The enquirer — Richmond, Va., 1810-04-03 00:00:00, page 2

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To this count the dofendant pleads that
the state of Georgia was seized, and ten
ders an issue on the fact in which the plain
till' joins. On this issue a special verdict
is found
The jury Pud the grant of Carolina by
Chailes 2nd to the Earl of Clarendon and
others comprehending the wholp country
from SG deg. 30 min. N. Lat. to 29 deg. N.
Lat. and from the Atlantic to the South
sem
They find that the northern part of this
territory was afterwards erected into a se
parate colony, and that the most northern
part of the deg. of N. Lat. was the boun
dary line between North and South Caroli
na.
That seven of the eight proprietors of the
Carolinas surrendered to George 2nd in the
year 1729, who appointed a Governor of
South Carolina.
That, in 1732 George the 2d granted to
the Lord Viscount Percival and others se
ven eighths of the territory between the Sa
vaaah and the Alatamaha, and extending
west to the South sea, and that the remain.
;sg eighth part, which was still the proper
ty of the heir of Lord Carteret, one of the
original grantees of Carolina, was after,
wards conveyed to them, This territory
•was constituted a colony and called Geor
’ ‘ •.
1 hat the Governor of South Carolina con
tinued to exercise jurisdiction south of Geor
tff
That, in 1752, the grantees surrendered
to u<e crown.
That, in 1754, a Governor was appointed
by the crown, with a commission describing
the boundaries of the colony.
That, a treaty of peace was concluded be
tween G. Britain and Spain, in 1763, in
■which the latter ceded, to cite former, Flo
rida with Fort St. Augustin and the bay of
Pensccola.
That, in October 1763, the King of G.
Britain issued a proclamation creating four
new colonics, Quebec, East Florida, West
Florida and Grenada, and prescribing the
bounds of each, anti further declaring that
nil the lands between the Altamaha and St.
Mary's should be annexed to Georgia.
The same proclamation contained a clause
reserving under the dominion and protecti.
o:: ot the crown, tor the use of the Indians,
all the lands on the western waters, and for
bidding a settlement on them, or a pur
chase of them from the Indians. The lauds
conveyed to the plaintiff lie on the western
waters.
That, in November 1765, a commission
vfas issued to the Governor of Geoigm, m
which the boundaries of that province are
described as extending westward to the
Mississippi. A commission, describing boun
daries of the same extent, was afterwards
granted in 1764.
That a war broke out between G. B. and
her colqnies, which terminated in a treaty of
peace acknowledging them as sovereign and
independent staccs.
1 hat, in April 1787, a convention was
entered into between the states of South
Carolina and Georgia settling the boundary
line between them.
. The jury afterwards describe the situati
on of the lands mentioned in the plaintiff’s
declaration, in such manner that their lay
ing within the limits of Georgia, as defined
in the proclamation of 1763, in tbe treaty
ot peace and in the convention between
that state and South Carolina, has not been
questioned.
The council for the plaintiffs rest their
argument on a single proposition. They
contend that the reservation for the use of
the Indians, contained in the proclamation
i of 1763, excepts the lands on the western
waters from the colonies within whose
bounds they would otherwise have been, and
that they were acquired by the revolutiona
ry war. All acquisitions during the war,
it is contended, were made by the joint arms,
for the joint benefit of the United States,
and not for the benefit of any particular
state.
The court does not understand the pro
clamation as it is understood by the counsel
for the plaintihs. The reservation for the
use of the Indians appears to be a tempora
ry arrangement suspending, for a time, the
settlement of the country reserved, and tbe
powers of the royal governor within the ter
ritory reserved, but is not conoeived to a
mount to an alteration of the boundaries of
the colony, fl the language of the proclama
tion be, in itself, doubtful, the commissions
subsequent thereto, which were given to the
governors of Georgia, entirely remove tbe
<?t>ubt.
.The question, whether the vacant lands
within the United States became a joint pro
perty, or belonged to the seperate states,
•was a momentous question which, at one
linr.o, threatened to shake the American con
federacy to its foundation. This important
and dangerous contest has been compromis
ed, and tile compromise is not now to be dis
turbed.
It is the opinion of the court that tbe par
ticular land stated in the declaration ap
|>ears, from this special verdict, to lie within
the state of Georgia, and that ihe state of
Georgia had power to grant it.
