JAMES WILSON — NATION BUILDER negroes taken by vessels of war (Oct. 14); ' to devise ways and means for supplying the treastrry with funds (Oct. 14); concerning raising of eight battalions of troops in Mary land (Oct. 23); to recover despatches stolen from General Washington (Oct. 29); "to prepare effectual plan for suppressing inter nal enemies of America and preventing com munication of intelligence to our other enemies" (Oct. 31); concerning the raising of troops in the State of Massachusetts Bay (Nov. 9); chairman of a committee of five "with full power to devise and execute measures for effectually reenforcing General Washington and obstructing the progress of General Howe's army" (Nov. 23); to prepare a translation into the German language of Great Britain's treaty with the Court of Hesse and to pursue means the most effectual for communicating to the Hessians the said treaty (Nov. 27); on communi cations from General Washington and other. Generals (Dec. 20); "to take into consider ation the state of the army" (Dec. 26); "to prepare a circular letter to the several United States, explaining the reasons which induced Congress to enlarge the powers of General Washington, and requesting them to co operate with him and give him all the aid in their power" (Dec. 28). Wilson also served on numerous com mittees hearing admiralty appeals. Jef ferson records in his notes that in the latter part of July when the proportion or quota of money which each State should furnish to the common treasury was under con sideration, an amendment had been proposed that two slaves should be counted as one freeman, whereupon Wilson said: "Slaves occupy the places of freemen and eat their food. Dismiss your slaves and freemen will take their places. It is our duty to lay every discouragement on the im portation of slaves: but this amendment would give the jus trium liberorum to him who would import slaves." The year 1777 opened with no relaxation of Wilson's activities; no man was even approaching him in the amount or value
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of work done. His versatility was only equaled by his application and attention to detail. Reports from his pen were being laid before Congress in rapid succession; he was not only attending to duties there, but he was often away, hurrying from point to point; now negotiating in the then far West with the Indians whose friendship was so essential to the cause of American independ ence, now conferring in camp with the Revo lutionary generals on ways and means the most effective to bring the war to a success ful conclusion; yet committee work con tinued to be thrust upon him. On January 30, 1777, Congress, finding it inconvenient to appoint a committee each time one of the many and rapidly increasing admiralty ap peals was to be heard, determined upon a standing committee of five members "to hear and determine" all appeals from "the courts of admiralty in the respective states," and directed that the several appeals, when lodged with the secretary of Congress, "be by him delivered to them for their final de termination." Wilson was elected the chair man of this committee, which was afterwards known as "the Committee of Appeals," and thus became the presiding officer of the first supreme Federal Court of Appeals having a semblance of permanency, and from which ultimately developed the Supreme Court of the United States. On May 8, 1777, the committee in the interim having been en larged, Congress, declaring that "the stand ing committee for hearing and determining appeals is too numerous," resolved that "the said committee be discharged and that a new committee of five be appointed, they, or any three of them, to hear and determine upon appeals brought to Congress." Of this new Court of Appeals, James Wilson was also elected the presiding officer. Other committee work continued to be thrust upon Wilson, although he was also one of five members of the Board of War, as well as on other important standing com mittees. A few of the new committees to which he was appointed during 1777 are as
