consideration of bill No. 1, entitled "a bill to change the time of holding courts in certain counties of the second judicial district," Mr. Walker in the chair.

And after some time spent thereon,

Mr. Walker reported that the committee had made some progress in the bill, and desired leave to sit again thereon.

Which was granted.

Mr. Hamilton gave notice that on to-morrow he should move to amend the rules of this House, so as to allow a committee to be appointed on Legislative expenses.

And then the House adjourned until 3 o'clock, P. M.

THREE O'CLOCK P. M.

The Speaker laid before the House the following communication from the Chief Clerk, which was read and laid on the table, to wit:

TO THE HON. ALBERT G. ELLIS,

Speaker of the House of Representatives,

SIR-By an act of the Assembly approved, Feb. 18, 1942, it is made the duty of the person having charge thereof, to deliver all stationery purchased for the use of the Legislative Assembly of this territory to the Secretary of the Council and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, and although no time is specified in the said act for the delivery of the said stationery to the said officers, yet a fair construction would require that it should be delivered at the commencement of the session of the Assembly or when demanded by the said officers.

The undersigned on yesterday applied to Barlow Shackelford, Esquire, the present Librarian, and requested him to deliver to

the undersigned stationery for the use of the House of Represen. tatives, and received for answer that he had just received word from Mr. Ward not to deliver the stationery in his possession until the commencement of a legal session of the Legislature, and that none could be delivered at present. The undersigned gathered from the Librarian in substance that the stationery in his possession was contracted for by Mr. Lull, the former Librarian, and that the present incumbent is only the agent of Mr. Ward of Milwaukee, who furnished the stationery as aforesaid. The undersigned, in conjunction with the Secretary of the Coun. cil, made a demand in writing on Mr. Shackelford this morning requesting him to deliver all stationery in his possession purchased for the use of the Assembly without unreasonable delay; and after the adjournment of the House of Representatives in the forenoon, the undersigned met the Librarian in the Hall of the Capitol, and asked him if he did not intend to reply to the written demand made as aforesaid; to which the Librarian replied that he did not know-that he was willing to treat the Legislature fairly, but that no stationery could be delivered at present. The undersigned informed the Librarian that if he intend. ed to make a written communication in answer to the demand that had been made on him, he must make it soon, as a report would be expected from the undersigned in the afternoon.

At the close of the last session of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretary of the Council and the Chief Clerk of the House. of Representatives made an inventory of the stationery and other property appertaining to the Legislative Assembly, and took the receipt of the Librarian therefor, which the undersigned here. with submits to the House of Representatives for their inspection. Respectfully Your Ob'd't. Serv't.

MADISON, February 2d, 1843.

JOHN CATLIN,

Chief Clerk of H. of Rep.

On motion of Mr. Hamilton,

The House took up for consideration the following resolution and amendment, to wit:

Resolved, That the territorial Librarian be requested to re port to this House, whether, as required by law, he has contracted for the delivery of the annual amount of wood, Stationery and Candles, required for the use of the Legislative Assembly-and if so of whom what quantity of each, and at what prices-and whether there has been a delivery of any part or the whole of such purchases.

The amendment proposed to the said resolution is, "strike out all after the word "that" in the first line, to the word "has" in the second line, and insert "that a committee be appointed to examine into the situation of the Library, and to enquire whether the Librarian"

to.

And the question being put on the amendment, it was agreed

Mr. Darling moved the adoption of the following amendment. Which was agreed to, to wit:

Add to the resolution the following words: "Also further to enquire whether their is any of the stationery now on hand, which was delivered to the late Librarian at the close of the last annual session, and if so, what kind and quantity,

The said resolution was further amended, on motion of Mr. Hamilton, by inserting the words "of three" after the word "committee."

The question then recurred on the adoption of the resolution as amended.

And it was agreed to.

Messrs. Hamilton, Darling, and Hunkins, were appointed the said committee.

Saturday, February 4, 1843.

Mr. Darling offered the following resolution:

Resolved, If the Council concur, That the committee appointed to wait upon His Excellency the Governor, "and inform him. that the Legislative Assembly have again met according to adjournment, and are now ready to proceed to business," be insructed to communicate to His Excellency the following message,

viz :

That the Legislative Assembly met at the Capitol in Madison on the first Monday in December last, in obedience to the law of the territory, for the purpose of holding its annual session, but in consequence of the refusal of the Executive to meet them, and with the disposition not to enter upon the discharge of their duties under circumstances that should involve their acts or the interests of their constituents in doubt and uncertainty, and with a confidential appeal to the wisdom of Congress for relief, they did adjourn to meet again, at this place on the 30th of January last, and that in pursuance of such adjournment a quorum of both houses are now present and in organization : That they are now clearly of the opinion that the only objection urged by his Excellency against holding the annual ses. sion at that time, viz: the want of an appropriation, is now removed by the response of Congress in making a subsequent appropriation, and that therefore, they are now ready, on their part, to transact such business as the wants of the territory may require:

That the adjournment of the Assembly to the 6th of March next, the time appointod by his Excellency's proclamation, will be attended by unnecessary expenses to the territory and to the

members, and will in the opinion of the Assembly, be a more inconvenient session than the present, for the purposes of Legis lation, both to the members and to the people of the Territory; but should His Excellency still persist in refusing to meet the Assembly as a co-ordinate branch of the Legislature, it is the duty of the Assembly, having done all in their power to dis charge their legislative functions at this time, and thus save to the Territory the additio nal expenses of another adjournment, to adjourn to meet again on the day appointed by this proclamation. On motion of Mr. Hamilton,

The House resolved itself into the committee of the whole on the said resolution, Mr. Elmore in the chair, and after some time spent therein, the committee rose and reported the said resolu tion with amendments,

Mr. Hamilton called for a division of the question on agreeing to the amendments reported by the committee.

And the first amendment to strike out the words "and uncer. tainty," was concurred in.

The question was then taken on agreeing to the first part of the second amendment, to wit: to stike out the words "by the response of Congress in making a subsequent appropriation," and was unanimously determined in the affirmative.

The question then recurred on agreeing to the latter part of the socond amendment, to wit: to insert the words "by reason of a subsequent appropriation having been made," and being put, was determined in the affirmative-ayes, 9; nocs, 7.

And the ayes and noes ha ving been called for,

Those votig in the affirmative, are

Messrs. Darling, Hunkins, Judson, Masters, Olin, Parsons, Thompson, Tripp and Trowbridge--9.

Those voting in the negative, are

Messrs. Crossman, Elmore, Hamilton, Platt, Walker and El. lis--7.