The report of the committee was supported also by Mr. HOLMES, Mr. GROSS, and Mr. HEMPHILL, and was opposed by Mr. STORRS, Mr. BROWN, and Mr. WHITMAN, the last named gentleman moving that the report be so amended as to reverse it. The discussion continued to a late hour on this and other motions. Finally, Mr. W.'s motion was lost, and the Committee rose and reported their concurrence in the resolutions of the Committee of Elections. The question was then taken on the resolution declaring that Mr. MERRILL is not entitled to a seat in this House, and decided in the affirmative by a large majority. Before taking the question on the other resolution of the report, which declares Mr. Mallary entitled to the seat, a motion was made to adjourn, and the House adjourned. THURSDAY, January 13. Mr. SERGEANT presented a petition of Thomas Dobson and Son, stating that they published, with great labor and expense, Dr. Seybert's Statistical Annals, and praying Congress to authorize the purchase of eight hundred additional copies, which now remain on hand of that work, for which they state they are willing to take a reduced price; which was referred to a select committee; and Messrs. SERGEANT, WOOD, and BARBOUR, were appointed the said committee. Mr. ANDERSON reported a bill for the establishment of additional land offices in the State of Illinois; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole to-morrow. JANUARY, 1820. sion, on agreeing to the resolution, and lost-yeas 40, nays 56. Mr. COCKE, of Tennessee, submitted the following resolution for consideration: Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to report to this House whether any, and, if any, what revenue is derived to the Government of the United States from the fur trade. Some discussion took place on this motion, in which Messrs. LIVERMORE, and SMITH of Maryland, objected to it, as useless and unnecessary, inasmuch as furs being an article of export only, no revenue could be derived from them, &c. It was supported by the mover, as calling for information on a subject to which the attention of the House had been directed, &c. The question being put, on adopting the resolution, it was negatived-yeas 40. A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have passed the "resolution for the further distribution of the journal of the convention which formed the Constitution of the United States," with amendments; and they have passed a bill, entitled "An act authorizing payment to be made for certain muskets impressed into the service of the United States;" in which amendments and last mentioned bill they ask the concurrence of this House. The SPEAKER laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a statement of the amount of moneys paid in each year for the expenses of holding courts within the District of Columbia, together with the amount paid to the circuit judges thereof, from the year 1801 to the year 1819, both inclusive, rendered in obedience to the resolution of the 7th instant; which was ordered to lie on the table. ILLICIT INTRODUCTION OF SLAVES. On motion of Mr. WHITMAN, a committee was appointed to inquire into the expediency of reviving and continuing in force, for a limited time, so much of an act, the provisions of which partially expired on the first day of November last, entitled "An act regulating the currency, within the United States, of the gold coins of Great Brit-letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transain, France, Portugal, and Spain, and the crowns of France, and five franc pieces," as relates to the gold coins of those countries. Messrs. WHITMAN, LOWNDES, ALLEN, of Massachusetts, DICKINSON, and BEECHER, were appointed the said committee. Mr. BRUSH, of Ohio, moved the adoption of the following resolution: mitting information in relation to the illicit introduction of slaves into the United States, with a statement of measures which have been taken to prevent the same, rendered in obedience to the resolution of the 31st ultimo; which was ordered to lie on the table. The letter is as follows: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Jan. 11, 1820. Resolved, That a select committee be instructed to SIR: In obedience to a resolution of the House of consider the expediency of fixing the ratio of repre- Representatives of the 31st ultimo, directing the Secsentation of the House of Representatives of the Uni-retary of the Treasury to lay before the House "copies ted States, to take effect and be computed according of such communications as he may have received, to the rule prescribed by the Constitution, upon the since 1816, and such information as he may possess census next to be taken; with leave to report by bill in relation to the illicit introduction of slaves into the or otherwise. United States, with a statement of the measures Mr. WHITMAN objected to the resolution, on the ground that it would be better to wait until the census was taken, before any steps were adopted to fix