The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-03-24

IN the Sis degree of latitude; thence along the sai
degree 81 sti,ade to the river Mississippi thenve
dow The same tn tie beginnings he and the is
hereby Incorporated in and msr part ut said state
and shalt he governed nv the constitution and laws
thereof IN the same manner as IL it had been IN
ct,e'i within the original boundaries Of said state.
Provided nevertheless, that the title Of the United
Statas to said tract Of country shall be and remain
ssblect to future negotiation"
Mr.. Dawson said this question had been
agitated in the select committee, but il had
appeared proper to them that this additi-
On of Territory should be made tile subject
OF separate law. If they went so far,
they must go farther still, into details
He thought it better that the law accepting
the constitution should he as simple as pos
sble.
Mr.. Gay. (Speakcr) could not view the
subject in the same light. he said, as the
gentleman from Virginia; and although
there had been A division of sentiment i'm
The select committee, there certainly were
some members of that committee in favor
ct the notion. But could the gentleman
imagine any difficulty growing out Of making
this section part of the present bill, which
would not equally arise if it were put in a
separate bill There could be no difficulty
IN either way; and in point, of propriety it
appeared to him the course now proposed
ought to be pursued. They were about to
admit new state into the Union. Should
not the bill. which recognised it, present the
whole limits of the state in one view, or
would it be better to subject ,enquirers to
the necessity of wading through two or
three Acts to find out the boundary of
single state Z He hoped The motion would
prevail.
The motion vas agreed to, AZ to e5. h.,r
Mr.. Cay said he observed there had been
no ordinance passed by the convention re-
eognisins the freedom of navigation of the
Mississippi. He had no idea that under any
circumstances, the Legislature of the new
state would impede the navigation !. but
the object was one so dear to the people of
the western country generally, that he
wished toplace it beyond the possibility of
doubt
Considerable desultory discussion took
place on the proposed amendment which
was chiefly objected to by Mr.. Rhea on
the ground that it was totally unnecessary,
|'sec. -.
The amendment was adopted without
division.
Mr.. johnson said that as the matter now
stood, the population of the Florida territory
attached to this bill would, although they
are to compose apart of the new state, be
deprived of a voice in the passage of the first
| laws, which are always the most important
under new government and in the choice
OF Senators in Congress, which would be at
tended with the greater Hardship, as the
population had been unrepresented for some
time past, and complained of various grie-
vances. He therefore moved an amendment
to the bill to divide the Territory to be an
neXed to Louisiana into two counties, to
be called Feliciana and Baton Rouge,
each to send one Senator and one Represen-
tative.
MIR. Poinderter wished the people of
that Country to be represented as much as
the gentleman possibly could but how could
congress IN one breath say they should form
part OF the new state as soon as its consent
could be had, and in the next section de-
clare, though by the very terms Of the law
they are not part of the state, that they
shall be represented in the Legislature of
the statel
mr.. Gay said he had understood that
memorial was i'll the city, and would be pre-
sented to the House at the irst opportunity.
from the convention of Orleans, praying the
annexation of the territory in question to the
new. state. When that was before them.
the committee would be better able to un-
derstand how far they could now proceed
in sanctioning the Representation of that
Territory in the Louisiana Legislature
de therefore moved that the committee now
rise, report progress, and ask leave to sit
again.
Agreed to, and the committee rose.
On motion of Mr.. Wrisht,
The House then resolved itself into
committee of the whole, Mr., STANFORD
| in the chair, on the bill from the Senate ma
king further provision for the corps of engi-
neers, with amendments reported thereto.
The bill having been gene through, was re-
ported to the House.
| Nh. Williams moved to amend the bill by
inserting, after the clause appropriatine
IS 900 dollars for the erection of additional
buildings, the words, at such hiace as
shall be designated by the President Of The
United States"
Mr.. 1litchiW opposed the motion on the
ground OF the superior advantages of situa-
ton, centrality, &c. of West Point, the
place at which the Military Academy is now
fixed, and from which under the proposed
amendment its removal may be Effected
He expatiated on the eligibility of this staff
ON, the waste Of public property which a re-
moval would involve its security from hos
tile approach, connected with its contiguity
to New York, the source whence every
thing necessary to improve the mind q.
polish the manners could be derived. If il,
was to be removed, Mr.. M. pointed out Sta
ten Island as the proper place but he was
averse to leaving the removal subject to
Executive discretion, when the question of
| its location could as we'll be decided by Con-
| gress.
| Mr.. Gold expressed his regret that this
amendment, so important as heretofore to