361 NOVEMBER, 1811. Additional Duties. of this tax. But the gentleman from Massachusetts says the repealing of this duty ruined his constituents, who live on the sandbanks of the country. He would not consent, however, to tax the people of his part of the country, living on sandhills, to support that gentleman's sandbank constituents. But this duty, it is said, is to be laid to encourage manufactures. Why this great cry about domestic manufactures? He thought they had already sufficient encouragement from the present situation of things. The President had recommended the subject to the consideration of the House, and he had no doubt the committee, to whom it had been referred, would do what is proper on the subject. Mr. M. wished to know for what purpose this additional duty is wanted. If, said he, it be wanted for going to war, let us know it. For his part, he had heard so much about war formerly, that he hardly thought we should get at it now. H. OF R. the be offered. It would be showing respect to movers, would not decide upon their merits, and the committee would act upon them as they thought proper. If a contrary course be pursued, gentlemen who wish to call the attention of Congress to particular kinds of manufacture, will have to be constantly troubling the committee to whom the subject is referred, which might prove very unpleasant, both to the members of the committee and to the gentlemen who felt it their duty to apply to them. He hoped the House would, therefore, act upon the resolution. The question on postponement was negatived by yeas and nays-64 to 46. The resolution came again under consideration. Successive amendments were made to it. The word coarse was struck out, and the articles of wool and lead were added. Salt was again proposed by Mr. QUINCY, but negatived-59 to 54. Iron wire and files were proposed to be added; but the usual hour of adjournment having arrived, a motion was made and carried to adjourn, before the question on this proposition was decided. FRIDAY, November 22. Mr. M. said, on a former occasion, when the country was in a situation something like the present, a gentleman from Virginia was so alarmed lest salt sufficient could not be had, that he proposed a bounty on its importation. What, Another member, to wit; EDWIN GRAY, from said Mr. M.. will be the effect of a proposition for taxing salt in the country? He had no doubt Virginia, appeared, produced his credentials, was that, in the Southern States, it would imme-qualified, and took his seat. diately raise the price of the article at Petersburg and Fayetteville. On this account, he hoped, if the House did not mean to lay a tax on salt, that the proposition would be immediately discarded. For himself, he would sooner consent to a land or poll tax than a tax on salt. Mr. SMILIE moved a postponement of the resolution until the first Monday in February next. This motion was debated at some length. Some who wished to vote for it, wished the proposition for a tax on salt to be disconnected with the original proposition. Mr. POINDEXTER, from the committee appointed the fourteenth instant, presented a bill for the relief of Josiah H. Webb; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole on Monday next. Mr. KEY presented a petition of John Dillon, of the State of Maryland, stating that his schooner, called the "Rachael," was seized, libelled, and condemned in the district court of Orleans, for a supposed violation of the revenue laws, and that, upon an appeal to the Supreme Court, the sentence of condemnation was reversed, and restitution ordered; and praying that he may be paid the amount for which the said vessel was sold under the order of the said court of Orleans.Referred to the Committee of Claims. Mr. KING withdrew his amendment. But he could not help expressing his astonishment at the alarm which had been excited by a mere proposition to submit an inquiry to a committee. He Mr. STOW presented a petition of sundry offidid not propose to tax salt, but he wished the sub. ject to have been committed, that a report might cers and soldiers, and the heirs of officers and have been had on the subject. He was far from soldiers, who served in the British army in Amedesiring to benefit one part of the country to the rica, in the war between Great Britain and injury of another, or from offering any disrespect France, which commenced in 1755, residing in to the Committee of Commerce and Manufac- Jefferson county, State of New York, praying tures; but he wished to see how far Congress that their claims to lands for services in the said were disposed to encourage the manufactures of war may be investigated, and that they may reour country in preference to those of foreign na-ceive grants for whatever portion may be found due to them.-Referred to the Committee of tions. Claims. by Mr. BURWELL was of opinion that the proposed Mr. Lewis, from the Committee for the District of Columbia, presented a bill for the relief of Anthony Crease; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole on Monday next. On motion of Mr. SEYBERT, a committee of three members of the House of Representatives was appointed, who, with three members of the Senate, shall have the application of the money appropriated by the "Act making a further ap H. OF R. Apportionment of Representation. propriation for the support of a Library," passed the 21st of February, 1806; and Messrs. SEYBERT, LOWNDES, and QUINCY, were appointed the committee. Mr. GOLD, from the committee appointed the 13th instant, presented a bill providing for the more convenient taking of affidavits and bail in civil causes depending in the courts of the United States; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole on Monday next. On motion of Mr. BURWELL, John Taliaferro, who has contested the election of JOHN P. HUNGERFORD, had leave to occupy a seat on the floor of the House, for the purpose of being heard, in person, when the subject-matter of the said contested election shall be under consideration. APPORTIONMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES. On motion of Mr. DAWSON, the House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole, on the bill for apportioning the Representatives among the several States, according to the third enumeration. NOVEMBER, 1811. The question was then taken on filling the blank with 40,000, and negatived-ayes 60, noes 53. Mr. DAWSON then moved to fill the blank with the words 37,000. Mr. ANDERSON moved 39,000. Mr. Boyd was in favor of a smaller number. He thought the reasons offered by the gentleman from Delaware, in favor of filling the blank with 35,000, were deserving of attention, and spoke at some length in favor of this number. Questions were severally taken on filling the blank with 39,000, 38,000, and 37,000, and negatived; the last by one vote only. The question was then put upon 35,000, and carried-69 votes being in favor of it. Mr. DAWSON moved that the Committee rise. The other blanks in the bill would be easily filled in the House, after the number of inhabitants to each Representative should be definitively settled. The Committee rose accordingly, and took up the report. The bill having been read, the question on fill- Mr. SMILIE Voted in Committee of the Whole ing the blanks occurred. The first was in rela-in favor of filling the blank with 37,000, in order tion to the number of inhabitants for each Representative; when Mr. DAWSON observed, that he was instructed by the committee who directed him to report this bill, to propose filling the blank with the words forty thousand; but he should himself vote against filling the blank with this number, because it would deprive the State of Rhode Island of one-half of her present Representatives; it would deprive Connecticut and Maryland each of one member, and Virginia of two. He should, therefore, be in favor of filling the blank with 37,000, as this number would not deprive any State of a Representative, and it would only increase the present number of Representatives from 142 to 180. Mr. RIDGELY, from Delaware, hoped the blank would not be filled with 40,000. He was in favor of filling it with 35,000, which he thought would do more equal justice to all the States than any other number, and would leave less fractional numbers. This number would give two members to the State he represented; a greater number would leave a very large fraction. If 35,000 were agreed upon, it would give the House 181 members, which, he thought, could not be considered as an extravagant number. Mr. R. urged the propriety of thus filling the blank, at considerable length. to accommodate those States which would suffer by having the blank filled with 40,000, though he thought that number would be best; but as he found the members from those very States voted against 37,000, and in favor of a smaller number, he should now be in favor of 40,000. After considerable debate, in which Mr. RIDGELY, Mr. FISK, and Mr. WIDGERY, spoke in favor of agreeing to the report, and Mr. J. RANDOLPH against it, and in favor of filling the blank with 37,000, the question on filling the blank with 35,000, was taken and negatived-yeas 48, nays 76, as follows: YEAS-Daniel Avery, Josiah Bartlett, Abijah Bigelow, Adam Boyd, Elijah Brigham, John C. Calhoun, Epaphroditus Champion, Langdon Cheves, Martin Chittenden, John Davenport, jun., Samuel Dinsmoor, Elias Earle, William Ely, James Emott, James Fisk, Asa Fitch, Thomas R. Gold, Edwin Gray, Isaiah L. Green, Bolling Hall, Obed Hall, John A. Harper, Richard Jackson, junior, Philip B. Key, I.yman Law, Robert Le Roy Livingston, James Milnor, Samuel L. Mitchill, Jonathan O. Moseley, Timothy Pitkin, jun., Benjamin Pond, Peter B. Porter, Elisha R. Potter, Josiah Quincy, William Reed, Henry M. Ridgely, Ebenezer Seaver, Samuel Shaw, Lewis B. Sturges, George Sullivan, Samuel Taggart, Benjamin Tallmadge, Uri Tracy, Pierre Van Cortlandt, jun., Laban Wheaton, Leonard White, and William Widgery. Mr. POTTER spoke of the hardship which the NAYS-Willis Alston, jun., William Anderson, SteState which he represented (Rhode Island) would venson Archer, John Baker, David Bard, Burwell Basexperience, if the number proposed should be sett, William W. Bibb, Harmanus Bleecker, Thomas agreed to. Mr. P. thought such treatment, from Blount, James Breckenridge, Robert Brown, William her sister States, would illy requite the great