WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH.

No Congress.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH.

The proceedings were confined to the Report of the Committee on the case of Vermont, entered on the Journal. As it was notorious that Vermont had uniformly disregarded the recommendation of Congress of 1779, the Report, which ascribed the evils prevalent in that district to a late act of New York, which violated that recommendation, was generally admitted to be unjust and unfair. Mr. HOWELL Was the only member who openly supported it. The Delegates from New York denied the fact that any violation had been committed on the part of that State. The temper of Congress, on this occasion, as the yeas and nays show, was less favorable to Vermont than on any preceding one,-the effect probably of the territorial cession of New York to the United States. In the course of the debate, Mr. HOWELL cited the case of Kentucky as somewhat parallel to that of Vermont; said that the late creation of a separate court by Virginia for the former, resembled the issuing of commissions by New York to the latter; that the jurisdiction would probably be equally resisted, and the same violences would follow as in Vermont. He was called to order by Mr. MADISON. The President and the plurality of Congress supported and enforced the call.

No Congress till

MONDAY, 18TH, AND TUESDAY 19TH, NOVEMBER.

The Journals sufficiently explain the proceedings of those days.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH.

Congress went into consideration of the Report of a Committee, consisting of Mr. CARROLL, Mr. McKEAN, and Mr. Howell, on two memòrials from the Legislature of Pennsylvania. The memorials imported a disposition to provide for the creditors of the United States within the State of Pennsylvania, out of the revenues allotted for Congress, unless such provision could be made by Congress. The Report, as an answer to the memorials, acknowledged the merit of the public creditors, professed the wishes of Congress to do them justice; referring, at the same time, to their recommendation of the impost of five per cent., which had not been acceded to by all the States; to the requisition of one million two hundred thousand dollars, for the payment of one year's interest on the public debt, and to their acceptance of the territorial cession made by New York. After some general conversation, in which the necessity of the impost, as the only fund on which loans could be expected, and the necessity of loans to supply the enormous deficiency of taxes, were urged, as also the fatal tendency of the plan intimated in the memorials, as well to the Union itself as to the system

actually adopted by Congress, the Report was committed.

A motion was made by Mr. RUTLEDGE, seconded by Mr. WILLIAMSON, to instruct the Committee to report the best mode of liquidating the domestic debts, and of obtaining a valuation of the land within the several States, as the Article of Confederation directs. The first part of the instruction was negatived, provision having been previously made on that head. In place of it the Superintendent of Finance was instructed to report the causes which impede that provision. The second part was withdrawn by the mover. A committee, however, was afterwards appointed, consisting of Mr. RUTLEDGE, Mr. NASH, Mr. DUANE, Mr. OSGOOD, and Mr. MADISON, to report the best scheme for a valuation.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST.

A report was made by a committee to whom had been referred several previous reports and propositions relative to the salaries of foreign Ministers, delivering it as the opinion of the Committee, that the salaries allowed to Ministers Plenipotentiary, to wit, two thousand five hundred pounds sterling, would not admit of reduction; but that the salary allowed to Secretaries of Legations, to wit, one thousand pounds sterling, ought to be reduced to five hundred pounds. This Committee consisted of Mr. Duane, Mr. IZARD, and Mr. MADISON, the last of whom disagreed to the opinion of his colleagues as to the reduction of the two thousand five hundred pounds allowed to Ministers Plenipotentiary.

Against a reduction it was argued that not only justice, but the dignity of the United States, required a liberal allowance to foreign servants; that gentlemen who had experienced the expense of living in Europe did not think that a less sum would be sufficient for a decent style; and that, in the instance of Mr. Arthur Lee, the expenses claimed by him and allowed by Congress exceeded the fixed salary in question.

In favor of a reduction were urged, the poverty of the United States, the simplicity of republican governments, the inconsistency of splendid allowances to Ministers, whose chief duty lay in displaying the wants of their constituents, and soliciting a supply of them; and, above all, the policy of reconciling the army to the economical arrangements imposed on them, by extending the reform to every other department.

The result of this discussion was a reference of the Report to another committee, consisting of Mr. WILLIAMSON, Mr. OSGOOD and Mr. CARROLL.

A motion was made by Mr. HoWELL, seconded by Mr. ARNOLD, recommending to the several States to settle with and satisfy, at the charge of the United States, all such temporary corps as had been raised by them respectively, with the approbation of Congress. The repugnance which appeared in Congress to go into so extensive and important a measure at this time, led the mover to withdraw it.

A motion was made by Mr. MADISON, seconded by Mr. JONES, "That the Secretary of Foreign Affairs be authorized to communicate to Foreign Ministers, who may reside near Congress, all such articles of VOL. I.-13*

intelligence received by Congress as he shall judge fit; and that he have like authority with respect to acts and resolutions passed by Congress; reporting, nevertheless, the communications which, in all such cases, he shall have made."

It was objected, by some, that such a resolution was unnecessary, the Secretary being already possessed of the authority; it was contended by others that he ought, previously to such communication, tọ report his intention to do so; others, again, were of opinion that it was unnecessary to report at all.

The motion was suggested, by casual information from the Secretary, that he had not cominunicated to the French Minister the re-appointment of Mr. Jefferson, no act of Congress having empowered or instructed him to do so.

The motion was committed to Mr. WILLIAMSON, Mr. MADISON, and Mr. PETERS.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND.

A considerable time previous to this date, a letter had been received by Congress from Mr. Henry Laurens, informing them of his discharge from captivity, and of his having authorized in the British Ministry an expectation that Earl Cornwallis should in his turn be absolved from his parole. Shortly after, a letter from Dr. Franklin informed Congress that at the pressing instance of Mr. Laurens, and in consideration of the offer of General Burgoyne for Mr. Laurens by Congress, as well as the apparent reasonableness of the thing, he had executed an instrument setting Cornwallis at liberty from his parole,