Gazette Of The United States And Daily Evening Advertiser

CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Wednesday, December 24.
A report on the subject of making provision for payment of the third instalment of the debt due to the Bank of the United States, and the instalments due on foreign loans was brought in by Mr. Sedgwick, read and referred to the committee of the whole on Friday.
On motion of Mr. Preston, the house went into Committee of the whole on the bill to determine the northern boundary of the territory ceded to the United States by the state of North-Carolina—This bill was opposed by Mr. Greenup, and Mr. White, delegate from the south western territory—the committee rose and reported progress; and the request of the Chairman for leave to sit again on the bill, was negatived; which amounts to its rejection.
In committee of the whole on the reported plan for the reduction of the public debt.—The first resolution after striking out the words Six Hundred Thousand, referring to the sum to be appropriated for the discharge of two per cent. of the capital bearing an interest of six per cent was agreed to—A blank was left, to be filled up in the house.
The second resolution which proposes to extend the duties on Loaf Sugars, Snuff &c. to the year 1801—occasioned some debate—the committee without coming to a vote, rose and reported progress.
Adjourned till Friday.
Friday, December 26.
A bill to indemnify the officers of Government and others, who sustained losses by the Insurrection in the four western counties of Pennsylvania, was twice read, and committed for Monday.
The report to the means for discharging the instalments due on foreign and domestic loans, was taken up in committee of the whole—agreed to, and a bill ordered to be brought in
In committee of the whole on the naturalization bill—The following amendment was under consideration.
"That no alien shall be admitted to become a citizen, unless he shall prove by the oath of two or more credible witnesses, that he has resided within the United States years, and during that time, has behaved as a man of good moral character, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States."
The amendment occasioned some debate, in the course of which some additional tests were proposed, but it passed the committee without alteration.
The next amendment is a proviso in the following words.
"That any alien, who shall have declared on oath or affirmation, before some common law court or record, in one of the states, that it was, bona fide, his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to every sovereign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty whatever, and particularly by name the prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, whereof such alien may at the time be a citizen or subject, and shall, subsequent thereto, have actually resided within the United States, two years, and still continue a resident, shall be holden to pay no other duties for the tonnage of any ship or vessel to him belonging, than an American citizen would be holden to pay, until the time shall come, when by this act he may become a citizen."
This occasioned further debate, the committee rose without deciding on the amendment, and had leave to sit again.
There is another amendment to this bill before the committee, moved by Mr. Giles in the following words.
"And be it further enacted That any citizen of the United States, who shall have heretofore expatriated. or who shall hereafter expatriate himself, not again be admitted to the rights and privileges of citizenship, without a special act of Congress, and of the state expatriated, or shall hereafter expatri-for that purpose, from which he had expatriate himself."
the House that they have appointed a
A message from the Senate informed
committee to confer with a committee
of the House, on the disagreement of
the House to the Senate's amendment
to the bill entitled an act to regulate
the pay of the militia in actual service;
the House concurred, and appointed a
committee on their part.
Mr. Sedgwick reported a bill making provision for discharging the instalments due on foreign and domestic loans—read and committed for Monday.
Adjourned.