So it was resolved in the affirmative.

In debating the 8th paragraph, it was moved and agreed, after "number,” to insert "and size:" After "cannon," to insert" and whether any were removed before the evacuation."

A motion was made to strike out the last paragraph, viz.

"That if, upon such enquiry, a well grounded suspicion shall arise, that the loss of those important posts was owing to neglect or misconduct of any officer or officers in said department, Congress may give the necessary direction for bringing such officer or officers to trial, according to the rules and articles of war" and, instead thereof, insert,

That, upon such enquiry and collection of facts, the whole be transmitted by the said committee to general Washington, with direction for him to proceed thereupon, either by court of enquiry or court-martial, as shall be most proper and conformable to the law-martial, for examining into the conduct of the general-officers who commanded in the northern department, at the time Ticonderoga was evacuated:"

It was moved to amend this, by striking out" either by court of enquiry or court-martial, as shall be most proper and conformable to the law-martial," and, instead thereof, to insert these words, "agreeable to the rules and articles of war:"

Another amendment was moved, to strike out what follows the word facts," and insert "a copy of the whole be transmitted by the said committee to general Washington, and that thereupon he appoint a court martial for the trial of the general officers who were in the northern department when Ticonderoga and Mount-Independence were evacuated, agreeable to the rules and articles of war:"

Question put on the last amendment, resolved in the affirmative.
Question was then put on the motion as amended;

So it was resolved in the affirmative.

The report as amended and agreed to, is as follows:

Resolved, That a committee of three members of Congress be appointed and authorized to correspond with public or private persons, by letter or otherwise, in this and the neighbouring states, in order to collect the clearest and fullest evidence of the state of the army in the northern-department, and also of the state of the troops, military stores and provisions, at the said posts, before and at the time when the evacuation was determined upon : To call for and examine the minutes of the council of war, to enquire what orders were given, from time to time, by the commander in chief of that department:

To enquire particularly if the barracks and stores were destroyed or left standing:

To enquire of the quarter-master general and commissary-general what quantity of provision had been laid up at Ticonderoga, or near it, for the use of the garrison, and what measures were taken or taking for throwing in farther supplies:

To inform themselves, as fully as possible, of the number, appointment and movements of the enemy, from the time of their landing to the time of evacuating the fort, and also of the number, quality and condition of the garrison; and if any, and what measures were taken to gain intelligence of the strength of the enemy by the commander in chief, or the commanding officer at Ticonderoga:

To enquire of the clothier-general what clothing, from time to time, had been issued for the use of the northern deparment, and from other public officers, into the expenditure of such general issues:

To enquire into the number, equipment and behaviour of the militia, and the term of service for which they were engaged, at and before the time of the evacuation; into the situation and condition of the lines at Ticonderoga, and the fortifications upon Mount-Independence; what works had been thrown up by the enemy, what posts they had taken, and the distance of their works; what orders had been given by the commanding officer for directing and regulating a retreat, and the manner in which the retreat was conducted; what orders were given relative to the sick, what care taken of them; whether any continental troops, and what number were at Albany or in the neighbourhood, how long they had been there, and why they were not ordered to Ticonderoga :

To enquire into the number and size of cannon, and whether any were removed before the evacuation; the quantity and species of military stores; the state of the arms, both of the continental soldiers and militia, whether the troops were furnished with bayonets, and whether there were any and what number of pikes or spears proper for defending lines:

That, upon such enquiry and collection of facts, a copy of the whole be transmitted by the said committee to general Washington, and that, thereupon, he appoint a court-martial for the trial of the general officers who were in the northern department, when Ticonderoga and Mount-Independence were evacuated, agreeable to the rules and articles of war.

The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

THURSDAY, August 28, 1777.

A letter, of the 21st, from general Washington, enclosing a copy of a letter of the 29th of May, from B. Franklin at Paris, respecting the count Pulaski; also a letter of the 25th from count Pulaski; one, of the 14th, from Joseph Trumbull, esq. at the Cross-Roads; and a petition from John Young, were read also a letter from baron de Kalb, enclosing a letter directed to general Howe, and a letter of the 25th from M. Hillegas, treasurer at York-town, were read:

Ordered, That the letter from Mr. Trumbull and that from Mr. Hillegas be referred to the board of treasury; that the petition from J. Young, and so much of the baron de Kalb's letter as relates to his application for leave to return to France, by the way of New York, be referred to the board of war:

That the remainder of the baron de Kalb's letter and the letter from gen. Washington, with the one enclosed, and the letter from count Pulaski, be referred to the committee on foreign applications.

