principles should be established, would not admit even an exchange antecedent thereto.

These considerations were, no doubt, with some the sole motives for their respective votes. There were others, however, who at least blended with them on one side, a personal attachment to Mr. Laurens, and on the other, a dislike to his character, and a jealousy excited by his supposed predilection for Great Britain, by his intimacy with some of the new Ministry, by his frequent passing to and from Great Britain, and by his memorial, whilst in the Tower, to the Parliament. The last consideration was the chief ground on which the motion had been made for suspending the resolution, which requested his continuance in the commission for peace.

In this stage of the business, a motion was made by Mr. DUANE, seconded by Mr. RUTLEDGE, to postpone the consideration of it; which being lost, a motion was made by Mr. WILLIAMSON, to substitute a resolution declaring, that as the British Government had treated Mr. Laurens with so unwarrantable a rigor, and even as a traitor, and Cornwallis had rendered himself so execrable by his barbarities, Congress could not ratify his exchange. An adjournment was called for, in order to prevent a vote with so thin and divided a House.43

No Congress till

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH.

A letter from the Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode Island was read, containing evidence that some of the leaders in Vermont, and particularly Luke Nolton, who had been deputed in the year 1780 to Congress, as agent for that party, opposed to its independence, but who had since changed sides, had been intriguing with the enemy in New York. The letter was committed. (See November the twenty-seventh.)

The consideration of the motion for ratifying the discharge of Cornwallis was resumed. Mr. WILLIAMSON renewed his motion, which failed. Mr. MCKEAN suggested the expedient of ratifying the discharge, on condition that a general cartel should be acceded to. This was relished at first by several members, but a development of its inefficacy and inconsistency with national dignity stifled it.

A motion was made by Mr. RUTLEDGE, seconded by Mr. RAMSAY, that the discharge should be ratified in case Mr. Laurens should undertake the office of commissioner for peace. This proposition was generally considered as of a very extraordinary nature, and after a brief discussion withdrawn.

In the course of these several propositions, most of the arguments stated on Friday last were repeated. Colonel HAMILTON, who warmly and urgently espoused the ratification, as an additional argument, mentioned that some intimations had been given by Colonel Laurens, of the army, with the privity of General Washington, to Cornwallis,

previous to his capitulation, that he might be exchanged for his father, then in the Tower.

The report of the Committee on Mr. MADISON'S motion, on the twenty-first instant, relative to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, passed without opposition.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH.

No Congress, but a Grand Committee * composed of a member from each State.

The States of New Hampshire and Massachusetts having redeemed more than their quota of the emissions prior to the eighteenth of March, 1780, had called on Congress to be credited for the surplus, on which the Superintendent of Finance reported, that they ought to be credited at the rate of one dollar specie for forty of the said emission, according to the act of March aforesaid. This report, being judged by Congress unjust, as the money had been called in by those States at a greater depreciation, was disagreed to. Whereupon, a motion was made by Mr. OSGOOD, that the States who had redeemed a surplus should be credited for the same according to its current value at the time of redemption.

This motion, with a letter afterwards received from the State of Massachusetts on the same subject, was referred to the Grand Committee in question.

* The proceedings of Grand Committees, though often rendered particularly important by the freedom and fulness of discussion, make no part of the Journal, except in the reported result.

The Committee were unanimous that justice required an allowance to the States who should sink a surplus, to be apportioned on the different States. The different expedients were:

That Congress should renew their call on the States to execute the act of the eighteenth of March, 1780, and leave it to the States to level the money by negotiations among themselves. This was Mr. HAMILTON's idea. The objections against it were, that either nothing would be done in the case, or the deficient States would be at the mercy of the hoarding States; although the former were, perhaps, prevented from doing their part by invasions, and the prosperity of the latter enabled them to absorb an undue proportion.

By Mr. MADISON it was proposed that Congress should declare, that whenever it should appear that the whole of the bills emitted prior to the eighteenth of March, 1780, shall have been collected into the treasuries of the several States, Congress would proceed to give such credit for any surplus above the quotas assigned as equity might require, and debit the deficient States accordingly. In favor of this expedient it was supposed that it would give a general encouragement to the States to draw the money outstanding among individuals into the public treasuries, and render a future equitable arrangement by Congress easy. The objections were, that it gave no satisfaction immediately to the complaining States, and would prolong the internal embarrassments which have hindered the States from a due compliance with the requisitions of Congress.

It was lastly proposed by Mr. FITZSIMMONS, that

the Commissioners appointed to traverse the United States, for the purpose of settling accounts, should be empowered to take up all the outstanding old money, and issue certificates to be apportioned on the States as part of the public debt; the same rule to determine the credit for redemptions by the States. This proposition was, on the whole, generally thought by the Committee least objectionable, and was referred to a sub-committee, composed of Mr. RUTLEDGE, Mr. FITZSIMMONS, and Mr. HAMILTON, to be matured and laid before the Grand Committee. One consideration suggested by Mr. HAMILTON in its favor was, that it would multiply the advocates for federal funds for discharging the public debts, and tend to cement the Union.44

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH.

The report of the Committee on the letter from the Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode Island (see November the twenty-fifth) was made, and taken into consideration.

It was moved by Mr. McKEAN, to insert in the first clause on the Journal, after directing the apprehension by General Washington, "in order that the persons may be brought to trial." The reason urged for the motion was, that it might appear that the interposition was not meant to supersede civil process further than the necessity of the case required. Against the motion it was urged, that it would lead to discussions extremely perplexing and dilatory, and that it would be more proper after the apprehension should