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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, MARCH 6, 1781
A letter, of 1, from General Washington, was read, enclosing a letter, of 26 February, from the governor of Connecticut:2
[Note 2: 2 Washington's letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, X, folio 5; the Connecticut letter is in No. 66, II, folio 182.]
Ordered, That the letter from the governor of Connecticut be referred to the Board of War.
A letter, of 3, from T. Pickering, quartermaster general, was read:3
[Note 3: 3 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 192, folio 49.]
Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee of the Whole.
A petition of John Connor was read;4 Whereupon,
[Note 4: 4 This petition, dated March 5, 1781, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, II, folio 96.]
Ordered, That the Board of Admiralty give orders to the commissary of prisoners to discharge from confinement John Goodwin, master, Daniel Leafy, mate, JohnRepealed on the 9th. Young, Jeremy Bryan, Bartholomew Bryan, John French, mariners, and two boys, the crew of the BrigElizabeth, committed as prisoners of war at the instance of the naval officer of Pennsylvania, they giving such security as the Board shall judge proper, to render themselves respectively when and wheresoever they may be required by the Court of Admiralty, and not to do or attempt
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anything to the prejudice of the United States of America or any of them.
On motion of Mr. [Thomas] McKean, seconded by Mr. [James] Duane:
Ordered, That a committee of three be appointed to devise and report the mode of appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas.
The members, Mr. [Thomas] McKean, Mr. [James] Duane, Mr. [Thomas] Bee.
In pursuance of the order of the 9th of February last, the Board of Treasury laid before Congress "a state of the arrearages of the public taxes previous to the resolution of the 18 March, 1780, and the quotas of the respective states in consequence of that resolution;" together with a report respecting the same:
Treasury Office,March 5, 1781.
To carry into effect the Resolution of Congress of the 28th ult. for the Payment of Contracts for Shot and Shells entered into by the Board of War and for other Purposes, the Board of Treasury beg leave to submit the following Resolution:
Resolved, That Bills of Exchange be drawn under the Direction of the Board of Treasury on the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America at the Court of Versailles, at six months' sight, for 55,3331/3 dollars, at 4/6 the dollar, to be paid to the Board of War to enable them to fulfill their Engagements for the aforesaid Shot and Shells.
To comply as far as possible with the Resolution of Congress of the 9 ult. the Board beg leave to present to them a State of the Arrearages of the public Taxes, previous to the Resolution of the 18 of March last, and the Quotas of the respective States in Consequence of that Resolution. It is to be observed that it would seem the Quota for the Month of April, 1781, ought not to have been included, as it is by the aforesaid Act of the 18 of March last; for it will appear by the present Return that it carries the sum of ten millions of dollars, beyond the whole of the Emissions of the old Currency-- the Board on this supposition in their orders to the Superintendants of the Press for their respective Quotas of the New
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Money have excluded it, and when the several Quotas of the States are completed agreeably to their Orders as aforesaid, the aggregate sum will be but one hundred and ninety-five millions.
The Board beg leave to observe, that the want of proper and punctual Returns from many of the Commissioners of the Loan Offices occasions great embarrassments in the public accounts, and disappoints the Desires of Congress in receiving the Information they require.
The Board have done every Thing in their Power to cause the Commissioners to perform their duty; but while the Incapacity of some puts it out of their Power to comply with the Directions of the Board, and the Inattention and Neglect of others is permitted, Congress must unavoidably remain uninformed of a true State of their Finances.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, V, folio 145.]
Ordered, That the same be referred to a Committee of the Whole.
On motion of Mr. [James] Duane, seconded by Mr. [Jesse] Root,
Ordered, That the Board of Treasury report to the United States in Congress assembled, the commissioners of the loan offices in the several states who have neglected to make proper returns to the Board of Treasury, agreeably to orders given them for that purpose.
On motion of the delegates for the State of Delaware,
Resolved, That Samuel Patterson and John Thompson, esquires, be appointed commissioners on the part of the United States of America, either of them to indorse the bills that shall be emitted by the State of Delaware, pursuant to the act of Congress of the 18 day of March, 1780.
A motion was made by Mr. [Theodorick] Bland, seconded by Mr. [Thomas] McKean:
Ordered, That it be referred to the committee to whom were referred the proceedings of the convention of sundry states tact at Hartford.
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A motion was made by the delegates of Pensylvania, relative to the Convention prisoners:
That the German Prisoners now in Virginia or Maryland be removed to Connecticut or to some other State Eastward of Pennsylvania.1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of Oliver Wolcott, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 20, II, folio 118.]
Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of three.
The members, Mr. [Jesse] Root, Mr. [Samuel John] Atlee, Mr. [Daniel] Carroll.
On motion of Mr. [Jesse] Root, seconded by Mr. [John] Mathews,
Ordered, That Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in every week be assigned for the subject of finance, until the United States in Congress assembled, shall have come to a final decision on that subject; and that on those days the business be entered upon immediately after reading the Journal.
On motion of Mr. [James Mitchell] Varnum, seconded by Mr. [Jesse] Root:
Ordered, That a committee of three be appointed to prepare a plan to invest the United States in Congress assembled with full and explicit powers for effectually carrying into execution in the several states all acts or resolutions passed agreeably to the Articles of Confederation.2
[Note 2: 2 The following undated resolution, in the writing of James Mitchell Varnum, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 24, folio 33:
Resolved, That a committee be appointed to digest such additional articles to the Act of Confederation to be exercised during the war as shall be deemed necessary to be proposed to the respective states for their ratification.]
The members, Mr. [James Mitchell] Varnum, Mr. [James] Duane, Mr. [James] Madison.
The report of the committee on the letters, from Governor Clinton and from the president of the senate and speaker of the house of assembly of the State of New York, was taken into consideration, and, after some time spent thereon:
Ordered, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed till to Morrow.
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.
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