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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, DECEMBER 4, 1780
On motion of Mr. [Samuel] Adams, seconded by Mr. [James] Duane,
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to take order for procuring for public use on the best terms they can the salted meat imported in a prize into Philadelphia.
The members, Mr. [Samuel] Adams, Mr. [George] Clymer, Mr. [James] Duane.
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The delegates for Maryland laid before Congress a letter, of 22, from the governor of that State, which was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War to take order.
A letter, of 28 November, from General Washington, was read, inclosing a copy of a letter, of 25 of the same month, from Major Talmadge, giving an account of his surprising and taking fort St. George, on Long Island, and the garrison.1
[Note 1: 1 The Maryland letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 70, folio 445. Washington's letter is in No. 152, IX, folio 381; it is printed in the Writings of Washington (Ford), IX, 40.]
Ordered, That the same be referred to a committee of three:
The members, Mr. [John] Sullivan, Mr. [Ezekiel] Cornell, Mr. [John] Mathews.
A letter, of May 22, from the honorable B. Franklin;2
[Note 2: 2 This letter is printed in the Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (Wharton), III, 697.]
And a representation of Florat de Florimont,3 were read:
[Note 3: 3 This representation, dated November 30, 1780, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 43, folio 73.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Board of War.
A letter, of 10 November, from John Lloyd, Junior, was read:4
[Note 4: 4 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XIV, folio 393.]
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury.
A letter, of 24 August, and one, of September 4, from the honorable J. Adams, were read.5
[Note 5: 5 Adams's letter of September 4 is printed in the Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (Wharton), IV, 45.]
The Board of War, to whom was referred the petition of Jacob Watson, delivered in a report; Whereupon,
At a Board of War, Decr.
Genl. Ward Gen.l. Cornell, Mr. Peters
The Board having taken into their consideration that part of the letter from Jacob Watson, relating to the hides supplied Major Lee's Corps beg leave to inform Congress
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That the hides mentioned in the memorial were the property of the memorialist, and were bartered with his consent by Major Lee when stationed at Burlington for Boots for his corps; so that an equivalent for the hides is due to the memorialist, and the Board conceive it ought to be paid, wherefore the following report is submitted
Ordered, That the Board of War take order for the repayment to Jacob Watson for a quantity of hides delivered to Major Lee.
The board beg leave to represent to Congress that a practice has long subsisted whereby great confusion has been introduced into the public accounts, and however well meant, is too frequently attended with bad consequences. The practice alluded to, is that of officers bartering public hides for supplies for their men, or purchasing articles from the citizens, and drawing for payment on public departments, whereby partial supplies are obtained, which always create jealousies, and the public purchasers being multiplied, prices are of course enhanced, nor will it ever be in the power of the Board, or of the officers at the heads of the civil departments to conduct the business thereof, or know what public property is on hand, if it is subject to the disposal of any others than those Congress have authorized for that purpose. We therefore submit the following resolution,
Resolved, That no officer of the line of the army of the United States, without express authority from Congress for that purpose, make any contract or bargain, or give any orders, for the purchase of articles for the use of the troops in the departments of the cloathier general, quartermaster general or commissary general of purchases, except in cases of necessity for provisions and forage for detachments or parties in places where the same cannot be drawn from the public stores or magazines.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, IV, folio 713.]
A letter, of 1, from Ezekiel Forman and John Gibson, commissioners of the Board of Treasury, was read.
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The committee, to whom was referred the letter, of 26 November, from General Washington, delivered in a report; Whereupon,
Resolved, That, instead of the additional pay allowed to officers in the inspector's department, by the resolution of Congress of the 25 October September last, the following sums be allowed, viz.
To the adjutant general, as assistant inspector, thirty five dollars per month:
To an assistant inspector in a separate army, thirty dollars per month:
To a lieutenant colonel, as inspector of a division, twenty five dollars per month:
To a major, as inspector of a brigade, twenty five dollars per month.
Resolved, That the corps of marechaussee be continued upon their former establishment.
Resolved, That Mr. Simeon de Witt be appointed geographer to the army, in the room of William Robert Erskine, deceased.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of John Sullivan, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 19, VI, folio 321.]
A letter, of 30 November, from B. Binney, hospital surgeon; and
One, of this day, from M. Maus, surgeon of the invalid regiment, were read:2
[Note 2: 2 Binney's letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, IV, folio 97.]
Ordered, That they be referred to the Medical Committee.
A report from the Board of Treasury was read; Whereupon,
Ordered, That for the future there be only three superintendants of the press, and that Isaac Howell, Peter Thomson and Nathaniel Faulkner be continued in office to discharge that business:
That the commissioners to be appointed for examining, counting and burning the continental bills of credit, as mentioned
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in the resolution of Congress of the 29 of November last, be allowed at the rate of 2--90ths of a dollar, continental currency, per hundred dollars, or the equivalent thereof in the new bills, or other current money, to be equally divided between them:
That John Biddle and Isaac Gray be appointed commissioners for examining, counting and burning the continental bills of credit, agreeable to the resolution of 29 November, and that they take an oath or affirmation of office, previous to their entering on the discharge of their duty.
Resolved, That the salaries of the officers on the civil list, as fixed by the resolutions of the 13th and 25 of September last, have retrospect to the 1st day of September, 1777, anything in the resolution of the 15 November, which gives them a retrospect only to the 2d of November, 1778, notwithstanding.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, IV, folio 741.]
On motion of the delegates for Pennsylvania,
Resolved, That Thomas Smith and Richard Bache be appointed commissioners on the part of the United States, either of them to endorse the bills that shall be emitted by the state of Pennsylvania, pursuant to the resolution of Congress of the 18 of March last.
The delegates of Georgia moved a resolution:
Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of three:
The members, Mr. [George] Walton, Mr. [William] Sharpe, Mr. [John] Sullivan.
A letter, of November 15, from the Governor of New York was read:
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War.
A letter, of November 14, from Major General Gates was read, with sundry papers enclosed:2
[Note 2: 2 The New York letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 67, II, folio 332; Gates's letter is in No. 154, II, folio 315.]
Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee of Intelligence.
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A letter, of 26 November, from the governor of Virginia was read.
A letter, of 16 September, from the honorable John Jay; and
Two letters; dated August 22, September 6 and 9, from W. Carmichael, were read1:
[Note 1: 1 Jay's letter is printed in the Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (Wharton), IV, 59; Carmichael's of August 22, p. 38, and that of September 9, p. 51.]
Resolved, That a member be elected for the Board of Treasury, in the room of Mr. [William Churchill] Houston, who is about to be absent for some time:
The member chosen, Mr. [Oliver] Wolcott.
Mr. [William] Floyd, a delegate for New York attended and took his seat.2
[Note 2: 2 The rest of the entry for this day is by George Bend.]
A report from the Board of Treasury was read: Whereupon,
Ordered, That on the application of Charles Pettit assistant quarter master general, a warrant issue in his favor on John Lawrence, commissioner of the continental loan office for the State of Connecticut, for seven thousand five hundred dollars in bills of credit, emitted pursuant to the act of Congress, of the 18th of March last, for the use of that department; and for which the quarter master general is to be accountable.
Ordered, That the remainder of the report be re-committed.
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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