On the Affairs of the Library.-Messrs. Everett, of Massachusetts, Verplanck, of New York, Wayne, of Georgia. A great number of petitions were presented this day. Amongst others, Mr. EVERETT, of Massachusetts, presented a petition praying for the settlement of the Oregon territory under the authority of the United States. Lest his opinions on the matter involved should be mistaken from the fact of his having presented the petition, he considered it a duty to state that he could not urge the granting the prayer of the petition at this time; because it would be impossible to grant it, without violating the stipulations of the treaty on this subject with Great Britain. There was, however, one view of the subject in which it required the consideration of the House. It is stated in the memorial that flourishing settlements of British subjects existed in the Oregon territory. If this were so, it was in violation of a stipulation agreed to between Great Britain and the United States, that, during the convention, no settlement should be authorized to be made on the debatable lands, by the citizens of either country. This was a matter that required to be looked to, and was an appropriate subject of inquiry for the Committee on Foreign Relations. FRENCH SPOLIATIONS PRIOR TO 1800. Mr. ELLSWORTH, of Connecticut, presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Connecticut, interested in the claims for spoliations by French cruisers prior to 1800, which claims were relinquished by the Government of the United States by the treaty of 1803, praying relief in the premises at the hands of Congress. This memorial Mr. E. moved to refer to a select committee, observing that, from the large number of individuals preferring those claims, the subject merited the especial consideration of the House. He did not think that the consideration of those claims came within the province of the Committee on Foreign Relations, and was of opinion that the magnitude of the interests involved in the claims called for a select committee. Mr. POLK, of Tennessee, thought that, from the nature of the memorial, its consideration belonged properly to the standing Committee on Foreign Relations, and he moved to refer it to that committee. [By the rules of the House, this motion has priority of right over a motion for a select committee.] Mr. ELLSWORTH replied in support of his original position. He still thought the petition should be referred to a select committee. Mr. EVERETT made a few observations to the same effect as those of Mr. ELLSWORTH. Mr. HOWARD, of Maryland, said that this was one of a numerous class of claims, and it was fair that the wishes of others equally interested in the subject with the present petitioners should be consulted as to the course pursued. It was impossible to examine or decide on one case, without, at the same time, affecting the fate of all; and he therefore thought that something was due to the wishes of a very large majority of the claimants, who preferred that no action of the House, even by a reference to any committee, should take place at present. They had committed the management of their claims to an individual who was authorized to speak for them, and who represented nine-tenths, or perhaps more, of the whole amount of the claims thus depending. As far as they were concerned, it was not desired that this House should take up the subject, and he therefore moved to lay the petition upon the table. Mr. DRAYTON, of South Carolina, said the claims of this class of petitioners had been before the House for a number of years. The case they had made out was clearly a just one, none could be juster, or doubtless they were entitled to relief. The gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. EVERETT] might be right; but if his memory served [H. of R. him, [Mr. DRAYTON,] there had been but one report on the subject of these claims, for the last six years. He would do the gentleman the justice to allow that the reason of the neglect, if it might be so called, last year, was the fact that a select committee of the other House had made a report on the subject, thus, amid the pressure of business, rendering it less urgent upon the Committee on Foreign Relations in this House to give their attention to it. He did not think that the claimants ought to suffer further from a delay, the continuance of which up to the present time had kept many of them in the state of afflicting penury into which the French spoliations had plunged them. He therefore thought that the consideration of their case ought to be referred to a select committee. Mr. HOFFMAN, of New York, was of opinion that, unless gentlemen wished to reduce the Committee on Foreign Relations to a state of complete inaction, it was proper to refer the petition to them, since he was convinced that it came within their province to report on those claims; first, on account of their intimate connexion with affairs in which they were supposed to be well versed, and, secondly, on account of the magnitude of the claims prayed to be allowed by the petitioners. These claims, he said in the course of his remarks, were old acquaintances of this House, and were not, as he thought, entitled to a different course from that heretofore pursued, of referring them to a standing committee. Mr. ADAMS, of Massachusetts, regretted his inability to think with the gentleman