Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1822-01-17
e The Senate went into the consideration
Of executive buusiness; and then
Adjourned.
HOUSE. OF REPR EsENTATIvEs.

Among the petitions this day presented,
was a memorial, by Mr.. Gorham, from
sundry inhabitants Of Boston, adverse 10
the establishment OF an Uniform system of
bankruptcy; and one from New York, by |
Mr.. Golden. in favor Of il, which were re-
ferred to a committee OF the whole on that
subject.
Mr.. Sergeant from the committee on the
Judiciary. reporipi a bill 10 provide tor
delivering up persons held to labor Of SER
vice in any of the states or territories Mho
shall escape into any other state or ter
ritory; which was twice read aud Com
mitted.
Mr.. Williams from the committee on
Claims, made a report untavorab!e 10 the
| Memorial OF the Legislature OF the state
of Tennessee, asking that provision may
be- made TO pay tor horses lost by her cit>
izens in the expe dition during the Semi
| mole war; which report was read. and re-
| Cerred to a committee OF the whole house.
| and, with the Memorable OF the Legislature,
and documents accompanying the same,
we're ordered to be printed.
Mr.. Rankin, from tie committee on
Public Lands, reported a bill to authorize
| the STATE of Illinois to open a canal !hro'
! the public lands, connecting the Illinois
| river with Lake Michigan. which was
twice read and committed.
MI. Williams, Of N. C.. from the COM
mittee on Claims, reported ~unfavorably
on t!.e petition o! John Mcdonnell, which
was twice read and ordered to lie on the
table.
Mr.. Eustis from the committee on Mill
tary Affairs, reported a bill for the relief
Of William E. Meek; which was twice
read and committed.
On motion of Mr. Stevenson, il was
Resotved, That the committee OF Com
merce be instructed to inquire into the ex-
pediency Of so amending the law estab-
| fishing a collection district at Richmond,
in the state Of Virginia, as to cause said
district to include all the waters, &c. from
| the mouth of Chickahomony river, up to
the mouth of Appomatox river, or its juno
ton with James River
Mr.. Nelson, of Md. after adverting to
| the importance of the object OF the mo-
ton which he had laid on the table some
days ago, proposing the appointment OF q
| committee to consider the expediency of
making appropriations of public Lands
| for the purpose OF education in the old
| states, and to the fact that il had received
the appreciation of several states, and
therefore was entitled to the serious atten-
| ton ofthis house. moved that the house
should now proceed to the consideration
of that motion.
The house agreed to consider it.
Mr.. Woodson then. with a view to
di%sembarrass the question, and suffer
the subject Of Mr.. Nelson's motion to
be presented in an insulated shape,
withdrew the amendment which he had
proposed to that r~esslve when it was
originally presented to the house.
Mr.. Campbell then moved to referthe
subject to the standing committee on
Public Lands, instead of a select COM
mittee.
Mr.. Wright opposed the motion. The
Committee on the Public Lands, he
said, was necessarily occupied in a va
riety of other important subjects, and
would not be able to give to this subject
all that attention which its intrinsic i'm
portance, and the courtesy due to the
state from which it emanated, gave
reason to its friends to expect. Mr.. w.
alluded to the practice of the British
Parliament, where it was usual, in all
cases like the present, to refer the sub
ject to a committee supposed to be
friendly to the proposition. in order that
its strength and bearing might De fairly
and fully presented.
Mr.. Campbell, of Ohio, was in favor
of a reference Of all subjects of this sort
to standing committees, when, from
their nature, they came within the scope
of those duties that were properly as
signed to them. AS a general rule the
business, when so referred, was more
promptly attended to than when refer
red to special committees. He thought
the matter in question came properly
within the province of the COMMITTEES on
Public Lands, and having great conf
dence in that committee, he. felt unwil-
ling to take from their cognizance a
subject that seemed to fall appropriately
under their jurisdiction.
Mr.. Little thought the subject matter
ofthe resolution had nothing to do with
those things that were Immediately
within the province Of the committee on
Public Lands. The resolution was of
a distinct and novel character; nor had
1t any thing to do with the location of
the public lands. He also concurred
with his colleague (Mr. Wright,) in the
opinion that it was a matter which re-
CURED the undivided attention of the