Gazette Of The United States

CONGRESS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Wednesday, May 25.

Messrs. D. Foster and S. Lyman presented petitions in favor of the British treaty.

On motion, the report of the committee appointed to confer with the Senate on the subject of their disagreement with respect to the amendments proposed to the bill for the relief of persons imprisoned for debt, was taken up and agreed to. As the bill now stands, the plan of accommodating the laws of the United States to the state in which an action should be brought, is done away, and a uniform plan is adopted throughout the union, which allows no man to be imprisoned for debt, who surrenders his property, and swears or affirms that he is not worth more than $30. By leaving this sum, it is meant that a man should not be deprived of his tools, &c. so as to render him unable to earn his future living.

The house went into a committee of the whole on the bill to indemnify the estate of the late major-general Greene from the payment of a certain bond for £11,297 sterling, which was said to be given on account of government. After a few observations, it was agreed to, and ordered to be read a third time to-day. It was afterwards read a third time and passed, by the yeas and nays being taken.

As they were nearly the same as upon agreeing to the report of the committee of claims on Monday, we shall only state the difference. In the yeas add the names of Messrs. Findley, Gregg, Madison, Preston, and Richards, and erase those of Messrs. Ames, Heath, Muhlenberg, New, R. Sprigg, jun. and Van Cortlandt. In the nays, add the name of Mr. Bailey, and erase those of Messrs. Griswold, N. Smith and Winn.

The order of the day was next entered upon, which was the amendments agreed to in the committee of the whole on the bill, with the amendments from the Senate, making provision for the payment of certain debts of the United States. When the house came to the amendment of the Senate, which had been agreed to in a committee of the whole, authorizing the commissioners of the sinking fund to sell such shares of the stock of the Bank of the United States, belonging to the United States, as they may think proper. Mr. W. Smith moved an amendment, viz. "that it should not be lawful for the said commissioners to sell any share or shares for a less rate or price than 33 1/3 per cent. advance thereon." This motion occasioned very considerable debate. It was predicated on this ground; that as the stock to be created at 6 per cent. was not to be sold for less than par, neither ought the bank stock, which produced 8 per cent, to be sold for less than 133 1/3 per cent.

On the other hand, it was said that, since the Bank must have paid them forthwith two millions of dollars at least, the commissioners of the sinking fund ought to be left at liberty to sell the Bank stock at the best price they could get, provided the new stock created would not sell at par, otherwise the bank would not be paid at all, since the present price was not more than 127 per cent. This motion was lost 47 to 33. Mr. W. Smith then moved to insert, "provided it be not sold under 125 per cent." The question was taken upon this amendment by the yeas and nays, as follow:

YEAS.
Messrs. Ames, Bourne, Bradbury, Cooper, Crabb, A. Foster, D. Foster, Gilbert, Gilman, Glenn, Goodrich, Hancock, Heister, Henderson, Hindman, Kittera, S. Lyman, Malbone, Murray, Read, Sitgreaves, W. Smith, Isaac Smith, Sam. Smith, Wm. Smith, Swift, Thatcher, Thomas, Thompson, Tracy, Van Alen, Wadsworth, Williams.—33.

NAYS.
Messrs. Bailey, Baldwin, Baird, Benton, Blount, Bryan, Burgess, Cabell, Christie, Claibourne, Coit, Coles, Dent, Earle, Findley, Franklin, Gallatin, Giles, Gillespie, Greenup, Gregg, Griswold, Grove, Hampton, Harrison, Harper, Hathorn, Havens, Holland, Jackson, Kitchell, Locke, W. Lyman, Maclay, Macon, Milledge, Madison, Moore, Nicholas, Preston, Richards, Rutherford, N. Smith, Israel Smith, R. Sprigg, jun. T. Sprigg, Swanwick, Tatom, Venable.—49.

The question was then taken on the amendment of the Senate, as amended in the committee of the whole (as stated in yesterday's paper) and the yeas and nays were taken upon it. Those gentlemen who voted in the affirmative of the last question, voted in the negative of this, with this variation. In the nays (which will be the yeas on this question,) add the name of Mr. Hancock, and erase the names of Messrs. Coit, Griswold, Harper, Kitchell, and N. Smith. These last five names must be added to the yeas of the last question, (which will be the nays on this) and the names of Messrs. Hancock and Isaac Smith erased.

Mr. W. Smith moved that a committee should be appointed to confer with the Senate on their amendments. This motion was negatived 45 to 33, on the ground of its not being in order; it was said part of the amendments had been agreed to, and the Senate might agree to the additional amendments and recede from such as had been disagreed to, without a conference.

A message was received from the President of the United States, with the following communication:

Gentlemen of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

"The measures now in operation for taking possession of the posts of Detroit and Michilimackinac, render it proper, that provision should be made for extending to those places and any others alike circumstanced, the civil authority of the North Western Territory. To do this will require an expense to defray which the ordinary salaries of the Governor and Secretary of that territory appear to be incompetent. The forming of a new county or counties, and the appointment of the various officers, which the full exercise of government must require, will oblige the governor and secretary to visit those places, and to spend considerable time in making the arrangements necessary for introducing and establishing the government of the United States,

Congress will consider what is best to [gibberish fixed as continuation]."

GO. WASHINGTON.
United States, May 25.

The amendments of the Senate to the bill altering the time of holding the district courts of Vermont and Rhode-Island, were agreed to.

The committee to whom was referred the message of the President respecting an allowance to district attorneys, reported, and recommended sums from 350 to 150 dollars a year to be allowed to them in addition to their fees. The report, after some objection on the ground of putting the consideration off till next session, was read a second time, and ordered to be referred to a committee of the whole to-morrow.

The house went into a committee of the whole on the bill making additional compensation to Marshals, Jurors, witnesses, &c. in the trials of persons concerned in the late insurrection. After some observations on the subject, in which it was allowed the pay now given to such persons was far too low, but that there could be no good reason given for extending the provision to the late trials on account of the insurrection more than others, the principle was at length agreed to, and a sum of 30,000 dollars (according to the estimate of the secretary of the treasury) appropriated.

Mr. W. Smith read a letter which he had received from the secretary of the treasury, stating that, for want of a district attorney in Kentucky, no duties could be collected; that the governor himself refused to pay, and that the people sheltered themselves under his example. He proposed, therefore, that a clause should be added to this bill (as he doubted whether the report which had just been read respecting the district attorneys would be got through this session) allowing the attorney for that district a compensation which should induce him to prosecute the business.

After a little debate on the subject in which Mr. Thatcher said it was in vain to pay any attorney to recover duties in that state, since there was not an honest man amongst them, in respect to their duties, and Mr. Greenup (from that state) had replied to him, defending the conduct of the governor and people of that state, and blaming the revenue officers, the additional section was agreed to 37 to 27.

The committee rose and reported.

A message was received from the Senate, informing the house, that they had disagreed to the resolution to adjourn the two houses on the 25th inst. and that they had resolved that the bill for the relief of the deputy post master of Boston do not pass.

Adjourned.