JOURNALS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 1774-1789 EDITED FROM THE ORIGINAL RECORDS IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS BY GAILLARD HUNT Volume XXVII. 1784 UNITED STATES WASHINGTON 1928 Congress assembled: Present, eleven states as yesterday. A motion was made by Mr. [Arthur] Lee seconded by Mr. [Thomas] Stone, That the Superin of Finance furnish the Honble Thomas Jefferson with an Advance of one Quarter's Salary and that he make Provision in Europe for an Advance of the second Quarter's Salary at the end of the first Quarter. Resolved, That the said motion be referred to the Superintendant of Finance to take Order.1 On motion of Mr. [Thomas] Stone, seconded by Mr. [Jacob] Read, Resolved, That the agent of marine provide suitable accommodations for Mr. Jefferson's passage to Europe. On motion of Mr. [John] Beatty, seconded by Mr. [David] Howell, Resolved, That the information communicated to Congress by the governor of the State of New Jersey, in consequence of their act of the 6th of January last, as the result of his enquiry respecting the robbery of the post office at Princeton, is satisfactory, and exculpates Mr. Harrison, the postmaster at Princeton, from every suspicion of collusion or fraud. On motion of Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, seconded by Mr. [Hugh] Williamson, Resolved, That a secretary to the commission for negotiating commercial treaties be appointed, and that tomorrow be assigned for that purpose. A motion was then made by Mr. [Roger] Sherman, seconded by Mr. [David] Howell, That from and after the first day of August next, the salary of a secretary to any minister or ministers plenipotentiary 1 This motion and resolve were entered only in the journal kept by the Secretary of Congress for the Superintendent of Finance: Morris Papers, Congressional Proceedings. 98814-27-VOL 27-1 365 244703 to reside in a Foreign Court to a commission or embassy to a foreign court, or for negotiating treaties with foreign powers, shall not exceed three thousand dollars per annum.1 A motion was made by Mr. [Richard Dobbs] Spaight, seconded by Mr. [Jacob] Read, to amend by inserting "five hundred" after "three thousand:" And on the question to agree to this amendment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [David] Howell, On the question to agree to the motion, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [David] Howell, Resolved in the affirmative, every member answering ay.2 1 This motion, in the writing of Roger Sherman, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, II, folio 325. 2 Beginning with Mr. Gerry's motion, the proceedings to this point were entered in both the Public Journal and the Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs. From this point to the end of the day, they were entered only in the Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs, in Secret Journal, No. 4, and in Secret Journal, No. 6, Vol. III. Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the letters from the ministers of the United States in Europe; and on the question to agree to the following paragraph: "That the said ministers be instructed to notify to the powers with whom they may negotiate, the great value at which these United States will esteem their friendship and connection, and that it will be their constant endeavour to promote a good understanding and harmony with them, and to prevent every thing which might interrupt it by every means in their power; but that the heavy debt which they have contracted during the late war has rendered it inconvenient at present for them to keep ministers resident at the courts of Europe, and they hope that this deviation from the practice of friendly nations may be ascribed to its true cause, and not to any want of respect to their friends, or of attachment to treaties, to the faithful observance of which they shall at all times pay the most earnest attention". The yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Hugh] Williamson |