the ratio, when the House would have all the information, and the whole subject before them. Any proceedings on this subject, at present, would take place without the proper information, and would be premature, and would, moreover, be entirely useless, should the next Congress differ in opinion from the present, &c. The question was put, without further discus adopted to prevent the same," I have the honor to the customs, to this Department. submit the enclosed letters, from different collectors of this office, that no particular instructions have ever It appears, from an examination of the records of been given, by the Secretary of the Treasury, under the original or supplementary acts prohibiting the introduction of slaves into the United States. The general practice of the Department has been to confine its attention, and to limit its instructions, to cases arising under the revenue laws, except where, by direction of the President of the United States, the superintendence of other laws has been specially required of it. No such duty has, in relation to the laws prohibiting the introduction of slaves into the United States, been required of the Secretary of the Treasury. His letter to the War and Navy Departments, of the 16th July, 1817, a copy of which is also enclosed, was writen during the absence of the President, under circumstances which did not admit of the delay necessary to obtain his direction and instruction. An additional reason for writing that letter may be found in the fact that the other heads of department were absent, and the officers exercising their functions, provisionally, were unwilling to incur the responsibility of the measures required by the occasion. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, WM. H. CRAWFORD. Hon. HENRY CLAY, Speaker House of Rep's. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, July 16, 1817. SIR: From information recently received by this Department, there is just reason to believe that Sir Gregor McGregor has taken military possession of Amelia Island, in the name of the Spanish patriots. Considering that the restless and adventurous of all nations, and especially of the Island of St. Domimgo, have ranged themselves under the banners of the different leaders, by sea and land, who are engaged in the civil war now raging between Spain and her colonies, and that the port of Fernandina will necessarily become the common rendezvous of all the vessels sailing under the various flags of the Spanish provinces which have declared themselves independent, apprehensions are justly entertained by the citizens of the southern section of the State of Georgia, that their peace and tranquillity will be disturbed, and their rights infringed, unless protected by the presence of a force sufficient to command respect from the troops thus expected to be congregated in their immediate neighborhood. In addition to the circumstances already communicated, the disposition which has been manifested by the vessels of Spain engaged in the African slave trade, to introduce, illicitly, into that section of the Union, the persons who, in the prosecution of their traffic, have been subjected to their control, seems to require the presence of a force sufficient to enforce the due execution of the laws against the introduction of slaves into the United States. From the known character and conduct of the leader of the enterprise against Amelia Island, there is just ground to apprehend that this illicit traffic, if continued, will, under his auspices, assume a bolder character; and, if abandoned, that it will be substituted by measures equally derogatory to the laws, and more destructive of the rights and interests of the citizens of the eastern section of the Southern States. To guard against the unlawful introduction of slaves, and to repress any attempt that may be made by the foreign belligerent force, collected in that neighborhood, to excite domestic insurrection among the blacks, it appears to me to be absolutely necessary that a land and naval force be stationed at St. Mary's. As the portion of East Florida immediately bordering on the United States is but sparsely, if at all, inhabited, the entrance of vessels into the river St. Mary's, freighted with slaves, can have no other object than the violation of our laws, by covertly introducing a population which is prohibited. Under such circumstances, and especially when imbecility or indisposi H. OF R. tion of the local authorities to preserve the accustomed relations between independent States are considered, and above all, the odious character of the traffic intended to be restrained, the seizure of every vessel freighted with slaves which shall be found in the river St. Mary's, or hovering upon our coast, is respectfully submitted. I have the honor to be, &c. WM. H. CRAWFORD. The SECRETARIES of War and Navy. Extract of a letter from the Deputy Collector of Nova Iberia to the Secretary of the Treasury, dated July 