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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 --FRIDAY, JULY 2, 1779
A letter, of 23, from G. Clinton, governor of New York, was read.
A letter, of this day, from John Codman and Captain Duarti, was read,2 with sundry papers enclosed:
[Note 2: 2 The letter of Clinton is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 67, II, folio 198; that of Codman, in No. 44, folio 83.]
Whereupon a motion was made by Mr. [Henry] Laurens, seconded by Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, that to morrow be assigned for taking into consideration the report of the committee on the memorial of Captain Duarti, on which the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Laurens,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
A memorial from Major Burkardt, was read; Whereupon,
Resolved, That his resignation be accepted.
A petition of Captain John Macpherson, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War, and that they take order thereon.
A letter, of 1, from Ethan Allen and Jonas Fay, was read, enclosing a paper endorsed, Colonel Allen and Doctor Fay's appointment and instructions, and accompanied with a book entitled "Acts and laws of the State of Vermont in America."1
[Note 1: 1 The memorial of Burchard, dated July 2, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 41, I, folio 184; the petition of Macpherson is in No. 42, V, folio 144; the letter of Allen and Fay, in No. 41, I, folio 223.]
Ordered, To lie on the table.
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The Committee on the Treasury, to whom was re-committed their report of the 25th of June, for allowing farther time to bring in the emissions called, out of circulation, reported the following resolutions:
Whereas the legislature of the State of North Carolina have represented, that from the difficulties of communicating intelligence in that State, and the remote situation of many of its inhabitants, it was impossible that they should receive seasonable notice to carry the money of the emissions of May 20, 1777, and April 11, 1778, to the proper office by the time limited by Congress, and have therefore requested Congress to grant such further time for that purpose, that the inhabitants of the said State may not be injured; and whereas it is also represented to Congress, that many persons in the different states have been prevented by unforeseen causes from complying with the said resolution: and whereas it was not the intention of Congress that individuals possessed of the said bills should sustain any further inconvenience than such as arose from the necessary cautions against counterfeits:
Resolved therefore, That all bills of the said emissions which shall be brought into the continental loan offices, before the first day of January next, shall, at the election of the owners, be received either on loan or to be exchanged for other bills; and that the same rules and precautions as are provided for registering, certifying and defacing the bills of the said emissions received by the respective commissioners of the loan offices before the first day of June last, be observed in respect to all bills of the said emissions which shall be brought in by virtue of this resolution. Provided that each holder of such bills shall previously take the following oath or affirmation, and cause to be delivered to the respective commissioners of the continental loan offices a certificate thereof, signed by the magistrate administering the same:
Ido swear (or solemnly affirm) thatdollars, of the emissions of May 20, 1777, and April 11, 1778, of the following
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numbers and denominations, viz.were my property or in my possession on the first of June, 1779, or at the time of my being informed of the resolution of Congress of the 2d January, 1779, for taking the said emissions out of circulation, and were not obtained directly or indirectly at a discount.
That the commissioners of the continental loan offices be authorized to pay off the indented certificates which they shall have issued for exchanging bills of the emissions of May 20, 1777, and April 11, 1778, to any persons to whom such certificates may be endorsed, provided that each endorsement shall be witnessed by a magistrate:
That the commissioners of the several continental loan offices make returns to the Board of Treasury immediately after the 1st day of January next, of the amount of the bills received in their respective offices after the said first day of June to be exchanged as aforesaid; and that for this purpose proper bills be lodged at the said offices within 60 days from and after the first day of January aforesaid.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated June 30, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 437.]
A motion was made by Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [Thomas] Burke, to strike out the words, "2d of January for taking the said emissions out of circulation," and in lieu thereof insert, "2 July for granting further time to bring in the said emissions."
On the question, shall the words moved to be struck out stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [William] Sharpe,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
A motion was made by Mr. [Meriwether] Smith, seconded by Mr. [William] Fleming, to strike out the words, "and were not obtained directly or indirectly at a discount."
On the question, shall those words stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Meriwether] Smith,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
A motion was made by Mr. [Thomas] Burke, seconded by Mr. [William] Sharpe, to strike out the whole proviso, including the oath.
And, on the question, shall it stand, The yeas and nays being required by Mr. [William] Sharpe,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
Question put to agree to the report: resolved in the affirmative.
On motion of Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [Thomas] M'Kean,
Whereas it will require time to provide loan office certificates for borrowing twenty million dollars, in pursuance of the resolutions of Congress of the 29 June last:
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Resolved, That loan office certificates, of any denomination, already struck by order of Congress, be issued for the purpose of the said loan; any thing contained in the said certificates to the contrary notwithstanding:
That the Board of Treasury be authorized to order the treasurer of loans to transmit to the several commissioners of the continental loan offices, such of the said certificates as are in his possession; and that the certificates ordered to be struck the 25 June last, be not issued until the further order of Congress.1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of Elbridge Gerry, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, IV, folio 119.]
Ordered, That Mr. [William] Ellery have leave of absence.
Adjourned to 10 oClock to Morrow.
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