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The Life of Gouverneur Morris Index < Prev      Page 46      Next > Provincial Congress of New York steadily pursued their deliberations, devising such means of defence as the time and circumstances would allow, and adhered promptly to all the recommendations of the Continental Congress.  Encouragements were proposed for erecting powder mills, a bounty of five pounds was offered for every hundred pounds of powder manufactured in the colony, and twenty pounds for every hundred muskets over and above the regular market price of these articles.  Resolves were passed for fortifying the Highlands, and the positions about Kingsbridge, and committees appointed to examine the grounds, and report a system of operations.  Philip Schuyler and Richard Montgomery were unanimously nominated, the first as a Major General, and the second as a Brigadier, in the army of the continent, and these nominations were confirmed by the national Congress. The want of money was severely felt, and seemed to threaten a stop to every movement.  This afforded an opportunity for the members to strengthen their confidence with the people, by exhibiting a proof of patriotism, commonly the last that will bear a severe test.  The Assembly in its corporate character had a dubious credit, which could untie few purse strings, and on several occasions the members pledged themselves, in their individual names, as security for money borrowed.  Loan offices, or rather subscription funds, were opened by the county committees, and small sums were raised in this way on the credit of the government, but they were rather the contributions of sanguine zeal, than the aids of confident expectation.  These embarrassments were at length relieved, by the emission of the continental currency, and its distribution among the colonies. A subject, which occupied more than any other the attention of the New York Congress, and which seems to have been considered by them the most important that came under their notice, was a plan of reconciliation with England.  No doubt was expressed, none was probably entertained, that such a plan must at last be fallen upon, which would meet the < Prev      Page 46      Next > From The Life of Gouverneur Morris: With Selections from His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers; Detailing Events in the American Revolution, The French Revolution, and in the Political History of the United States, by Jared Sparks, Volume 1, Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1832, p 46. Some minor edits may have been made, but an attempt has been made to preserve the original spelling. Although some effort has been made to correct the limitations of OCR technology, if you find an error please report it to jvinci@colonialhall.com.     Designed and Edited by John Vinci Last modified August 20, 2006