Resolved, That each member of the Council be entitled to take any number of newspapers printed in the Territory, not exceeding fifteen, during the present session.

On motion of Mr. Stockton,

Resolved, That the following committees be appointed, and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise, on such business as may come before them.

A committee on the Judiciary, to consist of five members.

Resolved, That the President of the Council be requested to invite the clergymen of the city, to attend at the opening of the Council each week, alternately, during the present session.

Mr. Schoolcraft submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table;

Resolved, 1. That the Judiciary committee be instructed to enquire into the manner in which the laws of the Territory have been carried into effect, in the upper judicial district of the Territory: whether the session of the said district court, appointed to be held in the new counties of that district, have accordingly been held; and whether any powers have been assumed by the Judge of that district, in the appointment of officers of said court, or otherwise, which are not recognized by the laws, or by the established practice of the Judges of the Supreme and Circuit Courts of the Territory, in the peninsular counties.

2. That the said committee be directed to report the facts elicited by their investigation, and to this end that they be invested with the necessary authority to send for persons and papers, touching the points referred to.

On motion of Mr. Schoolcraft,

Resolved, That the clergymen in attendance on the Council, have the privileges of the room, and the use of books belonging to the library, during the session of the Council; and that the Secretary be directed to signify to them the purport of this resolution.

Mr. M'Donell moved that the Council adjourn to Monday next, at eleven o'clock, A. M.

The question being taken, it was determined in the negative.

Mr. Drake submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table:

Resolved, That the committee on Territorial Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of amending the laws for the collection of Territorial taxes; and particularly to provide for a repeal of all laws laying a tax on distilleries. Mr. M'Donell submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table:

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of abolishing the County Courts in this Territory.

On motion of Mr. Lawrence, the Council adjourned to to-morrow at eleven o'clock, A. M.

THURSDAY, January 6, 1831.

On motion of Mr. Stockton, Resolved, That there be added to the Standing Committees, the following:

A committee on the Library, to consist of three members. A committee on the Unfinished Business of the last session of the Council, to consist of three members.

The President announced the appointment of the following persons, to the committees established by the resolutions of yesterday and to-day.

Committee On the Judiciary-Messrs. Lawrence, Le Roy, Fletcher, Schoolcraft, Drake.

On the Militia-Messrs. Stockton, Brown, Drake. On Territorial Affairs-Messrs. M'Donell, Stockton, Durocher, Kingsley, Schoolcraft.

On Roads-Messrs. Brown, Drake, Durocher. On Enrolment-Messrs. Fletcher, Schoolcraft, Kingsley. On Claims-Messrs. Durocher, Bartow, Kingsley. On the Library-Messrs. Bartow, Schoolcraft, Kingsley. On Internal Improvements-Messrs. Le Roy, Stockton, Lawrence, Fletcher, Schoolcraft.

On Schools-Messrs. Drake, M'Donell, Lawrence. On Unfinished Business-Messrs. Fletcher, Lawrence, Le Roy.

On Printing-Messrs. Kingsley, Stockton, Fletcher. On Expenditures-Messrs. Schoolcraft, Stockton, M'Donell, Kingsley, Le Roy.

The President presented a petition from Thomas Huston and others, of the county of Cass; praying to be separated from that, and organized into an independent county.

And a petition from B. and M. Finch, for the establishment of a ferry at the village of Niles, county of Berrien, and authority to keep it.

Said petitions were severally read and referred to the committee on Territorial Affairs.

Mr. Kingsley submitted the following resolution:

Resolved, That the committee on Territorial Affairs, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of amending the several acts regulating the assessment and collection of Territorial taxes.

A message was received from the Governor, by Mr. Rowland, which was read and is as follows:

"To the Legislative Council:

"Gentlemen-I have received and deposited in the office of the Secretary of the Territory, the resignation of Robert Irwin, Jr. late a member of the Legislative Council, from the district composed of the counties of Chippewa, Michilimackinac, Brown, Crawford and Iowa, dated Sept. 12, 1830.

