By Mr. Potter: The memorial of the chiefs and principal men of the Stockbridge and Munsee Indians of Wisconsin, for a new treaty; which was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

By Mr. Duell: The petition of C. D. Morris, a master in the United States navy, praying to be placed on the active list; which was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs.

By Mr. Price: The petition of the heirs of William Young for compensation for services rendered by him; which was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

By Mr. Olin: The petition of citizens of New York, for a camp hospital and ambulance corps; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.

By Mr. William H. Wallace: The memorial of registers and receivers of the land offices in Washington Territory; which was referred to the Committee on Public Lands.

By Mr. May: The memorial of citizens of Anne Arundel county, Maryland, praying Congress to inquire into and remove certain unlawful restrictions imposed by the Secretary of the Treasury on the internal commerce of Maryland; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

By Mr. Justin S. Morrill: The memorial of the Washington Mills and others, for the repeal of an act granting the renewal of a patent to John Goulding; which was referred to the Committee on Patents. By Mr. Potter: The memorial of the mayor and common council of the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, for a beacon-light;

Also, the memorial of the board of supervisors of the county of Kenosha, Wisconsin, of like import.

Ordered, That the said memorials be referred to the Committee on Commerce.

By Mr. Odell: The memorial of ship-owners of New York, for a change in the internal revenue tax upon vessels; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce.

By Mr. Aldrich: The memorial of B. A. Froiseth, for the establishment of a Bureau of Emigration; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture.

By Mr. Potter: The memorial of the commissioners of the metropolitan police of Washington, District of Columbia, for the erection of a hospital for small-pox patients; which was referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia.

The Speaker, by unanimous consent, laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of the Interior, submitting estimates of appropriation for Dakota Territory; which was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means, and ordered to be printed.

The Speaker having proceeded, as the regular order of business, to call the States and Territories for bills on leave

Joint resolutions and bills were introduced, read a first and second time, and referred as follows, viz:

By Mr. Eliot: A bill (H. R. 683) to establish a Bureau of Emancipation; which was referred to the select committee on emancipation, and ordered to be printed.

By Mr. Train: A bill (H. R. 684) to incorporate the Washington

Theatre Company; which was referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

By Mr. Bingham: A bill (H. R. 685) giving aid to the State of Maryland for the purpose of securing the abolishment of slavery in said State; which was referred to the select committee on emancipation; Also, a bill (H. R. 686) relating to the Arroya de San Antonio land claim in the State of California; which was referred to the Committee. on the Judiciary.

By Mr. Pike: A bill (H. R. 687) in relation to the accounts of the States of Massachusetts and Maine; which was referred to the Committee of Claims.

By Mr. Colfax: A bill (H. R. 68%) amendatory of the revenue laws; which was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

By Mr. Segar: A bill (H. R. 689) to regulate the pay of clerks to paymasters in the navy; which was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs.

By Mr. Washburne: A joint resolution (H. Res. 134) making an appropriation for compiling a register of the volunteers of the United States army; which was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

By Mr. Edward H. Rollins: A bill (H. R. 690) to amend an act to incorporate the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, and to make an appropriation for the benefit thereof; which was referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia.

By Mr. Watts: A joint resolution (H. Res. 135) providing for the payment of the salary due Perry E. Brocchus, as associate justice of the supreme court of the Territory of New Mexico; which was referred to the Committee on the Territories.

All the States and Territories having been called

The Speaker announced, as the business next in order, the resolution of the House (H. Res. 103) in relation to neutral rights-the consideration of which was postponed until this day.

On motion of Mr. Cox,

Ordered, That its consideration be further postponed until the 2d Monday in February next.

Mr. Fenton, by unanimous consent, submitted the following resolutions; which were read, considered, and agreed to, viz:

Resolved, That the Postmaster General be directed to communicate to this house the amount paid by the Post Office Department for the transmission of the mails between the city of New York and the city of Washington for the last four years.

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to communicate to this house the amounts that have been paid since the breaking out of the rebellion to the various railroad companies between New York city and the city of Washington for the transportation of troops, arms, and munitions of war.

Mr. Cox, by unanimous consent, submitted the following resolution; which was read and referred to the select committee on government contracts, viz:

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to communicate

to the House of Representatives the amount of revenue derived from the sale of the hides, hoofs, horns, and tallow, since the rebellion commenced, specifying particularly the number of cattle slaughtered, the number in figures and pounds sold; and to whom, whether by contract or sale; the amount of money received; the names of the contractors or purchasers, as the case may be, from said contractors or purchasers, within the limits or territory of what is known as the ancient District of Columbia; also the number of cattle slaughtered for the army of the Potomac outside the said District, except the foregoing; the amount of money received, and also the manner of contracting for the sale of the hides, hoofs, horns, and tallow of said animals; the persons to whom sold, and how and to whom said money has been paid; and also to inform the House of Representatives whether or not, in his judgment, there cannot be a better and thoroughly organized plan by which a large and increased revenue can be derived from the sale of the hides, hoofs, horns, and tallow obtained from cattle slaughtered by the employés of the government.

Mr. Wickliffe, by unanimous consent, submitted the following resolution; which was read, considered, and agreed to, viz:

Resolved, That the Secretary of War inform this House why he has not responded to the resolution of this House of the 11th of December, 1862, requiring information as to what regiments of volunteers have not been paid, and other matters embraced in said resolution.

