| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1779
Mr. [Nicholas] Van Dyke, one of the delegates for Delaware, attended, and took his seat.
A letter, of the 30 September, from General Washington, was read:
On motion of Mr. [James] Forbes, seconded by Mr. [William] Paca,
Resolved, That Colonel Clarke be directed to halt the North Carolina troops at Trenton, till farther orders.
A letter, of 23 September, from J. Adams, and one, of the 30 September, from Major Samuel Hayes, were read.
A letter, of 30th September, from J. Wadsworth, commissary general of purchases; and a letter, of 2 instant, from the president of Pensylvania to the Board of War, were read:1
[Note 1: 1 The Washington letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VIII, folio 57; that of Hayes, in No. 78, XI, folio 455; that of Wadsworth. in No. 78, XXIV, folio 153. The letter of Adams is printed in the Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (Wharton), III, 334.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the committee for superintending the quarter master and commissary general's departments.
A letter from Captain Michael Hyndman and others, prisoners, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Marine Committee.
A petition of Captain R. Moor, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee of Commerce to take order thereon.
A representation of Robert Martin, in behalf of the inhabitants of Northumberland county in Pensylvania, respecting the money called out of circulation, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury, to take order thereon.
A petition of Charles Phelps was read, respecting the preservation of white pine timber:
Page 1139 | Page image
Ordered, That it be referred to the Marine Committee.
A letter, of September 21, from the council of Massachusetts bay, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of three:
The members chosen, Mr. [James] Mercer, Mr. [William Churchill] Houston, and Mr. [Roger] Sherman.
A letter, of this day, from Mr. J[ohn] Jay, late President, was read:
Ordered, That the vote of thanks, and this letter in answer thereto, be published.
A letter, of September 29, from General Washington, was read, enclosing a letter of 28th of the said month, from Baron de Frey, captain in Brigadier Count Pulaski's legion, was read; and also a memorial of Captain Charles de Frey, requesting leave of absence for eight months, to revisit his native country;1 Whereupon,
[Note 1: 1 The Massachusetts letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 65, I, folio 412; that of Jay, in No. 78, XIII, folio 113; that of Washington, in No. 152. VIII, folio 49; that of Frey is on folio 53, and his memorial is in No. 41, III, folio 196.]
Resolved, That Captain Charles de Frey have leave of absence for eight months.
Ordered, That the memorial of Captain de Frey be referred to the Board of Treasury.
The Committee on the Treasury brought in a report; Whereupon,
Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. J[ohn] Collins, delegate for the State of Rhode island, for four thousand dollars; the said State to be accountable.
That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. [William] Sharpe, delegate for the State of North Carolina, for the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars; the said State to be accountable.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, dated October 4, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 695.]
That the following warrants issue in favour of Major General Greene, quarter master general, or to Charles Pettit,
Page 1140 | Page image
assistant Q. M. G., or the order of either of them, on an application of the 23 of September last, from Charles Pettit, Esq. assistant quarter master general, for five millions of dollars, for the use of the said department; and for which the said Major General Greene is to be accountable, viz.
A warrant on John Lawrence, Esq. commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of Connecticut, for four hundred thousand dollars.
Another warrant on Derick Ten Broeck, Esq. commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of New York, or his successor in office, for two hundred thousand dollars.
Another warrant on Joseph Borden, Esq. commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of New Jersey, for three hundred thousand dollars.
Another warrant on Thomas Harwood, Esq. commissioner of the continental loan office, in the State of Maryland, for three hundred thousand dollars.
Another warrant on William Armistead, Esq. commissioner of the continental loan office for the State of Virginia, for eight hundred thousand dollars; and,
Another warrant on the treasurer for three million dollars.
Resolved, That a person be appointed secretary to the Board of Ordnance, and pay master to the Board of War and Ordnance; and that he be allowed the same pay as a commissioner of the chamber of accounts.
The following gentleman was put in nomination,
Joseph Carleton by Mr. [Joseph] Hewes.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, dated October 1, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 689.]
On motion of Mr. [John] Collins, seconded by Mr. [Henry] Laurens,
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to prepare a further instruction to the minister plenipotentiary appointed to negotiate with the court of Spain relative to obtaining an article for allowing the
Page 1141 | Page image
inhabitants of the United States the liberty of taking salt from Sal Tortuga.
