Mr. Sergeant presented a petition of Daniel Bickley and Catharine Clark, administratrix of John Clark deceased, praying to be paid the sum of 12,000 francs, being the amount of a bill of exchange drawn in favor of said Daniel Bickley and John Clark, by General Armstrong while minister in France, under the provisions of the convention for the purchase of Louisiana, which said bill was fraudulently sold by the American consul in Havre, and never came into to the possession of the owners, and is now supposed to be entirely lost,

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Ways and Means.

The following petitions heretofore presented, were again présented and referred to the committee of Claims, to wit:

By Mr. Anderson, of Pennsylvania, that of Samuel Walker, presented on the 30th December, 1817.

By Mr. Culbreth, that of William M'Donald, presented on the 2d April. 1818.

By Mr. Newton, that of William T. Nimmo, presented through the commissioner of claims, on the 10th December, 1817.

By Mr. Mercer, that of Edwin C. Brown, presented on the 14th March, 1818.

The Speaker presented a petition of William Robards, administrator of Pollard Keene; a petition of Thomas Rawlings, and John Crutcher; a petition of John Morton, and Vinson Johnson; a petition of Elizabeth Goodrich, and James Turner; a petition of John Grimes; and a petition of Samuel Q. Richardson, and John Haley: respectively praying compensation for horses and other property lost, while in the military service of the United States, during the late war.

Mr. Crowell presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the town of Mobile, in the territory of Alabama, praying compensation for cattle and other property taken for the support of the troops of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain.

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

Mr. Forsyth presented a petition of Joseph Wheaton, a deputy quarter master general, in the service of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain, praying that the accounting officers may be authorized to audit and settle his accounts upon equitable principles, and to admit such vouchers as he may be enabled to produce, which he alledges to be correct, but are not in the form prescribed by said officers.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committce on Military Affairs.

The Speaker presented a memorial and petition of Matthew Lyon, formerly a member of the House of Representatives, from the state of Vermont, detailing the circumstances attending his prosecution for sedition, in the year 1798, and complaining of the

unconstitutionality of the act under which he was prosecuted, of illegality in the proceeeings of the court, and of the fine which he was compelled to pay, and the imprisonment he suffered; and also setting forth the iniquity of the motives which prompted the said prosecution; and praying that the amount of the said fine, with the interest thereon, may be granted to him, together with such sum as Congress may think a just indemnity for his being dragged from his home, Lis family, friends, and business, and thrown into a loathsome dungeon, where he suffered every species of hardship and indignity, which the most persecuting spirit could devise, for four months.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Barber, of Ohio, presented a petition of Jolin B. Reigner, one of the first settlers in the town of Gallipolis, in the year 1790, praying for a grant of vacant and unappropriated land within the state of Ohio, under the provisions of the act of the 3d March, 1795, as he was absent from the state at the thne, and unable to avail himself of the provisions of the said act.

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

The following petitions heretofore presented. were again presented, and referred to the committee on Private Land Claims, to wit:

By Mr. Poindexter, those of William Collins, presented on the 10th of February, 1815; William Daniel, presented on the 13th January, 1816; Ann Brashears. presented on the 19th February, 1816; John Snodgrass, on behalf of the heirs of Alexander Montgomery, presented on the 8th of March, 1816; and William Scott's heirs. presented on the 27th of January, 1817.

By Mr. Scott, those of John Rice Jones, presented on the 24th December, 1816, and Pierre Baribeau, presented on the 24th January, 1817.

Mr. Anderson. of Kentucky, from the committee appointed yesterday, on the constitution of the state of Illinois, reported a joint resolution, declaring the admission of the state of Illinois into the Union; which was read the first and second time, and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time to-day.

On motion of Mr. Williams, of North Carolina.

Resolved, That the committee of Ways and Means be instructed to inquire into the expediency of abolishing the duty on salt imported into the Uuited States.

On motion of Mr. Rhea,

Resolved, That the message of the President of the United States. of the 18th of January, 1816, recommending the confirmation of certain grants or reservations of lands, made by the friendly Creek Indians to major general Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Hawkins, and others, be referred to the committee on Private Land Claims.

On motion of Mr. Poindexter,

Resolved, That the committee on the Public Lands, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of prohibiting the emigration and settlement of the Choctaw tribe of Indians, on the lands of the United States, west of the river Mississippi, until they shall have acquired that right by treaty with the United States, founded on a cession of lands inhabited by said tribe of Indians, east of the river Mississippi.

On motion of Mr. Poindexter,

Ordered, That when the House adjourns, it will adjourn to meet again on Monday next.

And then the House adjourned.

MONDAY, November 23, 1818.

Several other members to wit: from New York, Daniel Cruger, Peter H. Wendover, and Caleb Tompkins; from South Carolina, James Ervin, Elias Earle, and Eldred Simkins; appeared and took their seats.

On motion of Mr. Shaw,

Ordered, That the petition of Gad Worthington, presented on the 12th December, 1817, be referred to the committee of Ways and Means; and,

On motion of Mr. Smith, of Maryland,

The petition of Ambrose Vasse, presented on the 5th December, 1817, was also referred to the same committee.