Some difficulty was produced by tbe lan
guage of the covenant and of the pleadings.
It w.-fs doubted whether a state can be seized
in fee of lands subject to the Indian title,
and whether a decision, that they were seiz
ed in fee, might not be construed to amount
to a decision that their grantee might rhain.
ain an ejectment for them, notwithstanding
that title.
Ihe majority if the court is of opinion
that the nature of liie Indian title, which is
certainly to be respected by all courts until
it bo ligitimatciy extinguished, is not such
as to be absolutely repugnant to seizin ia fee
on the part of the state.—Judgment affirmed
with costa.
Cougrc&S.
IN SENATE.
March 23.
Tht hill in make public a road in the
District of Columbia was passed with a.
rmndmcnt*
1 he hill to amend the laws within the
District of Coltimlria was read a second tirn,
and tomndtied to Messrs. Bayard, Brent 5c
Pope.
1 iie bill from the House of Representa
tives authorising the discharge of John Kirr
from his imprisonment, was read and passed
to a second reading.
Mi-. H’hilrtidb'* motion itnde yesterday
w*s **it.edto, and Messrs, Whiteside, I.'d'b
“iid Bayaid were appointed u committee
accordingly,
i'i e S«-f- e resumed the Consideration of
Udi l; >*i,er & am»r.fj the. act fixing the
milkary peace establishment of the United
Slates.
[The first section provides, " That no al
lowance of additional rations shall be made
to any officer above the rank of a colonel,
nor to the commandant of the marine corps,
nor in any case shall allowance of additional
rations exceed the number of rations, to
which the officer receiving such allowance
is entitled by law for his daily subsis
tence.”]
Mr. Anderson moved to strike out the
words " nor to the commaiidaut of the ma
rine corps.”
For the motion, Messrs. Anderson, Bay
ard, Bradley, Campbell, Clay, Gaillard,
German, Gilman, Goodrich, Millhousc, Hor
sey, Malthewson, Meigs, Pickering, Pope,
Smith of Md. Smith of New York, Sumpter
_13.
.dgainst the motion, Messrs. Campbell,
Condit, Crawford, Franklin. Lambert, Lcib,
Lloyd, Tait, Turner and Whiteside—10.
The bill was then ordered to be engrossed
for a third reading.
The bill authorising the sale and grant of
a certain quantity of public land to the
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company
was read a second time and committed to
Messrs. Bayard, Pone and Anderson.
The Senate resumed the consideration of
the bill appropriating a sum of money for
providing munitions of war ‘and for other
purposes. After debate, the further consi
deration of the bill was postponed to Mon
day, to which day the Senate adjourned.
Monday, March 26.
Thp bill fur the establishment of a quarter
master’s department, was read and passed
to a third reading. The bill for the estab
lishment of a national bank, was read a se
cond time.
The bill to alter and amend the act fix
ing the military peace establishment, was
rend a third time and passed.
Mi*. Fojie repovted a bill authorising a
subscription on the part of the United
States to the stock of the Ohio Canal Com
pany ; which was twice read.
The Senate resumed the consideration of
the bill appropriating a suin of money for
the purpose of providing munitions of war.
//OUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Monday, March ZG.
Mr. Gannett, who has been some time
confined by severe indisposition, took his
scat to-day.
MR PINKNEY’S LETTER.
Mr. Livermore offered the following re
solution :
Resolved, That the President of the IJ.
States be requested to cause to he laid he
fore this House a copy of any letters or des
patches which may have been received in
the department of State, and do not require
s*crccy, from Mr. Pinkney, our minister
at the court of London, since his receipt of
the letter of the 23d of November, 18G9,
from the Secretary of State, communicated
to tliis House by the President on the 29th
of said November.
Mr. Smilie said, lie saw what was In •
tended by the mover of the resolution. It
was wished that the House would deny the
call. Ithadalready bcendenied in Massa
chusetts, that such a letter existed; and if
the call was refused, they would produce
the refusal as proof of their assertion. II it
was proper to publish a private letter, lie
said he wished to see it, to put to silence
those people in Massachusetts.
Mr. Cook wished the resolution to pass.
He said it would be inferred from a refusal
to pass it, that there had been no such let
ter, or that it was not of the purpart which
it was said to he. It might be an unofficial
without being a confidential letter. Whe
ther it was confidential or not, some answer
would be received.
Mr. Livermore said, that he had been
told by gentlemen in conversation, that in
formation had been received by the Secre
tary of State, that the doings of the British
minister here, were disapproved by his go
vernment, and that a new minister would
he sent out. If this was the fact, it was
very important that the House should know
it. The gentleman from Pennsylvania seem
ed to suppose, that the mover wished the
resolution not to be adopted.- How, in the
name of common sense or candor, Mr. L
asked, could it be supposed that the resolu
tion was introduced lor tlie purpose ofbeing
rejected? He said it gave him happiness
that he should make any motion for the good
of his country, which should be advocated
by a gentleman who is so influential, from
the powers of his eloquence, from his stand
ing m society and other considerations, ns
his colleague, (Mr. Cook.) Mr. L. said,
hehadsntne time ago expressed the satis
faction he felt in anticipating that he should
be in the majority before the end of the pre
sent session; and he should be glad to find
himself in that predicament, in relation to
this resolution.
Mr. Van Dyke said, he had heard it said,
that a letter had been received by the Se
cretary ofS'ate, going to this object ; that,
notwithstanding the dismission of Mr. Jack
son, the British government retained an
amicable disposition, that Mr. Jackson’s
conduct was disapproved, that he would be
recalled, and that another minister would
be sent. A motion had been submitted to
reduce the army and navy—v/as it not pro
per, previous to a decision on this motion,
to know what was the situation of affairs?
And if such a letter v/as in existence, ought
not the representatives of the people to have
it for their information ?
Mr. M Atm said, he had not seen the
letter, but lie had understood the purport
of it, lie believed correctly, and satisfac
torily to himself. Others might not have
had the same satisfactory account, and
lie had no objection that it should go to the
public. It could not be got, except called
for, being an unofficial letter, because it
would be indecorous in the President tosub
mit it to the Mouse without a call for it.
IVIr. Dirna was not dir.po.ed tocall upon
the President, to violate private confidence.
He did not imagine, where the President or
Secretary of State, in their private capaei
ty, received letters as private gentlemen,
that the Mouse could call for them. Hut if
Information from a public minister, as to the
manner in which he h id done his public du
ty, had been received in a letter at the
department of State, it was an abuse of terms
to call it a private letter. And if such h
letter had been received, he was decidedly
for calling for it.
Mr. HusHCtt said, he had at first view
been opposed to the resolution, conceiving
it to propose going a step further titan they
had ever gone before. Hut, on reflection,
lie conceived that the letter in questionStoon
much in the same relation as other p*per»
that had been heretofore called for by the
Mouse, and should therefore vote for the
j renolutiqp.
Mr. Bur well said, he had not s?en the
letter or any extract from it ; hut, as tar as
he understood its character, it was a letter
intended, more to give the government o!
the United States an idea of tUe temper and
disposition of sonic officers of the British
f;overnment, than to make any statement o!
acts. It stated.a conversation with a lead
ing member of the British ministry, in which
he had expressed himself disposed to con
tinue friendly intercourse with this country,
rind stated, that nothing which had occur
red, would alter the existing relations.
However important this information, it form
cd nogrouiul on which the house could act:
am! he was therefore opposed to calling fm
it, more especially when the next arrival
from England would probably bring soun
official act of the British government which
would decidedly indicate iu disposition.
Mr. J^yon said, that this firivate letter,
which had been made so futbiic, reminded
him of ft sign he had seen of *• Private ni
tertaiment; so private, that it was advertis
- ed by a sign.. He was for the resolution.
Mr. Muniford hoped the House would call
for tliis information, and all other, interesting
i to the people. As they were to fight ui
jand pay all,.he wished them to know nil.—
j Tie proposed to add to the resolution an a
] mendment calling for an account of the ini*
[pressment of American seamen, of whon
j he had understood ix hundred were now an
nually impress^. Mr. M. however, wave*
this proposition for th« present.