from New York, [Mr. HoFFMAN.] He [Mr. A.] thought that a reference of that petition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs would be altogether injudicious. It was undoubtedly true that it had formerly, with others of the same class, been referred to that committee, but the reasons for such reference no longer existed, or rather, from the changed light in which the claims petitioned for then stood, were as strong arguments against that reference, as they had formerly been for it. When first those claims were presented, a doubt existed in the minds of the claimants concerning whom they should look to for reimbursement, whether to the Government of France, or to that of their own country. During such a state of things, it was, of course, proper that their petition should be referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. But such a state of things no longer existed. It was known to a majority, but perhaps not to all the members of this House, that the claims of which the petition presented by the gentleman from Connecticut formed one, had been the subject of a negotiation between the Governments of the United States and France, in the year 1800. That this negotiation terminated in a treaty, one article of which, relating particularly to these claims, he would, with the permission of the House, now read. Mr. A. here read the second article of the treaty of 1800, as follows: ART. 2. The ministers plenipotentiary of the two parties not being able to agree at present respecting the treaty of alliance of 6th February, 1778, the treaty of amity and commerce of the same date, and the convention of 14th of November, 1788, nor upon the indemnities mutually due or claimed, the parties will negotiate further on these subjects at a convenient time; and, until they may have agreed upon these points, the said treaties and convention shall have no operation, and the relations of the two countries shall be regulated as follows. The treaty thus concluded was by the President of the United States laid before the Senate, who, in February, 1801,advised and consented that it should be conditionally ratified, provided that this article which he had just read should be expunged. It was therefore ratified by the President conditionally, and sent back to France, where this conditional ratification was accepted by the French Government with the annexation of another condition, H. OF R.] French Spoliations prior to 1800. [DEC. 18, 1831. namely, that the claims to which reference was had in the cided by usage. The gentlemen who had served on the expunged article should be considered as renounced. Committee on Foreign Affairs for the last six years, When the treaty, thus ratified with this condition upon would bear him out in the statement that a great deal of condition, came back to the United States, it was by Pre- the business before that committee related to claims unsident Jefferson sent again to the Senate, asking again der the Florida treaty, and in no degree affecting our their advice and consent, before he gave it the last sanc-present relations with any foreign Power. A difficult tion by proclaiming it to be a law of the land; and the question of private claim, growing out of our convention Senate thereupon resolved that they considered it as fully with Algiers, but without any possible bearing upon our ratified,and sent it back to the President for proclamation. present relations with that regency, had been before the The expunged article, it has been seen, contains a stipu-Committee on Foreign Affairs for several of the last seslation that the parties would thereafter negotiate again sions. The present claims, as had already been stated, upon these claims, (which, on the part of the United had been repeatedly before that committee. In reply to States,were, to a very large amount, belonging to a nume- a remark which he had made when up before, the genrous and most meritorious class of citizens,) and, also, tleman from South Carolina [Mr. DRAYTON] expressed a that they should, at the same time, negotiate concerning doubt whether the subject had been reported upon more the renewal between the two countries of the treaties of than once by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Mr. 1778, which had been annulled by the Congress of the E. observed, that he now held, in the volume before him, United States. The claims, to a vast amount, were al- a report which he had made when he had the honor to be most all for indemnities to enure in behalf of the United the chairman of the Committee on Forign Affairs. It States and their citizens. The renewal of the treaties was a sizable book of itself, over one hundred pages, was understood to be for the benefit of France-those made up, however, for the most part, of a compilation treaties containing a guaranty by the United States to from a very large volume of papers, published by order France of her possessions in the West Indies. That of the Senate, on this subject, in the year 1826. In this guaranty was very onerous to the United States, because report, he would not pretend that he had done justice to it exposed them to the danger, unavoidable by them while the subject; but he had bestowed his best attention upon it lasted, of being involved in every war in which France it, and devoted considerable time to its preparation; parmight engage, at