TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 1834. On motion of Mr. Campbell P. White, Ordered, That the Committee on Naval Affairs be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of Captain James Renshaw, and that the said petition do lie on the table. On motion of Mr. Patton, Ordered, That the Committee on Naval Affairs be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of Daniel M. Thornton, and that the said petition do lie on the table. Mr. Ashley, from the Committee on the Public Lands, made a report on the petition of Henry Stoker, accompanied by a bill (No. 442) for his relief; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow. Mr. Foster, from the Committee on the Judiciary, made a report on the petition of Edward B. Martin, administrator of Edward Martin, deceased; which report was read, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow. On motion of Mr. Parker, Ordered, That the Committee on Naval Affairs be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of James Steen, and that the said petition do lie on the table. On motion of Mr. Barringer, Ordered, That the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions be discharged from the further consideration of the cases of Philip C. Hayle and Adam Smith, and that leave be given to withdraw the papers. On motion of Mr. Lawrence, Ordered, That the Committee on Commerce be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of John McColgan, and that the said petition be referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. On motion of Mr. Ward, Ordered, That the Committee on Military Affairs be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of John Dowling, and that leave be given to withdraw the same. On motion of Mr. Lea, of Tennessee, Ordered, That the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions be discharged from the further consideration of the cases of Martha Hay, Samuel Ladd, Prudence Wigham, Samuel Munson, and William Ellingwood, and that leave be given to withdraw the same. Mr. Cambreleng, by leave, presented a memorial of two hundred and thirty-five Poles, now in the city of New York, setting forth that they resolutely contended, in arms, for the liberty of Poland, their native country, until overwhelmed by the power of Russia, when they sought refuge in the dominions of the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia, asking only a free passage into France; instead of which, they were, without their consent, placed on board two Austrian frigates, and have been recently set on shore at the city of New York, destitute of the means of support; that it is their wish to earn an honest livelihood by cultivating the soil of the country on which they have been thus thrown, and praying Congress to make them a grant of land; which memorial was referred to the Committee on the Public Lands. On motion of Mr. Pierce, of New Hampshire, Ordered, That the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from the further consideration of the case of Return B. Brown; and that it lie on the table. On motion of Mr. Dickinson, of Tennessee, Ordered, That the Committee on Indian Affairs be discharged from the further consideration of the case of Thomas Murray, junior, and that it lie on the table. Mr. Clayton, from the committee appointed on the 19th instant, reported the following resolution, viz. Resolved, That the committee appointed for the purpose of inquiring into the expediency of equalizing and reducing the salaries of officers, and for other purposes, contained in a resolution passed by this House on the 19th instant, be authorized to send for persons and papers in executing the object of said resolution. The said resolution was read, and agreed to by the House. A message from the Senate, by Mr. Lowrie, their Secretary: Mr. Speaker: The Senate have passed bills of this House of the following titles, viz. No. 11. An act for the relief of the legal representative of James Morrison, deceased. No. 14. An act for the relief of Whitford Gill. No. 40. An act for the relief of John L. Lobdell. The Senate have, also, passed bills of the following titles, viz. No. 15. An act for the relief of John McCartney; and No. 69. An act for the relief of the administratrix of Captain Paschal Hickman; in which last mentioned bills I am directed to ask the concurrence of this House. And then he withdrew. A motion was made by Mr. Gamble that the rule which confines the presentation of memorials and petitions, after the first thirty days of the session, to Monday in each week, be suspended, for the purpose of presenting and referring memorials and petitions without debate. And on the question, Shall the rule be suspended for the purpose aforesaid? It was decided in the negative. The rule having been suspended for the purpose, The House proceeded to the consideration of the resolution submitted by Mr. Jarvis on the 18th instant; when Mr. Jarvis modified his said resolution to read as follows: Resolved, That a committee be appointed to investigate the situation of the Bank of Washington, the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank of Georgetown, the Patriotic Bank, and the Bank of Alexandria, situated in the District of Columbia, and to inquire into the causes which have led to the recent suspension of specie payments by the aforesaid banks; and, also, to inquire into the condition of the Bank of the Metropolis, and what is the amount of its debts and obligations, and the means it has to pay them, and particularly the species of property it possesses; and what amount is due to the bank from its officers, or any of them, with power to send for persons and papers; and that the committee be directed to report the results of their proceedings to the House. And, after debate on the said resolution, the hour having expired, The House, on