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ander C. Mitchell, and Jarard Gardner, stating that whilst their ship Tarquin, was engaged on a whaling voyage, she met at sea, the ship Magnanimous John," belonging to the king of Portugal, with a general officer and troops on board; which latter ship was in a wrecked and distressed situation; and that being induced by motives of humanity, and promises of ample reward, the captain of the ship Tarquin, took the vessel of the king of Portugal in tow, and safely carried her into the port of Rio Janeiro, by which her whaling voyage was broken up, and the petitioners subjected to a loss of thirty thousand dollars; and that the promised reward hath been withheld, and praying the interposition of the government of the United States to enable them to obtain the same.

State.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Secretary of

The following petitions heretofore presented, were again presented, and referred to the committee of Claims, to wit:

By Mr. Mason, of Massachusetts, that of James Prince, presented on the 9th December, 1816.

By Mr Smith, of Maryland, that of Anne Wilson, presented on the 23d February, 1810.

By Mr. Rhea, those of John E. Myles, Polly Jones, and Zachariah M Girk, presented on the 16th December, 1816.

Mr. Hubbard presented a petition of Rosewell Woodworth, praying for a grant of the land, to which his father, Nathaniel Woodworth, deceased, was entitled, for his services, as a drummer in the British army in America, in the war between Great Britain and France, which commenced in the year 1755.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on Public Lands.

Mr. Sampson presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the county of Plymouth in Massachusetts, praying for the establishment of a post route.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee on Post Office and Post Roads.

Mr. Shaw presented a petition of Gad Worthington, a deputy collector of direct tax and internal duties, praying to be allowed in the settlement of his accounts, for a sum of public money, of which he was robbed in the night, by persons unknown to him.

Mr. Darlington presented a petition of John Barr, surety of a certain Jacob Weaver, in a bond given to secure the duties on his distillery, praying to be relieved from the payment of a part of the said bond, for reasons stated in the petition.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the committee of Ways and Means.

The following petitions heretofore presented, were also again presented, and referred to the committe of Ways and Means, viz: By Mr. Garnett, that of Lawrence Muse, presented the 4th of February, 1817.

By Mr. Lowndes, those of John B. Dabney, and Abraham

Richards, presented on the 5th of April, 1816, and 11th February,

1817..

By Mr. Forsyth, that of Joseph Thorn, presented on the 5th December, 1816.

Mr. Bassett presented a petition of Abraham Montague, praying for a grant of the land, to which his father, Richard Montague, deceased, was entitled, by military warrant.

Mr. Rhea presented a petition of Henry Conway, praying that leave may be granted him to file, with the register of the land office, in the territory of Alabama, evidence of his title to a tract of land, in Mobile county, in the said territory.

Mr. Scott presented petitions from Henry Steen, Thomas Fenwick, and others, representatives of Joseph Fenwick, deceased, and Isidore Moore, assignee of Thomas Fenwick, respectively praying that their titles to certain tracts of land, in the territory of Missouri, may be confirmed.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the committee on Private Land Claims.

Mr. Taylor, from the committee of Elections, made a report. which was read, and the resolution therein contained, was concurred in by the House as follows:

Resolved, That the President of the United States, be requested to communicate to this House, whether any, and if any, which of the Representatives, named in the list hereto annexed,* have held any office under the United States, since the 4th day of March, 1817, designating the office or offices they have respectively held; the time of appointment and acceptance, of said offices; whether the same are now held, and if not, when the same were severally resigned.

Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Cashman, were appointed a committee, to present the foregoing resolution to the President of the United States.

Ordered, That the committee of Ways and Means be discharged from the further consideration of the petitions of Jeremiah Brownell, John Boyd, and Lemuel H. Osgood, and that leave be given to withdraw the two former, and that the latter be referred to the committee of Claims.

Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, from the committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of Alexander Worster, which was read and committed to a committee of the whole on Wednesday next.

Mr. Hopkinson, from the committee on the Judiciary, reported a bill to establish an uniform system of Bankruptcy throughout the United States, which was read a first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole on Monday next.

Mr. Savage, from the committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business, made a report, which was read and ordered to lie on the table.

A list of the Members of the House.

Mr. Parris, from the committee appointed on the petition of Noah Miller, made a report thereon, which was read; when

Mr. Parris reported a bill for the relief of the said Noah Miller, which was read the first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole on Monday next.

Mr. Bloomfield, from the committee appointed on so much of the President's message as relates to the surviving officers and soldiers of the revolutionary army, reported a bill to provide for certain surviving officers and soldiers of the revolutionary army; which was read the first and second time and committed to a committee of the whole House on Tuesday next.

The House proceeded to consider the proposition submitted yesterday by Mr. Bassett, to amend the standing rules and orders of the House; and the same being again read, was concurred in.

On motion of Mr. Edwards,

Resolved, That the committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire what further provisions are necessary in the existing Jaws for the more effectual prevention of frauds by purchasers of public lands.

On motion of Mr. Scott,

Resolved, That the committee on the Public Lands, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of making further provisions by law, for the final adjustment of land claims in the Missouri Territory.

