Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

Brooks,	Matthews,
Bullock,	Morris,
Champlin,	Otis,
Cochran,	I. Parker,
Dana,	J. Parker,
Dennis,	Pinckney,
Dent,	Reed,
Edmond,	Schureman,
A. Foster,	Sewall,
D. Foster,	Shepard,
J. Freeman,	Sinnickson,
N. Freeman,	N. Smith,
Glen,	S. Smith,
Goodrich,	Spaight,
Gordon,	Sprague,
Gregg,	Thatcher,
Griswold,	Thomas,
Grove,	Thompson,
Hanna,	Tillinghast,
Harper,	J. Trigg,
Hartley,	Van Alen,
Hindman,	Varnum,
Holmes,	Wadsworth,
Hosmer,	Wain,

Messrs. Baer,	Messrs. Livingston, Locke,
Baldwin,	Lyon,
Bard,	Macon,
Blount,	Matthews,
Brent,	McClenachan,
Brown,	McDowell,
Cabell,	New,
T. Claiborne,	J. Parker,
W. Claiborne,	Schureman,
Clay,	Sinnickson,
Clopton,	Skinner,
Dawson,	S. Smith,
Dent,	W. Smith,
Eggleston,	Spaight,
Elmendorf,	Sprague,
Findley,

Messrs. Allen, Baer, Bartlett, Bayard,

Messrs. Imlay, Kittera, Lyman, Machir,

CONGRESS,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

FRIDAY, March 1.

A communication was received from the treasury department, enclosing a statement of the emoluments of officers employed in collecting the internal revenues, which was ordered to be printed.

The following bills were read the third time and passed.

A bill for the relief of Comfort Sands and others; a bill for authorizing the sale of land between the Great and Little Miami rivers; a bill making additional appropriations for the year 1799; and a bill making appropriations for the naval establishment for the year 1799.

Mr. Harper reported a bill respecting distillers, which was ordered to a third reading.

Mr. Varnum reported a bill for establishing the salary of the Assistant Postmaster General, which was committed.

Mr. Goodrich reported a bill in addition to the act for the more general promulgation of the laws of the United States, which was committed.

The President of the United States informed the House that he had approved and signed an act to alter the stamp duty on foreign bills of exchange and bills of lading; an act providing compensation to marshals, clerks, attorneys, jurors and witnesses, and for repealing certain parts of former laws; and an act to amend the act for making a valuation of land and dwelling houses, and for the enumeration of slaves.

The President also informed the Senate, that he had approved and signed an act concerning French citizens captured by our vessels and brought into the United States; and an act respecting district courts of Vermont.

The house went into a committee of the whole on the bill giving eventual authority to the President of the United States to augment the army; after considerable debate the committee rose, and the question on striking out the following words from the bill, was taken by yeas and nays, viz. "but the said volunteers shall not be compelled to serve out of the state in which they reside, unless their voluntary consent to such service shall have been previously obtained." They were as follow:

YEAS.

Messrs. Ames, Appleton, Bard, Bartlett, Bayard, Bingham, Brace, Brooks, Bullock, Champlin, Cochran, Craik, Dana, Dennis, Edmonds, Evans, A. Foster, D. Foster, J. Freeman, Glen, Goodrich, Gordon, Griswold, Grove, Harper, Hartley, Heister, Hindman, Hoffman, Imlay, Kittera, Lyman, Machir, Morris, Otis, I. Parker, Pinckney, Reed, Sewall, Shepard, N. Smith, Thatcher, Thomas, Thompson, Van Allen, Wadsworth, Waln, J. Williams.

NAYS.

Messrs. Allen, Baldwin, Barton, Claiborne, Clay, Cooper, Dawson, Dent, Eggleston, Findlay, Giles, Gillespie, Gregg, Hanna, Harrison, Havens, Holmes, Jones, Livingston, Macon, Matthews, McDowell, Mercer, Nicholas, Ogden, Page, Parker, (of Virginia) Rutledge, Schureman, Sewell, S. Smith, Southard, Sprague, Sumter, Tazewell, Tenet, Tillinghast, Trigg, (of Virginia) Van Cortlandt, Varnum, Venable.

44.

Mr. Otis moved to amend the section, from which the above words were stricken, by inserting the following words, viz. "and the said volunteers shall not be employed out of the state in which they reside, longer than three months after they shall arrive at the place of rendezvous."

Mr. Gallatin moved an amendment confining the interest of the two millions proposed to be borrowed for carrying this act into execution, to six per cent. when there appeared for the motion 46, and against it 46.

The speaker voting in the negative, the question was not carried.

Mr. Gallatin moved an amendment to take from the President the power of immediately appointing the officers to the 24 regiments of infantry, a regiment and a battalion of riflemen, a battalion of artillery and engineers, and three regiments of cavalry, which he is authorized by this act to raise, in case war shall break out between the United States, and a foreign power, or in case immediate danger of invasion of their territory, by any such power, shall, in his opinion, be discovered to exist, which was negatived 56 to 39.

