Resolved, That the board of treasury be empowered to increase the pay of the signers of bills of credit in such way as they judge proper, provided that the sum allowed for signing and numbering 1000 bills does not exceed 2 dollars.

The committee appointed to revise the system of the commissary of purchases, brought in a report, which was read:

Ordered, That the consideration thereof be postponed till to-morrow. A letter, of the Sd, from gov. J. Clinton, of New-York, at Poughkeepsie, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the board of war.

Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

TUESDAY, February 24, 1778.

A petition from James Wilson, administrator of Samuel Allen, was read, praying that the commissioners of claims may be directed to settle his accounts for a team of Samuel Allen employed and lost in the public service: Ordered, That the prayer be granted.

Congress took into consideration the report of the committee on the system of the commissary of purchases, and some progress being made therein, Resolved, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed to Thursday next.

A letter, of the 20th, from brigadier Parsons, relative to the treatment of Messrs. Vantassels, by the enemy, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the committee appointed to enquire into the conduct of the enemy, with regard to the prisoners who have fallen into their hands.

Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

WEDNESDAY, February 25, 1778.

The delegates of Pennsylvania laid before Congress a letter of the 23d, from the council of that state, requesting to be furnished with the following papers, viz.

The instructions of the board of war to their superintendents of provisions; the plan laid down by the superintendents for the purchase, &c. of provisions; the instructions for the millers, dated the 11th of January last ; a letter from the superintendents to the board of war, dated the 11th inst. a letter dated the 12th inst. signed Robert Lettis Hooper, deputy quarter-master general, to the purchasers under the superintendents:

Ordered, That the board of war furnish the delegates of Pennsylvania with copies of the above papers, or such of them as are in the office of the board of war and ordnance.

A letter, of the 24th of January, from Samuel A. Otis, at Boston, was read. The committee to whom were referred the letter of the 8th, from general Washington, and sundry other letters which passed between him and gen. Howe, relative to the exchange of prisoners and other matters, brought in a. report, which was read.

The committee to whom were referred the letters and papers from the committee of Congress at camp, brought in a report, which was taken into consideration, and, after some time spent thereon,

Ordered, That the farther consideration thereof be postponed to the after

noon.

The committee on the treasury brought in a report; Whereupon, Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer in favor of captain Pasky, for 26,000 dollars, in discharge of a draught of William Palfrey, esq. paymaster general, for that sum, on the president of Congress, dated at camp, the 23d of February inst. in favor of col. E. Lutterloe, deputy quarter-mas

ter general, endorsed by him to the said capt. Pasky; the pay-master general to be accountable:

The commissioners of claims at the treasury report,

That there is due to the administrators of Samuel Allen, deceased, for hire of his wagon and team from the 4th of September to the 4th of December, 1776, 92 days, at 2 2-3 dollars, 245 30-90 dollars; and for the four horses, wagon, geers and cloth, which by certificate, appear to have been de tained in the service after his decease, and never returned to his heirs, &c. appraised at 408 dollars, which last sum is to be charged to the account of the quarter-master general; also for expenses incurred on York-Island, as by account and certificate, 7 62-90 dollars, amounting in the whole to 661 2-90 dollars:

To John Campbell, the sum of 1243 50-90 dollars, for col. George Morgan's draught on the president of Congress, in favor of col. William Crawford, being for provisions stored at Fort-Pitt, which order or draught, is assigned over to the said Campbell; the said col. G. Morgan to be accountable: To Simon and Campbell, the sum of 302 dollars, for arms sold to colonel William Crawford, for the use of the 13th Virginia regiment, as per colonel Crawford's order on the board of treasury: the said colonel Crawford to be accountable:

Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.

THREE O'CLOCK, P. M.

A letter of the 7th, and one of the 14th, from major-gen. Heath, at Boston, were read, the former enclosing copies of sundry letters that passed between him and lieutenant-general Burgoyne, and a letter from lord Napier and lieutenant-colonel Anstruther:

Ordered, That they be referred to a committee of three: the members chosen, Mr. Wolcott, Mr. Lovell, and Mr. Gerry.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report on the letters from the committee at camp ; and, after debate,

Ordered, That the farther consideration of the report be postponed till to

morrow.

Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

THURSDAY, February 26, 1778.

Resolved, That it be an instruction to the captains and commanders of privateers, to annoy the enemy by all the means in their power, by land or water, taking care not to infringe or violate the laws of nations, or the laws of neutrality.