A letter, of the 24th, from brigadier A. Buchanan, at Baltimore, was read. Resolved, That the committee appointed to take into consideration the state of South-Carolina and Georgia, be also empowered to consider and report upon the state of North-Carolina.

Congress proceeded to the election of the committee to collect evidence and facts relative to the evacuation of Ticonderoga and Mount-Independence; and, the ballots being taken,

Mr. Laurens, Mr. R. H Lee, and Mr. J. Adams, were elected.

Ordered, That a copy of the resolutions respecting the mode of conducting the enquiry into the causes of the evacuation of Ticonderoga and MountIndependence, &c. be sent to each of the general officers who were in the northern department at the time of the evacuation, and that they be published in the news-papers.

Ordered, That S000 dollars be advanced to the secretary of the board of war, for public service, he to be accountable.

A letter, of the 25th, from gen. Sullivan, at Hanover, with sundry papers enclosed, also, another from him, without date, were read:

Ordered, That the letter of the 25th, with the papers enclosed, be referred to a committee of three:

The members chosen, Mr. J. Adams, Mr. Duer, and Mr. R. H. Lee.

Resolved, That when a state is unrepresented in Congress, and the yeas and nays are called for, the opinion of the members of the state unrepresented shall be called for, and entered on the journal, the name of such members being distinguished by an asterisk.

Resolved, That Congress will, to-morrow morning, immediately after reading the public letters, resolve itself into a committee of the whole, to consider farther the report of the treasury, on the ways and means of raising supplies, and the letters of the commissioners at Paris, referred to them.

Ordered, That 3000 dollars be advanced to the president, for public service, he to be accountable.

A letter, of the 26th, from James Mease, esq. clothier-general, was read: Ordered, That it be referred to the board of treasury.

In consequence of an adjustment by the commissioners of claims, the auditor-general reports,

That there is due to Abraham Berlin, chairman of the committee of Northampton county, for his account of rations supplied col. Hand's battalion last winter, at Easton, as well as the militia who were on their way to camp, 834 22-90 dollars, and for his trouble and expenses in advancing great part of the money, and for paying the remainder, 40 dollars, the whole amounting to 864 22-90 dollars.

Ordered, That the said account be paid.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee appointed to enquire into the state of the army: Whereupon,

Resolved, That the clothier-general be directed forthwith to inform himself, as nearly as may be, of the number of blankets, shoes, hose, and shirts, that will be wanted for the troops of the United States in the fall and winter next ensuing, exclusive of those now in store, or for which he has contracted; that he apply for the same to the several assemblies or executive authorities of the states of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, RhodeIsland, Connecticut, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, in proportion to the number of inhabitants of each state, and send to each an attested copy of this resolve; and it is earnestly recommended to the several states aforesaid, to call on the inhabitants of their respective counties, cities, towns, or districts, to manufacture, or furnish their proportions of the said articles; and the said states are desired to appoint suitable persons to inspect the quality of the articles thus supplied, and to order them to be delivered to the clothier's agent in each state, who is hereby directed to pay for the same on the delivery thereof:

That the clothier-general be directed forthwith to apply to the commander in chief, and commander of each continental district, and inform himself of the number of assistant-clothiers necessary for the army and detached parts within their several commands; that he appoint, without delay, as many assistants as they may respectively judge necessary, and report their names to Congress; that he take effectual care to send to each assistant, a

proportion of the clothing on hand, and full supplies as soon as may be, ordering the said assistants to give receipts for the same; that he be careful to direct the several assistants to give to each non-commissioned officer and soldier the clothing due to him by the articles of inlistment, and take receipts; and that they supply the army with such other clothing as shall be necessary at the average cost and charges thereof; that he furnish each assistant with the names of the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the divisions or corps to which he may be assigned, who have received the bounty of clothing, or any part thereof, and also with the account of each officer and soldier in such division or corps, who is indebted to the United States for articles of clothing; that he direct each assistant, on the first day of every month, to render to the respective regimental pay-masters in the divisions or corps to which he is assigned, particular accounts of all the clothing for which the officers and men are respectively indebted ; and the several regimental pay-masters are hereby directed to make the proper stoppages from the pay-rolls, for discharging the said accounts, and to deliver the money to the assistant clothiers respectively, taking their receipts, and delivering them to the pay-master or deputy pay-master general, to be filed in his office until required by the commissioners of accounts or other proper authority; that the several assistants deliver the money so received to the clothier-general, and account with him for all the clothing which they may receive as aforesaid.