least with Great Britain. ticularly to the selection of the most important parts from the volume of between eight hundred and nine hundred pages already alluded to., Gentlemen would find the report No. 82, of the second session of the twentieth Congress, and he believed the collection of documents appended to it would be found to contain most of the materials requisite to make up an opinion of the case. In the concluding paragraph of this report, express mention is made of a report on the same subject, at a former session, in the case of Blenkenship, which Mr. E. also had the honor to make from the Committee on Foreign Affairs. It was short, and, for reasons stated, waived a discussion of the subject. He believed he had made another report on the same subject, but was not sure. Now, the exclusion from the treaty of the expunged article relieved the United States forever from the burden of the guaranty to France of her possessions in the West Indies; and the condition annexed on the part of France to her assent that it should be expunged, was that the claims, upon making indemnity, for which she had by the same article agreed to negotiate, should be considered as renounced. The claimants then, by the act of their own Government, have lost their just demand upon France. Their property has been disposed of without consulting them, and without their consent, for an equivalent which enures to the benefit of the people of the United States, namely, the release, forever, from a burdensome and dangerous guaranty. This, Mr. A. said, he took to be the principle upon which the claimants now came forward to ask for indemnity. It was upon the justice of their own country, and not upon the generosity of another, that they relied. Heretofore there might be a doubt whether, notwithstanding the peremptory dictation of the First Consul that the claims should be considered as renounced, there might not be a remnant of pretension still to be urged upon France, and then there might be a propriety in referring the claims to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Now, all such expectations were extinct, and they had no more to do with foreign affairs than with the affairs of the people of the moon. The question was between the petitioners and their own country. The principle of their demand was the same with that of one well known to the gentleman from New York and to the House under the name of claims from the Niagara frontier, and for which large indemnities had been paid by this country. Mr. A. thought it would not have been more incongruous to have referred one of the petitioners of those claims to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, than it would be now to refer to them the petitions on these claims. He hoped, therefore, that the motion of the gentleman from Connecticut would prevail, and that the petition would be referred to a select committee. A word or two in reply to the gentleman from New York, [Mr. HOFFMAN,] who spoke of these high claims as "an old acquaintance of the House." Mr. E. feared the House was not always governed by the rules of courtesy observed in private life; and was apt to treat its old acquaintances with less kindness than new comers, though perhaps less deserving of its notice. He knew that it was against a claim, to have been long and unsuccessfully before the House; and yet, if the claim is just, he hoped it was no reason for not paying it, that payment had been long and injuriously delayed. But there was an important fact on this subject, which he would ask permission to state to the House. In the year 1826, a volume of papers was published by order of the Senate, which had been furnished, on a call of that body, by the Department of State. Sir, that volume contained the materials for a complete demonstration of the justice of these claims; materials till then locked up in the archives of State. Since the appearance of that collection of papers, the current of opinion, in both Houses of Congress, had set strongly in favor of the claims. He had already observed that in this House two, and he believed three, committees had reported in its favor. In the Senate, since the same period, four, if not five, favorable reports had been made, some of them accompanied with bills providing for the payment of the claims. Two of these reports proceeded Mr. E. EVERETT observed that he was sorry again to from the present Secretary of State, Mr. Livingston; they trouble the House, although the subject was one well de- were very able, he would say conclusive, and established serving the share of its time and attention which it had both the justice and equity of the claims, in the most inreceived. He was indifferent what committee the sub-controvertible manner. Since the case had been underject went to, provided it went to a committee that would do it justice. The reference of subjects to the different committees of the House, was often in a good degree de stood, there had not, he believed, been an adverse expression of opinion by any committee of either House. Mr. E. begged leave to make one more remark. It DEC. 14, 1831.] Committee on Roads and Canals.-Internal Improvement. was believed that, by the late convention with France, provision is made for the payment of our claims on that Power accruing since 1800. As the payment of our claims similarly situated on other European Powers will follow as a matter of course, we shall then have this extraordinary state of things-that, of all the claimants for acts of spoliation by foreign Powers, the present class are the only ones to which justice is to be denied. Our old claims on Great Britain, of the year 1794, were paid; our claims on Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and Spain, have been paid; our claims on France and other Powers for spoliations under the continental system are now to be paid and the present claimants, whose demand has been equitably transferred to our own Government, will be left the only class unsatisfied. In other words, our own Government will be the only Government which will not do justice to our own citizens. He was sure this was a state of things to which no gentleman would wish to give his sanction; and he trusted that the genteman from New York, old as the claim is, would take it into his candid consideration; and in that case he felt sure he would find it to rest on the strongest foundations of justice. Mr. McDUFFIE wished to know if it were intended particularly to refer the spoliations prior to 1800 to a select committee, or to include all claims of the same kind in the reference. If the first, he should oppose it; he asked for information. Mr. ELLSWORTH replied that he considered the claims of the present petitioners of sufficient magnitude to merit a reference by themselves, and that it was his opinion they should be so referred, without a reference to others. Mr. MCDUFFIE then, in reply, stated himself to be opposed to the reference of the claims in question to a select committee. [H. OF R. Resolved, That there shall be appointed, for the present session, and hereafter, at the commencement of each session of Congress, a committee of seven members of this House, to be styled "a Committee on Roads and Canals," whose duty it shall be to take into consideration all such petitions and matters or things, relating to roads and canals, and the improvement of the navigation of rivers, as shall be presented, or may come in question, and be referred to them by the House; and to report thereupon; together with such propositions relative thereto, as to them shall seem expedient. A debate arose on this resolution between Mr. MITCHELL, of South Carolina, and Mr. MERCER. The former gentleman protested against the adoption of the resolution as unnecessary, because a select committee had always been found competent to take charge of this business heretofore, but especially because the adoption of such a resolution would lead to an impression that the House was disposed to systematize internal improvement, and with it the present high duties on imports, &c. He was disposed to soften and soothe, rather than to irritate existing discontents, as he believed the adoption of this resolution would. Mr. M. took occasion to say, that towards this object (conciliation) he was more than glad to hear the patriotic remarks which had fallen from the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. ADAMS] yesterday. Mr. MERCER expressed unfeigned astonishment at the ground taken by the gentleman from South Carolina, believing that there was nothing in the resolution which went in any manner to commit the House either upon the general principle of internal improvement, or to any particular action under that principle. No one could be more disposed to the course of conciliation recommended by that gentleman than he [Mr. M.] was. But he could not perceive any connexion between that argument and the resolution before the House, which was a mere matter of form, intended to raise a general committee for all cases of a similar nature, instead of appointing general committees on particular cases, as was done yesterday. A standing committee of this character had for many years existed in the other branch of Congress, to the great convenience of that body, and he could see no possible substantial objection to the same course here. Mr. CRAIG, of Virginia, not perceiving any benefit to arise from prolonging the discussion, moved to lay the resolution on the table. This motion was negatived. Mr. Speaker: My belief is that there is no occasion for a select committee. These claims have heretofore been sent to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, where they seem to belong, as the right to call on this Government is supposed to grow out of certain diplomatic arrangements made between it and France. According to my recollection, in 1800, the agents of the two Powers negotiated a treaty or convention, but were unable to adjust these claims, as the French Government put in certain counter claims growing out of an undertaking on the part of the United States to guaranty to that nation the peaceable and undisturbed enjoyment of her colonies. A treaty was agreed upon,leaving both matters unsettled; but it afterwards was so modified as that the claims on the one side and the other are now supposed by these claimants to be extinguished; and as this Government was relieved from an onerous engagement, in considera-morrow. tion of surrendering these claims, the claimants contend it received a good consideration for releasing them, and ought now in justice and equity to pay them. These, sir, being the substance of the facts, it is obvious that the right to come here, if it exist at all, grows out of an assumption of the