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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 --TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 1780
A letter, of 3, from Marquis de Brétigny, at Martinique; One, of 23 [24], from the committee at headquarters, enclosing a copy of a circular letter to the states; and,
One, of 17 May, from Brigadier DuPortail, at Charlestown, were read.1
[Note 1: 1 De Brétigny's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, III, folio 469; Duportail's in No. 164, folio 350. The letter from the Committee at Headquarters, dated the 24th, is in No. 39, I, folio 96; it was transcribed in the Committee Book, 1780, Proceedings of the Committee appointed the 13th of April, 1780, folio 28.]
A report from the Board of Treasury was read:
Treasury Office June 26th 1780
The Board of Treasury having taken into their consideration a letter from the Board of War dated the 22nd instant with an inclosure from Charles Pettit, and another from John Cox assistant Quarter Master General, demanding one million forty five thousand dollars to make the necessary provision to enable General Washington to move his army; find themselves constrained to lay them before Congress for their consideration and to inform them, that it is utterly out of the Power of the Board to make any provision for this demand, the Treasury of the United States at this time being totally exhausted.
The Board beg leave further to represent that for some time past the Commissioners of the several Continental Loan offices in the
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respective States, have received but very little money into their offices beyond what is necessary to pay off the daily demands of interest upon them--the office in Boston only excepted. That the only Resources to supply the Treasury with money to carry on the War. are in the Taxes to be gathered in by the States and in the disposal of Bills of Exchange on Spain. For the satisfaction of Congress a list of the Respective Balances due from the several States for Taxes is inclosed upon which it is unnecessary to say more than that many of the warrants, on the States heretofore granted on this fund are yet unsatisfied, and no one Treasury appears to be in a condition to supply immediately any sum. That from the sale of Bills of exchange but a small sum has been yet deposited in the Treasury. In this situation the Board know not which way to turn themselves to afford any relief to the daily pressing demands made on them from many quarters and can only look up to Congress to be enabled to provide for them.
List of Balances due by Individual States To the United States for their respective quotas of the Continental Tax, as assessed by Congress for the years 1778, 1779, and the months of January and February, 1780
Auditor General's Office 26 June 1780
Jas Milligan A. G1
[Note 1: 1 This report and list are in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 371 and 375. The total should be .52 instead of .72.]
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Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of five:
The members chosen, Mr. [Oliver] Ellsworth, Mr. John Henry, Mr. [James] Duane, Mr. [Jared] Ingersol and Mr. [Artemas] Ward.
The Board of Treasury report, "That Gerard Bancker, treasurer of the State of New York, hath in consequence of advice from this Board, deposited in the treasury, the sum of one hundred and eighty three thousand dollars, in loan office certificates, to be applied to the credit of that State, in part payment of its quota of taxes; which certificates were issued by Derrick Ten Broek, commissioner of the continental loan office in the said State, and delivered to the aforesaid Gerard Bancker, in lieu of so much money paid into the said office of the emissions of May 20, 1777, and April 11, 1778, which certificates are dated, the 14 May, 1779 and numbered as follows, viz.
"That in pursuance of the resolution of Congress of the second day of January, 1779, the said State should be credited for the aforesaid sum of one hundred and eighty three thousand dollars, and the entry to bear date on the 14 day of May, 1779, which is the date of the certificates: That the said certificates should be cancelled and transmitted to the office from whence they issued, to be filed."1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 369.]
Resolved, That Congress agree to the said report.Congress resumed the consideration of the report on loan office certificates, and the same being gone through, having
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been debated by paragraphs, when the question was about to be put,
On motion of Mr. John Henry, seconded by Mr. [James] Duane,
Ordered, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed till to morrow.
The delegates for New Jersey laid before Congress an act passed by the legislature of that State, in pursuance of the resolutions of Congress, of 18 March last:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury.
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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