of the United States, was not duly elected, and praying that his seat may be declared vacant; which petition was referred to the Committee of Elections.

Mr. Jenifer presented a memorial of inhabitants of the District of Columbia, praying that a bridge, free of toll, may be constructed over the Anacostia or east branch of the Potomac river, or that one of the bridges already erected may be purchased and declared a free bridge. Mr. Goode presented a petition of inhabitants of Allen county, in the State of Ohio, praying that certain moneys which were paid by them for land may be refunded, on account of a deficiency in the number of acres in the several sections purchased.

The said memorial and petitions were laid upon the table, under the order of the House of the 11th instant.

Mr. Cambreleng, from the Committee of Ways and Means, reported a bill (No. 3) authorizing a further postponement of the payment of duty bonds, and for other purposes; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.

Mr. Cambreleng presented a paper entitled "Mode in which the revenues of Great Britain are carried into the exchequer; and mode of collecting, keeping, and transferring public money in France;" which paper was laid on the table.

Mr. Garland, of Virginia, submitted the following resolutions; which were read, and the rule requiring them to be laid on the table one day was dispensed with by consent, and the resolutions were then agreed to, viz:

1. Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury communicate to this House all the orders and correspondence with the several deposite banks, in reference to the transfers and payments of the several instalments due to the State Governments under the deposite act of the 23d day of June, 1836.

2. Resolved, That he communicate to this House the monthly statements of the condition of the deposite banks from the first day of January last to the present time.

3. Resolved, That he communicate a statement of each draft, and in whose favor drawn, upon which specie was demanded, and protested for nonpayment by any deposite bank; also, each State Government which has made a demand of specie, and not paid, and the time when.

The House proceeded to the consideration of the report of the select committee, made yesterday, proposing certain amendments to the rules and orders of the House; which report is as follows:

The committee appointed under the resolution of the 7th instant, referring the Standing Rules and Orders of the House to a committee, with instructions to report such amendments thereof as they may deem expedient, report, in part:

1st. Strike out of the 17th rule all after the word "Speaker," in the last clause, and insert— "Shall dispose of the business on his table in the following order, viz:

"First. Messages and other Executive communications.

"Second. Messages from the Senate, and amendments proposed by the Senate to bills of the House.

"Third. Bills and resolutions from the Senate on their first and second reading, that they be referred to committees and put under way; but if, on being read a second time, no motion be

made to commit, they are to be ordered to their third reading, unless objection be made; in which case, if not otherwise ordered by a majority of the House, they are to be laid on the table in the general file of bills on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in their turn. "Fourth. Engrossed bills and bills from the Senate on their third reading.

Fifth. Bills of the House and from the Senate, on the Speaker's table, on their engrossment, or on being ordered to a third reading, to be taken up and considered in the order of time in which they passed to a second reading.

"The messages, communications, and bills on his table having been disposed of, the Speaker shall then proceed to call the orders of the day."

2d. Insert in the 21st rule, after the word " proceed," in the ninth and tenth lines, the words "in case any member object."

3d. To insert a new rule after the 21st, to read as follows: "If a member be called to order for words spoken in debate, the person calling him to order shall repeat the words excepted to, and they shall be taken down in writing at the Clerk's table; and no member shall be held to answer, or be subject to the censure of the House, for words spoken in debate, if any other member has spoken, or other business has intervened, after the words spoken, and before exception to them shall have been taken."

4th. Add to the 25th rule the following clauses:

'Every member shall remain uncovered during the sessions of the House;" and, "No member or other person shall visit or remain by the Clerk's table while the ayes and noes are calling or ballots are counting."

5th. From the 26th rule, strike out from the fourth line the word "present," and insert in lieu thereof the following words: within the bar of the House; and,

6th. Add to the rule the following clause: "And when any member shall ask leave to vote, the Speaker shall propound to him the question—'Were you within the bar when your name was called?' "

8th. Add to the 28th rule the following clause: "All motions to excuse a member from voting, shall be made before the House divides, or before the call of the yeas and nays is commenced; and any member requesting to be excused from voting, may make a brief verbal statement of the reasons for making such request, and the question shall then be taken without further debate."

8th. In lieu of the 45th rule insert the following:

"Petitions, memorials, and other papers addressed to the House, shall be presented by the Speaker, or by a member in his place; a brief statement of the contents thereof shall be made verbally, by the introducer; they shall not be debated on the day of their being presented; nor on any day assigned by the House for the receipt of petitions after the first thirty days of the session, unless where the House shall direct otherwise, but shall lie on the table, to be taken up in the order in which they were presented."

9th. To insert after the 59th rule the following rules as the 58th and 59th rules:

"Rule 58. At every session of Congress commencing on the first Monday of December, it shall be the duty of the Committee of Ways and Means, within thirty days after their appointment, to report the general appropriation bills-for the civil and diplomatic expenses of Government; for the army; the navy; and for the Indian department and Indian annuities; or in failure thereof, the reasons of such failure; and general appropriation bills shall be in order in preference to any other bills of a public nature, unless otherwise ordered by a majority of the House.

"Rule 59. No appropriation shall be reported in such general appropriation bills, or be in order as an amendment thereto, for any expenditure not previously authorized by law."

10th. Add to the 35th rule the following clause:

"On a motion for the previous question, and prior to the seconding of the same, a call of the House shall be in order; but after a majority shall have seconded such motion, no call shall be in order prior to a decision of the main question."