Mr. Cook said, lie felt metre inclined now
than at first, toe dl for this letter for r.c
veral reasons, one of which was, his grea
reliance on the understanding and great pow
ers of mind of hie colleague over the vvf.j
Mr. Livermore.) who had thought propei
to offer the motion. The gentleman was si
successful, and , generally interested thi
House so much, his conduct was gcnerallj
characterised by so much propriety, tiia
he hoped his motion would be adopted
Mr. Goldsborough protested against the
practice of attributing improper motives t<
those who made propositions of this kind; fori
sufficient motive to induce the House to pas;
the resolution, would be found in the oyidcti
propriety of hwing before them all access*!
ble information on the subject of our lorcigr
relations.
After some further conversation.
Mr. 7.yon moved to amend the vesolutior
by adding, after the word “State,” tnt
words “ or Secretary thereof ”—Negatived
Ayes 30 ...
The resolution was passed-Yeas 109
Naj’s 14
Those who voted in the negative were
Messrs. W. Alston, Boyd, Burwell, Dawson
Holland, Johnson, Jones, M'Kcc, Miller, N
R. Moore, Morrow, Nelson, J. Porter
Whitehall-14
Mr. Livermore and Mr. Root were ap
pointed a committee to wait on the Prcsiden
with the resolution
TORPEDO EXPERIMENT.
The bill making an appropriation for thi
purpose of making an experiment on thi
practical use of the torpedo or sub marim
explosion, was again taken up. opposed b)
Messrs. Dana, Quincy, Fisk and Tatlmadgr
and supported by Messrs. Lyon, M’Kin
and Holland.
A motion was made by Mr. Fisk to re
commit the bill, and Negatived-55 t*
45. «
The bill was passed by Yeas and Nays —
65 to 53.
Mr. lAvermore, from the committee ap
pointed to wait on the President with thi
resolution adopted to day, reported that the)
had performed that duty, and had receive*
for answer, that the President would atteiu
tu the request of the House.
INVALID CORPS.
On motion of Mr. A elson, the bill for thi
relief of the infirm, disabled and superannu
ated officers and soldiers of the late revolu
tionary army and of the present army of tin
U. States, was passed through a commute*
of tlie whole Mr. Fitkin in the chair, rc
ported to the House, and ordered to be en
grossed for a third reading on Wednes
day
On motion of Mr. Mumford, a resolutioi
was adopted requesting the President of tin
U. S. to communicate such inforreatioi
touching the impressment of American sea
men, as had been received since the com
munication made to the Secretary in 180?
Messrs. Mumford and Seaver were ap
pointed a committee to wait on -;he Presi
dent with the resolution.
The bill from the Senate to alter and a
mend the bill fixing the military pence es
t&blishment ot the U. S. was twice read rfi:<
committed.
Tuesdat, March 27.
Mr. Sawyer rtported a bill to alter tin
times of holding the district courts in tin
district of North Carolina. Twice read,
Mr. Morrow made sundry reports froi*
the Committee of Public Lauds, which wen
disposed of.
Mr. Morrow also reported a bill provi
ding for the final adjustment of claims ti
lands in the territories of Ohio and India
na, and for the sale of the public lands ir
the territory of Orleans. Twice read ant
committed.
Mr. Quincy from the committee appoin
tee to enquire into the state of the ancicv.
J public records, made a report recommcn
ding measures to he taken for their bette:
security ; which was ordered to be prin
ted.
The bill for the relief of Tristram Ilu-tse)
j was read a third time and parsed.
COMMERCIAL HILL.
Agreeably to the order of the day, t!i<
House took up the bill concerning corrtrier
cial intercourse, &<*, with its several amend
merits and modifications.
A motion vraj made by Mr. G hoi non tha
the bli ther consideration of the bill be post
poned to Monday next.
After a debate of two or three hours
this motion was negatived-Yeas 74
Nays 54.
Mr. Macon moved that the home ad hen
to their disagreement to the Senate’s a
memhnents (which would totally destroy tht
bill.)
This motion was supported hy Messrs
Macon, Smihe, M’Kee, M’K.im and Fisk
and opposed by Messrs. Troup, Lyon ani
Sheflejr,
Mr. J'isk was speaking when an ad
jour nment took place, at about half past four
[A message from the President of the U
States was received, while the bill concern
iag commercial intercourse was under con
siucr.it ion ; but was not read, in consequenct
i i*f an adjournment, before any decision was
had on the bill.
