As one of his students, I am desirous of showing my appreciation of his worth as a man, and his sound and pure administration of justice as a high functionary, not only of his own State, but of the United States; therefore, suffer me to solicit that through you the said portrait be presented to Congress, to be located as may seem best to that honorable body. With sentiments of the most perfect respect, I have the honor to remain To the Hon. JAMES K. POLK, JOHN S. COGDELL Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congress. 'The said letter was read; when it was, On motion of Mr. Pinckney, Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee on the Library. A motion was made by Mr. Reynolds, of Illinois, that the rules of the House be suspended, for the purpose of offering and considering resolutions instructing committees to make inquiries, and for the purpose of offering and considering resolutions asking information from the Executive Depart ments. And the question was put that the House do agree to the said motion: It passed in the aflirmative, two-thirds of the members voting therefor. Mr. Johnson, of Louisiana, then submitted the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency of modifying the different acts of Congress, granting pre-emption rights to settlers on the public lands, so as to protect the rights of the settlers, and prevent frauds against the United States. A motion was made by Mr. Davis, to amend the said resolution, by adding thereto, the following: "And also, into the expediency of extending to the act al settler on all lands that have been in market for five years, which pre-emption privilege shall extend for four years from and after the 19th of June next." A motion was made by Mr. Hamer, that the resolution and amendment do lie on the table; which motion being disagreed to by the House, The previous question was moved by Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, and being demanded by a majority of the members present, The said previous question was put, viz: Shall the main question be now put? And passed in the affirmative. The main question was then put, viz: Will the House agree to the resolution as originally submitted by Mr. Johnson? And passed in the affirmative. On motion of Mr. Toucey, Resolved, That the report of the Secretary of War on the claims of the State of Connecticut for services of militia, and disbursements made during the late war with Great Britain, made in obedience to the order of the House of Representatives of the 6th of January, 1832, and the letter of the Secretary transmitting the same, be referred to the Committee on Military Affairs, with instructions to inquire whether any, and what, further legislation may be necessary for the adjustment and settlement of said claims. On motion of Mr. Hannegan, Resolved, That the Committee on Roads and Canals be instructed to inquire into the expediency of granting to the State of Indiana, a quantity of land equal to the alternate sections heretofore reserved by the United States along the line of the Wabash and Erie canal within the limits of said State, for the purpose of aiding her in the construction of the canal. Mr. Reynolds, of Illinois, submitted the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a system of commercial hospitals on the western waters, to be separate and apart from those on the Atlantic seaboard. A motion was made by Mr. Storer, to amend the said resolution, by striking out the words "on the western waters," and inserting "at St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Portsmouth, and Hendersonville." And after debate, it was Ordered, That the further consideration of the said resolution be postponed until to-morrow. On motion of Mr. Peyton, Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a port of entry at the mouth of Laurel, on the Cumberland river, in the State of Kentucky,, And then, by unanimous consent, The engrossed bill (No. 69) entitled "An act making appropriation for repressing hostilities commenced by the Seminole Indians," was read the third time and passed. Ordered, That the Clerk request the concurrence of the Senate in the said bill. A motion was made by Mr. Hawes, that the House do come to the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That a select committee of nine be appointed to inquire what amendments, if any, are expedient to be made to the laws relating to the Military Academy at West Point, in the State of New York; and also into the expediency of modifying the organization of said institution; and also whether it would not comport with the public interest to abolish the same, with. power to report by bill or otherwise. Ordered, That the consideration of the said resolution be postponed until to-morrow. A motion was made by Mr. Chilton Allan, that the House do come to the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That a select committee be appointed, whose duty it shall be to inquire into the expediency of extending the provisions of the act of Congress for the benefit of the surviving officers and soldiers of the revolu tionary army, passed the 7th of June, 1832, so as to embrace those who were engaged in the wars of the United States which occurred between the treaty of peace with Great Britain, in 1783, and the treaty of Greenville, with the Indians, in 1795; and that the said committee have leave to report. by bill or otherwise. A motion was made by Mr. Mann, of New York, to amend the said resolution, by