SECTION 1. The people of Texas in convention assembled have ordained and declared and do hereby ordain and declare, That the delegation aforesaid to the Congress aforesaid be, and they are hereby, instructed, and we do accordingly instruct them in behalf of the State and as representing its sovereign authority, to apply for the admission of this State into said Confederacy, and to that end and for that purpose to give in the adhesion of Texas to the Provisional Constitution of said Confederate States; and which said Constitution this convention hereby approves, ratifies, and accepts.

SEC. 2. Be it further ordained, That the delegation appointed by this convention to the Congress of the Confederate States be, and they are hereby, authorized to act in said Congress as the duly accredited representatives of the State of Texas: Provided, however, That any permanent constitution which may be formed by said Congress shall not become obligatory on this State until approved by the people in such way as shall be determined upon.

SEC. 3. Be it further ordained, That the president of the convention immediately transmit, through such channel as he may elect, a copy or copies of this ordinance to the Congress at Montgomery, and the members of Congress from this State. Done at the city of Austin, on the 5th day of March, A. D. 1861.

O. M. ROBERTS, President of the Convention.

I certify that the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original ordinance adopted by the convention of the people of Texas at Austin, on the 5th day of March, A. D. 1861, and now on file in my office.

Mr. Curry offered

R. T. BROWNRIGG,
Secretary to the Convention.

Resolutions in relation to the contingent fund of Congress; which were read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

The Chair laid before Congress estimates from the Department of Secretary of the Treasury; which were referred to the Committee on Finance.

Congress went into secret session; and after spending some time therein, adjourned until 12 m. to-morrow.

SECRET SESSION.

Congress having gone into secret session,

The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.

Mr. Conrad offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That the President of the Confederate States be requested, as soon as the number of States required for its adoption shall have ratified the permanent Constitution, to transmit a copy thereof, together with a copy of this resolution, to each of the slaveholding States that have not joined this Confederacy.

The resolution was adopted.

On motion of Mr. Clayton, the injunction of secrecy as to the President's veto and the proceedings of Congress on the bill relative to the African slave trade was removed.

Mr. Toombs, from the Committee on Finance, reported

A bill to be entitled "An act to authorize the transit of merchandise through the Confederate States."

Congress having proceeded to its consideration, the bill was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed. Mr. Toombs, from the same committee, reported

A bill to be entitled "An act to repeal the third section of an act to xempt from duty certain commodities therein named, and for other oses."

The bill was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Toombs, from the same committee, also reported

A bill to be entitled "An act making appropriations for the customhouses in New Orleans and Charleston, and for other purposes."

The bill was considered, read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Conrad, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, reported

A bill to be entitled "An act supplementary to an act entitled 'An act to organize the Navy;""

which was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Conrad, from the same committee, reported

A resolution to pay certain naval officers their traveling expenses; which was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Engrossment, reported as correctly engrossed and enrolled

An act making appropriations for the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of Government for the year ending February 4, 1862; Resolutions in reference to forts, dockyards, reservations, and property ceded to the Confederate States;

An act to authorize the appointment of commercial agents or consuls to foreign ports;

An act to authorize the construction or purchase of ten gunboats; An act to define and fix the pay of the officers of the Congress of the Provisional Government;

An act to amend an act to establish a court of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction at Key West, in the State of Florida;

An act to provide for the payment of light money in the Confederate States:

An act to appoint a second auditor of the Treasury;

An act authorizing the President alone to make certain appointments; An act vesting certain powers in the Postmaster-General;

An act to amend the laws relative to the compensation of the attorneys of the Confederate States; also

An act to provide for the organization of the Navy.

Mr. Morton, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, reported

A bill to be entitled "An act to establish the bureau of Indian affairs;" which was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Morton introduced

A bill to be entitled "An act to carry into effect the provisions of an act of the legislature of Florida."

Mr. Memminger moved to refer the bill to the Committee on Finance. The States voted thereon as follows:

Yea: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Nay: Florida and Louisiana.

The motion prevailed.

Mr. Conrad, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, reported

A bill to be entitled "An act making appropriations for the support. of the Navy for the year ending fourth February, eighteen hundred and sixty-two."

On motion of Mr. Conrad, the ninth clause was stricken out and the

words of the tenth clause, to wit, "the same amounting in the aggregate to two million and sixty-five thousand one hundred and ten dollars," were also stricken out.

The bill as amended was read a third time and passed.

Mr. Curry offered the following resolution; which was agreed to, viz:

Resolved, That the Secretary of Congress be charged with the care and distribution of all matter printed for the Congress and of the stationery of the Congress.

Congress proceeded to the consideration of

A bill to be entitled "An act to exempt from duty certain articles of merchandise therein named."

The first section being as follows, to wit:

SECTION 1. The Confederate States of America do enact, That all railroad iron, cars, and other materials connected with the construction of roads, and running their trains, and all other dutiable commodities bona fide purchased within the late United States by any person or corporation before the eighteenth day of February, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, which may be imported into the Confederate States after the fifteenth day of March, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, within a reasonable time after delivery by the seller, in pursuance of contract of purchaser, shall be free and exempt from duty.

