Mr. Rhodes moved to adjourn until to-morrow, at 11 o'clock, A. M.. Carried. The House adjourned until to-morrow, at 10 o'clock, A. M. IN ASSEMBLY. WEDNESDAY, January 9, 1856. House met pursuant to adjournment. Speaker in the chair. Roll called and following members were absent: Messrs. Andrews, Batchelder, Beatty, Brent, Brunton, Brush, Bynum, Callbreath, Cone, Curtis, Downey, Gaston, Holland, Hoover, Hunter, Leihy, Lippincott, McDonald, McFarland, McGehee, Oliver, Oxley, Pearson, Pugh, Reynolds, Sellick, Sharp, Swan, Taliaferro, Taylor, Turner, Upton, Winsor. Journal was read and approved. Mr. McGehee moved that the standing rules of the last session be adopted. Mr. Stout moved to amend so as to except that portion of the rules relating to the number of officers, &c. Adopted. Mr. Stout moved that a committee of three be appointed to draft rules for the government of the House. Adopted. The Speaker appointed Messrs. Upton, Peck and Hawes, the committee. A division of the House was called for with the following result : Ayes 26-Noes 24. So the motion was carried. Messrs. Shuck, Webb, J. L. Sanders, Jno Smith, Cummings, Diehl, and Wheeler were put in nomination. The House then proceeded to vote, with the following result: Mr. Oliver moved that the two lowest candidates after each vote be dropp Mr. Stout moved that only one be dropped after each vote. Adopted. The House then proceeded to the 2d ballot, with the following result: Mr. Beatty moved the indefinite postponement of the whole subject. Messrs. Oxley, Taylor and Cartter, demanded the Ayes and Noes on the with the following result: AYES. Messrs. Andrews, Beatty, Bell, Boring, Borland, Brent. Brunton, Brush, Callbreath, Downey, Dustin, Ewalt, Gray, Haile, Hunt, Kendrick, Lewis, cott, Mathews, McDonald, McFarland, Meloney, Moulthorp, Pearson, Ra Sherrard, Stephenson, Sterritt, Wagner, Weir-31. NOES. Messrs. Batchelder, Bowe, Cartter, Cone, Curtis, Davis, Dick, Gage, George, Hawes, Heald, Heiskell, Holland, Hoover, Kelly, Lamon, Leihy, M Oliver, Oxley, Peck, Pugh, Read, Rhodes, Ricks, Sellick, Sharp, Shearer Taylor, Upton, Van Dusen, Welch, White, Williams, Winsor, Winston, and Mr. Speaker-40. So the motion was lost, 31 to 40. Mr. McFarland of Nevada moved that the election of Chaplain be made the special order of the day for Monday next, at 10 o'clock, A. M. Motion was carried. Mr Hawes gave notice of an act to repeal the several charters of the City of San Francisco, to define the boundaries of the City and County of San Francisco, and to consolidate the government. The following message from the Senate was read: Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate be requested to inform the Assembly that the Senate has organized by the election of permanent officers, and is ready to proceed to Legislative business. Mr. Speaker: I am directed to inform the Assembly, that the Senate yesterday adopted the following resolutions : Resolved, By the Senate, (the Assembly concurring,) that the two houses will meet in Joint Convention to-morrow, at 12 M., January 9, 1856, to canvass the votes for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. Resolved, By the Senate, (the Assembly concurring,) that the Senate will meet the Assembly on Wednesday, 9th,1856, at 2 o'clock, to inaugurate the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor elect, and that a committee of three be appointed on the part of the Senate, and a like number on the part of the Assembly, to make necessary arrangements. Respectfully, W. BAUSMAN, Mr. Shearer moved that the House concur with the resolution passed by the Senate. Carried. Mr. Winston offered the following resolution: Resolved, by the Assembly, (the Senate concurring,) that a committee of two from each House be appointed to wait upon his Excellency, the Governor, and inform him that we are now organized and ready to receive any communication that he may wish to present. Adopted. The Speaker appointed on the part of the House, Taylor and Lippincott. Mr. Holland gave notiee that on to-morrow he would introduce a bill for an Act to amend an Act eutitled an Act to reincorporate the City of San Francisco, passed the 18th day of May, A. D. 1855. Mr. Curtis introduced the following resolution: Resolved, That there be a committee of three appointed by the chair, to make inquiry and ascertain what disposition was made of the clock purchased last winter from Hiller and Andrews, of this city, for the use of this Assembly. Adopted. Mr. George gave notice, that he would