striking out these words: "a select committee be appointed, whose duty it shall be," and inserting, in lieu thereof, these words: "the Committee on Revolutionary Claims be instructed." And then, on motion of Mr. Mann, of New York, the consideration of the said resolution was postponed until to-morrow. The rules being suspended for the purpose, A motion was made by Mr. Connor, that when the House shall adjon to-day, it will adjourn to meet again on Monday, next, the 11th instanti A motion was made by Mr. Whittlesey, to amend the said motion, by striking out Monday and inserting Saturday; which motion was disagreed to by the House. And the motion made by Mr. Connor, was then agreed to by the House. Mr. Vinton submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table one day under the rule, viz: Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to communicate to this House any information in his possession of frauds or fraudulent practices under the existing pre-emption laws; and that he also inform the House, what, in his opinion, has been the effect of the pre-emption laws. now in force or heretofore passed, upon the sales of the public lands, and upon that branch of the public revenue. And then the House adjourned until Monday next, the 11th instant, at twelve o'clock meridian. MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1836. The House proceeded to the consideration of the motion made by Mr. Pinckney, on the 5th instant, that the House do reconsider the vete of that day, which referred the memorial of the officers and soldiers of the Rhode Island brigade of the revolutionary army, to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. And the question being put, Will the House reconsider? It passed in the affirmative. The question was then again put, Shall the said memorial be referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims? And was decided in the negative. The question was then put on the motion made by Mr. Pearce, of Rhode Island, on the 5th instant, that the said memorial be referred to a select committee. And passed in the affirmative. And Mr. Pearce of Rhode Island, Mr. A. H. Shepperd, Mr. Hazeltine, Mr. Mauning, Mr. Wagener, Mr. Coles, Mr. Toucey, Mr. Harlan, and Mr. Borden, were appointed the said select committee. The House proceeded to the consideration of the memorial of the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, presented on the 5th instant, by Mr. Beardsley, and laid on the table under the 45th rule. The question recurred on the motion made by Mr. Hannegan, that the said memorial be rejected. And, after debate, A motion was made by Mr. McCarty, that the further consideration of said memorial be postponed until Tuesday, the 19th of the present mouth. This motion was disagreed to by the House. And the question again recurred on the motion made by Mr. Hannegan And, after further debate, The previous question was moved by Mr. Hawes, and being demanded by a majority of the members present, The said previous question was put, viz: Shall the main question be now put? And passed in the affirmative. The main question was then put, viz: Shall the said memorial be rejected? And was decided in the negative, (Yeas, Nays, 62, 137. 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. John Quincy Adams Michael W. Ash John W. Brown Andrew Buchanan William B. Calhoun Churchill C. Cambreleng Samuel Cushman Mr. William K. Fuller John Galbraith Samuel S. Harrison Mr. Ely Moore William Patterson Ebenezer Pettigrew Waddy Thompson, jr, Mr. Abbott Lawrence Gideon Lee Joshua Lee Stephen B. Leonard Levi Lincoln Thomas M. T. McKennan John McKeon Isaac McKim Jesse Miller William Montgomery William S. Morgan Mathias Morris Henry A. Muhlenberg George W. Owens James Parker John Reed Joseph Reynolds Eleazer W. Ripley David Russell William Seymour Augustine H. Shepperd Mr. William N. Shinn Francis O. J. Smith Joel B. Sutherland John Taliaferro Mr. William Taylor John Thomson Isaac Toucey George W. B. Towns Joseph R. Underwood Mr. Aaron Vanderpoel Lewis Williams The question then recurred on the motion made by Mr. Beardsley, on the 5th instant, that the said memorial be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and be printed. A motion was made by Mr. Lane, to amend the said motion by adding thereto these words: "And considered as a memorial from the people of the Territory of Michigan." A motion was made by Mr. Hannegan, to amend the amendment proposed by Mr. Lane, by striking out these words, viz: "considered as a memorial from the people of the Territory of Michigan," and in lieu thereof, inserting these words: "this House, in receiving the memorial purporting to be from the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, regard the same in no other light than as the voluntary act of private individuals." And on the question, that the House do agree to this motion: It passed in the affirmative, Yeas, > Nays, 98, 89. The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, Mr. Chilton Allan Heman Allan Benning M. Bean John Bell William K. Bond Zadok Casey George Chainbers John Chambers John Chaney Timothy Childs Nathaniel H. Claiborne Walter Coles Thomas Corwin Joseph H. Crane John W. Davis Hiland Hall Mr. Thomas L. Hamer Joseph Johnson Those who voted in the negative, are, Mr. John Quincy Adams Michael W, Ash Mr. Samuel Beardsley Mr. John J. Milligan Henry L. Pinckney Abraham Rencher Ebenezer J. Shields William Slade Jonathan Sloane Mr. Nathaniel B. Borden |