Lancaster Gazette

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.

Boston, June 16, 1828.

In Senate, on Monday last, the bill directing the mode of choosing Electors of President and Vice President, was returned from the house with amendments; which were adopted in concurrence. The principal change made in the bill by the House, and an important one, too, was to frame it as a temporary measure, applying only to the ensuing election, instead of establishing it as a perpetual law. I hope, at no distant day, that the District system may be permanently ordained throughout the union. In the absence of party excitement it is the favourite, and according to all correct notions the most republican, mode of choosing Electors. Several private matters were passed upon on Monday, which are only of local interest: among others, a bill was received from the House incorporating the Nashua (Nashaway?) River Bank, at Fitchburg, which was read once and assigned to Tuesday for a second reading.

On Tuesday Andrew J. Allen had leave to withdraw the petition, which he sent in, praying for leave to hire the Providence and Hudson rail-ways when completed. A resolve, appropriating $8000 to enable the board of Directors of Internal Improvements to complete the business of their appointment, passed to a second reading. The bill to incorporate the Bank at Fitchburg, passed to be engrossed. The electoral bill finally passed to be enacted, in concurrence. No other important business of a general nature was done in the Senate on Tuesday. True & Green, of the Statesman, are the State printers for the year, having offered the work on the lowest terms.

On Wednesday, the time for the next meeting of the Legislature was fixed at the second Wednesday in January. Various propositions were made in the House, substituting the last Wednesday of December, and the first and third Wednesday of January. Finally, after some debate, the first Wednesday in January carried the day, and the Senate afterwards concurred. Mr. Burnell introduced into the Senate the subject of imprisonment for debt, and from sundry remarks he made he probably intends to pursue the matter with diligence and perseverance at the next session.

Thursday being the last day of the session, and business being in its last stage, no debate would have taken place, but from the circumstance that an errour had been discovered in the bill establishing the Revere Copper Company. The words "and by the authority of the same," in the enacting clause, were accidentally omitted. The bill had passed through all its stages in the two Houses, and was before the Governour. A message was sent requesting that the bill might be returned, if it had not been signed and become a law. The bill was accordingly returned, and a debate of some length ensued as to the course proper to be pursued. By some it was thought a bad precedent to establish, to alter or amend bills after both Houses had passed upon them. To this it was answered that although the bill had been out of their hands, yet now being returned, they had a right to reconsider the vote by which it was passed to be engrossed, and to correct the errour which had crept in. Finally, after much discussion, the vote to reconsider prevailed, and the bill was amended by inserting the words omitted. It was then ordered to be re-engrossed, was re-signed, and passed to be enacted.

In the House, on Monday, Mr. Shaw, who is ever hunting after objects of specifick taxation, introduced an order to inquire into the expediency of taxing the capital stock of the Massachusetts Hos. Life Insurance Company, and other Life Insurance companies. The resolve appropriating $600 for celebrating independence was repealed. The whole subject of the Militia was referred to the next session. A resolve passed, appropriating $10,000 to complete the new State Prison. A bill was introduced by Mr. Lewis, of Boston, to regulate the pilotage in Boston harbour. It proposes to give to the Marine Society of that place, the same powers that are now vested in the Governour and Council. The bill was finally committed, in both Houses, to the Committee on Mercantile Affairs, and was referred to the next session.

On Tuesday Deacon Kendall introduced an order requiring the Judiciary Committee to inquire into the expediency of abolishing the punishment of death in this Commonwealth. He thinks that at no distant time the present generation will be looked upon with unqualified horrour for the cruelty it evinces in punishing any crime by death. The subject of suppressing or else regulating the sale of Lottery Tickets was referred to a special committee. A committee was also appointed to make a different arrangement of seats in the House during the recess. The Speaker's chair is to be placed on the north side, the seats are to slope down to that quarter from the south, and the thoroughfare is to be on the south, back of the seats. This will be a great improvement, in ridding the hall of the current of air between the Speaker and the members, which is a great inconvenience and interruption to business. Mr. Willard introduced an order directing an inquiry by the Committee on Education as to the expediency of giving to School Districts power to raise money for the support of schools, in addition to the amount granted by the respective towns. This was, on his motion, referred to the next session.

