Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-07-22

Gomonah Such the conscience Of our President. He
exPend the public in exploring other cmes but
could not allow Congress to spend dollar in improving
our own.
Mr. BAYLY said something further in interruption about
jurisdiction, not heard
Mr. s. said he did not believe that L., Col Fremont claim
ed the jurisdiction Of the country when he made his exploring
journey into California; did Capt Gillespie. They were,
however, dispatched there by authority their expenses
paid out Of Treasury, and they created revolution,
and presented the singular spectacle OF officers OF this Govern
ment in the pay Of the Government, commencing with
and revoutonzng neighborng country wthou any auiho
rity Of law the will of the President, But his question
had ben Who bore the expenses Of this expedition the Dead
Sea Did they did they not Of the Treasury
Did the officers concerned pay the expense OF their
pockets Did they pay for the building of the peculiar sort
OF boats necessary for the explorations and which, he had
been informed built in this country Were they not
buil and sent out at the public charge Mr. did not know
the fact but he had been informed And this the
the paaon that the friends Of the President offered for
the tenderness Of the conscience of the President which would
prevent him from allowing to appropriate few thousand
Collars TO remove distractions in OF our rivers which
our Government had helped there the national defence
during the Of the Revelation He could build boats for
exploration of the Dead Sea, seems without authority
OF law, but his conscience quite tender to allow Of his
permitting the Peoples representatives provide for the
ova Of obstrucons which put in Of har
bors by the officers Of Government and by which, in part
they enabled to achieve independence His tender
conscience did not prevent him from claiming all the powers
o conquerng monarch over foreign territory, from pro-
scouting explorations Of distant in the East, the
pense Of the people Of the United States home here
at our own DOORS his conscience would allow him
on the appropriation Of dollar for the benefit Of the
of people, the safety of our own navy in
coming to anchor in one Of our ports
Mr.. BAYLY said he did not admit that the expense Of
this exploration Of the Dead Sea had out Of the Trca
sury.
Mr.. STEPHENS said he understood that it had He un-
dersood from the gentleman at the head of the Naval Com
mec (r. r. b. KIxc) that the boats provided for that ex
pedon were paid for out of the Teasuy 50 he was inform
ed beyond that he could CO. But if the expenses
OF the boats did not of the Treasury, the officers
concerned init in the pay Of the Government and
engaged in the enterprise by the permission Of the President
Mr.. BAYLY inquired how the chairman Of the Naval Com
mee knew that such the fact
Mr.. T. BUTLER KING Chairman Of the Committee on
Naval Aas said he knew nothing than what he learn
ed from common report. Voices, "Oh ah y! Gentlemen
need not cry oh and ah quite Laughter He did
know, from very high authority, that the outfit necessary to
that exploration had been made the expense OF the Govern
ment These officers have taken the requisite boats
and nautical and astronomical instruments TO complete the
animation and while engaged they were, Of under
pay as officers Of the Government The gentleman from Vir
ginia did not certainly question this.
Mr. BAYLY said he did greatly question it.
Mr. KING observed what he said was that this service
erformed by permission Of the Department.
Mr. RHETT. Had these gentlemen gone out on this
expedition on their account
Mr. KING said he did understand that they had gone
on their own account
Mr. McCLERNAND Would the gentleman from Geor-
gia undertake say that they ordered that service
by the Government
Mr. KING. have not said that. said they were per-
mited
Mr. RHETT inquired from what the gentleman had
derived this information
Mr. KING replied, from the Secretary Of the Navy.
Mr. RHETT. The Secretary Of the Navy told you 50 ;
Mr. KING. He told me so, himself.
Mr.. BAfLY said he was himself member Of the Naval
Committee He bad gone the Department and had there
inquired into the precise state of the
u q apaI he
OF the Navy this account He had only said that the
petition was permitted by the Department.
Mr. GENTRY wished TO inquire from the honorable chair
man whether public vessel belonging the United States
ever left this country distant expedition without orders
from the Department
Mr. KING replied that did.
Mr. GENTRY said these officers must have had ORDERS
they never would have gone there.
Mr.. SCHENCK here referred 10 a speech Of his own in
which he had been commenting the Inconsistency Of the
Executive Government in sending expedition
poe the Dead Sea- and at the time refusing sanction
the Improvement of and harbors He had
gone afterwards the Navy Department, where the Secre
tary explained 10 him the whole affair The explanation
gwen was that certain naval officers had expressed their will
ngness and desire make the exporao and he had given
them permission 10 do because be considered that the
suit would be desirable acquisition Mr.. 3. said
he mad further earned-he from the Sec
retary might have been from other be certainly
bad seen stated in the boats OF easy trans
poraton had been prepared and the instructions were pub
hed under which these officers had been engaged in making
the requisite preparations for the exploration. Mr. S had
himself alluded it for he OF opinion that the
thing was at all wrong, but the contrary What he COM
planned Of was that while held be all right and pro-
per, and quite constitutional carry such exploration
the continent OF Asia, supposed to be the greatest
heresy to permit river habor country TO be
examined and improved.
Mr. BAYLY said that he had seen the instructions alluded
10, and knew all about it.
Mr. STEPHENS said that all this eager controversy, which
had for time been going all round him. amounted 70
nothing al all II seemed that whenever he addressed the
House, the disposition to interrupt and make inquiries and
explanations became contagious.
Mr.. sCHENCK Gin his ses said il because he stir
red them up.
Now, sir, Continued Mr.. STEPHENS il is wholly inn
MATERIAL for the purpose which alluded to this affair,
whether the officers paid for their copper boats and outfit
not They engaged this service understand TO be adj
mied, by the permission Of the Secretary Of the Navy, and
their regular salaries paid Of the Treasury while
gagged IN this service. The question here whether
officers Of our navy while in the pay OF the Government had
engaged in this survey Of the Dead Sea with the knowledge
and consent OF the President II not to be expected that
our naval officers, when they LEFT Shores carried with
them specific orders and directions where they
go from day to day. and what points they to stops
bui wherever they went, while cruise they were held to
be consrucvely in the service Of the Government That
was the point Mr. s. did complain II the money Of the
people had been appropriated for the advancement Of the
Of science and the enlightenment Of the people, such
results should from the exploration Of the Dead Sea- and
officers could them without detrmen the public
service be had complaint against it, He agreed with
what the gentleman from Ohio (Mr ScHExcK) said that this
might all be very proper but he did complain that the