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may be adopted to relieve the present distresses and avert-the calamities which will be otherwise inevitable.

With the Highest respect &c.

G. WASHINGTON.

Directed,

His Excellency S. Huntington.

Circular,

Sir,

PRES. OF CONGRESS TO PRES. REED, 1781.

Philadelphia, April 15, 1781.

Your Excellency will receive enclosed a resolve of Congress of the 13th Instant,* directing the Commander in Chief to transmit to the Executives of the several States, lists of the names of all the new levies belonging to each State respectively, authenticated in the manner specified in the resolve; and recommending it to the said States to cause Payment to be made to the said new Levies agreeable to such Lists, on Account of the United States.

I have the Honor to be with the highest respect,

Directed,

Your Excellency's most obedient

humble Servant.

SAM. HUNTINGTON, Presid'.

His Excellency, President Reed.

THOMAS NEVILL TO PRES. REED-STATE HOUSE STEEPLE,

1781.

Philadelphia, April 16th, 1781. May it please the Honourable the President and Council.

Since your Hon's requested me to make some calculation for the necessaries wanting, to pull down the woodwork of the steple & lower the walls thereof, but having been laid up with the Pleuresey was not able to waite on your Hon's for that purpose, but being somewhat recovered have thought proper to make the following remarks on that Business, and leave them for your Hon" consideration, viz.

1st. The form of the roof should be concluded on (which I suppose would be nothing more than a pediment pitch roof & 6 of the old urns by way of decoration.)

2d. Most of the Inclosed catalogue of materials should be provided.

* See page 73.

3d. All that heavi Fraim whereon the Bell used to hang should come down without delay which might be done without any materials except a Takle & fall, &c. And would instantly relieve the other parts of the steple of a very unnecessary & great weight.

4th. The principal leake that most effects the State house may be immediately gone about, as the chief thing wanting, for that is shingles & may be done without scaffolding.

: I would further remark to your Hon" that the wood-work of the steple may be pulled down without much expence of scaffolding, yet no part of the projections &c. can be repaired; or the Roof put on without a scaffold from the Ground, and if your Hon" approve of it I shall request a Friend of mine who is going to the Jerseys to morrow (and is well versed in those matters) to procure the catalogue of Poles on the most reasonable terms he can. And I flatter myself that if the Poles are good & straite they may be disposed of when done with, for near if not quite the first cost, as there will be very little waste of those articles, and scarce any abuse of them necessary. I waite the direction of the Honourable board.

And subscribe my self your most obedient

Humble servant.

THOS. NEVELL.*

RESOLUTIONS OF CONGRESS, 1781.

By the United States, in Congress Assembled, at Philada., April 16, 1781.

Resolved, That in settling the Accounts of Officers return'd from Captivity, the Auditors consider their Pay to the first of August last, in bills of the old emissions, agreeable to the usual mode of paying the Army; and from the said first day of August till such officers returned from Captivity or rejoin'd their Corps, in Bills of the new Emissions, issued agreeable to the Resolution of the 18th March, 1780.

That subsistance Money be allowed to the said Officers, at the Rate of one sixth of a Dollar per Ration, (in specie) and that the Monies paid to them by the Commissary of Prisoners, pursuant to former Resolutions, be charged as so much advanced.

Resolved, That the States who have not considered their said Officers in Captivity, in settling the Depreciation Accounts of their Lines of the Army receive and adjust their Demands for Depreciation, in the same manner as tho' they had not been in Captivity.

Resolved, That the Demands of Officers retiring from Service, in pursuance of the last reform from the Army, and who were not attached to the Line of any particular State, whether for Pay, Sub* See pages 46, 52.

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sistance, Forage or Depreciation, be adjusted by the Auditor of the Army, in some of the Departments or Districts. That the Balances respectively due be Certified in Specie Value, and Duplicates be transmitted to the Board of Treasury. That in settling the Depreciation Accounts the Resolutions of Congress of the 28th June last, be considered as the scale.

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Resolved, That all Warrants Issued by the Board of War in favour of Officers returned from Captivity, for Specie, contrary to the Tenor of these Resolutions, be Recalled.

Extract from the Minutes.

GEO. BOND, Dep. Sec'y.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA, TO PRES. REED, 1781.

In Council, April 17th, 1781.

Sir, I have been honoured with your Excellency's Letter, proposing the actual extension of our mutual Boundary. I presume, therefore, that the Propositions contained in the Resolutions of our Assembly of July 4, 1780, which I had the Honour to communicate to your Excellency, have been approved by your State, and that the Boundaries are to be run on the Principles therein proposed. No mode of determining the Extent of the five degrees of Longitude from Delaware River, in the Latitude of Mason's and Dixon's Line having been pointed out by your Excellency, I shall venture to propose that this be determined by Astronomical Observations, to be made at or near the two extremities of the Line, as being, in our Opinion, the most certain & unexceptionable mode of determining that Point, which being fixed, every Thing else will be easy.

