To William Clayton, for 338 meals of victuals, supplied the militia on their march to New-Jersey, 32 72-90 dollars:

Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.

Two letters of the 8th, from general Schuyler, with sundry papers enclosed; one of the 7th, from Walter Livingston, and one of the 12th of August, from brigadier-general Armstrong, were read:

Ordered, That the foregoing letters, with the papers enclosed in that from general Schuyler, except what relates to general Montgomery's accounts, be referred to the board of war, and that the papers relative to the said accounts be referred to the board of treasury.

Congress then resolved itself into a committee of the whole to take into consideration the report of the board of war; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair, and Mr. Nelson reported, that the committee have had under consideration the matter referred to them, but not having yet come to a conclusion, desired leave to sit again.

Resolved, That this Congress will, to-morrow, resolve itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration the report of the board of war. Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

SATURDAY, September 14, 1776.

A letter from R. H. Harrison, secretary to general Washington, was read. Four French officers, who arrived in the Reprisal, captain Weeks, being recommended to Congress,

Resolved, That they be referred to the board of war.

The board of war brought in a report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,

Resolved, That the officers of militia, when on their march, and while in service, be allowed rations like the officers on the continental establishment, without any allowance of mileage :

That the commander in chief in the northern army be directed to erect barracks, and other accommodations, in the most convenient places in that department, and provide magazines of straw, fuel, and other necessaries for winterquarters, for such number of troops as he shall think proper:

That general Schuyler be informed that his letter of the 16th of last month was duly received, and referred to the committee appointed to enquire into the causes of the miscarriages in Canada:

That captain Martindale and lieutenant Turner be allowed their pay and ra tions to this time, and that they be referred to the treasury-board for a settlement of their accounts:

That 15 tons of powder, 20,000 flints, ten tons of lead, and 100 reams of cartridge-paper, be immediately sent to general Gates, for the use of the army in the northern department:

That brigadier-general Armstrong have leave to return from South-Carolina to Philadelphia:

That deputy-commissary Livingston's resignation be accepted:

That captains Wait Hopkins and Gideon Brownson be referred to the commissioners appointed to audit accounts in the northern department, for a settlement of their accounts:

That all continental troops and militia, going home from service, restore all continental arms and other property, and also all ammunition remaining in their possession, at the time of their being about to return. Their pay to be withheld unless they produce certificates from the commissary of stores, or quarter-master general, or their deputies in the department where such continental troops or militia shall serve. And, if any continental property, or am munition be carried away by the militia, before this resolve, stoppages to be made from such as have not received their pay, and that measures be taken with

those who have been paid by the councils of safety, or legislatures of each state, for the restoration of such continental property and ammunition.

A memorial from Jonathan Glover was read, and referred to the marine committee.

A letter of the 9th, from general Lee to the board of war, was laid before Congress and read.

A petition from captains Joseph Gardner, James M'Dowell, John M'Dowell, Samuel Evans, Ephraim Blackburn, and Stephen Cochran, was read.

Resolved, That 25,000 dollars be advanced to the state of Maryland, which is to be accountable for the same.

The committees of Westmoreland and Bedford, having, in pursuance of the resolution of Congress of the 15th July, recommended Van Swearingan, Moses Carson, Samuel Miller, James Piggot, Wendal Oury, David Killgore, Eliezer Miers, and Andrew Mann, for captains in the regiment commanded by colonel M'Coy; and Robert Mosely, John Finley, Matthew Jack, Ezekiel Hickman, Richard Carson, William M. Greary, James M'Dowell, and Thomas Cook, for first lieutenants; William Thompson, Alexander Sumrall, James Guthery, Philip Rodgers, Samuel Smith, William Mountz, James Buler, jun. and John Crawford, for second lieutenants; Benjamin Neely, Joseph Kerr, John Sims, David Wherry, Devalt Mecklin, Feolty Weaver, John Read, and Aquila White, for ensigns in the said battalion :

Resolved, That they be accepted, and that commissions be granted to them accordingly.

Whereas the delegates of South-Carolina have represented, that, by an arrangement made by Congress, on the 18th day of June last, the regiment of artillery and two regiments of riflemen, raised in that province, will obtain precedency over a regiment of rangers, though the latter was raised before either of the former, which may be attended with consequences extremely prejudicial to the service: therefore,

Resolved, That the said regiment of rangers, commanded by colonel William Thompson, do still keep the same station it had in the provincial arrangement, and be entitled to rank in the same way as other regiments in the continental service.

The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to ten o'clock on Monday.

MONDAY, September 16, 1776.

