Here's a quick rundown of what went down in Congress yesterday.

First off, Speaker Małachowski started things off with some pretty deep thoughts, reminding us that spending time in hardship can teach us a thing or two. We've been down in the dumps, under someone else's boot, but now's our chance to pull ourselves out of the muck. Some foreign leaders are too busy to mess with us—which is perfect timing for us to start pulling our financial weight. To do that, we've agreed to pony up some taxes and even volunteered extra donations to support national needs. But we need more money, so we've got to find new ways to tax without going too heavy on the citizens.

Speaking of taxes, Rep. Moszyński from Bracław suggested we hand over the task of figuring out tax proportions to a special tax committee. He pitched a short project, which he politely asked to be read out loud.

Next, Rep. Matuszewicz from Brest-Litovsk wanted to revisit the law from the last session, but Rep. Zaleski from Troki pointed out that any law should stick to the original wording of the proposal.

Rep. Świętosławski from Volhynia called for a decision on how much to contribute, but Moszyński argued you can't figure out how much to give if you don't know the total costs yet.

Meanwhile, Rep. Butrymowicz from Pińsk wanted to reconcile different views by suggesting the tax project should be based on the number of households and income. And Secretary of State Małachowski asked Secretary of Internal Affairs Mniszech to maintain proper order during the discussions.

Then, the meeting was adjourned until the 16th of July. So stay tuned for more updates on how our leaders decide to secure the cash to keep our nation rolling without breaking our collective bank.

Topics: Marshal of the Sejm; national calamities; loss of provinces; salvation of the fatherland; public revenues; grain levy; taxes; army; tax project; Military Commission; tax proportions; income from proceeds; Coekwiacyjna Deputation; equality in contributions; taxation principles; session of the Sejm;