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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 --SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1783
An address from the officers of the three battalions of militia of Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset, most contiguous to Princeton, being read,
The Committee consisting of Mr. [Ralph] Izard, Mr. [Stephen] Higginson, and Mr. [Hugh] Williamson, to whom was referred an address from the officers of the three battalions of Militia of Hunterdon, Middlesex, and Somerset, submit the following report--
Resolved, That the President inform the officers of militia of Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset, that Congress have received with much satisfaction, their respectful and affectionate address, and highly approve of the patriotic sentiments contained in the resolutions with which it is accompanied.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Ralph Izard, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 20, I, folio 291. The address of the militia officers is in No. 46, folio 51, and it was referred to the above committee July 23.]
[Report of Mr. Richard Peters, Mr. James Henry, Mr. Abraham Clark, on a letter of the 30th June, 1783 from the President of New Hampshire.]
The committee consisting &c to whom was referred the letter from the Honorable Meshech Weare Esq., President of the State of New Hampshire, report,
That so much of the letter of June 30, 1788, from Meschech Weare, Esq., President of the Council of the State of New Hampshire, with its enclosures, as relate to the appointment of a loan officer and
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granting certificates for interest due on loan office certificates be referred to the Superintendant of Finance to report.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Richard Peters, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 20, I, folio 25. The indorsement states that it was passed on this day. The letter of the President of New Hampshire is in No. 64, folio 230. Committee Book No. 186 shows that President Weare's letter was referred, on July 16, to Mr. [Oliver] Ellsworth, Mr. [Richard] Peters and Mr. [James] McHenry, and on July 23, Mr. [Abraham] Clark was appointed in place of Ellsworth. See post, August 5.]
Memorial from [Casper Voght & Co.] of Hamburg enumerating and recommending the manufactures &c of that place, and praying that they may have the countenance of Congress.
The committee of the week [Mr. James Madison, Mr. David Howell, Mr. Silas Condict] report that the memorial lie on the table.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of James Madison, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 41, X, folio 348. The indorsement shows that it was delivered July 23, and on July 26 was agreed to and the report ordered to lie on the table. The memorial, dated Hamburgh, 20th December, 1782, is on folio 345.]
The Agent of Marine to whom it was referred to report the present State of the Ships and Vessels belonging to the United States, how they are employed and the Expences attending them, begs Leave to report,
That agreeably to the order of the sixteenth of July he has ordered the Hague to be sold.
That the Duc De Lauzun was already ordered to be sold on her arrival in France, agreeably to the Resolutions of Congress on that Subject. That the Washington Packet is probably by this Time on her return from France and sails at an Expence of about six hundred Dollars per month.
That the Alliance is now in the River Rapahannock taking in a Cargo of Tobacco for Amsterdam, on account of the United States, and will sail shortly at an expence of about fourteen hundred Dollars per month.
That the Bourbon Frigate is probably Launched at present and over and above the Debts already due for work lately done on her would cost about twenty thousand Dollars to be fitted for Sea and would then sail at the same Expence with the Alliance.
That in the expence at which the above mentioned Vessels are estimated to sail are included only the articles of Pay and Provisions.
The Agent of Marine not seeing any Probability of being able to fit out the Bourbon in which case she must be ruined or a Considerable
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Expence incurred in the Care of her, Prays leave to submit the Propriety of Selling that Ship also.
Marine Office 22d July, 1783.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 137, II, folio 677. The indorsement says it was rendered in pursuance of the order of July 16, was entered and read this day and, so far as relates to the sale of the Bourbon, referred to the Agent of Marine to take order.]
Ordered, That a Letter of July 10th from Major General Greene relative to the Accounts of Colo. Kosciuzsko, be referred to the Superintendant of Finance to report.2
[Note 2: 2 This order was entered only in the journal kept by the Secretary of Congress for the Superintendent of Finance: Morris Papers; Congressional Proceedings.]
Office of Finance, 18 July, 1782.
Sir,
I would sooner have replied to the Act of Congress of the eleventh Instant if I had not been prevented by other Business which required immediate Attention. The act recites a Representation to Congress that certain Parts of the army retired on furlough have not received the Pay &ca. I will not contest the Truth of this representation. But when I come to State such Facts as are within my knowledge I shall appeal to the Candor of Congress how far that Representation will warrant a Censure against me.
