To James Budden, for hire of waggons and expences of prisoners, &c. to Reading and Carlisle, 164 54/90ths dollars:

Ordered, That the said accounts be paid.

The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,

Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 1776

A letter of the 21 from General Washington, enclosing a copy of a letter from him to Lord Howe, together with his lordship's answer, was laid before Congress, and read: 1

Resolved, That the same be referred to the Board of War, with orders to publish such parts as they think proper of the letter from General Washington to Lord Howe, and his lordship's answer.

A petition from William Holton was read,

Resolved, That it be referred to the Marine Committee. A petition from James M'Henry was read;

Resolved, That it be referred to the Medical Committee. A petition from Lewis Prahl, gun smith, was presented to Congress and read; praying that the work men in his manufactory may be exempted from going to the flying camp, and particularly that two of his hands, who have inlisted, may be discharged:

Resolved, That the prayer of the petition be granted.

The delegates from Pensylvania and Connecticut, to whom was referred the application of the convention of Pensylvania, and the inhabitants settled under Connecti

1This letter, with enclosures, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folio 459.

cut, in the town of Westmoreland, brought in their report, which was taken into consideration; Whereupon,

Resolved, That six companies, on the continental establishment, be raised in Pensylvania, and posted along the frontiers of the counties of Northampton and Northumberland and parts adjacent, till further orders of Congress:

That suitable persons be recommended to Congress, by the convention of Pensylvania, for a lieutenant colonel and major, to command said forces, to be appointed by Congress, and that the said convention appoint the captains and subalterns:

That two companies, on the continental establishment, be raised in the town of Westmoreland, and stationed in proper places for the defence of the inhabitants of the said town and parts adjacent, till farther orders of Congress; the commission officers for the said two companies to be immediately appointed by Congress:

That the pay of the men to be raised as aforesaid, commence when they are armed and mustered, and that they be liable to serve in any part of the United States, when ordered by Congress:

That the said troops be inlisted to serve during the war, unless sooner discharged by Congress.

Resolved, That any number of troops, ordered into the service of the continent, by Maryland, above the quota of that state, be taken into continental pay.

A letter from Mrs. Temple, of Charlestown, in Massachusetts bay, was laid before Congress, and read:

Resolved, That it be referred to a committee of three. The members chosen, Mr. [William] Hooper, Mr. [Thomas] Heyward, and Mr. [Thomas] Stone.

Resolved, That an order for 30,000 dollars be drawn on

the treasurers, in favour of Mr. James Mease, commissary, for the public service; he to be accountable.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report from the Marine Committee; Whereupon,

Resolved, That the Marine Committee be authorized and empowered to purchase materials, in all such parts of America as they may think proper, for building more ships of war, and that the said committee report to Congress a plan of the ships that should be built in addition to the present navy.

The several matters to this day referred, being postponed,

Adjourned to 10 o'Clock on Monday.

MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1776

Three letters, from General Washington, of the 22d and 23d, with sundry papers enclosed; also

A letter of the 18, from General Schuyler, were laid before Congress, and read; and the same, together with the minutes of the treaty held with the Indians at the German Flats, were referred to the standing committee on Indian affairs.||1

A letter from William Coxe and others, owners of three privateers fitting out in Philadelphia, was laid before Congress and read.

Resolved, That it be referred to the Marine Committee. A petition from George Measam was presented to Congress and read.

Resolved, That it be referred to the Board of War.2

1Two letters of Washington of these dates and one of the 24th are in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 152, II, folios 471, 483, and 487. That of Schuyler is in No. 153, II, folio 285.

"This petition, dated Philadelphia, August 25, 1776, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, V, folio 27.

A letter from William Finnie, deputy quarter master general in the southern department, was laid before Congress, and read.1

Resolved, That the said letter, together with the letters from General Washington, with the papers enclosed, be referred to the Board of War.

That the letter from General Schuyler, with the minutes of the treaty held with the six Nations, at the German Flats, be referred to the standing committee on Indian affairs.

Congress proceeded to the election of sundry officers, when Jonathan Dayton was elected regimental pay master of Colonel Dayton's batallion; Robert Durkee and Samuel Ransom, were elected captains of the two companies ordered to be raised at Westmoreland; James Welles and Perin Ross, first lieutenants; Asahel Buck and Simon Spalding, second lieutenants; Heman Swift and Matthew Hollomback, ensigns of the said companies. On application from the convention of the state of Pensylvania,

Resolved, That one hundred thousand dollars be lent to the said convention of Pensylvania, to be put into the hands of the council of safety of the said state, which is to be accountable.

Resolved, That the Secret Committee be directed to send to Captain Durkee two hundred pounds of powder, and a proportionable quantity of lead, for the use of the two companies to be raised at Westmoreland.

Resolved, That an order for five hundred dollars be drawn on the treasurer, in favour of Mr. Philip Schuyler, in full for 500 lb. of powder purchased on the Eastern Shore, for the use of the continental forces.

'This letter, dated August 17, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, IX, folio 39.

Resolved, That the president be empowered to give orders for the payment of the bills drawn by the treasurers of North Carolina, for the use of the continental forces in that state.

On application of the parties,

Resolved, That the hearing and determining upon the appeal against the verdict and judgment passed upon the schooner Thistle, be farther postponed to Monday, the 9th of September next.

A petition from sundry paper makers was presented to Congress, and read, praying that Nathan Sellers, an associator in Colonel Paschall's batallion, and who has marched to New Jersey, may be ordered to return, to make and prepare suitable moulds, washers, and utensils for carrying on the paper manufactory:

Resolved, That the prayer of the petition be granted. Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on disabled soldiers and seamen, which was agreed, as follows:

Whereas, in the course of the present war, some commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the army and navy, as also private soldiers, marines, and seamen, may lose a limb, or be otherwise so disabled as to prevent their serving in the army or navy, or getting their livelihood, and may stand in need of relief:

Resolved, That every commissioned officer, non-commissioned officer, and private soldier, who shall lose a limb in any engagement, or be so disabled in the service of the United States of America as to render him incapable afterwards of getting a livelihood, shall receive, during his life, or the continuance of such disability, the one half of his monthly pay from and after the time that his pay as an officer or soldier ceases; to be paid by the committee as hereafter mentioned: