settlement of certain accounts by the Supervisors of the county of Crawford ;" and the President signed the same.

The bill for the relief of overseers of Highways, was taken up, read the third time and passed.

The bill to amend an act, entitled "an act concerning appeals and writs of error, certiorari and habeas corpus," (adopted by the Governor and Judges on the 21st day of December, 1820,) was taken up, read the third time, and passed.

The resolution relative to the toll-bridge charters, submitted yesterday by Mr. M'Donell, was taken up and adopted.

The President presented the petition of the Mayor and Common Council of Detroit, praying for the passage of a law to enable then to assess and collect taxes in money for streets and highways; and also, the more effectually to secure indemnity for the expense of paving side walks. Said petition was read, and,

Mr. Drake moved that it be referred to the committee on Territorial Affairs.

Mr. M'Donell moved to amend the motion to refer, by substituting the words, "the Judiciary," in place of the words, "Territorial Affairs." The motion was decided in the affirmative, and,

Said petition was referred to the committee on the Judiciary. Mr. Trowbridge gave notice that at a future day, he should ask leave to bring in a bill to amend the Road laws of the Territory. The resolution relative to Imri Fish, submitted yesterday by Mr. Drake, was taken up and adopted.

The resolution relative to township collectors, submitted yester day by Mr. Noble, was taken up and adopted.

The resolutions relative to the naming of townships in the new counties, submitted yesterday by Mr. Schoolcraft, were taken up, and, on motion of Mr. Noble, were adopted; and,

Messrs. Schoolcraft and Noble were appointed the committee contemplated by said resolutions.

On motion of Mr. Drake,

Resolved, That the committee on Territorial Affairs be required to inquire into the expediency of repealing that law which prohibits the naming of any township in this Territory of the same name of any post town in the United States.

On motion of Mr. Trowbridge, the Council went into the consideration of Executive business; and having disposed of the same, The bill to organise the counties of St. Joseph and Kalamazoo, and for other purposes, was taken up ; and,

On motion of Mr. Irwin, said bill was committed to the committee on Territorial Affairs.

On motion of Mr. Trowbridge, the Council then adjourned unti Monday next.

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 1829.

Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Brown.

Mr. Rumsey presented the petition of John Curtis, of the county of Washtenaw, praying that a law may be passed to dissolve the marriage contract between the petitioner and Nabby Curtis; and moved that said petition and accompanying papers, be referred to a select committee of three members. The motion was agreed to, and, Messrs. Rumsey, Noble, and Brown were appointed said commit

tee.

Mr. Noble, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the petition of Lucy Berthelet, made a report favorable to the prayer of the petitioner, accompanied by

A bill for the relief of Lucy Berthelet; which was read the first time and laid on the table.

Mr. Noble, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the petition of the Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Detroit, upon the subject, reported,

A bill in addition to an act, entitled "an act relative to the city of Detroit," (approved April 4, 1827,) which was read the first time and laid on the table.

Mr. Irwin, from the committee on Territorial Affairs, to whom was referred certain petitions of the inhabitants of Mineral Point and its vicinity, in the county of Crawford, reported,

A bill to organise the county of Mindota, and for other purposes; which was read the first time, and, on motion of Mr. Irwin, said bill was then read a second time by its title, and having been Considered in committee of the whole, was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time to-morrow.

Mr. M'Donell, from the committee on Territorial Affairs, reported,

A bill concerning the Treasurer of the Territory of Michigan, and for other purposes; which was read the first time; and, on motion of Mr. M'Donell, said bill was read the second time by its title, and laid on the table.

Mr. Lawrence, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom was committed a bill for the relief of Blacks and Mulattoes, reported, verbally, that a majority of said committee deemed it inexpedient to pass said bill.

And said committee, on motion, was discharged from the further consideration of the bill; and it was laid on the table.

Mr. Lawrence, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom the subjects had been referred by resolutions of the Council, reported,

A bill to amend "an act to regulate and define the powers of Justices of the Peace and Constables in civil cases," and the act to amend said act; which was read the first time and laid on the table. Mr. Noble, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom was

F

referred the petition of John R. Williams, and others, made the following report, which was read and laid on the table:

REPORT.

The committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the petition of John R. Williams, and others, relative to the rights of landlord and tenant, have given to the subject that consideration which it required, and report:

That they cannot discover in the petition any good cause set forth for an alteration of the present laws upon that subject. The State of New-York is perhaps an exception to every other State in the Union, where the law authorises a lien and distress of all the household furniture and other property of a tenant in favor of a landlord, and to the prejudice of all other creditors.

It does not appear to your committee reasonable, or in accordance with the principles of our institutions, that this kind of monopoly should be legalised by a legislative enactment. A liberal and wise policy would place all creditors upon an equal footing with respect to their debtors, and not give to one class of citizens a prefcrence in the collection of his debt over another equally entitled to his pay-it would tend to create a kind of aristocracy repugnant to republican institutions and subversive of freedom.