I am directed to Compleat without Delay the same Payment to the Officers and Soldiers of the Massachusetts Line which were ordered to be paid to the army at large. Congress will be pleased to observe that they have passed no particular order to which the above Resolution can refer. The general Acts which relate to Paying our Army form the Authority on which the Payment alluded to was made. Supposing however that by the Resolution is meant three months' Pay in notes payable at six months from the Date, I must take the Liberty to remind Congress that Compleating the Payment to any part of the Army is not the Business of my Department but of the Pay Master General. All which can depend on me is to put those notes into his Hands when called for and this has been done as fast as possible.
I am directed to report the Reasons why the Troops lately furloughed did not receive a Part of their Pay previous thereto. Not being able, Sir, to make so full report on this Subject as I could wish I have written a Letter to the Paymaster General of which the Enclosure number one is a Copy. The Answer to this Letter shall be transmitted as soon as received. The Facts relating to that matter which are within my knowledge are these.
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On the ninth Day of April last a Committee of Congress did me the Honor to call for the Purpose of consulting on certain Propositions contained in a Letter from the Commander in Chief to an honorable member from Virginia. One of these Propositions was to make the army three months' Pay previous to their Disbandment. My reply was an Acknowlegement that the claim was very reasonable a Declaration that I doubted of the Practicability and a Prayer to be indulged with Time for Consideration. On the fourteenth of April I wrote a Letter to that Committee In which I had the Honor to inform them that three months' pay amounted according to the Estimates to seven hundred and fifty thousand Dollars. That to supply so large a sum was utterly impracticable or indeed to obtain any considerable Part. That the most which could be done was to risk a large paper Anticipation. That to render the arrangements for that Purpose effectual in an official Point of View would be a work of Time. That the Period of my official Existence was nearly arrived. That disbanding the army in a manner satisfactory to them and to the Country was doubtless desirable. That I believed it to be practicable altho extremely difficult and that I should be ready at all times to give my Advice and Assistance to those who might be charged with that delicate and perilous Undertaking.
On the twenty second of April Congress were pleased to appoint a Committee to confer with me relative to my Continuance in office. I told that honorable Committee that late Advices from Europe gave a new Complection to our Affairs and prayed some further time for the Receipt of Intelligence. On the twenty fourth of April I had the Honor to inform the Committee that if Congress thought my assistance essential towards compleating such Payment to the Army as might be agreed on &ca I would consent to a further Continuance in Office for that Purpose but prayed to be excused from that Service if Congress could otherwise accomplish their Views.
On the twenty eighth of April Congress were pleased to resolve that the public service required my Continuance is Office 'till Arrangements for the Reduction of the Army could be made and the Engagements taken in Consequence as well as those already taken should be compleated. On the second of May Congress were pleased to pass some further Resolutions on the same Subject which I shall shortly have occasion to mention. On the third of May I had the Honor to entreat of your Excellency that you would inform Congress
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I entertained a proper Sense of their Assurance of firm support and in Reliance on it should continue my zealous Exertions for the service of the United States.
On the ninth of May having had a Conference with the Minister of Wax on the Resolutions of the seventh and twenty eighth of April and second of May we took the Liberty to request that a Committee might be appointed to confer with us on the Subject of those Resolutions. On the fifteenth of May two Gentlemen of that Committee did us the Honor of the Conference requested. In which it was stated as impracticable to make any Payment to the Army unless our Expenditures were immediately and considerably reduced. The Committee however being desirous to have the Situation of things stated to them in writing I wrote them a Letter on the same Day shewing that on the last Day of April we were in advance of our Resources to the Amount of six hundred thousand Dollars; that our foreign Resources were exhausted. That our domestic Resources as far as they consisted in Sales of public Property were considerably reduced. That as far as they consisted in the Produce of Taxes they were extremely slender and precarious. That the Monthly Consumption of the army was at least double the Monthly Produce of Taxes. That if they were kept longer in the Field they would consume every Resource by which the Payment could possibly be made or hazarded and therefore that Unless the far greater Part of our Expences was immediately curtailed the Object Congress had in View by their Resolutions of the second of May could not possibly be accomplished. This Letter was accompanied with the necessary Documents to establish the Positions contained in it.
On the twenty sixth of May it was resolved that the Commander in Chief should be instructed to grant furloughs &ca. And this Resolution was communicated to me on the twenty seventh. Thus Sir from the ninth day of April when the matter was first proposed until the twenty seventh day of May when the final Determinations of Congress were made known my Conduct was of necessity suspended.
