dence head, an extract of a letter purporting to be written by a gentleman in Philadelphia, and misrepresenting the state of our loans, as well as betraying the secret proposal of the Swedish Court to enter into a treaty with the United States, with the view of disproving to the people of Rhode Island the necessity of the impost of five per cent., had been handed about for several days. From the style and other circumstances, it carried strongly the appearance of being written by a Member of Congress. The unanimous suspicions were fixed on Mr. HOWELL. The mischievous tendency of such publications, and the necessity of the interposition of Congress, were also general subjects of conversation. It was imagined, too, that a detection of the person suspected would destroy in his State that influence which he exerted in misleading its counsels with respect to the impost. These circumstances led Mr. WILLIAMSON to move the proposition on this subject: "Whereas there is reason to suspect, that as well the national character of the United States, and the honor of Congress, as the finances of the said States, may be injured, and the public service greatly retarded, by some publications that have been made concerning the foreign affairs of said States: Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into this subject, and report what steps they conceive are necessary to be taken thereon." It was opposed by no one.

Mr. CLARK, Supposing it to be levelled in part at him, rose and informed Congress, that not considering the article relative to Sweden as secret in its nature, and considering himself at liberty to make any communications to his constituents, he had

disclosed it to the Assembly of New Jersey. He was told that the motion was not aimed at him, but the doctrine advanced by him was utterly inadmissible. Mr. RUTLEDGE observed, that after this frankness on the part of Mr. CLARKE, as well as from the respect due from every member to Congress, and to himself, it might be concluded, that if no member present should own the letter in question, no member present was the author of it. Mr. HoWELL was evidently perturbated, but remained silent.

The conference with the Committee of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, with subsequent information, had rendered it very evident that, unless some effectual measures were taken against separate appropriations, and in favor of the public creditors, the Legislature of that State, at its next meeting, would resume the plan which they had suspended. Mr. RUTLEDGE, in pursuance of this conviction, moved that the Superintendent of Finance be instructed to represent to the several States the mischiefs which such appropriations would produce. It was observed, with respect to this motion, that, however proper it might be as one expedient, it was, of itself, inadequate; that nothing but a permanent fund for discharging the debts of the public would divert the States from making provision for their own citizens; that a renewal of the call on Rhode Island for the impost ought to accompany the motion; that such a combination of these plans would mutually give efficacy to them, since Rhode Island would be solici tous to prevent separate appropriations, and the other States would be soothed with the hope of the impost. These observations gave rise to the motion

of Mr. HAMILTON: "That the Superintendent of Finance be, and he is hereby, directed to represent to the Legislatures of the several States the indispensable necessity for their complying with the requisitions of Congress for raising one million two hundred thousand dollars, for paying one year's interest of the domestic debt of the United States, and two millions of dollars towards defraying the expenses of the estimate for the ensuing year, and the inconveniences, embarrassments, and injuries to the public service, which will arise from the States individually making appropriations of any part of the said two millions of dollars, or any other monies required by the United States in Congress assembled; assuring them withal, that Congress are determined to make the fullest justice to the public creditors an invariable object of their counsels and exertions; that a deputation be sent to the State of Rhode Island for the purpose of making a full and just representation of the public affairs of the United States, and of urging the absolute necessity of a compliance with the resolution of Congress of the third day of February, 1781, respecting the duty on imports and prizes, as a measure essential to the safety and reputation of these States."

Against Mr. RUTLEDGE's part of the motion no objection was made; but the sending a deputation to Rhode Island was a subject of considerable debate, in which the necessity of the impost-in order to prevent separate appropriations by the States, to do equal justice to the public creditors, to maintain our national character and credit abroad, to obtain the loans essential for supplying the deficiencies of reveVOL. I.-15

nue, to prevent the encouragement which a failure of the scheme would give the enemy to persevere in the war-was fully set forth. The objections, except those which came against the scheme itself from the Delegates of Rhode Island, were drawn from the unreasonableness of the proposition. Congress ought, it was said, to wait for an official answer to their demand of an explicit answer from Rhode Island, before they could, with propriety, repeat their exhortations. To which it was replied, that although this objection might have some weight, yet the urgency of our situation, and the chance of giving a favorable turn to the negotiations on foot for peace, rendered it of little comparative significance. The objections were finally retracted, and both the propositions agreed to. The deputation elected were Mr. OSGOOD, Mr. MIFFLIN, and Mr. NASH, taken from different parts of the United States, and each from States that had fully adopted the impost, and would be represented without them, except Mr. OSGOOD, whose State, he being alone, was not represented without him.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7TH.

No Congress.

The Grand Committee met again on the business of the old paper emissions, and agreed to the plan reported by the sub-committee in pursuance of Mr. FITZSIMMONS' motion, viz: that the outstanding bills should be taken up, and certificates issued in place thereof at the rate of one real dollar for

nominal ones, and that the surpluses redeemed by particular States should be credited to them at the same rate. Mr. CARROLL alone dissented to the plan, alleging that a law of Maryland was adverse to it, which he considered as equipollent to an instruction. For filling up the blank, several rates were proposed. First, one for forty-on which the votes were, no, except Mr. HOWELL. Second, one for seventy-five, no; Mr. WHITE and Mr. HOWELL, aye. Third, one for one hundred, no; Mr. HAMILTON and Mr. FITZSIMMONS, aye. Fourth, one for one hundred and fifty, no; Mr. FITZSIMMONS, aye. The reasons urged in favor of one for forty were— first, an adherence to public faith; secondly, that the depreciation of the certificates would reduce the rate sufficiently low, they being now negotiated at the rate of three or four for one. The reason for one for seventy-five was-that the bills passed at that rate when they were called in, in the Eastern States; for one for one hundred-that as popular ideas were opposed to the stipulated rate, and as adopting the current rate might hurt the credit of other securities, which derived their value from an opinion that they would be strictly redeemed, it was best to take an arbitrary rate, leaning to the side of liberality; for one for one hundred and fifty-that this was the medium depreciation when the circulation ceased. The opposition to these several rates came from the Southern Delegates, in some of whose States none, in others but little, had been redeemed, and in all of which the depreciation had been much greater. On this side it was observed by Mr. MADISON, that the States which had redeemed a surplus, or even their