A motion was made by Mr. Foot, of Connecticut, to amend the said bill, by striking out all thereof, after the enacting words, and inserting as follows:

66

That, on application of the legislature of any state or territory, the President of the United States is hereby authorized to employ such officers of the corps of Engineers, as he may think proper, to make the necessary surveys, plans, and estimates, of such Roads and Canals as he may deem of national importance, in a military point of view, or necessary for the transportation of the public mail within such state or territory, and cause a copy of such surveys, plans, and estimates, when completed, to be laid before Congress, and a like copy to be laid before the legislature of such state or territory.

"Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there shall be allowed and paid to each officer of the corps of Engineers, in addition to the pay now allowed by law per day, for each day such officer shall be employed under the provisions of this act, as a full compensation for such services and extra expenses attending the same, to be paid out of any moneys in the Treasury, not otherwise appropriated."

And, on the question so to amend the bill,

It was determined in the negative.

Mr. Reynolds moved to amend the bill by striking out the sum of thirty thousand dollars, (the amount therein appropriated for carrying the same into effect,) and inserting twenty thousand dollars. This motion was also negatived by the House.

And the question was then taken, Shall the said bill be engrossed and read a third time?

Yeas,

And passed in the affirmative. Nays,

115.

86.

The yeas and nays being required by one-fifth of the members pre

gent,

To-morrow was then assigned for the third reading of the said bill. The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Condict reported, that the committed had, according to order, had the state of the Union, generally, under consideration, and particularly a bill to amend the several acts for imposing duties on Imports, and had come to no resolution thereon.

The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the bill to authorize the issuing of letters patent to Samuel Brown; and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Lathrop reported the same without amendment.

Ordered, That the said bill be engrossed, and read a third time to

morrow.

And then the House adjourned.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1824.

Ordered, That the Commitee on Military Affairs be discharged from the further consideration of the petitions of Major Henderson, E. B. Gaither, William Scull, William Shattuck, and Landie Richardson, and that they be referred to the Committee of Claims: Also, from the petition of Margaret Stewart, and that it be referred to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims.

Mr. Hamilton, from the Committee on Military Affairs, made an unfavorable report on the petition of Captain R. C. Talbot; which report was laid on the table.

Ordered, That the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary

Claims be discharged from the consideration of the petition of Catharine Robertson, late widow of Jacob Ritter, and that it be laid on the table: Also, from the petition of John Rush and Samuel Conway, and that it be referred to the Committee on Private Land Claims.

Mr. Little, from the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, made a report on the petition of Catharine Lauderman, accompanied by a bill for her relief; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole House to

morrow.

Mr. Little, from the same committee, made a report on the petition of John Bradford, accompanied by a bill for the relief of the legal representatives of Charles Bradford; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to the committee of the whole House to which is committed the bill for the relief of Catharine Lauderman. Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, from the Committee of Claims, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of Hanson Kelley," reported the same without amendment.

Ordered, That the said bill be committed to a committee of the whole House to-morrow.

Mr. Williams, from the same committee, made an unfavorable report on the petition of Jasper Parish; which report was laid on the table.

Ordered, That the Committee of Claims be discharged from the consideration of the petition of Jonathan S. Smith, and that it be referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Allen, of Massachusetts, from the Committee of Accounts, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to revive and continue in force the act, entitled 'An act fixing the compensation of the Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Representatives, of the Clerks employed in their offices, and of the Librarian," reported the same without amendment.

Ordered, That the said bill be read a third time to-day.

The resolution laid on the table yesterday, by Mr. Rankin, was taken up, read, and agreed to by the House.

The Resolution laid on the table by Mr. Owen, yesterday, was taken up, read, and agreed to by the House.

Mr. Floyd laid the following resolution on the table, for consideration to-morrow: viz.

Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to inform this House whether the rules and regulations compiled by General Scott, for the government of the army, and repealed by an act of Congress of the 7th of May, 1822, are now enforced in the army, or any part thereof, and by what authority the same has been adopted and enforced.

On motion of Mr. Jennings,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a land office at Indianapolis, in the state of Indiana.

On motion of Mr. Wayne,

Resolved, That the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions be instructed to inquire into the propriety of placing on the pension list, Jacob Verley, of Chester county, in the state of Pennsylvania, a soldier of the Revolutionary war.

On motion of Mr. Foote, of New York,

Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of reducing the term of service in the militia of the United States, from forty-five to forty years, (except in cases of invasion or insurrection.)

In pursuance of the notice given yesterday, Mr. Thompson, of Georgia, moved for leave to introduce a bill directing the payment of the Georgia militia claims, for services rendered during the years 1792, '3 and '4.

The Speaker decided, that the said motion was not in order, inasmuch as the subject-matter embraced by the bill was already before the House, in the shape of a report from the Committee on Military Affairs, made on the 28th ultimo, which had been committed, and made the order of the day for a given day; and that the granting the leave asked to introduce this bill, would have the effect of bringing the same subject-matter into discussion in two different forms and at two different periods.

Engrossed bills, of the following titles, viz.

An act to define the boundary line between the Edwardsville and Springfield land districts, in the state of Illinois;

An act to authorize the issuing of letters patent to Samuel Brown; An act to procure the necessary plans, estimates, and surveys, upon the subject of roads and canals;

were, respectively, read the third time, and passed.

Ordered. That the titles be as aforesaid, and that the Clerk do carry the said bills to the Senate, and ask their concurrence therein. The bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to revive and continue in force the act, entitled An act fixing the compensation of the Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Representatives, of the Clerks employed in their offices, and of the Librarian," was read the third time, and passed.

Ordered, That the Clerk do acquaint the Senate therewith.

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Cutts, their Secretary:

Mr. Speaker: The Senate have passed bills, of the following titles, viz: "An act to secure the accountability of public officers and others;" and, "An act authorizing the building of an additional number of sloops of war, for the naval service of the United States;" in which bills they ask the concurrence of this House. And then he withdrew.

The said bills were respectively read the first and second time, and committed, the first to the Committee of Ways and Means; the second to the Committee on Naval Affairs.

The House again resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Condict reported that the committee