The members chosen, Mr. [Henry] Laurens, Mr. [William] Paca, and Mr. [Roger] Sherman.
On motion of Mr. [Henry] Marchant, seconded by Mr. [Henry] Laurens,
Resolved, That the said committee be directed to prepare an instruction relative to the privilege of cutting logwood.
The commissions as agreed to, for the minister plenipotentiary to negotiate a treaty of amity and commerce and of alliance with the Court of Spain, and for the minister plenipotentiary for negotiating a treaty of peace and a treaty of commerce with G. Britain, being engrossed, with blanks left for inserting the names and titles of the ministers and also dates of the commissions,
A motion was made by Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [William] Paca,
That the blank for the name and titles of the minister in the first commission be filled up with the words, "The honourable John Jay, esquire, late President of "Congress, and chief justice of the state of New York:" And that the first blank in the other two commissions, be filled up with the words, "The honourable John "Adams, esquire, late commissioner of the United States "of America at the court of Versailles, late delegate in "Congress from the state of "Massachusetts Bay, and "chief justice of the said state."
The first proposition being taken into consideration,
A motion was made by Mr. [Henry] Marchant, seconded by Mr. [George] Partridge, to strike out the words "late President of Congress and chief justice of the "state of New York."
Page 1142 | Page image
And on the question, Shall those words stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Marchant--
{table}
So it was resolved in the affirmative.
On the question,
Resolved, That the first blank in the commission for negotiating with the court of Spain, be filled up with the words, "The honourable John Jay, esquire, late "President of Congress and chief justice of the state of "New York."
On debating the motion for filling up the like blanks in the other two commissions,
A motion was made by Mr. [John] Mathews, seconded by Mr. [Henry] Marchant, to strike out the words, "late commissioner of the United States of America "at the court of Versailles, late delegate in Congress "from the state of Massachusetts Bay, and chief justice "of the said state."
And on the question, Shall those words stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Marchant,
Page 1143 | Page image
It was resolved in the affirmative, the members answering as in the foregoing question.1
[Note 1: 1 The vote in detail is entered in the manuscript Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs.]
On the question,
Resolved, That the like blanks in the other two commissions, namely, for negotiating a treaty of peace, and for negotiating a treaty of commerce with Great Britain, be filled up with, "The honourable John Adams, esquire, "late commissioner of the United States of America at "the court of Versailles, late delegate in Congress from "the state of Massachusetts Bay, and chief justice of "the said state."
Resolved, That the commissions be dated the twenty-ninth day of September, 1779.
The committee, to whom was recommitted the report respecting proper salaries for the ministers plenipotentiary and their secretaries, respectively, brought in a report, which was taken into consideration.
And a motion being made to strike out "three thou"sand," reported by the committee for the salary of the ministers plenipotentiary--
On the question, Shall "three thousand" stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Marchant--
{table}
Page 1144 | Page image
So the states were equally divided, and that sum was struck out.
A motion was then made by Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [Cyrus] Griffin, that the blank be filled with "two thousand five hundred." And on the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Henry] Marchant--
{table}
So it was resolved in the affirmative.
A motion was then made by Mr. [Henry] Marchant, seconded by Mr. [Woodbury] Langdon, to strike out "one thousand," the sum reported as the salary for the secretaries. And on the question, Shall "one thousand"
Page 1145 | Page image
stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Woodbury] Langdon--
{table}
So it was resolved in the affirmative.
On the question,
Resolved, That each of the ministers plenipotentiary be allowed at the rate of two thousand five hundred pounds sterling per annum, and each of their secretaries at the rate of one thousand pounds sterling per annum, in full for their services and expenses respectively.
That the salary of each of the said officers be computed from the time of his leaving his place of abode, to enter on the duties of his office, and be continued three months after notice of his recall.
Page 1146 | Page image
Ordered, That so much of the report as relates to providing for the payment of the above salaries be referred to the committee of commerce.1
[Note 1: 1 These proceedings were entered only in the manuscript Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs. It has been impossible to follow the entries contained in this Journal verbatim.]
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |