Gazette Of The United States

CONGRESS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Monday, April 25.

Mr. Tracy of the committee of claims made a report upon the petition of Winthrop Sargent, Secretary of the North Western Territory, for his additional services as Governor. The report, which was read a second time, and committed to a committee of the whole on Wednesday, recommended that 875 dollars should be allowed him.

The Speaker informed the house he had received a letter from the Governor of the North Western Territory, enclosing two petitions which he requested the house, the Speaker would present. They were accordingly read. One related to lots of land which the petitioners had been promised and which they had not received; the other prayed for permission to import slaves into that country from other states so as not to increase the number. They were referred to different committees.

The following petitions were presented in favor of the British treaty, viz. by Mr. Livingston 17 petitions, signed in the whole by 3286 citizens of New-York; by Mr. Muhlenberg, from Blockley Township, Philadelphia county, 1 signed by 87 persons; by Mr. Isaac Smith 4 petitions signed by 230 citizens from New-Jersey, and afterwards 2 others, one of which was signed by 70, the other not certain; one by Mr. Hartley from 29 merchants of Philadelphia by Mr. Kittera from Pennsylvania, signed by 123 names; 2 by Mr. Sitgreaves, from the same state, signed by 242 persons; one by Mr. Richards and 3 by Mr. Thomas, all from the same state; 1 by Mr. Gallatin, from the state of Delaware signed by 40; one by Mr. Goodhue from the same State signed by 67; and 2 by Mr. Brent from Alexandria.

Mr. Gallatin presented a petition from state of Delaware, against the treaty, signed by 61 persons; and Mr. S. Smith a petition signed by the chairman and clerk of a society of manufacturers and mechanics at Baltimore, consisting (as Mr. Smith informed the house) of about 400 respectable persons praying that house would use its own discretion with respect to the treaties before them, uninfluenced by any other consideration than the public good.

This petition caused considerable debate.—Messrs. Ames, Thatcher, and Sitgreaves, opposed its being received, as it was from an unincorporated society, as it purported to be the petition of a number of men, and was only signed by two, and that even these two, as they had signed the petition in an official character, might not approve of its contents.

Its reception was supported by Messrs. S. Smith Macon, Findley, Gallatin, Hillhouse, Madison and Kitchell, as a practice not uncommon in that house (the societies for the abolition of slavery and the society of Quakers were mentioned as instances) that they had frequently received petitions of societies signed by their chairman and secretary, which, if they were incorporated, were not incorporated for that purpose. It was referred.

The Inhabitants of Cincinnati, (N. W. T.) complained by petition of the grievances experienced by an holding of courts by Judge Turner different from those heretofore held, Their complaint was referred to a select committee.

The house resolved itself into a committee of the whole on the state of the union; when the resolution for carrying into effect the British treaty being under consideration, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Harper spoke in favor of it. At the conclusion of Mr. Harper's speech, there was a divided cry of "committee rise" and "the question"; when the sense of the committee being taken it was in favor of rising, there being 50 votes for it, which was a majority of the members in the house.