Mr. Whitman presented a petition of Joseph Berry, stating, that he was a lieutenant in the army of the United States, in the late war, and as such, arrested a citizen by command of his superior officer, who, on being liberated, instituted a suit, and recovered heavy damages against him; and praying to be indemnified against said damages, and costs of suit. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Claims. Mr. Pindall presented a petition of sundry inhabitants in the county of Brook, in the state of Virginia, praying that such encouragement may be granted to the manufactories of the United States, as will insure their continuance. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Commerce and Manufactures. Mr. Marr presented a petition of the general assembly of the state of Tennessee, praying that such measures may be adopted, as will enable the citizens of that state to take possession of the lands purchased by them from the state of North Carolina, and which are now held by the Chickasaw Indians, under a treaty concluded with the United States. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee appointed on the 17th of December last, respecting the Indian title to lands, within the state of Kentucky. Mr. Robertson, of Louisiana, presented a petition of Gales & Seaton, stating, that they propose to publish a History of Congress, from the commencement of the government to the present day, and praying the aid and patronage of Congress, in their said publication; which was read, and referred to a select committee; and, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Tyler, Mr. Hopkinson, Mr. Holmes, of Massachusetts, and Mr. Simkins, were appointed the said committee. Mr. Pope presented a petition of Peggy Moore, praying for a grant of land in the territory of Illinois, in consideration of the death of her husband and only son, who were killed by the Indians in the late war. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on the Public Lands. Mr. Scott presented a petition of Bernard Rogan, Walter Crow, and Thomas Bair, praying for grants of land sufficient to make up to them, respectively, the quantity to which they are entitled, under existing laws. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on Private Land Claims. Mr. Scott also presented petitions of sundry inhabitants of the territory of Missouri, praying that the said territory may be admitted into the Union, as a state, on an equal footing with the original states; which were, together with the petitions of a similar nature, heretofore presented at the present session, referred to a select committee; and, Mr. Scott, Mr. Robertson, of Kentucky, Mr. Poindexter, Mr. Hendricks, Mr. Livermore, Mr. Mills, and Mr. Baldwin, were appointed the said committee. Mr. Scott also presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the southern part of the territory of Missouri, praying for a division of the said territory, which was referred to the committee last appointed. The Speaker presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the counties of Lehigh, and Northampton, in the state of Pennsylvania, stating the misconduct of certain officers of the militia of the said counties, whilst sitting on courts martial for the trial of persons who failed to perform their tour of duty under the requisitions of the President, during the late war; that they have improperly applied the public moneys coming into their possession, and that they have contracted unnecessary and improper expenses whilst acting on said courts martial, which are charged to the United States; and praying that the subject may be investigated, and the abuses of which they complain, corrected. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Ways and Means. Mr. Blount, from the committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, reported a bill to augment the salary of the Postmaster General, which was read the first and second time and committed to a committee of the whole, on Monday next. Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, from the committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of Robert Kaene, which was read, and the resolution therein contained was concurred in by the House, as follows: Resolved, That the prayer of the petitioner ought not to be granted. Mr. Williams also made a report on the petition of Renner & Heath, which was read; when, Mr. Williams reported a bill for the relief of Daniel Renner, and Nathaniel H. Heath, which was read the first and second time and committed to a committee of the whole, to-morrow. Mr. Lowndes, from the committee of Ways and Means, to which was referred the amendments proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled "An act fixing the compensations of the Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Representatives, and of the clerks employed in their offices," reported the agreement of the committee to the said amendments. Ordered, That the said amendment be committed to a comu.ittee of the whole, to-morrow. Mr. Rhea, from the committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, made a report on the petition of Ebenezer Stevens and others, which was read; when, Mr. Rhea reported a bill for the relief of Ebenezer Stevens and Lucretia Stevens, late Lucretia Sands, and others, which was read the first and second time and committed to a committee of the whole, to-morrow. Mr. Hugh Nelson, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to extend the jurisdiction of the circuit courts of the United States, to cases arising under the law relating to patents;" reported the same without amendment. Ordered, That the said bill be committed to a committee of the whole, to-morrow. Mr. Thomas M. Nelson, from the committee on Military Affairs, made a report on the petition of Stanton Shales, which was read, and the resolution therein contained was concurred in by the House, as follows: Resolved, That the petitioner have leave to withdraw his pe tition. Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, from the same committee, reported a bill for the relief of Harold Smyth, which was read the first and second time and committed to a committee of the whole, on Friday next. Ordered, That the committee on Military Affairs be discharged from a further consideration of the petition of Samuel Russell, and that he have leave to withdraw his petition. Mr. Thomas M. Nelson, from the committee appointed on the 18th of December last, to inquire into the expediency of extinguishing the Indian title to certain lands within the state of Kentucky, granted by the state of Virginia, to her officers and soldiers in the revolutionary army, made a report, in part, which was read; when, Mr. Nelson reported a bill making appropriations for the purpose of extinquishing Indian claims, which was read the first and second time and committed to the committee of the whole, to which is committed the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to extend the time for locating Virginia military land warrants, and returning surveys thereon to the General Land Office, and for designating the western boundary line of the Virginia military tract. Mr. Poindexter from the committee appointed for the purpose, reported a bill authorizing the election of a delegate from the Michigan territory, to the Congress of the United States, and extending the right of suffrage to the citizens of said territory, which was read the first time. Mr. Tallmadge, from the committee on that part of the President's message which relates to Roads, Canals, and Seminaries of Learning, reported a bill authorizing the subscription of stock in the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal Company, which was read the first and second time and committed to the committee of the whole, on the bill from the Senate, in addition to an act making appro priations for repairing certain roads therein described." 66 Mr. Wilson, of Pennsylvania, from the joint committee for Enrolled Bills, reported, that the committee had examined enrolled bills and a resolution of the following titles, viz: An act for the relief of Israel Smith; An act making appropriations for the support of the navy of the United States for the year 1818; An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States, in the revolutionary war; An act providing for the sale of certain lands in the district of Marietta; and for the location of claims, and sale of certain lands, in the district of Vincennes; A resolution directing the judges of the supreme court to be furnished with Waits' State Papers; and had found the same to be truly enrolled; when, The Speaker signed the said bills and resolution. Ordered, That the Clerk acquaint the Senate therewith. Mr. Mercer, from the select committee to whom was referred the resolution from the Senate, entitled "A resolution directing the publication and distribution of the journal and proceedings of the convention which formed the present constitution of the United States,' reported the same with an amendment, which was read and concurred in by the House. 99 Mr. Bassett moved further to amend the said resolution by striking out these words: "of which one copy shall be furnished to each member of the present Congress:" Which motion was rejected by the House. Ordered, That the amendment agreed to, be engrossed, and the resolution read a third time, to-morrow. The House took up the amendments proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled "An act to provide for delivering up persons held to labor or service in any of the states or territores who shall escape into any other state or territory," and being read, were again ordered to lie on the table. The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole, on the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act in addition to An act making appropriations for repairing certain roads therein described;" and on the bill of this House, this day committed to the same committee of the whole; and after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Herbert reported the bill from the Senate without amendment, and asked leave for the committee to sit again on the bill of this House. Ordered, That the committee of the whole have leave to sit again on the said bill. The question was then taken, shall the said bill from the Senate be read a third time? And passed in the affirmative, Yeas...............83, |