Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

CONGRESS.

IN SENATE. Jan. 25.

Mr. Taylor, from the committee to whom was referred the bill, entitled 'An Act to enable the people of the territory of Orleans 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; and for other purposes,' reported the same with the following, among other amendments:

Strike out the two first sections from the word 'that,' in the second line, and insert the following:

'That the inhabitants of all that part of the territory or country ceded under the name of Louisiana, by the treaty made at Paris, on the 30th day of April, one thousand eight hundred and three, between the United States and France, contained within the following limits, that is to say: beginning at the mouth of the river Sabine, thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of the said river, including all islands to the thirty-second degree of latitude; thence due north to the northernmost part of the thirty-third degree of north latitude; thence along the said parallel of latitude to the river Mississippi; thence down the said river to the southern boundary of the Mississippi territory; thence along the said boundary line to Pearl river; thence down the western bank of said river to lake Borgne; thence along the middle of said lake to the gulf of Mexico; thence bounded by the said gulf to the place of beginning; including all islands within three leagues of the coast; be and they are hereby authorized to form for themselves a constitution and state government, and to assume such name as they may deem proper, under the provisions and upon the conditions herein after mentioned: Provided, nevertheless, that the government of the United States hereby retains the power of altering in any manner it may hereafter deem proper, the limits of all that portion of the said described territory, which lies east of the river Mississippi and the island of New Orleans.'

Add the following section:

'Be it further enacted, That ... per centum of the net proceeds of the sales of the lands of the United States shall be applied, after the ... day of ... to opening and constructing public roads and levees on the said state, as the legislature thereof may direct.'

JANUARY 28.

The senate resumed the consideration of the bill enabling the people of the territory of Orleans to form a constitution and state government, and providing for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states.

A motion was made by Mr. Crawford, and agreed to, to strike out the words 'southern boundary of the Mississippi territory; thence along the said boundary line to Pearl river, thence down the western bank of said river to lake Borgne.'

Thereon the yeas and nays were:

YEAS--Messrs. Anderson, Bayard, Bicker, Condit, Crawford, Franklin, Gaillard, German, Giles, Goodrich, Houston, Howland, Lambert, Leib, Lloyd, Mathewson, Pickering, Reed, Smith, (Md.) Smith, (N. Y.) Stanford, Whiteside--21.

NAYS--Messrs. Campbell, Clay, Gaillard, Goldsborough, Pope, Robinson, Taylor, Turner, Vinton--9.

The bill was then laid over until to-morrow.