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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 --WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1778
A letter, of 26 April, from Colonel Alexander M'Clenaghan, of the seventh Virginia regiment, was read, representing, that the bad state of his health renders him unfit to serve his country in such manner as he could wish, and that there is no appearance of his being able to take the field this campaign, and therefore requests leave to resign:
Resolved, That his resignation be accepted.
A letter, of the 11, from Matthew Clarkson, Esq. was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury.
A letter, of 20th April, from Brigadier Stark; one, of 6 May, from Captain Noirmont Laneuville; and a petition from Major Debois, were read:1
[Note 1: 1 A petition of Debois, dated March 10, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, II, folio 403.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Board of War.
A remonstrance from John Jeffers was read, praying to be paid for rum,2 seized by order of the Board of War, for the use of the army: Whereupon,
[Note 2: 2 This petition, dated May 13, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 43, folio 135.]
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Resolved, That all applications for payment of rum, seized by order of the Board of War, for the use of the army, be made to the said Board, who are hereby directed and authorized to liquidate and adjust the same as they shall think equitable and proper.
A letter, of the 11 May, from General Washington, enclosing a letter of the 10th, from General Howe, respecting an exchange of prisoners, was read:
Ordered, That the same be referred to a committee of three:
The members chosen, Mr. [William] Duer, Mr. R[ichard] H[enry] Lee, and Mr. [Charles] Carroll.
A letter, of the 27 April, from Major General Heath, enclosing a copy of a letter from John Morrison, with General Heath's answer, respecting the supplying the troops of the convention with provisions, &c. was read:
Ordered, That the same be referred to the foregoing committee.1
[Note 1: 1 The letters of Washington and Howe are in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VI, folios 21 and 25; that of Heath is in No. 157, folio 117.]
A petition of John Sackville Higgins, at Boston, was read, praying for leave to return to England on parole, or to go to New York to solicit an exchange:
Ordered, That it be referred to General Washington.
A memorial from Mons. [Noirmont de] Laneuville, with sundry papers accompanying the same, was read:
Ordered, That the same be referred to a committee of three:
The members chosen, Mr. [James] Lovell, Mr. [Charles] Carroll, and Mr. [William] Duer.
A letter, of this day, from General Lee, was read:2
[Note 2: 2 The memorial of Laneuville is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XVII, folio 87: the letter of Lee is in No. 158, folio 113.]
Ordered, That the consideration thereof be postponed till to morrow.
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The Marine Committee, to whom was referred the memorial from Messrs. F. Hopkinson and J. Wharton, brought in a report; Whereupon,
Ordered, That six hundred dollars be allowed to each of the memorialists, for their extra services in Bordentown, and to defray their expences to Baltimore.
The Committee on the Treasury brought in a report; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on Nathaniel Appleton, Esqr. commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of Massachusetts bay, for 11,6662/3 dollars, in favour of the Committee of Commerce, to enable them to pay Archibald Mercer and Philip Moore, the valuation of the ship Two Friends, and the ship Moore, chartered and insured by the said Committee, and taken by the enemy, as appears to them by protests regularly made; the said Committee to be accountable:
That 10,174 88/90 dollars be advanced to the Committee of Commerce, to discharge Samuel and Robert Purviance's bill of the 25 April last, on the said Committee, in favour of Elbridge Gerry, Esqr. for that sum, it being the amount of their accounts against the ship Chase and snow George; the said committee to be accountable:
That 20,000 dollars be advanced to William Buchanan, Esqr. late commissary general of purchases, to be by him paid to Colonel George Morgan, to the use of the commissary general's department in the western district; the said William Buchanan, Esqr. to be accountable:1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated May 12, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 285.]
That 30,000 dollars be advanced to Colonel George Morgan, to be by him transmitted to John Baynton, Esq. pay master of the western district at Fort Pitt, who is to be accountable:
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That 60,000 dollars be advanced to William Buchanan, Esq. late commissary general, for the use of the middle district of the commissary general's department; the said William Buchanan to be accountable:
That 10,000 dollars be advanced to Joseph Nourse, pay master to the Board of War and Ordnance, to be by him transmitted to Lieutenant Colonel Temple, upon the application of Colonel Theophilus Bland, of the first regiment of light dragoons, to purchase cloathing for the same; the said Colonel Bland to be accountable:
Ordered, That a warrant issue on Thomas Smith, Esq. commissioner of the continental loan office for the State of Pensylvania, in favour of William Buchanan, Esq. late commissary general of purchases, for 25,696 60/90 dollars, to discharge a demand of Blair M'Clenaghan, for a quantity of rum purchased of him agreeable to an order of Congress of the 12th day of September last; and that the commissioner of the loan office be directed to date the certificates the 25 day of December last, it being the time that Mr. M'Clenaghan applied for the certificates, agreeable to his contract; the said William Buchanan to be accountable:
Ordered, That 200 dollars be advanced to Captain M'Ree, to discharge John Ashe, provincial treasurer of the state of North Carolina, his draught dated 10 May, 1777, in favour of Francis Child, and expressed to be for the service of the United States; the said State to be accountable.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated May 12, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 281.]
Ordered, That Colonel Bland make a particular return of the cloathing by him purchased and distributed to his men, with the names of the men receiving the same, to the cloathier general, in order that a proper charge may be made thereof in his books.
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The commissioners of claims at the Board of Treasury, with the approbation of the auditor general, report,
That there is due to Mr. Simeon Deane, a balance of 685 80/90 dollars, on account of his expences in bringing despatches from the commissioners at Paris:
That there is due to the Rev. Mons. Lotbinier, chaplain to Colonel James Livingston's regiment, for pay and rations from 11th March to 10 May, inclusive, 101 dollars:1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated May 12, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 279.]
Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.
Ordered, That 3,000 dollars be paid Mr. Simeon Deane, in consideration of his faithful execution of a most important trust reposed in him by the commissioners of these states at Paris.
Congress resumed the consideration of the report ∥of the committee∥ of the whole, on an allowance to be made to officers after the close of the present war; Whereupon, it was moved,
That the report of the committee of the whole, as amended by Congress, be referred to the consideration of the legislatures of the several states, for their opinion and directions thereon:
∥And the yeas and nays being required,∥
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So it passed in the negative.
Adjourned to 9 o'Clock to Morrow.
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