appropriated for the service of the year, 1824; which letter and estimate were referred to the Committee of Ways and Means. And then the House adjourned.

MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 1824.

The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, communicating the annual report of the Commissioners of the Navy Pension Fund; which was ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Cushman presented a remonstrance of sundry inhabitants of the town of Clinton, in the county of Kennebec, and state of Maine, against a change as proposed in a post route therein mentioned.

Mr. Lincoln presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the town of Otisfield, in the county of Cumberland, in the state of Maine; Mr. Farrelly presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the Counties of Venango and Warren, in the state of Pennsylvania; Mr. McKean presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the county of Tioga, in the state of Pennsylvania;

Mr. McCoy presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the counties of Rockbridge and Bath, in the state of Virginia;

Praying, respectively, for the establishment of post routes.

Mr. Reed presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the town of Carver, Plymouth county, Massachusetts, praying for the discontinuance of a post route therein mentioned.

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

On motion of Mr. Gurley,

Ordered, That the resolutions of the General Assembly of the state of Louisiana, heretofore presented on the 24th of February, 1823, upon the subject of the mail route between the cities of Washington and New Orleans, be referred to the same committee.

Mr. Kidder presented a petition of Josiah Parlin, of the state of Maine, late a subaltern officer in the army of the United States, setting forth that, in the trial of a suit brought against him by the United States, it was decided by the court and jury, that the said United States was indebted to him in the amount of $64, and praying that the same may be paid to him, together with his costs of suit.

Mr. Richards, of New York, presented a petition of Gates Hoit, of that state, praying compensation for his services as a secret agent in obtaining information of the operations, movements, and designs, of the British forces in Canada, and communicating the same to the commander of the forces of the United States, on the Northern frontier, in the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Tracy presented a petition of Charles Townsend, of the state of New York, praying compensation for his services as a commissioner to take testimony under the act making compensation for property lost, captured, or destroyed, in the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Miller presented a petition of Priscilla Adams, of the city of Philadelphia, widow of Charles Adams, who died while a soldier in the army of the United States, in the late war, praying to be paid

the arrearages of pay which she states to be due for his services, and that the benefit of the acts for the relief of the widows and children of deceased soldiers, may be extended to her and her children.

Mr. Miller presented a petition of William Scull, of the state of Pennsylvania, administrator of the estate of Thomas Dure, late a soldier in the army of the United States, praying to be paid the arrearages of pay, due for the services of the deceased.

Mr. Miller also presented a petition of Margaret Daniels, late Margaret Stewart, and formerly the wife of Leonard Repsher, deceased, late a soldier in the army of the United States, praying that the acts for the benefit of the widows and children of deceased soldiers, may be extended to her and the children of the deceased.

Mr. Stewart presented a petition of William Fleming, of the state of Pennsylvania, praying to be allowed his pay and bounty land, as a soldier in the army in the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Stewart also presented a similar petition of Ephraim Sutton, of the state of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ellis presented a petition of George Lewis, of the state of Pennsylvania, praying to be paid the amount of a loan office certificate, issued in the Revolutionary War.

Mr. Kent presented a petition of Joseph Ratcliffe, of the District of Columbia, praying compensation for a quantity of timber delivered at the Navy Yard, in the city of Washington, in 1814, for the use of the Navy of the United States, and which was destroyed by the burning of said yard in that year, before the said timber was received or measured.

Mr. Mitchell presented a petition of John S. Moffett, collector of the third collection district of Maryland, praying that an act may be passed to authorize the proper accounting officers of the Treasury to audit and settle his accounts upon the principles of equity and justice, for the reasons set forth in his petition.

Mr. Cocke presented a petition of Alexander Bates, of Tennessee, stating that, in obedience to an order from his superior officer, he impressed a gun into the military service of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain, in consequence of which, he has been prosecuted, and subjected to heavy damages, and praying relief from Congress.

Mr. Sandford presented a petition of John Holleday, of the state of Tennessee, praying compensation for a wagon and team lost in the service of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain, as also, compensation for the said wagon and team, while the same were in service.

Mr. Wright presented a petition of Mareen Duvall, of the state of Ohio, praying to be reimbursed the amount expended by him for subsistence and camp equipage for his men, while commanding a regiment of Ohio militia, in the service of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Randolph presented a petition of Israel B. Scuggs, of the state of Virginia, praying compensation for his horse and other property lost in the military service of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Richard presented a petition of David Cooper of Detroit, in the territory of Michigan, praying compensation for a house taken for the public service by the military forces of the United States, in the late war with Great Britain.

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

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

By Mr. Tracy, the petition of Ebenezer Averill, presented on the 24th of April, 1820; the petition of Zebulon Ketchum, presented on the 13th of January, 1823; the petition of Eli Hart, for interest and discount on money loaned to the Quuartermaster's Department, presented on the 15th of December, 1820; the petition of Samuel De Veaux, presented on the 12th of December, 1821; the petition of Eli Hart, for property lost, presented on the 1st of December, 1820; the petition of William Beard, presented on the 21st of January, 1822; the petition of Vincent Grant, presented on the 21st of January, 1822; the petition of Reuben B. Heacock, presented on the 27th of January, 1823; the petition of John Despard, presented on the 21st of January, 1822.

By Mr. Forward, the petition of William B. Foster, presented on the 25th of January, 1822.

By Mr. Mercer, the petition of Joseph Smith, presented on the 2d of January, 1823.

By Mr. Scott, the petition of Louis Rouse, presented on the 29th of January, 1822.

Mr. Longfellow presented a petition of William Hasty, of the state of Maine, praying to be released from a part of a judgment recovered against him as the surety of a certain John Morrill, a paymaster in the army in the late war with Great Britain, on the ground that the said Morrill was not prosecuted in due time by the proper officers.

