Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, presented a petition of Andrew Derby, and James Doyle, stating, that in July last, while their schooner was lying at anchor at the mouth of the river St. Croix, she was forcibly taken possession of by a party of British seamen, and conveyed to Saint Johns, in the province of New Brunswick, by which unlawful proceedure the petitioners have been subjected to a loss of twelve hundred dollars, and praying such relief in the premises, as to Congress, in their wisdom and justice, may seem meet and proper. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on Foreign Relations. Mr. Ogden presented a petition of William Vaughan, a sailingmaster in the Navy of the United States, on behalf of himself and others, praying to be allowed a proportion of prize money for the capture of a British gun boat, manned with 18 men, and for the destruction of a ship on the stocks, at Presque Isle, nearly ready to launch, during the late war with Great Britain. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on Naval Affairs. Mr. Tallmadge presented a petition of Peter Mills, late a major in the army of the United States, praying compensation for his baggage, which fell into the possession of the enemy, during the late war with Great Britain. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Claims. Mr. Savage presented a petition of Joseph Adams, praying to be exonerated from the payment of certain bonds given to the United States, by a certain James Nichols, to secure the duties on his distillery, on which bonds, the petitioner is surety, in consequence of the insolvency of the principal, who has absconded, together with the other surety, and of his inability to pay the said bonds. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee of Ways and Means. Mr. Poindexter presented a petition of the general assembly of the state of Mississippi, praying that an act may be passed granting to all persons in said territory, who have, or may forfeit their lands, for nonpayment of the purchase money, on or before the 1st day of May, 1819, the right of pre-emption in the purchase of the lands by them forfeited, respectively. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on the Public Lands. Mr. Campbell presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the states of Ohio and Kentucky, praying for the establishment of a post route. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. Mr. Seybert from the committee of Commerce and Manufactures, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of Martin Warner," reported the same without amendment. Ordered, That the said bill be read a third time, to-day. Mr. Seybert from the committee of Commerce and Manufactures, made reports on the petitions of William Osborn, Jacob Ritter, jun. and of Hector Scott, which were read, and the resolutions therein contained were concurred in by the House, as follows: Resolved, That the prayer of the petition of William Osborn, ought not to be granted, and that Jacob Ritter, jun. and Hector Scott, have leave to withdraw their respective petitions. Mr. Lowndes, from the committee of Ways and Means, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled “An act to increase the salaries of certain officers of government," reported the same with amendments, which were read, and, together with the bill committed to a committee of the whole, to-morrow. Mr. Rhea, from the committee on Pensions and Resovolutionary Claims, made an unfavorable report on the petition of Benjamin Wells, which was read and ordered to lie on the table. Ordered, That the committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims, be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of Ebenezer Stetson, Robert Niles, and Elizur Steel, and that the two former have leave to withdraw their petitions, and that the latter be referred to the Secretary of War, Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, from the committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of Thomas Johnson and Michael Dickson, which was read, and the resolution therein contain ed was concurred in by the House, as follows: Resolved, That the prayer of the petitioners ought not to be granted. Mr. Holmes, of Massachusetts, from the committee appointed to inquire whether any, and what clerks, or other officers, in either of the Departments, or in any office at the seat of government, have conducted themselves improperly in their official duties, made a report thereon, which was read, and the resolutions therein contained were concurred in by the House, as follows: 1. Resolved, That it is expedient to prohibit the clerks in the several Departments from acting as agents for claimants against the United States. 2. Resolved, That it is expedient to prohibit the officers in the several Departments from engaging in the business of trade. 3. Resolved, That the several acts relating to the Treasury Department, should be amended, and certain penalties increased. 4. Resolved, That a committee be appointed to report a bill,' or bills, to carry into effect the above resolutions; and, Mr. Holmes, of Massachusetts. Mr. Baldwin, Mr. T. M. Nelson. Mr. Reed, Mr. Southard, Mr. Tallmadge, and Mr. Campbell, were appointed the said committee. Mr. Tucker, of Virginia, from the committee appointed on that part of the President's message which relates to Roads, Canals, and Seminaries of Learning, made a report, which was read and ordered to lie on the table. Mr. Robertson, of Louisiana, from the committee appointed on the petition of Gales & Seaton, made a report thereon, which was read; when, Mr. Robertson reported a bill authorizing a subscription to the History of Congress, which was read the first and second time, and committed to the committee of the whole, to which is committed the bill to provide for the publication of the laws of the United States, and for other purposes. The Speaker laid before the House, a letter from the Postmaster General, transmitting a list of such post routes as have been established more than three years, and have not, in the last year, produced one-third part of the expense of transporting the mail thereon; which was read and referred to the committee on the Post Of fice and Post Roads. The Speaker also laid before the House, the papers referred to in the report of the Secretary of State, of the 14th instant, accompanying the message of the President of the United States, of the same date, which have been transmitted to him by the Secretary of State, in obedience to the directions of the President of the United States. Ordered. That the said papers be referred to the committee on Foreign Relations. Mr. Wilson, of Pennsylvania, from the joint committee for Enrolled Bills, reported, that the committee had examined an enrolled bill and resolution, of the following titles, to wit: An act respecting the courts of the United States within the state of New York; and, A resolution directing the Secretary for the Department of State, to prepare an index to the acts and resolutions of Congress, after the close of every session; and had found the same to be truly enrolled; when, The Speaker signed the said bill and resolution. Ordered, That the Clerk acquaint the Senate therewith. A message from the Senate, by Mr. Cutts, their Secretary: Mr. Speaker: The Senate have passed the resolution "respecting an adjournment of the first session of the fifteenth Congress, " with an amendment, in which they ask the concurrence of this House. The Senate have also passed bills of this House, of the following titles, to wit: An act for the relief of John Bate; An act for the relief of Abraham Byington; An art to provide for the erection of a courthouse, jail, and public offices, within the county of Alexandria, in the District of Columbia; An act to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States, within the state of Mississippi. They have also passed bills of the following titles, to wit: An act declaring the consent of Congress, to an act of the state of North Carolina, for the relief of sick and disabled American seamen; An act for the relief of Louis and Antoine Dequindue; and, An act for the relief of the president, directors, and company, of the Merchant's Bank of Newport, in Rhode Island; Resolution directing medals to be struck, and, together with the thanks of Congress, presented to major general Barrison, and governor Shelby, and for other purposes; in which said last mentioned bills and resolution, they ask the concurrence of this House. They have postponed until the first Monday in July next, bills of this House of the following titles, to wit: An act to extend the privilege of franking, to vaccine agents of states and territories; and, An act authorizing the election of a delegate from the Michigan territory to the Congress of the United States, and extending the right of suffrage to the citizens of said territory. And they have received official information that the President of the United States did, on the 27th instant, approve and sign enrolled bills and resolutions of the following titles, to wit: An act extending the time for obtaining military land warrants in certain cases; An act in addition to an act making appropriations for repairing certain roads therein described; A resolution directing the distribution of the laws of the 14th Congress, among the members of the 15th Congress; and, A resolution directing the publication and distribution of the journal and proceedings of the convention which formed the present Constitution of the United States. And then he withdrew. The House took up and proceeded to consider the amendments reported by the committee of the whole, to the bill making appropriations for the support of government, for the year 1818, and the said amendments being read at the Clerk's table, were concurred in with an amendment. The said bill being further amended; Mr. Anderson, of Kentucky, then moved further to amend the same, by inserting after line 280, the following, to wit: "For an outfit and one year's salary to a minister to the United Provinces of the river Plate, the outfit to be paid, and the salary to commence, whenever the President shall deem it expedient to send |