Mr. Smith presented a petition of citizens of Bridgeport, Connecticut, praying that the bill commonly known as the homestead bill, may become a law. Mr. Miller presented a petition of citizens of Newark, New Jersey, praying that the bill commonly known as the homestead bill, may become a law. Mr. Fish presented a petition of citizens of Busti, New York, praying that the bill commonly known as the homestead bill, may become a law. Mr. Mason presented three petitions of citizens of Wheeling, Virginia, praying that the bill commonly known as the homestead bill, may become a law. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Public Lands. The President pro tempore laid before the Senate a petition of William D. Stone, praying to be allowed to locate other land in lieu of certain land of which he has been unjustly deprived by the act of a deputy surveyor; which was referred to the Committee on Public Lands. The President pro tempore laid before the Senate the proceedings of a meeting of the American Medical Association, held at Richmond, Virginia, on the subject of conferring assimilated rank upon the medical officers of the navy; which were referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs. Mr. Fish presented a memorial of citizens of New York, remonstrating against the renewal of Cyrus H. McCormick's patent for a reaping machine. Ordered, That it lie on the table. Mr. Mason presented a petition of clerks, messengers, and others, in the office of the First Auditor, and a petition of the clerks, messengers, and others, in the office of the commissioner of customs, praying additional compensation; which were referred to the Committee on Finance. Mr. Underwood presented the memorial of Sarah Tanner and Lucinda Tanner, praying that an appropriation be made to test Edward D. Tippett's invention for preventing the explosion of steam-boilers; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce. Mr. Dodge, of Wisconsin, presented a memorial of the legislature of Wisconsin, praying a grant of land to aid in the education of deaf, dumb, blind and insane persons in that State. Ordered, That it lie on the table, and be printed. On motion by Mr. Cooper, Ordered, That the report of the Secretary of the Navy communicating the report of the engineer in chief of the navy, on the comparative value of anthracite and bituminous coals, together with a letter of the engineer in chief of the navy addressed to the chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs, dated the- May, 1852, be referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs and printed. Mr. Mangum submitted the following resolution for consideration: Resolved, That the following be added to the 48th rule, which provides for the admission of persons on the floor of the Senate, viz: And the associates of the Smithsonian Institution elected by the regents. On motion by Mr. Norris, Ordered, That the Committee on Patents and the Patent Office be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of Anthony Sher man. On motion by Mr. Felch, Ordered, That the Committee on Public Lands be discharged from the further consideration of the memorial of Duncan W. Murphy, and others; from the further consideration of the petition of Charles Fletcher; and from the further consideration of the memorial of the legislature of the State of Alabama, in relation to a geological survey of the State. Mr. Foot, from the Committee on Pensions, to whom was referred the memorial of the children of Joseph Bradley, submitted an adverse report (No. 244), which was ordered to be printed. Mr. Felch, from the Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (S. 387) to grant the right of way through the public lands of the United States for the construction of certain railroads in the State of California, reported the same without amendment. The Senate proceeded to consider the bill last mentioned (S. 387) as in Committee of the Whole; and, On motion by Mr. Felch, Ordered, That it lie on the table. Mr. Felch, from the Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 238) to release from reservation and restore to the mass of public lands certain lands in the State of Arkansas, reported it with amendments. Mr. Dodge, of Iowa, from the Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (S. 352) to establish subdivisional lines and corners of certain fractional sections in the southern surveying district of the State of Alabama, reported it without amendment. Mr. Felch, from the Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (S. 420) authorizing the Secretary of War to grant to the Pittsburg, Kittanning, and Warren Railroad Company the right of way over the grounds of the United States at the Alleghany arsenal, reported it without amendment. The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (S. 420) last mentioned, as in Committee of the Whole; and no amendment being made, it was reported to the Senate. Ordered, That it be engrossed, and read a third time. Mr. Shields, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the memorial of certain officers of the corps of engineers, submitted a report (No. 239,) accompanied by a bill (S. 436) to provide for the promotion of certain officers in the engineer, topographical engineer and ordnance corps. The bill was read and passed to the second reading. Ordered, That the report be printed. Mr. Shields, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a bill (S. 437) allowing the principal assistant in the engineer bureau the same compensation which the principal assistant in the ordnance bureau of the war department now receives; which was read and passed to the second reading. Mr. Shields also submitted a report (No. 240) on the subject; which was ordered to be printed. Mr. Brodhead, from the Committee of Claims, to whom was referred the petition of Charles Cooper and Company, submitted a report (No. 241,). accompanied by a bill (S. 438) for their relief. The bill was read, and passed to the second reading. Mr. Soulé, by unanimous consent, asked and obtained leave to bring in a bill (S. 439) to enable the government to deepen the passes of the Mississippi; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and considered as in Committee of the Whole; and no amendment being made, it was reported to the Senate. Ordered, That it be engrossed, and read a third time. Mr. Underwood, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, to whom was referred the memorial of William Money, submitted a report (No. 242,) accompanied by a bill (S. 440) for his relief. The bill was read, and passed to the second reading. Mr. Pearce, from the Committee on Finance, reported a bill (S. 441) supplementary to an act approved August 10, 1846, entitled "An act to establish the Smithsonian Institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men;" which was read and passed to the second reading. Mr. Foot, from the Committee on Pensions, who were instructed to inquire into the subject, reported a bill (S. 442) to amend an act passed on the 20th February, 1847, entitled "An act making appropriations for the payment of revolutionary and other pensions of the United States, for the year ending the 30th of June, 1848;" which was read, and passed to the second reading. Mr. Foot also submitted a report (No. 243) on the subject; which was ordered to be printed. The Senate proceeded to consider the amendment of the House of Representatives to the bill (S. 403) to provide for the holding of the district court of the District of Columbia in cases of sickness, or other disability of the district judge; and, On motion by Mr. Bradbury, Resolved, That they concur therein. Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives accordingly. The following bills from the House of Representatives, were read the first and second times by unanimous consent: H. R. 44. An act making appropriations for the payment of invalid and other pensions of the United States, for the year ending the 30th of June, 1853: H. R. 45. An act making an appropriation for the payment of navy pensions, for the year ending the 30th of June, 1853. Ordered, That they be severally referred to the Committee on Fi nance. The joint resolution (H. R. 19) authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to ratify and confirm an exchange of lands between the United States and Charles Reynolds, of the city of Natchez, and State of Mississippi, was read the first and second times by unanimous consent. Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee on Public Lands. The bill (H. R. 266) giving the assent of Congress to the State of Missouri, to impose a tax upon all lands hereafter sold by the United States therein from and after the day of such sale, was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and considered as in Committee of the Whole, and no amendment being made, it was reported to the Senate. Ordered, That it pass to a third reading. The said bill was read the third time, by unanimous consent. Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives accordingly. Mr. Brooke reported from the committee that they had examined and found duly enrolled the bill (S. 403) to provide for the holding of the district court of the District of Columbia in cases of sickness or other disability of the district judge. Mr. Jones, of Iowa, reported from the committee that they had this day presented to the President of the United States the following acts: H. R. 52. An act for the relief of John W. Robinson; H. R. 58. H. R. 59. H. R. 88. An act for the relief of Robert Milligan; H. R. 217. An act to legalize certain entries of public lands made in the State of Florida. A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. Forney, their Clerk: Mr. President: The Speaker of the House of Representatives having signed three enrolled bills, I am directed to bring them to the Senate for the signature of their President. The President pro tempore signed the three enrolled bills (S. 55, S. 331, and S. 403,) last reported to have been examined, and they were delivered to the committee to be presented to the President of the United States. The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill (H. R. 207) to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the service of the fiscal year ending the 30th of June, 1852, On motion by Mr. Chase, to amend the bill by inserting on page 9, at the end of line 44, the following: And provided further, That the proprietors of said line of steamers shall consent to such a modification of the existing contract, that the Postmaster General may advertise for and accept proposals for carrying the mails in suitable American steamships of not less than two thousand tons burden, between the United States and Great Britain, from and after the said thirty-first day of December, eighteen hundred and fifty-four, when said contract shall cease to be obligatory; and the Postmaster General, in case said modification shall be agreed to, shall advertise for such proposals, which shall be submitted to Congress at the next session. It was determined in the negative, {Nays-- On motion by Mr. Chase, The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the senators present, Those who voted in the affirmative are, 18 26 Messrs. Adams, Borland, Brodhead, Brooke, Butler, Chase, De Saussure, Dodge of Wisconsin, Dodge of Iowa, Hunter, King, Mallory, Mason, Sebastian, Sumner, Underwood, Wade, Weller. Those who voted in the negative are, Messrs. Bell, Bright, Cooper, Davis, Dawson, Downs, Fish, Foot, Geyer, Hale, Hamlin, Houston, James, Mangum, Miller, Norris, Pearce, Pratt, Busk, Seward, Shields, Smith, Soulé, Spruance, Toucey, Upham. An amendment being proposed by Mr. Bell, On motion, The Senate adjourned. FRIDAY, MAY 28, 1852. On motion by Mr. Hunter, that the execution of the order of the Senate assigning Friday of each week for the consideration of private bills, be suspended. Yeas It was determined in the affirmative, {Nays On motion by Mr. Walker, The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the senators present, Those who voted in the affirmative are, 31 13 Messrs. Adams, Atchison, Badger, Bell, Bright, Brodhead, Brooke, Chase, Cooper, De Saussure, Dodge of Iowa, Douglas, Fish, Geyer, Hale, Hunter, James, Jones of Iowa, King, Mangum, Mason, Miller, Rusk, Seward, Smith, Soulé, Spruance, Toucey, Underwood, Wade, Weller. Those who voted in the negative are, Messrs. Borland, Butler, Cass, Dodge of Wisconsin, Felch, Hamlin, Mallory, Norris, Pratt, Sebastian, Sumner, Upham, Walker. So it was Ordered, That the execution of the order assigning Friday of each week for the consideration of private bills be suspended. A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. Hayes, chief Clerk: Mr. President: The House of Representatives have passed a bill (H. R. 268) entitled "An act to authorize the issuing a register to the schooner Caroline, of Barnstable," in which I am directed to ask the concurrence of the Senate. The President pro tempore laid before the Senate a letter from the Hon. John MacPherson Berrien, resigning his seat in the Senate; which was read. On motion by Mr. Butler, Ordered, That a member be appointed on the Committee on the Juciciary in the place of the Hon. John MacPherson Berrien resigned, and that the appointment be made by the President pro tempore; and Mr. Badger was appointed. The engrossed bill (S. 439) to enable the government to deepen the passes of the Mississippi, was read the third time. Resolved, That it pass, and that the title thereof be as aforesaid. Ordered, That the Secretary request the concurrence of the House of Representatives therein. The bill (H. R. 268) this day received from the House of Representatives for concurrence, was read the first and second times by unanimous consent. |