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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, AUGUST 1, 1786.
Congress assembled. Present as yesterday.
Congress resumed the consideration of a report of the board of treasury, on a requisition for the year 1786: And a motion was made by the delegates for South Carolina, to amend the said report, by adding thereto as follows:
And whereas the United States in Congress assembled, by the Act of the 30 October, 1781, required the states to pay into the federal. treasury, eight Millions of dollars, and by their requisition of the 27 April, 1784, suspended the operation of one half of the said requisition of the 30 October, and called on the states to compleat the payment of the other half; And by their act of the 27 September, 1785, required of the states to pay three fourths of the remaining half of the said requisition of the 30 October, 1781; therefore Resolved, That may state which shall have paid a sum exceeding the said state's quota of that part of the said requisition of the 30 October, 1781, which was not suspended by the requisition of the 27 April, 1784, and the completion of which was demanded by the last mentioned requisition, and also the said state's quota of that other part of the said requisition of the 30 October, 1781, which was called for by the requisition of the 27 September, 1785, shall have credit for the amount of the sums so exceeding the quotas above mentioned, on the present requisition:
And on the question to agree to this Amendment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Charles] Pinckney,
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So it passed in the negative.
A motion was then made by the delegates of South Carolina, to amend the report by adding as follows:
Whereas the United States in Congress assembled, by their act of 30 October, 1781, required of the states eight millions of dollars, 373,598 of which was assigned to the state of South Carolina as their quota of the said requisition: And whereas the said state is entitled to a credit on the requisition above mentioned, for such supplies as were furnished the federal Army in 1782, and 1783; therefore Resolved, That the state of South Carolina shall have credit in specie on the said supplies in the present requisition, for so much as her share or proportion of the balance of the requisition of October, 1781, uncalled for by the Acts of the 27 April, 1784, and 27 September, 1785, amount to.
A motion was made by Mr. [Charles] Pettit, seconded by Mr. [Melancton] Smith, to postpone that amendment, in Order to take up the following:
Provided that so far as relates to the state of South Carolina, this requisition be considered as including one million of dollars, being that part of the requisition of the 30 October, 1781, which hath heretofore remained uncalled for, so far as to entitle the said state to the benefit of paying the same, in such manner as she was entitled to pay her quota of the said requisition of the 30 October, 1781.
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And on the question to postpone for the purpose above mentioned, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Charles] Pinckney,
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So the question was lost.
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On the question to agree to the amendment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Charles] Pinckney,
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So the question was lost.
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A motion was then made by Mr. [Charles] Pettit, seconded by Mr. [Nathan] Miller, to amend the report by making provision for the payment of two years interest on the domestic debt, and instead of reading "Domestic debt, one year's interest thereon, 1,606,56065/90 dollars," to read, "domestic debt, two years interest thereon, 3,213,12140/90 dollars:" And on the question to agree to this amendment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Charles] Pettit,
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So the question was lost.
A motion was then made by Mr. [William] Grayson, seconded by Mr. [Rufus] King, to amend the clause of the report restraining the Commissioner of the Continental loan Office, from issuing certificates for the interest due on the domestic debt, "until the state for which he is Continental
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loan officer shall have passed a legislative Act complying with this requisition," by inserting the words, "thereby providing adequate funds for" immediately after the words "legislative Act," so that it read "until the state for which he is Continental loan officer shall have passed a legislative act, thereby providing adequate funds for complying with this requisition:" And on the question to agree to this amendment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [William] Grayson,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
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Aug. 1, 1786.
After debate, an order passed for Secretary for foreign Affairs to attend Congress on thursday next, at 12 O'clock on the subject of his letter of 29th May.1
[Note 1: 1 This entry by Thomson is in Secret Journal, Foreign, No. 5. According to Committee Book No. 190 the committee of May 31 on Jay's letter of May 29 was this day, August 1, discharged after it had recommended that the letter be referred to a Committee of the Whole. See ante, May 31. Thomson's letter to Jay requiring his attendance is in No. 55, folio 319. See post, August 3.]
Office Of Secretary Of Congress,
August 1, 1786.
On the petition of Daniel Pendleton late a capt. in the Corps ofArtificers, stating his services and claiming Commutation for half pay--
Agreed to Aug. 1.The Secretary of Congress reports That the petition of Daniel Pendleton be referred to the Commissioner of Army Accounts to report.
On the memorial of Francis Cazeau stating his sufferings and that he unintentionally omitted in his former Account to charge several items annexed to this memorial amounting to 110 dollars and praying that the same may be allowed and paid him--
Agreed to Aug. 1.The Secy of Congress reports That the memorial of Francis Cazeau be referred to the board of treasury.2
[Note 2: 2 These proceedings are entered in Reports of the Secretary of Congress, No. 180. Committee Book No. 190 notes that the Board of Treasury reported August 15 on Cazeau and the Commissioner September 14 on Pendleton.]
War Office, August 1st, 1786.
Sir: I have the honor to inform Congress, that in consequence of some representations of the insecure situation of a large quantity of shot and shells at Salisbury in Connecticut, amounting to about two hundred tons, they have been removed to the arsenal at Springfield.
It has been my anxious desire, that the great quantities of shot and shells, which are remaining at the furnaces where they were cast, should have been transported to the several deposits which are under the special charge of a public storekeeper, but the public treasury has not been in a situation to furnish the means of transportation. This difficulty prevents the transportation of the stores which are in the State of Rhode Island to Springfield.
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The repairable arms at New London in Virginia and at West point on Hudsons river ought to be rendered fit for service. In their present situation they are entirely useless and their value continually decreasing, whereas were they once put in order, they could constantly be Kept so with very little expense. But the want of money prevents the desirable operation, and it also prevents the payment of the ordnance storekeepers, and the rents of the building occupied by the public in Philadelphia, and Virginia all of which are in arrears for the whole of the present year.
In order that the valuable and important stores may be put in such order as to be servicable to the United States; and that the keepers of the stores may be paid their arrearages, a circumstance important to their integrity, I have the honor to submit to Congress the consideration of selling at public auction or otherwise some of the unimportant and unservicable stores. For this purpose I herewith transmit a list of such stores as may be sold with the least injury to the public, and I beg leave to submit the following resolution to Congress,
Resolved, That the Secretary at war direct to be sold at public Auction or otherwise such unservicable Ordnance, and Ordnance and Military stores, as remain in the public arsenals and magazines, agreeably to a list thereof of this date on the files of Congress, and that the render an account of the same to the Comptroller of the treasurty.
I have the honor to be etc.
H. Knox.1
[Note 1: 1 This letter in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 150, I, folio 455. According to indorsement it was read August 1. See post, April 24, 1787. The list of stores is on folio 451.
August 1: According to indorsement there was this day read a letter from the Secretary at War submitting to Congress a statement of payments made to the troops in the service of the United States. It is in No. 150, I, folio 467.
Also was read a report of the Board of Treasury, dated July 31, on a memorial of Donald Campbell on the settlement of his accounts. It is in No. 138, I, folio 175. It appears to have been acted on September 12, 1788, after the receipt of another memorial from Campbell dated September 1, 1788.]
His Excellency,
The president of Congress.
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