Constitutional Whig

Congress of the United States.

SATURDAY, Jan. 20, 1827.

The Senate did not sit to-day.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Mr. McDuffie is appointed a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, in the room of Mr. McLane, whose resignation as a member of that Committee was yesterday tendered and accepted.

Mr. Hasbrouck, from the Committee on Revolutionary Claims, made an unfavorable report on the petition of Garret G. Beale; which was laid on the table.

On motion of Mr. Wales, it was

Resolved, That the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a post route from Montpelier, through the western part of Berlin, Northfield, Roxbury, Braintree, the west part of Randolph, and Bethel, to Royalton, in Vermont.

On motion of Mr. Herrick, it was

Resolved, That the Committee on Ways and Means be instructed to enquire into the expediency of making an appropriation to remunerate Isaac Poole for his services and sufferings in recapturing the schooner Evergreen and her cargo from a piratical crew, and bringing said crew to trial, and that the papers on the files of the House, relating to that subject, be referred to said Committee.

Mr. Pearce offered the following joint resolution:

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Library Committee be, and hereby are, directed to enquire into the expediency of procuring from the plantation office and other offices in England, authentic copies of such parts of the records thereof as may be found to contain facts new and useful for illustrating the history of this country.

Mr. Everett stated that the subject was now before the Committee: and that a report would be made as soon as the proper information was obtained.

On motion of Mr. Pearce, the resolution was laid on the table.

Mr. Wickliffe gave notice that he should on Monday ask the House to take up the bill to record the Decisions of the Supreme Court.

A Bill to authorize the citizens of the territory of Michigan to elect the members of their Legislative Council and for other purposes, was read a third time and passed.

ORDERS OF THE DAY.

Mr. Bassett moved to postpone all the other orders of the day, to take up the Bill to erect a monument to Gen. Washington, but subsequently withdrew his motion.

The House then resolved itself into Committee of the Whole on the Bill providing for the relinquishment of certain claims, to land sold by the United States in the State of Ohio—Mr. Hoffman in the Chair.

Mr. Vance went into a history of this claim, stating that he had always resided in that part of the country, and had been in the habit of traversing the tract of country now in dispute, for 26 years. He stated, that when the locations were made upon those lands, they were made known to the government, and it was stated that the purchasers of the United States would be ejected or made liable. The line which had encroached on the lands of the military claimants, was made by the authority of government, and he contended that the government must be responsible. Those who occupied the lands under the United States, had memorialized Congress to be quieted in their possessions. He defended Gen. McArthur from the charge which had been brought against him by his colleague, (Mr. Thompson,) who had accused him of being a sharper speculator; and had asserted that this was a managed case. He stated the course which this business had taken in Congress and the Supreme Court, and urged that there was nothing incorrect throughout the whole of it.

Mr. Alston said a few words as to the course which had been pursued by the United States towards the Virginia land claimants, and stated that, as he understood the case, an individual had purchased some of these warrants, and laid them on the lands which had been purchased of the United States in order to get a claim on the government. It had been settled by the Supreme Court in a case affecting North-Carolina, that the grant itself was sufficient evidence to establish a title.

Mr. Strong gave a view of this case, in which he made it appear that Robert's line is the true line: that the law permitted the locations to be made, the United States having sold the lands to innocent purchasers.—The warrants of the Virginia claimants were legal, and must be satisfied. We must satisfy those claimants, or make restitution to those who will suffer in consequence of their purchases of the United States. It would be substantial economy to pass this bill. If we refuse, those who have purchased of us will be turned out, and will come back upon us; and in that case we shall have to refund both the amount of the purchase money, and interest from the time of the purchase. Instead of 60 or 70 thousand dollars to pay, we should, in that case, have from 600 to 800,000 dollars to appropriate.

Mr. McCoy supported the statements made by the gentleman from New York.

Mr. Cocke thought more time should be allowed to investigate the claim, before the House passed a bill to appropriate so much money. He contended that the door had been closed against the military claimants, the last time to which Congress had extended their privilege of entering their warrants. The grants were not made on land, previously disposed of by the United States, but on land, where they could be lawfully made. The subject had been brought before the Supreme Court, in order to constitute a ground for this application.

Mr. Mercer read the report of the decision of the Supreme Court in this case: and urged that as the case seemed to have elicited a legal argument here, the Committee could have no better guide than the decision of the highest Judicial tribunal.

After a few words, from Mr. Beecher, and from Mr. Thompson, who persisted in his statement that this was a managed case, that a colorable title had been obtained for the purpose of bringing the case before the Supreme Court, and that the interest of General McArthur in the claim was proved by his having paid Mr. Clay $500 dollars to argue it before the Court. The blank in the bill was filled with the sum of $68,000 dollars.

The Committee then rose and reported the bill as amended, and the amendment was agreed to. The question being on the engrossment. Mr. Thompson asked for the Ayes and Nays on this question, and a sufficient number rising, the question on the engrossment was taken by Ayes and Nays, when those who voted for it were—

Messrs. Adams of Pa. Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Badgley, Bartlett, Whittlesey of Con.; Barney, Bassett, Baylies, Beecher, Boon, Bradley, Brown, Buchanan, Buckner, Burleigh, Burgess, Cassidy, Conner, Cook, Crowninshield, Dana, Drayton, Dwight, Eastman, Foot, Everett, Gurley, Harris, Harvey, Hasbrouck, Hayden, Henry, Hobart, Humphrey, Jennings of Ind. Johnson of Va. Johnson of Ky. Knox, Pawling, Letcher, Little, Locke, Marable, Markell, Mitchell of Md. Marvin, of New-York, McCoy, McKean, McLane of Ohio, Mercer, Merriweather, Metcalf, Miner, Messrs. Mitchell of S. C.; Moore of Ky.; Newton, O'Brian, Pearce, Phelps, Porter, Powell, Rose, Ross, Sands, Sloan, Storrs, Strong, Swan, Taylor, of Va.; Test, Trezvant, Farmer of N. J. Van Horn, Vance, Vance of Ohio, Wales, Ward, Whittlesey, James Wilson, Wilson of Ohio, Wood of N. C., Wright of Va.—76.

Those who voted against it were

Messrs. Alexander of Va, Alexander of Tenn. Allen of N. Y.; Alston, Anderson, Angel, Baldwin, Baylies, Barringer, Blair, Bryan, Cobb, Cocke, Crane, Davis, Dupont, Edward of N. C., Findlay of Pa. Findlay of Go, Forsyth, Forward, Gamm, Govan, Healy, Henry, Houston, Ingham, Irvine, Lawyer, Lecompte, Long, McDuffie, Mallary, Mr. Newton, John Mitchell, Mitchell of Pa.; Moore of Ala.; Olin, Palmer, Partridge, Shanton, Taylor, of S. C. Weems, Williams, Wickliffe, Wood of Vt.—41.

The bill was then ordered to be engrossed and read a third time on Monday.

The Speaker had before the House a communication from the Postmaster General, on the subject relative to the contract for carrying the mail between this place and Baltimore, which was laid on the table.