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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 --THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1778
Resolved, That a commission of captain be granted to Mr. Capitaine, in the corps of engineers, in the service of the United States of America, and that he rank from the 1st of December, 1776.
The Committee of Commerce report, that they have executed the contract with Mr. Francey, agent to Mr. Beaumarchais, representative of the house of Roderique Hortales & Co. agreeably to the order of Congress, and that the same is signed by William Ellery, James Forbes, William Henry Drayton, and William Duer, members of the Committee of Commerce:
Ordered, That the duplicate of the agreement entered into between the Committee of Commerce and Mr. Francey, be lodged with the said Committee.
Resolved, That Mr. William Bingham, agent of the United States of America, now resident in Martinique, be authorized to draw bills of exchange at double usance on the commissioners of the United States at Paris, for any sums, not exceeding in the whole, 100,000 livres tournois, to enable him to discharge debts by him contracted on account of the said states; for which draughts he is to be accountable.
Resolved, That nothing contained in the system for the commissary general's department, shall be construed to make the commissary general liable for the misapplication of money for the use of his department, by any inferior officer in that department, provided that he shall
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take bonds from the deputy commissaries general and assistant commissary general, respectively appointed by him, with not less than two good and sufficient securities, in the sum of twenty thousand dollars, to be by him lodged in the treasury office: and the said deputy commissaries shall be exonerated of all sums of money by them respectively paid to the purchasing commissaries, provided they shall take bonds from the said purchasing commissaries respectively, with not less than two good and sufficient securities, in the sum of ten thousand dollars, which bonds they shall lodge in the said treasury office.
The yeas and nays being required,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee of the whole, respecting an allowance to officers after the war; Whereupon,
The letters of 24 March and 10 April, from General Washington, so far as they respect this matter, were called for and read, and a motion was made, that such
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parts of the said letters as relate to the making an establishment for officers in the army, be entered on the journals; upon which the previous question was moved, whether that question be now put; and the yeas and nays being required,
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So it passed in the negative.
Mr. Thomas Adams, a delegate from Virginia, attended, and took his seat in Congress.
An amendment was moved in lieu of the whole report as follows:
Congress, however desirous of giving every reasonable encouragement to officers of the army who bravely hazard their lives in defence of their country, and however anxious to make an honorable provision for them after the close of the war, being apprehensive of the consequence of a military establishment, especially without knowing the sense of their constituents on a subject of such high importance:
Resolved, That the proposed plan for a military establishment be postponed, and that a letter be addressed to
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the several states, and that they be requested to take into their most serious consideration, and give their opinion on the following questions:
A previous question being moved, whether that question be now put, and the yeas and nays required, a member declined to answer, alleging he was warranted so to do by the practice of the house;
Whereupon, the resolution of the 26 August last, was called for and read; and thereupon,
Resolved, That when a member is called upon to answer ay or no, he may not of right withhold his voice.
The yeas and nays being then taken on the previous question:
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So it passed in the negative.
The Committee on the Treasury beg leave to report the following Resolution:
Resolved, That a Warrant Issue on the Treasurer in favour of James Bryson for Three thousand Dollars, to be by him delivered to Richard Bache, Esq., Postmaster general, for the use of his Department, and for which he is to be accountable.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 233.]
Adjourned to 9 o'Clock to Morrow.
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