VVrntfKsnAY, March 28.
Mr, Sonoyer obtained leave of absenct
from Monday next to thu end of the ses
| iiou.
1 The following message yesterdoy received t
! from the Preside t of the United States was.
i :
I Po the House of Rrfiresstitativcs of the V. j
iitafrs.
I In consequent cf your resolution of the
Suth instant, aw enquiry has been made in
to the correspondence of our minister at
the court of l.o .don with the department ul i
state, from whit h it iwijieurs, Mint no olncial j
communication liasbe.:i received from him;
since Ills receipt of the letter of November
23d last, from the Secretary of State. A '
letter of January 4tli, 1310, has been re-I
ceivcd from that minister by Mr. Smith,
but being stated to be private and umlficlaU j
and involving moreover personal consider
ations of a delicate nature, a copy is con
sidered as not within the perview of the
call of the House.
JAMES MADISON.
March 27, 18HI
The message was ordered to lie printed.
Mr. Hufttj repented a bill to alter the
time of holding the district court of the U. i
States for the district of N. Jersey.—Twice ,
lead and committed.
FIRST MERIDIAN FOR THE UNITED
STATES.
Mr. Pitkin, from the committee to whom
was committed the memorial of William
Lambert, made a report concluding with ;
the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is expedient to make j
provision, by law, authorising the President
, ot the United States to c\use the longitude '
of the City of Washington, irom the obscr-t
vatory at Greenwich, in England, to be as- !
certained with the greatest degree ofaccu- •
racy, and alro authorising him, for that!
purpose, to procure die necessary asirouo- i
> mical instruments.
Mr. P. said, it would bo observed, that t
‘.lie object of the committee was to have a j
• first meridian established for the United
S-atcs, from which, computations of longi_
tu<le might he generally made, that maps,
i charts and nautical tables might not, as here
l toforc, be calculated from the observatory
« at Greenwich, or from tin varying points
; ot Philadelphia. N. Yoik, Washington or
• Charleston. Mr. P. dilated upon toe ad
i vantages ot such a measure. Congress would
fix upon the place most proper for a first
meridian ; ami, perhaps, as Washington
was the seat of government, it would beas
: proper a place as any. As the longitude
, must be taken very exactly, various insfu
meats • would lie necessary for. the purpose
, of making astronomical observations. As
he was desirous that a bill should pass on
i the subject at this session, he did not move
, a.reference of the report to a committee of
the whole, but moved that it lie on the ta
ble, to give gentlemen time to consider it
before he ask.;d a decision on it.
The report was accordingly ordered to lie
on the table.
GUN BOATS.
Mr. Van D^ke said, it would be rccol
lected, that at the first session of the tenth
; Congress a law had been passed,authorising
• the purchase or employment of a number of
gun boats, for which purpose a sum of up
, wards of 800,000 dollars had been appropriat
i ed. It appeared, from a report of theSec’ry.
cf the navy, that the present annual expence
• of keeping them in ordinary was 64 000dol
> lars. In another report from he Secretary
of the navy, made toa.committee of theSe
■ nate, it appeared that a number of those
gun boats had been built of green materials,
■ | and if suffered to remain in service for a year,
‘ j would scarcely be worth the txpetice of
repairing them. Those facts having been
I ascertained, an attempt was made (unsuc
l cesslully) at the last session, to enquire whe
ther it would not be prudent to authorise
the President to sell the gun boats or a part
; ot them. Mr. Van Dyke said, it was now
about the close ol the session, and for any
- thing be had yet ascertained, he whs not in
• duced to suppose, that the wholt num
; her of the gun boats would be necessary in
. any event. If peace was to result, they
would be unquestionably unnecessary ; if war,
. and the opinion of the Secretary of the navy
was to be confided in, in all probability a !
i number of them would be found unfit to be ■
t employed in thr. public service. In eveiy
i view of the subject, Mr. Van Dyke said; it j
appeared proper t,q him, that an enquirv
. should be made. lie moved the following!
. resolution, which tie said, lie presumed
. would not be objected to by any centicma..
in the House.
“ ixesolvrd, That the committee on our
naval establishment be instructed to enquire
- into tlie expediency of authorising the lTe_
1 sident rf the Uwitcd States t > sell such of the
Run boats belonging to the United States as
he may judge unfit or unnecessary to be em
ployed in the public service.”
