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That the sd 9 Article of the Confedn declares that the sentence of such a court shall be final & conołustve

Resolved therefore that the sd sentence ought not to be revised.

Resolved that a court should be instituted according to the sd 9th Art. of the Confedn for determining the private right of soil so far as the same is by the sd article submitted to the determination of such court.

Resolved that the 4th Monday in June next be assigned for the appearance of the ed states of Connecticut & Pennsylvania and parties by their lawful agents at the place in which before Congress or the Commee of the states wheresoever they shall be then sitting.

Resolved that the form of the notice be as follows, to be transmitted by the secretary To the claimants of the private right of soil within the territory heretofore claimed by the state of Connecticut but adjudged to belong to the state of Pennsylvania by the sentence of a federal court pronounced at Trenton on the 30th day of December 1782. To the Legislative and Executive authorities of the state of Pennsylvania

VOL. III-25

Resolved that a court be instituted according to the said ninth article of the Confederation for determining the private right of soil within the said territory so far as the same is by the sd article submitted to the determination of such a court.

Resolved That the 4th Momday in June next be assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents before Congress or the Commee of the states wheresoever they shall be then sitting.

Resolved That the form notice of the assignment of the sd day be given to the parties in the following form

To the claimants of the private right of soil within the territory Westward of the Delaware heretofore in controversy between the states of Connecticut & Pennsylvania and adjudged to the latter by the sentence of a federal court of Pennsylva &e pronounced at Trenton on the 30th day of Decemb. 1782.

It is hereby made known that pursuant to the article of the Confederation the Legistative

& Executive bodies of the state of Connecticut and sundry individuals claiming private right of soil under the state of Connecticut of the said state-have made-application to Congress relating within the territory Westward of the Delaware late in dispute between the sd state & that of Pennsylvania have made application to Congress stating that they sd-individuals and others claiming lands under grants from the sd state of Conneetiout have been disturbed in their said right of soil by others claiming under grants from the state of Pennsylva and praying for the institution of a court for determining the private right of soil in pursuance of the sd 9th article of the Confedn; and that the 4th Monday in June next is assigned for the appear. ance of the Connecticut & states of Pennsylvania and Con. neetieut parties by their lawful agents before Congress or a Commee of the states wheresoever they shall be then sitting, to proceed in the premises as by theed Confedn is directed.

By order of Congress

Charles Thomson
Secretary

It is hereby made known that sundry individuals claiming private right of soil under the state of Connecticut within the said territory have made application to Congress stating that they have been disturbed in their said right of soil by others claiming under the state of Pennsylvania & praying for the institution of a court for determining the said private right of soil in pursuance of the 9th article of Confederation: and that the 4th Monday in June next is assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents before Congress or a Commee of the states wheresoever they shall be then sitting, to proceed in the premises as by the Confederation is directed. By order of Congress. Charles Thomson, Secretary.

Resolved that the sd notice be transmitted by the Secretary to the Executives of the states of Connecticut & Legislative powers of the state of Pennsylva with a request that they take proper measures for serving the same on the parties interested under their states respectively.

The Commee having not had time to go through so much of the papers referred to them as relates to the claim of the sd state of Connecticut to territory Westward of the state of Pennsylvania beg further time for that purpose.

Resolved that the sd notice be transmitted by the Secretary to the Executives of the states of Connecticut & Pennsylvania with a request that they take proper measures for having the same served on the parties interested under their states respectively.

The Commee having not had time to go through so much of the matters referred to them as relates to the claim of the sd state of Connecticut to territory Westward of the state of Pennsylvania beg further time for that purpose.

REPORT ON LETTER FROM JOHN ALLAN.1

[January 29, 1784.]

The Commee to whom were referred the letter of John Allen of Dec. 25. 1783 to his Excy the President of Congress and the papers therein inclosed have agreed to the following resolution.

Resolved that a copy of the sd letter be sent to the Governor of Massachusetts with a recommendation that he cause enquiry to be made whether the encroachments therein suggested have been actually made on the territories of the United States of Massachusetts by the subjects of his Britannic Majesty from the government of Nova Scotia and that if he shall find them any such to have been made, that he send a representation thereof to the British Governor of Nova Scotia with a copy of the Proclamation of the United States of the 14th inst. (which should be inclosed to the Governor of Massachusetts for that purpose) requesting him in a friendly manner and as a proof of that disposition for peace and harmony which should subsist between

1 Reported to Congress by a committee consisting of Jefferson, Osgood, and Williamson, and adopted Jan. 29th. The report is in Jefferson's handwriting.

neighboring states to recall the said from off the said territory of these states the sd subjects of his Britannic Majesty so found to have incroached thereon: and that the Gov! of Massachusetts be requested to inform Congress of his proceedings herein & the result thereof.

DRAFT OF REPORT ON A COMMITTEE OF THE

STATES.1

J. MSS.

[January 30, 1784.]

The Commee to whom was referred a report on the powers with which a Commee of the States should be vested during the recess of Congress and a Motion on the same subject have agreed to the following resolutions.

Resolved that the Commee of the states which shall be appointed pursuant to the 9th article of Confederation to sit in the recess of Congress for conducting the business of the United States shall be invested with the powers of directing the determination of controversies concerning the private right of soil in the cases & according to the mode pointed out by the 9th article of the Confederation, regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians not members of any of the states:

Regulating the post offices from one state to another throughout all the United States, appointing officers of the land forces in the service of the United States, except only the commander in chief and regimental officers :

1 Congress being the executive of the United States, the continuous administration of the government required that it should always be in session. To avoid this latter necessity, it had been proposed, even as early as December, 1775 (see ante, I, 496), to constitute a committee of that body to act in its stead for certain purposes. During the war, however, the sessions were so lengthy that the need was not a pressing one, but with the termination of that, the difficulties of obtaining a Congress, and the needlessness of long sessions, once more brought the question to the front. Soon after the Congress met in Dec., 1783, a committee, consisting of Jefferson, Osgood, and Sherman, were appointed to report on the subject. For this committee Jefferson drafted the above paper, but before it was presented it was greatly curtailed and changed, as will be seen by comparing it with the report that immediately follows it.

Appointing the officers of the naval forces:

Commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the United

States:

Making rules for the governmt. & regulation of the sd land and naval forces, not inconsistent with the articles of war established by Congress directing the operations of the said land and naval forces:

Building, buying & equipping vessels previously agreed by Congress to be built, bought & equipped:

Making requisitions from the states for their quotas of men & money proportioned on them by Congress.

Superintending all offices appertaining to the United States. Directing and controuling the application of money in the detail according to the general appropriation previously made by Congress :

Supplying all vacancies by new appointments to continue in force only until Congress shall make the final appointments.

Executing in general the resolutions, orders, and Ordinances of Congress :

[torn] bling Congress at an earlier day than that to which they shall stand adjourned, if the public exigencies shall in their opinion require it.

Provided that in none of these instances they repeal or contravene any Ordinance passed by Congress.

Resolved that nine members shall be requisite to proceed to business and that no question except for adjourning from day to day, shall be determined without the concurrence of seven votes:

That the President of Congress, if a member of the said Commee, and if not a member, or if absent at any time, then a Chairman to be chosen by themselves, shall preside; the President or chairman retaining a right to vote :

That the Secretary & other officers of Congress shall attend the sd. Commee.

That they shall keep an accurate journal of their proceedings to be laid before Congress :

And that in these journals shall be entered the yeas and nays of the members when any one of them shall have desired it before the question be put.

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