ex-Clopton, Thomas B. Cooke, Lewis Condit. William A. Burwell, William Butler, Matthew Clay, John ertions of her citizens during the Revolution, or Crawford, Roger Davis, John Dawson, Joseph Desha, the commercial and manufacturing enterprise of William Findley, Meshack Franklin, Thomas Gholson, his constituents, which was at least equal to that Peterson Goodwyn, Felix Grundy, Aylett Hawes, Jaof any State in the Union. He hoped, in order cob Hufty, John P. Hungerford, John M. Hyneman, to afford time for deliberation on this subject, that Joseph Kent, William R. King, Abner Lacock, Joseph the Committee would rise, and report progress. Lefever, Joseph Lewis, junior, Aaron Lyle, Nathaniel He made this motion; which was negatived. Macon, George C. Maxwell, Thomas Moore, Archi 365 NOVEMBER, 1811. bald McBryde, William McCoy, Samuel McKee, Alexander McKim, Arunah Metcalf, James Morgan, Jeremiah Morrow, Hugh Nelson, Anthony New, Thomas Newbold, Thomas Newton, Stephen Ormsby, Israel Pickens, William Piper, James Pleasants, jun., John Randolph, John Rhea, John Roane, Jonathan Roberts, William Rodman, Ebenezer Sage, Thomas Sammons, John Sevier, Adam Seybert, John Smilie, Geo. Smith, John Smith, Richard Stanford, Silas Stow, William Strong, Peleg Tallman, George Troup, Chas. Turner, jun., Robert Whitehill, David R. Williams, Thomas Wilson, and Richard Winn. Mr. TROUP moved to fill the said blank with the words "forty thousand," and the question being taken, it was determined in the negativeyeas 50, nays 72, as follows: YEAS-Willis Alston, junior, William Anderson, Ezekiel Bacon, David Bard, Josiah Bartlett, William W. Bibb, Harmanus Bleecker, Thomas Blount, Robert Brown, William A. Burwell, John C. Calhoun, Langdon Cheves, Matthew Clay, Lewis Condit, William Crawford, Roger Davis, Joseph Desha, William Findley, Meshack Franklin, Felix Grundy, Bolling Hall, Obed Hall, Jacob Hufty, John M. Hyneman, William R. King, Abner Lacock, William Lowndes, Aaron Lyle, Nathaniel Macon, George C. Maxwell, Archibald McBryde, Samuel McKee, Samuel L. Mitchill, James Morgan, Thomas Newbold, Israel Pickens, William Piper, Jonathan Roberts, William Rodman, Ebenezer Sage, Adam Seybert, Samuel Shaw, John Smilie, William Strong, Peleg Tallman, George M. Troup, Charles Turner, jun., Robert Whitehill, David R. Williams, and Thomas Wilson. NAYS-Stevenson Archer, Daniel Avery, Burwell Bassett, Abijah Bigelow, Adam Boyd, James Breckenridge, Elijah Brigham, William Butler, Epaphroditus Champion, Martin Chittenden, John Clopton, Thomas B. Cooke, John Davenport, jun., John Dawson, Samuel Dinsmoor, Elias Earle, William Ely, Jas. Emott, James Fisk, Asa Fitch, Thomas Gholson, Thomas R. Gold, Peterson Goodwyn, Edwin Gray, Isaiah L. Green, Mr. TRACY moved to fill the said blank with "thirty-eight thousand ;" and the question thereon being taken, was also determined in the nega Mr, DAWSON then moved, that the said blank be filled with the words thirty-seven thousand;" and the question thereon being taken, was resolved in the affirmative yeas 102, nays 18, as follows: YEAS-Willis Alston, jun., William Anderson, Stevenson Archer, Daniel Avery, Ezekiel Bacon, David Bard, Josiah Bartlett, Burwell Bassett, Abijah Bige- NAYS-William W. Bibb, Adam Boyd, John C. Mr. DAWSON moved to fill the other blanks in the bill, as follow: New Hampshire, five members; Massachusetts, eighteen; Vermont, five; Rhode Island, two; Connecticut, seven; New York, twenty-five; New Jersey, six; Pennsylvania, twenty-one; Delaware, one; Maryland, nine; Virginia, twenty-two; North Carolina. thirteen; South Carolina, nine; Georgia, five; Kentucky, ten; Ohio, six; and Tennessee, six.. The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, and the House adjourned. The SPEAKER laid before the House the annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the state of the finances of the United States, in obedience to the "Act to establish the Treasury Department."-Referred to the Committee of Ways and Means. Mr. AVERY, from the committee appointed on the fourteenth instant, presented a bill for the relief of John Burnham; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole to morrow. On notion of Mr. POINDEXTER, Resolved, That so much of the petition of the inhabitants of West Florida, as relates to the annexation of that Province to the Mississippi Territory, be referred to the committee appointed H. OF R. Apportionment of Representation. NOVEMBER, 1811. on the memorial of the Legislative Council and Richard Stanford, Lewis B. Sturges, Benjamin TallHouse of Representatives of said Territory, pray-madge, Robert Whitehill, David R. Williams, Thomas ing admission into the Union on an equal footing Wilson, and Richard Winn. with the original States; and that so much of the said petition as relates to land claims, be referred to the Committee on the Public Lands. A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have passed a bill to authorize the surveying and marking of certain roads in the State of Ohio, as contemplated by the Treaty of Brownstown, in the Territory of Michigan;' and desire the concurrence of this House therein. APPORTIONMENT BILL. The bill for the apportionment of representatives