Mr. Beaman presented the memorial of John B. Rodgers, claiming a seat in this house as a member from the State of Tennessee; which was referred to the Committee of Elections.

Mr. Sloan, by unanimous consent, submitted the following resolu tion; which was read, considered, and agreed to. viz:

Resolved, That the Committee on Naval Affairs is requested to inquire into and report upon the practicability and probable cost and time required to improve the Wisconsin and Fox rivers, so as to give an uninterrupted navigation from the Mississippi river to Lake Michigan for vessels-of-war two hundred feet in length, thirty-four feet beam, and drawing not less than six feet of water; and also to report such other facts relating to the defence of the lakes, and a suitable naval station or stations thereon as they may deem advisable for the information of this house.

On motion of Mr. Stevens, by unanimous consent,

Ordered, That the resolution heretofore adopted, closing debate on the special order, (H. R. 659,) be rescinded.

Mr. Granger, from the Committee on Enrolled Bills, reported that the committee did, on the 16th instant, present to the President of the United States a joint resolution of the following title, viz:

H. Res. 133. Joint resolution to provide for the immediate pay ment of the army and navy of the United States.

On motion of Mr. Stevens, by unanimous consent, bills of the House of the following titles, viz:

H. R. 617. An act to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1863; and

H. R. 611. An act making appropriations for the support of the

Military Academy for the year ending the 30th of June, 1864, with the amendments of the Senate thereto,

were taken from the peaker's table, and severally referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

A message was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Nicolay, his private secretary, notifying the House that he did, on the 16th instant, approve and sign a bill and joint resolutions of the following titles, viz:

H. R. 587. An act to provide for the imprisonment of persons convicted of crime by the criminal court of the District of Columbia;

H. Res. 130. Joint resolution to confirm the adverse decision of the Court of Claims in the case of J. W. Knaggs, administrator of Whitmore Knaggs;

H. Res. 126. Joint resolution to confirm the adverse decision of the Court of Claims in the case of Thomas B. King;

H. Res. 127. Joint resolution to confirm the adverse decision of the Court of Claims in the case of Arthur Edwards and others;

H. Res. 128. Joint resolution to confirm the adverse decision of the Court of Claims in the case of George Yates; and

H. Res. 129. Joint resolution to confirm the adverse decision of the Court of Claims in the case of Joshua Eddy's heirs;

And, on the 17th instant,

H. Res. 133. Joint resolution to provide for the immediate payment of the army and navy of the United States.

A message in writing was also received from the President of the United States, which was handed in at the Speaker's table.

On motion of Mr. Stevens, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; and after some time spent therein the Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Pike reported that the committee having had under consideration the special order, viz: H. R. 659. A bill to provide ways and means for the support of government, had come to no resolution thereon.

The Speaker, by unanimous consent, laid before the House the following message, this day received from the President of the United States, viz:

To the Senate and House of Representatives :

I have signed the joint resolution to provide for the immediate payment of the army and navy of the United States, passed by the House of Representatives on the 14th, and by the Senate on the 15th instant.

The joint resolution is a simple authority, amounting, however, under existing circumstances, to a direction to the Secretary of the Treasury to make an additional issue of $100,000,000 in United States notes, if so much money is needed, for the payment of the army and

navy.

My approval is given in order that every possible facility may be afforded for the prompt discharge of all arrears of pay due to our soldiers and our sailors.

While giving this approval, however, I think it my duty to express

my sincere regret that it has been found necessary to authorize so large an additional issue of United States notes, when this circulation and that of the suspended banks together have become already so redundant as to increase prices beyond real values, thereby augmenting the cost of living to the injury of labor, and the cost of supplies to the injury of the whole country.

It seems very plain that continued issues of United States notes, without any check to the issues of suspended banks, and without adequate provision for the raising of money by loans, and for funding the issues so as to keep them within due limits, must soon produce disastrous consequences. And this matter appears to me so important that I feel bound to avail myself of this occasion to ask the special attention of Congress to it.

That Congress has power to regulate the currency of the country can hardly admit of a doubt; and that a judicious measure to prevent the deterioration of this currency by a reasonable taxation of bank circulation, or otherwise, is needed, seems equally clear. Independently of this general consideration, it would be unjust to the people at large to exempt banks, enjoying the special privilege of circulation, from their just proportion of the public burdens.

In order to raise money by way of loans most easily and cheaply, it is clearly necessary to give every possible support to the public credit. To that end a uniform currency, in which taxes, subscriptions to loans, and all other ordinary public dues, as well as all private dues may be paid, is almost, if not quite, indispensable. Such a currency can be furnished by banking associations, organized under a general act of Congress, as suggested in my message at the beginning of the present session. The securing of this circulation, by the pledge of United States bonds, as therein suggested, would still further facilitate loans by increasing the present and causing a future. demand for such bonds.

In view of the actual financial embarrassments of the government, and of the greater embarrassments sure to come, if the necessary means of relief be not afforded, I feel that I should not perform my duty by a simple announcement of my approval of the joint resolution, which proposes relief only by increasing circulation, without expressing my earnest desire that measures, such in substance as those I have just referred to, may receive the early sanction of Congress.

By such measures, in my opinion, will payment be most certainly secured, not only to the army and navy, but to all honest creditors of the government, and satisfactory provision made for future demands on the treasury.

JANUARY 17, 1863.

The same having been read,

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Mr. Washburne moved that it be referred to a joint committee consisting of five members of the House and four members of the Senate.