Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 4

VII. Committee Report on Esek Hopkins' Letter

IX. Committee Report on Fortifying Harbors
VIII. Committee Report on Letters from William Palfrey, 17 June 1776 JA Continental Congress

1776-06-17

 VIII. Committee Report on Letters from William Palfrey, 17 June 1776 Adams, John Continental Congress
VIII. Committee Report on Letters from William Palfrey
ante 17 June 1776

The Committee to whom were referred, the Letter from William Palfrey Esqr. Paymaster General,1 dated New York 19 May, in closing his Weekly Account ending 18 May 1776, and another Letter from the said Paymaster General dated at N. York 3 June 1776 inclosing his Weekly interest Return to May 31,2 have considered the same and come to the following Resolutions, vizt.

Resolved, as the opinion of this Committee that 3 Dollars be sent to the Deputy Paymaster General in the Eastern Department for the Pay and other Uses of the Troops there. 4

Resolved, as the opinion of this Committee that the Letters and Accounts aforesaid be referred to the Committee on the Treasury, to be filed in the Auditors office.

MS in JA's hand (PCC, No. 22, f. 109, 112); docketed: “June 17. 1776} No. 1 Report of the Committee on the paymaster generals letters Agreed to June 17. 1776.”

1.

Palfrey (1741–1780) replaced James Warren as Paymaster General, elected to the post by the congress on 27 April ( JCC , 4:315; John Gorham Palfrey, “Life of William Palfrey,” in Jared Sparks, ed., The Library of American Biography, 15 vols., 2d ser., Boston, 1844–1848, 7:337–448).

 2.

PCC, No. 165, f. 428, 449. Palfrey sent along with his own letter of 19 May an unsigned letter from Bristol, England, dated 16 Feb., reporting on 15troop movements and the attitudes of Englishmen toward the ministry and Americans. Although Palfrey thought its intelligence was of some importance, docketing on it does not indicate whether the committee or anyone else made use of it (same, f. 432–435). The Journal does not mention it.

 3.

Left blank in MS.

 4.

In his letter of 3 June, Palfrey had asked about his responsibility for paying the troops in Boston, saying that he had only the statement of James Duane that Boston was within his district and that he was to appoint a deputy to serve there (same, f. 449).