Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

Congressional Proceedings:
From the National Intelligencer

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Friday Jan. 18.

Mr Jones, a representative from Virginia, attended this day, was qualified, and took his seat.

Among the petitions presented this morning, was one by Mr. Dickinson, from the inhabitants of Troy, in the state of New York, remonstrating against the enactment of a system of Bankruptcy for the U States.

Mr. Newton, from the committee on Commerce, reported unfavorably upon the petition of James Homer, which, on motion of Mr. N. was laid on the table and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Sergeant, from the committee on the Judiciary, reported a bill to authorize the holding a District Court at Louisville, in Kentucky; which was twice read and committed.

Mr. Stevenson, from the committee of ways and means, made a report accompanied by a bill for the relief of James Ross; which was twice read and committed.

Mr. Smith, from the same committee, reported unfavorably upon the petition of John Wells; which, on motion of Mr. Baldwin, was laid on the table.

Mr. Williams, of N. C. from the committee on Claims, reported unfavorably upon the petition of Richard Woodland; which was concurred in.

Mr. Williams further reported unfavorably upon the petition of John Whipple; which on motion, was laid on the table.

Mr. Cannon, from the committee on the Subject of the Militia, reported a bill to provide for the clothing of the militia, when called into the service of the U. States; which was read twice and committed.

Mr. Floyd, from the committee appointed on the subject, reported a bill to authorize the occupation of Columbia river; this bill was read twice and committed.

On motion of Mr. McCoy, it was Resolved That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire whether any, and, if any, what, measures are necessary to secure the government in the several departments from the imposition by the exhibit of fraudulent claims.

Mr. Eustis, from the committee on Military Affairs reported unfavorably upon the petition of William W. Bell, which report, on motion, was laid on the table.

Mr. Cocke, in rising to make a motion, remarked that the communication which had been made to this house by the Secretary of War, on the subject of the expenditures, &c. of the Indian Department, did not conform to the directions that had been given by this house; nor was it satisfactory to his mind. The resolution had called for full and detailed information on the subject, and the second Auditor had taken it upon himself to decide what part of the information was proper to communicate, and what it was proper to withhold Mr. C. was disposed to judge for himself on that point, and wished for some criterion, by which to justify himself to his constituents and to his own conscience to forgive the votes on this subject which he was called upon to submit the following resolution:

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to lay before this house copy of the account current of the Governor of the Michigan territory, which shall exhibit a perfect view of his superintendency of Indian Affairs for the year 1820, and, as far as in his power, the account of said superintendency for the year 1821, specifying the particular items of expenditure, and to whom paid. and also a similar account for said years of the superintendency of the Government of the late territory of Missouri.

Mr. C thereupon, moved that the standing rule that required such resolutions to lie one day on the table be dispensed with, to the end that no unnecessary delay or embarrassment be produced by its adoption, which he assured the house was very far from his intention. The rule was thereupon dispensed with nem. con. and the resolution was adopted.

Mr. Cambreleng laid the following resolution on the table:

Resolved. That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to furnish this house with the annual statement of the transactions of the Bank of the United States for the year 1821.

Mr. Lowndes presented a letter from George W. Erving, Esq. a citizen of the United States, residing at Paris, announcing the transmission of a box of valuable medals by a vessel that foundered at sea on its way to New York, and which were intended to be deposited by their Liberal donor, in the Library of the United States, for the public use The donation was valuable, as it comprised all the medals that were struck in France from the commencement of the revolution to the re-establishment of the present family on the throne. These Medals, Mr. L. said. were become scarce They had been collected and destroyed by the reigning government that the glory of the period might be obliterated, which it was now popular to praise. Mr. L. not knowing precisely what would be the proper mode of disposing of this letter, said he should move to refer it to the Library committee for their consideration. The letter was then read.

On motion of Mr. Lowndes, the letter was referred to the Committee on the Library

Mr. Tomlinson submitted the following:

Resolved, That the Committee of Ways and Means be instructed to inquire into the expediency of appropriating the sum of five hundred dollars to carry into effect a resolution of Congress, passed June 17, 1777. providing for the erection of a monument to the memory of General David Wooster, who fell in bravely repelling an inroad of the British forces to Danbury, in Connecticut.

Mr. T. asked for the reading of the following resolution of Congress:

Resolved, That a monument be erected to the memory of General Wooster, with the following inscription:

"In honor of David Wooster, Brigadier General in the Army of the United States, In defending the liberties of America, and bravely repelling an inroad of the British forces to Danbury. in Connecticut, he received a mortal wound on the 27th day of April. 1777, and died on the 2d day of May following. The Congress of the United States, as an acknowledgment of his merit and services, have caused this monument to be erected."

Resolved, That the Executive power of the State of Connecticut be requested to carry the foregoing resolution into execution, and that five hundred dollars be allowed for that purpose.

