Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

CONGRESS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THURSDAY—JANUARY 4.

Mr. Gregg moved that the report on the petition of William Alexander, made at the last session, be referred to a committee of the whole. Ordered for Monday.

Mr. Venable presented a petition from Buckingham county, Virginia, praying for an extension of the post road : and Mr. A. Foster one from New Hampshire to the same effect.— Referred to the committee on the post office and post-roads.

Mr. Sprigg said, that by a law of Congress passed in 1789, the regulation of pilots was left to individual states. Much inconvenience had arisen on this account from the clashing laws of different states, particularly from those of Virginia and Maryland, which caused considerable embarrasment in the Chesapeake and Potomak. To remove this evil, or at least to call the attention of the house to that subject, he proposed a resolution to the following effect :

"Resolved, that the committee of commerce and manufactures be instructed to inquire into the expediency or inexpediency of making further provisions in the law for the regulation of pilots, and that they report by bill or otherwise."—Agreed.

Mr. Harper reported a bill prescribing the mode of taking evidence in cases of contested elections, and to compel the attendance of witnesses, which was twice read and committed for Monday.

Mr. Livingston, from the committee of commerce and manufactures, made a report on the petition of William Bell, at present imprisoned in this city for the non-payment of a custom-house bond. 'The committee report unfavorably to this case ; they had some doubts as to the law passed in 1796, for the relief of persons confined for debt, whether it were intended to operate in favor of persons imprisoned at the suit of the United States. They accordingly addressed the attorney general upon the subject, who was of opinion it did. Some legal decisions having, the committee understood, been differently made, they thought it best, at present, not to recommend any explanatory law, but to decline affording any relief to the petitioner, and wait the issue of a determination of the supreme court; as, if that decision should be in favor of this class of debtors, there would be no occasion for the interference of the legislature; if not, an explanatory act might afterwards be passed.

After a few observations from Messrs. Livingston, Macon and Nicholas, the report was committed for Monday.

A message was received from the senate, communicating a bill for allowing compensation to the doorkeeper of the senate, and his assistant, for the last session of congress. This bill was twice read, and committed for to-morrow.

The bill for making certain partial appropriations for the service of the year 1798, was read the third time and passed. As was also,

The bill to amend the several acts for laying a duty on spirits distilled within the United States, and on stills.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the committee of claims, made an unfavorable report on the petition of Robert Symonds, who prayed for compensation for his service as a lieutenant and cornet during the war. The committee state that they do not find his services registered as in the war-office, and if they were, his claim would be barred. The house concurred in the report.

Mr. J. Williams called up for decision, the resolution which he laid upon the table the other day, proposing the appointment of a committee to consider whether the office of commissioner of the revenue might not now be dispensed with. The resolution was agreed to, and a committee appointed

Mr. Dawson moved the order of the day on the bill providing for the payment of the interest on a certificate due to General Kosciuszko; which being agreed to, the house went into a committee of the whole on the subject, which, after reading the bill, rose and reported it. The bill was ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.

Mr. Harper called up for decision a resolution which he laid upon the table the day before yesterday, proposing the appointment of a committee to bring in a bill to prohibit citizens of the United States from entering into the military or naval service of any foreign prince or state. The resolution was carried 46 to 22, and a committee of three appointed.

Mr. Harper moved that the Committee of the whole be discharged from a further consideration of the letter from the secretary of state, inclosing a report of the director of the mint, suggesting the expediency of some alterations in its establishment, to render it less expensive to the public, and more accommodating to the depositors, in order that it might be referred to the committee of ways and means. He supposed it was intended to appropriate a sum of money for the purpose of purchasing bullion, it was proper the business should go to that committee.

Mr. Nicholas wished, before anything was done in the business, to know the issue of the bill at present pending relative to foreign coin. If it should be disagreed to, and the circulation of foreign coin were to be stopped, he supposed there would be no necessity for appropriating money for the purchase of bullion.

Mr. Harper thought that, notwithstanding the bill which the gentleman alluded to, was not yet decided upon, he saw no reasons why the course he proposed should not be taken, since the committee of ways and means could in the mean time be turning its attention to the subject, without reporting upon it, until the bill now in its passage, was decided upon.

Mr. Gallatin did not think it proper that this business should go to the committee of ways and means at present. The house ought first to decide whether they will make an appropriation for this object. If they so determined, the resolution would, of course, be referred to the committee of ways and means. It was proper also, that an enquiry should be made (which he understood it was the intention of a gentleman to bring forward) whether the treasury department had not carried the former law into execution, which required all foreign coin, except Spanish dollars and parts thereof, which came into their hands, to be re-coined before it was re-issued—

Mr. G. said there would be the same propriety in sending a proposition for raising an army to the committee of ways and means, as there would be in sending the letter and report in question.

Mr. Harper knew this house must determine whether any appropriation should be made for the object in question, or not; but it was for the committee of ways and means to say how the business could best be done, and whether there was money enough in the treasury for the purpose, or whether a tax would be necessary to effect it. But if the subject were to be discussed, before any report was had from the committee of ways and means, it would be used as a strong argument against the measure, that there would be need of additional taxes to meet the appropriation.

Mr. J. Williams wished, before they took any step in this business, to know the fate of the bill now in the Senate with respect to foreign coin.

The motion was put and negatived without a division.

Mr. Havens submitted a resolution to the following effect :

"Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to lay before this house such information as it is in his power to give respecting the execution of the 2d section of the act to regulate foreign coin and for other purposes, passed Feb. 9, 1793, and which directs that foreign gold and silver coin, except Spanish dollars and parts thereof, which shall be received in payment by the United States, after the coining of gold & silver coin shall begin at the mint of the United States, shall previous to its being re-issued into circulation, be coined anew ; and if this part of the law has not been executed, to explain the causes which prevented its execution."

Some objections were made to this resolution ; a motion was made by Mr. Kittera to amend it, by striking out all which follows " Feb. 9. 1793 ; but after a few desultory remarks upon this motion, it was superseded by one made by, Mr. Gordon to postpone the question till to-morrow, which was carried

On motion of Mr. J. Williams, the house resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the bill for the relief of Nova Scotia and Canadian Refugees, Mr. Dent in the chair.

The bill was read, and several amendments introduced into it; the principal of which were, one to reduce the age of persons entitled to land from 18 to 14 years at the time of their entering the territory of the United States : the other, to extend the allowance to female as well as male refugees, who were of that age at the time of their emigration.

At length the committee rose, and asked leave to sit again, but leave was refused by the house, and the bill was re-committed, in order to make it conformable to the amendments.

Mr. Livingston reported a bill authorizing the payment of certain sums of money to the daughters of the late Count de Grasse, which was twice read, and committed for to-morrow.

Adjourned.