A land tax at the rate of located and surveyed land:

ninetieths of a dollar for every 100 acres of

A house tax at the general rate of half a dollar for each dwelling-house (cottages excepted) and at the additional rate of two and a half per cent. on whatever sum the rent of the said house may exceed 20 dollars, to be calculated on the actual rent, when the house is rented, and when in the occupancy of the owner, on an appraised rent by commissioners under oath, appointed by the state once in years; the lot and the appurtenances in towns, and in the country, the out houses, garden and orchard, to be comprehended with the dwelling house. The duties on imports to pass to the general benefit of the United States, without credit for the proceeds to any particular states; but the product of the land and house taxes to be credited to each state in which they shall arise. The said funds to continue till the principal of the debt due by the United States at the termination of the present war shall be finally discharged.

That an estimate be transmitted to each state of the amount of the public debt as far as the same can be ascertained; and that Congress will inviolably adhere to their resolutions of the 16th day of December last, respecting the appropriation of any funds which may be granted, and the annual transmission of the state of the public debt, and the proceeds and disposition of the said funds; by which all doubts and apprehensions, respecting the perpetuity of the public debt, may be effectually removed:

That none of the preceding resolutions shall take effect, &c. (in the words of the report, to the end.)

And on the question for postponing, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Hamilton,

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the means of restoring and supporting public credit, and of obtaining from the states substantial funds for funding the whole debt of the United States, and three paragraphs of the report, beginning with the words "that it be further recommended" to the words "whole revenue received from each state" inclusively, being re-committed;

A motion was made by Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Bland,

"That Congress now take up and complete that part of the report for supporting and establishing public credit, which relates to the raising a revenue by imposts upon imported goods and merchandise:"

And on the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland,

The committee, consisting of Mr. Gorham, Mr. Collins and Mr. Fitzsimmons, to whom was re-committed the ordinance on the memorial from the inhabitants of Nantucket, reported the draught of a passport, which was read and agreed to. On the report of a committee, consisting of Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Dyer and Mr. Bedford, to whom was referred a motion of Mr. Dyer, together with the memorial of the officers of the army, and the report of the committee thereon; Congress came to the following resolutions:

Whereas the officers of the several lines under the immediate command of his excellency general Washington, did, by their late memorial transmitted by their committee, represent to Congress, that the half-pay granted by sundry resolutions, was regarded in an unfavourable light by the citizens of some of these states, who would prefer a compensation for a limited term of years, or by a sum in gross, to an establishment for life; and did, on that account, solicit a commutation of their half pay for an equivalent in one of the two modes abovementioned, in order to remove all subject of dissatisfaction from the minds of their fellow-citizens and whereas Congress are desirous, as well of gratifying the reasonable expectations of the officers of the army, as of removing all objections which may exist in any part of the United States, to the principle of the half pay establishment, for which the faith of the United States hath been pledged; persuaded that those objections can only arise from the nature of the compensation, not from any indisposition to compensate those whose services, sacrifices and sufferings, have so just a title to the approbation and rewards of their country:

Therefore, Resolved, That such officers as are now in service, and shall continue therein to the end of the war, shall be entitled to receive the amount of five years' full pay in money, or securities on interest at six per cent. per annum, as Congress shall find most convenient, instead of the half pay promised for life, by the resolution of the 21st day of October, 1780; the said securities to be such as shall be given to other creditors of the United States, provided it be at the option of the lines of the respective states, and not of officers individually in those lines, to accept or refuse the same; and provided also, that their election shall be signified to Congress through the commander in chief, from the lines under his immediate command, within two months, and through the commanding officer of the southern army, from those under his command, within six months from the date of this resolution:

That the same commutation shall extend to the corps not belonging to the lines of particular states, and who are entitled to half pay for life as aforesaid; the acceptance or refusal to be determined by corps, and to be signified in the same manner, and within the same time as abovementioned:

That all officers belonging to the hospital department, who are entitled to

half pay by the resolution of the 17th day of January, 1781, may collectively agree to accept or refuse the aforesaid commutation, signifying the same through the commander in chief within six months from this time: that such officers as have retired at different periods, entitled to half pay for life, may collectively, in each state of which they are inhabitants, accept or refuse the same; their acceptance or refusal to be signified by agents authorized for that purpose, within six months from this period; that with respect to such retiring officers, the commutation, if accepted by them, shall be in lieu of whatever may be now due to them since the time of their retiring from service, as well as of what might hereafter become due; and that so soon as their acceptance shall be signified, the superintendent of finance be, and he is hereby directed to take measures for the settlement of their accounts accordingly, and to issue to them certificates bearing interest at six per cent. That all officers entitled to half pay for life not included in the preceding resolution, may also collectively agree to accept or refuse the aforesaid commutation, signifying the same within six

months from this time.

On the question to agree to the foregoing act, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Condict, N-Hampshire, Mr. Gilman,

White,

no

Pennsylvania, Mr. Fitzsimmons, ay

no

}

no

}

ay

Rhode Island, Mr. Arnold,

no

Connecticut,

Mr. Wolcott,

ayay Virginia,

Yay

Mr. Floyd,

ay

Hamilton,

ay

ay

Clark,
Condict,

no

no IN-Carolina,

no

Say

S.-Carolina,

So it was resolved in the affirmative.

MONDAY, March 24, 1783.

A letter, of February 5, from the marquis de la Fayette, announcing a general peace, and a copy of orders given by the count D'Estaing, vice-admiral of France, to the chevalier Du Quesne, commander of the corvette Triumph, despatched from Cadiz the 6th of February last, for the purpose of putting a stop to all hostilities by sea; being laid before Congress and read:

Resolved, That the agent of marine be, and he is hereby directed immediately to re-call all armed vessels cruizing under commissions from the United States of America.

WEDNESDAY, March 26, 1783.

On the report of a committee, consisting of Mr. Bland, Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Peters, to whom were referred a letter of the 7th, from the commander in chief, and a letter of the 13th, from col. Armand:

Colonel Armand having entered at an early period of the war into the army of the United States with the rank of colonel, and having served with distinction in that rank, so as to acquire the particular approbation of the commander in chief for his intelligence, zeal and bravery,

Resolved, That in consideration of the merit and services of colonel Armand, he be promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, retaining the command of his present corps.

On the report of a committee, consisting of Mr. Gervais, Mr. Williamson and Mr. Bland, to whom was referred a memorial of Charles Mortimer:

Resolved, That Dr. Charles Mortimer's account be settled for pay and rations on the same principle as a junior surgeon, for the term of nine months, during which he appears to have been in the public service:

That the director-general in the hospital department, take order for delivering to Dr. Mortimer a quantity of medicines equal to what he has expended in the public hospital.

FRIDAY, March 28, 1783.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the means of restoring and supporting public credit, and of obtaining from the states substantial funds for funding the whole debt of the United States; and the last clause being amended to read as follows:

"That as a more convenient and certain rule of ascertaining the proportious to be supplied by the states respectively, to the common treasury, the following alteration in the articles of confederation and perpetual union between the states be, and the same is hereby agreed to in Congress, and the several states are advised to authorize their respective delegates to subscribe and ratify the same, as part of the said instrument of union, in the words following, to wit: "So much of the 8th of the articles of confederation and perpetual union, as is contained in the words following, to wit: All charges of war and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defence or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states in proportion to the value of all land within each state, granted to or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be esti mated according to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled shall, from time to time, direct and appoint, is hereby revoked and made void; and in place thereof it is declared and concluded, the same having been agreed to in a Congress of the United States, that all charges of war and all other expenses that have been or shall be incurred for the common defence or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, except so far as shall be otherwise provided for, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states in proportion to the whole number of free inhabitants, and 3-5ths of the number of all other inhabitants of every sex and condition, except Indians not paying taxes in each state; which number shall be triennially taken and transmitted to the United States in Congress assembled, in such mode as they shall direct and appoint."

A motion was made by Mr. Bland, seconded by Mr. A. Lee, that the same be struck out of the report:

And on the question, shall the paragraph, as amended, stand as part of the report? the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland,

So the question was lost, and the paragraph struck out.

SATURDAY, March 29, 1783.

A motion was made by Mr. A. Lee, seconded by Mr. Holten, "that the superintendent of finance do lay before Congress immediately, an account of all monies which were in his hands at his coming into office, or have been received since for the public use, together with the application of all such monies in each month, distinguishing the date of each payment, the person to whom, and the purpose for which such payment was made."

A motion was made by Mr. Osgood, seconded by Mr. Williamson, that the motion be committed:

And on the question for commitment, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. A. Lee,

So the question was lost.

A motion was then made by Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Williamson," that the motion of Mr. Lee be postponed, in order to fill up the committees of five, appointed on the 1st Monday in July and the 1st Monday in January last, pursuant to the resolution of the 17th of June, 1782 :" and on the question for postponing, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. A. Lee,

N.-Hampshire, Mr. Gilman,

White,

Massachusetts, Mr. Holten,

ךno

Higginson,

noJ

Virginia,

Rhode-Island, Mr. Collins,

Arnold,

no

Connecticut,

New-York,

Mr. Floyd,

Hamilton,

no

Williamson,

div

ay

New-Jersey,

Mr. Rutledge,

ay

Clark,

ay S

ay

Pennsylvania, Mr. Mifflin,

ΠΟ

Fitzsimmons, no

no

A motion was then made by Mr. Madison, seconded by Mr. Wilson, that the motion before the house be postponed, in order to take into consideration the following motion:

day

"That it be the duty of the superintendent of finance, with as little delay as may be, and thereafter on the in every year, to lay before the United States in Congress assembled, a state of all monies received into his department, with the times when, and the persons from whom they