according to the third enumeration of the people of the United States was read a third time; and on the question, "Shall the bill pass?" Mr. BIBB moved to recommit the bill, with a view to substitute another ratio for that on which it is now predicated. The question was then taken on the passage of the bill, and resolved in the affirmative. MILITARY CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. Mr. RANDOLPH prefaced a motion on this subject by observing that he trusted it was one on which there would be no difference of opinion. "The subject had before now been agitated in the House, and had been spoken of at least, if not formally brought before the Committee of Foreign Relations; but deeming it more specifically to belong to the committee on that part of the President's Message relating to our military affairs, he wished to give it that direction. If they were, according to the wishes of the Executive, to increase the standing military force, to authorize the President to accept the services of volunteer companies, and to call out detachments of militia; in other words, if there was the slightest probability that the public force of the country. would be brought into action; the first step to be taken must be to amend the rules and articles of war, so as to abolish the use of the lash. Although the vagrants picked up in alehouses and tippling shops might submit to this degradation, it was well known, Mr. R. said, that the yeomanry of the country would not; and he would venture to say that, formidable as they would be to an enemy in the field, they would prove more so to their officers if this sort of military discipline were attempted to be introduced among them. He remarked also that, notwithstanding all that could be said by military coxcombs, by the sticklers for the old system, experience had proved that flogging was not essential to the strictest military discipline. He, therefore, moved, The motion was supported at considerable length by Mr. QUINCY, as also by Mr. KEY and Mr. WIDGERY and Mr. SMILIE, and opposed by Mr. RANDOLPH. The motion for recommitment was lost-yeas 56, nays 72, as follows: YEAS-William Anderson, Daniel Avery, Ezekiel Bacon, Josiah Bartlett, William W. Bibb, Abijah Bigelow, Harmanus Bleecker, Adam Boyd, Elijah Brigham, Robert Brown, Martin Chittenden, Thomas B. Cooke, Lewis Condit, Roger Davis, Samuel Dinsmoor, William Ely, James Emott, William Findley, James Fisk, Asa Fitch, Thomas R. Gold, Isaiah L. Green, Bolling Hall, Obed Hall, John A. Harper, John M. Hyneman, Philip B. Key, Robert Le Roy Living ston, Aaron Lyle, George C. Maxwell, Arunah Metcalf, James Milnor, Samuel L. Mitchill, Benjamin Pond, Peter B. Porter, Josiah Quincy, William Reed, Henry M. Ridgely, William Rodman, Thomas Sammons, Ebenezer Senver, Adam Seybert, Samuel Shaw, John Smilie, George Smith, Silas Stow, William Strong, George Sullivan, Samuel Taggart, Peleg Tallman, Uri Tracy, Charles Turner, jun., Pierre Van Cortlandt, jun., Laban Wheaton, Leonard White, and William Widgery. NAYS-Willis Alston, jun., Stevenson Archer, John Baker, David Bard, Burwell Bassett, William Blackledge, Thomas Blount, James Breckenridge, William A. Burwell, William Butler, John C. Calhoun, Epaphroditus Champion, Langdon Cheves, John Clopton, William Crawford, John Davenport, jun., John Dawson, Joseph Desha, Elias Earle, Meshack Franklin, Thomas Gholson, Peterson Goodwyn, Edwin Gray, Felix Grundy, Aylett Hawes, Jacob Hufty, John P. Hungerford, Richard Jackson, jun., Richard M. Johnson, Joseph Kent, William R. King, Abner Lacock, Lyman Law, Joseph Lefever, Joseph Lewis, jun., Peter Little, William Lowndes, Nathaniel Macon, Thomas Moore, Archibald McBryde, William McCoy, Samuel McKee, Alexander McKim, James Morgan, Jeremiah Morrow, Jonathan O. Moseley, Hugh Nelson, Anthony New, Thomas Newbold, Thomas Newton, Stephen Ormsby, Joseph Pearson, Israel Pickens, William Piper, Timothy Pitkin, jun., James Pleasants, jun., Elisha R. Potter, John Randolph, Samuel Ringgold, John Rhea, John Roane, Jonathan Roberts, Ebenezer Sage, John Sevier, John Smith, "That the committee to whom has been referred so much of the President's Message as relates to filling the ranks and prolonging the enlistments of the regular troops, and to an auxiliary force, be instructed to inquire whether any, and what alteration is necessary in the act, entitled 'An act for establishing rules and articles for the government of the armies of the United States." The resolution was ordered to lie on the table. NOVEMBER, 1811. Impressed Seamen-American Manufactures. mules, &c., to Santa Cruz, which, according to custom, had been immediately there sold for West India produce, payable in March following, when the importation of the same into the United States was interdicted; and praying that they may be permitted to import the same, the nonimportation law to the contrary notwithstanding. -Referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures. H. OF R. This resolution, on the suggestion of Mr. RHEA, who had previously offered a resolution on the same subject, was ordered to lie on the table. IMPRESSED SEAMEN. Mr. LITTLE offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to