than I had taken into my calculation, and the blending the Engineers and Artillerists of the army in one Corps, may make it requisite to add the number of officers proposed by the Committee, which will under those circumstances, justify a departure from the present Artillery Establishment, on which my estimate was founded. And here I will take the liberty to suggest the expediency of restraining all officers, stationed in the Indian Country, from carrying on, directly or indirectly, any commerce or traffic with the natives. It would be better to make a pecuniary compensation for any extra trouble of the Commanding Officer, in giving passes and regulating these things, than to suffer so pernicious a custom to take place.

Perhaps it is rather unimportant in what manner some little alterations shall be decided, as for instance whether the third officer of a Company shall be called a Lieutenant or an Ensign, provided the duties and emoluments are perfectly defined; but I highly approve the scheme of having supernumeraries appointed to fill the staff offices, without depriving the Companies of their full proportion of officers.

The same reason which makes it proper to have two Serjeant Majors &c. in each Regiment of Infantry, will also make it equally necessary to have two Surgeon's Mates.

It appears to me, in case the pay of the Privates shall be established at two dollars per month, that a considerable bounty will be required to inlist them, or that the states, after having the quotas apportioned to them, must be obliged to keep their compliment constantly in service.

I am also of opinion that to the annual allowance of cloathing per man, one blanket, two pair of woolen hose, and one or two shirts should be added, also eight or ten watch coats per company.

The rule of promotion proposed seems unexceptionable. But the perpetual confusion which must ensue from promotions being made, in a Corps composed of officers and men of different states, by the authority of each of those different states, will totally destroy all regularity in our Military system. "It would indeed be much to be preferred that the states could be induced to transfer this right to Congress;" And possibly upon condition of confining the appointment and promotion of officers in equal proportions to the particular states whose troops form a Regiment, the right might be yielded, for example, if New Hampshire gives two companies, and Massachusetts six, the officers then to be appointed and kept in service from those two states, to be in as nearly the rate of 2 to 6 as possible; the same

if another Regiment should be formed by the states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey &c. &c.

On the Committee's report respecting Fortifications, Arsenals and Magazines, Military Academies, Foundaries and Manufactories, General Staff and General Hospital, no observations are necessary, except that if it is the opinion of the Committee, the establishment of five instead of three Magazines is necessary, I shall not make any hesitation in yielding to their sentiment. I wish not to be too tenacious, tho' the division of the Continent into three districts had been suggested, in addition to the reasons I formerly mentioned, by a similar distribution which Congress had made in the article of promotion, but I must beg leave to remark that the general outlines for the establishment of the national militia, do not seem to me to be so well calculated to answer the object in view, as could be wished, altho' unacquainted as I am with the militia laws of the several states, I cannot undertake to say what particular regulation should be adopted for classing or forming the great body of citizens who must be borne on the rolls of the militia, and for obliging them to march for the public defence in a manner least inconvenient and most effectual. Yet I cannot but think some more eligible plan could be devised; and I am fully persuaded that the Fencibles, Fusileers, or Train Bands, formed of the Inhabitants of Cities and Incorporated Towns will not afford that prompt and efficacious resistance to an Enemy, which might be expected from regularly established Light Infantry Companies, or a general selection of the ablest men from \ every Regiment or Brigade of Militia, in either of the modes I had formerly the honor to propose; because such an establishment would in my opinion, be more agreeable to the genius of our Countrymen, because it would distribute Military knowledge and ambition more equally and extensively, because it would on these accounts prevent jealousies, and afford the same kind of protection to every part of the Union which the companies designated by the name of Minute Men did at the commencement of the late war; and, because the number being fixed to any proportion from 1 to of the whole militia, that number of disciplined effective men may always be relied on, in case of a war, as an effectual barrier to stop the torrent of hostility, until a regular and permanent force could be levied; and in order to make this corps the more respectable, I should heartily concur in giving them a superiority of rank, immunities or emoluments over the rest of the militia.

ROCKY HILL 8th September, 1783

G: WASHINGTON

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1783

On motion of Mr. [James] McHenry, seconded by Mr. [Richard] Peters,

Resolved, That the Secretary at War be, and he is hereby directed to issue to Captain North, aid-de-camp to Major General the Baron Steuben, the brevet commission of major in the army of the United States.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the cession of Virginia; after debate, a motion was made by Mr. [James] McHenry, seconded by Mr. [Daniel] Carroll,

That the consideration of the report on the cession from Virginia, be postponed till Thursday next, in order that notice may be given to the states of New Jersey and Delaware, or those states which it may be reasonably expected can give their attendance.

A motion was made by Mr. [Stephen] Higginson, seconded by Mr. [Samuel] Holten, to strike out what follows the words Thursday next:" And on the question, shall those words stand? the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Daniel] Carroll,

So it passed in the negative, and the words were struck out.

On the question to agree to the motion as amended, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Theodorick] Bland,

1 On this day, as the indorsement states, was read a letter from John Pierce, Paymaster General, dated Princeton September 11, 1782, respecting his allowances, and referred to Mr. [Hugh] Williamson, Mr. B[enjamin] Huntington and Mr. [William] Ellery. The indorsement further states: "Report of Committee on this passed April 15, 1784." The letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 41, VIII, folio 172. According to Committee Book No. 191 the report was delivered September 18.

Also, an address of the inhabitants of Germantown inviting Congress to make that town the place of their permanent residence. It is in No. 46, folios 117–121.

On September 12, according to the indorsement and the record in Committee Book No. 186, was read a petition of John Halsted, late Deputy Commissary General in Canada, dated Prince Town, September 12th, 1783. It was referred, on the same day, to Mr. [Thomas] FitzSimons, Mr. B[enjamin] Huntington and Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, who delivered a report on September 17. The report was acted upon September 20 and Halsted's petition, with its enclosures, was referred on that day to the Superintendent of Finance. The petition is in No. 41, II, folio 142.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1783

A memorial from the honble the Minister Plenipotentiary of France, was read, enclosing a commission of Chevalier D'Annemours, consul general of France, in the State of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia; Whereupon,

The Committee [Mr. Thomas FitzSimons, Mr. James Madison' and Mr. Elbridge Gerry] to whom was referred the Memorial of the Minister of France respecting the Commission of the Chevalier D'Annemours as Consul Genl. for the States of Virginia N. and S. Carolina and Georgia, Report,

That the Secretary be directed to make out the necessary papers, agreeably to the prayer of the Memorial.1

1

Ordered, That the commission be registered, and that it be recognised, and an exequatur issued in due form.2

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the Virginia cession, and the same being amended, a motion was made by Mr. MeHenry [Daniel] Carroll, seconded by Mr. Carroll [James] McHenry, to postpone the further consideration of the report, in order to take up the following:

Whereas by the 6th article of the preliminary articles of peace between his Britannic Majesty, and their Most Christian and Catholic Majesties, signed on the 3d day of November, 1762, and ratified the 10 day of February, 1763, it is stipulated and agreed, that, "the confines between the dominions of Great Britain and France, on the continent of North America, shall be irrevocably fixed by a line drawn along the middle of the river Mississippi, from its source as far as the river Iberville, and from thence by a line drawn along the middle of this river, and of the lakes Maurepas and

1 This report, in the writing of Thomas FitzSimons, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 25, II, folio 255. The memorial is in No. 41, III, folio 274. The indorsement shows that it was read and referred, September 12.

2 This order was also entered in the manuscript Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs.