Referred to the following select committee: Messrs. Teas, Box, and Blair. Mr. Smith presented the petition of Mary Williams, praying for divorce. Referred to the following select committee: Messrs. Smith, M'Knight, and Shanley. Mr. McWilliams, from the committee on enrolments, reported, A resolution respecting a land office at Madison, to be correctly enrolled. The said resolution was then presented to, signed by the speaker, and ordered to be sent to the president of the Council for his signature. Mr. Brunson, from the select committee to which was referred bill No. 4, entitled "A bill to incorporate the stockholders of the North-west Mining Company," reported the same with amendments. The said bill was then read the second time. Mr. Teas moved that the bill be indefinitely postponed. On motion of Mr. Smith, The bill was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed. Mr. M'Knight, from the committee on corporations, reported bill No. 51, entitled "A bill to incorporate the Davenport Manual Labour College;" Which was read the first time, and laid on the table. Mr. Brunson, agreeably to notice, introduced bill No. 52, entitled "A bill to authorize T. P. Burnet and Alexander M'Gregor to keep a ferry across the Mississippi river;" which was read the first time, and laid on the table. Mr. Teas, agreeably to previous notice, introduced bill No. 53, entitled "A bill to establish Jefferson College at Mount Pleasant, in Henry county;" Which was read the first time, and laid on the table. Mr. Nowlin, by leave, introduced bill No. 54, entitled "A bill to authorize the board of county commissioners of Jackson county to build a bridge across Mill creek, and to levy a tax to pay for the same.' Read the first time, and laid on the table. Mr. Childs, by leave, introduced bill No. 55, entitled “A bill defining the boundaries of Portage county, and for other purposes;" which was read the first time, and laid on the table. Bill No. 21, entitled "A bill to incorporate the Rock river Canal company," was then taken up, read the second time, and On motion of Mr. Childs, the house resolved itself into a committee of the whole on said bill, Mr. Teas in the chair. The secretary of the Council being announced, the speaker resumed the chair, and the following message was delivered: "Mr. Speaker-The Council concur in the amendments made by this house to bill No. 13, Council file, entitled "A bill to provide for the election of county treasurers, and to define their duties. "I am directed to present a substitute for the resolution from this house, authorizing the secretary of the territory to employ a suitable person to draft maps of the territory, in which substitute the concurrence of the house is requested;" And then he withdrew. The committee resumed its session, and after some time rose, reported the progress made therein, and asked leave to sit again. Leave was granted. The house adjourned till 3 o'clock, P. M. 3 O'CLOCK, P. M. On motion of Mr. Chance, The house resolved itself into a committee of the whole, on bill No. 21, entitled "A bill to incorporate the Rock river canal Company :" Mr. McWilliams in the chair. After some time spent therein, the committee rose, and by their chairman reported the said bill with amendments; Which were agreed to by the house. The bill was further amended by inserting in the 6th section and 10th line, between the words "lease" and "said," the words "or sell." In the 11th line of the same section, strike out the words "or sell and dispose of it for ever," and insert the words "not to exceed fifty years from the passage of this act." Mr. Cox moved the following amendment: in section 23, between lines 6 and 7, insert " deducting, however, from the cost of such construction, the amount received for sales or leases of water privileges, as authorized by the sixth section of this act;" when, On motion of Mr. Sheldon, The bill was laid on the table. The house adjourned. Wednesday, December 13, 1837. The house convened in the library room, the capitol having been consumed by fire between the hours of two and four o'clock this morning. On motion of Mr. Childs, a committee of three was appointed to procure a hall for the use of the House of Representatives for the remainder of the present session, viz: Messrs. Childs, Teas, and Cox. On motion of Mr. Sholes, Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to act in conjunction with a similar committee to be appointed by the Council, with power to send for persons and papers, to investigate the origin of the late fire by which the capitol was destroyed. Messrs. Sholes, Quigley, and Chance were appointed the committee. Ordered, that the Council be informed. The house adjourned till 3 o'clock, P. M. 3 O'CLOCK, P. M. The house met, pursuant to adjournment. A message was received from the Council, informing the house that the Council had concurred in the resolution, appointing a joint committee to investigate the origin of the late fire, and have appointed Messrs. Teas, Foley, and Terry, the committee on their part. Mr. Childs, chairman of the select committee appointed to procure a room for the use of this house, made the following report: "The select committee appointed to procure a room for the use of this house during the remainder of the present session, beg leave respectfully to report, that they have examined several, and have procured one of Messrs. Webber and Remey, which will be in readiness to-morrow at 10 o'clock, A. M.” On motion of Mr. Cox, Resolved, That this house do concur in the report of the committee, and that the committee be discharged from the further consideration of the subject. Mr. Childs offered the following resolution, which was laid on the table. Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed in conjunction with a similar committee on the part of the Council, to memorialize the Congress of the United States to remunerate Major Jeremiah Smith, and others, for the loss they have sustained by the unfortunate occurrence of last night. The house adjourned to meet to-morrow at 10 o'clock, in the hall of Messrs. Webber and Remey, Thursday, December 14, 1837. The house met, pursuant to adjournment. Mr. Sholes, from the select committee appointed on the part of the house, to act in conjunction with a similar committee, appointed by the Council to investigate the origin of the late fire, made the following report: "Your committee, in conjunction with a similar committee, appointed on the part of the Council, proceeded in the performance of the duty assigned them, to take the testimony, under oath of those persons who were supposed to possess the most important information on the subject. That of John C. Madden, engineer of the steamboat Smelter, who first discovered the fire, and gave the alarm, together with the testimony of Joseph Y. Fales, doorkeeper of the House of Representatives, Smith Bowen, and J. B. Snowden, are herewith submitted, (see Appendix,) from which it appears that the fire originated in the Council chamber, from the chimney, and was altogether the result of accident. Your committee would therefore respectfully ask the adoption of the following resolutions: "Resolved, That, in the opinion of this house, the late destruction by fire of the building, provided for the accommodation of the legislature, is not attributable to any carelessness on the part of any officer of the legislative assembly, or on the part of any other person or persons, nor can it be thought the work of an incendiary; but is to be considered the result of accident alone. 66 6 Resolved, That the committee be discharged from the further consideration of the subject." " Ordered, that said report and resolutions do lie on the table. On motion of Mr. Sheldon, The house adjourned till 3 o'clock, P. M. |