Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

CONGRESS,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Monday, Feb. 25.

Mr. Gregg presented two petitions praying for a repeal of the alien and sedition laws, the one from Cumberland county, signed by 270 persons; the other from Mifflin county in Pennsylvania, signed by 314 persons.

Mr. Gallatin presented another petition of the same kind from Chester county signed by 692 persons.

Mr. Livingston one of a similar nature, signed by 2500 of the citizens of New-York.

Mr. Heister one of the same kind from 1400 inhabitants of Berks county.

Mr. Bayard one from the inhabitants of Newcastle county, state of Delaware, signed by between 7 and 800 persons.

Mr. Bard and Mr. Brown each of them presented petitions to the same effect signed by a small number of persons.

The whole were referred as usual.

On motion of Mr. Livingston the petition presented some days ago from a number of alien Irishmen against the alien bill, was also referred, 44 to 35.

The President of the United States informed the house, that he had approved and signed an act fixing the pay of captains and commanders of ships and vessels of war, an act to authorize the purchase of timber for naval purposes, an act establishing docks, an act for augmenting the navy of the United States, and an act respecting quarantines and health laws.

The President also informed the senate that he had approved and signed, an act making appropriations for the expense of carrying into effect certain treaties with certain tribes or nations of Indians, and an act allowing James Mathers compensation for his services, &c. as sergeant at arms of the senate.

The two following bills were then read the third time and passed, viz. a bill to authorize the erection of a beacon on Wood Island, and a bill for the government of the navy of the United States.

Mr. Harper from the committee of ways and means, reported a bill making additional appropriations for the year 1799, which was committed.

Mr. Varnum reported a bill authorizing a detachment of the militia of the U. States which was committed.

On motion of Mr. Goodrich, the house went into a committee of the whole, on the report of a select committee, on the petitions praying for a repeal of the alien and sedition laws.

The question being upon agreeing to the first resolution, declaring it to be inexpedient to repeal the alien law,

Mr. Gallatin spoke at considerable length against its adoption.

On his sitting down the question was put and carried, 52 votes being in the affirmative.

The next question was upon agreeing to the resolution declaring it to be inexpedient to repeal the sedition law.

Mr. Nicholas spoke at length against agreeing to this resolution. At the conclusion of his speech, and a few observations having been made in favor of the committee's rising and reporting progress, by Messrs. McDowell and Livingston; and against it, and in favor of taking the question on the resolution, by Messrs. Bayard and Dayton, a question was taken on the committee's rising, and negatived, 51 to 42. The question on the resolution was then put and carried by exactly the same number of votes, by which the former question was carried.

The question was put and carried on the last resolution, without a division.

The committee then rose, and the house took up the resolutions. The question being on concurring in the agreement of the committee of the whole to the first resolution.

Mr. Livingston entered upon a defence of the sentiments which he delivered when the passage of this law was under consideration, which he said had been much misrepresented, but after making some progress in his observations, the speaker declaring them unconnected with the question before the house, he sat down, and the first resolution was decided by yeas and nays, as follow:

Mr. McDowell then moved an adjournment which was negatived, 55 to 38.

The question was then taken on the second resolution, upon which the yeas and nays were exactly the same as upon the first.

The question on the third was concurred in, 61 votes being for it.

Adjourned at half past five.

Messrs. Allen,	Messrs. Foster,
Baer,	Imlay,
Bartlett,	Lyman,
Bayard,	Machen,
Brace,	Matthews,
Brooks,	Morgan
Bullock,	Morris,
Champlain,	Otis,
Chapman,	J. Parker,
Cochran,	Pinckney,
Craik,	Reed,
Dana,	Rutledge,
Dennis,	Schureman,
Edmond,	Sewall,
Evans,	Shepard,
A. Foster,	Sinnickson,
D. Foster,	N. Smith,
J. Freeman,	Sprague,
Glen,	Thatcher,
Goodrich,	Thomas,
Gordon,	Thompson,
Griswold,	Tillinghast,
Grove,	Van Allen,
Harper,	Wadsworth
Hartley,	Wain,
Hindman,	J. Williams,

Messrs. Baldwin, Bard, Blount, Brent, Brown, Cabell, T. Claiborne, W. Claiborne, Clay, Clopton, Davis, Dawson, Dent, Eggleston, Elmendorf, Findley, Fowler, N. Freeman, Gallatin, Gillespie, Gregg, Hanna, Harrison, Havens,

Messrs. Heister, Holmes, Jones, Locke, Lyon, Macon, McClenachan, McDowell, New, Nicholas, J. Parker, Skinner, S. Smith, W. Smith, Sprigg, Stanford, Sumter, A. Trigg, J. Trigg, Van Cortlandt, Varnum, Venable, R. Williams,