Mr. Clark presented a petition of Joshua Whitney, Stephen Tuttle, and Thomas Maxwell, William Maxwell, Samuel H. Maxwell, Hector Maxwell, Charles Maxwell, and Susan A. Maxwell, children and heirs of Guy Maxwell, deceased, all of the state of New York, praying that measures may be adopted to perfect and secure their titles to several tracts of land purchased by them and sold for direct tax due the United States, under the acts of the 14th of July, 1798, and 16th March, 1802.

Mr. Hemphill presented a petition of Samuel Brown, mechanic, of London, in the kingdom of Great Britain, praying that a patent may be granted him, as the original inventor of an engine for producing power, by which water may be raised, machines worked, and vessels propelled, without the aid of steam.

Mr. Mercer presented a petition of George Taylor, of the state of Virginia, praying that measures may be taken to compensate him for spoliations committed on his lawful commerce, on the high seas, by French cruisers, between the years 1793 and 1800; the United States having, in the convention of 1800, absolved the Government of France from all liability on account of said spoliations.

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

The under mentioned petitions, heretofore presented, were again presented, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, viz:

By Mr. Stewart, the petition of Benjamin Wells, presented on the 25th January, 1820.

By Mr. Hayward, the petition of William Nichols Earle, presented on the 16th January, 1822.

By Mr. Little, the petition of Upton Reed, presented on the 10th February, 1823.

By Mr. Wickliffe, the petition of sundry inhabitants of Louisville, in Kentucky, presented on the 24th January, 1820.

Mr. Fuller presented a petition of Joseph C. Fisher and Elisha Dwelle, of the state of Massachusetts, stating that they have invented and patented a new and useful improvement in the hydrometer for proving the strength of spiritous liquors, and praying that an act may be passed authorizing the use of their improvement in the custom houses of the United States.

Mr. Reed presented a petition of Francis G. Macy, and others, of Nantucket, in the state of Massachusetts, owners of the ship General Jackson, stating that, in 1820, they sent the said ship on a whaling voyage, under the command of John Fisher, who had resided upwards of twenty years in the United States, under the impression that he was a citizen of the United States, by naturalization; that said Fisher had given the notice required by law of his intention to become a citizen, and, ever after, believed himself to be a citizen of the United States; that, upon the arrival of said ship in the port of Nantucket, her cargo of oil, &c. was subjected to the same duties as if imported in a foreign ship; that foreign duties were charged upon her tonnage; and that she forfeited her national character, because the said commander had not been fully and completely naturalised, as a citizen of the United States; and praying relief in the premises, generally.

Mr. Cambreleng presented a petition of Barnard Thooft, of the city of New York, merchant, praying to be allowed and paid the drawback of duties on a quantity of merchandise exported by him to a foreign port, which is withheld, for reasons set forth at large in his petition.

Mr. Francis Johnson presented a petition of Robert T. Baylor, of Kentucky, praying to be exonerated from the payment of judgments, obtained against the estate of his brother, John G. Baylor, deceased, on bonds given for the duties imposed on distilled spirits, on the ground that his said brother paid said bonds, and neglected to have the same cancelled.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

On motion of Mr. Tracy,

Ordered, That the petition of David Beard, heretofore presented on the 13th January, 1823, be referred to the same committee.

On motion of Mr. Forsyth,

Ordered, That the petition of James Dickson and William Dixon, heretofore presented on the 27th January, 1823, be also referred to the same committee.

Mr. Reed presented a petition of James Collier, and others, owner, master, and crew, of the schooner "Little Sarab," of Cohasset, in the state of Massachusetts, praying to be allowed, and paid, the bounty granted by law to vessels employed in the codfishery, as said vessel was wrecked and lost while on her return to port with a cargo of fish.

Mr. Durfee presented a petition of David Melville, of the state of Rhode Island, stating that, in consequence of an advertisement, issued by the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury, he put in proposals for supplying the light-houses within the United States with oil, keeping the lamps, &c. in repair, which said proposals were the lowest, and that he was entitled to the contract, which was, notwithstanding, given to another person, and praying relief from Congress.

Mr. Hemphill presented a petition of the Chamber of Commerce of the city of Philadelphia, praying for the erection of a "Breakwater" at the mouth of the Delaware, for the security of the vessels navigating the same.

Mr. Farrelly presented a memorial of the inhabitants of the county of Erie, and parts adjacent, in the state of Pennsylvania, praying that measures may be adopted to remove the bar at the entrance of the harbor of Presque Isle.

Mr. Call presented a petition of John W. Siminton, for himself and the inhabitants of the island of Key West, in East Florida, praying all the privileges and advantages which are enjoyed by the ports of the United States may be extended to the port of Key West. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Commerce.

On motion of Mr. Livingston,

Ordered, That the petition of John W. Bingay, heretofore presented on the 7th of February, 1822, be referred to the same committeee

Mr. Webster presented a memorial of sundry tallow chandlers and soap boilers, in Boston, remonstrating against the petition of the New Bedford and Nantucket oil merchants, and praying for a repeal of the laws laying duties on imported tallow, and allowing drawbacks on the exportation of foreign candles.

Mr. Eddy presented a memorial of the committee appointed by, and acting for, the manufacturers of cotton, and others interested in the manufacture of that article, in the state of Rhode Island, praying that additional duties may be imposed on certain cotton fabrics imported from foreign countries.

Mr. Matlack presented memorials from inhabitants of the state of New Jersey, praying that additional duties may be imposed on iron imported into the United States.

Mr. Garrison presented similar memorials from other inhabitants of the state of New Jersey.

Mr. Tod presented similar memorials from inhabitants of the state of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Buchanan presented similar memorials from other inhabitants of the state of Pennsylvania.