Taylor, Terrell, Tompkins, Townsend, Tucker of South Carolina, Walker of North Carolina, Walker of Kentucky, Wendover, Whitman, Williams of Connecticut, Williams of New York, Williams of North Carolina, and Wilson of Pennsylvania. NAYS-Messrs. Abbot, Adams, Baldwin, Clagett, Colston, Crafts, Darlington, Folger, Holmes, Hopkinson, Hubbard, Huntington, Kirtland, W. Maclay, Mason of Massachusetts, Morton, Ogden, Palmer, Pawling, Poindexter, Rice, Southard, Terry, Wallace, Whitman, and Wilkin. A motion was made by Mr. POINDEXTER to add to the said bill the following, viz: "That this act shall commence and be in force when the same shall have been assented to by a majority of the stockholders of the Bank of the United States." Which motion was rejected. And the question was then taken, Shall the said bill be engrossed and read a third time ? and passed in the affirmative-yeas 98, nays 38, as follows: YEAS-Messrs. Adams, Anderson of Pennsylvania, Anderson of Kentucky, Austin, Bateman, Bayley, Beecher, Bennett, Bloomfield, Blount, Bryan, Burwell, Campbell, Cobb, Colston, Crawford, Cruger, Davidson, Desha, Fisher, Floyd, Gilbert, Hale, Hall of North Carolina, Harrison, Hogg, Holmes, Hostetter, Hubbard, Irving of New York, Jones, Kinsey, Lawyer, Lewis, Linn, Little, Livermore, Lowndes, McLane of Del., McLean of Illinois, W. P. Maclay, McCoy, Middleton, Mills, Samuel Moore, Jeremiah Nelson, H. Nelson, T. M. Nelson, Nesbitt, Newton, Orr, Owen, Palmer, Patterson, Pegram, Peter, Pindall, Pitkin, Reed of Md., Reed of Georgia, Rhea, Rich, Richards, Robertson, Rogers, Ruggles, Sampson, Savage, Sawyer, Scudder, Settle, Seybert, Shaw, Simkins, Slocumb, Alex. Smyth, J.S. Smith, Speed, Spencer, Stewart of North Carolina, Storrs, Stuart of Maryland, Tallmadge, Tarr, Taylor, Tompkins, Townsend, Tucker of Virginia, Tucker of South Carolina, Walker of North Carolina, Walker of Kentucky, Wallace, Wendover, Whiteside, Whitman, Williams of New York, Williams of North Carolina, and Wilson of Pennsylvania. NAYS-Messrs. Barbour of Virginia, Bassett, Boss, Butler of Louisiana, Clagett, Crafts, Darlington, Folger, Garnett, Hendricks, Hitchcock, Hopkinson, Huntington, Johnson of Virginia, Kirtland, W. Maclay. Mason of Massachusetts, Mason of Rhode Island, Mercer, Morton, Moseley, Ogden, Parrott, Pawling, Poindexter, Rice, Ringgold, Schuyler, Sergeant, Sherwood, Silsbee, S. Smith, Southard, Strother, Terrell, Terry, Westerlo, and Williams of Connecticut. The bill was then ordered to be read a third time to-morrow. FRIDAY, February 26. Mr. HUGH NELSON, from the Committee on the Judiciary, to which was referred bills of the Senate, of the following titles, to wit: "An act to protect the commerce of the United States and punish the crime of piracy;" and "An act respecting the transportation of persons of color, for sale, or to be held to labor," reported the same without amendment. The former of the said bills, was ordered to be read a third time to-day, and the latter to lie on the table. FEBRUARY, 1819. Mr. RICH, from the Committee of Claims, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of Gabriel Godfroy," made a report recommending that the said bill be rejected. The bill was ordered to lie on the table. Mr. RICH, from the same committee, to which was also referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of Nathan Ford," reported the same with amendments, and the bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole to-morrow, Mr. PLEASANTS, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, made an unfavorable report on the petition of James Warren, an officer in the naval service of the Revolutionary war; which was read and ordered to lie on the table. Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, from the Committee of Ways and Means, to whom was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act providing for the better organization of the Treasury Department," reported the same without amendment, and the bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole to-morrow. Mr. SMITH, from the same committee, also reported the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act in addition to an act concerning tonnage and discriminating duties," without amendment, and the bill was laid on the table. On motion of Mr. SPENCER, the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union was discharged from the further consideration of the resolutions submitted by him on the subject of the Bank of the United States, and the resolutions were ordered to lie on the table. The House then resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the amendments of the Senate to the general appropriation bill for 1819. These amendments, with one exception, were concurred in, after a long discussion, and reported to the House. The House went into Committee of the Whole, Mr. WILKIN in the chair, on the bill to alter and establish certain post roads, and spent much time in disposing of the numerous