nor is he yet, a citizen of the United States, and that he had not resided one year in said territory, in the character of a citizen, previous to the election; which petition was referred to the Committee of Elections.

Mr. Owen presented a petition of Sarah Boyles, of the state of Alabama, widow of Thomas Boyles, deceased, praying for permission to locate the land granted to her deceased husband, by the act of April, 1816, so as to include her improvements.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee on Private Land Claims.

The Speaker presented sundry documents in relation to the contested election of Isaac Wilson, as one of the Representatives of the state of New York, by Parmenio Adams; which were referred to the Committee of Elections.

The Speaker also presented a letter from the Secretary of the state of New York, enclosing the certificate of the election of William Woods, as one of the Representatives of said state; which was also referred to the Committee of Elections.

Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, from the Committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of Charles M. Collier, accompanied by a bill for his relief; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole House to-morrow.

The Speaker laid before the House a report from the Secretary of War, on the petition of Edward W. Lewis, which was read, and ordered to lie on the table.

The Speaker also laid before the House, a letter from William H. Jones, accompanied with a specimen of a new universal Atlas, corrected down to the present time, executed by F. Lucas, of Baltimore; which letter was read, and ordered to lie on the table.

The resolution submitted yesterday, by Mr. M'Lane, of Delaware, was taken up, read, and agreed to by the House.

The resolution submitted yesterday, by Mr. Storrs, calling on the Postmaster General for certain information, was taken up, read, and agreed to by the House.

The resolution submitted yesterday, by Mr. Gazlay, was taken up, read, modified by consent of the mover, and agreed to as follows:

Resolved, That the Postmaster General be directed to lay before this House, the amount of defalcations in his Department, which accrued previous to July, 1823, and which were not sued for as directed by the 29th section of the act regulating the Post Office establishment; designating the years when each accrued, and not to extend beyond sixteen years; and the amount of any such delinquencies which may have been charged to any of the Postmaster Generals of the United States.

The resolution submitted yesterday, by Mr. Hemphill, was taken up, read, and agreed to by the House.

Ordered, That leave be given to withdraw the petitions of William Saltmarsh and Stephen Rodgers, presented to this House on the 18th of December, 1822, and 25th February, 1823.

On motion of Mr. Reynolds,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be requested to inquire into the expediency of establishing a mail route from Humphreys', in Stewart county, by the way of Dovers'; and, from thence, directly to Hopkinsville, in Kentucky.

On motion of Mr. McKean,

Resolved, That the bill to alter the judicial districts of Pennsylvania, reported to this House on the 2d day of March, 1822, by the Committee on the Judiciary, but never acted upon, together with the petitions on which it was founded, be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

On motion of Mr. Breck,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing by law an uniform system of bankruptcy throughout the United States.

On motion of Mr. Herkimer,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a post route from the village of Cooperstown to Richfield Springs, in the county of Otsego, in the state of New York.

On motion of Mr. Kidder,

Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be instructed to inquire into the expediency of imposing a specific duty on potatoes, imported from Nova Scotia, Ireland, and any other foreign country.

On motion of Mr. Richards, of New York,

Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of constructing some works of defence at 'some suitable point near the line dividing the United States from Canada, on the margin of Lake Champlain.

On motion of Mr. Garrison,

Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be directed to inquire into the expediency of erecting a beacon-light near the extremity of Cape Henlopen.

Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be directed to inquire into the expediency of erecting a permanent light-house on the lower end of the Brandywine Shoal, in the Bay of Delaware.

On motion of Mr. Trimble,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire whether any, and what, provision ought to be made by law to ensure a more speedy publication of the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States.

On motion of Mr. Hamilton,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of altering the times of holding the Circuit Court within the sixth circuit of South Carolina district: That they be, likewise, instructed to inquire into the propriety of extending the provisions of an act of Congress, approved the 2d of March, 1809, entitled "An act to amend the Judicial system of the United States," to meet the exigency resulting from the death of a District Judge, as well as that which arises from his occasional disability.

On motion of Mr. Wright,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of altering the times of holding the Circuit and District Courts of the United States in the Circuit and District of Ohio.

On motion of Mr. Breck,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing by law against counterfeiting such marks, or names, as the manufacturer of any kind of ware may see proper to write or stamp thereon.

Mr. Carter moved that the House do come to the following reso. lution:

Resolved, That the Committee of Ways and Means be instructed to inquire into the expediency of repealing the duties at present imposed on books, charts, maps, and mathematical and philosophical instruments, imported into the United States for individual use; which was disagreed to by the House.

An engrossed bill, entitled "An act to alter the times of holding the District Court at Mobile, in the District of Alabama," was read the third time, and passed.

Ordered, That the title be as aforesaid, and that the Clerk do carry the said bill to the Senate, and ask their concurrence therein.

The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the bill appropriating a certain sum of money for the relief of Daniel D. Tompkins; and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Taylor reported the same, with an amendment, which was read, and concurred in by the House.

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

morrow.

Mr. Taylor submitted the following resolution:

Resolved, That a committee be appointed on the part of this House, to join such committee as may be appointed on the part of the Senate, for the purpose of directing the expenditure of the money appropriated to the purchase of books, maps, and charts, for the use of the two Houses of Congress.