66

"I regret for the sake of his constituents, and the Territory generally, that the Council will be deprived of the valuable services of Mr. Irwin. During a period of some years in which he was a member, he enjoyed, and deservedly, the attachment of his colleagues and the confidence of the public.

"There is no existing provision of our laws by which accidental vacancies in the Council can be supplied. Independent of the injury which may be experienced by the immediate constituents of a member, whose seat is vacated before the expiration of his regular term of service, by the loss of their representation in the legislature, circumstances might occur which would reduce the number of the members of the Council below the number fixed by law as a quorum; and thus great confusion would be introduced into the affairs of the Territory.

January 6, 1831.”

LEW. CASS.

Ordered, That the message lie on the table.

Mr. Drake called up the resolution offered by him yesterday relative to amending the laws for the collection of Territorial taxes.

The resolution having been read,

Mr. Drake moved the adoption thereof, together with the resolution above offered by Mr. Kingsley.

The question being taken, the resolutions were adopted. On motion of Mr. Drake,

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of altering by law, the time of holding the county courts in the county of Wayne.

Mr. Schoolcraft called up the resolution submitted by him yesterday, relative to the administration of the laws of the Territory in the upper judicial district. The resolution having been read,

On motion of Mr. Schoolcraft, it was adopted.
On motion of Mr. Le Roy,

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to report a bill to provide for the distribution of the laws of the Territory of Michigan.

On motion of Mr. Schoolcraft,

Ordered, That six hundred copies of the Governor's message of January 5th, inst., together with the accompanying documents, be printed in English, in pamphlet form.

On motion of Mr. M'Donell,

Resolved, That the Auditor of the Territory be requested to furnish the Council with a statement of the amount of the Territorial taxes, assessed for the year 1830-also, showing the occupation and names of the several persons taxed, and the amount of the tax upon each person assessed under the existing laws of the Territory.

On motion of Mr. Kingsley,

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of legalizing certain acts of the commissioners of common schools in the township of Panama, in Washtenaw county.

Mr. M'Donell offered the following resolution, which was

read and laid on the table:

Resolved, That the committee on Territorial Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of raising a sum of money by lottery, for the purpose of making a free communication by land between the city of Detroit and the village of Monroe, and to repeal all laws heretofore passed upon that subject.

Mr. Kingsley submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table:

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be in

structed to inquire if any amendment be necessary in the law prohibiting forgery, or the uttering any counterfeit bills

or notes.

Mr. Le Roy moved that the Council adjourn to Monday next, at two o'clock, P. M.

The question being taken, it was determined in the neg

ative.

On motion of Mr. Lawrence,

The Council adjourned to to-morrow, at eleven o'clock A. M.

FRIDAY, January 7, 1831.

At eleven o'clock this day, the hour for the meeting of the Council having arrived, and a quorum not appearing, the President directed a call of the Council; whereupon,

The following members appeared and answered to their

names.

Messrs. Bartow, Brown, Durocher, Kingsley, M'Donell, Stockton, Edwards':

And there not being a quorum, the President announced that the Council would stand adjourned until Monday next, at eleven o'clock, A. M.

MONDAY, January 10, 1831. Mr. Schoolcraft offered the following, to stand as a substitute for rule forty-third, of the Standing Rules of the Council.

RULE 43. Every Resolution read by the Secretary, by direction of the President, or of a member, shall be consid ered as being before the Council. And the question to adopt or reject may immediately be put upon such Resolution, unless upon request of a member that the same may lie on the table.

The question on adopting the substitute being taken, it was decided in the affirmative.

Mr. Schoolcraft presented an account of E. A. Brush, which was referred, without reading, to the committee on Expenditures.

Mr. M'Donell presented a petition of Luson Tousey, praying a divorce. Referred to the committee on the Judi

ciary.

On motion of Mr. Kingsley,

Resolved, That the committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire if any alteration be necessary in the Judiciary system of this Territory, and especially if it be ne