The bill was then read the third time, and passed, 54 to 41. The yeas and nays were the reverse of those above stated, except that Messrs. Baer, Dent, Matthews, J. Parker, Schureman, Sinnickson, S. Smith, Spaight, Sprague, Tillinghast, who voted in the affirmative of that question, voted also in the affirmative on this.

A call of the house was ordered to-morrow at half past ten.

Adjourned at half past five.

Saturday March 2

A call of the house took place at half past ten, agreeably to order. Some of the members were absent, who had severally to make apologies on taking their seats.

Mr. D. Foster from the committee of claims, made several unfavorable reports, which were concurred in.

The house resolved itself into committees of the whole, Mr. I. Parker in the chair, on sundry bills, which were severally read the third time and passed, and the titles of which will appear in the course of the sitting as approved by the President.

A message was received from the President stating to the house the number of vessels commissioned since July last; the number of which is 365, their tonnage 66,681 tons, their number of guns 2723, of men 6847.

Mr. Foster moved to refer the resolution he some time ago laid upon the table, respecting an amendment to the constitution, to a committee of the whole on the state of the Union. The motion was negatived 66 to 28.

A bill to reform the superior courts in the territory of the United States, north west of the river Ohio, underwent some discussion; but afterwards postponed till next session.

The house agreed to the resolution in favor of Joseph Wheaton, also one in favor of subscribing for 400 copies of the old journals, proposed to be printed by Mr. Folwell.

Mr. Gregg presented a petition signed by 950 inhabitants of Lancaster county, praying for a repeal of the alien and sedition laws.

Ordered to lie.

Adjourned till seven this evening.

EVENING.

Mr. Otis called the order of the day on the bill vesting the power of retaliation in certain cases in the President of the United States; when

Mr. Dent moved to postpone the consideration of this bill until the next session of Congress, which motion was negatived 35 to 32.

The house then went into a committee of the whole on this bill, Mr. I. Parker in the chair; and, after some discussion, and an amendment being introduced into the preamble of the bill, by Mr. Dayton (the speaker) to make it apply generally to acts of severity that may be committed by the French republic in pursuance of any violent decree, instead of applying particularly to the decree declaring American citizens found on board vessels of their enemy, pirates, and liable to suffer death, the committee rose, and the amendment was concurred in.

The question being, "Shall this bill pass?" a considerable debate took place. Its passage was opposed by Messrs. Livingston, Gallatin, McDowell, and Macon; and advocated by Messrs. Edmonds, Dana, and Otis. The yeas and nays were taken on the question as follow:

NAYS:

Messrs. Baldwin, Brown, W. Claiborne, Clay, Clopton, Dawson, Eggleston, Elmendorf, Findley, Fowler, Gallatin, Gillespie, Harrison, Havens, Jones, Livingston, Locke, Lyon, Macon, McClenachan, McDowell, New, Skinner, W. Smith, Sprigg, Stanford, Sumter, A. Trigg, Van Cortlandt, R. Williams.

He then moved the following resolution:

"Resolved, That the thanks of this House be presented to Jonathan Dayton, in testimony of their approbation of his conduct in discharging the arduous and important duties assigned him, while in the chair."

This motion was received by the clerk, and the question by him, being put upon it there appeared for it 40 against it 22.

The Resolution being carried, the Speaker rose and addressed the House as follows:

"No language, Gentlemen, can do justice to those feelings which this second vote of approbation of my conduct after four years Presidency in the House of Representatives, has excited in my breast. It would be unjust in me not to acknowledge, that to the support uniformly afforded, and to the confidence unremittingly reposed in me rather than to any merit of my own, is to be ascribed the success, with which you are pleased to declare, that the duties of the chair have been executed.

Permit me to say, that far from being displeased. I have, on the contrary, been very much gratified at hearing that the resolution of thanks has not been passed, as a mere matter of form, unanimously. As in all public bodies, there have ever been found men whose approbation must be considered by the meritorious as a censure. So in this body, there are, unhappily, some whose censure will be regarded by all whose esteem I value, as the highest testimony of merit.

About to abandon the seat which I have held in this branch of the general legislature for eight successive years, I take advantage of the moment which precedes our separation to bid you, gentlemen, an affectionate farewell."

The Senate sent down a bill for altering the time of the next meeting of Congress, making it, instead of the first Monday in December (as fixed by the Constitution) the third Monday in November. On motion of Mr. Bayard, this bill was rejected, 53 votes being for the rejection.

Mr. Macon moved the usual resolution appointing a joint committee with the Senate, to inform the President, that Congress is ready to adjourn without day, unless he has any further communication to make to them; which being agreed to, Messrs. Otis, Macon and Brooks, were appointed a committee on the part of this house.

Mr. Otis from the committee appointed to wait upon the President, informed the house that they had performed the service; and he informed them—"that, he had no further communication to make, except to express his wish for the health and happiness of the members, and a pleasant journey home to their families and friends."

The Speaker then adjourned the house sine die.