On motion of Mr. Toombs, the same was stricken out and the following inserted in lieu thereof, to wit:

The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and empowered to remit the duty in all cases where commodities were bona fide purchased or contracted for on or before the eighteenth day of February last, within the late United States, where the importer has not been able to comply with the provisions of the act to define more accurately the exemption of certain goods from duty, which required that the goods, wares, and merchandise should have been actually laden on board of the exporting vessel or conveyance destined for any port in this Confederacy on or before the fifteenth day of March in the present year: Provided, Such testimony is furnished the Secretary of the Treasury by the importer that it was impossible to comply with the provisions of said act, and also the demand and collection of said duty has operated injuriously to him or them beyond the commercial effect upon articles of consumption by the imposition of duties. The second section being as follows:

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all books, pamphlets, and tracts, and other publications printed and published by any church or benevolent society, whose organization extends to and embraces citizens of the Confederate States, shall be free and exempt from duty.

Mr. Curry moved to strike out the same.

The motion was lost.

The bill then, as amended, was engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. McRae introduced

A bill to be entitled "An act to fix the duties on the articles therein named."

Mr. Curry moved to amend the bill by adding thereto the following words, viz:

That the provisions of this act be extended to all railroad iron now in any warehouse in the Confederate States.

The motion was lost.

Mr. Clayton moved to amend the bill by striking out the word "coal" and adding the following, to wit: "Be it further enacted, That coal shall be free of duty;" which was lost, the States voting:

Yea: Georgia and Louisiana.

Nay: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas.

Florida divided.

Mr. Conrad moved to amend the bill by making the duty on coal 10 per cent; which was also lost, the States voting:

Yea: Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.

Nay: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas.

On motion of Mr. McRae, the bill was amended by adding thereto the following words: "This act shall go into effect on the first day of May next."

On motion of Mr. Memminger, the bill was further amended by adding the following, viz: "The reduction of duty allowed by this act shall not extend to goods, wares, and merchandise in bond.

The bill as amended was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

On motion of Mr. Miles, the Committee on Military Affairs were discharged from the consideration of all bills, resolutions, memorials, etc., relating to the subject of establishing an army for the Confederate States of America and said papers ordered to be delivered to the War Department.

Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Engrossment, reported as correctly engrossed and enrolled

An act to authorize the transit of merchandise through the Confederate States;

An act to exempt from duty certain articles of merchandise therein named:

An act to fix the duties on the articles therein named;

An act to establish the bureau of Indian affairs;

Resolutions in relation to the contingent fund of Congress;

An act making appropriations for the support of the Navy for the year ending February 4, 1862;

A resolution to pay certain naval officers their traveling expenses: An act making appropriations for the custom-houses at New Orleans and Charleston, and for other purposes;

An act supplementary to an act entitled "An act to organize the Navy;" and

An act to repeal the third section of an act to exempt from duty certain commodities therein named, and for other purposes.

A message was received from the President submitting estimates for the War Department and the Post-Office Department; which were referred to the Committee qn Finance.

On motion of Mr. Harrison,

Congress adjourned till 12 o'clock to-morrow.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1861.

OPEN SESSION.

Congress met pursuant to adjournment.

Prayer was offered by the Rev. Mr. Henderson.
The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.

Mr. Hale introduced

A bill to be entitled "An act supplemental of an act to define and fix the pay of the officers of the Congress."

Congress having proceeded to its consideration, the bill was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and passed. Mr. Hale offered

A resolution providing for the auditing and paying certain claims against the Congress;

which was read a first and second time, engrossed, read a third time, and adopted.

Mr. Rhett offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That as soon as the signatures of the members of this convention are placed on the enrolled Constitution of the Confederate States, the president of this convention shall cause the same to be lithographed and copies thereof to be sent to each of the Confederate States.

The resolution was adopted.

Mr. Clayton, from the Committee on Judiciary, reported

A bill to be entitled "An act to prohibit the introduction of slaves from any State not a member of this Confederacy;"

which was read a first and second time and ordered to be placed on the Public Calendar.

Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Patents, reported back sundry letters and memorials on the subject of patents; which have been referred to the committee, and ask to be discharged from further consideration of the same.

The papers were ordered to be placed on the files of the Congress. The regular orders on the Public Calendar were postponed for the time and Congress went into secret session; and after remaining some time therein, adjourned until the second Monday of May next.

SECRET SESSION.

The Congress being in secret session,

Mr. Clayton reported a bill to prevent the importation of African negroes, etc.; which was read the first and second time and ordered to be placed on the Calendar and printed.

Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Engrossment, reported as correctly engrossed and enrolled

A resolution to provide for the auditing and payment of certain claims against the Congress; and

An act supplemental to an act to fix the pay of the officers of the Congress.

Mr. Clayton offered the following:

A bill to amend an act entitled "An act authorizing the President alone to make certain appointments;"

which was read the first and second times.

The first section having been read as follows, viz:

That an act described in the caption hereof shall be held and construed to extend to and comprehend the appointment of all officers, civil, military or naval, not expressly required by the Constitution, or some act of Congress heretofore passed, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Congress; but any such appointments shall be submitted to the Congress when it reassembles, for its advice and consent.

Mr. Conrad moved to amend by striking out the same and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

That the act described in the caption hereof shall be held and construed to authorize the President to appoint, during the recess of Congress, all officers, civil, military, and naval, established by law: Provided, Such appointments shall be submitted to the Congress when it reassembles, for its advice and consent.