motion, proceeded to the orders of the day; when, On leave being given, Mr. Polk, from the Committee of Ways and Means, in pursuance of the third resolution contained in a former report of said committee, and which was adopted by the House on the 4th of April instant, viz. "That the State banks ought to be continued as the places of deposite of the public money; and that it is expedient for Congress to make further provision, by law, prescribing the mode of selection, the securities to be taken, and the manner and terms on which they are to be employed," reported a bill (No. 443) regulating the deposite of the money of the United States in certain local banks, accompanied by a report in writing; which bill was read the first and second time, and a motion was made that the said bill be committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; when A motion was made by Mr. Ewing that the said bill, "together with the programmes, memorials, and other documents in relation to the establishment of a uniform national currency, now lying upon the table, with a portion of the President's annual message at the opening of the twentyfirst Congress, wherein he submitted the idea of a National Bank, to furnish a uniform and safe currency, free of constitutional difficulties, and securing all the advantages of the present Bank; also, the declaration of the President to Mr. Duane, late Secretary of the Treasury, on the 20th of July last, that the State banks might not agree to the only plan he thought safe, that of mutual guaranty; and the opinion of the same Chief Magistrate, expressed in the instructions of his agent of bank inquiry, dated July 23, that hereafter, as heretofore, bank agency will be found convenient in managing the fiscal operations of the Government,' be all referred to a select committee, to consist of one member of each State, with instructions to investigate the subject-matter, and report upon the propriety and expediency of creating a national institution, under equitable control, to serve as the place of deposite of the public money, and to emit a currency of general and uniform value; such an institution as seems to be emphatically called for at present, to promote the public welfare, sustain the agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial interests of the Union, afford increased security to the public treasure, and found to be clearly within the purview of our constitutional power to create and establish." The motion to commit to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union taking precedence of the motion to commit to a select committee, The question on the said motion was put, And passed in the affirmative. The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting the annual statements respecting the commerce and navigation of the United States, for the year ending on the 30th September, 1833; prepared in pursuance of the act of February 10, 1820, and of resolutions of the House of Representatives of May 26, 1830; which letter and statements were laid on the table, and ten thousand copies thereof were ordered to be printed for the use of the members of the House. The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting copies of the reports and surveys of harbors on Lake Erie, called for by the House on the 10th of April instant; which letter and reports were referred to the Committee on Commerce. The House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, and proceeded in the consideration of the bill (No. 283) making appropriations for the civil and diplomatic expenses of Government for the year 1834; and, after some time spent therein, it was found that a quorum was not present; whereupon, The committee rose, and Mr. Hubbard, the chairman, reported the fact to the House. A motion was then made by Mr. Evans that the House do adjourn. And the question being taken, It was decided in the negative, Yeas,. 53, 87. The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, Mr. Thomas Davenport Harmar Denny George Evans John B. Forester William Jackson Those who voted in the negative, are, Mr. John Adams William Allen Joseph B. Anthony James M. H. Beale Benning M. Bean Samuel Beardsley Ratliff Boon Samuel Bunch Richard B. Carmichael John Carr Mr. William K. Fuller Ransom H. Gillet Thomas H. Hall Mr. William Cost Johnson John Laporte Levi Lincoln James Love Thomas M. T. McKennan Samuel McDowell Moore Mr. Rufus McIntire Franklin E. Plummer Augustine H. Shepperd Charles Slade Francis O. J. Smith Jesse Speight John T. Stoddert Joel B. Sutherland Mr. William Taylor Aaron Vanderpoel Mr. Isaac B. Van Houten David D. Wagener Daniel Wardwell A quorum being thus found to be present, Mr. Taylor Webster Campbell P. White Mr. Hubbard resumed the chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein, it was again found that a quorum was not present; whereupon, The committee again rose, and the chairman reported the fact to the House; when A motion was made by Mr. John Quincy Adams that the House do adjourn. And the question being taken, It was decided in the negative, { (Yeas, The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, Mr. Thomas Davenport George Evans Those who voted in the negative, are, Mr. John Adams William Allen Joseph B. Anthony James M. H. Beale Benning M. Bean Richard B. Carmichael John Carr Ransom H. Gillet Mr. James Graham John K. Griffin Joseph Hall Gayton P. Osgood A quorum being thus found to be present, Mr. John Laporte Levi Lincoln William McComas Thomas M. T. McKennan Samuel McDowell Moore John Murphy John M. Patton Robert Ramsay Augustine H. Shepperd David Spangler Mr. Sherman Page Franklin E. Plummer Ferdinand S. Schenck Aaron Vanderpoel Isaac B. Van Houten Aaron Ward Daniel Wardwell Taylor Webster Reuben Whallon Mr. Hubbard resumed the chair of the Committee of the Whole House |