amendments offered, as is usually the case, to this bill. Before the bill was gone through, Mr. HUGH NELSON took occasion to express his disapprobation of the unlimited and unrestricted admission of propositions for post roads, to an extent which the whole Treasury of the nation would be unable to pay the expenses of, &c. The Committee having risen and reported the bill, all the amendments were agreed to, with the exception of that which authorized a post route from Fort Wayne to Chicago, which was disagreed to; and the bill was then ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. Mr. SOUTHARD, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to enforce for a further term the act, entitled 'An act for establishing trading-houses with the Indian tribes, and for other purposes,' "" reported the same without amendment, and the bill was ordered to be read a third time to-day. FEBRUARY, 1819. Military Academy-Public Printing. Mr. POINDEXTER Submitted the following resolution, which was read, and ordered to lie on the table: Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into the expediency of providing for the establishment of a provisional government in the Territory of Florida, ceded to the United States by the late treaty with Spain, and that the said committee have leave to report by bill or otherwise. On motion of Mr. ROBERT MOORE, Resolved, That the Secretary of the Navy be instruct ed to inquire whether, in his opinion, the public service will require any, and what, aid from the United States, for removing the obstructions occasioned by the sand bar at the entrance of the harbor of Presque Isle, on Lake Erie, in the State of Pennsylvania, and make report at the next session of Congress. On motion of Mr. HUGH NELSON, Resolved, That the Committee on Accounts be authorized and directed to make the same allowance for extra service to each person serving this House as was granted at the end of the last session. Mr. ROBERT MOORE submitted the following resolution : Resolved, That the Secretary of War be instructed to inquire whether the public interests of the United States will be promoted by subscribing for — shares of stock in the turnpike road leading from the city of Pittsburg to the town of Waterford, in the State of Pennsylvania, and make report thereon at the next session of Congress. The said resolution was read, and the question being taken to agree thereto, it was determined in the negative. H. OF R. Ordered, That the title be, "An act to reduce the duties on certain wines." An engrossed bill, entitled "An act making appropriations for the public buildings, for the purchase of a lot of land, and for furnishing a supply of water for the use of certain public buildings," was read the third time, and passed. MILITARY ACADEMY. Mr. RICH, having obtained the floor, remarked that he rose for the purpose of submitting a motion, the object of which was to call upon the Secretary of War for information, to be communicated at the next session of Congress, in relation to the Military Academy. He said he had been induced to submit the motion from a belief that, either in the organization of the government of the Academy, or in the administration of it, there were some defects; and from a further belief that Congress were not possessed of the information necessary to enable it to judge whether the country received a fair equivalent for the large expenditures which were annually made upon that institution. He then submitted the following resolutions, which were adopted: Resolved, That the Secretary of War be instructed to report to this House, at an early period of the next session of Congress, a copy of such rules and regulations as shall have been adopted for the government of the Military Academy; together with a list of the cadets which were attached to the academy on the first day of January, 1815, and of such as shall have been appointed between the said 1st of January and 30th September, 1819; exhibiting the date of their several appointments, with the States and Territories from Bills from the Senate of the following titles, to whence they came; a list of such as shall have resignwit: An act for the relief of Francis B. Lan-ed or shall have been dismissed, and at what period; guille; an act for the relief of Lewis H. Guerlain; an act for the relief of Rosalie P. Deslande; an act for the relief of Joseph McNeil; an act for the relief of Eli Hart; an act for the relief of John Rodriguez; an act for the relief of Joseph Dozet and Antoine Bourgoud; an act for the relief of Nathan G. Birdseye and Daniel Booth; and an act to regulate and fix the salaries and compensation of the registers and receivers of public moneys of the land offices, were severally read the first and second time, and referred-the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh to the Committee of Claims; the eighth to the Committee on the Judiciary, and the ninth to the Committee on the Public Lands. Bills