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1796, when he was elected a Senator. He was again in the House in 1799, when he was chosen Speaker. In 1802 he went on the Supreme Bench of Massachusetts, where he remained until his death in 1813.

Four days after his committee was appointed (on July 31) he offered the House "a bill to provide for the safe keeping of the acts, records, and great seal of the United States, for the publication, preservation, and authentication of the acts of Congress, &c," which was read and laid upon the table. On Monday, August 3, it was taken up and made a special order for Friday the 7th, but was not considered till August 27, when it was passed without recorded debate and sent to the Senate, being received by that body August 28 and committed on September 2 to a committee composed of Rufus King of New York, William Paterson of New Jersey, and George Read of Delaware. On September 7 it was agreed to with unimportant amendments and received back by the House. The next day the amendments were agreed to and it was approved by the President September 15.

It read as follows:

An act to provide for the safe keeping of the Acts, Records and Seal, of the United States, and for other purposes.

(Sect. 1.) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Executive department, denominated the Department of Foreign affairs, shall hereafter be denominated the Department of State, and the principal officer shall hereafter be called the Secretary of State.

(Sect. 2.) And be it further enacted, That whenever a

bill, order, resolution, or vote of the Senate and House of Representatives, having been approved and signed by the President of the United States, or not having been returned by him with his objections, shall become a law, or take effect, it shall forthwith thereafter be received by the said Secretary from the President: and whenever a bill, order, resolution, or vote, shall be returned by the President with his objections, and shall, on being reconsidered, be agreed to be passed, and be approved by two thirds of both Houses of Congress, and thereby become a law or take effect, it shall, in such case, be received by the said Secretary from the President of the Senate, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in whichsoever House it shall last have been so approved; and the said Secretary shall, as soon as conveniently may be, after he shall receive the same, cause every such law, order, resolution, and vote, to be published in at least three of the public newspapers printed within the United States, and shall also cause one printed copy to be delivered to each Senator and Representative of the United States, and two printed copies duly authenticated, to be sent to the Executive authority of each State; and he shall carefully preserve the originals, and shall cause the same to be recorded in books to be provided for the purpose.

(Sect. 3.) And be it further enacted, That the seal heretofore used by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be, and hereby is declared to be, the seal of the United States.

(Sect. 4.) And be it further enacted, That the said Secretary shall keep the said seal, and shall make out and record, and shall affix the said seal to all civil commissions to officers of the United States to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, or by the President alone. Provided, That the said seal shall not be affixed to any commission, before the same shall have been signed by the President of the United States, nor to any other instrument or act, without the special warrant of the President therefor.

(Sect. 5.) And be it further enacted, That, the said Secretary shall cause a seal of office to be made for the said department, of such device as the President of the United States shall approve, and all copies of records, and papers, in the said office, authenticated under the said seal, shall be evidence equally as the original record, or paper.

(Sect. 6.) And be it further enacted, That there shall be paid to the Secretary, for the use of the United States, the following fees of office, by the persons requiring the services to be performed, except when they are performed for any officer of the United States, in a matter relating to the duties of his office, to wit; For making out and authenticating copies of records, ten cents for each sheet containing one hundred words; for authenticating a copy of a record, or paper, under seal of office, twenty five cents.

(Sect. 7.) And be it further enacted, That the said Secretary shall, forthwith after his appointment, be entitled to have the custody and charge of the said seal of the United States, and also of all books, records, and papers, remaining in the office of the late Secretary of the United States in Congress assembled; and such of the said books, records, and papers, as may appertain to the Treasury department, or War department, shall be delivered over to the principal officers in the said departments, respectively, as the President of the United States shall direct.

(Approved September 15, 1789.)1

This act was supplemented by the following, which was presented in the House September 18 and concurred in by the Senate on the same day:

Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to procure, from time to time, such of the statutes of the several states as may not be in his office.

(Approved, September 23, 1789.)2

11 Stats. at Large, 68.

2 Ibid., 97.

In the mean time, the question of the compensation of the heads of Departments had been fixed by the act approved September 11, 1789, at $3,500 per annum for the Secretary and $800 for the Chief Clerk, and such clerks as might be necessary at not more than $500 each.1

Early in June, 1789, while the old Department of Foreign Affairs still existed, Washington wrote to John Jay, asking for "some informal communication from the office of Secretary for Foreign Affairs"; and during the fifty days of existence of the new Department of Foreign Affairs he continued to act as Secretary. He acted as Secretary of State, also, until Thomas Jefferson took control in February of the ensuing year.

The records intended for the Department, Charles Thomson had in his keeping. He wrote to the

President:

To the President of the United States of America

Sir,

Having had the honor of serving in quality of Secretary of Congress from the first meeting of Congress in 1774 to the present time, a period of almost fifteen years, and having seen in that eventful period, by the interposition of divine Providence the rights of our country asserted and vindicated, its independence declared acknowledged and fixed, peace and tranquillity restored and in consequence thereof a rapid advance in arts, manufactures and population, and lastly a government established which gives well grounded hopes of promoting its lasting welfare and securing its freedom and happiness, I now wish to return to private life.

11 Stats. at Large, 67.

With this intent I present myself before you to surrender up the charge of the books, records and papers of the late Congress which are in my custody and deposited in rooms of the house where the legislature assemble, and to deliver into your hands the Great Seal of the federal union, the keeping of which was one of the duties of my office, and the seal of the admiralty which was committed to my care when that board was dissolved.

Before I retire I beg leave to recommend to your favour Mr. Roger Alden who was appointed by the late Congress, deputy secretary and whom I have found an able and faithful assistant, and Mr. John Fisher who has served as a clerk in the office for several years with diligence and fidelity and who alone remains unemployed.

And with most sincere and ardent wishes for the prosperity of our country and a fervent prayer for your health and happiness I bid you an affectionate Farewell

July 23, 1789.

CHAS. THOMSON1

To this the President replied July 24:

You will be pleased, Sir, to deliver the Books, Records and Papers of the late Congress-the Great Seal of the federal Union-and the Seal of the Admirality, to Mr. Roger Alden, the late Deputy Secretary of Congress, who is requested to take charge of them until further directions shall be given.2

Information of the law authorizing the new Executive Department of Foreign Affairs was conveyed by the President to the Governors of the several states July 5, and September 21 they were informed of the passage of the act making it the Department of State.

1 Cont. Cong. MSS., Lib. Cong., 49, folio 215. The record shows that Fisher was soon afterwards dismissed for misconduct and Thomson wrote withdrawing his commendation.

2 Dept. of State MSS., Miscl. Letters.

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