Mr. Kerr offered the following preamble and resolution:

Whereas, the speaker of this house has announced his intention to proceed forthwith in this hall to open and publish the election returns for governor and lieutenant governor, in pursuance of the requisitions of the constitution, and has given the senate notice thereof,

Resolved, That the house will attend upon the appointment of the speaker in the discharge of the duties devolved upon them by the constitution, and that seats be provided for the members of the senate on the right of the speaker's seat

Resolved further, That the senate be informed of the same, and that the house is now ready to proceed to said business.

Which was agreed to.

The senate then, in pursuance of the invitation of the house, communicated through the speaker, came into the hall of the house, preceded by the president of the senate; when,

The joint convention was called to order by the president of the

senate.

The president then declared

GENTLEMEN: We have assembled in joint convention, in accordance with the provision of section 4, article 5, of the constitution of the State of Indiana, which reads as follows:

"SEC. 4. In voting for governor and lieutenant governor, the electors shall designate for whom they vote as governor, and for whom as lieutenant governor. The returns of every election for governor and lieutenant governor shall be sealed up and transmitted to the seat of government, directed to the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall open and publish them in the presence of both houses of the general assembly."

The speaker of the house of representatives will now proceed to open and publish the returns for the election of governor and lieutenant governor of the State of Indiana.

The speaker of the house of representatives, then, in the presence of both houses of the general assembly, proceeded to open the returns of the votes cast for governor and lieutenant governor of the State of Indiana, on the 14th day of October, 1856, and, on counting all of the votes returned, it appeared therefrom that, for the office of governor :

Ashbel P. Willard had received........
Oliver P. Morton had received..........

117,981 votes....112,139 votes.

Ashbel P. Willard, having received a majority of all the votes cast, was, by the speaker of the house of representatives, in the presence of both houses of the general assembly of the State of Indiana, declared duly elected governor of the State of Indiana, to serve as such for the term of four years, from and after the second Monday in January, A. D. 1857.

The president of the senate then called Senator Tarkington to the chair.

Ashbel P. Willard was then sworn into office by Hon. Samuel E. Perkins, one of the judges of the supreme court, and delivered his inaugural address.

Rep. No. 275-4

"For the office of lieutenant governor, it appeared from the returns aforesaid, that

Abram A. Hammond had received.
Conrad Baker had received............................

116,717 111,620

"Abram A. Hammond, having received a majority of all the votes cast, was, by the speaker of the house of representatives, in the presence of both houses of the general assembly, declared duly elected lieutenant governor of the State of Indiana, for the term of four years, from, and after the second Monday of January, A. D. 1857.

"Abram A. Hammond was then sworn into office by the Hon. Samuel E. Perkins, one of the judges of the supreme court.

"The president of the joint convention then declared said convention adjourned, to re-assemble in the hall of the house of representatives on Monday the 2d day of February, 1857, at two o'clock in the afternoon."

"MONDAY, 2 O'CLOCK P. M., February 2, 1857.

"The house met.

"The journal was read and adopted.

"In obedience to an adjourned joint convention of the 12th of January, the senate, preceded by the lieutenant governor, appeared within the hall of the house, where seats were provided for them on the right of the speaker's chair.

"The lieutenant governor, acting as president of the convention, then stated, that on the 12th of January, in obedience to the requirements of the constitution, the senators and representatives had met in joint convention in this place, and after transacting the business then required of them, had adjourned until this day at 2 o'clock p. m. That in pursuance of this adjournment the convention was now convened. He then declared the joint convention adjourned, to meet within the hall of the house on Wednesday next, at 10 o'clock a. m."

"WEDNESDAY MORNING, 9 O'CLOCK, February 4, 1857.

The hour for the meeting of the joint convention of the two houses of the general assembly having arrived, the senate, preceded by the lieutenant governor, appeared within the hall of the house, where seats were provided for them, on the right of the speaker's chair.

Upon calling the convention to order, the president, with the consent of the joint convention, appointed Solon Turman secretary thereof, who was duly sworn in as such by the Hon. Samuel Perkins, one of the judges of the supreme court, and entered upon the discharge of his duties.

"The chairman addressed the convention as follows:

GENTLEMEN: Pursuant to adjournment on Monday, February 2, 1857, we are assembled in joint convention, under a provision of the constitution of the State of Indiana, and you will now proceed to choose a

United States senator by a viva voce vote, to serve as such until the 4th of March, 1861.

Mr. Walpole nominated Graham N. Fitch.

Those who voted for Mr. Graham N. Fitch, were:

Messrs. Alexander, Brown, Drew, Fisk, Gooding, Hargrove, Hefren, Hostetler, Johnston, Mansfield, Mathes, Miller, McCleary, McClure, McLean, Richardson, Rugg, Slater, of Dearborn, Slater, of Johnson, Tarkington, Wallace, Wilson, and Woods, of the senate.

The senator from Laporte, Mr. Weir, voted blank.

Messrs. Abel, Adams, Allen, Ayres, Bethell, Blake, Bowman, Branson, Brown, Bryan, Carnahan, Clark, Claypool, Conduitt, Crowe, Cullen, Davis, of Sullivan, Denby, Dobbins, Duncan, Early, Edson, Harrison, Herod, Hoagland, Humphreys, Kerr, Landiss, Lane, Lewis, Massey, Marvin, Modesitt, Moore, McDaniel, McDonald, of Fountain, McFarland, McGinnis, McKinney, Neff, Reese, Reyman, Ricketts, Robbins, Schermerhorn, Sherrod, Shoulders, Slicer, Smith, of Bartholomew, Stillwell, Studabaker, Taggart, Trippet, Wallace, Walpole, Wiley, Williams, of Knox, Williamson, Yater, and Mr. Speaker of house of representatives-83.

Messrs. Hayden and Wright voted for George G. Dunn-2.

Graham N. Fitch having received a majority of all the votes of the members of the general assembly of the State of Indiana was declared by the president of the convention duly elected United States senator from the State of Indiana, to serve as such until the 4th of March, 1861.

The president then announced, that the joint convention would now proceed to choose a United States senator by a viva voce vote, to serve as such from the 4th of March, 1857 until the 4th of March, 1863.

Senator Slater nominated Hon. Jesse D. Bright.

Those who voted for Jesse D. Bright, were:

Messrs. Alexander, Brown, Drew, Fisk, Gooding, Hargrove, Hefren, Hostetler, Johnston, Mansfield, Mathes, Miller, McCleary, McClure, McLean, Richardson, Rugg, Slater, of Dearborn, Slater, of Johnson, Tarkington, Wallace, Wilson, and Woods, of the senate. The senator from Laporte, Mr. Weir, was present; refused to vote for any one.

Messrs. Abel, Adams, Allen, Ayres, Bethell, Blake, Bowman, Branson, Brown, Bryan, Carnahan, Clark, Claypool, Conduitt, Crowe, Cullen, Davis, of Sullivan, Denby, Dobbins, Duncan, Early, Edson, Harrison, Herod, Hoagland, Humphreys, Kerr, Landiss, Lane, Lewis, Massey, Marvin, Modesitt, Moore, McDaniel, McDonald, of Fountain, McFarland, McGinnis, McKinney, Neff, Reese, Reyman, Ricketts, Robbins, Schermerhorn, Sherrod, Shoulders, Slicer, Smith, of Bartholomew, Stillwell, Studabaker, Taggart, Trippet, Wallace, Walpole, Wiley, Williams, of Knox, Williamson, Yater, and Mr. Speaker of the house of representatives-83.

Messrs. Hayden and Wright voted for Richard W. Thompson-2.

Jesse D. Bright having received a majority of all the votes of the general assembly of the State of Indiana was declared by the president of the joint convention duly elected United States senator from the State of Indiana, to serve as such until the 4th day of March, 1863.

The president then adjourned the joint convention to meet in the hall of the house of representatives, on Wednesday, the 11th instant, at 3 o'clock p. m.

I certify that the foregoing journal of the proceedings of the joint convention is correct.

SOLON TURMAN, Secretary of Joint Convention.

"WEDNESDAY, February 11, 1857.

"The hour for the meeting of the joint convention of the two houses of the general assembly having arrived, the senate, preceded by the lieutenant governor, appeared within the hall of the house, where seats were provided for them on the right of the speaker's chair.

"The president addressed the convention as follows:

"GENTLEMEN: The joint convention now meets pursuant to adjournment, on Wednesday, February 4, 1857. The convention having, at its preceding meeting, elected two United States senators, and there being now no further business to transact, I declare the same adjourned, sine die.

I hereby certify that the foregoing journal of the proceedings of the joint convention is correct.

SOLON TURMAN,
Secretary of Joint Convention

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.

MAY 25, 1858.-Ordered to be printed.

Mr. IVERSON made the following

REPORT

[To accompany Bill S. 407.]

The Committee on Claims, to whom was referred the petition of Miles Judson, report:

The petitioner was one of the sureties on the official bond of Andrew D. Crosby, late a purser in the United States navy Purser Crosby was killed in 1846, while engaged in the duty of piloting the United States steamer Vixen, under the command of Commodore Perry, along the coast of Yucatan. On the settlement of his accounts at the treasury, a balance was found in favor of the United States for the sum of $3,326 31, for which suit was instituted against the sureties, and judgment recovered, in 1855, against the petitioner, Miles Judson, who subsequently paid into the treasury, through the marshal of the eastern district of Louisiana, in satisfaction of the same, the sum of $4,320 70, including interest and costs. This application is fer the reimbursement of that sum, on the ground that the sudden death of Purser Crosby, in the active discharge of his duty in time of war, must have left his accounts in a deranged condition, and that the presumption, arising from his high character, is, that if he had not been thus deprived of the possibility of properly presenting his accounts and vouches, no defalcation would have appeared.

A claim was presented to the 29th Congress, in behalf of the representatives of Purser Crosby, to be allowed certain sums alleged to have been paid by him to certain warrant officers of the United States ship Ontario in 1841, and which had been disallowed in the settlement of his accounts with the government. The amount thus claimed was $550 99. The claim was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs of the Senate, who reported in favor of its allowance, but it does not appear that any action was had upon the bill.

During the present session your committee referred the petition of Mr. Judson to the Secretary of the Treasury, with the request that he would cause the committee to be furnished with any information on the files of the department calculated to lead to a proper decision of the merits of the present claim. In answer, the Secretary communicates a statement of the Fourth Auditor, containing a list of items rejected in the settlement of Purser Crosby's accounts, which is among