Your committee cannot perceive that justice or equity could dictate a contrary course, and that although landlords may lose their rents through the misfortunes or dishonesty of their tenants, yet the law now places them upon an equal footing with other creditors, and they are no greater sufferers than those of our fellow-citizens who lose money which they may have loaned under equally honorable engagements.

Your committee therefore recommend the adoption of the follow ing resolution:

Resolved, That the petitioners have leave to withdraw their petition.

Mr. Lawrence, from the committee on the Judiciary, to whom the petition of Elizabeth Ann Phillips was referred, reported, A bill for the relief of Elizabeth A. Phillips; which was read the first time and laid on the table.

Mr. Lawrence, from the same committee, also reported,

A bill to amend an act, entitled "an act to prevent Justices of the Peace from keeping taverns, and for other purposes;" which was read the first time, and laid on the table.

Mr. Irwin, from the committee on Internal Improvement, to whom the subject had been referred by a resolution of the Council, reported the following memorial; which was read and laid on the table:

MEMORIAL.

To the honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled:

The memorial of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, would respectfully represent

That much inconvenience is experienced throughout this Territory, and the Western country generally, in consequence of the want of a regular mail from the city of Detroit, west by the way of Chicago, Green Bay and Fort Winnebago, to Galena in the State of Illinois; and from Green Bay, north, by the way of Mackinaw to the Sault St. Marie, the whole distance being computed at nine hundred miles. Satisfied as we are, that it has always been a primary consideration with the government to extend mail facilities, wherever there has been a probability of accommodating the public, we take this occasion, on behalf of our constituents, to solicit the attention of Congress to this subject; convinced that its patronage in this department of the government, could in no section be more judiciously applied. In the event of this application being met in the spirit which has actuated the Council in making it, we earnestly recommend that, that portion of the route which would intervene between Detroit and Chicago may be established on what is usually termed the Chicago road; by this location of the route, a communication will be opened by mail, through a section of the Territory which is rapidly increasing in population; and by an extension of it northward to the Sault St. Marie, and westward from Green Bay, as above proposed, five very important military posts, and the settlements in their vicinity, will be accommodated with the means of communicating with the interior, which under the existing state of things, they are but partially favored with. Impressed as we are with the conviction, that great advantage would result to the public and to individuals, by the adoption of the suggestions contained in this memorial, the Council are led to indulge the hope that it will be successful.

Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor of the Territory, be requested to transmit copies of this memorial to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the Delegate from this Territory, at the ensuing session of Congress.

Mr. Stockton, from the committee on the Militia, reported,

A bill to amend the several acts to organise the Militia; which was read the first time and laid on the table.

Mr. M'Donell, from the committee on Territorial Affairs, to whom was recommitted the memorial to the Congress of the United States, relative to an additional body to the Legislature of the Territory, reported said memorial with amendments. And said memorial, as amended by the committee, was read and laid on the table. Mr. Noble, from the committee of Eurolment, reported, as correctly enrolled, bills with the following titles, viz: "An act to amend an act, entitled 'an act concerning appeals, and writs of error, certiorari, and habeas corpus," (adopted by the Governor and Judges on the 21st day of December, 1820,) and, "an act for the relief of overseers of Highways ;" and the President signed the

same.

Mr. M'Donell, from the committee on Territorial Affairs, to whom the subject was referred, made the following report:

REPORT.

The committee ask leave to be discharged from the further consideration of the subject matter of the resolution relative to Imri Fish, inasmuch as they consider the maintenance of said Fish to be a county charge.

And the resolution and report thereon was laid on the table.

Mr. M'Donell, from the same committee, to whom the subject was referred by a resolution of the Council relative to the speedy distribution of the laws, adopted the 17th ult. reported,

That the committee deem that sufficient provision is made for the distribution of the laws; and ask to be discharged from the further consideration of the subject.

And the resolution and report was laid on the table.

The report made by the committee on Territorial Affairs on the 2d inst. on that part of the Governor's message which relates to taking a census, was taken up; whereupon,

Mr. Irwin moved that the report be concurred in by the Council, and the committee be discharged from further consideration of the subject; and the motion was agreed to.

The memorial to the Congress of the United States, relative to the construction of a floating light in the Straits of Michilimackinac, reported from the committee on Internal Improvement on the 2d inst. was taken up, and,

On motion of Mr. Irwin, said report was adopted.

Mr. Connor submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table:

Resolved, That the committee on Territorial Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of amending the law of the Territory relating to the ear marks and brands of cattle, sheep, and hogs, so as to require the Township Clerks to do duties similar to those now required to be performed by County Clerks.

Mr. Noble submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table:

Resolved, That the committee on Schools be instructed to inquire into the expediency of so amending the law for the establishment of Common Schools, as to make it the duty of the Supervisors of the several townships in this Territory, to report annually to the Governor the state of the schools within their several townshipssetting forth therein the number of scholars in each school (distintinguishing male and female,) the salaries of the teachers, the length of time which instruction is afforded in the year; the different branches of education pursued; and the general operation of the school law within their respective townships-also, the present value of the school section therein, and the prospect of its increase.

Mr. Stockton submitted the following resolution, which was read and laid on the table: