By which said preliminary articles it hath been agreed, that as soon as the same were ratified, hostilities between the said kings, their kingdoms, states and subjects, should cease in all parts of the world: and it was further agreed, that all vessels and effects that might be taken in the channel and in the North seas, after the space of 12 days from the ratification of the said preliminary articles, should be restored; that the term should be one month from the channel and North seas as far as the Canary islands, inclusively, whether in the ocean or the Mediterranean; two months from the said Canary islands as far as the equinoctial line or equator: and lastly, five months in all other parts of the world, without any exception or more particular description of time or place: and whereas it was declared by the minister plenipotentiary of the king of Great-Britain, in the name and by the express order of the king his master, on the said 20th day of January last, that the said United States of America, their subjects and their possessions, shall be comprised in the above mentioned suspension of arms, at the same epochs, and in the same manner as the three crowns above mentioned, their subjects and possessions respectively; upon condition, that on the part and in the name of the United States of America, a similar declaration shall be delivered, expressly declaring their assent to the said suspension of arms, and containing an assurance of the most perfect reciprocity on their part: and whereas the ministers plenipotentiary of these United States, did, on the 20th day of January, in the name and by the authority of the said United States, accept the said declaration, and declare that the said states should cause all hostilities to cease against his Britannic majesty, his subjects and his possessions, at the terms and epochs agreed upon between his said majesty the king of Great-Britain, his majesty the king of France, and his majesty the king of Spain, so and in the same manner as had been agreed upon between those three crowns, and to produce the same effects: and whereas the ratifications of the said preliminary articles, between their most Christian and Britannic majesties, were exchanged by their ministers on the 3d day of February last; and between his Britannic majesty and the king of Spain, on the 9th day of February last: and whereas it is our will and pleasure, that the cessation of hostilities between the United States of America and his Britannic majesty, should be conformable to the epochs fixed between their most Christian and Britannic majesties: We have thought fit to make known the same to the citizens of these states; and we hereby strictly charge and command all our officers, both by sea and land, and other subjects of these United States, to forbear all acts of hostility, either by sea or by land, against his Britannic majesty or his subjects, from and after the respective times agreed upon between their most Christian and Britannic majesties, as aforesaid. And we do further require all governors and others, the executive powers of these United States respectively, to cause this our proclamation to be made public, to the end that the same may be duly observed within their several jurisdictions. Done in Congress, &c. On the question to agree to the foregoing proclamation, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Mercer, Congress took into consideration the articles agreed upon at Paris, on the 30th day of November last, entitled "Articles agreed upon by and between Richard Oswald, esq. the commissioner of his Britannic majesty, for treating of peace with the commissioners of the United States of America, in behalf of his said majesty on the one part, and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and Henry Laurens, four of the commissioners of the said states, for treating of peace with the commissioner of his said majesty, on their behalf, on the other part; to be inserted in, and to constitute the treaty of peace pro posed to be concluded between the crown of Great-Britain and the said United States; but which treaty is not to be concluded until terms of peace shall be agreed upon between Great-Britain and France, aud his Britannic majesty shall be ready to conclude such treaty accordingly ;" and thereupon, Resolved, That the agent of marine cause all the naval prisoners to be set at liberty. Resolved, That the commander in chief be, and he is hereby instructed to make the proper arrangements with the commander in chief of the British forces, for receiving possession of the posts in the United States occupied by the troops of his Britannic majesty; and for obtaining the delivery of all negroes and other property of the inhabitants of the United States in the possession of the British forces, or any subjects of, or adherents to his said Britannic majesty; and that the secretary at war, in conjunction with the commander in chief, take proper arrangements for setting at liberty all land prisoners. When the foregoing resolution was under debate, a motion was made by Mr. Clark, seconded by Mr. Dyer, to strike out the words "in conjunction with the commander in chief:" And on the question, shall those words stand? the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Williamson, So it was resolved in the affirmative. WEDNESDAY, April 16, 1783. A motion was made by Mr. Hamilton, seconded by Mr. Bland, to re-consider the resolution passed yesterday, viz. "That the commander in chief," &c. to the end, in order to take into consideration the following proposition in lieu thereof, viz. "That the commander in chief be directed to enter into preparatory arrangements, relative to the 7th article of the said treaty, with the commanders in chief of the British land and naval forces in America:" And on the question, to re-consider for the purpose abovementioned, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Williamson, N-Hampshire, Mr. White, no > * Massachusetts, Mr. Holten, Delaware, no Gorham, no S Rhode-Island, Mr. Collins, Virginia, Arnold, Hamilton, 42, 4y Williamson, ay ay S.