Mr. T. remarked, that, as the resolution under consideration proposed an inquiry merely, he deemed it unnecessary for him, on this occasion, to do more than briefly to state the facts which had induced him to offer the resolution before the house He said it appeared by a certificate from the Treasury Department, that the sum allowed to carry into effect the resolution of Congress which had been read, had not been paid to the Executive of the State of Connecticut. Mr. T. stated, that he had received information from a highly respectable source that no monument had been erected in pursuance of the resolution to which he had adverted, to the memory of the distinguished hero named in that resolution, but that his remains now rested with nothing except a rude stone to mark the spot where they were deposited.

The resolution was thereupon adopted.

Mr. McCoy laid the following resolution on the table:

Resolved, That the following be established as one of the Standing Rules of the House:

"No petition for a claim of any description shall be received, unless accompanied by evidence shewing that the claim had been made at the proper department and Disallowed, and stating the reasons of such disallowance.

On motion of Mr. Moore, of Alabama, it was

Resolved, That the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a post road from Washington, the Look Out Mountain, Knoxville, from the Big Spring, in Franklin county, Valley, Tuscaloosa, to Tuscaloosa.

Mr. Stevenson presented a Memorial of sundry citizens of Richmond, Va., praying the repeal of the restrictive system, which was referred to the Committee on Commerce.

Mr. Bateman laid the following resolution on the table:

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to report to this house what progress has been made in the settlement of the accounts of the Post Office establishment; and also what difficulties, if any, have interfered in the final liquidation thereof.

And, on motion of Mr. Ball, the house resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the report of the Committee of Claims upon the petition of William Henderson—Mr. Harvey in the chair.

The report, &c. were read, from which it appeared that the petitioner solicited remuneration for losses sustained by him from the burning of his property by the enemy, during the late war, at Monday's Point, on the Virginia shore of the Chesapeake, which was occupied by the American troops commanded by the petitioner.

A further sum was also claimed for the destruction of a house and storehouse about 5 miles from Monday's Point, which were also burnt by the enemy, on account, as was said, of cartridges and military preparations being found therein.

Mr. Ball moved to strike out the word "not" from the resolution which was appended by the Committee of Claims, so as to give it an affirmative character, and grant the prayer of the petition.

Mr. Ball, in a very able and eloquent speech, supported the claim of the petitioner. He examined the testimony that had been adduced to support it—expressed his conviction of the unquestionable character of the witnesses by whom the facts were proved; commented upon the principles advanced in the report of the Committee of Claims, with much humor and freedom; adverted to other claims of less desert that had been allowed; and made a forcible appeal to the magnanimity and justice of the house in favor of a patriot and soldier.

The motion was also supported by Messrs. Wm. Smith, Neale, Colden, Eurus, and Wright, and opposed by Messrs. Williams and McCoy, on the ground that the destruction of the property was a wanton act on the part of the British, that it was unjustifiable by the laws of nations; that the petitioner was in the same situation with thousands of others who had been rifled and plundered by the lawless depredations of the enemy—to indemnify whom would exhaust the treasury.

Mr. Randolph suggested, as a matter of form, that it would be more parliamentary to put the question upon a concurrence with the report of the Committee of Claims, instead of deciding the point upon the erasure of the word not.

Mr. Ball did not consent to vary his motion.

The Speaker thought it expedient that such a practice should be introduced, and gave his reasons in its favor.

Mr. Edwards, of Conn. was also opposed to having the question put in the form it had been moved. A vote to erase the word not would be equivalent to a grant in full of the prayer of the petitioner, whereas gentlemen might be disposed to indemnify the petitioner for his losses sustained at Monday's Point, who would not be willing to indemnify him for the destruction of his property five miles in the interior.

Mr. Ball finally acceded to the proposition of changing the mode in which the question should be put.

The question was then taken whether the committee of the whole would concur with the committee of Claims in this case, and it was decided in the negative. The committee then rose and reported.

In the house, Mr. Smith, of Md. moved to re-commit the report to the committee of Claims, to which, at the suggestion of Mr. Metcalf, was subjoined a direction to report a bill for the relief of the petitioner to the extent of 2765 dollars, to indemnify him for his losses sustained at Monday's Point, which was put and carried.

Mr. H. Nelson moved, that when this house do adjourn, it adjourn until Monday next, which was carried.

And the house adjourned.

IN SENATE.
Monday, January 21.

Mr. Van Dyke, from the committee of Claims, made a report favorable to the petition of James H. Clark, accompanied by a bill for his relief; which was read.

Mr. Thomas gave notice that he should on Thursday next ask leave to introduce a bill to authorize the state of Illinois to open a canal through public land, to connect the Illinois river and Lake Michigan.

Amongst the petitions this day presented to the Senate, was one by Mr. Lowrie, from the Pennsylvania Society for the abolition of Slavery, praying measures further to suppress the African slave trade and to promote the extermination of slavery in the country; and after some discussion on the question of the most expedient reference, it was referred to the committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Ruggles presented a petition of a number of the inhabitants of Ohio, in favor of further measures to civilize the Indian tribes.