That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Cornelius Comegys, one of the clerks in the chamber of accounts, on his application, for fifteen hundred dollars; for which he is to be accountable.1 That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Jeremiah Wadsworth, Esq. commissary general of purchases, on the application of Chaloner and White, his agents, for five millions six hundred thousand dollars, for the use of his department; for which sum the said commissary general is to be accountable.2 That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. H[enry] Marchant, one of the delegates for the State of Rhode Island, on his application, for three thousand dollars; for which the said State is to be accountable.3 TREASURY OFFICE, August 30th, 1779. The Committee on the Treasury, having taken into consideration an Estimate of the monthly pay and subsistence of the Army of the United States, calculated by Wm Palfrey Esq, Pay Master General, for 35.000 Privates, and a full complement of Commissioned and noncommissioned Officers in order to enable them to report precisely a warrant for the payment of the army, agreeable to an act of Congress of the 18th instant: but the Committee, observing that there is no provision made in the said Act for the subsistence of the Cornets of Horse in the service of the United States, beg leave to offer the following resolution Resolved, That until the further order of Congress, every cornet of horse be entitled to receive monthly for his subsistence, 100 dollars, to commence agreeable to an act of Congress of the 18th of August last.* The commissioners of claims report, 1 This report, dated September 4, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 611. 2 This report, dated September 2, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 603. 3 This report, dated September 3, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 607. 4 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 595. That they have examined the accounts of the late Moses Emmerson, Esq. one of the commissioners of accounts, deceased, for sundry travelling expences, from Hartford in Connecticut, to this city, in pursuance of an order of Congress for the removal of the books and papers of their office, and for his pay as commissioner, from the 4th January, to the 14th May last, and find there is due to his estate, a ballance of seventy eight dollars and 81/90. That there is due to John Fromberger, his account for maps of Nova Scotia &c. supplied Congress, one hundred and seventy three dollars and 30/90. That there is due to William Trickett, for stationary supplied the treasury and the pay master general's office, the sum of nine hundred and ten dollars and 30/90.1 Ordered, That the said accounts be paid. There being a vacancy of one commissioner for the Board of War and Ordnance, the following gentlemen were nominated to supply that vacancy: Major General Arnold by Mr. Jay, Brigadier General Weedon, by Mr. [Henry] Laurens, On motion of Mr. [Henry] Laurens, seconded by Mr. [Samuel] Holten, Resolved, That so much of the resolutions respecting the establishment of a Board of Treasury as relates to the annual election of the officers, be referred to a committee of three: and that they be directed to report the salaries of the said officers: The members chosen, Mr. [Henry] Laurens, Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, and Mr. [Joseph] Hewes. Ordered, That Tuesday next be assigned for the consideration of the report of the committee on the letters from A. 1 This report, dated August 27, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 589. Lee, Esq. and the communications of the Minister Plenipotentiary of France. Adjourned to 10 o'Clock on Monday.1 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1779 A letter, of this day, from James Wilson and William Lewis, Esquires, attornies at law, in behalf of the claimants of the sloop Active, was read: 2 Ordered, That the consideration thereof be postponed until the 15 September instant. A memorial of John Wharton, James Read and William Winder, Junior, commissioners of the navy board in the middle department, was read: Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of three: The members chosen, Mr. [William] Whipple, Mr. [Joseph] Hewes, and Mr. [James] Forbes. Colonel Samuel Atlee was nominated by Mr. [John] Armstrong, to supply the vacancy at the Board of War. A letter, of 31 August, from General Washington, was read, enclosing a letter of the same day from him to Colonel Bland, countermanding conformably to the resolution of 21st of that month, his former orders on the subject of officers of the convention troops going into Canada; Whereupon, 3 A motion was made by Mr. [Henry] Marchant, seconded by Mr. [William] Carmichael, in the following words: Whereas the direction of General Washington to Colonel Bland, permitting two officers of the convention troops to go into Canada by the way of New York, obviates the reasons 1 1 A letter of Washington, dated August 29, is endorsed as read this day, and is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VII, folio 691. 2 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XXIV, folio 83. 3 The letters of Washington are in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, VII, folios 713 and 719. which occasioned the resolution of Congress, of the 21 August last, Resolved, That the letter from General Washington, of the 31 August last to Colonel Bland, be detained and that Congress approve of the orders intended to be countermanded by it. When the question was about to be put, the previous question was moved by Mr. [John] Mathews, seconded by Mr. [Henry] Laurens; on which the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [John] Jay, So the states were equally divided, and the question lost. On the main question, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [John] Jay, A letter, of 30th August, from D[aniel] Putnam, was read, with sundry papers enclosed: Ordered, That the same be referred to the Board of War. A letter, of the 4th, from Lieutenant Colonel [John] Ternant, was read:1 Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of Treasury. The Committee on the Treasury brought in a report; Whereupon, Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. [Joseph] Hewes, one of the delegates for the State of North Carolina, on his application, for five thousand dollars; for which the said State is to be accountable. 2 That a warrant issue on the treasurer, in favour of Robert Troup, secretary to the Board of Treasury, on his application, for two thousand dollars; for which he is to be accountable." 1 The Putnam letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XVIII, folio 235; that of Ternant, in No. 78, XXII, folio 641. 2 This report, dated September 6, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 615. |