The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-01-30
territorial government Twice read and
. L.
CONVOY AND ARMING

| submitted by him OF, Friday, in relation 70
lcpnvcying the trade of the United States, &c.
De referred to a select committee.--Mo
don agteedtoby Yeas and Nays. 100 to l8.
AMERICAN NAVIGATION BILL.
T. The House resumed the consideration Of
the bill concerning commercial intercourse,
&c.
] The Sneaker decided. that as the sub
iJeci or Conveying and arming our merchant
vessels was specially referred to a select
committee OF the House, it was out Of order
10 move the same IN an amendment TO
billiard therefore MIR. Mum forti's amend
ment, offered on Saturday last, could not
be received
Mr. montgomery then renewed his mo-
ton 10 add the following, as a new section
TO the bill:
ind be it .yt,rthrr enacted. That it shall
and may be lawful for the President Of the
/ United States, and he is hereby authorised
to give Instructions to the armed vessels
thereof, to seize any british or French
"essel or vessels evadng violating this
law, and to bring the same into any port of
the United States or the territories thereof
{! for adjudication.
MIR. Shefey moved to amend the amend
rnsnt b. adding to it the following words
''proviied. that nothing, therein contained
shall authorize the capture or search of any
foreign vessel without the Jurisdiction OF
the United States Motion ncgatived
Mr.. A7ontg emery modified his amendment
10y inserting the words in Itdiic.
| The amendment moved by Mr.. Montgo-
merry was opposed by Messrs Bacon, Shelf
fey, Livermore, Key. Pitkin and Dana,
chiefly on the ground. that it was asserting
a right on the part of the United States
which they did not admit in other nations,
Eviz to capture vessels on the high seas for
the violation of municipal law. 1t was
said. that no violation Of municipal law could
take place, unless the offending vessel was
within the Jurisdiction of the United States;
and the right to capture vessels for intention
to evade law or violate a blockade, was
one against which we had always protested,
and therefore ought not ourselves to assert.
Il was further said, that the detention of
vessels, for the purpose OF search, at the
discretion of 4 commander OF an armed YES
Isel. whether of the United States or of 70
reign nations, would operate TO the great
distress and sometimes to the ruin of the
merchant.
twas said, in reply by MIR. Montgome-
lry that the amendment only authorised de
ltention or capture in case of actual violation
Iof the law, and not in case of supposed
intention so to act; that none OF the ex
IRENE cases supposed could occur, as the
commanders Of our armed vessels would
in all Gases, act under express instructions
from the President of the United States
who would no doubt, guard them so as to
avoid improper conclusions; that cases of
violation of The laws, at present occurred in
the mouths of our rivers, 20 the prevention
OF which the revenue cutters were not com
petent, and for which purpose the frgatcs
would be advantageously employed. III
The question was then taken on Mr.
Nlontsomery's amendment by Yeas and
Nays as follows:
YEAS-Messrs. l.. ] Aston, Bard, Bas
lsett, Burwell, Butler, Calhoun Clay, Clop-
ton, Cobb, Crawford, Cuts, Fisk, Gannett,
Garland, Gholson. Hester. Howard. Huff
ty, ]. G. Jackson, Johnson, Kenan. Lyle,
Marion, M'Kim, Miller, Montgomery,
r.. Moore, +. Moore, Mumford. Nelson
Newton, Nicholson, Rea (Penn.) Raea
(Eenn.) Richards, Roane, Root, Ross, saw
yer, Seaver. shaw, Smelt, G. smith,
Weakley. Whitehill, VIM and W;ther
ispoon--47.
MASSACHUSETTS. Anderson. Bacon, Bib,
Blaisdell, Boyd, Breckenridge, ]. Brown,
r. Brown, Campbell, ] {. Chamberlain,
w. Chamberlin, Chittenden, Cochran, Cox,
Dana, Davenport, Dawson. Desha, Ely,
Emott, Frndley, GARDENER, Gardner, Colds
borough, Gold Gray, Hale. Haven, Helms,
Holland. Hubbard, r. Jackson, Jenkins,
Jones. Kennedy, Key. Knickeibacker,
Livermore, Livingston. Lyon. Macon,
Matthews, M'Bryde, M'Kee, Minor, Nor
row, Moseley, NewboId, Pickman, Pi,kin,
John. Porter Potter, Quincy, Sage, Seybert,
Sheffey, Smile, Southland, Stanford. Stanley,
Stedmau, Stephenson, Sturges. Swoope,
Taggart, Tallmadge, Taylor. Thompson,
Tracy, Upham, Van Dyke, Vanhorn, Van
Rensselaer,, Wheaton, Whitman and Will
solI-76.
So the question was lost.
Mr.. Mumford moved to postpone the fur
Their consideration of the bill till the Sd
Monday in February, assigning as a reason
for the motion, his total hostility to the
bill.
Mr.. Taylor spoke in support of the bill at
some length.
Mr. Dana observed, that although oppos-
ed to the bill, he should vote against post
ponement, because of the embarrassment
and huctuation such n course would produce
in mercantile transactions.
The question was taken on postponement
and negatived.
Mr.. Gardenier assigned reasons why ne
deemed it proper TO vote for the bill.
| When he concluded the House adjourn
ed.
TUESDAY, January %.
a message vas received from the Presi
dent of the United States by Mr. Edward
Coles, his Secretary, transmitting an ac-
cornt of the expenditures from the contin-
| gent fund, during the year 1909. The mes.
| sage was to-Gay referred to the Committee
of commerce and manufactures.