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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 10, 1780

Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1780

A letter, of this day, from Doctor J. Morgan was read, requesting " to be indulged with an authenticated copy of his Excellency General Washington's letter to Dr. Shippen, referred to in the General's letter to him (Dr. Morgan), of January 6, 1779, dated about the beginning of November, 1775, and enclosed to the President of Congress in Doctor Shippen's letter, dated 9th November, 1776:"

Ordered, That Doctor Morgan be furnished with a copy of the said letter, agreeably to his request.

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A letter, of 9, from Le Baron de Benyowsky was read:

Ordered, That the secretary inform Le Baron de Benyowski, that the request contained in his letter of the 9th, cannot be complied with.

A letter, of this day, from Major General B. Arnold, was read, informing that "on examining the report of the Board of Treasury on his public accounts, he finds himself under the necessity of appealing to the honorable Congress, and requesting the favour of that honorable body to point out the method of proceeding in appeals from the Board of Treasury, and to be informed when he can be heard on the subject of the appeal."¹

[Note 1: 1 Morgan's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 63, folio 173; that of Baron de Benyowsky is in No. 78, III, folio 461; Arnold's letter is in No. 162, folio 201.]

Ordered, That Major General Arnold be informed he is at liberty to state in writing any objections he may have to the report of the Board of Treasury on his accounts, and to lay them before Congress.

The committee appointed to report a proper compensation to the staff of the army in consequence of the deprecition of the currency, delivered in a report, which was read and re-committed.

The Committee "appointed to report a proper compensation to the staff of the army in consequence of the depreciation of the currency."

Beg leave to report as their opinion that it would be premature to proceed upon the business before the Committee that is sent to Head Quarters shall have reported.²

[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of Samuel Holten, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 21, folio 227.]

A report from the Board of Treasury was read; Whereupon,

Ordered, That on the application of the Board of War and Ordnance, the following warrants amounting to two hundred and eighty seven thousand five hundred and seventy

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one dollars and sixty ninetieths of a dollar, issue in favour of Joseph Carleton, paymaster to the said Board, for the use of the cloathing department, and for which the said pay master is to be accountable; viz.

Two on George Brooke, treasurer of the State of Virginia, one for twenty three thousand and seventy seven dollars and forty five ninetieths of a dollar; and the other for one hundred thousand dollars (part of the monies raised in the said State for the use of the United States).

Three on Henry Gardner, treasurer of the State of Massachusetts Bay; one for sixty eight thousand six hundred and seventyforty eight dollars and thirty ninetieths of a dollar; another for forty five thousand eight hundred and forty five dollars and seventy five ninetieths of a dollar; and the other for fifty thousand dollars (part of the monies raised in the said State for the use of the United States).

That a warrant issued on Thomas Harwood, commissioner of the continental loan office for the State of Maryland, for one hundred and sixty thousand dollars, in favour of William Palfrey, paymaster general, for the purpose of discharging sundry warrants drawn on him by the Board of War and Ordnance, for forwarding the Maryland and Delaware troops on their march to the southward; and for which the said paymaster general is to be accountable.

That on the application of the Board of War and Ordinance, a warrant issue on Thomas Smith Esqr Commissioner of the Continental Loan Office of the State of Pennsylvaniafor eighty thousand dollars, in favour of Joseph Carleton, paymaster to the said Board, for the purpose of forwarding the troops now on their march to the southward; and for which the said paymaster is to be accountable.¹

[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 283.]

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Mr. [James] Duane, at his request, being for the present excused from serving at the Board of Treasury, Congress proceeded to another choice, and the ballots being taken, Mr. [James] Henry was elected.

The Board of Treasury, to whom was referred the memorial of J. Holker, Consul of France, and others, respecting the loss of certain loan office certificates, brought in another report, which was taken into consideration, and thereupon,

Resolved, That loan office certificates, destroyed through accident, be renewed at the office where they first issued, and delivered to the persons who shall appear to have been the holders of them at the time they were destroyed, on the following terms, viz.

• 1. That all certificates so destroyed, be advertised immediately in the news papers of the State where the accident happened; and, if they have been taken out at the loan office of a different State, in the news papers of such State also; and in every case where no news papers are printed in a State, then in one or more of those which circulate most generally therein; which advertisement shall be continued six weeks, and shall contain the numbers, dates, sums, names in which the certificates were taken out, and the time when, the place where, and the means by which they were destroyed.
• 2. That a copy of the advertisement be lodged in the loan office whence the certificates issued, together with such testimony as can be procured, ascertaining the time when, the place where, and the means by which the destruction happened; which copies and testimonies shall be duly certified by the loan officer, to be laid by the party claiming the renewal before the Board of Treasury, who shall finally decide on the sufficiency thereof.
• 3. That the party claiming the renewal enter into bond to such loan officer on behalf of the United States, with two or more sufficient freeholders, as securities, in double the amount

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  of the value of the certificates claimed to be renewed, with condition to indemnify the United States against the holders of the certificates said to be destroyed, should any such afterwards appear.

• 4. That no certificates be renewed before the expiration of three months after the publication of the advertisement above mentioned.
• 5. That where a demand is made by virtue of a letter or warrant of attorney, such letter or warrant be first legally proved and recorded, and an authenticated copy lodged in the loan office where the demand is made.
• 6. That the renewed certificates be of the same tenor and date with those destroyed, and that the payments of interest, where any have been made, be regularly endorsed, as they appear on the loan office books; and that they bear a mark to distinguish them from the originals, which mark shall be entered in the loan office books.

Ordered, That the Board of Treasury prepare and forward to the respective loan officers the form of a bond, with the necessary instructions, to direct them in the execution of the aforesaid resolution; and that they state the sum to be paid by the applicants to the United States for certificates renewed, and the fees to be taken by the loan officer.

The Board of Treasury, in pursuance of the order of the 21st April last, brought in a report; Whereupon,

Ordered, That a warrant issue on Thomas Smith, commissioner of the continental loan office in the State of Pennsylvania, for fifty seven thousand nine hundred and forty one twenty five thousand dollars, specie, in favour of Joseph Carleton, paymaster to the Board of War and Ordnance, payable in bills of exchange to be drawn on the honourable John Jay, Esquire, minister plenipotentiary of the United States of America at the Court of Madrid, to be applied pursuant to the resolution of Congress of 21st April, respecting American

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prisoners; and for which the said Joseph Carleton is to be accountable.¹

[Note 1: 1 This order was also entered in the manuscript Secret (Domestic) Journal. The report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 285.]

Another report from the Board of Treasury was read; Whereupon,

Ordered, That on the application of the Board of War and Ordnance a warrant issue on Michael Hillegas Esq the treasurer, in favour of William Palfrey, paymaster general, for forty thousand dollars, for the purpose of to enable him to discharge the orders of the Board of War, for expediting the troops now on their march to the southward; and for which the William Palfrey said paymaster general is to be accountable.

That on the application of the Board of War a warrant issue on the Treasurer in favor of Charles Pettit, assistant quarter master general, on account of Major General Greene, quarter master general, a warrant issue in his favour on the treasurer, for one hundred thousand dollars, to be applied in the Quarter Master's department of the said quartermaster general, for the purpose of expediting the troops now on their march to the southward; and for which the Quarter Master General he is to be accountable.²

[Note 2: 2 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folios 289 and 291.]

Ordered, That Mr. [John] Collins have leave of absence.

Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.

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