9, 1818. "By Mr. Dick's advice, last Summer, I got out State warrants, and had negroes seized to the number of eighteen, which were a part of those stolen out of the custody of the coroner, and the balance condemned by the district judge of the State; and the informers received their part of the net proceeds from the State treasurer. Five negroes, that were seized about the same time, were tried at Opelousas, in May last, by the same judge; he decided that some Spaniards (that were supposed to have set up a sham claim, stating that the negroes had been stolen from them on the high seas) should have the negroes, and that the persons the State of Louisiana the other. This decision had that seized them should pay one-half the costs, and such an effect as to render it almost impossible for me to obtain any assistance in that part of the country. There has been lately up the Bayou Nementou two schooners from Galveston; they sold a part of their cargoes, and deposited the balance, and I could get no assistance to take them. I made two seizures of wine, a part of one of the cargoes, in the neighborhood of the Vermillion bridge, about twenty miles to the westward of this place. I summoned assistance, a part of which refused to assist, a part deserted while guarding the property, and the balance not being sufficiently strong to protect it, it was taken from them the ensuing night. The smugglers had forcibly prevented our removing the property in the day time.' COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, DIS. BRUNSWICK, GA., Port of Darien, July 5, 1818. SIR: On the 14th of March, I did myself the honor to address you on the subject of Africans illicitly introduced into the United States. Not being favored with a reply, it may be proper for me to state, that a demand being subsequently made, by the Executive of this State, for all such Africans in my possession, in compliance therewith I delivered over to his agent ninety-one negroes. I have the honor to be, &c. W. I. MCINTOSH, Collector. Hon. WM. H. CRAWFORD, Secretary of the Treasury. In order to keep them somewhat more in check, and to defeat their nefarious schemes as far as in my power, until Government aid us with such force as it may deem best suited to the purpose, I have determined to station an additional revenue boat and crews, with an active and enterprising officer, at and near Fort St. Philip, and to increase the crew of the boats at the Balize and Fort St. John. It will, I think, render their operations a little more difficult, and I confidently rely on your approbation. The additional expense can be no consideration. But no efforts of the officers of the customs alone can be effectual in preventing the introduction of Africans from the westward; to put a stop to that traffic, a naval force suitable to those waters is indispensable; and vessels captured with slaves ought not to be brought to this port, but sent to some other in the United States for adjudication. Enclosed you will also find an act passed by the Legislature of this State, respecting slaves imported in violation of the laws of Congress of 2d March, 1807. The object and policy of this law require no comment from me. Vast numbers of slaves will be introduced to an alarming extent, unless prompt and effectual measures are adopted by the General Government. JANUARY, 1820. own law of the last session of the Legislature, invested the Executive with the power of becoming a speculator on the exertions and integrity of such federal officers as feel the weight of their responsibility, and who are willing to perform their duty. For instance, sir: after much fatigue, peril, and expense, eighty-eight Africans are seized and brought by the surveyor to Darien; they are demanded immediately by the Governor's agent. And notwithstanding the knowledge which his Excellency had, that these very Africans were for some weeks within sixty miles of his Excellency's residence, (the seat of Government,) there was no effort, no stir made by him, his agents, or subordinate State officers, to carry the laws into execution; but no sooner than it was understood that a seizure had been effected by an officer of the United States, a demand is made for them; and it is not difficult to perceive, by a compliance, that the very aggressors may, by a forfeiture of the mock bond, be again placed in possession of the smuggled property, at but little additional expense to them, but at the entire ruin of the officers who had executed, with fidelity, the laws they felt bound to observe. There are many negroes, (independent of those mentioned as having been bartered in Savannah, &c., before any decision had passed respecting them,) recently introduced into this State and the Alabama Territory, and which can be apprehended. The undertaking would be great; but, to be sensible that we shall possess your approbation, and that we are carrying the views and wishes of the Government into execution, is all we SIR: I had