The Hillsborough Recorder

CONGRESS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Monday, February 3.

A memorial was presented by Mr. Condict, of New Jersey, signed by many respectable citizens of that state, showing the injurious consequences resulting from the importation of so great an amount of foreign goods, by paralyzing the industry of the nation, and draining the country of its precious metals, and praying an increase of duties upon such articles as they believe can be furnished upon reasonable terms by our own manufacturers.

So much of the memorial as relates to duties on domestic distilled spirits, was referred to the committee of the whole on the state of the union.

NEW COLLECTION BILL.

The house, by unanimous consent, agreed to resume the bill to regulate the collection of duties on imports and tonnage, with the amendments proposed thereto in committee of the whole.

The question was taken separately on all the amendments; and one or two additional amendments were proposed and discussed.

The persons who engaged in this part of the business of to-day, were Mr. McLane, Mr. McKim, Mr. Gorham, Mr. Cambreleng, Mr. Ingham, Mr. Wright, Mr. Rhea, Mr. Tracy, Mr. Walworth, &c.

Finally, at a little before 5 o'clock, the bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time on Wednesday; and

The house adjourned.

Tuesday, February 4.

The joint resolution yesterday laid on the table by Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, making provision for the distribution of copies of the Digests of Manufactures and Manufacturing Establishments in the United States, was read a second time, and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading.

Mr. Rochester, from the select committee appointed on the subject of the mint, &c. made a report thereon, accompanied by a bill further to prolong the continuance of the mint at Philadelphia; which bill was read twice and committed, and the report ordered to lie on the table.

The speaker communicated the following message from the president of the United States:

To the House of Representatives of the U. S.

In compliance with the resolution of the representatives, of the 12th December last, requesting the president to communicate to the house such information as he might possess with regard to any expedition prepared in the United States, and having sailed from thence within the year 1822, against the territory or dependency of any power in amity with the United States, and to inform the house whether any measures had been taken to bring to condign punishment persons who have been concerned in such expedition contrary to the laws:—

I transmit to the house reports from the secretaries of state and of the treasury, with the documents mentioned in each. Those documents contain all the information in possession of the executive, relating to the subject of the resolution. That a force, of a very limited extent, has been equipped in the ports of the United States, and sailed from thence, for the purpose described in the resolution, is manifest from the documents now communicated; the reports from the collectors of Philadelphia and New York, will show in what manner this equipment escaped their notice.

The first information of this equipment was received from St. Bartolomeo news, the place of its rendezvous. This was confirmed afterwards, from Curacoa, with an account of its failure.

Should any of the persons return within the jurisdiction of the U. States, care will be taken that the laws, applicable to such offences, are duly enforced against them. Whether any aid was afforded by others to the parties engaged in this unlawful and contemptible adventure, in the ports in which it was planned, inconsistent with ordinary commercial transactions, and contrary to the laws of the United States, will be referred to the attorney general, on whose advice any measures in regard to them will depend.

JAMES MONROE.

February 4

The message and documents were ordered to lie on the table.

Mr Breckenridge, of Kentucky, submitted for consideration the following resolution:

Resolved, That the committee on military affairs be instructed to report a bill to establish a national armory on the western waters.

On motion of Mr. Tod, the house, in committee of the whole, resumed the consideration of the bill for the encouragement of manufactures.

The question being on the motion to strike out the enacting clause—

Mr. Durfee, of Rhode Island, delivered, in a speech of about an hour, his views, adverse to any considerable augmentation of the duties on imports; avowing his intention, however, to vote against striking out the enacting clause, with a view to allowing the friends of the bill, and others, to make it as perfect as they could.

Mr. Forward, of Pennsylvania, in speech of half an hour's length, replied to Mr. Durfee, in aid and support of the principles of the bill.

Mr. Gorham, of Massachusetts, then took the floor, and spoke for considerably more than an hour, in earnest opposition to the principles of the bill. When,

On motion of Mr. Woodson, the committee rose; and,

A little before 5 o'clock, the house adjourned.

Wednesday, February 5.

Mr. Cook, from the committee on public lands, reported a bill further to extend the provisions of "An act supplementary to an act, entitled "An act for the relief of the purchasers of public land prior to the 1st July, 1820," which was twice read, laid on the table, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Eustis, from the committee on military affairs, made a report relative to the propriety of repairing the fort at Smithville, N. C. or of erecting fortifications at a more suitable site; and the committee, in pursuance to the resolution appended to the report, was discharged from its further consideration by the house.

