The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-30
THIRTY-F 18TH CONG RESS,
Second Session.
Wednesday, December %, 1858.
SENATE

w llliam l.. Hudson and j. K. Sands to accept
a snutf-box and medal recently transmitted by
the Government of Great Britain 80 be present
ed to each of said officers as menorial ftheir
services in laying the Atlantic cable.
On motion by Mr.. Hunter,
Resotced, That the Postmaster General be d.
rected to report to the Senate such changes in
the laws regulating hostages and the Post Of
fee Department as in his opinion could make
that self-sustaining Department.
By Mr.. Wilson: Bill to appropriate one mil
lion of acres of the public lands of the United
States for the benefit of free public schools in
the District of Columbia.
Court Of Claims-Mr Gwin called up the
resolution which he submitted several days
since, requesting the Court of Claims to return
the papers in the case of j. II. Merrill to the
Senate.
Upon this subject, quite a lengthy discussion
arose, which involved the general question of
the nature of the Court of Claims, and the
weight that should be attached to its decisions.
Messrs. Bayard, Stuart, Gwin, Hunter, and
others, spoke on this subject.
Mr.. Collamer alluded to the fact that for the
last three sessions of Congress there had been
continual conflicts of opinion between the Court
Of Claims and the Senate.
Mr.. Hale expressed himself in favor Of abol-
ishing the Court of Claims entirely.
Without any definite action upon the subject,
it was passed over.
The Senate went into Executive session.
At 4 o'clock the doors were reopened.
Commodore SteWart.-Mr. Hale submitted
the following resolution t
Resolred, That the Committee lon Natal AT
fairs be instructed to inquire and -reportto the
Senate what action, if any, should be taken by
Congress to manifest the appreciation by the
country of the gallant and meritosiops Services
of Capt. Charles Stewart, of the limited States
navy, the oldest captain in the service, and who
was displaced from his positionson the active
list by the late naval retiring board.
Some objection was made to the LAT er clause
of the resolution, which seemed like reflection
upon the retiring board and Nc. Hale modi-
fed the resolution by striking GU: az after the
word "navy." The question being taken, it
was then agreed to. fiIA
Mr.. Brown, by unanimous consent Introduced
the following joint resolution, anslorizing the
President OF the United States y confer the
title of admiral by brevet for eminelt services
ResOlced, dc, That the grade q admiral be
and the same is hereby establsheS in the navy
of the United States, in order thatswhen, in the
opinion of the President and Sen.se, it shall be
deemed proper to acknowledge eI4ent services
of captain in the navy, the grais Of admiral
may be specially conferred by h&vet, and by
brevet only, to take rank from th, date of such
service or services: P,orided, se,oeser, That
when the said grade of admiral Is brevet shall
have once been filled, and have tesonie vacant,
this joint resolution shall thereafter expire and
be of no effect. III
Mr.. Brown asked that this i.i,rt resolution
might be Immediately put on its passage, He
| thought it would be most appsns,riate recog-
milton of the services of the old,st officer in the
navy, who, as all agree, has been harshly treat
ed and it would give the President an oppor
tunity at once to nominate him tQihe Senate as
| admiral 1t would be seen thas tue operation
, Of the Joint resolution was lin ted to the life
time Of single man, and hgs r,aed there
would be no objection 70 it, ri
The POINT resolution was ti,esr ssfeSed to the