introduce at an early day, an Act entitled An Act, securing to Mechanics and others a lien for work done and materials furnished. Mr. Curtis introduced the following resolution: Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms be instructed to make arrangements with the Post Master of Sacramento, and also with one or more Express Companies, on the most advantageous terms, for the carrying of all mail matter for the Assembly. It was moved and seconded to strike out all that part of the resolution relating to Express Companies. It was moved and seconded to lay the resolution on the table. Carried. The Speaker appointed Mr. Hawes in place of Mr. Lippincott, on Committee to wait on his Excellency, Governor Bigler. Mr. Coombs, of Alameda, appeared, and was qualified. On motion, the House took a recess of fifteen minutes. The Committee appointed to wait on his Excellency, Governor Bigler, reported that the Governor would send in his message in twenty minutes. Report adopted, and Committee discharged. The following message from the Senate was read: Mr. Speaker: I am directed to inform the Assembly that the following concurrent resolution was adopted: Resolved, by the Senate, the Assembly concurring, That a committee of two from each House be appointed to wait on his Excellency the Governor, and inform him that both Houses are organized and ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make. And the President appointed as said committee on the part of the Senate, Messrs. Mandeville and Day. Respectfully, W. BAUSMAN. The Secretary of State presented the Annual Message of Governor Bigler and accompanying documents. ANNUAL MESSAGE. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, 1856.} Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and Assembly: Having assembled as the immediate representatives of a free people to deliberate upon the varied wants and interests of a great State, the duty again devolves on me as Chief Executive of communicating with you by message, setting forth the "condition of the State" and recommending such measures as I "may deem expedient," and promotive of the prosperity, happiness, and wealth of our com mon constituents. The manifold interests committed to your care, and which it will be your duty to foster and protect, are of vast importance to the whole people, and as their representatives, it affords me sincere pleasure at the opening of a new year, to welcome you to the scene of your legislative labors, and to express the confident hope that all your acts will not only accord with the public will, but redound to the increased prosperity of our young State. You have assembled under circumstances the most auspicious, and at a time, too, when wise counsels and judicious legislation will immeasurably advance the onward progress of California to that high position among the confederacy of sovereign States to which she is so eminently entitled. For the first five years of our history, it may well be said that California was placed in a peculiar, anomalous, and even perilous condition; when Legislatures were necessarily surrounded by circumstances well calculated to retard her growth and advancement, and to encumber her with indebtedness beyond any former precedent in the history of other States of the confederacy. Before, however, setting forth the financial condition of the State at the present time, and suggesting such measures of economy and reform as are deemed necessary to reduce the expenditures of Government, it may not be improper briefly to call your attention to a few facts and circumstances connected with the early history of the State, that you may the better understand and appreciate the real causes of the indebtedness incurred. For notwithstanding the errors which may have been committed from a lack of correct information and experience as to the wants and requirements of a new State, emerging at one stride from the cradle to the estate of full manhood, we are entitled to the just inferences only to be drawn from a careful examination of the various causes which have, to a very great extent, laid the foundation of our indebtedness. It will be remembered that California, unlike other new States of the confederacy, never received the fostering care of the General Government, and had no Territorial organization,-that wise provision, aptly termed the period of probation and tutelage, during which the agents of a young community are expected to develop the latent resources of the future State, become acquainted |