A letter of the 11th, from lieutenant-general Burgoyne, directed" to the hon. Henry Laurens, president of the Congress," with three papers enclosed, was read:

Ordered, That they be referred to a committee of five: the members chosen, Mr. Lovell, Mr. McKean, Mr. Smith, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Gerry.

Major-gen. Gates sent to Congress sundry letters, and among them one of the 9th, from major-gen. Philips, which were read:

Ordered, That the last be referred to the foregoing committee.

Sundry letters to the board of war from the northern department being laid before Congress and read,

Ordered, That they be referred to a committee of three: the members chosen, Mr. Wolcott, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Lewis.

A letter, of the 25th, from the board of war, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the board of treasury.

Congress took into consideration the report of the committee on the letter of the 8th, from gen. Washington, and the letters which passed between him

and gen. Howe, relative to the exchange of prisoners, and thereupon came to the following resolutions :

Whereas, it appears to Congress, by the copy of a letter from gen. Washington to gen. Howe, of the 10th of this month, that he has consented to the propositions of gen. Howe, to the following effect: "that an exchange of all prisoners now in our possession, officer for officer, soldier for soldier, and citizen for citizen, so far as number and rank will apply, be carried into execution as expeditiously as the nature of the case will admit, and without regard to any controverted point, which might prove an impediment to so desirable an end :"

And, whereas, by a resolution of Congress of the 19th of December last, a release of prisoners in the power of these states cannot take place before the account of all provisions, and other necessaries, which have been supplied by the public to such prisoners, are liquidated and discharged:

And, whereas, it is the wish of Congress to accomplish the desirable purpose of exchanging the prisoners without unnecessary delay:

Resolved, That an express be sent to the several legislatures, or supreme executive authorities of the respective states, for such accounts of money, provisions, and other necessaries, which they have supplied to prisoners taken by the United States since the commencement of the war, as have not been already transmitted to Congress; that they be requested to make up the said accounts to the 1st day of March next, and transmit them as speedily as possible to the commissioners of claims at the board of treasury; that the accounts of each state from New-Hampshire to Virginia, inclusive, be sent to the said commissioners on or before the 15th day of April next, and of the other states, on or before the 1st day of June next, and that the respective states sustain the losses which may arise from detaining such accounts longer than the time herein allowed them for rendering the same.

Resolved, That all officers in the departments of the quarter-master, paymaster, and clothier-general, and commissaries of provisions and prisoners, the commissioners of accounts, and other officers, who may have accounts or charges of money, provisions, or other necessaries in their respective offices, for supplies furnished the said prisoners, be directed to send such accounts to the commissioners of claims at the board of treasury, on or before the 15th day of April next, and that they respectively sustain the losses that may arise from a neglect hereof:

That the commissioners of claims be directed to prepare the said accounts for adjustment without delay, and that no exchange of prisoners be made until the balance due thereon to the United States is discharged.

THREE O'CLOCK, P. M.

The committee on the treasury brought in a report; Whereupon, Ordered, That a warrant issue on the treasurer in favor of the committee of commerce for 20,000 dollars, advanced upon their application, for the purpose of loading with rice the ship Flammand, ordered to South-Carolina; the said committee to be accountable.

A petition from Archibald Steel, deputy quarter-master general for the troops at Fort-Pitt, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the committee of commerce.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the letters and papers from the committee of Congress at camp, and thereupon came to the following resolutions :

Whereas, the well being and safety of these states require that a powerful army be early brought into the field, effectually to oppose and defeat the public enemies thereof: and whereas by the actual invasion of some of the said states, and the local circumstances of others, it would be inexpedient

and unreasonable to draw forth from all of them their full proportion of the continental battalions, according to the establishment heretofore settled and apportioned in Congress :

Resolved, That the several states hereafter named be required forthwith to fill up by draughts from their militia, or in any other way that shall be effectual, their respective battalions of continental troops, according to the following arrangement, viz.

That all persons draughted, shall serve in the continental battalions of their respective states for the space of nine months, from the time they shall respectively appear at the several places of rendezvous hereafter mentioned, unless sooner discharged:

That it be recommended to the several states to appoint officers to superintend the making and forwarding the said draughts, and to direct such superintendents to procure complete lists of the men draughted, with a description of their persons, their age, stature, the places of their abode, and the regiment and company from which they shall have been draughted, and to forward the same to the commissioners hereafter mentioned, who shall transmit an exact copy thereof to the commander in chief.