-Carolina, Mr. Rutledge, no no no no Izard, ay ay ཡིད་ Pennsylvania, Mr. Mifflin, no THURSDAY, April 17, 1783. On the report of a committee, consisting of Mr. Osgood, Mr. Bland, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Wolcott and Mr. Peters, to whom was referred a letter of the 14th, from the secretary at war: Resolved, That immediate measures be taken for the sale of all the dragoon horses belonging to the United States, and of all such articles in the several military departments, as may not be necessary for the use of the army, previous to its reduction, or for the formation of magazines on a peace establishment. Congress resumed the consideration of the report on revenue, when a motion was made by Mr. Gervais, seconded by Mr. Dyer, to strike out the duty of 1-8th of a dollar per bushel upon salt: And on the question, shall that part of the report stand? the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Gervais, So the question was lost, and that clause, as well as the bounty of 1-8 of a dollar per quintal of dried fish, and of a like sum per barrel of beef or pork exported, were struck out. FRIDAY, April 18, 1783. Congress resumed the consideration of the report on finance, and the following paragraph being under debate: That as a further mean, as well of hastening the extinguishment of the debts, as of establishing the harmony of the United States, it be recommended to the states which have passed no acts towards complying with the resolutions of Congress of the 6th of September and 10th of October, 1780, relative to territorial cessions, to make the liberal cessions therein recommended; and to the states which may have passed acts complying with the said resolutions in part only, to revise and complete such compliance." A motion was made by Mr. Bland, seconded by Mr. Rutledge, to strike out the words "and to the states which may have passed acts complying with the said resolutions in part only, to revise and complete such compliance :" And on the question shall those words stand? the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Bland, Congress proceeded in the consideration of the report, and sundry amendments being made, Resolved, by nine states, That it be recommended to the several states, as indispensably necessary to the restoration of public credit, and to the punctual and honorable discharge of the public debts, to invest the United States in Congress assembled, with a power to levy for the use of the United States, the following duties upon goods imported into the said states from any foreign port, island or plantation: Provided, that none of the said duties shall be applied to any other purpose than the discharge of the interest or principal of the debts contracted on the faith of the United States, for supporting the war, agreeably to the resolution of the 16th day of December last, nor be continued for a longer term than 25 years: and provided, that the collectors of the said duties shall be appointed by the states, within' which their offices are to be respectively exercised, but when so appointed, shall be amenable to, and removable by the United States in Congress assembled, alone; and in case any state shall not make such appointment within one month after notice given for that purpose, the appointment may then be made by the United States in Congress assembled: That it be further recommended to the several states, to establish for a term limited to 25 years, and to appropriate to the discharge of the interest and principal of the debts contracted on the faith of the United States for supporting the war, substantial and effectual revenues of such nature as they may judge most convenient, for supplying their respective proportions of 1,500,000 dollars annually, exclusive of the aforementioned duties, which proportion shall be fixed and equalized, from time to time, according to the rule which is or may be prescribed by the articles of confederation; and in case the revenues established by any state, shall at any time yield a sum exceeding its actual proportion, the excess shall be refunded to it; and in case the revenues of any state shall be found to be deficient, the immediate deficiency shall be made up by such state with as little delay as possible, and a future deficiency guarded against by an enlargement of the revenues established: provided that until the rule of the confederation can be carried into practice, the proportions of the said 1,500,000 dollars shall be as follows, viz. The said last mentioned revenues to be collected by persons appointed as aforesaid, but to be carried to the separate credit of the states within which they shall be collected. That an annual account of the proceeds and application of all the aforementioned revenues, shall be made out and transmitted to the several states, distinguishing the proceeds of each of the specified articles, and the amount of the whole revenue received from each state, together with the allowances made to the several officers employed in the collection of the said revenues. That none of the preceding resolutions shall take effect until all of them shall be acceded to by every state, after which unanimous accession, however, they shall be considered as forming a mutual compact among all the states, and shall be irrevocable by any one or more of them without the concurrence of the whole, or of a majority of the United States in Congress assembled. That as a further mean, as well of hastening the extinguishment of the debts as of establishing the harmony of the United States, it be recommended to the states which have passed no acts towards complying with the resolutions of Congress of the 6th of September and 10th of October, 1780, relative to the cession of territorial claims, to make the liberal cessions therein recommended, and to the states which may have passed acts complying with the said resolutions in part only, to revise and complete such compliance. That as a more convenient and certain rule of ascertaining the proportions to be supplied by the states respectively to the common treasury, the following alteration in the articles of confederation and perpetual union, between these 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, between the thirteen states of America, 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 estimated 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, that 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 white and other free citizens and inhabitants, of every age, sex and condition, including those bound to servitude for a term of years, and 3-5ths of all other persons not comprehended in the foregoing description, 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. On the question to agree to the foregoing act, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. Arnold, N-Hampshire, Mr. White, Massachusetts, Mr. Holton, ay Osgood, Pennsylvania, Mr. Fitzsimmons, Bedford, Madison, Mr. Hawkins, Williamson, Mr. Rutledge, Gervais, ay ay ay ay Maryland, ay 22 } 25 no Virginia, ay ay ay div. 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 ay 2, 3 y ay ay ay شه شد So it was resolved in the affirmative. |