Mr. Macon thought this a very good mo
: tion as far as it went; but, in order to bring
the whole subject of the naval force before
1 the House, moved to amend the motion so as
also to include “ frigates and oilier vessels
of war.” He thought that the more of them
were sold the better.
Mr. Bassett expressed his satisfaction
that at length a proposition had been pre
I seated to the House on the subject of the na
vy of such a nature ns to induce them to con
sider it ; for he had been unable to prevail
, upon l.iem to take up the report rf that com
mittee. It x\ ns a duty lie oxvod to the com
mittce to state xvhat attention they had paid
to i lie subject. A proposition for selling such
of the gun boats as were uncessary had at an
early day been before tlie committee. It had
been postponed, however, because it had b en
deemed proper to see what would be the
probable state of tilings at the adjournment of
: Congress bef ire they made a report on the
state ol tlie gun boats. The committee had
been paralized in its attempts to do any
thing by perceiving that xvhat wa>i already
1 done by it was not attended-to by the House.
■ Mr. 11. instanced a report in particular on
tlie subject of a marine hospital, which with
out i equiriug any appropriation from the ti ca
. sury, wus a very necessary provision. As to
the frigates, it was absolutely necessary that
something should be du»e in relation tothem.
Already was one frigate unxvonhy repair, Sc
the others in the yard were, deteriorating at
tl.e rate of 30 per cent, per annum, it it
was the determination ol the House not to
> repair them, they had better be sold while
i they would fetch any thing.
Mr. Van Ui/kc said that as the whole of
his motion had refeteure only toth** gun boats,
and he did not wish to include any other
vessels, lie should vote against the amend
ment, which however the gentleman would
have it in his power to move at any time in
a separate proposition, lie was not so fully
decided nn the propriety of disposing of die
frigates as of the gun boats. lie quoted the
reports of the Secretary of the Nat v last
summer, to shew the H lodg'd inefhr.icy
■ nod w>prnsiveness of gun bants, Compared
with l;*tgcr vessels of war.
V
Mf. *f(tc said, -.f he .var t-> ’■..•.arch th* • J
-cs lfe Cu'ild find it* pints oi the tormer • 1
sivtnrjr of the Navy decidedly in favor ;
beats. Be that ^ might, however, ic
lid not affect the ptiociplc ot enquiry. 1 u-i
lact was, however, that the gentleman from
H‘ law are whs against the gun boats in toio.
Mr. M. said he agreed with him these, but
ite would go further. He was opposed also
to 'he navy, and was wilting to enquire into
the whole—a:ul there was ccrinhn/ nothing
unfair in this. If the legislature realty ,»
meant to maintain a navy, it was time that
they should pursue sonic tegular system, asid
not one year buiid frigates and another year
gun boats. 5cc. and the timber lor the ves
sels should be seasoned so that they should jk
not rot as soon as built. The whole of the ^
vessels forming the present nu\y ot the Uni- t \
ted States, if a few frigates deserved that
name, had been built of green timber.
Notwithstanding the noise that had been
made about frigates, Mr..M. said that when
we had a sort of a war with Fiance, the first
gur. tired was Itom a met chant man (com
manded bv the elder Dccatui) which had .
been turned into a frigate.
Mr. (fold observed that it was true, that
the gentleman might find opinions of the Se
r.retaiy of the Navy and of other persons in
favor ofgcn boats ; the time w.is when the
current ot public opinion had run in their fa
vor ; but toe time had passed, and the geu
tletnru could scaicely ii.id a n aa i.ow who
was in favor ef thetp. There could ho no
doubt that as tothe gun boats s >jnc measure
:>f Considerable • v-cnt was decessarv to be
taken ; but tins observation did nut apply to
all public vestis. He was there lore against
the amendment.
. n*. saul ,r was not on uncommon
iliing in this House for members to rs.ume d
as matter of fact what others expressly dc- ^
nied. The opinion express ;d by die gentle
man from N. York might be that winch h«
entertained as to gun boats ; but he was going
too far when he said it was a general opini
on. *1 he Hnu*c hud had opinions in their fa*
vor of men better qualified to judge cf them
than either himself or the gentlemen from
New York; There had Ivon no opportuni
ty to test their utility. They were never
counted upon as a mat i time force, but as a de *
fence for our ports and harbors. If any of
the vessels were unfit for service and in such
a situation that they, could not be repaired
without unjustifiable exper.ee, lie was lor din.
posing nt them, and therefore was in fa
vor of the amendment and of the original mo
tion.
