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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, JULY 10, 1782
On motion of Mr. [James] Duane, seconded by Mr. [Ezekiel] Cornell,
Ordered, That an official account of the election made yesterday of a judge-advocate, be not transmitted until the
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committee appointed to consider the most just and practicable means of reducing the expenditures of the United States in the several departments shall have reported.
Ordered, That the committee report, with all convenient speed, the pay and emoluments proper to be allowed to a judge-advocate.
"An act for aiding and more effectually carrying into execution certain acts of Congress of the 20 and 27 of February, 1782," passed by the legislature of Delaware, was laid before Congress and read.
Ordered, That an Act for aiding and more effectually carrying into execution certain Acts of Congress of the 20th and 27th of February, 1782, passed by the State of Delaware be referred to the Superintendant of Finance.1
[Note 1: 1 That order was entered only in the journal kept by the Secretary of Congress for the Superintendant of Finance: Morris Papers, Congressional Proceedings.]
According to the order of the day, was read a third time and passed as follows:
AN ORDINANCE FOR RENDERING THE SUPPORT OF THE MARINE LESS EXPENSIVE THE BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES IN CERTAIN CASES.
Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, that so much of the ordinance, entitled, "An ordinance ascertaining what captures on water shall be lawful," as ordains that upon the capture of a vessel commissioned as a man of war or a privateer by any of the vessels of war of the United States of America, the whole of the property condemned shall be adjudged to the captors, be, and the same is hereby repealed; and that in all such cases of capture of the property condemned one half only shall be adjudged to the captors, and the other half to the United States to be appropriated to their use, unless the vessel taken be of equal or superior force, in which case the whole shall be adjudge to the captors [the whole of the property condemned shall be adjudged to the use of the captors, if the vessel taken shall be of equal or superior force to the vessel making the capture: if otherwise, one-half only shall be adjudged to the captors, and the other half to the use of the United States, and shall after condemnation be so appropriated, unless the United States in Congress
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assembled, in reward of distinguished valour and exertion, shall otherwise specially direct.]
And be it further ordained by the authority aforesaid, that the resolution of the 15 day of November, 1776, giving to the commanders, officers and men of ships or vessels of war, a bounty for every cannon and for every man belonging to British ships or vessels of war captured by them, be, and the same is hereby repealed.
Done by the United States in Congress assembled, &c.1
[Note 1: 1 This ordinance, in the writing of James Madison, except the part in brackets which is in that of Samuel Wharton, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 28, folios 237 and 235.]
That a Commission issue appointing [William] Carmichael Esq., Secretary to the embassy to the Court of Versailles, and in the absence of the Minister Plenipotentiary Chargé de Affaires at said court, and that thereupon the commission of Secretary of the Embassy and Chargé de Affaires to the Court of Madrid heretofore granted to Mr. Carmichael be revoked as unnecessary to be continued at this time.2
[Note 2: 2 This motion, in the writing of Abraham Clark, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 25, II, folio 207. It is indorsed by Thomson: "A motion of Mr. [Abraham] Clark seconded by Mr. John Morin] Scott July 10, 1782, to amend the report." See ante, May 28, for the report.]
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