the honor to address you per last mail, wish, and it shall be done, independently of every perand to enclose you papers respecting forty-seven Afri-sonal consideration. I have, &c. can negroes taken, by the surveyor of Darien, from one Jared E. Groce, on their way to the Alabama Territory, through the Indian nation, and forty-one others at the Creek agency, from the negro houses of the agent for Indian affairs. It is a painful duty, sir, to express to you, that I am in possession of undoubted information, that African and West India negroes are almost daily illicitly introduced into Georgia for sale or settlement, or passing through it to the Territories of the United States for similar purposes; these facts are notorious; and it is not unusual to see such negroes in the streets of St. Mary's, and such, too, recently captured by our vessels of war, and ordered to Savannah, were illegally bartered by hundreds in that city; for this bartering or bonding, (as it is called, but in reality selling,) actually took place before any decision was passed by the court respecting them. "The master of an American schooner from Havana reports that he was offered a full freight of Africans for this river, which he refused." COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, DIS. BRUNSWICK, GA., Port of Darien, March 14, 1818. I cannot but again express to you, sir, that these irregularities and mocking of the laws, by men who understand them, and who, it was presumed, would have respected them, are such, that it requires the immediate interposition of Congress to effect a suppression of this traffic; for, as things are, should a faithful officer of Government apprehend such negroes, to avoid the penalties imposed by the laws, the proprietors disclaim them, and some agent of the Executive demands a delivery of the same to him, who may employ them as he pleases, or effect a sale by way of a bond for the restoration of the negroes when legally called on so to do; which bond, it is understood, is to be forfeited, as the amount of the bond is so much less than the value of the property. And again, sir, an officer disposed to perform his trust with fidelity, is placed at the mercy of the State; for, to carry the intention of the federal laws into execution, great expenses may be incurred, and for which the State seems not to have made any provision; but has, by its WM. I. MCINTOSH, Collector. Hon. W. H. CRAWFORD, Secretary of the Treasury. COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, Savannah, November, 1817. SIR: I have the honor of informing you that the schooner Tentativa, reported to be under Spanish colors, with one hundred and twenty-eight slaves on board, was brought into this port on the 19th instant, by a part of the crew of the United States vessel the Saranac, John H. Elton commander, having been captured by said vessel, and at the time abandoned by her crew. The Tentativa has been libelled by the Proctor for the captors; and the slaves, by order of the court, delivered over to the Proctor for the captors and the collector of this port, to be taken care of by them, until demanded by the competent authority. This order was procured by the Proctor for the captors, with a view of preserving the lives of the slaves, they being destitute of provisions and clothing, and must have perished had they been longer at sea. Four of them have already died, but the remaining part of them have been so disposed of as to insure comfort to them for the present. Under the order of the court, and the influence of humanity, it appears to be my duty to interest myself for the sufferers; and, having an estate near the city, I inquired of my agent how many of these people he could accommodate with house-room, and upon his statement I have taken possession of forty in number, all of whom I have clothed, and shall continue otherwise to succor, until demanded by the competent authority. I have, &c. Hon. W. H. CRAWFORD, A. S. BULLOCK, Collector. JANUARY, 1820. Vermont Contested Election. H. OF R. Extract of a letter from the Deputy Collector of Nova practice. As the thing now is, no citizen will take the trouble of searching for and detecting the slaves. I further understand that the evil will not be confined Iberia to the Secretary of the Treasury, dated altogether to Africans, but will be extended to the COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, Port of Mobile, October 7, 1818. SIR: It is understood that Judge Webb, one of the judges of the Territory, has resigned. Permit me, sir, to suggest the importance of an early appointment to the vacancy, in order that the person appointed might be present at the next session of the general court, on the first Monday of January next. There are now pending before that court a number of cases of very great importance to the public interest, particularly those of the three vacant vessels, their cargoes, and upwards of one hundred slaves. "On the 8th of July last, Captain