As to the navy, be never had been of opi- 1
nion that the U States should n ver think
of becoming a naval power. The navy had
bean tor many yeais^ sinking fund to the
government without doing the leant good, <
except in the af;'..:r in thu Meditei raneaw
some years ago. Hr was not however for
immediately abolishing the navy ; hut as
soon as they could with propriety lie got
rid ot, he said it would be for the benefit of
the nation that we should not have a s n
gle ship of war.
Mr. Gold cull?-* upon the gentleman from
Pennsylvania to shew a single opinion of any
naval nuin at >h* present day on the sub
ject of gun ho its but what was in opposition
to ihe whole system
Mr. Pickmaconceived there cruld be no
objection o the amendment, as the object
w?i- m-relY an enquiry.
An . Taylor said lie was for committing
ihe whole subject. and lie believed sound
arguments could be produced which would
go to convince the H >n-c and the nation
tiiat the frigates and vess- is of war wero
quite as useless in the pr-sent state of the
world as the much derided gun boats. As
to the uiility ol gun boats, when the law
passed for procuring thern. the gentleman
l;om Connt-c. cut (Air. D.ina) who was in.
the habit of mvking admissions which som?-*
times drew upon him the censure of vio
lent party papers for his candor, had ad
mitted that in shallow water the approach
nf an enemy might be rendered extremely
inconvenient by gun boats, and that they
might be troublesome opponents ; and more
perhaps could not be said of the frigates.—
Air. T. appeared to be of opinion that the
gun boats and frigate* should share the
same fate.
Mr. l.yon also spoke in favor of the mo.
tinn, Mr. Cook against it.
Air. Macon's amendment was agreed to,
and the resolution as amended was agreed
to without opposition.
On motion of Air. Jennings, the commit
tee of Public Lands w,*..-, instrue'ed to en
quire into the expediency of instituting or
establishing one or more districts for the
disposal of the lands ceded to the U. S. by
the treaties entered into with certain tribes
of Indians in September, October and De
cember last.
INVALID COUPS.
The bill making provision for the relief
of the infirm, disabled and supera minted
officers and soldiers of the late revolutiona
ry army and of the present army of the U.
S. was read a third time ; and, on motion
of Mr. Arison, recommitted for the pur
pose of amending the details of the bill.
COMMERCIAL BILL.
The House resumed the consideration of
the unfinished business, being the bill con •
corning commercial intercourse, £cc.
Air. A'claon moved to postpone the fur
ther consideration of the subject till Sa.
turday next.-Motion lost, Yeas .37, Nays
66.
The question recurring on the motion to
adhere—
Messrs. risK, Holland, Hove and Mum
ford supported the motion, and Mr. Garland
opposed it.
'l'he House refused to adjourn (at 4 o’clock)
Yeas 6J. Nays GO.
Mr. Jimott spoke at great length against
the bill a; it went from the House
The House then adjourned (at 5 o’clock)
Ayes 74.
Thursday, March 20,
ORGANIZATION Ol*’ THE MILITIA;
Mr. Clay, from the committee on that part
of the message of the preffjent of the IT/
S. respecting the organization of the militia
of the U. S reported that the committee
were of opinion that it would be improper
at this time to innovate on the present mili_
tin system of the U.S.
Mr. Clay moved to recommit the report
with instructions to report a hi 11 for cl ,s-ing
the mililia according to age, mid providin'
to arm such *4 them as may b; called into
public, service.
Mr Pi kin made a motion, which sup»r
ceded this motion, viz : to commit the report
to a committee of he whole.
The latter mot'on va* agreed to, and a
pr p->*iii ,n offered by Mr. f)niv*on\ i'»cHi
ding Mr. Clay’s plan, w s ;cteried to um
s'i in<- com mittce.
Mr. Livingston 8c Mr. I. I Alston, obtain,
f* leave o absence firm the end nf this
'•eek,lor the remainder of u>. .t.H: r„