from the Senate of the following titles, to wit: An act to continue in force for a further term the act, entitled "An act for establishing trading-houses with the Indians, and for other purposes;" an act to protect the commerce of the United States, and punish the crime of piracy; and an act to repeal part of an act passed on the 27th day of February, 1813, entitled "An act in addition to an act regulating the post office establishment," were severally read the third time, and passed. An engrossed bill to reduce the duties on certain wines, and to declare free of duty books printed in foreign languages, was read the third time, and passed. also, a list of such as shall have been commissioned in the army, with the date of their commissions, and of such as shall have resigned, with the date of their resignations. Resolved, also, That the said Secretary be instructed to report as aforesaid, whether any, and, if any, what legislative provisions are necessary for the more convenient organization and government of the said academy, the better to insure a strict obedience to all proper orders, and a suitable respect for all the rights of those whose duty it may be to yield obedience. PUBLIC PRINTING. The House took up and proceeded to consider the report of the Joint Committee on the subject in which is contained the following proposition: of the public printing. The said report was read, "III. Under all circumstances, the committee have deemed it their duty to recommend that a tariff of prices for every kind of printing required to be done Houses, to continue in force for two years; and that for Congress, be fixed by a joint resolution of the two before the close of the present session, each House make choice, by ballot, of a printer, to execute its own work during the next Congress. The prices should be adequate to the employment of sufficient capital and workmen to perform the work expeditiously, and to insure such care and attention as shall give it such a degree of accuracy and elegance as shall not dishonor the literature and typography of the country. With former contracts before us, and with the professional H. OF R. Amendment to the Constitution. knowledge which may be called in aid, no difficulty would occur in forming the tariff alluded to, on principles at once liberal to the printer and advantageous to Congress; and in the selection of its printer, each House would doubtless take especial care to choose a man of capacity, probity, and responsibility. In addition to the bond and security to be required of them for the faithful performance of their obligations, a provision might be added, that in case of any unreasonable delay, another person might be employed to do the work, at such prices as the Secretary or Clerk might be able to get it done for, and that the public printers should respectively be responsible for any difference between the sum allowed them and that which it might be necessary to give him. The committee therefore submit the following resolution :" The resolution submitted in the said report being also read, as follows: FEBRUARY, 1819. been so long before the public that every mind was made up, and could decide on it without a protracted debate. Mr. TUCKER, of Virginia, prefacing his motion with a few remarks in its support, proposed to amend the resolution so as to apportion the number of Electors of each State to the number of Representatives alone, and not to the number of Senators and Representatives of each State. Mr. COBB spoke against taking up a subject of such great importance at this late period of the session; and hoped the Committee would rise and lay the resolution by. Mr. TALLMADGE offered a few remarks, chiefly against the amendment proposed by Mr. TUCKER. Mr. BARBOUR, of Virginia, opposed acting on a proposition, at this late hour, which went to ernment; and entered into a brief view of the change, in a great degree, the frame of our Gov Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Public Printing be instructed to report a resolution for carry-effects of the resolution. In the course of his reing the foregoing proposition into effect. The question was then taken to concur in the said resolution, and passed in the affirmative. BANK OF THE UNITED STATES. The engrossed bill to enforce the provisions of the charter of the Bank of the United States, so far as relates to the election of directors, was read the third time. Mr. STORRS moved to recommit the bill, with instructions to strike out the provision inserted yesterday on motion of Mr. JOHNSON, of Virginia, making penal the offer to or acceptance of a bribe by any officer of the bank or any of its branches. Mr. JOHNSON, of Virginia, opposed this motion, and justified the clause in question, by referring to the act which provided a similar guard to the purity of the Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court, the terms of which act he quoted, and had copied them in the amendment