/ Committee on Naval Affairs. %as
| On motion, the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
! The Speaker laid before The Houke letter
from the Secretary of the Interior itansaittng
IA statement of the balance of tie apprspria
tons for that Department: also,.the amtunt:
appropriated, transferred, a nd carried to the
surplus fund; which was laid on she table and
ordered to be printed
! The Pension BW.-The Speaker stated the
business first in order to be the conl idsFa hou
soldiers of the war with Great Britiab of 1912
and those engaged in Indian wars during hat
period; the question being on tse passage Of
the bill as amended by the adoption OF the sub
stitlae proposed by Mr.. Savage, Of Tennessee
The question was then taken, and the Dill
passed, as follows lit
Ieds-Messrs. Abbott, Adrain,. Ali, Amber
son, Andrews, Arnold, Atkins, Avery, Bennett
Bingham, Bishop, Bowie, Brayton, Buainton
Burngame, Burnett, Burns, Carnthers. Chse
Cavanaugh Chatiee, Clark of CONNECTICUT
Clark of Missouri, Clawson, Clay, Cobb. Clark
b. COchrane of New York, John COehranf 0
New York, Cockeril Colfax, Con1ns, Corning
Coyode, Cox, Cragin, Craig of Missouri Ctftis
Davidson, Davis of Indiana, Davis Of Msssa
chusetts, Dawes, Dean, Dick, Dimnnick, Dutfee
Edie, Elliott, English, Farpswsstil, Florence
Foley, Foster, Gartrell, Giddings, Gilman, Gil
mer Goodwin, Granger Gregg, Hall OF Ohio
Harris, Haskin, Hatch, Hawkins, Hoard, Hop
kins, Hughes, Huyler, Jewett, Joses of Penn
syvania, Keim, Kellogg, Kelsey, Kilgprs
Knapp, Kunkel of Pennsylvania, Lawrence
Ledy Marshall of Kentucky, Marshall of ILL.,
nois, Mason, Maynard, Morrill,, Morris of Penn
sylyana, Morris of Illinois, Niblack, Palmer
Parker Petit, Peyton, Pottle, Powell, Purvi
ance Ready, Reilly, Ricaud, Robbins, Roberts
| Royce, Russell, Savage, Scott, Soaring, Sher
man of Ohio, Sherman of New York, Shorter
Smith of Illinois, Smith of Tennessee, Spinner
Stanton, Stevenson, Stewart of Maryland
Stewart of Pennsylvania, Talbot, Tappan
Thayer, Thompson, Tompkns, Trippe, Under
wood, Vance, Waldron, WALTON, Ward, Wat
kins, White, Wilson, Woodson, Wright of Ten
nessee, and Zollicofer-l30.
Nlys-Messrs Bark sdale, Bilinghurst, Bliss
Bocock, Bopham, BOyee, Branch, Bry an, Cas-
kie, Chapman, Clark sf New York, Craige o
North Carolina, Crawford, Curry, Davis of Nd.
Davis of Miss, Davis Of Iowa, Dodd, powdell
Faulkner. Fenton, Garnett, Goode, GREENWOOD
ton, Howard, Jackson, Jenkins, Jones of Ten
nessee, keitt, Leach, Letter, Letchsr, Lovejoy
Maclay, Mcqueen, Miles, Miller MiIisop, Moore
Morgan, Morse of Maine, Mott, Murray, Mich
OILS, Phelps of Missouri, Phelps Of Minnesota
Phillips, Pike, Reagan, Richie, Sandidge
Scales Seward, Shaw of North Carolina, Single
ton, Smith Of Va, Stallworth, Stephens, Taylor G
La, Wade, Walbridgs, Washburn of VII consin
Washburpe of Illinois, WashhnrRs of Maine
Whitley, Winslow, and Wortendyke17a.
| The House went into Committee of the Who'll
on the stats of the Union, Mr. Houston of Ala
bama, in the ehair.)
Mr.. Phelps then moved that the committe
take up the bill making appropriations for tn
payment OF lnValn ana OIher p3nSlots OF Ia
United States for the year en- ing June 30
1860 which motion was agreedsoc
The bill was then read first time, and re
ported for amendment. al
Mr.. Phelps explained that the amount apprC
priated by the bill was $685., 1000, that amour
being required, together with the anexpende'
balances for the payment Of these pensions
1t excluded the appropriation of last year
| ISL, $780, because there was at CHAT time
larger amount Of nnexpended money on hand
and the pension list had been Increased