Should this mode be approved by your Excellency, we have appointed the Rev. James Madison; as a Commissioner on our Part to execute the Work in the Western Quarter, and the Rev. Robert Andrews to perform the Office at the Eastern end, in Conjunction with the Gentlemen whom you have been pleased to appoint or any others on your Part. To those before named we shall add an Associate each, that the work may not be retarded or frustrated by the sickness of one. We will send to the Westward the most necessary Instruments, which we suppose to be a good Time Piece, Telescopes and a Quadrant, and hope it will be convenient for you to furnish what may be necessary at the Eastern end.

Our Commissioners will be at their Respective Stations at any Time which your Excellency shall think proper to appoint, allowing it to be a month after I shall have received your Pleasure on that Head.

I will observe to your Excellency that the Resolutions of our Assembly, after laying down the Principles on which the Boundaries were to be extended, gave full Powers to the Executive as to Time, Manner and all other Circumstances, so that there will be no Necessity of awaiting their meeting to lay before them the Resolutions of your Council, as desired in your Letter of February 26th.

I have the Honour to be

With the highest Respect,

Your Excellency's most obedient
& most H'ble Servt.,.

Directed,

THO. JEFFERSON.*

His Excellency, Joseph Reed, Esq., Philadelphia.

A. LOCHRY TO PRES. REED, 1781.

Westmoreland County, April 17th, 1781.

May it please your Excellency.

I have the honor (by the opportunity of Col. Proctor) to send my accounts of Lieutenant of this County to the 20th. Ulto. I have likewise transmitted the accounts of Col. Hays and Col. Campbell; I have called on Colonels Cook & Perry for their accounts which they have omitted to render.

I am doubtfull my accounts are not in as good order as they ought to be, but I am in hopes our unhappy and distressed situation will in some measure appologize for their Irregularity.

The Savages have begun their hostilities, since I came from Philadelphia they have struck us in four different places-have taken and killed thirteen persons with a number of horses and other Effects of the Inhabitants; two of the unhappy people were killed one mile from Hannastown.

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Our Country is worse depopulated than ever it has been. I have got a few militia to support the Frontiers, but am doubtfull I cannot keep them long on duty for want of Provisions; our situation at present seems very deplorable, and if the savages were acquainted with our Weakness, they may very easily drive the people over the Yohogania.

There is no amunition in the Country but what is public property; when the Hostilities commenced, the people came to me from all Quarters for amunition, and assured me that if I did not supply them out of the public magazine, they would not attempt to stand. Under these Circumstances I gave out a large Quantity, and would be glad to have your Excellencies approbation, as I am certain this

*See Col. Rec., Vol. XII, p. 704,-Also Archives, Vol. VIII., p. 642, &c.

County would have been evacuated had I not have supplied them with that necessary article.

I have built a magazine for the state stores, (in the form of a Block house) that will be defended with a very few men. I have never kept men to guard it as yet, and will be happy to have your Excellencys Orders to keep a Serjeants Guard at our small magazine, the Consequence of moving to the interior parts of the Country would discourage those people on the Frontiers who have so long supported it.

I rest these matters to your Excellencys Consideration and Wissdom, and beg leave to subscribe myself.

Your Excellencys most obedient,

and very humble Servant,

On Public Service.

A. LOCHRY.

Directed

To His Excellency Joseph Reed Esqr President &c., of Pennsylvania.

favr. Colo. Proctor.

PRES. REED TO COL. MILES, 1781.

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Sir,

From the advice received of the Embarkation which has taken Place at New York, the Council have concluded to send Capt. Roach to Cape May for Intelligence, if you could order him a Horse for this service it would oblige the Council, & be of publick Benefit. I am Sir,

Indorsed,
April 17 1781.

Sir,

Your obed. Hbble. Servt.

PRES. REED TO HENRY CHRIST, 1781.

We have sent by Col. Butler £2000 State money, for the Purpose of paying off the remaining Bounties, & Gratuities, which we request you to do with such clearness as to prevent future Difficulties, & guard the publick from undue Payment, which in such Cases cannot be rectified. These Men consist of two Classes. First The retained Men at Trenton who are intitled to £9 each-the Men enlisted here or afterwards in the Country who are entitled to the remainder of their Bounty, viz. £6, or £3, according as they had

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