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. Pitkin reported, that the committee of the whole, had had the state of the Union under consideration, and came to no resolution thereon.

And then the House adjourned.

WEDNESDAY, January 20, 1819.

Mr. Strong presented a petition of Asa Fuller, praying compensation for property, destroyed by the enemy, on the Niagara frontier, in the late war with Great Britain.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Claims.

On motion of Mr. Hendricks,

Ordered, That the petition of John M Gehe, presented on the 9th February, 1818, be also referred to the committee of Claims. Mr. Nelson, of Massachusetts, presented a petition of Mehitable Merrill, widow of John Merrill, a soldier in the revolutionary army, praying to be paid the amount now due, for the services of her said husband, in the capacity aforesaid.

The Speaker presented a petition of Harriet Barney, widow of the late commodore Joshua Barney, on behalf of herself and the infant children of said commodore, praying that the pension granted the deceased in his life time, for eminet public services and wounds received in battle, which ultimately caused his death, may be continued to her and the said children.

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

Mr. Irving, of New York, presented a memorial of a general meeting of the members of the various religious denominations in the city of New York, praying that Congress will devise such a system and provide for the execution of such a plan, as may be best calculated, effectually to promote the security, the preservation, and the improvement of the Indians.

Ordered, That the said memorial be referred to the committee of the whole, on the bill to authorize the President of the United States, to select such tribes of Indians, as may be best prepared, and to adopt measures for their civilization.

Mr. Simkins presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of Newberry district, in the state of South Carolina.

Mr. Beecher presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of Shelby county, in the state of Ohio, respectively praying for the establishment of a pest route.

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

Mr. Hitchcock presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the state of Ohio, praying Congress to grant a further term of three

years, for the completion of the payment of the purchase money, of all lands, which were entered prior to the 1st day of January, 1815; which petition was ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Jones presented a petition of John Read, register of the said land office, at Huntsville, in the territory of Alabama, praying for additional compensation.

Mr. McLean, of Illinois, presented a petition of James M'FarTand. William Frizell and James Ford, stating that by a misconstruction of the act, they have been deprived of their right of preemption to the land on which they reside, and were compelled at a public sale, to pay more than double the standard price; and praysuch relief in the premises, as Congress may think proper to grant.

Mr. Hendricks presented a petition of James Johnson, stating that a certain James Dougherty, has fraudulently obtained from him, the certificate granted by the register of the land office, at Jeffersonville, showing the purchase of his said tract of land, and praying that the said register may be directed to grant another certificate, in lieu thereof.

Mr. Hendricks also presented a petition of the General Assembly of the state of Indiana, praying for the appointment of an additional surveyor general, whose duties shall be confined to the surveying of the lands of the United States, within the said state.

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

Mr. Henricks, also presented another petition of the General Assembly of the state of Indiana, praying that further time may be given to purchasers of public lands, to complete their payments; which petition was ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Hendricks, also presented a memorial of the General As sembly of the said state of Indiana, praying to be permitted to locate the land, granted to them for their seat of government, on sections or fractional sections, as they may deem most expedient

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of the whole, to which is committed, the bill supplementary to the act, to enable the people of the territory of Indiana, to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states.

Mr. McLean, of Illinois, presented a petition of Joseph Cornelius, praying that his right to a tract of land lying within the state of Illinois, may be confirmed.

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

Mr. Poindexter, presented a petition of Abraham R. Ellery and Eleazer W. Ripley, in behalf of the trustees of Hancock College, in the state of Mississippi, praying for a grant of two townships of land, lying in the said state, as an endowment of said college; which petition was ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Rhea, from the committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, made a report on the petition of Peter Gebhart; which was read, and the resolution therein contained, was concurred in by the House, as follows:

Resolved, That the prayer of the petitioner be not granted. Ordered, That the committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of Benjamin Deline, and that it be referred to the committee on Revolutionary Pensions.

Mr. Storrs, from the committee to which was referred the bill for the relief of Ebenezer Stevens, Lucretia Stevens, late Lucretia Sands, and others, reported the same with an amendment; which was read.

Ordered, That the said bill and amendment lie on the table.

On motion of Mr. Newton,

Resolved, That the committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a post road from Kempsville, in Virginia, to London bridge, in the same state.

Mr. Bassett submitted the following resolution, which was read and ordered to lie on the table.

Resolved, That the rules for the admission of persons within the hall of this House, be suspended, during the present debate, so that the Speaker may admit within the Hall, others than those included within the same.

