The Enquirer

CONGRESS:

IN SENATE Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Mr. Smith, of Md. from the committee to whom was referred the bill for establishing a Quarter-master's Department, together with the amendments of the House of Representatives (striking out the section abolishing the Purveyor's office.) reported that the bill be postponed to the first Monday of August next, & also read in his place a draught of a bill in addition to the military establishment of the U. S.

Mr. Leib reported a bill authorising a subscription for the Laws of the U. S.; which was read and passed to a second reading.

Mr. Reed reported a bill in addition and for repealing certain parts of an act for establishing rules and articles for the government of the armies of the U. S., which was read and passed to a second reading.

The bill to alter the times of holding the district courts within and for the district of Connecticut was read the second and third time, and passed.

The bill making appropriations for the support of government, was read a second time and referred to Messrs. Tait, Franklin and Goodrich.

The bill to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for a limited time to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries, was read a third time and passed.

Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The bill for amending the rules and articles of war, and the bill authorising a subscription for the Laws of the U. S. were each read a second time.

The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill to incorporate Moses Austin, John R. Jones, Henry Austin and others into a company, by the name of the Louisiana Land Company.

After negativing two successive motions by Mr. Leib, to the first Monday in Dec. and to the first Monday of April, a motion of Mr. Gregg to postpone it to the first Monday in March was agreed to.

The bill for the revision of former confirmations and for confirming certain claims to land in the district of Kaskaskias, was passed to a third reading.

The bill supplementary to the act to regulate the collection of the duties on imports and tonnage, was, on motion of Mr. Bayard, postponed to the first Monday in March next.

The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill respecting the enrolling and licensing steam-boats, which was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading.

The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill establishing a land-office; and after agreeing to sundry amendments, the further consideration thereof was postponed till to-morrow.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Mr. Lewis presented the petition of sundry inhabitants of Jefferson county, Virginia, living on and near the river Potomac, complaining that since the branch through which their boats used to pass at Georgetown is stopped up, they are put to great inconvenience and risk in getting to Alexandria, by being obliged to go out into deep water, and pray that Congress will interfere in their behalf, and cause a new channel to be cut on the south side of Mason's Island. Referred to the committee on the district of Columbia.

Mr. Basset presented the petition of Thomas Ewell & Co. of the district of Columbia, praying for encouragement in their manufactory of gun-powder lately established. Referred to the same committee.

Mr. Gholson presented the petition of Arthur St. Clair, praying for the payment of a balance which he states to be still equitably due to him. Referred to a select committee.

Mr. G. also presented the petition of Joseph Wheaton, of this city, praying for the payment of certain monies due to him from the General Post Office Department. Referred.

Mr. Rhea presented a resolution of the Legislature of Tennessee, requesting the assistance of the General Government in opening a road between Augusta, in Georgia, and Tennessee. Referred to the Secretary of War.

Mr. Bacon, from the committee of Ways and Means, reported a bill to repeal the 10th section of the act incorporating the Bank of the U. S. which was twice read and committed. [This section provides that the notes of the U. S. Bank shall be receivable in all payments to the U. S.]

Mr. Bacon also made an unfavorable report on the petition of Jacob Greer, brother and security of Joseph Greer, one of the collectors of the direct tax in North-Carolina, who prayed to be relieved from his securityship. Concurred with.

Mr. Lewis, from the committee on the district of Columbia, reported the bill, which had been recommitted to them, with amendments, for amending the charter of the city of Washington. Committed.

The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, containing a statement of imports during the last year.

Also an account of the tonnage of the U. States, in conformity with a resolution of the House.

Also a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, with an account of the pay and rations of the several officers employed in the Navy of the U. S. which were ordered to be printed.

The House resumed the consideration of the bill for classing and arming the Militia of the U. S. - The question was on the bill's going to a third reading. Messrs. Bigelow, Mosely, Rhea and Sturges spoke against the bill's being engrossed; and the latter gentleman concluded his observations, by a motion to re-commit the bill.

Mr. Harper proposed to amend the motion, by adding to it, "for the purpose of reporting two separate bills—one for classing, the other for arming the militia." Mr. Sturges accepted of the amendment as a part of the motion.

Messrs. Harper, Potter, Rhea, Gholson and Widgery expressed themselves in favor of arming the militia, but not of classing the militia.

Messrs. Williams, Macon and Wright (members of the committee who reported the bill,) opposed the motion to re-commit the bill. They wished the sense of the House to be taken upon it, without farther loss of time: but if the House decided in favor of re-commitment, they hoped the bill would not be sent back to them, as they had reported such a bill as they approved; and if it were to be new-modelled, they wished it to go to those gentlemen who had expressed so much dissatisfaction with it, though they believed but few of them would vote for it in any shape.

The motion for a re-commitment was lost, there being only 50 votes for it.

The question was then taken upon the engrossment of the bill and carried 62 to 59.

On motion of Mr. D. R. Williams, the House resolved itself into a Committee of the whole, Mr. Calhoun in the chair, on the bill supplemental to an act for raising, for a limited time, a military force.

Mr. Williams explained the object of this bill to be to provide for mounting a regiment of horse artillery, directed to be raised by a law of 1808. The bill was reported without amendment, and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading.

