Delegates to Congress . Letters of delegates to Congress, 1774-1789, Volume 15, April 1 1780-August 31 1780
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Samuel Holten to To: the Massachusetts Council


Sir.
Philadelphia April 4th. 1780.

   I have the Honor of enclosing several acts of the General Assembly


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of the state of New-Jersey, and you will perceive they are desirous of an interchange. (1)

   The committee that has under consideration the affair respecting the charges of the Penobscot expedition have not yet reported, but when I consider, it is no more than just, that the united States should pay the reasonable expences, I don't even doubt, but that Congress will be of the same opinion & determine accordingly.(2)

   The business respecting the New-Hampshire grants (so called) is not to be taken up 'till nine states are represented in Congress, exclusive of the states which are supposed to be interested, & it is not my expectation that it will be determined upon at present, nor my desire that it shou'd 'till after the war.

   We have no intelligence from the southern army since about the first of March.

   The Honorable Mr. Partridge being about taking leave of us in order to return, he will be able to give the Honorable assembly the best information respecting affairs in Congress.(3)

   I have the Honor to be with the highest respect, Sir, your most obedient servant;S. Holten (4)


Note: RC (M-Ar: Revolutionary War Letters). Addressed: "The Honorable The President of the Council of Massachusetts-bay."

1 Precisely which New Jersey acts were enclosed by Holten is not known, but he may have enclosed a copy of public acts of the New Jersey legislature for either the October 1779 or February 1780 session, for which see Evans, Am. Bibliography, nos. 16883 and 16884. New jersey had also expressed a desire for a legislative interchange" the previous year. see these Letters, 13:405-6.



2 Congress resumed debate on Massachusetts's request for Continental funding of the Penobscot expedition the following day. See James Lovell to Samuel Adams, April 9; and Samuel Huntington to Jeremiah Powell, April 14,1780 (not in printed text).



3 Holten subsequently noted George Partridge's departure from Philadelphia in his diary entry of April 9. MDaAr.



4 Holten had also written a brief letter to the Board of Treasury the previous day seeking a warrant for $5,000 ("for which the state I have the Honor to represent will be accountable"), a request that Congress acted upon on April 5.JCC, 16:331. The draft of Holten's letter to the Treasury is in the Holten Papers, DLC.