The several matters to this day referred, being post

poned,

Adjourned to 10 o'Clock on Monday.1

MONDAY, JULY 29, 1776

Sundry letters were laid before Congress, and read: Three from General Washington of 22d, 25 and 27th; One of the 17, from General Schuyler,

One of the 16 from General Gates;

One of the 25, from Joseph Reed, adjutant general; One from Brigadier H. Mercer, of the 26:

One of the 20th, from Governor Trumbull:

One of the 25th, from the Convention of New Jersey, and one from the council of Massachusetts bay:

One from Mons. Kirmovan, [engineer], with a plan and draughts;

One, in Latin, without signature:

One from Brigadier General Sullivan, of the 29, desir ing to recall his petition for leave to resign his commis sion.

Two petitions, one from George Nicholson, and one from James Livingston.2

Whereupon,

Resolved, That the General be empowered to appoint another aid-de-camp:

"The exceeding warm Season, and the constant attention of Congress to Business the last week, induc'd Congress to adjourn from Friday Eveng to this morning." John Hancock to Washington, 29 July, 1776.

The instructions from the Pennsylvania Convention to their Delegates in Congress, dated July 26, are in Force, American Archives, Fifth Series, I, 595.

'The letters of Washington are in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folios 271, 297, and 301. Those of the 25th and 27th are printed in Writings of Washington, IV, 297, 301. That of Schuyler is in No. 153, II, folio 236. That of Gates is in No. 154, I, folio 15. That of Reed is in No. 78, XIX, folio 41. That of Mercer is in No. 159, folio 153. That of Governor Trumbull is in No. 66, I, folio 217. That of the Council of Massachusetts Bay is in No. 65, I, folio 97.

That the letters from General Washington, General Schuyler, and General Gates, and the letter from Mons. Kirmovan, be referred to the Board of War.

That the letter from the convention of New Jersey be referred to the committee on the ways and means of Augmenting the flying camp; and, that Mr. [Abraham] Clark be added to said committee:

That the letter from the adjutant general be referred to the committee appointed to revise the articles of war: That the petition of James Livingston be referred to the committee appointed to settle accounts of the army in the northern army. commissioners who went into Canada:

That the petition from George Nicholson be referred to the committee on Canada affairs:

That the Latin letter be referred to the Marine Committee.

Resolved, That an order for 47 dollars be drawn on the treasurers, in favour of Josiah Fessenden, in full for service, expences, and horse hire.

A letter from the council of Verginia, of the 20th, was laid before Congress, and read.1

The Board of War brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,

Resolved, That General Washington be empowered to order the regiment, lately raised in Connecticut, under the command of Colonel Ward, wheresoever he shall think the service requires it:

That Mons. Jean Artur de Vermonet, who appears to be a young gentleman of merit, and has held a lieutenant's commission in the service of France, be appointed a brevet captain; and that Mons. Marie Fidel

1This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 71, I, folio 33.

Dorrè be sent as a voluntier, to be employed by General Washington as he shall think proper:

That Mons. Christopher Pellisier, who has suffered considerably by warmly espousing and taking an active part in the cause of America, in Canada, be appointed an engineer in the service of the United States, with the pay of 60 dollars per month, and rank of lieutenant colonel; and that he be directed to repair to New York:

That the returns of Colonel Elmore's regiment, made into the war office by Brigadier General Wooster, be transmitted to General Washington, with blank commissions for the officers: And that General Washington be directed to order the said regiment to join him, and that he fill up the said commissions, with the names of such officers as appear with their respective companies in the said regiment.

That John Brown be commissioned as lieutenant colonel, and Robert Cockran, now acting as eldest captain in the said regiment, be commissioned as major of the same, in the room of Major Israel Curtis, deceased.

Resolved, That a lieutenant colonel be appointed for the second Pensylvania batallion, in the room of William Allen, who has resigned:

The ballots being taken, Joseph Wood, Esq was elected.

The Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into their farther consideration, the articles of confederation; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair, and Mr. [John] Morton reported, that the committee have made some farther progress in the articles of Confederation; but, not having finished, desire leave to sit again.

A petition from Samuel Morris was presented to Congress, and read.

The Committee on Spies brought in a farther report, which was read:

Ordered, To lie on the table.

Resolved, That the gaoler be directed to allow the prisoners, from North Carolina, the use and benefit of the yard, under the inspection of the guard, provided it may be done with safety.

Resolved, That this Congress will, to morrow, resolve itself into a committee of the whole, to take into their farther consideration the articles of Confederation. Adjourned to 9 o'Clock to Morrow."

TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1776

A letter from Brigadier Mercer, of the 28th, was laid before Congress, and read, requesting six light horse may be sent to him;

Resolved, That the president write to S. Morris, Esq captain of the light horse, and request him to send six of his company to Brigadier General Mercer.

Information being given to Congress, by a letter from the president of South Carolina, that the Cherokees have commenced hostilities against that state, and that he has with the advice of the council ordered a body of men to march against them, and has applied for assistance to the neighbouring states of North Carolina and Virginia,

Resolved, That it be recommended to the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, to afford all necessary

"If a Confederation should take place, one great question is, how we shall vote,— whether each Colony shall count one; or whether each shall have a weight in proportion to its number, or wealth, or exports and imports, or a compound ratio of all? Another is, Whether Congress shall have authority to limit the dimensions of each Colony, to prevent those which claim, by charter, or proclamation, or commission, to the South Sea, from growing too great and powerful, so as to be dangerous to the rest?" John Adams to his wife, 29 July, 1776. Force, American Archives, Fifth Series, I, 637.

assistance to the state of South Carolina, and to co-operate, with that state, in prosecuting the war against the Indians with the utmost vigour;1

That the president be requested to write letters to the governor and council of Virginia, the council of safety of North Carolina, and the president of Georgia, relative to the above subjects.2

Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to take into consideration the state of North Carolina, and report thereon to Congress:

The members chosen, Mr. [Benjamin] Harrison, Mr. S[amuel] Adams, and Mr. [Thomas] Lynch. [Jr.]

The Congress took into consideration the report of the committee appointed to enquire into the causes of the miscarriages in Canada, wherein they represent, as their opinion,

"That the short inlistments of the continental troops, in Canada, have been one great cause of the miscarriages there, by rendering unstable the number of men engaged in military enterprizes, by making them disorderly and disobedient to their officers, and by precipitating the commanding officers into measures, which their prudence might have postponed, could they have relied on a longer continuance of their troops in service:

"That the want of hard money has been one other great source of the miscarriages in Canada, rendering the supplies of necessaries difficult and precarious, the estab

1 The North Carolina Delegates wrote of this resolve: "This however is by no means intended to alter the plan of military operations which you have begun, or to draw off the Strength of our back Country to a distant part merely for the sake of acting in the same place with the South Carolinians, if the Opposition can be made as effectually in any manner devised by yourselves and from a part of your province from whence hostilities may successfully be carried into the bosom of the Cherokee Country. In fact nothing is meant but to subdue the Cherokees." Colonial Records of North Carolina, X, 679.

The letter to North Carolina is in the Colonial Records of North Carolina, X, 681.