The said resolution was read twice, and ordered to be engrossed, and read a third time to-morrow.

And then the House adjourned.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1823.

Another Member, to wit, from New Hampshire, Ichabod Bartlett, appeared and took his seat, the usual oath having been first administered to him by the Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker: I am directed to inform this House, that the Senate have elected the Rev. Wm. Staughton a Chaplain to Congress, on their part, during the present session. They have passed a resolution for the appointment of a joint Committee, who shall have the

direction of the money appropriated to the purchase of Books and Maps for the Library of Congress; also, a resolution for the appointment of a joint Committee to make such distribution of the rooms of the centre building of the Capitol, as the business and convenience of the two Houses of Congress may require; in which resolutions they ask the concurrence of this House. And then he withdrew.

On motion of Mr. Crafts,

Ordered, That the petition of Luther Dixon, presented on the 23d of February, 1821, be referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. Mr. Kent presented a petition of Joseph Wheaton, of the City of Washington, praying to be reimbursed in the amount expended by him in the removal of himself and family from Philadelphia to this city in the year 1800, being at that time the Sergeant-at-Arms to the House of Representatives of the United States.

Mr. Williams, of Virginia, presented a petition of Lemuel Bent, of the state of Virginia, late a paymaster in the Army of the United States, praying that his accounts may be settled on equitable principles, having, from causes beyond his control, lost a part of his accounts and vouchers.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee of Claims.

The following petitions, heretofore presented, were again presented, and referred to the Committee of Claims, viz:

By Mr. Hemphill, the petition of John King, presented on the 10th of February, 1825.

By Mr. Garnett, the petition of Laurence Muse, presented on the 10th December, 1817.

By Mr. John T. Johnson, the petition of Charles Minifie, presented on the 13th December, 1822.

Mr. Govan presented a petition of Dennis Scott, of South Carolina, praying to be placed on the roll of Revolutionary pensioners.

Mr. M'Arthur presented a petition of Samuel Finley, of the state of Ohio, an officer of the Revolutionary Army, praying to be allowed and paid five years' full pay, as the commutation of half pay for life, to which he conceives himself entitled.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims.

On motion of Mr. Cary,

Ordered, That the petition of James Wood, heretofore presented on the 31st December, 1816, be also referred to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims.

Mr. Whittlesey presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the county of Ashtabula, in the state of Ohio;

Mr. Whittlesey also presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the town of Jefferson, in the state of Ohio;

Mr. Whittlesey further presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the county of Trumbull, in the state of Ohio; respectively praying for the establishment of post routes.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.

Mr. Owen presented a petition of the Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Mobile, in the state of Alabama, praying for a grant of the lots belonging to the United States lying within the limits of said city.

Mr. Conway presented a petition of the General Assembly of the territory of Arkansas, praying that a quarter section of land may be granted to each of the counties of Hempsted, Miller, and Crawford; to be improved and occupied as the seats of justice of the said counties.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Public Lands.

On motion of Mr. Scott,

Ordered, That the petitions of the under mentioned persons, heretofore presented, be referred to the Committee on Public Lands. Francis Allers, et alia, presented January 5th, 1818. James Austin, presented March 9th, 1818.

John Bear, assignee of John Anderson, presented December 7th,

1818.

Francis Berthiaume, presented February 5, 1819.
Charles Bequett, presented February 10, 1818.

Jean Baptiste St. James Beauvais, presented Nov. 23, 1818. John P. Cabanné, assignee of Francis Coleman, presented January 23, 1819.

John P. Cabanné, assignee of Devolsay, presented Jan. 23, 1819. Lewis Curtois, presented March 13, 1818.

Abraham Crader, presented February 24, 1818.

Auguste Choteau, presented February 12, 1818.

Daniel Clingingsmith, et alia, presented January 23, 1819.
William Christy, presented February 11, 1818.

James Clamorgan, presented March 9, 1818.

Richard Caulk, presented November 19, 1818.
Peter Crites, presented December 14, 1818.

Peter Crites, as heir of Devault Crites, presented Jan. 26, 1818.
Abraham Crites and Daniel Crites, presented Dec. 14, 1818.
Almond Cottle, et alia, presented January 25, 1819.

George Cooks, presented March 9, 1818.

Thomas Caulk, presented November 19, 1818.

John Colleway, heir or devisee of Jonathan Owsly, presented Fe

bruary 11, 1818.

Charles Dehault Delassus, presented December 20, 1818.
David Delaunay, presented February 27, 1818.

Louis William Dubourg, presented November 24, 1818.

Jacob Doggit's heirs, Lewis Symmes, et alia, presented November 23, 1818.

James Dordon, presented November 23, 1818.

Parfait Dufour and Rene La Meinieur, presented Dec. 16, 1817. Paschall Detchemondy, presented January 18th, 1819.

James Dowhty, presented January 5, 1818.

John Dougherty, presented December 15, 1817.
Antoine Dubreuille, presented November 23, 1817.

Jean Baptiste Dubreuille, presented January 25, 1819.