Amelung, with eighteen of his company, agreed to go with me to the Bayou Nementou, to suppress smuggling. On the day and succeeding night after our arrival there, we took thirteen prisoners that came armed to support smugglers, &c. The next day we took one of their vessels; set some hands to work in repairing her, and Captain Amelung returned to Nova Iberia for the balance of his company; returned with them, and we proceeded on with twenty-five men to the Bayou Cureuseau. On our arrival there we made more prisoners; seized three African negroes, two vessels, and part of their cargoes. Runners had been sent ahead of us, and five or six vessels run out of the Bayou a few days prior to our arrival there. A large number of African negroes had been on that Bayou, eighty of which left there a short time before our arrival, and about twenty passed us the night before we arrived. I hope the Attorney of the United States has informWe proceeded down the Cureuseau, and came rounded the Treasury Department of the proceedings of the to the Bayou Nementou. Captain Amelung fur- court in these cases; not having seen him since, I nished me with a lieutenant and eighteen men, and have not attempted a statement of proceedings to me returned by land to Nova Iberia with the balance of so very strange. This, however, appears certain, that his company. We proceeded with the vessels down the vessels and cargoes and the slaves have been dethe Nementou ; met a felluche, commanded by one of livered on bonds, the former to the owners, and the Lafitte's captains off the mouth of the Bayou. The slaves to three other persons. The grand jury found captain took us for smugglers; we got him on board true bills against the owners of the vessels, masters, of one of our vessels, and, notwithstanding his direct- and a supercargo, all of whom are discharged; why ing his men, in French, when he left his own vessel or wherefore I cannot say, except that it could not be to cut their cable if he did not return with the boat, for want of proof against them. run down our boat, and kill every man on board, we boarded her after they cut their cable, and took her without the loss of one man. Her cargo consists of coffee, cocoa, refined wax for candles, oil, dry goods, and about ten thousand pounds of quicksilver. I arrived here yesterday, having suffered much. During the line storm we lost three anchors, sprung one mast, carried away our yards and sails. I left the vessels in the Vermillion Bay; shall start immediately to bring them round to this place. If there was one small cutter on this coast, she would be of great service." COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, Savannah, May 22, 1817. SIR: I have just received information from a source on which I can implicitly rely, that it has already become the practice to introduce into the State of Georgia, across the St. Mary's river, from Amelia Island, East Florida, Africans, who have been carried into the port of Fernandina, subsequent to the capture of it by the Patriot army, now in possession of it. As this species of traffic may be carried on for an indefinite period of time, without the interposition of Government, I have deemed it my duty to give you the earliest advice of it. Immediately after the receipt of your letter of the 19th March last, I instructed Captain Smith to cruise with the cutter to the southward as far as St. Mary's bar, with a view of preventing the landing of such people on the seaboard; but it is not in his power to guard the St. Mary's, which is the route for the introduction of them. It becomes more necessary for a guard to be organized by Government, as this State has never legislated on the subject of the importation of slaves. Were the Legislature to pass an act giving compensation in some manner to informers, it would have a tendency, in a great degree, to prevent the It is certainly a matter of great importance that these cases be stamped with the full force of the law, to prevent future importations. Two of the vessels were cleared at Havana, for New Orleans, and one for this port; and all American registered vessels, the former at New Orleans, the latter at this port. Perhaps the magnitude and importance of these cases would render it expedient to employ additional counsel in aid of the United States Attorney, as he will be oppsed by able lawyers from New Orleans. Should you deem this proper, be pleased, sir, to direct the sum which may be allowed. I have, &c. ADDIN LEWIS, Collector. Hon. WM. H. CRAWFORD, Sec. of Treasury. THE CONTESTED SEAT. which continued till near four o'clock. The question was finally decided in the affirmative, by yeas and nays; for the resolution 116, against it 47, as follows: YEAS-Messrs. Abbot, Adams, Allen of Tennessee, Archer, Baldwin, Barbour, Bateman, Beecher, Boden, Brown, Brush, Bryan, Burwell, Butler of Louisiana, Campbell, Case, Clarke, Cook, Crowell, Culbreth, Culpeper, Cushman, Cuthbert, Darlington, Dennison, Dewitt, Dowse, Eddy, Edwards