And to the end, the commissioners may be enabled the better to execute their business, and the men draughted as aforesaid, may be sent to the said places of rendezvous with the greater safety and expedition :

Resolved, That it be recommended to the several states to require their several militia officers, by whom any men shall have been draughted, to deliver to the said superintendents such descriptive lists of the men by them respectively draughted for the purpose aforesaid; and further, to direct the said superintendents to make similar lists of the men by them, from time to time, sent to the places of rendezvous, and take receipts for such men upon the said lists from such officers as they shall appoint to conduct them as aforesaid, and forward copies of such lists and receipts to the said commis

sioners:

That it be recommended to each of the said states to appoint one or more commissioners, to reside at the said places of rendezvous, for the purpose of receiving the draughts of their respective states, and delivering them over to the continental officers, who may be appointed by the commander in chief, there to receive them; and further, to direct their respective commissioners to give receipts for such draughted men as shall be delivered to them, and make out such descriptive lists, as aforesaid, of the men by them, from time to time, delivered over to such continental officers, and take receipts thereon from them, and transmit copies of such lists and receipts to the commander in chief:

That it be recommended to the several states to make provision for theis draughted men upon their march to the said places of rendezvous, and that the states be allowed, for such subsistence, 1-24th part of a dollar per mile for each man actually marching to the said places of rendezvous, and no

more.

Resolved, That all the draughts from the New-England states shall ren dezvous at Fish-Kill, on Hudson's river; those of New-York, at Easton, in the state of Pennsylvania; those of New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, at camp; those of Virginia, at Alexandria and Sheppard's town, in the same state; and those of North-Carolina, at Pittsylvania court

house and Petersburgh, in Virginia; unless otherwise directed by the commander in chief.

Resolved, That every person draughted as aforesaid, who shall supply himself with a good firelock and bayonet, a cartouch-box, haversack, or blanket, and shall, at the expiration of the term of his service, produce, to the proper pay-master, a certificate from his captain, or other commanding officer of his company, that he hath been constantly provided therewith, shal receive, for the use of his firelock, bayonet, and cartouch-box, two dollars, and for the use of his blanket, four dollars, and in a like proportion for any or either of them. And in case any of the said articles shall be lost or rendered useless in the service, without the negligence or fault of the proprietor, he shall be paid the value thereof.

Resolved, That all persons, in whatever way procured, for supplying the deficiencies in the continental battalions, unless inlisted for three years, or during the war, be considered as draughts; and that it be recommended to the several states to exert themselves to procure recruits for their respective continental battalions by inlistments for three years, or during the war, and that the draughts from the respective states be discharged in proportion as such recruits from the said states shall join the army.

And, whereas, experience hath proved that no confidence can be placed in prisoners of war or deserters from the enemy, who inlist into the continental army; but many losses and great mischiefs have frequently happened by them; therefore,

Resolved, That no prisoners of war or deserters from the enemy be inlisted, draughted, or returned to serve in the continental army.

Ordered, That the board instruct and direct the commissary-general of prisoners to appoint proper persons to examine all officers and any of the privates of the United States, that shall be hereafter exchanged, and take such of their depositions as may be necessary to ascertain the treatment our prisoners in the hands of the enemy have received during their captivity, and report the same to Congress.

A letter, of the 8th, from gen. Schuyler at Albany, and one, of the 20th, from the committee of Congress at camp, were read:

Ordered, That they be referred to the board of war.
Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

FRIDAY, February 27, 1778.

A letter, of the 10th, from major-general Putnam, at West-Point, on Hudson's river, was read:

Ordered, That it be referred to the board of war.

Congress took into consideration a report from the board of war, and, thereupon, came to the following resolutions:

Whereas, a few deluded inhabitants of these states, prompted thereto by arts of the enemy, have associated together, for the purpose of seizing and secretly conveying to places in possession of the British forces, such of the loyal citizens, officers, and soldiers of these states, as may fall into their power; and being assisted by parties furnished by the enemy, have, in several instances, carried their nefarious designs into execution; and such practices being contrary to their allegiance as subjects, and repugnant to the rules of war:

Resolved, That whatever inhabitant of these states shall kill or seize, or take any loyal citizen or citizens thereof, and convey him, her, or them, to any place within the power of the enemy, or shall enter into any combination for such purpose, or attempt to carry the same into execution, or hath assisted or shall assist therein; or shall, by giving intelligence, acting as a guide, or in any other manner whatever, aid the enemy in the perpetration