The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-05-02

lin addressed letter TO the President, asking thu
aid of this Government in the searches made fol
her husband. The President replied in a letter BY
the Secretary of State in his behalf. What pro
misses made were in that letter, and that wa.
the only one he had written upon this subject The
Secretary of State assured Lady Franklin OF the
deep and sincere sympathy felt by the President
and the people of the United States for the fate Of
the Industrious navigator, and for herself and
family. He said the Government would take every
occasion TO circulate among the people, and espe-
cially among the whalers and other navigators,
her appeal for their aid that he would circulate
among them all the information in the possession
of the Government that would be likely to aid them
| in their humane efforts TO discover Sir John, and
that every thing properly within the power of the
Government to do to aid the object, should be done.
This was all the promises of the President, and
| whereinhav they failed to be redeemed
What did the President do? He summoned a
board of four naval officers, and referred the mat
ter to them. They answered that there were no
vessels in the navy suitable to such voyage and
expedition, Congress, it was well known, had
made no appropriations for building any such YES
sells, and the President could do no more. On the
fourth of January after the organization Of
Congress as possible, the President had commune
Gated the correspondence to Congress- and it then be-
came the duty OF Congress ~ act in the matter. IT,
then, there any thing discreditable in the mat
ter, the dscredit attached to Congress- and not to
the President The correspondence had been re-
ferred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and no.
thing had been heard of it since.
MI rOOl Tcpueu, anu uT. fEARCE TelOlUcu
Mr.. YULEE said the matter had been referred
to the Committee ON Naval Affairs, and he had
been directed to have an interview with the Secre-
tary of the Navy on the subject. He did so. Sub
sequently he directed to address letter to the
Secretary in relation to the matter, and he did
He had never received any answer to that letter.
He would ask that copy OF the letter written by
him be read. THE letter was read, dated Febru-
airy Is, 1880, and called for estimates for such an
expedition, &c, Sci
He considered that this joint resolution recon-
mendcd itself ayorably to ~ consideration of the
Senate. The magnanimou ict OF Mr. Grinnell
was highly honorable to that gentleman, and was
characteristic of the American merchant, and will
reflect honor upon the country. He believed the
search was hopeless; the expedition of Sir John
Franklin left England in the spring of ls45, with
supplies for three years only. 1t was impossible
almost that they could be surviving at this time
period of two years after the term for which their
provisions were intended. Yet he would vote for
the resolution. 1t would he no expense to the Gov
eminent. There were more naval officers than the
actual service required; these well the seamen,
would be paid whether they wenton this duty not.
There were but fifteen sameen for each vessel, max
ing only thirty who were to be withdrawn from the
service. 1t was highly necessary that the strict
discipline of the navy should be enforced en- this
expedition, else it useless to send il out. He
thought it probable, if the expedition should
be unable to obtain any information Of Sir John
suit from it.
Mr. DAVIS, of Mississippi opposed the resou-
ton, and Messrs DAYTON, BUTLER, and
HOUSTON, supported it. And the question being
taken by yeas and nays on the passage of the joint
resolution, it decided in the affirmative as fol-
lows:
YEAS.-Messrs. Badger, Baldwin, Bell, Benton,
Bradbury, Butler, Chase. Clay, Cooper, Corwin,
Dawson, Dayton, Dodge of Iowa, Dodge of Wis
consin, Greene, Houston, Mangum, Miller, Nor
ton, Pearce, Phelps, Pratt, Seward, Shields, Stur
geon, Wales, Whitcomb, and Yulee-2s
NAYS.-Messrs. Atchison, Borland, Bright,
na,-. ~ ella LalD
Foote, Hunter, Jones, King, Norris, Rusk, Sebas-
tan, and Turney-l6.
THE CENTRAL RAILROAD, (ILLINoIs.)
The Senate then resumed the consideration of
the unfinished business, being the bill granting the
right of way, and making donation of land to the
State of Illinois, in aid of the construction Of the
central railroad, in that State.
The question pending was motion, by MIR.
BELL, TO commit the bill with the following in
structions
With instructions so to amend the bill that pro-
portion of the nett proceeds OF the lands given to
the State of Illinois and to the States Of Alabama
and Mississippi, shall be secured to the States OF
Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively, equal to the
proportion of the entire line of the railroad proposed
to be constructed from the southern terminus OF
the Illinois and Michigan Canal to the city of Mobile,
which passes through each Of the two latter States
TO be applied by them TO the construction Of the
tons divisions of the road within their respective
jurisdictions.
To which MIR. DAYTON moved TO add:
Prouded, further, that, after the appropriation Of
the lands hereinbeforc referred to, 10 the States
herenbefore named, the nett proceeds of the sales
of the residue of the public lands, from and after
the 2lst day of December next, shall be divided be
the several States of the Union and the Terrific
ries thereof they now exist, agreeaby TO the pro
visions of act entitled "An act to appropriate
the proceeds of the sales of the public lands, and
grant pre-emption rights" passed September g.
fs4l The provisions Of which act, far as the
same be properly applied, in the distribution Of
the proceeds Of said sales hereby enacted and
re-afiirmcd.
Mr.. BUTLER said that this unfinished business
appeared TO him likely not to be finished for a
week 10 come. He moved, and the senate proceed
ed TO the consideration Of Executive business and
shortly afterwards
The Senate adjourned.