Daily National Intelligencer

WASHINGTON

CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.

IN SENATE.

THURSDAY, APRIL 20.

On motion of Mr. Ruggles, the committee of claims were discharged from the further consideration of the petitions of Antoine Brown and of George Harpole.

Mr. Dickerson, from the committee to whom the subject had been referred, reported a bill to limit the term of office to four years of certain officers, collectors of the customs, district attorneys, navy agents, registers, receivers of public money, paymasters, pursers, naval officers, port surveyors, &c., which was read.

The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill granting certain privileges to the Ocean Steam Ship Company of New York, and, no amendment being offered to the bill, the question was taken on ordering it to a third reading, and decided in the negative—ayes 11, noes 12.

So the bill was rejected.

The bill for the relief of Mathew McNair, and the bill for the relief of Elizabeth Braden, were severally considered in committee of the whole, and ordered to a third reading respectively.

Several bills were taken up, further considered, and laid on the table.

The bill to change the port of entry for the district of Teche, in Louisiana, was taken up, and on motion of Mr. Dickerson postponed indefinitely.

The bills which were yesterday ordered to a third reading were severally read the third time, passed, and sent to the other House.

ROADS AND CANALS.

The Senate then took up, in committee of the whole, Mr. King of Alabama in the chair, the bill 'to authorize the appointment of certain commissioners to lay out the road and canals therein mentioned,' which was reported from the committee on roads and canals by Mr. King of New York, on the 4th inst., to which committee had been referred the memorials on the subject, from the legislatures of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, &c. The bill is as follows:

Whereas, by the continuation of the Cumberland road from Wheeling in the State of Virginia, through the States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the lands of the United States may become more valuable.

Be it enacted, &c. That the President of the U. States be and he is hereby, authorized to appoint three impartial and judicious persons, not being citizens of any of the States aforesaid, to be commissioners, and, in case of the death or resignation of any of them, to appoint other and like persons in their place, who shall have power carefully to examine the country, between Wheeling in the State of Virginia, and a point on the left bank of the Mississippi river, to be chosen by said commissioners, between the — and to lay out a road from Wheeling, aforesaid, to the point so to be chosen on the left bank of the river Mississippi; the said road to be on a straight line, or as nearly so as, having a due regard to the condition and situation of the ground and water courses over which the same shall be laid out, shall be deemed expedient and practicable. And said commissioners shall have power to employ able surveyors, chainbearers, and other necessary assistants, in laying out said road. The said road to be eighty feet wide, and designated by marked trees, stakes or other conspicuous monuments, at the distance of every quarter of a mile, and at every angle of deviation from a straight line. And the said commissioners shall cause to be made, and delivered to the President of the United States, an accurate plan of said road, so laid out by them as aforesaid, with a written report of their proceedings, describing therein the state lines crossed, and the marks, monuments, courses, and distances, by which the said road shall be designated; describing also the water-courses, and the nature and quality of the ground over which the same shall be laid out; they shall, moreover, divide said road into sections of not more than ten, nor less than five miles long, noticing the materials that may be used in making, and giving an estimate of the expense of making each section of the road aforesaid.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That, in order to open the communication and promote the intercourse between the States, the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to appoint three impartial and judicious persons, not being citizens of either of the States of Maryland, Delaware, or New-Jersey, to be commissioners, and, in case of the death or resignation of any of them, to appoint other and like persons in their place, who shall have power to employ such able surveyors, chainbearers, and other assistants, as they may deem necessary, and they shall proceed carefully to view and examine the route of the Chesapeake and Delaware canal, as already laid out, together with the adjacent country; and also the route of the proposed canal from the tide waters of the river Delaware to the tide waters of the Rariton river, in the State of N. Jersey; and, upon such view and examination, to determine whether said canals, respectively, be laid out in such places, in such manner, as will best promote the general interests of the U States, & whether the same ought to be varied, or altered in any respect, either in regard to the route, plan, or dimensions of the canals; and also to estimate the expense of making and finishing said canals. And the said commissioners shall cause to be made accurate plans of said canals, and make report, in writing, of their proceedings and opinions, with an estimate of the expense of making and completing said canals, to the President of the United States, to be by him communicated to Congress.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the commissioners, surveyors, chain-bearers, and other necessary assistants, to be appointed in pursuance of this act, shall severally take an oath, or affirmation, faithfully and diligently to perform their respective duties, and shall receive, in full compensation for their services and expenses, each commissioner — dollars, each surveyor dollars, and each other necessary assistant dollars, for each day in which they shall be necessarily employed in the service aforesaid: Provided always, and it is hereby further enacted and declared, That nothing in this act contained, or that shall be done in pursuance thereof, shall be deemed or construed to imply any obligation on the part of the United States, to make, or to defray the expense of making, the roads and canals hereby authorized to be examined or laid out, nor of any of them, nor of any part of any of them.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That — thousand dollars be, and are hereby, appropriated to defray the expense of laying out the roads and canals aforesaid.

Mr. King of New York offered some remarks in support of the utility of the objects embraced by the bill, its general expediency &c. and after some discussion rather on the question of connecting in one bill the different objects it embraces.

Mr. Otis moved that the further consideration of the bill be indefinitely postponed; which motion was decided in the negative by yeas and nays, as follows:

YEAS—Messrs. Barbour, Brown, Burrill, Eaton, Elliot, Gaillard, Johnson of Louisiana, King of Alabama, Leake, Macon, Mellen, Morril, Otis, Palmer, Pleasants, Smith, Walker of Alabama, Walker of Georgia, Williams of Tennessee,—19.

NAYS—Messrs. Dana, Dickerson, Edwards, Horsey, Hunter, Johnson of Kentucky, King of New York, Lanman, Lowrie, Noble, Parrott, Roberts, Ruggles, Sanford, Stokes, Taylor, Thomas, Trimble, Van Dyke, Williams of Mississippi, Wilson,—21.

And the Senate adjourned.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21.

A detailed report of the proceedings of yesterday has been deferred to the next paper, to make room for much other interesting matter.