Circular.
Princeton, 2d October, 1783.
Sir:
I have the honor of enclosing to your Excellency an Act of Congress of the 29th ultimo relative to an Instruction sent to our Ministers in France, which Congress think proper to forward to each State, that the Courts of Admiralty therein should be apprized of the determination of Congress to have the period of the cessation of hostilities in our Seas positively and unequivocally ascertained without delay.
By the United States in Congress Assembled,
Sept. 29th, 1783.
On the Report of a Committee to whom was referred a motion of Mr. Gerry.
Resolved, That the Minister or Ministers for negotiating Peace in behalf of the United States be and they are hereby instructed to negotiate an explanation of the following paragraph of the Declaration acceded to by the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States the 20th January, 1783, relative to captures Viz. That the term should be one month from the Channel and North Sea as far as the Canary Islands inclusively whether in the Ocean or the Mediterranean.
Ordered, That a Copy of the above instructions be sent to the Court of Appeals and the Executives of the Several States respectively.