cause to be laid before this House, as far as practicable, a list of the whole number of perThe bill from the Senate authorizing the sur-sons impressed, seized, and otherwise unlawfully taken veying and marking certain raads in the State of from on board vessels sailing under the United States' Ohio, as contemplated by the Treaty of Browns- flag on the high seas or rivers, in ports and harbors; town, was twice read and committed. by whom, and under the authority of what Power, Kingdom, or State, such impressments, seizures, and other unlawful detentions were made; what number thereof are citizens of the United States; with such other information on this subject as he in his judgment may think proper to communicate. The bill for the relief of Josiah H. Webb (a person disabled by a wound whilst engaged in conveying the mail of the United States) went through a Committee of the Whole, and was ordered by the House to be engrossed for a third reading. was, The bill for the relief of Anthony Crease went through a Committee of the Whole, and after some objections, reported to the House, who refused to pass it to a third reading, 51 to 48. [The bill went to enable said Crease, an alien, or his heirs, to hold real estate within this District.] Mr. NELSON presented the petition of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the town of Alexandria, praying for an act of incorporation. [A bill for carrying into effect the prayer of a similar petition, it will be recollected, was at the last session rejected by the President of the United States.] The memorial, which is very long, was read and referred to the Committee of the District of Columbia. Mr. RHEA offered the following resolution, giving as a reason for it, the doubts which seem to hang over the subject: Mr. SEYBERT inquired what period of time the mover contemplated to be embraced by his resolution. Mr. LITTLE said his object was to procure every information attainable on a subject which had excited much attention and feeling among the people of the United States, and occasioned loud complaint. He said he had examined the records of the House and found no report on the subject later than 1807, which report was but partial. His object was to obtain information on the subject from 1792, when the evil was first felt, to the present time. The resolution lies on the table. AMERICAN MANUFACTURES. Mr. NEWTON observed that the persons who took the third census had been also directed by law to take accounts of the manufactures of the United States in their respective districts, and Resolved, That the Committee on Indian Affairs be make their returns to the office of the Secretary instructed to inquire, whether the laws of the United of the Treasury of the United States. So soon States, or the laws of the respective States and Territo-as the Committee of Commerce and Manufacries, do extend over parts of States and Territories, tures should be in possession of that report, it was situated respectively adjacent to the United States, the intention of the committee to take the suband to which the Indian title is not extinct, and inject of manufactures into consideration. And he what manner, and to what extent, and report their opinion thereon. On the suggestion of Mr. LACOCK who remarked on the number of resolutions of this kind already before the House, the resolution was, with the consent of the mover, ordered to lie on the table. Mr. POINDEXTER, after observing that the resolution already before the House on the subject was not sufficiently comprehensive, moved the following resolution: Resolved, That the committee appointed on so much of the Message of the President of the United States as relates to Indian affairs, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of extending the jurisdiction of the district courts of the United States and inferior courts of the Territories thereof, over those parts of the several States and Territories to which the Indian title has not been extinguished, so as to authorize said courts to take cognizance of all cases, civil and criminal, against any citizen or citizens, or other person or persons, (Indians excepted,) resident or being within the Indian boundary. now rose to give notice that the committee were ready to receive any information on this subject which gentleman from any part of the Union might have to communicate. Mr. RHEA, after expressing his thanks for the liberty offered to him to give to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures any information he might possess on the subject of the manufac tures of the country in which he lived; but thinking it possible he might not have the honor of coming before that committee, he should move the consideration of the resolution offered by him some days ago for laying additional duties on the coarse manufactures of certain materials imported into the United States. It appeared from the gentleman's statement, that the committee had now before them no specific proposition for encouraging manufactures, and were waiting for a certain something from the Treasury Department, which they did not know when they should receive. He, therefore, hoped they would take up his resolution. |