On the twenty ninth of May I informed the Commander in Chief of my Determination to issue notes payable at six months from the Date for three months' Pay and explained to him the reasons why I could not make the Payment in any other mode. In reply to this I received on the fifth of June a Letter from the General dated the third which was brought by Express and urged the transmission of a part of those notes. I immediately wrote an answer in which I
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informed him that on Saturday Evening the thirty first of May the Paper arrived from the maker that on Monday the second of June it was delivered to the Printer, that he had agreed to send the first Parcell of notes to me on Friday the sixth of June and that as soon as I could sign them they should be delivered to the Paymaster to be sent forward. On the seventh of June the Paymaster received fifty thousand Dollars on the ninth fifty thousand and on the thirteenth one hundred thousand. So that in six Days I signed six thousand notes besides the other Business of my office. That Paper made on purpose for this Business was necessary no man can Doubt or if it could have been doubted the recent Attempt to counterfeit these notes is a sufficient Proof. That the Printing was to take place before the signing must be admitted. The only Delay therefore with which I can be chargeable must be in the Signing of them and upon that Subject I shall say nothing. If by any means a Delay happened after the notes were delivered into the Pay Office I presume that the Paymaster General will be able to account for it. I shall only add that he has received half a million of these notes as will appear by the enclosed note of the Payments number two.
I am also directed Sir to Report the manner in which I expect to redeem the notes in question. Congress will be pleased to recollect that the issuing of these notes arose from a Proposition made by the General and warmly adopted by them. That altho I was very desirous of gratifying the wishes of the Army I had great apprehensions as to the Ability of doing it. And that from a View of the Scantiness of our Resources I felt extreme Reluctance in giving my Consent. As to the means of redeeming the notes Permit me to refer Congress to the Letters which I had the Honor of writing to your Excellency on the seventeenth of March and first of May. To my correspondence with the honorable Committee of Congress on the fourteenth and sixteenth of April Copies whereof is enclosed in the Paper number three. And to a circular letter to the States of the twelfth of May of which a Copy is enclosed in the Paper number four. Permit me also to refer to the various accounts which have been rendered to Congress of the State of my Department. And to these let me add what appears on their own minutes. On the second of May they Declared it to be their Desire when the Reduction of the Army should take place to enable the Officers and Soldiers to return to their respective Homes with Convenience and Satisfaction for which purpose it would be indispensible to advance them a Part of
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their Pay. They declared further that there were many other Engagements for which the public Faith was pledged and the punctual Performance of which was essential to the Credit of the United States. And they further declared that neither of those important objects could be effected without the vigorous Exertions of the several States in the Collection of Taxes. From a Conviction of these Facts Congress were pleased to call upon the respective States in the most earnest manner to forward the Collection of Taxes. As an additional means to accomplish the same end they were pleased to apply for a further Loan of three Million Livres to his most Christian Majesty. And they Resolved that the Superintendant of Finance be directed to take the necessary Arrangements for carrying the Views of Congress into Execution. And that he be assured of their firm support towards fulfilling the Engagements he has already taken or may take on the public Account during his Continuance in Office.
Having already so fully stated the Situation of my Department I have only to say in Answer to the Order I have received that I rely on the firm Support of Congress solemnly pledged to me (for the Purpose of inducing my Continuance in Office) to redeem those Notes issued to the Army as well as to fulfill all the other Engagements which I have taken or may take on the public account.
Before I close this Letter I beg leave to assign my Reason for Reducing my Report to that form. It is because I had rather bear the Censure contained in the Acts of the eleventh of July however painful than place on the Minutes of Congress any thing which may hold up the Idea of Precipitancy on their part.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 137, II, folios 647--654. According to the indorsement and the record in Committee Book No. 186, it was read July 26, and referred to Mr. [Theodorick] Bland, Mr. [Stephen] Higginson and Mr. [James] McHenry, who reported on August 25.
On this day, was read, as the indorsement states, the petition of James Geagan, formerly Surgeon of the Alliance frigate, asking to partake of the same sentence as other officers of the Alliance received. It is in No. 42, III, folio 250.
On this, or an approximate date, was presented the petition dated Princeton, July 26, 1783, of Edward Ward for compensation for the use of his house at Pittsburgh, by Col. Brodhead, and troops under his command. The indorsement gives the date only. It is in No. 42, VIII, folio 266.
Also, a letter of July 18, from Joseph Fernee, offering ground in Germantown for the residence of Congress. It is in No. 78, IX, folio 505.
Also, a letter of July 24, from General Sir Guy Carleton. It is in No. 52, folio 2. It was referred to Mr. [James] Duane, Mr. [Arthur] Lee and Mr. [Stephen] Higginson. Also a letter of July 23 from Major General Robert Howe. It is in No. 38, folio 101.]
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