So the House refused to lay the said resolution on the table. The question then recurred on the demand for the previous question; which was seconded.

The question then being put, Shall the main question be now put?

It was decided in the affirmative,

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

So the main question was ordered to be now put.

Mr. Hall moved that the said resolution be laid on the table.

The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, The question was put, Shall the said resolution be laid on the table? The Clerk proceeded to call the names of the members.

Those who voted in the affirmative are

At this point of the call of the yeas and nays,

Mr. Jacob Thompson, (by unanimous consent,) from the joint commit

tee appointed to wait on the President of the United States, reported that they had made to him the communication directed in the order for their appointment, and received for answer from the President that he had no further communication to make to the present Congress.

A motion was then made by Mr. Alexander H. Stephens, at 12 o'clock m., that the House do now adjourn.

And the question being put,

It was decided in the affirmative.
Whereupon

Mr. Speaker CоBB addressed the House as follows:

Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:

Our labors are now closed. We were summoned to the posts from which we are now about to retire at an exciting and important period of our history; and whilst there may very properly exist a diversity of opinion as to the various measures which we have adopted, we may at least, in this closing scene, unite in the patriotic hope that in the future happiness and prosperity of our common country will be illustrated the wisdom of our action.

Gentlemen, I return you my sincere thanks for the flattering manner in which you have been pleased to speak of my official conduct. When I first took this chair I ventured to offer you the pledge of an honest effort firmly, faithfully, and impartially to discharge its duties. I have endeavored in good faith to redeem that pledge; and now, as I retire from this post, I feel unconscious of ever having done intentional injustice to any member of this body. It remains for me to perform my last official duty, by declaring that this House stands adjourned sine die.

APPENDIX.

STANDING RULES AND ORDERS

FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES.

Touching the duty of the Speaker.

1. He shall take the chair every day precisely at the hour to which the House shall have adjourned on the preceding day; shall immediately call the members to order; and, on the appearance of a quorum, shall cause the journal of the preceding day to be read.-(April 7, 1789 )

2. He shall preserve order and decorum; may speak to points of order in preference to other members, tising from his seat for that purpose; and shall decide questions of order, subject to an appeal to the House by any two members-(April 7, 1789)—on which appeal no member shall speak more than once, unless by leave of the House.-(December 23, 1811.) 3. He shall rise to put a question, but may state it sitting.-(April 7, 1789.)

4. Questions shall be distinctly put in this form, to wit: "As many as are of opinion that (as the question may be) say Ay," and after the affirmative voice is expressed, “As many as are of a contrary opinion, say No." If the Speaker doubt, or a division be called for, the House shall divide: those in the affirmative of the question shall first rise from their seats, and afterwards those in the negative. If the Speaker still doubt, or a count be required, the Speaker shall name two members, one from each side, to tell the members in the affirmative and negative; which being reported, he shall rise and state the decision to the House. (April 7, 1789.) No division and count of the House by tellers shall be in order, but upon motion seconded by at least one-fifth of a quorum of the members.-(September 15, 1837.)

5. When any motion or proposition is made, the question, "Will the House now consider it?" shall not be put unless it is demanded by some member, or is deemed necessary by the Speaker. (December 12, 1817.)

6. The Speaker shall examine and correct the Journal before it is read. He shall have a general direction of the Hall. He shall have a right to name any member to perform the duties of the Chair, but such substitution shall not extend beyond an adjournment.-(December 23, 1811.)

7. All committees shall be appointed by the Speaker, unless otherwise specially directed by the House, in which case they shall be appointed by ballot; and if, upon such ballot, the number required shall not be elected by a majority of the votes given, the House shall proceed to a second ballot, in which a plurality of votes shall prevail; and in case a greater number than is required to compose or complete a committee shall have an equal number of votes, the House shall proceed to a further ballot or ballots.-(January 13, 1790.)

8. The first-named member of any committee shall be the chairman; and in his absence, or being excused by the House, the next named member, and so on, as often as the case shall happen, unless the committee, by a majority of their number, elect a chairman.—(December 20, 1805.)

9. Any member may excuse himself from serving on any committee at the time of his appointment, if he is then a member of two other committees.-(April 13, 1789.)

10. It shall be the duty of a committee to meet on the call of any two of its members, if the chairman be absent, or decline to appoint such meetting.-(December 20, 1805.)

11. In all other cases of ballot than for committees, a majority of the votes given shall be necessary to an election; and where there shall not be such a majority on the first ballot, the ballots shall be repeated until a majority be obtained.-(April 7, 1789.) And in all ballot. ings blanks shall be rejected, and not taken into the count in the enumeration of votes, or reported by the tellers.-(September 15, 1837.)

12. In all cases of election by the House, the Speaker shall vote; in other cases he shall not be required to vote, unless the House be equally divided, or unless his vote, if given to