Gazette Of The United States

CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. Sewall, from the committee of enrolment, reported that they had laid before the President for his approbation and signature, the bill for regulating trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes; and also the bill to authorize Ebenezer Zane to locate certain lands north-west of the river Ohio.
Petitions in favor of the British treaty were presented by Messrs. Gilbert and Ames.
The bill regulating grants of land for military services, &c, was read a third time and passed.
The blank mentioning the time of registering warrants was filled up with nine months; that containing the time after which no locations will be allowed, was filled up with January 1800; and that for containing the time at which persons shall have resided on lands already located by military warrants to entitle them to remain thereon, was filled with April 1, 1794, the day on which the act bore date, allowing Capt. Kimberly to locate certain lands on the same principle.
The bill altering the compensation of the accountant of the War Department was read a third time and passed.
A bill from the Senate was read, providing Passports for the ships and vessels of the United States.
The house took up the amendments yesterday made in a committee of the whole in the bill regulating post offices and post roads, and having gone through the same, and a few other alterations in the bill, it was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. Some debate took place on a motion made by Mr. Nicholas to strike out a clause which obliges Printers to dry all their newspapers which go by post and to put them up in strong covers.
It was said by Messrs. Nicholas and Swanwick that this provision would put it in the power of post offices to stop the circulation of newspapers altogether, by refusing to accept them, on the ground of their not being sufficiently dry, or in covers sufficiently strong; but, on the other hand it was urged by Messrs. Thatcher and Harper that the former part of the measure was at least desirable, and that it could not be supposed that the Postmaster General would unnecessarily obstruct the circulation of newspapers, and that if he did, he would be liable to punishment.
The amendment was negatived; when Mr. Thatcher moved to strike out the words, "directing papers to be enclosed in strong covers," and to add a clause, directing that all newspapers for any particular post-office should be enclosed in a mail by themselves, and directed to the said office, and should not be opened until they arrived at the place of their destination. This amendment was agreed to, and the bill was ordered for a third reading tomorrow.
Mr. Giles thought it was time to fix on some early period of adjournment. Most gentlemen he believed felt anxious to be away. He therefore, proposed a resolution to the following effect, which was ordered to lie on the table:
"Resolved, that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives be authorized to close the present session, by adjournment of both houses, on Saturday the twenty-first instant."
Mr. Tracy, from the committee of claims made a report on the bill from the Senate, providing recompence for clerks, &c. who resided in Philadelphia during the yellow-fever, to which they proposed to add several names;
They also reported on the petition of Alexander Fowler, praying to locate certain warrants on unoccupied lands in the North Western Territory.—This report was against the petitioner. Both the reports were twice read, and referred to a committee of the whole tomorrow.
Mr. Bourne reported a bill supplementary to an act laying duties on Snuff.
Mr. W. Smith also reported a bill empowering the Secretary of the Treasury to lease the salt springs of the United States, northwest of the river Ohio.
Both the above bills were twice read, and ordered to be referred to a committee of the whole tomorrow.
On motion of Mr. Nicholas the house resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Bourne in the chair, on the report of a select committee thereon for providing relief to debtors. After some debate and a few amendments, the bill, as proposed to be amended by a select committee, was agreed to in committee of the whole, taken up in the house, and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. It appears that the former law on this subject was about to expire, and that the bill from the Senate was nearly a copy of the old law. This bill, as now improved, enacts that debtors in each state, when prosecuted by the United States, shall be dealt with exactly in the same way, as if they were prosecuted under the laws of their respective individual states.
A message was received from the Senate, informing the house that they had agreed to the bill providing for the payment of certain debts of the United States, with some amendments, to which they requested their concurrence.
A message was received from the President, informing the house that he had approved and signed an act for erecting a light-house on Cape-Cod.
Adjourned.