Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-01-27
MoNDAY, January 10.

luton OF the house adopted oB Friday, stat
ed that the committee had performed that
service, and had received Tor answer from
the President, that he would cause the in
formation requcs d, to be laid before the
house.
Mir. Quincy presented the petition of
James Sullivan and others, claimants of GER
tain lands ccd0d TO the y. >. b. Georgia,
requesting that thc tribunals OF the u. S.
may be authorised to try the, question of
right to the lands.
Mr.. Quincy moved a rcferencc'of this pc
ition to 4 committee of the whole house
MIR. Eppes spoke against the reference.
Mr.. Quincy replied.
The question was taken on referring the
petition 10 a committee Of the whole, which
was disagreed to-Ayes 41-NOes sd.
MIR. Quincy then moved its reference to
a select committee.
Mr.. ID. r. Williams hoped this motion
would not prevail, ana that lift did not, that
the petition would be rejected.
MIR. Quincy withdrew his motion, that
the question might be taken on the PROPOSE
ton 10 reject the petition, which MIR. d. r.
Williams then offered.
Mr.. Quincy called for the yeas and nays
on this motion.
Messrs. d. R:-SNilliams, Eppes and J.
Clay supported and Messrs. Conrad, Cook,
Alexander, Sloan, Smile and Quincy op-
passed the motion which was disagreed to-
Yeas 53--Nays SO.
Mr.. Quincy then moved reference of the
petition TO select committee.
Mr.. Quincy advocated; and Messrs. ].
Clay, Snilie, r Nelson and Eppes Opposed
this motion, which was likewise disagreed
to-Ycss 45-Nays 65.
Mr.. Holmes, from the committee of claims,
made ain unf;tvorabie report on the petition
OF Jonath2n SnUwden, which was made the
order OF the day for Wednesday.
Mr.. Alexander submitted a bill prescrib-
ing the effect of records of judgments and
decrees of courts of justice in one state in
mother state, which was referred to a com
mittec Of the whole on Thursday.
M. Rhea OF Ten. offered the following
resolution
Resolved, That committee be appoint
cd TO enquire into the expcdicncy OF laying
oitand describing by certain metes and boun-
darles tract Of country to which the Indi-
an t tic hath been cxtinguished, within the
limits of the territory of Louisiana, and to
inc,nde all the settlements within the said
TERRITORY, and for having the said tracts Of
country laid of into townships and sections,
h2lf nd quarter sections, agreeably to the
several laws heretofore made for surveying
the public lands cf the u. s. and also to en-
qurc into the expectancy of granting one
quarter section to every free male white,
VINO now resides thereon, or who within
years shall actually improve and re-
side thereon.
Mr.. Conrad SAID, before he agreed TO the
resolution. he would be glad to hear the rca-
sons for this new mode of disposing of the
public lands.
Mr.. Rhel said he did not suppose that on
referring this subject il would have been ne
csssIry to assign the reasons for the mea-
.ure. But rs they had been called for, he
wcuid state some Of them. 1t was we'll
known tbat the settlements in the territory
OF louisiana were scattereS-that they
were two or three hundred miles apart IF
the Indians should become hostile in that
quarter it would probably cost the u. States
more to protect those settlements than the
value OF the land it was proposed by the re-
solution to allow to settlers. The object
was TO effect a settlement that would prove
strong barrier, and avert the necessity of
maintaining standing army. The lands
on this side of the Mississippi, it Yves well
Known, from their subsection to Indian
claims, would not probably be settled until
distant day A; and this produced nacessi-
~ for forming settlements on the western
side of that river.
Mr. Smile believed this vas a measure
that would be attended with great benefits
70 the y. ). As the motion was merely to
refer for the purpose Of enquiry, he hoped
1t would not be opposed.
Mr. Narnum was OF opinion that even If
this measure should be ultimately consider
ed advisable, this was a very unreasonable
time for is adoption. lie was not of opini-
on that any considerable force could he bro't
to bear on the frontier thus proposed to be
guarded. It would be remarked thatit was
not contemplated for the defence of the Or
( leans, but the Louisiana territory And he
asked whether it would be proper to adopt
1t while such various reports prevailed Of
the existence Of conspiraC les against the u.
,. IN the western country. Might not the
individuals engag ed in these combinations,
on their discontinue and return into the u.
,. under this measure, occupy the lands
thus proposed 70 be surveyed
MIR. Rhea declared himself greatly sur
prised at the suggestion OF the gentleman
from Massachusetts, AS to the suspicious
aH7at, he hoped they would have nJ influence
on the adoption Of tIfs measure.
Mr.. Gregg hoped, as the resolution con-
templated an almost radical change of the
land system, it would be suffered 10 lie for
consideration
Mr.. Rhes acquiesced in this course.
The bill, from the senate, supplementary
the Gviucr -,