Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

MINUTES.
FRIDAY, Feb. 3.
The Speaker laid before the house a letter from Simon Snyder, governor of Pennsylvania, accompanied by a return of members elected in that state, to serve in the next congress. Laid on the table.
Messrs. Nelson and Goldsborough respectively obtained leave of absence, the former for ten days, the latter for two weeks.
Mr. Vandyke said he was instructed by the legislature of Delaware to use his exertions to procure the erection of certain fortifications, on the river Delaware in that state. As a bill on the subject had already passed the house, and if these appropriations had not entered the views of the secretary at war, a specific appropriation would be necessary. He therefore offered a resolution directing the secretary at war to enquire into the expediency of erecting such fortifications, and the sum necessary to be appropriated for that purpose. The resolution was opposed by Messrs. Blount, D. R. Williams and Macon; and supported by Messrs. Pitkin, Lyon and the mover. Lost, only 23 rising in favor of it.
Mr. Lyon moved for the printing of the report of the committee of claims on the petition of Thomas Paine; carried. Mr. L. said Thomas Paine was the most meritorious man now living.
Mr. Randolph rose in his place, for the purpose, he said, of making a motion which he had expected to have come before this time, from some other quarter. As it had not yet been made, he could not longer consent to neglect what he considered to be his duty, merely from the hope that the measure might be more zealously and ably supported by others at a future time.
It would not be new to the house that rumours had gone abroad relative to the misapplication of public money. One of the highest duties of that house was to regulate and continue the disbursement of national treasure, and they ought not by negligence or inattention to lose that controul.
At the first session of the seventh congress, (a period to which he delighted to recur, as it was the era of many salutary reformations in the conduct of our officers) a law was passed for fixing the military peace establishment of the U. S. The 4th section of that act fixed the pay of the officers and privates of the army. [Mr. R. here read the 4th section, which, among other things, establishes the pay of the brigadier general, so long as he should continue to be commander in chief, at $25 dollars per month, which should be in lieu of rations, forage, and all other perquisites which he had been in the habit of drawing, except the stationary necessary for the use of his department.]
Nothing Mr. R. continued could be more explicit than this statute, yet it had been said, but with what truth remained for them to investigate, that advances beyond this allowance had been made by the war department to the brigadier general. There was not a single department of the government, not an individual in it, concerning whom he would receive charges of such a nature with more diffidence than the secretary of war. He had been so long acquainted with the economy and regularity of that gentleman, he so well knew his care and diligence in the expenditures of his department, to keep them within the appropriations made for it, that he could not lightly credit any rumour to his injury on that point. But that consideration rendered his claims to an investigation only the stronger. Both the officer implicated, and the nation were interested in the result of the resolution which he would then lay before the house.
Mr. R. then offered a resolution, which was carried
Whether any advances of money have been made to the commander in chief, by the department of War contrary to law; and if any, to what amount.
The order of the day on the resolution to repeal the embargo was called for.
Troup moved for its indefinite postponement. The question was taken by yeas and nays, and lost--ayes 29, noes 93.
YEAS--Messrs. W. Alston, jun. Baylie, Bassett, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Catlett, Chapman, Clay, Clopton, Dawson, Deane, Franklin, Gholson, Holland, J. G. Jackson, Kirkpatrick, Macon, John Morrow, Porter, Gay, Sawyer, Smilie, Taylor, Troup, Wharton, Whitehill, D. R. Williams, A. Wilson, & Wynns--29.
NAYS--Messrs. L. J. Alston, Bachus, Barker, Blake, jun. Boyd, Boyle, Brown, Burwell, Champion, Chittenden, Cook, Cottrell, Culpepper, Cutts, Davenport, jun. Desha, Durell, Ely, Eppes, Findley, Fisk, Garnett, Gholson, jun. Goodrich, Green, Harris, Heister, Helms, Holmes, Howard, Humphreys, Isley, S. Jackson, Jenkins, Jones, Kelly, Kimball, Key, Lambert, Lewis, jun. Livermore, Lloyd, Love, Lyon, Marion, Mason, M'Creery, Milnor, D. Montgomery, jun. J. Montgomery, N. R. Moore, T. Moore, Jer. Morrow, Moseley, Mumford, Newbold, Newton, Nicholas, Pitkin, jun. Pugh, Quincy, Randolph, Reed, (Pa.) Rhea (Tenn.) J. Richards, M. Richards, Riker, Rowan, Russell, Sawyer, Shepherd, Sloan, Smelt, J. K. Smith, J. Smith, Southard, Smith, Stedman, Storer, Sturges, Swan, Taggart, Tallmadge, Thompson, Tracy, Upham, Van Alen, Van Cortlandt, Van Rensselaer, Vandyke, Van Horn, Van Rensselaer, Wilbour and N. Wilson--93.
The house then went into committee of the whole on the resolution.
Mr. Moseley spoke a few minutes in support of an immediate repeal of the embargo, but against the issuing of letters of marque.
The question was then taken on filling the blank with the fourth of March, and carried--ayes 70.
After a speech from Mr. Randolph of about two hours, in which he advocated an immediate repeal of the embargo and allowing merchantmen to arm for defence alone, the question was taken on the first member of the resolution as amended, and carried; ayes 76.
[This part of the resolution relates merely to the removal of the embargo laws.]
The question when recurred on the second member, which goes to authorise issuing of letters of marque and reprisal.
Mr. Randolph moved to strike out the authorising letters of marque, and to insert in the room thereof, a provision granting vessels owned wholly by American citizens the privilege of arming to defend themselves from French or English cruisers under the orders and decrees.
Mr. Key, after observing the importance of the questions involved by these propositions, moved that the committee should rise and report progress, and ask leave to sit again.
Carried.
The committee had leave granted; and then the house adjourned.