A letter, of the 14th, from general Washington, one of the 9th, from general Schuyler, enclosing a copy of one from general Gates, dated the th, and one, of the 2d, from general Gates, with sundry papers enclosed, were read, and referred to the board of war.

A letter, of the 2d, from general Schuyler, was also read:
Ordered, That this be referred to the committee on Indian affairs.

There being sundry vacancies in colonel Warner's battalion, Congress proceeded to the election of officers to fill up the same; and, the ballots being taken, John Fasset and M'Une were elected captains in the room of John Grant and Jacob Vorsborough, who have declined to accept their commissions, on account of their ill-state of health;

Joseph Safford, Thomas Ranson, John Chipman, and Robert Terrence, first lieutenants in the room ofDean, deceased, Woolbridge and Allen who decline serving, and J. Fassett promoted; Benjamin Hopkins, adjutant. Resolved, That there be an addition of three brigadiers-general in the coninental army, and that Congress proceed immediately to the choice:

The ballots being taken, Christopher Gadsden, William Moultrie, and Lachlan M'Intosh, were elected.

A letter, of the 31st of August, from brigadier-general Lewis, and one of

the 30th of the same month from William Rickman, director of the hospital in the southern department, were read:

Ordered, That the letter from W. Rickman, be referred to the medical committee.

Resolved, That 50,000 dollars be advanced to the delegates of Georgia, for the use of the continental troops in that state, the said delegates to be accountable.

Resolved, That to-morrow be assigned for appointing commissioners to audit the public accounts in Virginia.

It being represented by the delegates of North-Carolina, that, from late accounts, it appears, that the situation of affairs in that state is such, as to render it dangerous, if not impracticable, to execute the resolution of Congress of the 3d instant, ordering two of the North-Carolina battalions, under the command of brigadier-general Moore, to march to reinforce the army at New-York; Whereupon,

Resolved, That it be left to the discretion of the council of safety of NorthCarolina, to execute or suspend that resolution, according as they shall think it most conducive to the public service, and the safety of their particular state.

Congress then resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration the report of the board of war; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair, and Mr. Nelson reported, that the committee have had under consideration the report from the board of war, and have made sundry amendments, which they ordered him to lay before Congress:

Congress then took into consideration the report of the board of war, and the amendments offered by the committee of the whole; and, thereupon, came to the following resolutions:

That eighty-eight battalions be inlisted as soon as possible, to serve during the present war, and that each state furnish their respective quotas in the following proportions, viz.

New-Jersey,
Pennsylvania,

That twenty dollars be given as a bounty to each non-commissioned officer and private soldier, who shall inlist to serve during the present war, unless sooner discharged by Congress:

That Congress make provision for granting lands, in the following proportions: to the officers and soldiers who shall so engage in the service, and continue therein to the close of the war, or until discharged by Congress, and to the representatives of such officers and soldiers as shall be slain by the enemy: Such lands to be provided by the United States, and whatever expense shall be necessary to procure such land, the said expense shall be paid and borne by the states in the same proportion as the other expenses of the war, viz.

To a colonel, 500 acres; to a lieutenant-colonel, 450; to a major, 400; to a captain, 300; to a lieutenant, 200; to an ensign, 150; each non-commissioned officer and soldier, 100:

That the appointment of all officers, and filling up vacancies, (excepting general officers) be left to the governments of the several states, and that every state provide arms, clothing, and every necessary for its quota of troops, according to the foregoing estimate: The expense of the clothing to be deducted from the pay of the soldiers, as usual:

That all officers be commissioned by Congress :

That it be recommended to the several states, that they take the most speedy and effectual measures for inlisting their several quotas:

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That the money to be given for bounties be paid by the pay-master in the department where the soldier shall inlist:

That each soldier receive pay and subsistence from the time of inlistment.
The committee of treasury reported, that there is due,

To Adam Zantzinger, for the expense of five light-horse escorting money to New-York, and one from thence to Albany, 94 64-90 dollars:

To John Bates, for 300 camp-kettles delivered to Gustavus Risberg, 400 dollars:

To Philip Baker, for 289 meals of victuals, supplied captains Grier and Nelson's companies of continental troops, 18 31-90 dollars:

To David Tryon, William Green, Peter Peterson, George Landers, and. Samuel Brush, for the hire of their shallops, with continental troops and baggage, from Wilmington to Trenton, 104 dollars:

Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.

Resolved, That to-morrow be assigned for taking into consideration the articles of war.

The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.

TUESDAY, September 17, 1776.

A letter of the 23d of August, from V. De Coetry Prejent, was read, and referred to the marine committee.