On motion of Mr. Moore,

Resolved, That the committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be instructed to inquire into the expediency of granting an extra compensation to the post master in Beavertown, Pennsylvania. On motion of Mr. M.Lane.

Resolved, That the committee on so much of the President's message as relates to roads, canals. and seminaries of learning, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, to subscribe for stock in the company incorporated under the name and style of "The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company," or in any other company now, or hereafter to be incorporated, for similar purposes, to be paid for, by the appropriation of public lands, or by any surplus money in the Treasury of the United States.

The Speaker laid before the House, a letter from the Secretary of State, transmitting his report on the petitions of Antoine Bienvenue, Peter La Coste and Jacques Villere; which were referred to the committee of Claims.

The Speaker also laid before the House, a report of the Secretary of War, of the number of warrants for military bounty lands, issued by virtue of acts, passed for that purpose, to soldiers who served during the late war, with the quantity of land included in such warrants; which was read and ordered to lie on the table.

The Speaker also laid before the House, a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, containing, in obedience to the 16th section

of the act, incorporating the Bank of the United States, his reasons for not transferring the deposites of the public moneys in certain places, to the said bank or its branches; which letter was ordered to lie on the table.

The Speaker also laid before the House a report of the Secretary of the Treasury, on the petition of William Taylor and Ezekiel Walker, which was referred to the committee of Ways and Means.

An engrossed bill, entitled "An act supplementary to the act establishing the Mint, and the act concerning the Mint," was read the third time, and passed.

Ordered, That the title be as aforesaid, and that the Clerk carry the said bill to the Senate, and ask their concurrence therein.

The House resolved itself into a committee of the whole, on the bill for the relief of John Bate; and after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Wilkin reported that the committee had made some progress therein, and directed him to ask leave to sit again.

Ordered, That the committee of the whole have leave to sit again on the said bill.

Ordered, That the committee of the whole, to which is committed the bill authorizing the commutation of soldiers' bounty lands, be discharged from the consideration of the same, and that it be committed to the committee of the whole to which is committed sundry resolutions moved by Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, on the 9th instant.

On the motion of Mr. Newton,

Ordered, That when the House adjourns, it adjourn to meet again on Monday next;

And then the House adjourned.

MONDAY, December 15, 1817.

Two other members, to wit: from Pennsylvania, John Ross, and from Mississippi, George Poindexter, appeared, produced their credentials and took their seats; the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, being first administered to them by Mr. Speaker.

next.

Ordered, That Mr. Herrick, have leave of absence until Friday

Mr. Silsbee presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of Essex county, in the state of Massachusetts, praying that the act imposing duties on imported salt, may be repealed; or that the act granting a bounty to vessels employed in the fisheries, may be so altered or modified, as that the bounty on small vessels may be equal, per ton, to the bounty granted to large vessels.

Mr. Storrs presented a petition of Purley Keyes, on behalf of himself and Jason Fairbanks of Watertown, Jefferson county, state of New York, stating that they became the sureties of a cer tain Samuel Whittlesey, a paymaster of militia in the service of the

United States, in the penal sum of fifteen thousand dollars; that they detected the said Whittlesey, in an attempt to defraud the United States of the sum of thirty-six thousand dollars, and recovered of him thirty-two thousand dollars thereof, which they paid over to the proper authority, and praying, in consideration of their exertions in doing so, that such relief may be granted them, as Congress may think just and proper.

Mr. Smith, of Maryland, presented a petition of Chales F. Kalkman, merchant of Baltimore, stating that by accidents, losses, and misfortunes, he has become insolvent, and unable to pay his obligations to the United States, for the payment of duties, and pray.. ing that his person may be exempted from confinement; and that he may be allowed further time to pay the said obligations.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the committee of Ways and Means.

Mr. Richards presented a petition of Abraham Byington, praying to be released from the payment of his notes, given to satisfy a judgment obtained against him, as the surety of a certain Robert Gilmore, who was a deputy postmaster, in the town of Rockingham, in the state of Vermont.

Mr. Storrs presented a petition of Elias Parks, praying compensation for a large quantity of goods, wares, and merchandise, which were destroyed by the British forces upon their capture of Oswego, during the late war, as he was unable to remove the same to a place of safety, in consequence of the impressment of his means of transportation, into the service of the troops of the United States.

Mr. Garnett presented a petition of John Haile, collector of the customs of the district of Tappahannock, in the state of Virginia, praying compensation for his house, which was destroyed by the British forces, in the late war, in consequence of its being occupied as a custom house.

Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, presented a petition of John Anderson, praying compensation for his house situated in Detroit, which was destroyed whilst in the occupancy of a detachment of the army of General Harrison, during the late war with Great Britain.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the committee of

Claims.

Mr. Boss presented a petition of the cotton and woollen manufacturers residing in Providence and its vicinity, in the state of Rhode Island, praying that the duties at present imposed on imported cotton and woollen goods may be rendered permanent, and that provisions may be made more effectually to prevent evasions of the payment of said duties; and that such further measures may be adopted for the security and promotion of American manufactures as Congress may deem proper and expedient.

Mr. Bloomfield presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the counties of Burlington and Gloucester, in the state of New Jersey, praying that additional duties may be imposed on the various species of iron imported into the United States.