Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1863-02-20
CONGRESS-.


every State paper shall be attached hereafter
the words God prosper the Republic" A
petition of one Jacob Baldwin, was also pre-
sented, praying that Congress enact law,
! prohibiting the circulation of disioyal papers,
especially in the Federal army. The bill to
establish National currency, was called up
and passed-yeas 90, nays 81. The bill to aid
the State of Missouri in emancipating her
slaves was taken up and amended so as to re-
duce the compensation per capita to two hun
dred dollars instead of three hundred, as
adopted in the House bill, The substitute bill
of the Senate was then passed
In the House of Representatives, a bill was
introduced and referred to the appropriate
sentatives from the State of Tennessee. A re-
solution was adopted authorizing the printing
Of ten thousand copies Of the eulogies on The
life and~character of the Hon. James Alfred
Pearce, late Senator from Maryland A reso-
luton was offered but lost, authorizing the
! printing of five hundred programmes for the
Sabbath services in the House. The consd-
Grafton of the bill providing for temporary
government Of the new territory of Montana,
was resumed, and after brief debate, the bill
was passed by vote of 80 yeas to 40 nays
The bill to indemnify the President for the
suspension Of the privilege Of the writ of Ha-
Jeas Corpus, was made the special order of the
day for Tuesday next. The remainder of the
/ ~ lal,a l.
making an appropriation for the construction
and preservation Of certain Notifications The
bill was passed.
Although it has been constantly denied in
the Northern papers that any offer of media
ton had been made by France, and notwith-
standing the fact that even within few days,
the kilograms Of the Associated Press, emanat-
ing from Washington, have emphatically re-
peated that denial, we now learn from the cor
respondence submitted to the Senate yester-
day by President Lincoln, that the offer has
actually been made and in the very terms fore
Swallowed by the English, French and Belgian
/ journals. The date of the official communica-
| ton Of NJ. Drouyn pHuys to Mr.. MERCER, runs
as far back as the 9th of January last. 1t
must therefore have reached Washington at
least three weeks ago. and that so important a
letter was at once laid before Mr.. Seward no
one can for a moment doubt.
The long and labored letter of the latter to
Mr. Dayton in reply is confrmatory of this
opinion. To what extent the extraordinary
sta fa,ran+s ,,ada In that lat+ar oop, h;naG NJ; IN
its abrupt dogmatic tone may tend to disturb
the entente cordiaie which previously existed
between the two Governments, or may have
already affected the intercourse between Mr.
Seward and NJ MERCER, we shall probably
learn in due time but, from the very emphat-
ic manner in which Mr.. Seward denies ever
having either directly or indirectly" in
duced N. MERCER to visit Richmond, and
otherwise calls in question the truth Of the
statement made by the latter to Count Thouve-
mel, the inference is irresistible that all has not
been working smoothly of late, and now that
question Of veracty is raised between them,
further, and, perhaps, still graver complica-
| tions appear to be inevitable
I
ted States-evening session of Thursday-the
! bill to increase the number of Major and Briga-
/ dier Generals was considered and passed by a
vote OF % yeas to IA nays.
In the Senate to-day, the Military Commit
tee reported adversely on the bill which was
! introduced by Mr.. Sumner a few days ago,
and which authorized the raising Of negro re-
/ giments to be composed Of slaves freed by the
/ Confscation act and Emancipation proclama-
1 ton. The ground on which the committee
objected to the bill was that the same thing
was sufficiently provided for by the act of July
| II, 1852" The consideration of the Finance
| Dill Of the House, as reported back by the Sc
nate Committee with amendments, was re-
sumed, and occupied the remainder of the ses-
sion, which was prolonged until late in the
evening. The bill was finally passed by vote
Of 80 yeas to 4 nays.
In the House Of Representatives no business
was transacted that is worth noting.
| SATURDAY, Feb. l4.--In the Senate Of the
United States, during the consideration of the
bill to prevent and punish frauds upon the
Government, the second section making con-
tractors and Procurers of claims liable to the
penalties Of martial law, was stricken OUT
The bill regulating the gauge Of the Pacific
Railroad was taken up and passed.
In the House Of Representatives the Com
mitiee on Elections reported against the claim
of j. B. Mcleod TO a seat in the House as Re-
preventative Of the Second district Of Virginia,
and also adverse TO a similar claim put forth
by w. W. VIM. The report Of the commit
tee was sustained by the House The remain
der Of the session was occupied with discus
zion Of the Iowa contested-elec case--Le-
grand Byington claiming the seat of William
vandever, from the Second Congressional dis
trict Of that State.
MONDAY, Feb. l6.--In the Senate Of the Uni
ted States a resolution Of inquiry in regard
to the case Of Mr.. Thomas, Of Maryland-Col.
Zarvona--was reported back from the Military
Committee, with a statement Of facts. The
report Of the committee will be found elso-
where. The bill for enrolling and calling ont