صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

Ordered, That the report be received.

The report being received and read

Ordered, That it lie on the table till to-morrow.

JANUARY 8, 1777.

Congress resumed the consideration of the report from the committee of the whole; which was agreed to as follows:

Resolved, That the council of the state of Massachu-setts Bay be desired to attend to the situation of the enemy in the province of Nova Scotia ; and if they are of opinion, that an advantageous attack, in the course of the winter, or early in the spring, may be made on fort Cumberland and the said province,whereby the enemy's dock yard and other works, with such stores as cannot be speedily removed, can be destroyed, they are hereby empowered to conduct the same in behalf of these United States; to raise, subsist and pay a body of men, not exceeding three thousand, under such officers as they shall appoint for carrying on the said expedition; and for this purpose to provide suitable magazines of military and other stores, and convey them to such of the eastern portsof the said state as they shall think best. And they are desired to conduct this affair in the most secret manner that the nature of such an enterprise will admit, and to apply to Congress for a sum of money sufficient to accomplish the design which they may form. relative thereto.

Ordered, That a copy of the above be sent by express to the council of Massachusetts Bay; and that

general Washington be informed thereof; and that the said resolution, and all debates had thereon, be kept secret till the further order of Congress.

APRIL 25, 1777.

A petition from Robert Foster, of the county of Cumberland, in Nova Scotia, with sundry papers enclosed, was read.

Ordered, That the same be referred to the board of

war.

MAY 13, 1777.

The board of war to whom their report on the petition from some inhabitants of Nova Scotia was recommitted, brought in a report, which was taken into consideration: Whereupon,

Resolved, That the council of Massachusetts Bay be requested to consider the case of the inhabitants of Cumberland and Sunbury counties, in Nova Scotia, who are sufferers by their attachment to the American cause; and to devise and put in execution, at continental expense, such measures as the said council shall think practicable and prudent, for the relief of the said sufferers; and to enable such of them as may be desirous of removing to a place of greater safety, to bring off their families and effects. And the said council is hereby authorized to raise a number of men, if necessary, for that service, not exceeding five hundred, in such places as will least interfere with the raising their quota of troops for the continental army.

JULY 3, 1777.

The committee to whom the letter from David Hall and others, with the papers accompanying the same, were referred, reported

That they have attended to the business given them in charge, and have received the following information :

66

"That a considerable part of the inhabitants of "Sussex county, in the state of Delaware, have, ever "since the commencement of the present controversy "with Great Britain, acted as enemies to the American cause, and are now unfriendly and disaffected to the "constitution and government of that state, and to the "independence of the United States; that an open "and avowed intercourse has been kept up by the "disaffected in the county aforesaid with the British "ships of war, by means of which intelligence has "from time to time been given, and frequent supplies "of provisions have been afforded to the enemies of "the United States; that the disaffected in the said "county keep up a constant correspondence with those "of the same character in the counties of Worcester "and Somerset, in the state of Maryland; that some "of them have promised to conduct British sailors to "the houses of the well affected, that they might be "taken; that it is probable that enterprises of this "kind will be attempted to be put in execution; that "one person has already been taken in this way, and "put in irons; that considerable numbers of men have "been recruited for the enemy in Sussex county, and

1

"have been sent to New York; that the militia offi"cers in that county have generally resigned, and "the laws of the state of Delaware for punishing trea"sons and disaffection are rendered altogether inef"fectual by the insolence, and the numbers of the "disaffected; that a very large sum of counterfeit con"tinental money has been brought from the enemy's ships into the said county, part of which has been "circulated among the inhabitants; that there is the greatest reason to apprehend that if the enemy were "to gain the smallest advantage over the army of the "United States, and the English fleet should appear

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

upon the coasts, there would be a general insurrec"tion in that county in favour of the British king; "that in May last the president of the state of Dela

66

ware sent commissioners to inquire into the state of "the county of Sussex, and ordered them to make re"port of any treasonable practices they might be "able to discover among the inhabitants of the said "county; that a report mentioning the disaffection and "treasonable practices which the said commissioners, "from the best information they could receive, and "such observations as they had an opportunity of mak"ing, believed to prevail in the said county, was ac"cordingly made; that the assembly of the state of "Delaware met a few days after the report was made, "but adjourned without any proceedings being had "thereon:" Whereupon,

Resolved, That the regiment of continental troops now in the state of Maryland, under the command of colonel Richardson, be immediately ordered to march into the county of Sussex, in the state of Delaware,

to overawe and disarm the disaffected in that county; to put a stop to the intercourse which they carry on with the enemy, by securing all the water craft, and by every other measure which colonel Richardson shall deem necessary; and to apprehend, detain, and secure the leaders in such highly criminal practices.

AUGUST 19, 1777.

Congress taking into consideration the letter from governour Henry, of Virginia, to the delegates of that state in Congress, representing the behaviour of lieutenant colonel Carrington, of colonel Harrison's corps of artillery

Resolved, That the behaviour of lieutenant colonel Carrington towards governour Henry, as set forth in the governour's letter of the 8th instant to the delegates of Virginia, is highly indecent and reprehensible; and that unless the said lieutenant colonel Carrington, in the space of five days after being notified of this resolution, make such concessions to the governour as he and the council of that state shall

approve of, colonel Carrington be dismissed from the service of the United States.

See act twenty-third May, 1778.

NOVEMBER 29, 1777.

Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to procure a translation to be made of the articles of confederation into the French language; and to report an address to the inhabitants of Canada, inviting them

« السابقةمتابعة »