Delaware Patriot & American Watchman

CONGRESS,

Washington, May 3.--The Senate yesterday was occupied the greater part of the day until nearly six o'clock, in the discussion of the motion of Mr. Smith, of Md. to recede from the amendments made by the Senate, and disagreed to by the House of Representatives, to the bill making appropriations for Internal Improvements, which amendments limited the sum appropriated for surveys, to those objects already commenced. Mr. Smith of Md. (chairman of the committee of Finance,) on reporting the bill with the disagreements, said:

"Mr. President. In reporting to the Senate the disagreement of the House of Representatives, to the third and fifth amendments of the Senate, to the bill making appropriations for Internal Improvements, and referred to the Committee on Finance, I desire to state, that the opinion of the Committee, of the propriety of the amendment, remains unchanged: but as the item to which the third and principal amendment relates, is incorporated in a bill providing for other objects deemed of immediate urgency and great importance to the public service, which might be materially prejudiced and finally defeated at this late period of the session, by adhering to the amendment and prolonging the disagreement between the two Houses, they do not desire to incur those risks, or to produce the delay incident to a renewed and protracted discussion. From these considerations I report the bill to the Senate, and now move that the Senate recede from their amendment, and concur in the disagreement of the House of Representatives."

The motion to recede was advocated by Messrs. Johnston of Lou., and Webster, at considerable length, and opposed in an able and powerful argument by Mr. McLane, and also by Mr. Smith of S. C. Mr. Benton on this question addressed the Senate at length, and gave his reasons why he should vote in favor of the motion, not, as he said, because he believed the amendment improper or unwise, but because he still wished to retain a chance of having a survey made, which he deemed not only of national importance, but of the utmost importance to the State he represented.

On the question being taken, the Senate refused to recede by the following vote:

YEAS--Messrs. Barrard, Barton, Bateman, Bell, Benton, Bouliguy, Chambers, Chase, Harrison, Hendricks, Johnson, of Ky. Johnston, of La. Kane, Marks, Noble, Robbins, Ruggles, Seymour, Silsbee, Smith, of Md. Thomas, Webster, Willey.--23

NAYS--Berrien, Branch, Chandler, Cobb, Dickerson, Eaton, Ellis, Foot, Hayne, King, McKinley, McLane, Macon, Parris, Ridgely, Rowan, Sanford, Smith, S. C. Tazewell, Tyler, Van Buren, White, Williams, Woodbury--24

On motion of Mr. McLane, the Senate insisted on the amendments.

The Senate then adjourned over to Monday next.

In the House, yesterday, Mr. Livingston reported a bill for the punishment of contraventions of the fifth article of the treaty between the United States and Russia: which was twice read, and after being slightly amended, was ordered to a third reading to-morrow. The resolution offered by Mr. Stewart on Thursday, relative to the Cumberland Road, was taken up; but the hour allotted to morning business having elapsed, it was laid on the table, before the House had come to any result thereon. Mr. Martin made an unsuccessful motion, to reconsider the vote of the House, on Thursday, rejecting the second amendment of the Senate, to the bill making appropriations for Indian Affairs for the year 1828, which amendment goes to refund certain sums of money to the State of North Carolina. The bill to ascertain the latitude of the southern extreme of Lake Michigan, and the bill to regulate the commercial intercourse of the United States with the Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, were severally read a third time and passed. The bill to authorize the building of light houses, &c. The bill to distribute the 7th volume of the Laws of the United States.--The bill to amend the acts concerning naturalization, and the bill to authorize the building of certain harbors were ordered to be engrossed, and read a third time to-day. Mr. P. Barbour laid on the table an amendment to the 41st rule of the House, giving notice that he should call up the same to-day. The House then went through, in Committee of the Whole, the bill for the relief of Nathaniel Patten: the bill for the relief of John B. Dupuis; the resolution authorizing an examination of the claim to land of John F. Carmichael; the bill for the relief of the representatives of Wm. Shannon and Hugh Shannon; the bill for the relief of Amos Sweet, and others: the bill for the relief of John Miles; the bill for the relief of William Gentry; the bill for the relief of Bard and Findlay, Executors of Robert Johnson, deceased; the bill for the relief of John Watson of Tennessee: the bill for the relief of Alexander Garden: all of which were reported to the House, without amendment. They were all finally ordered to be engrossed and read a third time to-day, with the exception of the bill for the relief of Nathaniel Patten, which was laid on the table and that for the relief of Alexander Garden, which was not taken up in the House.

Telegraph.