Resolved, That the farther consideration of the report be postponed. Resolved, That gen. Washington be directed, if the service will permit, to order a skilful engineer, and an experienced artillerist, to repair immediately to the city of Annapolis, in the state of Maryland, there to obey the directions of the governor and council of that state.

Ordered, That Mons. P. F. de Bois repair immediately to the northern department.

Congress adjourned to five o'clock.

FIVE O'CLOCK, P. M.

In pursuance of an adjustment by the commissioners of claims, the auditor-general reports,

That there is due to Abraham Terrill and Charles Tooker, for the damages they sustained, in a small schooner belonging to them, in her sails, rigging and hull, the said schooner being employed by general Mercer, in an intended attack on Staten-Island, July, 1776, in which she was sunk, and suffered the said damages, agreeable to appraisement and certificates, 134 60-90 dollars, to be paid to Abraham Clark, esq.

To Belcher P. Smith, for three months services to gen. Maxwell last winter in Jersey, in capacity of his clerk, and for other services, 150 dollars: To Robert Jewell, his account of diet for prisoners from 22d July to 29th instant, inclusive, 371 52-90 dollars:

To Allen Cameron, a balance of his allowance as a prisoner, from 24th December, 1776, to 25th July last, 54 77-90 dollars:

To ensign Enoch Welsh, his expenses conducting British prisoners to their lines and on his return to this city, being six days, for himself and horse, 17 12-90 dollars:

Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.

The committee on the treasury brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,

Resolved, That the pay of the deputy pay-master general of the northern, eastern and southern departments, be augmented to 80 dollars per month: That the assistants to the pay-master general and deputy pay-masters general, whom they are respectively authorized to appoint, where such officers

shall be necessary, shall receive, for the time of their actual service, 50 dollars a month:

That the pay-master general and deputy pay-masters general shall be obliged respectively to take bond of their respective assistants appointed by them, for the faithful performance of their trust, in such penalties as the commander in chief, or commanding officer of the department, shall direct. Resolved, That there be advanced to col. Flowers, commissary-general of military stores, 50,000 dollars, for the use of his department, for which he is to be accountable.

The committee to whom the letter from general Sullivan, with the papers enclosed, was referred, report,

"That the several testimonies which have been published since the commencement of the present contest betwixt Great Britain and America, and the uniform tenor of the conduct, and conversation of a number of persons of considerable wealth, who profess themselves to belong to the society of people commonly called Quakers, render it certain and notorious, that those persons are, with much rancor and bitterness, disaffected to the American cause that, as these persons will have it in their power, so there is no doubt it will be their inclination, to communicate intelligence to the enemy, and, in various other ways, to injure the councils and arms of America:

That when the enemy, in the month of December, 1776, were bending their progress towards the city of Philadelphia, a certain seditious publication, addressed "To our friends and brethren in religious profession in these and the adjacent provinces," signed "John Pemberton, in and on behalf of the meeting of sufferings held at Philadelphia for Pennsylvania and New-Jersey, the 26th of the 12th month, 1776," was published, and, as your committee is credibly informed, circulated amongst many members of the society called Quakers, throughout the different states:

That, as the seditious paper aforesaid originated in the city of Philadelphia, and as the persons whose names are under mentioned, have uniformly manifested a disposition highly inimical to the cause of America, therefore,

Resolved, That it be earnestly recommended to the supreme executive council of the state of Pennsylvania, forthwith to apprehend and secure the persons of Joshua Fisher, Abel James, James Pemberton, Henry Drinker, Israel Pemberton, John Pemberton, John James, Samuel Pleasants, Thomas Wharton, sen. Thomas Fisher, son of Joshua, and Samuel Fisher, son of Joshua, together with all such papers in their possession as may be of a political nature.

And, whereas, there is strong reason to apprehend that these persons maintain a correspondence and connexion highly prejudicial to the public safety, not only in this state but in the several states of America,

Resolved, That it be recommended to the executive powers of the respective states, forthwith to apprehend and secure all persons, as well among the people called Quakers as others, who have, in their general conduct and conversation, evidenced a disposition inimical to the cause of America; and that the persons so seized, be confined in such places, and treated in such manner, as shall be consistent with their respective characters and security of their persons:

That the records and papers of the meetings of sufferings in the respective states be forthwith secured and carefully examined, and that such parts of them as may be of a political nature, be forthwith transmitted to Congress:" The said report being read, and the several paragraphs considered and debated, and the question put severally thereon, the same was agreed to. Ordered, That the board of war remove, under guard, to a place of security out of the state of Pennsylvania, the hon. John Penn, esq. and Benjamin Chew, esq. and that they give orders for having them safely secured, and entertained agreeable to their rank and station in life.