Virginia Argus

HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES.

March 17.

Mr. D. R. Williams this day resumed his seat in the House, from which he has been absent on leave for some time past.

Mr. Johnson presented a number of memorials from the inhabitants of West Florida, complaining of sundry grievances, &c. which were referred.

Mr. Gholson made a favorable report on the petition of Wm. Garrard, recommending an allowance to him of an additional sum of 1500 dollars, in consideration of his services as a land commissioner for the territory of Orleans. Referred to a committee of the whole.

Mr. Seybert presented a petition of Stephen Girard, merchant of the city of Philadelphia, praying permission to enter his vessel, called the Good Friends, at some custom-house of the United States, which vessel now lies in an exposed situation at Amelia island, with a cargo of British merchandise on board. Referred.

On motion of Mr. Nelson,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to enquire into the propriety and expediency, on the part of the United States, of making provision by law, for carrying into effect, in behalf of the officers and soldiers of the revolutionary war of the Virginia line on state establishment, or those claiming under them, as also the officers and soldiers employed in the marine service of the said state of Virginia, during the war of the revolution, and in behalf of any other meritorious persons, the warrants of land or other engagements, obligatory on the good faith of the said state, which may have been issued or entered into in consideration of military services; by assigning to the said officers and soldiers, or those claiming under them, their respective proportions of good land to which they may be entitled in virtue of any engagement on the part of the said state of Virginia, to be laid off between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers on the north-west of the river Ohio; and if a sufficiency of good lands, within the true intent and meaning of the engagements, on the part of Virginia, to the officers and soldiers aforesaid, to maintain sacred and inviolate the plighted faith of the said state, cannot be obtained within the limits aforesaid, then how far it may be expedient to assign to the said officers and soldiers, or those claiming under them, other good lands lying in any state or territory of the United States, out of any public-lands whatever; and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

Messrs. Nelson, M'Kee, Morrow, Breckenridge and Gold, were appointed a committee accordingly.

The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Stanford in the chair, on the bill concerning the post-office and post-roads; and, several amendments having been made thereto, the bill was reported to the House and further amended; and before the question was taken on engrossing the bill for a third reading, the House adjourned.

March 18.

Mr. Burwell, from the committee to whom the subject was referred, made an unfavorable report on the memorial of Peter Landais, recommending that he have leave to withdraw his memorial and papers. Mr. B. explained at some length the grounds of the report; upon the fullest investigation he had no claim upon the United States. The Speaker laid before the House a letter from Peter Landais, praying of this body that his memorial may be read through in the House from beginning to end, that it might be fully understood and enable the members to judge of the correctness of the report. Mr. Burwell moved that the report lie on the table, to afford an opportunity, if desired, for the reading of the memorial; but the motion was negatived. The question was then taken on the report, and carried in the affirmative, nem. con.

The bill from the Senate to alter the time of holding the circuit courts of the first district; and the bill to carry into effect an act of the legislature of the state of Maryland (respecting lotteries in the district of Columbia) were read a first and second time and referred to a committee of the whole.

The House took up the message of the Senate asking a conference on the subject of the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the navy bill, and conferees were agreed to be appointed on the part of this House.

The amendments of the Senate to the resolution authorising the formation of a digest of the returns of manufactures, &c. were agreed to.

The bill to establish a Quartermaster-general's Department, and for other purposes, was read a third time, and passed without opposition.

The House resumed the consideration of the bill concerning post roads.

A motion was made by Mr. O'Hall to recommit the bill, on the ground that so many additions had been made to it as to defeat the whole bill.
Considerable discussion took place on this motion; in the course of which it was stated that the nett receipt from this establishment during the past year was only three thousand dollars, which would be more than absorbed by the new routes proposed by the bill.

The question for recommitting the bill to a committee of the whole, as moved by Mr. Hall, was lost, and it was recommitted to the Committee of Post-Offices and Post Roads.

STATE OF LOUISIANA

On motion of Mr. Dawson, the House resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Bassett in the chair, on the bill for the admission of the state of Louisiana (now Orleans territory) into the Union, and for extending the laws of the United States to the same.

The several blanks in the bill having been filled—

Mr. Poindexter observed that it appeared to have been the sense of this House, when the bill for erecting the Mississippi territory into a state was under consideration, that the portion of the territory taken possession of under the President's proclamation (known by the name of West-Florida) which lies west of Pearl river, should be added to the state of Orleans. The constitution had provided that new territory might be added to the states with their consent. As it was not provided by the constitution which party should first assent, he presumed it was not material; and, as this appeared to be the proper moment for fixing the boundary, he was induced to offer the following amendment to the bill.

