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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 --MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1779
A letter, of 2, from General Washington, was read.
A letter, of 22 October, from the president of the council of Massachusetts bay, was read:
Ordered, That a copy thereof be transmitted to the Commander in Chief, and that he take order thereon.
A letter, of October 25, from the president of New hampshire, was read:1
[Note 1: 1 Washington's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VIII, folio 155; that of Massachusetts Council, in No. 65, II, folio 13; that from New Hampshire, in No. 64, folio 90.]
A letter, of 26, from Colonel Brodhead, at Pittsburgh, was read, informing that some of the inhabitants from Yoghiagania and Ohio counties had crossed the Ohio and made small improvements on the Indians' land from the river Muskingum to Fort M'Intosh, and 30 miles up the branches of the Ohio river; and that he had ordered the trespassers to be apprehended and the huts to be destroyed:
Ordered, That a letter be written to the governor of Virginia, enclosing a copy of Colonel Brodhead's letter, and requesting his excellency to endeavour to prevent a repetition of the trespasses mentioned in it.
A letter, of 25 October, from J. Bradford, was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Marine Committee to take order.
A letter, of this day, from Henry Emanuel Lutterlogh, was read, enclosing a plan of public magazines.2
[Note 2: 2 The letter of Brodhead is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, III, folio 383; that of Lutterlogh, in No. 78, XIV, folio 291.]
Ordered, That the same be referred to the Board of War.
On motion of Mr. [John] Mathews, seconded by Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris,
Resolved, That the late and former presidents of Congress, be desired to lodge, as soon as they conveniently can, in the
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secretary's office, copies of all public letters by them respectively written during their presidentships.
On motion of Mr. [Henry] Laurens, seconded by Mr. [Nathaniel] Peabody,
Resolved, That a committee appointed to prepare instructions to the person appointed to negotiate a loan in the United Provinces of the Low Countries, be instructed to prepare the form of a letter to the ministers plenipotentiary to the courts of Versailles and Madrid, directing them to inform his most Christian Majesty and his Catholick Majesty of the appointment of Mr. Laurens for negotiating a loan in the United Provinces of the Low Countries, and to solicit the aid of their Majesties on that occasion.
The Chevalier de la Luzerne, Minister Plenipotentiary of France, having on the 4th transmitted to Congress a copy of the letter of credence from his most Christian Majesty, and of the speech he intends to make at his publick audience, the same were referred to Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris, Mr. [John] Dickinson and Mr. [William Churchill] Houston, who, on the 6th, reported the draft of an answer, which was this day taken into consideration.
And on debating this clause, "His most Christian "Majesty, by patronising the liberty and independence "of America, justly acquired the name of protector of "the rights of mankind"--
A motion was made by Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [George] Partridge, to strike out the words "by "patronising the liberty and independence of America," and in lieu thereof to insert "has;" and on the question, Shall the words moved to be struck out, stand, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry--
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
The answer, being debated by paragraphs, was agreed to.1
[Note 1: 1 These proceedings were entered only in the manuscript Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs.]
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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