called) whereby he alarmed the liberty party moft amaz-1777. ingly, and obliged them to exert all their influence to prevent fo dangerous and mortifying an event. In the chair he fo acquitted himself, that a member of congress wrote in May, when it was thought he would return to the Massachusetts—" This letter will go by prefident Hancock, for whofe abfence from congress I am much concerned, though his great fatigue and long attendance entitle him to fome relaxation. How we fhall do without him I know not, for we have never yet put in a chairman, on a committee of the whole house, that could in any meafure fill his place. He has not only dignity and impartiality, which are the great requifites of a prefident of fuch a body, but has an alertness, attention and readiness to conceive of any motion and its tendency, and of every alteration propofed in the course of a debate, which greatly tends to facilitate and expedite bufinefs." The chair is known to be his fort. As chairman of a committee, or any other body, hẹ prefides with much advantage to himself; but it has been and is obferved, that the number at the head of whom he is, whether many or few, makes a wide difference in him: when great, he appears to be in his own element, and all is animation; if fmall, it is otherwise. This is common to public characters, especially where there is a fondness for popularity. I. Congrefs proceeded to the election of a prefident; Nov. and the ballots being taken, the honorable Henry Laurens was elected." He is a South Carolina delegate, a gentleman of a large eftate and of an approved character. He was in England when the troubles were coming forward, and upon learning the intentions of miniftry, 1777. returned with a fixed determination to risk all in the caufe of his country and liberty. Gen. Washington has pointed out to him gen. Greene, as the most fuitable perfon in his judgment to fucceed in the chief command of the American army, in cafe he himself should be taken off by death or in any other way. Nov. 3. Colonel Wilkinson, who brought the difpatches from gen. Gates, attended and delivered a message from him to congrefs in the following words, "I have it in charge from major gen. Gates, to reprefent to the honorable congrefs, that lieut. gen. Burgoyne at the time he capitulated, was strongly intrenched on a formidable poft with twelve days provifion; that the reduction of fort Montgomery and the enemy's confequent progrefs up the Hudfon's river, endangered our arsenal at Albany, a reflection which left gen. Gates no time to contest the capitulation with lieut. gen. Burgoyne, but induced the neceffity of immediately clofing with his propofals, hazarding a difadvantageous attack, or retiring from his : pofition for the fecurity of our magazine; this delicate fituation abridged our conquefts, and procured lieut. gen. Burgoyne the terms he enjoys. Had our attack been carried against lieut. gen. Burgoyne, the difmemberment of our army must neceffarily have been fuch as would have incapacitated it from further action. With an army in health, vigor and spirits, major gen. Gates now waits the commands of the honorable congrefs." Befide thanking Gates, Lincoln, Arnold, and the rest of the officers and troops under his command, the congrefs refolved the next day, that a medal of gold fhould be ftruck in commemoration of the convention, and in the name of the United States be prefented by the pre- 1777. fident to major gen. Gates. Congress refolved, "That major gen. Mifflin's refig- 7. nation of the office of quarter-mafter general be accepted, but that his rank and commiffion of major general be continued to him, without the pay annexed to that office, until further order of congrefs." In October they refolved, "That a board of war be established, to confift of three perfons not members of congrefs." They now took up that business and proceeded to the election of the board, when major gen. Mifflin, col. Timothy Pickering, and col. Robert H. Harrison were elected. A fortnight after, in confequence of a conference between fome of the members and Mifflin, they refolved, "That two additional commiffioners be appointed to execute the department of the war office;" and Harrifon declining to serve, they on the 27th proceeded to the election of three commiffioners, when major gen. Gates, Jofeph Trumbull and Richard Peters efqrs. were elected; it was then refolved, "That major gen. Gates be appointed prefident of the board of war." Gates was to retain his rank as major general in the army, and to officiate at the board or in the field as occafion might require. The great bufinefs of the CONFEDERATION calls for our next attention. It was on the 11th of June 1776, that it was refolved to appoint a committee to prepare and digeft the form of one. By the 12th of July they brought in a draught, which was read and ordered to be printed for the confideration of congrefs alone; and no member was to furnish any perfon with his copy, or take any steps by which the faid confede 1777. ration might be re-printed. After having been before congrefs nine and thirty times, on different days, a copy of the confederation being made out, and fundry amendments made in the diction, without altering the sense, the fame was agreed to on the 15th of laft November, and is as follows: Nov. 15: ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION and PER- Article 1. The ftile of this confederacy fhall be "The Article 2. Each ftate retains its fovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurifdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States in congrefs affembled. Article 3. The faid ftates hereby feverally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defence, the fecurity of their liberties and their mutual and general welfare; binding themselves to affist each other against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them or any of them on account of religion, fovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever. Article 4. The better to fecure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different states in this union, the free inhabitants of each of these states, (paupers, vagabonds and fugitives from justice excepted,) shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the feveral states; and the people of each state fhall have free ingrefs and regrefs 1777• to and from any other ftate, and fhall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, fubject to the fame duties, impofitions and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that fuch reftrictions fhall not extend fo far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any ftate to any other ftate, of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided alfo that no impofition, duties or restriction, fhall be laid by any state on the property of the United States or either of them. If any person guilty of or charged with treason, felony or other high misdemeanor in any ftate, fhall flee from justice and be found in any of the United States, he fhall upon demand of the governor or executive power of the ftate from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the ftate having jurifdiction of his offence. Full faith and credit fhall be given in each of these ftates to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other state. Article 5. For the more convenient management of the general interefts of the United States, delegates fhall be annually appointed, in fuch manner as the legislature of each state shall direct, to meet in congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power referved to each ftate to recall its delegates or any of them, at any time within the year, and to fend others in their ftead, for the remainder of the year. No ftate fhall be reprefented in congrefs by lefs than two nor by more than seven members; and no perfon shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of fix years; nor fhall any perfon, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under |