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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, JULY 15, 1778
Mr. J[oseph] Reed, ∥a delegate for Pensylvania,∥ attended, and took his seat in Congress.
A letter, of 12, from General Washington, at his camp, at Pyramus, and one of the 12, from R[ichard] Wescot, at the Forks of Little Egg Harbour; and
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Sundry papers from his excellency the Sieur Gérard, were read.
A letter, of 25 March, from Mons. le Compte de Vergennes by S. Deane, Esq. was read.
A letter, of 23 March, from the Honble. W. Lee, at Paris, was read, and referred to the Committee for Foreign Affairs.
A letter, of 10, from General Gates, at White Plains, was read.1
[Note 1: 1 The letter of Washington is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VI, folio 167. It is printed in Writings of Washington (Ford), VII, 96. The letter of Wescot is in No. 78, XXIII, folio 509; that of Gates, in No. 154, II, folio 7.]
The Committee on the Treasury brought in a report; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general, for five thousand five hundred dollars, in favour of Mr. S[amuel] Adams, Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, Mr. [Francis] Dana, Mr. [James] Lovell and Mr. [Samuel] Holten, delegates of the State of Massachusetts bay, advanced on their application; the said State to be accountable:
That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general for 80,000 dollars, in favour of the Marine Committee, to enable them to pay a bill drawn on them by the navy board of the eastern department, dated 11 May, in favour of Nathaniel Shaw, Esqr. the said committee to be accountable:
That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general, in favour of the Committee of Commerce, for 417 35/90 dollars, to enable them to pay James and Adam Hunter, of Virginia, the balance of their account, dated 29 May last: the said Committee to be accountable:
That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esqr. auditor general, for 924 dollars, in favour of John Knight, in
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discharge of two bills of exchange, drawn by John Ashe, treasurer of the State of North Carolina, one dated January 29, 1777, for 799 dollars, in favour of Thomas Craike, the other dated May the 10, 1777, for 125 dollars, in favour of Benjamin Williams; the said State of North Carolina to be accountable:1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 401.]
That a warrant issue on John Gibson, Esq. auditor general, in favour of Mr. Joseph Nourse, pay master to the Board of War and Ordnance, for thirty thousand four hundred and ninety four and 15/90 dollars, upon the application of the Board of War, to answer a draught of Nathaniel Shaw, Jun. New London, in favour of Captain John Mitchel, dated 4 May, 1778, for duck and lead; the said Joseph Nourse to be accountable.2
[Note 2: 2 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 403.]
A letter, of 30th June, from Hewes, Smith and Allen, at Edenton, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee of Commerce.
Resolved, That three members be added to the Committee of Commerce:
The members chosen, Mr. [Edward] Telfair, Mr. [John] Harvie, and Mr. Andrew Adams.
A petition from John Brown, ensign of Colonel Greaton's regiment, under sentence of death, was read:3
[Note 3: 3 This petition is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 157, folio 129.]
Ordered, That the said petition be dismissed.
Congress took into consideration a memorandum from the Sieur Gérard, respecting prisoners taken by the squadron of his most Christian Majesty, commanded by the Count d'Estaing, being one of the papers received and read this morning: Whereupon,
Resolved, That all prisoners taken, or which may be taken by the squadron of his most Christian Majesty,
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under the command of Count d'Estaing, vice admiral of France, be received by the commissary general of prisoners, and that he provide for their safe custody and subsistence in like manner as hath been usual for the prisoners of these states:
That he may make monthly returns of all prisoners, which shall be by him so received, to the Board of War:
That he may make monthly return to the treasury of the accounts of all monies expended for the purposes aforesaid; and that the said prisoners be held at the disposition of his most Christian Majesty, and subject to the orders of his excellency Mons. the Count d'Estaing.
Resolved, That all officers in the service of these states be directed to pay proper attention to the above resolution.
Ordered, That the paper relative to signals, received from his excellency the Sieur Gérard, and read this morning, be referred to the Marine Committee.
Ordered, That an extract of another paper from the Sieur Gérard, relative to the encouragement given by Count d'Estaing to American armed vessels, whether public or private, be published.
Ordered, That the note from the Sieur Gérard, relative to Mr. Towson, a native of Maryland, one of the prisoners taken by the Count d'Estaing ∥setting forth, "that among the prisoners of war, for the guard and subsistence of which he has desired Congress to provide, there is one of the name of Towson, a native of Maryland; that the birth of this captain in one of the United States, and the sentiments he has expressed for his country, have determined the Sieur Gérard to refer the decision of his fate to Congress, who may grant him his full liberty if they judge him worthy of this favor,"∥ be referred to the delegates of Maryland.
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A letter, of 11, from J. Wadsworth, commissary general, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury.
Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the Committee of the Treasury of the 13th: Whereupon,
Resolved, That a treasurer of loans be appointed, whose duty it shall be to sign loan office certificates and bills of exchange for the payment of interest arising on such certificates, which shall be struck by order of Congress; to deliver such certificates and bills of exchange agreeably to the orders of the Board of Treasury; to receive such bills of credit as Congress shall, from time to time, order to be sunk and destroyed, and to perform such other services, incident to his office, as may hereafter be ordered by Congress or the Board of Treasury:
That the treasurer of loans be allowed a salary at the rate of two thousand dollars a year.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated July 13, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, II, folio 399. It is indorsed as read on the 13th, and "consideration postponed till to-morrow."]
Ordered, That Friday next be assigned for electing a treasurer of loans.
A petition of the Marquis de Vienne, was read, and the same being taken into consideration:2 Whereupon, a resolution was moved, in the words following:
[Note 2: 2 This petition is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, VIII, folio 29.]
"The Marquis de Vienne, a major in the service of the king of France, having served with reputation as a volunteer in the American army during the present campaign, and having requested Congress to honor him with the brevet commission of a colonel, without any pay annexed to the said rank:"
Resolved, That the request of the Marquis de Vienne be complied with, and that a brevet commission of colonel in the service of the United States be conferred on him.
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A motion was made, before the word "colonel" to insert the word "lieutenant:" and the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Marchant,
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So it passed in the negative.
The question was then put on the original motion; the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Marchant,
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So it passed in the affirmative.
Adjourned to 9 o'Clock to Morrow.
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