to the present bill. There was, he argued, at least as much necessity for providing against corruption in this institution as in the Judges of the Supreme Court, and he trusted the amendment would be retained. The motion to recommit was withdrawn; and the bill was then passed and sent to the Senate for concurrence. Ordered, That the title be amended by adding the words, "and for other purposes ;" and that the Clerk carry the three last mentioned bills to the Senate, and ask their concurrence therein. AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION. marks he referred to a further amendment which it was the intention of Mr. TUCKER to offer, providing that, in the event of the election of the President devolving on the House of Representatives, according to the provisions of the Constitution, the election shall be determined by plurality of votes, instead of plurality of States. Mr. WILLIAMS, of North Carolina, replied to resolution, and of acting on it immediately. Mr. BARBOUR, speaking briefly in favor of the Mr. TAYLOR, to get rid of a subject which there was not now time properly to consider, and to which he was also opposed, moved that the Committee rise. The motion was lost-yeas 66, nays 66-the Chairman voting in the negative. Mr. HOLMES spoke a short time against the amendment, which meant to weaken the influence of the small States, in the event of the Presidential election having to be decided by the House, which he was opposed to, although from a large State himself. Mr. TUCKER Supported his amendment by a few observations; and concluded by renewing the motion for the Committee to rise; which motion was carried, and, after discharging the Committee from the further consideration of the subject Mr. TAYLOR moved to lay the amendment on firmative, by yeas and nays: Yeas 79, nays 73, as the table; which motion was decided in the af follows: YEAS-Messrs. Abbot, Anderson, of Pa., Anderson of Kentucky, Austin, Baldwin, Ball, Barbour of Virginia, Barber of Ohio, Bassett, Bateman, Beecher, Ben The House then, on motion of Mr. SIMKINS, nett, Blount, Boden, Boss, Burwell, Butler of Louisiresolved itself into a Committee of the Whole, Hasbrouck, Hendricks, Herrick, Hitchcock, Hogg, ana, Cobb, Comstock, Cook, Crawford, Fuller, Garnett, (Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, in the chair,) on the Hostetter, Hubbard, Hunter, Irving of New York, resolution from the Senate proposing an amend-Johnson of Virginia, Jones, Livermore, McLane of ment to the Constitution of the United States, so far as to make uniform the mode of electing Electors of President and Vice President of the United States, and Representatives to Congress. Mr. SIMKINS offered a few remarks in favor of the resolution, and of acting on it definitively, as it had passed one branch of the Legislature, and Delaware, W. Maclay, W. P. Maclay, McCoy, Marchand, Samuel Moore, Murray, H. Nelson, Thomas M. Nelson, Nesbitt, Newton, Palmer, Patterson, Pegram, Pleasants, Poindexter, Porter, Reed of Georgia, Rhea, Rice, Ringgold, Rogers, Sampson, Savage, Scudder, Shaw, Bal. Smith, Alexander Smyth, Southard, Spencer, Tallmadge, Tarr, Taylor, Terrell, Tompkins, Townsend, Tucker of Virginia, Tyler, Walker of Kentucky, Wallace, Wendover, Whiteside, Wilkin, and Wilson of Pennsylvania. NAYS-Messrs Adams, Bayley, Bloomfield, Campbell, Colston, Crafts, Cruger, Cushman, Darlington, Davidson, Desha, Edwards, Ellicott, Fisher, Folger, Gilbert, Hale, Hall of Delaware, Hall of North Carolina, Harrison, Herkimer, Heister, Holmes, Hopkinson, Huntington, Kinsey, Kirtland, Lawyer, Linn, Little, Lowndes, Mason of Massachusetts, Mason of Rhode Island, Mercer, Merrill, Middleton, Mills, Robert Moore, Moseley, Jer. Nelson, New, Ogden, Ogle, Orr, Owen, Parrott, Pawling, Peter, Pindall, Pitkin, Reed of Maryland, Rich, Richards, Robertson, Ruggles, Seybert, Sherwood, Silsbee, Simkins, Slocumb, Samuel Smith, J. S. Smith, Speed, Storrs, Terry, Tucker of South Carolina, Upham, Walker of North Carolina, Westerlo, Whitman, Williams of Connecticut, Williams of New York, and Williams of North Carolina. SATURDAY, February 27. The SPEAKER presented a petition of William Jackson, solicitor on behalf of the surviving officers of the Revolutionary army, praying that the report of the select committee, made at the present session, in behalf of his suffering constituents, may be called up and finally acted upon.-Laid on the table. Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, from the Committee of Ways and Means, reported a bill providing compensation to assessors in certain cases; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole. Mr. RICH, from the Committee of Claims, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of Eli Hart," made a report recommending the rejection of the said bill. The bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole on Monday next. Mr. RICH, from the same committee, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of Joseph Dozet and Antoine Bourgoud," reported the same with an amendment, and the bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole last appointed. Mr. RICH, from the same committee, to which was also referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An for the relief of Jacob Purkill," made a report recommending that the said bill be postponed indefinitely. This bill was also committed to the Committee of the Whole last appointed. A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have passed the bill, entitled "An act explanatory of the act, entitled 'An act for the final adjustment of land titles in the State of Louisiana and Territory of Missouri," with amendments, in which they ask the concurrence of this House. On motion of Mr. HOLMES, the Secretary of the Treasury was requested to inform this House, what sums of money have been paid to the Attorney General of the United States, for extra services, designating the services and the fund from which the money has been paid, The Committee of the Whole, to which is H. OF R. committed the bill confirming certain claims to land in the Territory of Illinois were discharged. The House then proceeded to consider the said bill, and ordered the same to be engrossed and read a third time on Monday next. the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The following Message was received from To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States: The treaty of amity, settlement, and limits between the United States and His Catholic Majesty having been on the part of the United States ratified, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, copies of it are now transmitted to Congress. As the ratifica tion on the part of Spain may be expected to take place during the recess of Congress, I recommend to their consideration the adoption of such Legislative measures, contingent upon the event of the exchange of the ratifications, as may be necessary or expedient for carying the treaty into effect, in the interval between the sessions, and until Congress at their next session may see fit to make further provision on that subject. JAMES MONROE. WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 1819. The Message was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, and permission given to the committee to sit during the sittings of the House. The engrossed bill to alter and establish certain post roads was read the third time, and passed. The amendments proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled "An act explanatory of the act, entitled 'An act for the final adjustment of land titles in the State of Louisiana, and Territory of Missouri," were read and concurred in by the House. The amendments proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled "An act concerning invalid pensioners," were read, and referred to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims. A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have passed bills of this House of the following titles, to wit: "An act concerning invalid pensions," and "An act for the relief of Robert McCalla and Matthew H. Jouett," with amendments to each. They disagree to the amendment proposed by this House to the bill, entitled "An act to designate the boundaries of districts and establish land offices for the disposal of the public lands not heretofore offered for sale in the States of Ohio and Indiana;" and they have passed bills of the following titles, to wit: An act authorizing the purchase of fire engines and for building houses for the safekeeping of the same; an act for the relief of Solomon Prevost; an act for the relief of Bartholomew Duverge; an act for the relief of John Pettet; an act for the relief of John Anderson; an act for the relief of Alexander Milne; and an act for the relief of Christopher Fowler; in which amendments and bills they ask the concurrence of this House. Bills from the Senate of the following titles, to wit: An act authorizing the purchase of fire engines, and for building houses for the safekeeping H. of R. Appropriation Bill-Public Lands. FEBRUARY, 1819. of the same; an act for the relief of Solomon thousand three hundred dollars, to be repaid to Prevost; an act for the relief of Bartholomew Duverge; an act for the relief of John Pettet; an act for the relief of John Anderson; an act for the relief of Alexander Milne; and an act for the relief of Christopher Fowler; were severally read the first and second time, and referred, the first and fifth to Committees of the Whole on Monday next; the second, third, fourth, and sixth to the Committee of Claims, and the seventh to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims. The amendment proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled "An act for the relief of Robert McCalla and Matthew H. Jouett," was read and concurred in by the House. The House took up and proceeded to consider the message from the Senate, notifying