A message from the President of the United States, was received by Mr. Governeur, his Secretary, notifying that the President did, on the 19th inst. approve and sign enrolled bills, of the following titles, to wit:

An act for the relief of doctor Mottrom Ball; and,

An act for the relief of Frederick Brown.

Ordered, That the Clerk acquaint the Senate therewith.

An engrossed bill, entitled "An act allowing further time to complete the issuing and locating of military land warrants," was read the third time and passed.

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

The Speaker laid before the House, a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a statement of the debts, credits, and funds of the banks, within the District of Columbia, not returned in the statement laid before this House, on the 14th inst; which was read and ordered to lie on the table.

The Seaker also laid before the House, a letter from the Secretary of war, transmitting a report of the names of the clerks, employed in the various offices of the War Department, in the year 1818, with the salary of each; which was read and ordered to lie on the table.

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. Pitkin reported, that the committee of the whole, had had the state of the Union under consideration and came. to no resolution thereon.

And then the House adjourned.

THURSDAY, January 21, 1819.

Mr. Williams, of New York, presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the county of Susquehanna, in Pennsylvania; and of the county of Broom, in the state of New York, praying for the establishment of post routes.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.

Mr. Sergeant presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the city of Philadelphia, praying that the acts prohibiting the importation of slaves, may be so amended, as that persons of color illegally introduced into the United States, may not be sold as slaves.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of the whole, to which is committed the bill supplementary to the acts prohibiting the importation of slaves..

Mr. Robert Moore presented a petition of David Patterson, stating that whilst a soldier in the army, between the years 1791 and 1794, he loaned a considerable sum of money to his recruiting officer, for the public service; that he furnished his own clothing during his service; and that he has never received the pay and bounty, to which he was entitled for his services, in the capacity aforesaid; that his colonel gave him an honorable discharge and an order on the War Department, for the amount of his claims, both of which he lost by the upsetting of the boat in which he was crossing the Ohio river, and praying such relief in the premises, as Congress may think meet and proper.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of

Claims.

The Speaker presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the southern part of the territory of Missouri, praying that a separate territorial government may be established for the said southern part of the territory of Missouri, by the name of the territory of Arkan

sas.

Ordered, That the said petition be committed to the committee of the whole, to which is committed, the bill to enable the people of the territory of Missouri, to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states.

Mr. Livermore, from the committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, reported a bill authorizing the Postmaster General, to contract, as in other cases, for carrying the mail, in steam boats,

between New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana, and Louisville, in the state of Kentucky; which was read the first and second time, and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, to-morrow.

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Cutts, their Secretary. Mr. Speaker: The Senate have received official information, that the President of the United States did, on the 19th inst. approve and sign "A resolution directing the survey of certain parts of the coast of North Carolina." The Senate have passed the bill, entitled "An act for the relief of Samuel H. Harper." And then he withdrew.

Mr. Wilson, of Pennsylvania, from the Joint committee for Enrolled Bills, reported that the committee had examined an enrolled "resolution for the distribution of Seybert's Statistical Annals, and directing Pitkin's Commercial Statistics, to be deposited in the Library;" and found the same to be truly enrolled; when,

The Speaker signed the said resolution.

Ordered, That the Clerk acquaint the Senate therewith.

Mr. Bloomfield, from the committee on Revolutionary Pensions made a report on the petitions of Philemon Griffith, Andrew Small and Ebenezer Horn; which was read, and the resolution therein contained, was concurred in by the House, as follows

Resolved. That the petitioners have leave to withdraw their respective petitions.

Mr. Bloomfield, from the same committee, made a report on the petitions of Henry Lotz and others, and William Zoll and others; which was read, and the resolution therein contained, was concurred in by the House, as follows:

Resolved, That the prayer of the said petitions be rejected. Mr. Bloomfield, also made a report on the petition of Lewis Joseph de Beaulieu; which was read; when,

Mr. Bloomfield reported a bill for the relief of the said Lewis Joseph de Beaulieu; which was read the first and second time, and committed to the committee of the whole, to which is committed the bill for the relief of Hannah Ring and Luther Frink.

On motion of Mr. Pleasants,

Resolved, That the committee of Commerce and Manufactures, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of authorizing the sale of a lot of land with the house thereon, situated at Bermuda hundred on James river, in Virginia, belonging to the United States, and formerly used as a custom house.

An engrossed bill, entitled " An act, supplementary to the act, entitled an act to provide for the prompt settlement of public accounts," was read the third time and passed.

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

The Speaker laid before the House, a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting the information called for by the resolution of this House, of the 4th inst. in relation to ships, engaged