Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-05-26
In SENATE.

! The bill to provide for the dscontinuance of the
office of Surveyor General in the several districts, so
soon as the SURVEYS therein be completed tor
abolishinr land offices under certain circumstances and
for other purposes, having been returned from the
House of Representatives, with an amendment
Mr.. SMITH, of Indiana, said he hoped the Senate
would not with the House OF Representatives
in the amendment made to the bill. The House had
amended the bill by striking out the provision auor
znu the Secretary of the Treasury 10 consolidate differ
ent land Districts and abolish land Offices in those dis
tricts whenever the public cxpcdiency and economy
shall require It, being governed by the public conve
nience in the place at which the lands should he
sold. This provision Mr. s. Thought essential. In
order explain the effects of the bill as It now stands
as amended by the House, he would state lis pract.
cal operation. The bill now provides that, soon as
the lands in any district below hundred thousand
acres the Office shall be abolished and the lands re-
naming unsold to be attached to the next office
without regard to the eligibility of the place ut which
the office is situated In Indiana the office al Indiana
polls would be at abolished and the lands unsold
attached to other office, probably the Fort Wayne
office; the Charlottesville Office would be the next and
the lands in that district would be attached 10 the Fort
Wayne Office this would swell the quantity to be sold
at that office to draw the Miami lands, the Jeer
sonville and Fincennes lands to the point Such
(said Mr. s. would be the practical operation of the bill
if the amendment made by the House should prcva
he did not wish 10 object 10 that point but TO leave the
matter open to the wishes of the People OF his State
The bill was right il passed the Senate it left il
discretionary with the Secretary, under the direction
of the President, either to suffer the principle OF attach
ing districts to go on to consolidate them at such
point the public convenience mi ght require. lie
therefore hoped the Senate would not concur in the
mendment, but would leave the House to reconsider
that matter as he felt assured that the matter could
have been understood, the amendment would not
, have been made.
The bill and amendment were then, motion Of Mr..
4 WALKER, referred TO the Committee on the Public
Lands; Mr.. Walker concurring with Mr.. Smith in the
| n dIcnc of he House
Representatives..
TIE bill for The relief of Avery, Saltmars Il Co. was
taken up and discussed at considerable length, Mr.. RO
. / BINSON, Mr.. LUMPklN and others advocated the
claim, and Messrs HUBBARD, WHITE, CALHOUN
and Others opposing it. The bill passed over in
formally, with view 10 its being taken up at a future
period.
On motion Of Mr.. WILLIAMS,
ResoIred That The Secretary Of the Navy be request
ed to appoint Board of Officers, wal and marine to
witness an exhibition of Migh Nuting's patent cy-
Under firearms and report the results in detail for the
information of Congress, together with their opinion
of the advantages to be derived from the adoption OF
the into the naval service.
The Senate again took up the untavorabc report OF
the Committee of Claims in the Of the Mcssrs.
Crooks, owners OF the British schooner Lord Nelson.
: The claim of $4,000 SIS ,00G which was reject.
ed BY this report was discussed great length, and
was opposed By Mr. WRIGHT on the ground that this
Government would not indemnify of lis own citi-
Gems for money lost, by The defaung of the clerk
" of the Court: by Mr. WALKER the ground that
the British Government would not indemnify Ameri-
can citizens for the price Of the brig LYDIA the price
of which had been lost in the same manner, by the de-
fauItinp Of the clerk Of the Court by Mr.. HI BBARD
on the ground that the whole proceedings in the case
were lawful and right the part of the United States
: authorities and by Mr.. CALHOUN on similar
ground.
! The claim was advocated BY Mr.. CLAY, on the
ground that the Lord Nelson seized for supposed
breach of the embargo law, sold and bought by the
t. S authorities, all Of which decided by our own
Courts have been wrongfuly done and on an order
of the Court to restore the money for the vessel il
proved 10 have been lost by the deacaton of the clerk
Of the Court and also, on the ground that at this time
j. especially Justice al least ought to be done TO British
}. subjects; by Mr.. KNIGHT on the ground that the
Clerk of the Court not even lawful depositary
\ for litigated funds Of this kind; and by Mr. WEB
STER on the ground that the deposting of the mo
ney with that Clerk, and letting remain was at the
Il time improper and irregular, and, as he believed ac
tually unlawful
On motion Of Mr. HUBBARD, the whole subject
5 was indefinitely postponed by yeas and nays as fol
r lows:
r Yeas-Messrs Allen, Anderson, Benton, Brown
o Calhoun, Cuthber, Fulton Grundy, Henderson, Hub
bard King, Lumpkn, Nicholas, Norvell Pierce, Roane
Robinson, Sewer, Strange, Sturgeon, TapPan Walker
d Williams, Wright, Young-25.
Saus-A lessTs. Clay of Kentucky, Clayton Critten
e den Davis, Dixon Knight, Porter, Prentss, Preston
Smith of Indiana, Spence, Tamadge, Webster, White
II
SYSTEM OF BANKRUPTCY
The bill the subject Of bankruptcy, the hour being
i late was, at the desire Of Mr.. TALLMADGE, and al
Ter brief conversation, laid over, BY consent, till TO-
morrow.
= And the Senate adjourned.
Il HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
Thursday, May 81.
. REEMPTION BILL.
The unfinished business of the morning hour was the
bill from the Senate entitled can act supplementary tt
an act granting presumption rights to settlers on the
. public lands, which the previous question had yes
terday been demanded.
. The SPEAKER had decided that the previous question
would apply the commitment of the bill, and no, tc
: its cngrossnent and from this decision Mr.. CASE,
had appealed.
Mr. HorKISs had moved to lay the appeal and tn,
whole subject (Which, of course, includes the bl0 OF
the table, and this was the question Immediately pend
ing yesterday at the expiration of the morning hour
And the question now being OH that motion
MIR. w. COST JOHNSON said that as there wa.
obviously no quorum present, he would move call o
. the House
Which motion having prevailed, the Clerk called the
), roll and ~ members answered to their names.
;. And the names of the absentees having been called
l56 members appeared TO be present.
/ The doors of the Hall were then closed, excuses
were received and 1853 members appearing to be pre-
sent
e Mr. WELLER moved suspension of further pro
n ceedings on the call; which motion agreed to
Z, Ayes %, noes 40.
so further proceedings were dispensed WIN
n The question then required the motion of Mr.
: HopKISs to lay the whole subject the table: or
which motion the yeas and had heretofore been
dered, and. being taken, were Yeas 53 nays 1872
: So the motion TO lay the table, rejected
: The question then required on the appeal taken by
d Mr. CASEY, from the decision Of the Chair that the
: previous question applied to The commitment of the
e bill
j. The SPEAKER stated that yesterday be had dec
J. ded, according to his construction of the rule
which he believed then, he did now, to be the
rect construction that it required commitment Of the
c bill He had since looked into the authorities, and he
found that in 1884, presumption bill was passed with
out oeng sent 10 inc Gon'mee OF Ihe hoie and nc
would therefore withdraw his decision Of yesterday
and decide that the previous question applied to the
question of engroSsmcnt and not to the commitment
From this new decision of the Chair MIR. LINCOLN
took an appeal and proceeding 10 express his
sons, when the Speaker declared that the previous
nuestian ha wing been called. the anpeal was de