11th. Add to the 36th rule the following clause:

All incidental questions of order arising after a motion is made for the previous question, and pending such motion, shall be decided, whether on appeal or otherwise, without debate." 12. Add to the 40th rule the following clause:

"No bill or resolution shall, at any time, be amended by annexing thereto, or incorporating therewith, any other bill or resolution pending before the House, nor by any proposition containing the substance, in whole or in part, of any other bill or resolution pending before the House."

13th. Amend the 55th rule by adding two standing committees, each to consist of five members, to precede, in the enumeration of committees, that of Revisal and Unfinished Business-a Committee on Patents, and a Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds.

Insert after 74th rule the following rules:

"It shall be the duty of the Committee on Patents to consider all subjects relating to patents which may be referred to them, and report their opinion thereon, together with such propositions relative thereto as may seem to them expedient.

"It shall be the duty of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds to consider all subjust relating to the public edifices and grounds within the city of Washington which may be referred to them, and report their opinion thereon, together with such propositions relating thereto as may seem to them expedient."

Amend the 55th rule, by striking out "two," and inserting the word six, after the word twenty. Amend the 38th rule, by substituting for the first clause thereof the following words, to precede the words " a motion to strike out and insert :"

'Any member may call for the division of a question, which shall be divided if it comprehend propositions in substance so distinct, that one being taken away, a substantive proposition shall remain for the decision of the House."

15th. In lieu of the 88th rule insert the following:

Every bill shall be introduced on the report of a committee, or by motion for leave. In the latter case, at least one day's notice shall be given of the motion; and the motion shall be made, and the bill introduced, if leave is given, when resolutions are called for: such motion, or the bill when introduced, may be committed."

16th. Amend the 91st rule, by inserting after the words "on what day," "if no motion be made to commit, the question shall be stated on its engrossment; and if it be not ordered to be engrossed on the day of its being reported, it shall be placed in the general file on the Speaker's table, to be taken up in its order."

18th. From the 107th rule strike out the words "at least two-thirds," wherever they occur, and insert the words a majority."

The amendments recommended in said report, from the first to the ninth, inclusive, were concurred in by the House.

The 10th amendment was then read; when

A motion was made by Mr. John Quincy Adams to amend the same, as follows:

Before the words of the amendment reported by the committee, insert

"The previous question shall be in this form, 'Shall the main question be now put?" It shall only be admitted when demanded by a majority of the members present; and, until it is decided, shall preclude all further amendment, and further debate of the main question, as well as of pending amendments; and the question shall be taken on the amendments, in order, if amendments be pending, and then on the main question."

And, on the question that the House do agree to this amendment,

It was decided in the negative, { Nays,

102,

106.

The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are,

Those who voted in the negative, are,

Mr. Zadock Pratt

John H. Prentiss
Luther Reily

Francis C. Rives
Daniel Sheffer
Matthias Sheplor

Francis O. J. Smith

Adam W. Snyder

Mr. James B. Spencer
Archibald Stewart
William Taylor
Francis Thomas
Obadiah Titus

Isaac Toucey

Hopkins L. Turney

The 10th amendment was then agreed to.

The 11th amendment was then read;

And, after debate thereon,

Mr. Henry Vail

Abraham Vanderveer
David D. Wagener
Joseph Weeks

Jared W. Williams
John T. H. Worthington
Archibald Yell.

The House adjourned until to-morrow, at 12 o'clock, meridian.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1837.

Mr. Lincoln presented memorials of inhabitants of Boylston, Berlin, West Boylston, Upton, Lunenburg, Princeton, Gardner, Ashburnham, and Shrewsbury, in the State of Massachusetts, remonstrating against the annexation of Texas to the Union of these States.

Mr. Lincoln presented resolutions against the annexation of Texas to the Union of these States, adopted at a public meeting of inhabitants of Leicester, in the State of Massachusetts.

Mr. Briggs presented a memorial of Gersham Bulkly and others, of Williamstown, in the State of Massachusetts, remonstrating against the annexation of Texas to the Union of these States.

Mr. Parmenter presented like memorials of inhabitants of Dunstable, Watertown, Weston, Newton, Westford, and Hopkinton, in the State of Massachusetts.

Mr. Everett presented like memorials of inhabitants of the State of Vermont.

Mr. Davis presented like memorials of inhabitants of the State of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Bond presented like memorials of inhabitants of the State of Ohio. Mr. Allen, of Ohio, presented a like memorial of inhabitants of Portage county, in the State of Ohio.

Mr. Loomis, of Ohio, presented like memorials of inhabitants of the State of Ohio.

Mr. Herod presented a like memorial of inhabitants of the State of Indiana.

Mr. Casey presented a resolution of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, requesting the Representatives from said State, in the Congress of the United States, to use their exertions in procuring the passage of a law making a donation of each alternate section upon each side of the routes of the most important of the works of internal improvement contemplated in said State, to aid in the construction of said works.

Mr. Lincoln presented a memorial of inhabitants of Gardner, in the State of Massachusetts, remonstrating against the admission of any new State into the Union whose constitution tolerates domestic slavery.

Mr. Lewis presented a petition of inhabitants of Chambers county, in the State of Alabama, praying for the passage of an act granting the right of pre-emption in the purchase of public lands to settlers thereon.

Mr. Adams presented a petition of William McKay and one hundred and sixty-three other inhabitants of Ryegate, in the State of Vermont, praying for retrenchment and reform in the expenses of Government and aristocratical grandeur at Washington.