National Gazette

PHILADELPHIA,

CONGRESS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

The amended bill making appropriations for the support of government for 1792, was twice read, and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading to-morrow.

Petitions were read from William Leeds and Griffith Rees, praying relief for wounds received, &c. in the army during the war—Referred to the Secretary at War.

A petition from Thomas Gee, praying re-imbursement for duties paid on damaged teas, imported by him—Referred to the Secretary of the Treasury.

A petition from Elijah Botwick, praying re-imbursement of costs of suit, incurred on account of supplies by him purchased for the army in the time of the war—Referred to Mr. Sylvester, Mr. Key, and Mr. Grove.

A petition from Henry Emanuel Lutterloh, praying his former petitions for allowance of pay as colonel in the army, during the late war, may be re-considered—Ordered to lie on the table.

According to the order of the day, the house then resolved itself into a committee of the whole (Mr. Smith (S.C.) in the chair) on the bill for establishing the post-office and post-roads within the United States.

Mr. Sedgwick moved for an amendment in the first section of the bill, and after some debate, the question being taken on the motion, it was negatived.

The speaker having resumed the chair, Mr. Smith reported progress in the bill, and asked leave to sit again to-morrow for the further consideration of the same,

Adjourned.

THURSDAY, Dec. 8.

The appropriation bill was read the third time, passed, and sent to the Senate for their concurrence.

A memorial of Aaron Cook was read, praying relief in consideration of a wound received in the American service during the late war, by which he is incapacitated from gaining a livelihood by labor—Referred to the Secretary at War.

Memorials were read from several societies in the states of Rhode-Island, Connecticut, New-York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, "for promoting the abolition of slavery, for the relief of free negroes unlawfully held in bondage, and for improving the condition of the African race;" and respectively praying that the African trade may be totally prohibited to the citizens of the United States for the supply of slaves to foreigners; that foreign ships destined for the slave trade may be prohibited from fitting in the ports of the United States; and that proper regulations may be adopted for the humane treatment of slaves imported into the states admitting such importations—Referred to Mr. Benson, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Smith (S. C.) and Mr. Learned.

The petition of Henry Emanuel Lutterloh, read yesterday, together with the Secretary at War's report of May 20, 1790, on a former petition of said Lutterloh, was referred to Mr. Grove, Mr. Schoonmaker, and Mr. Bourne, Rhode-Island.

According to the order of the day, the house then resolved itself into committee of the whole, on the further consideration of the post-office bill—when, after some time spent therein, the main post-road through the United States was agreed upon as follows: To go through Wiscasset, Portland, Portsmouth, Exeter, Newbury-Port, Ipswich, Salem, Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Hartford, Middletown, New-Haven, Stratford, Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford, New-York, Newark, Elizabeth-town, Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, Bristol, Philadelphia, Chester, Wilmington, Elkton, Charlestown, Havre-de-Grace, Harford, Baltimore, Bladensburg, George-Town, Alexandria, Colchester, Dumfries, Fredericksburg, Bowling-Green, Hanover-Court-House, Richmond, Petersburg, Halifax, Tarborough, Smithfield, Fayetteville, New-Bridge, over Drowning-Creek, Cheraw-Court-House, Camden, Stateburg, Columbia, Cambridge, Augusta, Savannah.

The committee then proceeded to consider the cross-posts, mentioned in the bill, and after proceeding therein for some time, the speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Smith, chairman of the committee, reported progress, and asked leave to sit again on the bill to-morrow.

Adjourned.

FRIDAY, Dec. 9.

A report from the Secretary of State was laid before the house, on the petition of Samuel Breck, and other persons, proprietors of a manufactory of sail-cloth in the town of Boston, in which they had requested the grant of an exclusive right to affix certain marks to the sail-cloth of their manufacture, which should not, under certain penalties, be adopted or used by any other manufactory. It was proposed in the Secretary's report, that a general regulation, in respect to the appropriation of marks, should be fixed on. The report was read, and laid on the table for further consideration.

A message was received from the Senate, by Mr. Secretary Otis, returning the bill apportioning the representation of the people of the United States according to the first enumeration, which had passed the Senate with certain amendments, one of which is,
That the ratio of representation be increased from thirty to thirty-three thousand. The concurrence of the house was requested to the bill with the amendments.

According to the order of the day, the house in committee of the whole then proceeded to the further consideration of the post-office bill.—Mr. Muhlenberg in the chair.—After debating a considerable time on this subject, additional routes of the post being proposed, and sundry motions made relative thereto, some of which were agreed to, and others rejected, the committee rose, reported progress, and desired leave to sit again.

Adjourned till Monday.