their disagreement to the amendment of this House to their bill, entitled "An act to designate the boundaries of districts and establish land offices for the disposal of the public lands not heretofore offered for sale in the States of Ohio and Indiana;" and the said amendment being again read, whereupon it was resolved that this House recede from their said amendment. The bill for erecting a light-house on Galloo island, &c., passed through a Committee of the Whole, (Mr. PITKIN in the chair,) received some amendments on the motion of Mr. NEWTON, and was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. The bills for the relief of James Orr and of Robert Kidd, and John McCausland, passed through a Committee of the Whole, (Mr. A. SMYTH in the chair ;) and the bill extending the term of half pay pensions to the widows and children of certain officers, and seamen, and marines, who died in the public service; and the bill for the relief of B. and P. Jourdan, passed through Committees of the Whole, (Mr. TALLMADGE in the chair;) all of which bills were ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, and the last named was read the third time, passed, and returned to the Senate. Mr. RHEA, from the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, to which were referred the amendments proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled "An act concerning invalid pensioners," reported their agreement to the said amendments. The amendments were then read and concurred in by the House. Mr. HOLMES, from that Committee on Foreign Relations, reported a bill, authorizing the President of the United States to take possession of West Florida, for the transportation thence of the East and Spanish authorities, and providing for the temporary government of the Territory, &c., which was twice read. GENERAL APPROPRIATION BILL. The House resumed the consideration of the amendments of the Senate to the general appropriation bill, and concurred in all except that which was disagreed to by the Committee of the Whole yesterday, and so reported to the House. This amendment was an appropriation of four the owners of the British vessel Lord Nelson, which was captured on Lake Ontario, twelve days before the declaration of the late war, brought in and sold by agreement, and the moneys placed in the hands of the court; the capture was afterwards adjudged to be illegal, and the proceeds of the sale ordered to be refunded. In the mean time, the clerk of the court had absconded, with the moneys in his hands, and it was the purpose of this amendment to pay the amount out of the public Treasury. Some debate took place on the amendment, in which it was opposed on the ground that the cir cumstances of the case had not been investigated by a committee of the House; that there were numerous claims of our own citizens which would be unsuccessful at this session, from the want of time to act on them; that this case ought not to have preference, &c. The amendment was supported on the merits and extreme hardship of the case, and the injustice of withholding payment, &c. The disagreement to this amendment was concurred in by the House, and the bill was again sent to the Senate. PUBLIC LANDS. The House took up the bill from the Senate, further to suspend, for a limited time, the sale or forfeiture of lands for failure to complete the payments thereon. Mr. HENDRICKs moved to amend the bill inserting a clause to exempt from back interest all sums paid previous to the 31st of March, 1820; Mr. POINDEXTER and Mr. BARBOUR spoke against the amendment, and Mr. HARRISON in favor of it; the former upon the ground of its being a new principle, which ought not to be adopted without a greater necessity than now appeared to exist; that the bill to which the amendment was offered prevented a forfeiture of such lands as were not paid for one year longer; that this was going far enough-the purchasers had the advantage of the rise of the land, and it was no hardship to make them pay the back interest, which even a court of equity would have made them pay for not complying with their contracts. To this Mr. HARRISON replied, that the amendment was a reasonable and just provision, both in relation to the public interests as well as that of individuals. The persons who would suffer by the present pecuniary embarrassments were the poorer class of people, who had no agency whatever in producing these embarrassments, and who were not able to bear the heavy penalty which the existing law imposed for suffering the day of payment to pass without making it. Many of them had settled in frontier situations, where the land had not appreciated more than the value of the improvements which had been made upon it. The provision for paying back interest was itself a very hard one, and such as a liberal individual ought not, nor would not, insist upon. The United States had heretofore rigidly exacted it; but the circumstances of the country, in rela |