claims by this Government in consequence of a diplomatic arrangement; and it seems to me the matter falls appropriately within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the petition ought to be referred to them. The question was then taken on referring the memorial to the Committee on Foreign Relations, and decided in the affirmative. The House proceeded to the election of a Chaplain, when the Rev. REUBEN POST, having received a majority of the votes, was duly elected Chaplain on the part of this House. COMMITTEE ON ROADS AND CANALS. Mr. SPEIGHT, of North Carolina, wishing to present his views on the subject, and not desiring to proceed today, because of the lateness of the hour, moved to postpone the further consideration of the resolution until to The House refused to postpone it; but, before any de- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14. The House resumed the consideration of Mr. MERCER'S motion for adding to the standing committees of the House a Committee on Roads and Canals. Mr. SPEIGHT remarked that he felt it his duty to oppose the passage of the resolution. He understood the gentleman from Virginia on yesterday to say that the adoption of the resolution would imply no expression of opinion on the part of this House as to its legitimate scope in relation to internal improvement. For his own part, he could conceive of no possible way in which this House could express its opinion of the legitimate power it had over roads and canals, but by the app intment of a stand The House then proceeded to the consideration of the ing committee on that subject. He had never heard it following resolution, proposed by Mr. MERCER: contended for, that Congress had the constitutional power to tax the people to construct roads and canals. But, contended Mr. S, pass this resolution, and what is to be the inference? Why, that this House claims the right over the soil of the States to construct roads and canals. Why is it that you have in this House a standing Committee on Foreign Relations, &c., &c.? Because those subjects be long legitimately to Congress. He regretted that this resolution had been brought forward. If it passed, it would seem to imply no disposition on the part of this House to relieve the people from the unjust burden of taxation under which they are laboring. This Congress was anxiously looked to as the one which is to do something to relieve the country from the burdens that now hang over them. This feeling did not only exist in the agricultural States, but all over the country; and if the vehicles of information were as important in the North as in the South, we should hear of but one general sentiment of disgust. But, sir, in those States, for whose benefit my constituents are taxed, we have no means of knowing the general dissatisfaction which prevails among the poorer class of the community. He hoped that the present session was not to pass off without materially reducing the tariff. Should that be done, the gentleman's system of roads and canals would, of necessity, stop; because we should have no money to give him. He considered the two systems as one, and whenever one fell, the other would of course follow. He had very recently read in most of the public journals which favored the pretensions of a certain individual, and who might with propriety be considered as the father of this system, that that individual had never advocated a system of taxation for the purpose of improving roads and canals. He had read it with much pleasure, because he thought it ominous of better times. But see, we are met at the threshold with a proposition which threatens to rivet the system of taxation on us. [DEC. 15, 1831. and that we are about to engage in such works on a scale more general and extended than has been heretofore at tempted. Hence considerable uneasiness and alarm will be excited in some sections of the country. This, of itself, is an evil to be deprecated, and, at this crisis, ought to be avoided, if possible. But, further, we shall hold out encouragement which will cause our table to be loaded with petitions, soliciting appropriations for local and sectional objects. Then, sir, should a standing committee be appointed favorable to such appropriations, we may expect, before the close of the session, to have propositions before us for the expenditure of some fifty or a hundred millions of dollars; and combinations of local and sectional interests will be formed, and press upon us with a force so strong as to impede the independent action of this House. The resolution may appear to be harmless, but I apprehend mischief is concealed in it. Mr. MERCER replied; being followed, in further opposition to the resolution, by Mr. MITCHELL, of South Carolina, whose speech was cut off by the rule of the House which limits the consideration of resolutions to the first hour of each day's sitting. DUTIES AND DRAWBACKS. The SPEAKER laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a statement of the it appears, were In the year 1829, the accruing duties were In the year 1830, the accruing duties were $29,951,915 4,001,665 27,689,731 4,213,168 28,299,159 4,511,182 The SPEAKER laid before the House a long and inte ladelphia, upon the subject of silk manufactures, accompanied by samples of plush for hats, manufactured at ladies' dresses, manufactured at Manchester, in England, Philadelphia