On motion of Mr. Cheves, the House went into a committee of the whole. Mr. Wingate in the chair, on the bill making further appropriation for the defence of our maritime frontier.

The blank in the bill for the appropriation, was filled with a million of dollars.

The House concurred in the amendment, and the bill was ordered to a third reading.

On motion of Mr. Montgomery, the House went into a committee of the whole, Mr. Lewis in the chair, on the bill to ascertain the western boundary of a tract of land reserved for satisfying military bounties of the officers and soldiers of the Virginia Continental Line. After some time spent therein, the committee rose and had leave to sit again. Adjourned.
Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The Speaker laid before the House certain resolutions of the Legislature of Kentucky, expressive of their approbation of the course of policy pursued by the general government, & pledging their most cordial support.

On motion of Mr. B. Hall, these resolutions, with those of a similar nature received from other Legislatures, were referred to the Committee of Foreign Relations.

The Speaker also laid before the House, a memorial from the synod of Kentucky, sitting at Lexington, praying for the repeal or modification of that part of the post office laws which directs the carrying and opening the mail on the Sabbath, except in extraordinary occasions. Ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Pickens obtained leave of absence for his colleague Mr. Sawyer for the session, on account of the low state of his health.

A bill from the Senate, to promote the progress of science and useful arts, was twice read and referred to a select committee.

The bill for classing and arming the militia was read the third time; and the question being taken on the passage of the bill, it was negatived, 58 votes to 55. The following were the Yeas and Nays,

YEAS.—Messrs. Alston, Anderson, Baker, Bassett, Bibb, Breckenridge, Calhoun, Cheves, Clay, Cochran, Crawford, Dawson, Dinsmoor, Earle, Fisk, Franklin, Green, Grundy, B. Hall, Q. Hall, Hulsey, Johnson, Kent, Key, King, Lacock, Lefever, Lewis, Little, Macon, Maxwell, Moore, M'Bryde, Metcalf, Morgan, Morrow, Newbold, Ormsbey, Pickens, Ridgely, Ringgold, Roane, Sage, Seaver, Sevier, Shaw, Shelley, Smilie, Stewart, Stow, Strong, Troup, Williams, Winn, Wright—55.

NAYS.—Messrs. Archer, Bacon, Bard, Bigelow, Bleecker, Boyd, Brigham, Brown, Butler, Champion, Chittenden, Davenport, Davis, Ely, Emott, Findley, Fitch, Gholson, Gold, Goodwyn, Gray, Harper, Hawes, Hyneman, Jackson, Law, Livingston, Lyle, Milnor, Mitchill, Mosely, Nelson, Piper, Pitkin, Pleasants, Pond, Porter, Potter, Reed, Rhea, Roberts, Rodman, Sammons, Seybert, G. Smith, Stanford, Sturges, Taggart, Tallmadge, Taliaferro, Turner, Van Cortlandt, Wheaton, White, Whitmill, Widgery, Wilson—58.

The bill supplementary to an act to raise, for a limited time, an additional military force, passed the 12th of April 1808, was read the third time and passed.

The bill making a further appropriation for the defence of our maritime frontier, was read the third time; and on the question: "Shall the bill pass its third reading?"

Mr. B. Hall called the yeas and nays upon the question. He stated that he had two objections to the passage of this bill: the one was, that the objects on which the expenditures were to be made were not specified; the other was, that in our present circumstances, it would be improper, in his opinion, to appropriate so large a sum of money as a million of dollars, to be expended at the discretion of the Secretary at War. —He thought the money could be more usefully employed.

Mr. Rhea also spoke against the passage of the bill.

It was defended by Messrs. Cheves, Mitchill, Tallmadge, Potter, Wright, Shelley, and Widgery, who stated that the appropriation was called for by the proper authority: that New-York and Rhode Island had been mentioned by the Secretary of War as requiring a part of the expenditure, but that the appropriation was intended to be left at large to be used as the President of the U. States might think proper, and according to existing circumstances; that it was impossible, at this time, to foresee what might be necessary in this respect: and that the President, who is entrusted with the use of the military force of the country, might very well be entrusted with the expenditure of this money, or any part of it, on such fortifications as he might deem it necessary to erect or repair.

The question on the passage of the bill was carried, 88 to 25.

The unfinished business of yesterday being postponed

On motion of Mr. Bacon, the House went into a committee of the whole, Mr. Stanford in the chair, on the bill making appropriations for the military establishment of the U. States for the year 1812; the bill making appropriations for six companies of mountain rangers, for the year 1812; and the bill making appropriations for the support of an additional military force, for the same period. The committee having filled up the blanks in the several bills, they were reported to the House. The House took them up, concurred with the committee in the amendments, and ordered the bills to be engrossed for a third reading to-morrow.

On motion of Mr. Bacon, the House again resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Nelson in the chair, on the bill making appropriations for the support of the navy for the year 1812. The committee having gone through the bill, reported it to the House with amendments. The House considered the amendments, agreed to them, and ordered the bill to a third reading on to-morrow.

When the committee of the whole came to fill up the blank which contains an appropriation including "forage for staff?"

Mr. D. R. Williams moved to strike out this item. He knew no occasion that officers of marines had for forage. He considered it a wasteful expenditure.

Messrs. Basset and Little said these marines were employed on land as well as at sea, and were sometimes called from one part of the United States to another.

The motion was negatived, 48 to 43.