of Conn., Edwards of Pennsylvania, Edwards of North Carolina, Ervin, Fay, Ford, Forrest, Fuller, Fullerton, Garnett, Gross of New York, Gross of Penn., Hackley, Hall of New York, Hall of Delaware, Hardin, Hazard, Hemphill, Hendricks, Herrick, Hibshman, Hostetter, Jones of Tennessee, Kendall, Kent, Kinsley, Lathrop, Little, Lincoln, Linn, Livermore, Lowndes, Lyman, Maclay, McCoy, McCreary, McLean of Kentucky, Marchand, Mason, Metcalf, R. Moore, S. Moore, Monell, Morton, Murray, Nelson of Massachusetts, Overstreet, Parker of Massachusetts, Patterson, Peek, Phelps, Philson, Pinckney, Pitcher, Plumer, Reed, Rhea, Richmond, Ringgold, Robertson, Rogers, Ross, Russ, Sampson, Shaw, Simkins, Sloan, Smith of New Jersey, Smith of Maryland, B. Smith of Virginia, Street, Strong of New York, Tarr, Taylor, Terrell, Tompkins, Tracy, Trimble, Tucker of Virginia, Tucker of South Carolina, Van Rensselaer, Walker of North Carolina, Wallace, Warfield, Wendover, Williams of Virginia, Williams of North Carolina, and Wood-116. NAYS-Messrs. Alexander, Allen of New York, Anderson, Ball, Bayly, Buffum, Burton, Butler of New Hampshire, Cannon, Clagett, Cobb, Cocke, Crawford, Davidson, Earle, Fisher, Floyd, Folger, Foot, Hall of North Carolina, Hill, Holmes, Hooks, Johnson, Jones of Virginia, McLane of Delaware, Mercer, Moseley, Neale, Nelson of Virginia, Newton, Pindall, Quarles, Randolph, Rankin, Settle, Silsbee, Slocumb, Smith of North Carolina, Southard, Stevens, Storrs, Swearingen, Tomlinson, Tyler, Upham, and Whitman-47. So it was decided that Rollin C. Mallary is entitled to a seat in this House; and Mr. M. came forward, was qualified, and took his seat accordingly. FRIDAY, January 14. Mr. RHEA reported a bill for the relief of Samuel B. Beal, which was read twice, and committed to the Committee of the Whole to which is committed the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of the heirs and legal representatives of Nicholas Vreeland, deceased." Mr. WILLIAMS made an unfavorable report on the case of Henry Cain, which was read; when Mr. MCLEAN, of Kentucky, moved to amend the resolution recommended in the said report, so as to make it read, "That the claim of Henry Cain, for fifty dollars, be granted;" when the report and amendment were committed to a Committee of the Whole to-morrow. Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, from the Committee of Ways and Means, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act for the relief of certain persons who have paid duties on certain goods imported into Castine," reported the same without amendment; and the bill was committed to a Committee of the Whole, to-morrow. JANUARY, 1820. Mr. CAMPBELL, from the Committee on Private Land Claims, made a report on the petition of James Mackay, assignee of McDaniel, accompanied with a bill for the relief of the said James Mackay, of the Territory of Missouri; which bill was read twice, and committed to the Committee of the Whole to which is committed the bill for the relief of persons holding confirmed unlocated claims for land in the State of Illinois. Mr. CAMPBELL, from the same committee, reported a bill supplementary to "An act providing for cases of lost military land warrants, and discharges for faithful services;" which was read twice, and committed to the same Committee. Public Lands, to whom was referred the petition Mr. ANDERSON, from the Committee on the of sundry inhabitants of the State of Illinois, presented on the 10th instant, made a report thereon, accompanied with a bill for the relief of certain settlers in the Illinois Territory, residing in the Vincennes district; which bill was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole tomorrow. Mr. SERGEANT, from the Committee on the Judiciary, made an unfavorable report on the petitions of sundry inhabitants of the counties of Kenawha and Mason, in the State of Virginia; which was read, and ordered to lie on the table. Mr. SERGEANT, from the same committee, reported a bill to alter the terms of the court of the western district of Virginia; which was read twice, and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time Mr. STROTHER submitted the following resolutions, to wit: 1. Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to report, without delay, to this House, the actual balance in the Treasury, and in the hands of War Department; and the amount, if any, in the Treathe Treasurer, as agent of the Navy Department and sury, subject to the control of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, on the 1st of January, 1829. directed to report, without delay, to this House, upon 2. Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be what principle he has estimated the receipts in the Treasury from the sales of the public lands for the year 1820. 3. Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed, without delay, to report to this House, what amount of the public debt will be redeemable, accord |