So it passed in the negative. Ordered, That the farther consideration of the report be postponed till to morrow. On motion of Mr. Lee, seconded by Mr. Holten, Ordered, That the secretary at war lay before Congress monthly returns of the officers and men who were actually in service and pay of the United States during the year 1782. WEDNESDAY, February 26, 1783. On motion of Mr. Madison, seconded by Mr. Mercer: Resolved, That it be recommended to the executives of the several states, whenever any outrages unauthorized by the laws of war, shall be committed on the persons or properties of their respective citizens, by any persons in the service of the enemy, to transmit immediate information thereof to the commander in chief or the commanding officer of a separate army, in order that the measures may be pursued which are pointed out in the resolution of the 8th day of Nov. 1782. Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee, which was under debate yesterday, when a motion was made by Mr. Hamilton, seconded by Mr. Peters, that the blank in the report be filled with the words "five and a half:" And on the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Hamilton, So the question was lost. A motion was then made by Mr. Gorham, seconded by Mr. Bland, that the blank be filled with the word “five :” And on the question to agree to this motion, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland, So it was resolved in the affirmative. Ordered, That the farther consideration of the report be postponed. A letter, of this day, from the superintendent of finance, was read, stating that a number of those who contracted engagements with him, place a personal reliance on him for the fulfilment of them: that as the time approaches fast when he will quit the office, namely, the last of May, as mentioned in his letter of the 24th of January, he thinks it necessary to convey this information to those who have confided in him, and therefore praying that the injunction of secrecy on his letter of the 24th of January, may be taken off: Ordered, That the injunction of secrecy, aforesaid, be annulled, and that the letters be referred to a committee. THURSDAY, February 27, 1783. Mr. Stephen Higginson, a delegate for the state of Massachusetts, attended, and produced the credentials of his appointment, by which it appears, that on the 24th of October, 1782, he was by joint ballot of the senate and house of representatives, elected a delegate to represent that commonwealth in the United States in Congress assembled, for one year, commencing the first Monday of November, 1782. On a report of a grand committee, consisting of a member from each state, to whom was referred a petition of John Hall: Resolved, That all those for the settlement of whose accounts no special provision hath heretofore been made, either by references to the states, or by the appointment of commissioners for states or departments, or otherwise, do settle their accounts at the treasury in the usual manner; and that any balances which may be found due to them, previous to the first day of January, 1782, be placed on interest in common with other debts due by the United States. FRIDAY, February 28, 1783. Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee, which was under debate on the 25th and 26th instant; and on the question to agree to the first part thereof, as amended, relative to officers now in service, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland, There being only seven states in the affirmative, a question was moved by Mr. Bland, seconded by Mr. Madison, "Is the proposition on which the question was just taken, for allowing a composition for half-pay, a proposition which requires the assent of nine states?" And on this question, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland, ay ay ay ay So it was resolved in the affirmative; and consequently the foregoing question was lost. The committee, consisting of Mr. Williamson, Mr. Dyer and Mr. Condict, to whom was referred a letter of the 18th from the secretary for foreign affairs, made a report; Whereupon, Resolved, That all letters to and from the heads of departments, on public service, are free, and ought not to be detained for want of the words on public service, endorsed. MONDAY, March 3, 1783. Mr. Thomas Sim Lee, a delegate for Maryland, attended, produced the credentials of his appointment for the current year, and took his seat in Congress. On the report of the secretary at war, to whom was referred a memorial of colonel Shreve, late of the New-Jersey line; Resolved, That the pay-master, in adjusting the accounts of colonel Shreve, late of the New-Jersey line, be directed to continue his allowance of pay to the 31st of January, 1781. On the report of the secretary at war, to whom was referred a memorial of captain Sumner : Ordered, That the secretary at war issue to captain Sumner, the commission of major, bearing date on the 1st day of October, 1782. The committee, consisting of Mr. Rutledge, Mr. Madison and Mr. Peters, appointed in pursuance of a conference