The state of Maryland having recommended Thomas Beale, esq. to be cap. tain; Peter Contee Hanson first-lieutenant; James Lingan second-lieutenant, and Richard Dorsey third-lieutenant, in colonel Stevenson's battalion ; and Elijah Evans to be a third-lieutenant in the said battalion, in the room of Henry Hardman, who has resigned,

Resolved, That they be accepted, and commissions granted to them accordingly.

The committee appointed to confer with lord Howe, agreeable to the order of Congress, brought in a report in writing, which was read as follows:

"In obedience to the orders of Congress, we have had a meeting with lord Howe. It was on Wednesday last, upon Staten-island, opposite to Amboy, where his lordship received and entertained us with the utmost politeness.

His lordship opened the conversation, by acquainting us, that, though he could not treat with us as a committee of Congress, yet, as his powers enabled him to confer and consult with any private gentlemen of influence in the colonies, on the means of restoring peace between the two countries, he was glad of this opportunity of conferring with us on that subject, if we thought ourselves at liberty to enter into a conference with him in that character. We observed to his lordship, that, as our business was to hear, he might consider us in what light he pleased, and communicate to us any propositions he might be authorized to make for the purpose mentioned; but that we could consider ourselves in no other character than that in which we were placed, by order of Congress. His lordship then entered into a discourse of a considerable length, which contained no explicit proposition of peace, except one, namely, that the colonies should return to their allegiance and obedience to the government of Great-Britain. The rest consisted principally of assurances, that there was an exceeding good disposition in the king and his ministers to make that government easy to us, with intimations, that, in case of our submission, they would cause the offensive acts of parliament to be revised, and the instructions to governors to be reconsidered; that so, if any just causes of complaint were found in the acts, or any errors in government were perceived to have crept into the instructions, they might be amended or withdrawn.

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We gave it as our opinion to his lordship, that a return to the domination of Great-Britain was not now to Le expected. We mentioned the re

peated humble petitions of the colonies to the king and parliament, which had been treated with contempt, and answered only by additional injuries; the unexampled patience we had shown under their tyrannical government, and that it was not till the late act of parliament which denounced war against us and put us out of the king's protection, that we declared our independence: that this declaration had been called for by the people of the colonies in ge neral; that every colony had approved of it, when made, and all now cons dered themselves as independent states, and were settling, or had settled, their governments accordingly; so, that it was not in the power of Congress to agree for them, that they should return to their former dependent state; that there was no doubt of their inclination to peace, and their willingness to enter into a treaty with Great-Britain, that might be advantageous to both countries; that though his lordship had, at present, no power to treat with them as inde pendent states, he might, if there was the same good disposition in Britais, much sooner obtain fresh powers from thence, for that purpose, than power could be obtained by Congress, from the several colonies, to consent to a submission.

"His lordship then saying, that he was sorry to find, that no accommodation was like to take place, put an end to the conference.

"Upon the whole, it did not appear to your committee, that his lordship's commission contained any other authority than that expressed in the act of parliament, namely, that of granting pardons, with such exceptions as the commissioners shall think proper to make, and of declaring America, or any part of it, to be in the king's peace, upon submission; For, as to the power of enquiring into the state of America, which his lordship mentioned to us, and of conferring and consulting with any persons the commissioners might think proper, and representing the result of such conversation to the ministry, who, provided the colonies would subject themselves, might, after all, or might not, at their pleasure, make any alterations in the former instructions to governors, or propose in parliament, any amendment of the acts complained of, we appre hended any expectation from the effect of such a power would have been too uncertain and precarious to be relied on by America, had she still continued in her state of dependence."

Ordered, That the foregoing report, and also the message from lord Howe, as delivered by general Sullivan, and the resolution of Congress in consequence thereof, be published by the committee who brought in the foregoing report. Ordered, That the said committee publish lord Drummond's letters to general Washington, and the general's answers.

Sundry resolutions being moved and seconded, in addition to those passed yesterday, relative to the new army: after debate,

Resolved, That they be referred to the board of war.

A letter of the 10th, from brigadier-general Lewis was read; also, a letter from James Forrest was read, and referred to the board of war.

Congress took into consideration the plan of treaties to be proposed to foreign nations, with the amendments agreed to by the committee of the whole; and the same was agreed to.

A letter, of the 16th, from general Washington, was received and read. Resolved, That the consideration of the instructions to be given to the commissioners to foreign states, be postponed till to-morrow.

Ordered, That 1066 2-3 dollars be advanced to Robert Erwin, wagon-master general.

Resolved, That the secret committee be directed, after arming the German battalion, to arm the Maryland company on its march to New-York with the remainder, or with as many arms as shall then be in their possession, belonging to the continent.

The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,
Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow.