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the like prices; the surplus to be defrayed by the United States; provided that effectual measures be adopted by each state for preventing any competition between their purchasing agents and the clothier-general or his agents, who are severally directed to observe the instructions of the respective states relative to the prices of clothing purchased within such state :" on the question to agree to this part of the report,

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So it was resolved in the affirmative.

Resolved, That the further consideration of the report be postponed till

to-morrow.

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

THURSDAY, November 27, 1777.

A letter, of the 23d, from gen. Washington, enclosing copies of letters that passed between him and gen. Howe, relative to the exchange and treatment of prisoners, and also extracts of sundry sentences of courts-martial against officers, was read.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the letter from S. Hopkins, esq. &c. Whereupon,

8. Resolved, That it be earnestly recommended to the several states, as soon as may be, to confiscate and make sale of all the real and personal estate therein, of such of their inhabitants and other persons who have forfeited the same, and the right to the protection of their respective, and to invest the money arising from the sales in continental loan-office certificates, to be appropriated in such manner as the respective states shall hereafter direct. Congress resumed the consideration of the reports and resolutions respecting the new board of war and col. Harrison's letter; Whereupon,

Resolved, That the wish of col. Harrison be complied with, and that he be excused from serving as a member of the board of war, and that another be elected in his stead.

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Congress then proceeded to the election of three commissioners for the board of war; and the ballots being taken,

Major-general Gates, Joseph Trumbull, and Richard Peters, esqrs. were

elected.

Resolved, That major-general Gates be appointed president of the board of war.

Resolved, That Mr. President inform major-general Gates of his being appointed president of the new constituted board of war, expressing the high sense Congress entertain of the general's abilities and peculiar fitness to discharge the duties of that important office, upon the right execution of which the success of the American cause does eminently depend; that he inform general Gates that it is the intention of Congress to continue his rank as major-general in the army, and that he officiate at the board, or in the field, as occasion may require that the general be requested to repair to Congress with all convenient despatch, to enter on the duties of his new appointment:

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

FRIDAY, November 28, 1777.

A letter, of the 7th, from T. McKean to col. J. Reed, was laid before Congress and read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the board of war, and that they take such measures as they judge proper in consequence of the intelligence contained therein.

Resolved, unanimously, That a committee of three be appointed forthwith to repair to the army, and, in a private confidential consultation with general Washington, to consider of the best and most practicable means for carrying on a winter's campaign with vigor and success, an object which Congress have much at heart, and on such consultation, with the concurrence of general Washington, to direct every measure which circumstances may require for promoting the public service:

The members chosen, Mr. R. Morris, Mr. Gerry, and Mr. Jones.
The committee on the treasury brought in a report; Whereupon,

Ordered, That 3080 72-90 dollars be paid by John Gibson, esq. auditorgeneral to the committee of commerce; the said committee to be accountable: That the following warrants issue on Thomas Smith, esq. commissioner of the loan-office for the state of Pennsylvania, viz.

One in favor of James Paxton, assistant-commissary of issues, for 2000 dollars, which sum was advanced him by Mr. Smith, September 19th; Charles Stewart, esq. commissary-general of issues, to be accountable :

One in favor of Michael Hillegas, esq. continental treasurer, for 60,000 dollars, being so much put into his hands by Mr. Smith, the 16th of October last; the said Michael Hillegas to be accountable:

One in favor of Blair M'Clenaghan, for 16,400 dollars, to discharge an order of the continental navy-board on William Alricks, their cashier, dated September the Sd, for the payment of two ships purchased of the said B. M'Clenaghan; the navy-board to be accountable:

One in favor of John Gibson, esq. auditor-general, for 49,566 60-90 dollars, which sum the said T. Smith advanced at sundry times, on a warrant of Congress of the 14th of September last, drawn on Mr. Gibson, in favor of the executive council of the state of Pennsylvania; the said J. Gibson to be accountable.

Ordered, That 270 dollars be paid by John Gibson, esq. auditor-general, to the delegates of the state of Georgia, for the use of the said state, and be considered as a part of the 300,000 dollars ordered to that state.

Ordered, That warrants issue on John Gibson, esq. auditor-general, for the following sums, viz.

One, in favor of the board of war, for 6,000 dollars, advanced by him to the said board, the 28th September last, for the use of the Virginia militia, then on their march to join general Washington; the said board to be accountable.

One in favor of major William Roberts, for 810 dollars, advanced the 1st of October, by the auditor-general, for the use of the Culpepper militia, from the state of Virginia, then on their march to join gen. Washington; the said major Roberts to be accountable.

