The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-01-05

From the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions
BY Messrs, Davis, Of Ia, Hand, and Pick.
From the Committee Invalid Pensions-By
Messrs Strong Doan, Palen, Taliaielro and Chit
tenden.
Reports from Select Committees were then III order.
MIR. JOHN q. ADAMS, from the Committee TO
investigate the House Document Of last session No.
1875, respecting the Amstad, reported that they had
investigated the That there had been falsifi-
CATION of the document; the word sound" had been
substituted for "ladinos and that il had been done at
the Office Of the Globe
From the Committee ON the National Library-By
Mr.. Tillinghast
From the Committee on Claims-By Messrs. Rus
sell, and Giddings
From the Committee on Revolutionary Claims
BY Messrs. Jones, of n. ", Parmcnter and Ran
doph.
I From the Committee on Private Land Claims
BY Messrs Delleu, Taliaferro and Profit
Mr.. BARNARD presented modification of the
resolutions offered by him days since the sub
ject Of the finances
Mr.. BARNARD after the reading of the resolu-
tions as modified rose and about proceed with
some remarks when
Mr. SMITH, of Maine, and MIR. HAND asked
that the message from the President of the United
States (Which had just been announced) be read, as
1t contained matter Of Importance in relation to the
tariff &c.
i Mr. BARNARD would yield the floor for the mere
reading of the message, but that would probably call
for other debate, and he declined so doing.
He then spoke at some length, but was interrupted;
a motion being made by Mr., SMITH, Of Maine, that
/ tho 81 orb Soft he
Which motion carried Yeas 49, nays 81
i We will give his remarks in connection hercaiterl
BURNING OF THE cARoLiNI-cAsE or MCLEOD
A message was received from the President o. the
United States, communicating some additional cor
respondence that had taken place between Mr.. Fox,
the British minister, and Mr. Forsyth, the Secretary
of State, relative to the burning of the Caroline and
the of Mcleod
The message and documents were read.
Mr. FILLMORE moved that the message with the
accompanying documents, be referred to the Commit
tee on Foreign Relations, and five thousand extra
copies thereof be printed.
Before taking his seat Mr. Fillmore desired to make
a remark in reference to the communication from the
Minister Of Great Britain, in regard to his statements
about the Caroline The boat belonged to man, in
the city Of Buffalo, by the name Of VIM. Wells, a
peaceabe citizen neither belonged TO the PATROLS
nor was under their control authority-and what
is there Che asked) for the appellaton that is
! given to that boat by the Minister of Great Britain
who has called it piraticai vessel lie believed it
to be an entire mistake II had no connection with
the patriots The simple facts We're these: Wells,
| during the time that the insurgents were occupying
Navy Island in the Niagara rver,-whch island is on
IL 4. -. ~ r
this boat. He applied at the Custom house for a IL
cense to run that boat ferry boat at Schlossing
| The boat was duly licensed at our Custom house
and went down the river the day previous to its
destruction and stopped at Schlossing It passed
once or twice carrying passengers THAI afternoon and
returned again to own shore and was moored at
our wharf--not within the nominal territory of
the United States-but the undoubtcd territory as
| much as this where stand There il was left
in the peaceabe and quiet charge of the watch of the
boat who were wholly unarmed The proof is, that
there was but one solitary the boat and that
a pocket pistol, without ammunition and without be-
| ing loaded While the boat thus lay at our wharf
she was attacked Ivy armed force, which il now APP
pears sent from the Canadian shore for that pur-
| pose--was attacked without any warning and one or
two persons kiled-the boat itself taken out into the
stream above the falls set on fire and sent the
falls This the outrage--the arson that has been
complained of-and this murder of one Of our citizens
wholly unarlned who had his brains beat out and
was found the next morning on the wharf and there
is good reason to believe that some Others went over
the falls in the boat who had been killed or so wound
ed as TO be unable to make their escape.
This presents something of difficult question. By
the laws of the State of N. York this was a MUIR
der, and the person committing the murder and
liable to be tried and punished by the laws of this
State, and neither the government the Executive
of the government has he could conceive of control
over the case unless the government Of Great Britain
should fit to respond by entering into some treaty
with Us, and this matter be COMPROMISED and this in
dvidua who is put on his trial for murl cr could
in this way be pardoned and in no other way can it
be done, lie was uncertain whether il could be done
in this way, but this the only way. But if the
spirit is manifested by the powers at home that
seems TO have been by the minister of Great Britain,
the necessary course of events must be conclusion
between this country and Great Britain.
/ Mr. F. had no doubt that Mcleod would be tried -
he hoped he was innocent hut guilty, had doubt
that he would be executed unless ii is prevented by
the treaty making power between this country and
Great Britain.
Mr.. PlCKENS hoped there would be as little as
possible said done in this uncture Of excited feel
ings He hoped the communications would be laid
on the table and printed
Mr.. UNDERWOOD of Kentucky, objected to the
printing five thousand extra copies. The principles
involved OF very great importance. II has been
aycrr,d by the British Minister that the perpetrator Of
this MURDER in profound time of peace was not anne
nablc to the laws Of our land This is asserted on
the principle of national lawsuppose we consent to