Mr. Stewart, from the committee on roads and canals, reported a bill to authorize the laying out and opening certain public roads in the territory of Florida; which was read twice and committed to a committee of the whole on the state of the union.

Mr. Rochester, from the select committee appointed on the subject of regulating the currency of foreign coins in the United States, made a report, accompanied by a bill to continue in force an act entitled "an act regulating the currency within the United States of the gold coins of Great Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain, and the crowns of France and five franc pieces," which bill was read twice and committed.

The resolution yesterday moved by Mr. Breckenridge, for instructing the military committee to establish an armory on the western waters, being the subject next in order—

Mr. Breckenridge rose and said that he understood, since he moved this resolution yesterday, that a bill had been reported in the other branch of the legislature proposing the establishment of a national armory on the western waters. For the present, therefore, he moved to lay the resolution on the table.

This motion was agreed to.

On motion of Mr. Tomlinson, it was

Resolved, That the committee on military affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of increasing the annual appropriation for the purpose of providing arms and military equipments for the whole body of the militia of the United States, either by purchase or manufacture.

Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to ascertain by whom the suppression of the paragraph, in the letter of William R. Dickerson, cashier of the bank of Steubenville, to the secretary of the treasury, dated the 31st day of April last, and communicated to this house at the last session, was caused

with leave to sit during the session, and with power to send for persons and papers.

Mr. Cobb, in vindicating himself from supposed imputations, did not oppose the resolution, but concluded by moving the following amendment to it:

"And that the said committee be instructed to prepare and report to this house a digest of the evidence, if any such there be, showing whether uncurrent or depreciated bank notes were taken in lieu of cash, from any of the banks, in which the public moneys were deposited. Whether the public moneys have not been discontinued to be deposited in branches of the United States' Bank, and placed in certain local banks, situated in the same town or neighborhood, without complying with the directions of the law on that subject; and whether such transfers have not resulted in loss to the government; whether the public money has not been loaned to those banks, in which standing deposits were made, under the name of deposits, and whether such loans or deposits have not resulted in loss to the government; whether security was not neglected to be taken in some one or more instances for the punctuality of one or more banks, which proposed to give such security, and whether such failure has not resulted in loss to the government."

Mr. Campbell accepted as a part of his motion the amendment proposed by Mr. Cobb.

Mr. Gilmer delivered his sentiments on the subject, at considerable length, concluding by moving the following amendment:

"And to ascertain, if possible, whether any member of this house, or confederacy of members, have made use of the papers of this house for the purpose of making charges against any department of this government, which that member, or those members, know to be false."

Mr. Woodson then, remarking on the interesting nature of the subject before the house, which ought not to be lightly or precipitately acted upon, moved adjournment; and

The house adjourned.

These successive motions occasioned an animated debate, which, involving
Some delicate questions and being in its nature somewhat personal, excited a lively interest. It was near five o'clock when the house adjourned.

Thursday, February 6.

Mr. Cocke offered the following resolution, which, by the rules of the house, would lie one day:

Resolved, That the president be requested to communicate to this house a statement showing particularly whether the money appropriated for fortifications in the years 1820, 1821, and 1822, has been expended on the several fortifications, as required by law; whether the money applicable to one fortification has been transferred and expended on another; if so, by what authority.

At the suggestion of Mr. Cocke, the rule requiring the resolution to lie one day was suspended for this case, and the resolve was adopted.

The unfinished business of yesterday, being the resolution moved by Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, as amended on the suggestion of Mr. Cook, of Illinois, was taken up—

And the question being on agreeing to the following amendment, moved yesterday by Mr. Gilmer, of Geo. viz:

"And to ascertain, if possible, whether any member of this house, or confederacy of members, have made use of the papers of this house for the purpose of making charges against any department of this government, which that member, or those members, know to be false."

The debate was resumed upon the general subject, and lasted until half past 4 o'clock.

At the commencement of the debate, Mr. Gilmer withdrew, at the suggestion of Mr. Sanders, the amendment which he yesterday introduced at the suggestion of Mr. Cook, both of which motions were, after debate, withdrawn.

Mr. Tait, when the hour arrived, moved to proceed to the order of the day; which motion was negatived.

Mr. Chambers, at an advanced hour of the day, required the previous question, in order to terminate discussion; which requisition was not supported by the necessary number of votes.

Finally, the question was taken on agreeing to the resolution as is above stated; and it was determined in the affirmative, 107 votes to 23.