Öne, in favor of Charles Thomson, esq. for 57 6.90 dollars, for the pay due to W. H. Houston, late deputy secretary of Congress, from the 1st to the 23d of September, and for porterage of papers of Congress, casks, &c. One, in favor of Joseph Nourse, deputy secretary to the board of wat, for his salary from the 10th of May, to the 10th of November, 1777, for 390 dollars: One, in favor of William Govett, assistant-auditor, for 161 70.90 dollars,

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for sundry expenses with two wagons and the hire of one to York-town, with the treasury books, papers, money, &c. from Philadelphia to Bristol, and round by Reading to Lancaster, with his expenses from Lancaster to Reading, and from thence to York-town, by order of Congress, with the wagons that had the public papers, and his expenses from Philadelphia to Bristol, by order of the board, for money, and for sundry contingent expenses at Baltimore last winter.

Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer in favor of William Buchanan, esq. commissary-general of purchases, for 13,333 30.90 dollars, for an advance made by the treasurer to colonel John Patten, deputy commissary of purchases at Reading the 25th of September last.

Ordered, That 375 dollars be advanced to brigadier-general de Roche Fermoy, for three months' pay; he to be accountable.

Ordered, That there be paid to captain Peter Babb, or his order, 887 44.90 dollars, in full of his pay-roll of a company of militia from Frederick county, Virginia, sent to relieve the soldiers of the 12th Virginia regiment, garrisoned at Fort-Pitt, from the 3d of April to the 3d of June following, inclusive, the warrant to issue on the auditor-general.

Ordered, That a warrant issue in favor of the board of war, for 300,000 dollars, to be by them transmitted to William Palfrey, esq. pay-master general; he to be accountable.

Resolved, That the salary of William Govett, assistant auditor-general, be augmented, and that henceforth he be allowed the same pay as a commissioner for auditing accounts.

Congress proceeded to the election of a commissioner in the room of Silas Deane, esq. and, the ballots being taken, John Adams, esq. a delegate in Congress from Massachusetts-Bay, was elected.

Resolved, That William Carmichael, esq. be appointed secretary to the commissioners at the court of France.

Resolved, That an enquiry be made into the causes of the evacuation of Fort-Mercer, on the river Delaware, and into the conduct of the principal officers commanding that garrison; and that a committee be appointed to report the mode of conducting the enquiry.

Resolved, That an immediate enquiry be made into the causes of the failure of the late expedition against Rhode-Island, and into the conduct of the principal officers conducting such expedition; and that a committee be appointed to report the mode of conducting such enquiry.

Resolved, That an enquiry be made into the loss of forts Montgomery and Clinton, in the state of New-York; and of Fort-Mifflin, on the river Delaware, in the state of Pennsylvania, and into the conduct of the principal officers commanding those forts; and that general Washington be directed to cause this enquiry to be made, and to transmit the proceedings of the court to Congress with all possible despatch.

Resolved, That whenever any expedition which may be undertaken either by sea or land, by order, or at the expense of the United States, shall fail in the execution; or whenever any important post, fort, or fortress, garrisoned and defended at the expense of the United States, shall be evacuated, or taken by the enemy, it be an established rule in Congress to institute an enquiry into the causes of the failure of such expedition, or into the loss of such post, fort, or fortress, and into the conduct of the principal officer or officers conducting the expedition so failing, or commanding the post, fort, or fortress so evacuated or taken by the enemy; the enquiry so instituted, to be conducted in such manner as Congress shall deem best adapted for the investigation of truth in the respective cases.

Resolved, That the committee for conducting the enquiry into the causes of the evacuation of Fort-Mercer, and the failure of the expedition against

Rhode-Island, consist of three: the members chosen, Mr. Duer, Mr. Dana, and Mr. F. L. Lee.

The committee appointed to devise ways and means for providing a sufficient supply of provisions for the army, brought in a report, which was read; Whereupon,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to repair forthwith to Lancaster, to confer with the general assembly of the state of Pennsylvania on the best means of providing immediate supplies, and of establishing sufficient magazines of flour and pork for the army in this department; that they represent to the assembly the necessity of obtaining flour and pork barrels, and teams to transport salt from the North-River, and report thereon as soon as may be. Resolved, That a copy of the resolution of Congress of the 22d of October and 3d of November, relative to the commissary's department, be transmitted to his excellency the governor and council of safety of the state of Connecticut, who are requested to order the salt to be sent from the eastern to the middle district agreeable to the resolution first mentioned, to such parts of the North-River, and to the care of such officer or person there as they shall judge expedient, and inform Congress or the commissary-general of purchases thereof; and the governor and council aforesaid are farther requested to take effectual measures for sending immediate supplies of cattle to the army in the middle district, and to the prisoners quartered near Boston; and to this purpose they are fully authorized to superintend the deputy commissaries-general of purchases and issues, and their respective deputies or assistants in the eastern and northern districts, and to remove and appoint others in the room of such as shall refuse or neglect to comply with their directions.

