I have already told you that the Resolves of the General Assembly of June 30th did not reach us till the 27th of Augst.(2) They have been committed to the Financier to whom had been before committed a Report upon the Letter from Messrs. Gorham, Lowell & Higginson. The Financier has been so pressed by the Business of the moving Army that he has had almost no Leisure to plan Systems till within a Day or two, and I now know that he has digested the Business which you wrote about. I expect he will lay it before Congress on Monday: But I must own to you that I am sorry to have it so soon altho I know our State expects a speedy Answer to the Queries made about the old Emissions.(3) We are now only 7/13 represented and there are the Delegates of the Culprit States to vote for Justice to Massachusetts. N. Hamp., Con., Jer., Del., Mar & N Car. are unrepresented. N Jersey & Maryland are much in the Condition of Massachusetts, as to Compliance with the Plan of March 18. I will give you the earliest notice of the Proceedings of Congress upon the Report of the Financier.
Monsr. L'Etombe will be able to give you the News of this City, at present we have only Baltimore-Reports which are like what used to be termed in our State Fishermen's News.
I wish you Health and Happiness, and am, Sir, Your Friend & Humble Servant, James Lovell
1 Although Lovell clearly wrote "July," the contents of this letter indicate that it was written in September.
2 No such letter from Lovell to Adams has been found.
3 The Massachusetts resolves of June 30 calling for an equitable plan to settle Massachusetts' accounts and redeem "old Emissions" were not referred to Robert Morris until September 10. Morris, however, had already received several communications from Massachusetts officials on this subject, and in his response to governor John Hancock of this date he simply stated that Massachusetts' concerns would be dealt with in his general plan for settlement of state accounts. See JCC, 21:947; Morris, Papers (Ferguson), 2:281-83; and Samuel Osgood to John Lowell, July 10 and August 28, 1781.