from American silk; of gros de Naples, for from American silk; and thrown silk, in the unboiled state. The letter and samples were referred to the Committee on Agriculture. Mr. S. said there was another objection he had to the resolution. The President, in his message at the opening of the session, had said nothing on the subject of internal improvements. One gentleman on his left had said "it should be there if it was not." The gentleman from Virginia had stated on the floor that no mention of the sub-resting communication from Peter S. Duponceau, of Phiject was made in the message; and therefore it was the gentleman had introduced his resolution now. He should not impute any thing like improper motives to the gentleman, but he would speak of the effect of the gentleman's course. It would be to hold up the President to his internal improvement friends as opposed to the system, when, in fact, and in truth, no such thing existed. The President had very properly omitted to say any thing on this distracting subject; but a department of the Government had, in a very delicate manner, brought it to the view of Congress. Upon the whole, he thought the resolution was wholly unnecessary, and that it would, at this time, be highly improper to pass it. He rejoiced that his friend from South Carolina had yesterday met it in such an able manner. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15. After the presentation and reference of various petitions and resolutions, The House resumed the consideration of the following resolution, moved by Mr. MERCER: Resolved, That there shall be appointed for the present session, and hereafter, at the commencement of each session of Congress, a committee of seven members of this House, to be styled "a Committee on Roads and Canals," whose duty it shall be to take into consideration all such petitions and matters or things, relating to roads and cahals, and the improvement of the navigation of rivers, as shall be presented, or may come in question, and be referred to them by the House; and to report thereupon: together with such propositions relative thereto, as to them shall seem expedient. Mr. DOUBLEDAY said: Inexperienced, as he was, in legislation and debate, it became him not to occupy much of the time of the House. When this subject was before the House yesterday, he supported the several motions to postpone its consideration, because he deemed it one of great delicacy and importance, which ought not to be has tily decided. After mature deliberation, said Mr. D., I find myself constrained by a sense of duty to oppose the adoption of the resolution. I hope, sir, the question of national local internal improvements is so far put at rest, that it will not be necessary for this House to adopt any new measures for the despatch of this description of busi-ed ness. But if we pass this resolution, I conceive these results will follow. It will be understood by the public, (and perhaps it is so intended by gentlemen who support the resolution,) that we consider works of internal improvement within the scope of our legitimate powers and duties; Mr. MITCHELL, of South Carolina, concluded the speech in opposition to the resolution, which he commencyesterday. Mr. WILDE moved to refer the question to a Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union, to test the disposition of the House to entertain a wide debate on so narrow a ground. Mr. DAVIS, of Massachusetts, considered the whole DEC. 19, 1831.] Postage on Newspapers-The Laws, &c.-Slaves in Dist. Col.-Impost Duties. Mr. MITCHELL called for the yeas and nays on the question of agreeing to the resolution, and they were taken as follows: YEAS.-Messrs. Adams, Chilton Allan, Allison, Appleton, Arnold, Babcock, Banks, Noyes, Barber, Isaac C. Bates, John Blair, Boon, Briggs, Bucher, Bullard, Burd, Burges, Cahoon, Carr, Choate, Condict, Condit, Eleutheros Cooke, Bates Cooke, Cooper, Corwin, Coulter, Crawford, Creighton, Daniel, John Davis, Denny, Dickson, Doddridge, Duncan, Ellsworth, George Evans, Joshua Evans, Edward Everett, Horace Everett, Findlay, Ford, Gilmore, Grennell, Heister, Howard, Hughes, Hunt, Huntington, Ingersoll, Irvin, Jenifer, Kendall, Kennon, Kerr, Leavitt, Lecompte, Letcher, Marshall, Maxwell, McCarty, Robert McCoy, McKennan, Mercer, Milligan, Pearce, Pendleton, Pitcher, Potts, John Reed, Russel, Slade, Southard, Spence, Stanberry, Standifer, Stewart, Storrs, Sutherland, Taylor, Francis Thomas, Philemon Thomas, John Thomson, Tompkins, Tracy, Vance, Vinton, Washington, Watmough, Wilkin, Elisha Whittlesey, Frederick Whittlesey, Edward D. White, Wickliffe, Worthington, Young.-96. NAYS.