Resolved, That general Heath be directed to take effectual care that fresh provisions be issued to the prisoners in the eastern district, and that the salt provisions be reserved for the army of the United States for the next campaign.

Resolved, That general Washington be directed to apply to general Howe for passports to convey provisions and wood to the British and German troops, quartered, agreeably to the convention of Saratoga, in the neighbourhood of Boston, and that he send such passports by express to gen. Heath.

Resolved, That the commissary-general of issues be directed to preserve the flour-barrels of the army, and send them by the return wagons to the mills from whence supplies of flour may be sent to the army; that he save the pork and beef barrels, and as much of the salt therein as can be collected, and that for this purpose he employ a suitable number of coopers, and inform Congress of his proceedings therein.

Resolved, That the committee to repair to Lancaster consist of three; the members chosen, Mr. Roberdeau, Mr. Dyer, and Mr. Penn.

The committee of commerce, to whom was referred the proposals of Alexander Gillon, esq. contained in his letter of the 20th inst. report,

That they have conferred with Mr. Gillon on the subject, and are of opinion, that a sum of money not exceeding 250,000 dollars should be advanced to the said Alexander Gillon, esq. or his attorney, annually for three years, if the war with Great-Britain shall continue so long; the said advances to be made by this committee, or such other as may hereafter be appointed to superintend the continental commerce, in such sums and at such periods as may be necessary for accomplishing purchases of suitable produce or other articles to be remitted to Europe:

That the said Alexander Gillon, esq. or his attorneys, shall purchase all the remittances they make, and charter or purchase ships suitable for trans-. porting the same to Europe, on the best and most frugal terms in their power, and under such orders, restrictions, and limitations, as they may, from time to time, receive from the committee or board that superintend the continen

tal commerce, who are to call for, examine and inspect the invoices and other accounts, as often as they shall thinknecessary:

That the said Alexander Gillon shall forthwith repair to Europe, and purchase, at proper places, such clothing, arms, ammunition, and other articles, as may, from time to time, be directed by the said committee, or board of commerce, to the amount of the net proceeds of all the remittances he or his attorneys in Europe shall there receive from his attorneys in America, such articles, to be bought on the best terms, and shipped for these United States, in such ships, or by such conveyances, as may be most likely to arrive safe; the said Alexander Gillon to conform himself in the transaction of this business to the instructions he may receive, from time to time, from the committee or board of commerce, to which he is to give regular advice of all his proceedings: .

That the customary mercantile commissions be allowed for purchasing and making the remittances, and on the sale thereof in Europe, and a commission of five per cent. on the purchase and exportation of all the articles ordered from Europe, the said commissions to be the only compensation or benefit the said Alexander Gillon, or his attorneys, are to receive or derive to themselves from this business, being deemed fully equivalent to the services they are hereby required to perform; Whereupon,

Resolved, That the above report be accepted, and that the committee of commerce be authorized and directed to enter into a contract on behalf of the United States, with the said Alexander Gillon, esq. agreeable to the tenor and terms thereof:

The yeas and nays on this question as follows:

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

SATURDAY, November 29, 1777.

A letter of the 16th, from gen. Gates, with sundry papers enclosed; one, of the 27th, from J. Armstrong, aid-de-camp to gen. Gates, who brought the foregoing despatches to Reading, and was there detained by sickness; and one, of the 24th, from W. Shippen, director-general, at Bethlehem, were read:

Ordered, That a copy of gen. Gates's letter be sent to gen. Washington. Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to procure a translation to be made of the articles of confederation into the French language, and to report an address to the inhabitants of Canada, &c. &c. ; the members chosen, Mr. Duer, Mr. Lovell, and Mr. F. L. Lee.

Resolved, That gen. Washington regulate the rank of major-general Arnold and brigadiers-general Woodford and Scott, agreeably to the resolution of Congress of the 12th instant, confirming the principle adopted by the board of general officers on the 19th of August, for settling the rank and precedence of officers, and that the commissions of those officers be called in and cancelled, and new commissions granted them in manner aforesaid.

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