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An act for the relief of Winslow and Henry Lewis.
An act for the relief of Joel Earwood; and,

A resolution directing the procurement of certain laws.
Ordered, That the Clerk acquaint the Senate therewith.

On motion of Mr. Ingham,

Resolved, That a select committee be appointed to inquire what alterations are necessary to be made in the act, entitled "An act to regulate and fix the compensation of clerks, and to authorize the laying out certain public roads, and for other purposes;" and,

Mr. Ingham, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Parris, Mr. Moseley, Mr. Tyler, Mr. Whitman, and Mr. Tallmadge, were appointed the said committee.

On motion of Mr. Smith, of Maryland.

Resolved, That the committee on the public lands, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing by law, for the introduction into all patents, hereafter to be issued for lands sold or granted by the United States, of a reservation to the use of the United States, of all copper mines, and of the expediency of authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to lease any copper mines, the property of the United States, for a term not exceeding seven years.

On motion of Mr. Herrick,

Resolved, That the committee on Roads and Canals, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing by law, for the appointment of commissioners to survey, lay out, and mark a road, from the west bank of the Ohio river, opposite the point where the Cumberland road strikes the same, through St. Clairsville to Columbus, from thence to the western line of the state of Ohio, in a direction to St. Louis, in the Missouri Territory.

On motion of Mr. Robertson of Louisiana,

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury, be requested to lay before the Hous, a statement of the salaries, and an estimate of the present and future emoluments of the respective registers and receivers of public moneys, at the different land offices of the United States, and also, the amount of the salaries and emoluments of the several surveyors general, and principal deputy surveyors.

On motion of Mr. Forsyth,

Resolved, That the committee of Commerce and Manufactures be instructed to inquire into the expediency of regulating by law, the number of passengers to be brought into the United States by American, or foreiga vessels, according to the tonnage of the ves sels.

On motion of Mr. Cobb,

Resolved, That the committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing into a separate land district, all that part of the Alabama territory which lies south of an east and west line, to be drawn from the boundary line dividing the state of Mississippi from said territory, through Fort Williams, to the western boundary of Georgia; and also, into the expediency of appointing a surveyor of all public lands in the said district; of sur

veying, in the manner prescribed by law, such public lands, (to which the Indian title has been extinguished, and which are not already surveyed,) and of offering the same for sale as soon as possible.

Mr. Tucker, of Virginia, from the committee on so much of the President's message as relates to Roads, Canals, and Seminaries of Learning, to whom was committed the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act in addition to an act making appropriation for repairing certain roads therein deseribed," reported the same without amendment.

Ordered, That the said bill be committed to the committee of the whole House, to which was referred on the 15th ultimo, the report of the said committee on the subject of internal improvements.

The bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to allow the benefit of drawback on merchandise transported by land conveyance from Bristol to Boston, and from Boston to Bristol, in like manner as if the same were transported coastwise," was read the third time and passed.

Ordered, That the Clerk acquaint the Senate therewith.

The House resumed the consideration of the bill, authorizing the commutation of soldiers' bounty lands; and the question depending yesterday at the time of adjournment, on the amendment proposed by Mr. Taylor, recurred, and being taken;

It passed in the affirmative;

The said bill was then further amended,

And on the question, shall it be engrossed as amended, and read a third time?

It was determined in the negative, {Nay.....

Yeas.......................80,
Nays......................82.

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

Those who voted in the affirmative, are

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Mr. Holmes, of Massachusetts, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. T. M. Netson, Mr. Reed, Mr. Southard, Mr. Tallmadge, and Mr. Campbell, were appointed the said committee.

The Speaker laid before the House a letter from Joseph Watson, a witness in the case of John Anderson, explanatory of a part of his conduct yesterday while under examination, which was ordered to lie on the table.

The sergeant-at-arms was then again directed to bring Joha Anderson to the bar of the House: whereupon,

The said John Anderson appeared at the bar; when he was further interrogated by the Speaker, to which he gave the answers annexed to each interrogatory, viz:

Question 1. Are you a native of the United States? Answer. I am not.

Question 2. In what country was you born? Answer. In Scotland. I was brought to the United States by my father when I was three years old. We settled on the Susquehannah river, in the state of Pennsylvania. My father was killed by the Indians in the revolutionary war. All our property was destroyed, and my mother, with four of her young children were carried by the Mohawk Indians into captivity in the British province of Canada. After the revolutionary war I went into Canada in search of my mother, and brothers and sisters, and finally settled at Detroit.

Question 3. Have you been naturalized? Answer. I have. I was naturalized when general Wayne took possession of Detroit and that part of the country which now forms the territory of Michigan.

Question 4. In writing the letter to Louis Williams, a member of this House from North Carolina, in which you offer to him the sum of five hundred dollars, for services to be performed by him in relation to claims for losses sustained during the late war, had you, or had you not, any intention to induce him to support your claims against his own convictions of their justice, or to interfere with the discharge of his legislative duties, or to offer any contempt to the dignity of the House of Representatives? Answer. No, Sir. I call God to witness to that, which is the most sacred appeal I can make. I repeatedly assured him that the offer was made without any wish to influence his opinions in any degree.

The remaining witnesses summoned on the part of the prisoner at the bar, were then called and examined, and minutes of their evidence were taken down; after which he was questioned by the Speaker whether he had any other testimony to offer in his behalf; to which he replied that he had not.

The Speaker then informed him he was at liberty to proceed in the defence which he had intimated it was his intention to offer. Colonel Anderson was, thereupon, heard in his defence; and, after concluding the same, was remanded into the custody of the sergeant-at-arms.

Mr. Forsyth offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That John Anderson has been guilty of a contempt, and a violation of the privileges of the House, and that he be brought to the bar of the House on Wednesday next, and be there reprimanded by the Speaker for the outrage he has committed, and then discharged from the custody of the sergeant-at-arms.

The said resolution was read; and a motion was made by Mr. Harrison, to amend the same by striking out "Wednesday next," and in lieu thereof, to insert Monday next; which motion was rerejected by the House.

The said resolution was then amended by striking out on Wednesday next, and inserting this day.

A motion was then made by Mr. Alexander Smyth, further to amend the said resolution by striking out from the word Resolved, to the end thereof, and in licu thereof to insert, "That John Anderson hath committed a high contempt against the privileges of this House. Resolved, That the said John Anderson, for his said offence, be immediately reprimanded by the Speaker of this House; and that in consideration of his sacrifices, sufferings, and attachment to the United States. the said John Anderson be thereupon discharged without any further punishment.”

A motion was made by Mr. Forsyth to amend the said amendment by striking out the word sacrifices, and the words and attachment to the United States.

And the question being taken thereon;

It passed in the affirmative.

A motion was then made by Mr. Poindexter, further to amend the said amendment moved by Mr. A. Smyth, by striking out the words against the privileges."

66

And the question being taken on this amendment,

It was determined in the negative, {

Yeas................................ 54,
Nays....................108.

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

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The said amendment was further amended, and on the question to agree thereto as amended;

It was determined in the negative.

Mr. Culbreth then moved to amend the resolution submitted by Mr. Forsyth, as follows:

Strike out all after the word "Resolved," and insert, "That John Anderson has been guilty of an attempt to commit the "infamous crime" of bribery; but as this House does not possess the constitutional right to punish the said John Anderson; therefore,

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