with a committee of the general assembly of the state of Pennsylvania, to report an ordinance for amending the ordinance of the 5th of April, 1781, for establishing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, reported the draught of an ordinance, which was read a first and second time: Ordered, That to-morrow be assigned for the third reading. TUESDAY, March 4, 1783. A motion was made by Mr. Hamilton, seconded by Mr. Floyd: "Whereas in the opinion of Congress, it is essential to those principles of justice and liberality, which ought to govern the intercourse between these states, that in the final adjustment of accounts for the supplies or contributions of the states respectively, towards the common expenses in the course of the war, equitable allowances should be made in favor of those states, parts of which have been at different periods in possession of the enemy: and whereas the strict application of the rule prescribed by the 8th article of the confederation, as declared by the resolution of the 17th February, would operate greatly to the prejudice of such states, and to the calamities of war, add an undue proportion of the public burthen. Resolved, That Congress will, in the application of the said rule, make such abatements in favour of the said states, as from a full consideration of circumstances shall appear to them just and equitable, for the time the said parts of the said states may have been in possession of the enemy." A motion was made by Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. White, that the consideration of the foregoing motion be postponed: And on the question for postponing, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Hamilton, So the question was lost. On the question to agree to the first motion, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Hamilton, N-Hampshire, Mr. Gilman, White, Massachusetts, Mr. Holten, Fitzsimmons, ay div. no Osgood, Gorham, no Maryland, Mr. T. S. Lee, סנן Rhode Island, Mr. Collins, * ay Connecticut, Mr. Wolcott, no Dyer, no Š New-York, Mr. Floyd, ay Hamilton, ay say no S.-Carolina, Williamson, no no So it passed in the negative. Izard, no no по According to order, the ordinance was read a third time, and passed as fol lows: An ordinance to amend an ordinance, entitled "an ordinance for establishing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas." Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the justices of the supreme or superior court of judicature, and the judge of the admiralty, or any two or more of them, including the judge of the admiralty in the several and respective states; or in case there shall be several judges of the admiralty in a state, the justices of the supreme or superior court of judicature, and a judge of the admiralty, to be commissioned for that purpose by the executive power of such state, or any two of them, including a judge of the admiralty, are hereby constituted and appointed a court for hearing and trying all offenders who, in and by an ordinance, entitled "an ordinance for establishing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas," passed the 5th day of April, 1781, are triable before the justices of the supreme or superior court of judicature and judge of the court of admiralty of the several and respective states, or any two or more of them; provided that nothing herein contained shall extend to prosecutions already commenced, which shall be determined in the same manner as if this ordinance had never been made. Done, &c. WEDNESDAY, March 5, 1783. The committee, consisting of Mr. Rutledge, Mr. Gorham and Mr. Wolcott, to whom were referred the letters of the 24th of January and 26th of February last, from the superintendent of finance, having reported, "that it does not appear to the committee to be necessary that Congress should take any immediate measures respecting the office of finance." A motion was made by Mr. Bland, seconded by Mr. A. Lee, that the report of the committee be postponed, in order to take into consideration the following motion: "That a committee be appointed to devise the most proper means of arranging the department of finance." A motion was made by Mr. Rutledge, seconded by Mr. Holten, "that the report and motion be committed :" And on the question for commitment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland, N-Hampshire, Mr. Gilman, Massachusetts, Mr. Holten, ay > Pennsylvania, Mr. Mifflin, ay Fitzsimmons, no ay Osgood, Gorham, no Montgomery, no >no no So the question was lost. Izard, On the question to agree to the motion of Mr. Bland, the yeas and nays be ing required by Mr. Bland, So the question was lost. A motion was then made by Mr. Williamson, seconded by Mr. Gilman, "That the report of the committee be postponed, in order to take into consideration the following motion: That a committee be appointed to devise the most proper steps to be taken in consequence of the letters of the 24th of January and 6th of February, from the superintendent of finance: And on the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Gilman, |