On Wednesday, Mr. Lowell's order to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court, whether written votes which the constitution requires, include "those prepared by printing, or lithographic presses, or by other artificial methods" was referred to the next session; as also Mr. Cushing's order requiring surveys to be made in the counties of Essex and Middlesex, from place to place, for the purpose of examining routes for rail-ways. The State-prison resolve of $10,000 passed, together with the resolve before mentioned to appropriate $8000 to complete the rail-way surveys. On this last a very animated debate, which lasted a number of hours, took place. The general ground assumed by the opponents was, that all projects to establish rail-roads in this State were idle and visionary, and that any further grant of money would be a waste. All objections were promptly met and answered. An attempt was made to reduce the amount: this failed. Mr. Shaw moved a reference to the next session. This was decided by yeas and nays, viz.: yeas 71, nays 141. The resolve then passed without a division. The votes on the reference show very clearly the opinion of the House on the great subject of rail-roads: I say great subject, because I believe that an era is about to be established in this Commonwealth in relation to internal improvements; that the light which is breaking in on all sides will not be shut out from the minds of our intelligent population; and that good old Massachusetts is about to gird herself up, and apply her great energies, her talent, her industry, and her wealth to the developement of the resources which God has placed in her bosom. Our legislative policy, though in many respects, in advance of other States, has in this particular hitherto been exceedingly sluggish. We have grasped the purse-strings with the strong, though trembling, hand of the miser, lest our gold and our silver should escape from us, and we be left to poverty and ruin. Now, however, the friends to internal improvements are taking courage, and look to this dawn of day with great cheerfulness.

On motion of Mr. Childs, a committee was appointed to see what measures are necessary for the better preservation of the public records and documents, and on motion of Mr. Phillips, a committee of one from each county was appointed to consider the expediency of having but one session of the Legislature in a year, and of so altering the constitution as to reduce the number of representatives. In the afternoon after the House had passed upon the Revere bill, the legislature was prorogued.

You will see Messrs. Editors that business is beforehand cut out for next winter, and some very fruitful subjects. There is the whole subject of imprisonment for debt, the State tax, a proposed alteration in the constitution, the rail-way business, and a large general bill relating to banks and banking. These, with many other projects, that will doubtless be introduced, will fill up the months of January and February next.

On Tuesday evening last, a convention of members of both houses was held, to designate suitable candidates for electors of President and Vice President; Hon. Sherman Leland in the chair, Charles M. Owen, of Lee, Secretary. Hon. Thomas L. Winthrop, of Suffolk, and Samuel Lathrop, of Hampden, were nominated as candidates for electors at large. The following gentlemen were appointed a central committee, to fill any vacancies that might occur in the list of candidates for electors, viz.: Hon. Sherman Leland, Hon. Wm. B. Calhoun, Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn, Hon. Timothy Fuller, Hon. Leverett Saltonstall, Hon. Thomas Welsh, jun., Hon. Joseph E. Sprague, Hon. Francis C. Gray, Hon. Wm. W. Parrott, Hon. James Savage, Hon. John R. Adams, Abbot Lawrence, Esq., Gen. John T. Winthrop, J. B. Davis, Esq., and S. C. Phillips, Esq. The following gentlemen were appointed a corresponding committee, viz.: - Worcester M. District - Joseph Willard, Esq., of Lancaster. Worcester S. District - Hon. Nathaniel P. Denny, of Leicester. Essex N. District - Hon. Benjamin F. Varnum, of Dracut. Franklin District - Col. Elihu Hoyt, of Deerfield. Berkshire District - Hon. Henry Shaw, of Lanesborough. Plymouth District - Hon. Aaron Hobart, of East Bridgewater. Bristol District - Thomas A. Greene, Esq., of N. Bedford. Barnstable District - Nathan Crocker, Esq., of Barnstable; and Hon. Barker Burnell, of Nantucket. The delegates from each District had meetings by themselves to select their own candidates for electors, and at an adjourned meeting of the Convention on Wednesday, the following gentlemen were announced as being nominated for electors, and the list was accepted unanimously, viz.: -

Suffolk District, Jesse Putnam,

Norfolk, Edw. H. Robbins,

Bristol, Oliver Starkweather,

Plymouth, Seth Sprague,

Essex South, Stephen White,

Essex North, Jeremiah Nelson,

Worcester North, Silas Holman,

Worcester South, Jonathan Davis,

Franklin, Eliel Gilbert,

Hampden, Joshua Frost,

Berkshire, Samuel Jones,

Barnstable, B. Dimmick,

Middlesex, Nathan Chandler.

The list you will observe is on the whole a pretty good one, and many hundred per cent. above that of 1824. Indeed throughout the session both in legislative proceedings and in this Convention, there has been great harmony, an improving spirit of liberality, a new, and perhaps rather unexpected, desire in conferring office to have a regard to the merits and qualifications of those who are selected. I bid you farewell, Messrs. Editors till next winter, when, if I continue in this place, you will probably hear from me. In the mean time may success attend your valuable paper, and all your efforts for the general good. Yours, &c.