Mr. Mason, of Massachusetts, presented a petition of Wallers and Foster, stating, that they shipped a quantity of pepper in the month of August last, to a port in Russia, and a port in France, but that owing to the sickness of Mr. Foster, who was attending to the shipment, the time allowed for taking the necessary oaths elapsed, and that consequently, they are now unable to obtain their certificates of debenture, and praying relief from Congress.

Mr. Mason also presented a petition of Henry H. Tuckerman, also praying to be allowed certificates of debenture on a quantity of cassimere, returned by him to the manufacturer,in England, in consequence of their inferior quality, which debenture he is unable to obtain, because of his noncompliance with the requisites of the law, owing as he alledges, to a want of a knowledge of the said requisites, and to his being taken and compelled to serve on a jury which continued for thirty days.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

Mr. Sherwood presented a petition of George Batterson, a soldier in the revolutionary army,

Mr. Hubbard presented a petition of Elcazer Porter, also a soldier in the revolutionary army.

Mr. Peter presented a petition of Philomen Griffith, an officer in the revolutionary army,

Mr. Barbour, of Virginia, presented a petition of Nancy Varnum; widow of Isaac Varnum who died upon his return home of disease contracted while engaged in a tour of militia duty in the late war with Great Britain,

Mr. Jones presented a petition of John Cock, a soldier in the revolutionary army, respectively praying for pensions.

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

Mr. Taylor presented a petition of John Cutter, praying to be allowed the bounty in land, and three months' extra pay, granted to the soldiers of the late army, which is denied him, in consequence of his having enlisted previous to the passage of the acts making the allowance aforesaid.

Mr. Taylor also presented a petition of the Reverend Aaron J. Bogge, praying for the renewal of the act, authorizing the appointment of chaplains in the army of the United States.

Ordered. That the said petitions be referred to the committee on Military Affairs.

Mr. Reed presented a petition of Henry Hollingsworth, praying compensation for a horse lost in the military service, in the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Ervin, of South Carolina, presented a petition of Thomas Chapman, collector of the customs for the port and district of Georgetown, in South Carolina, praying to be allowed his proportion of the proceeds of the cargo of a vessel libelled within his district, and condemned for a breach of the revenue laws, which is withheld from him because of his having given testimony in the case.

The Speaker presented a document in support of the petition of the representatives of Pollard Keene.

Ordered, That the said petitions and document be referred to the committee of Claims.

Mr. Ervin also presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of South Carolina, praying for the establishment of a post rout.

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

Mr. Hugh Nelson presented a memorial of William Lambert, accompanied with abstracts of astronomical calculations, to ascertain the longitude of the capitol in this city, from the observatory of Greenwich in England, soliciting the adoption of measures authorizing additional observations to be made to test the accuracy of the result already obtained; which was referred to a select committee; and,

Mr. Hugh Nelson, Mr. Folger, Mr. Seybert, Mr. Crawford, and Mr. Bateman, were appointed the said committee.

Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, presented a petition of William Jackson, solicitor on behalf of the surviving officers of the revolu

tionary army of the United States, praying that an act may be passed directing the accounting officers of the Treasury, to adjust the claim of each surviving officer of the said army, who, by the resolves of Congress, was entiled to half pay for life, calculating the amount of the principal of the arrearages, from the time of his reduction, and deducting therefrom, five years full pay; and the balance of arrearages, being thus ascertained, to issue a certificate, bearing interest, to the officer for the amount of said balance; and the officer to be thenceforth entitled to receive half pay, in half yearly payments, for, and during the time of his natural life, which petition was referred to a select committee; and,

Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, Mr. Simpkins, Mr. Mercer. Mr. Hopkinson, and Mr. Spencer, were appointed the said committee.

Mr. Scott presented a petition of Joseph Snowbush, a petition of Ebenezer Hubble, a petition of Lewis Sims, on behalf of himself, his wife, and Henry D. and Mary Tripp, heirs of Jacob Doggitt, deccased, a petition of Andrew Ramsey, junior, a petition of Andrew Burns, a petition of James Donden, a petition of Leonard Raper, a petition of John B. Placit, a petition of John M-Glaughlin, and others, heirs of John Higgins, deceased, a petition of Joan Baptiste St. Geme Bauvais, a petition of Etiense Govrot, of Veuve Etienne Parent, and of Antoine Dubreuil, heirs of Etienne Parent, deceased. a petition of Prudhomme Bolduc, and others, heirs of Etienne Bolduc, and of Etienne Lamarque, and others, heirs of Louis Bolduc, and a petition of Antoine Dubreuil, respectively praying that their titles to lands in the territory of Missouri, may be confirmed.

Mr. Scott also presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the village of Cotté Sans Dessein, in the territory of Missouri, praying that a grant of land may be made to a certain Louis Roy, for his gallant and meritorious services in repelling the attack of a body of hostile Indians in the late war with Great Britain, by which the said village, was saved from capture and pillage.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the commitee on Private Land Claims,

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

Mr. Speaker: The Senate have appointed the Reverend John Clark, a chaplain to Congress, on their part, for the present session. And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That Mr. Barbour, of Virginia, be excused from serving on the committee upon the subject of the Public Buildings, and that Mr. Austin be appointed of the said committee.

Mr. Williams, from the committee of Claims, made unfavorable reports on the petitions of John Morton, and Vinson Johnson, and of John Crutcher, and Thomas Rawlings, which were read and ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Rhea, from the committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, made a report on the petition of James Heard, which was