates of Maryland, three pieces of coarse cloth, for the use of the Maryland troops; the said delegates to be accountable.
Resolved, That Mr. [Gustavus] Risberg, the assistant to Colonel Biddle, be directed to take proper measures for providing the sick soldiers in Philadelphia, with proper lodgings and attendance.
A letter from General M'Donald to the Board of War, was read; Whereupon,1
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, VII, folio 59.]
Resolved, That General McDonald be allowed 4 days to prepare for his journey:
That that part of his letter, respecting his treatment in North Carolina, be sent to the convention of that state.
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Resolved, That a copy of the resolutions passed by Congress on the Message brought by General Sullivan, and the names of the committee appointed, be sent to General Washington.
The Committee of Treasury reported, that there is due,
To Richard Welsh, for his services as clerk, for delivering stores and provisions in Canada, certified by Henry Menson, in which service he entered the 24 April, and discharged the 7 June, 1776, at ¾ lawful at 6/ per dollar, the sum of 25 dollars:
To Casper Carver, for the hire of a team from York, in Pensylvania, to Williamsburg, in Virginia, sixteen days, at four dollars a day, is 64 dollars; and for ferriages, 6 6/90 dollars, and for the hire of another team from York town to New York, with Captain GrieFs company, 14 days, at 4 dollars a day, and for ferriage, 3 54/90 dollars; the whole being 129 60/90 dollars:
To John Sparhawk, for two maps, a court Calendar, &c. delivered to the War Office, as per Richard Peters's certificate, 10 60/90 dollars:
To John Bates, for 200 camp kettles, delivered to C. Biddle, deputy quarter master general, the 2d instant, 266 60/90 dollars:
To the following persons, for which a warrant is to be drawn in favor of Mons. Rouville, for the sum of 788 10/90 dollars, the amount of his six accounts, viz.
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13 weeks each, at one dollar a week, is 26 dollars; of which they have received from the committee of Reading, 27 3/90 dollars; the ballance is 128 87/90 dollars:
To the following persons, 564 85/90ths dollars, namely, to Adam Drinkhouse, for his team from Philadelphia to Fredericksburg, in Virginia, 29 days, at 4 dollars, and ferriage 7 dollars, is 123 dollars; to Martin Hausman,
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Bernard Keppelar and Nathaniel Hoop, who went on the same journey with their teams, each 123 dollars, is 369 dollars; to Matthias Koop, for the hire of his waggon from Philadelphia to Bergen Point, with powder, 9 days, at 4 dollars, and ferriage, 17/11 ∥2 dollars and 35/90ths,∥ is 38 35/90 dollars; to Andrew Read, for the hire of his waggon from Philadelphia to New York, with medicines, 8 days, at 4 dollars per day, and ferriage, 19/2 ∥2 dollars and 50/90ths,∥ is 34 50/90 dollars, and that the same ought to be paid to Robert Erwin, waggon master general:
To Joseph Hewes, Esqr. for cash advanced to the guard going with five waggons to North Carolina, with waggon hire, and casks for powder, 140 25/90 dollars.
To John Dennis, for escorting powder from Egg harbor to Philadelphia, by order of the Secret Committee, 35 23/90 dollars.
To Colonel Jonas Clapham, for 53 riffle guns bought of him for the use of Colonel Hugh Stevenson's riffle batallion, in Virginia, 896 52/90 dollars; which is to be charged to the said batallion:
Ordered, That the above accounts be paid.
Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the Board of War; Whereupon,
Resolved, That all letters to and from the Board of War and Ordnance, or the secretary of the same, be free of all expence in the post office of these United States.
The Board having reported, that they have considered the petition of Jeremiah Halsey, and perused his written evidence, are of opinion, that the said Halsey ought to receive the arrears of his pay, and that the resolution of Congress, of the ninth of January last, be repealed: as it appears, that the said Halsey was discharged from the
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service, upon a regular certificate from the surgeon, by the commanding officer at St. John's, on account of sickness, on the 13th day of November last, in pursuance of the orders of General Montgomery;
To which report Congress agreed.
Congress proceeded to the election of field officers for the second Pensylvania batallion; and, the ballots being taken, Joseph Wood, Esqr. was elected colonel; Thomas Craig, Esqr. lieutenant colonel, and William Butler, Esqr. major.
The several matters to this day referred, being postponed, Adjourned to 10 o'Clock on Monday.1
[Note 1: 1 "Mr. Hopkins tells me, that he doth not propose to return to Congress until spring, if ever. It is therefore necessary that an additional delegate should be immediately appointed; for otherwise, the State of Rhode Island, &c., may be unrepresented, which might be attended with pernicious consequences to us. I may fall sick, and may not be able to attend Congress when some matter may be brought upon the carpet which will immediately relate to our State, not to mention that if the delegates were here, they might have an opportunity to relax now and then from that constant attention which, if one delegate only should be continued here, he would be obliged to give, unless he should leave the State unrepresented in Congress, which I am determined not to do let what will be the consequence; and a constant attendance on Congress for nine months without any relaxation is too much even for a robust constitution. Besides it is necessary that motions should be made and supported, in which case the advantage of having two on the same side is manifest. In causes of no great importance it is common to engage two lawyers, and the vulgar observation that two heads are better than one, is just. Can, then, the State of Rhode Island hesitate about immediately appointing an additional delegate. I am sure it cannot...
"There is nothing against our State's appointing three delegates but the expenses, and if the amount of the allowance to the two delegates and their expenses for one year be summed up, and compared with what would be the amount of the expense to the State of three delegates, at five dollars per day, I believe the difference will be found to be but trifling, but if it should be something considerable I am sure the benefits resulting to the State therefrom would compensate for any such additional expense. If a confederacy should hereafter take place, 'a Council of State' would doubtless be appointed, in which case our State would have only one delegate to support constantly; the other two, if three should be appointed, would be present only a small part of the year, when the Congress should sit."William Ellery to Governor Cooke, 7 September, 1776.Rhode Island in the Continental Congress, 83.]
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