-Messrs. Adair, Alexander, Robert Allen, Anderson, Angel, Archer, John S. Barbour, Barnwell, Barringer, Barstow, James Bates, Beardsley, Bell, Bergen, Bethune, James Blair, Bouck, Bouldin, Branch, John Brodhead, John C. Brodhead, Cambreleng, Carson, Chandler, Chinn, Claiborne, Clay, Coke, Collier, Conner, Craig, Davenport, Warren R. Davis, Dayan, Dewart, Doubleday, Drayton, Felder, Fitzgerald, Foster, Gaither, Gordon, Griffin, Thomas H. Hall, William Hall, Harper, Hawes, Hoffman, Hogan, Holland, Horn, Hubbard, Jarvis, Jew ett, C. Johnson, C. C. Johnston, Kavanagh, A. King, John King, Henry King, Lamar, Lansing, Lent, Lewis, Mann, Mardis, Mason, William McCoy, McDuffie, Thomas R. Mitchell, Muhlenberg, Newnan, Nuckolls, Plummer, Polk, Edward C. Reed, Roane, Root, A. H. Shepperd, Soule, Speight, Wiley Thompson, Verplanck, Ward, Wardwell, Wayne, Weeks, Wheeler, C. P. White, Wilde. -90. Adjourned to Monday. MONDAY, DECEMBER 19. POSTAGE ON NEWSPAPERS THE LAWS, &c. Mr. ARNOLD presented the petition of Samuel Martin, of Campbell's station, in the State of Tennessee. The petition, Mr. A. remarked, presented several new and interesting questions, which would, no doubt, at some period not far distant, call forth the action of this House. He therefore moved that the petition be read; which being done, Mr. A. resumed, and said he felt bound to make a passing remark. It might seem to some gentlemen that the propositions contained in the petition were wild and visionary. He confessed that, when he first received the petition, the boldness of some of the measures petitioned for startled him; but, upon reading it a second time, and after a moment's reflection, he was convinced that all the propositions contained in the petition were worthy of consideration, and that some of them, he honestly believed, deserved the highest consideration. All its propositions have the same tendency. They tend to open up the fountains of information to the whole people; and if, as he thought all must admit was the fact, the stability and permanence of this Government, with all its boasted institutions of freedom, depended upon the virtue of the people, and if the virtue of the people depended upon their intelligence, then he was certain that he had not attached too much importance to this petition. Mr. A. asked what the petition proposed. It contained five distinct propositions. VOL. VII.-91 [H. OF R. 1st. That, to all actual subscribers, newspapers and pamphlets, not exceeding one sheet, should pass through the mail free of postage. 2d. That all owners of printing presses and types, and all persons actually working and employed as printers, should be permitted to receive their letters free of postage. 3d. That the two cents at present allowed to postmasters for delivering free letters be dispensed with. 4th. That, so soon as the national debt shall be paid off, the whole expense of the Post Office Department be defrayed out of the general fund. This proposition, he presumed, would meet the views of gentlemen who are so much alarmed to know what shall be done with the accruing and increasing revenue. 5th. The fifth proposition he considered a very important one. It was, that all the newspapers within the United States should be permitted to publish the laws of the United States, and the advertisements of the Post Office Department, and that each should receive one hundred dollars per annum for such publication. Every man in this country was presumed to know the law; and he was held amenable to the law, as knowing it. Such being the fact, he thought that much pains should be taken to let those who are subject to the laws know what the laws were. As at present promulgated, there was not, he would venture to say, one man in a thousand, who ever saw the laws that were there enacted. Mr. A. concluded by moving that the petition be laid on the table and printed; which motion was agreed to. SLAVES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. trict of Columbia, made the following report; which was Mr. DODDRIDGE, from the Committee for the Disread, and concurred in by the House: cording to order, had under their consideration the meThe Committee for the District of Columbia have, acmorials of sundry citizens of the State of Pennsylvania, to them referred, praying the passage of such a law or laws by Congress, as may be necessary for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade within the said District, and beg leave to report thereon, in part: Considering that the District of Columbia is composed of cessions of territory made to the United States by the States of Virginia and Maryland, in both of which States slavery exists, and the territories of which surround the District, your committee are of opinion that, until the wisdom of State Governments shall have devised some of slavery, of which the memorialists complain, it would practicable means of eradicating or diminishing the evil be unwise and impolitic, if not unjust, to the adjoining States, for Congress to interfere in a subject of such delicacy and importance as is the relation between master and slave. If, under any circumstances, such an interference on are satisfied that the present is an inauspicious moment the part of Congress would be justified, your committee for its consideration. Impressed with these views, your committee offer for the consideration of the House the following resolution: Resolved, That the Committee for the District of Colum-/ bia be discharged from the further consideration of so much of the prayer of the memorialists, citizens of the State of Pennsylvania, to them referred, asking the pas sage of such law or laws as may be necessary for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade within said District, as relates to the first of these objects, the abolition of slavery within said District. IMPOST DUTIES. Mr. DEARBORN submitted the following resolution to the consideration of the House: Resolved, That the Committee of Ways and Means be instructed to inquire into the expediency of exempting from duty teas, coffee, wines, pepper, spices, indigo, and |