"And be it further enacted, That so soon as the consent of the Legislature of said state shall be given to the same, all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to wit: beginning at the junction of the Iberville with the river Mississippi;—thence through the middle of the lakes Maurepas and Ponchartrain, to the western junction of Pearl river to Lake Ponchartrain; thence up said river to the 31st degree of latitude; thence along the said degree of latitude to the river Mississippi; thence down the same to the beginning; be, and the same is hereby incorporated in & made a part of said state & shall be governed by the constitution and laws thereof in the same manner as if it had been included within the original boundaries of said state. Provided nevertheless that the title of the United States to said tract of country shall be and remain subject to future negotiation."

Mr. Dawson said this question had been agitated in the select committee, but it had appeared proper to them that this addition of territory should be made the subject of a separate law. If they went so far they must go farther still, into details. He thought it better that the law accepting the constitution should be as simple as possible.

Mr. Clay, (speaker) could not view the subject in the same light, he said as the gentleman from Virginia; and although there had been a division of sentiment in the select committee, there certainly were some members of that committee in favor of the motion. But could the gentleman imagine any difficulty growing out of making this section a part of the present bill, which would not equally arise if it were put in a separate bill? There could be no difficulty in either way; and in point of propriety, it appeared to him the course now proposed ought to be pursued. They were about to admit a new state into the Union. Should not the bill, which recognised it, present the whole limits of the state in one view, or would it be better to subject enquirers to the necessity of wading through two or three acts to find out the boundary of a single state? He hoped the motion would prevail.

The motion was agreed to, 47 to 25.

Mr. Clay said he observed there had been no ordinance passed by the convention recognising the freedom of navigation of the Mississippi. He had no idea that under any circumstances, the Legislature of the new state would impede the navigation; but the object was one so dear to the people of the western country generally, that he wished to place it beyond the possibility of doubt.

Considerable desultory discussion took place on the proposed amendment; which was chiefly objected to by Mr. Rhea on the ground that it was totally unnecessary, &c.

The amendment was adopted without a division.

Mr. Johnson said that as the matter now stood, the population of the Florida territory attached to this bill would, although they are to compose a part of the new state, be deprived of a voice in the passage of the first laws, which are always the most important under a new government, and in the choice of Senators in Congress, which would be attended with the greater hardship, as the population had been unrepresented for some time past, and complained of various grievances. He therefore moved an amendment to the bill to divide the territory to be annexed to Louisiana into two counties, to be called Feliciana and Baton Rouge, each to send one Senator and one Representative.

Mr. Poindexter wished the people of that country to be represented as much as the gentleman possibly could; but how could Congress in one breath say they should form a part of the new state as soon as its consent could be had, and in the next section declare, though by the very terms of the law they are not a part of the state, that they shall be represented in the Legislature of the state.

Mr. Clay said he had understood that a memorial was in the city, and would be presented to the House at the first opportunity, from the Convention of Orleans, praying the annexation of the territory in question to the new state. When that was before them, the Committee would be better able to understand how far they could now proceed in sanctioning the representation of that territory in the Louisiana Legislature. He therefore moved, that the committee now rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again.

Agreed to, and the committee rose.

On motion of Mr. Wright, The House then resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Stanford in the chair, on the bill from the Senate making further provision for the Corps of engineers, with amendments reported thereto. The bill having been gone through, was reported to the House.

Mr. Williams moved to amend the bill by inserting, after the clause appropriating 30,000 dollars for the erection of additional
buildings, the words "at such place as shall be designated by the President of the United States."

Mr. Mitchill opposed the motion on the ground of the superior advantages of situation, centrality, &c. of West Point, the place at which the Military Academy is now fixed, and from which under the proposed amendment its removal may be effected. He expatiated on the eligibility of this station, the waste of public property which a removal would involve; its security from hostile approach, connected with its contiguity to N. York, the source whence every thing necessary to improve the mind or polish the manners could be derived. If it was to be removed, Mr. M. pointed out Staten Island as the proper place; but he was averse to leaving the removal subject to executive discretion, when the question of its location could as well be decided by Congress.

Mr. Gold expressed his regret that this amendment, so important as heretofore to have caused discussion many days, and which would probably now consume two or three days, should have been proposed to a bill, the passage of which appeared so urgent. If any removal of the school was to take place from its present position, the change should be made by Congress, and the responsibility for every thing should not be committed to the Executive. The Senate had already refused to incorporate in the bill the amendment now proposed; and it ought not to be adopted in this House on a sudden, and without full consideration. That it might be more maturely and considerately discussed, he moved to recommit the bill, &c. to a committee of the whole.

Mr. Lewis opposed the motion. He said it would not be contested that the place best suited for it should be chosen for the location of the Military School: and he could not see any reason for refusing to the Executive the opportunity to make a proper selection.

Mr. Lacock said as it had been intimated that the House were about to enter on a three days' discussion of this subject, it was scarcely worth while to begin at so late an hour.—He therefore moved to adjourn.

Which was agreed to.