as read, and passed to the second reading. hat the report be printed. ld, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was nemorial of Elizabeth Sevier, submitted an adverse report: dered to be printed. 1, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was morial of officers of the United States army on brevet and mitted a report: which was ordered to be printed. n, of Louisiana, from the Committee on Pensions, to whom he bill (S. 39) granting a pension to Noah Conner, reported endment, and submitted an adverse report on the subject: dered to be printed. n, of Louisiana, from the Committee on Pensions, to whom he petition of Eli Hinds, submitted an adverse report: which be printed. n, of Louisiana, from the Committee on Pensions, to whom The petition of Jemima Flood, submitted an adverse report: dered to be printed. n, of Louisiana, from the Committee on Pensions, to whom the petition of Elizabeth Gassaway, submitted an adverse was ordered to be printed. tion by Mr. Johnson, of Louisiana, 'hat the Committee on Pensions be discharged from the of the petition of Samuel R. Read, and from the further of the petition of George Guier, and that the petitions be Committee on Naval Affairs. n, of Louisiana, from the Committee on Pensions, to whom he bill (S. 46) explanatory of the fourth section of an act opriations for the civil and diplomatic expenses of the govne year ending 30th June, 1846, and for other purposes,' ch 3d, 1845, reported it without amendment. resumed, as in Committee of the Whole, the consideration on (S. R. 1) advising the President of the United States to the government of Great Britain that the government of the will, in virtue of the second article of the convention of the A. D. 1827, between the two governments, relative to the ory, annul and abrogate that convention: and, و , and the consideration, by unanimous consent, of Executive adjourned. THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1946. E. Dir. from the Con d. reported the follo red, That the Se Senate all the inform of War in relation and Buffalo, on lak He to seek a harbo which have been r Sy to execute such adition of the work rate opinion may d of securing a po On motion by Mr dered, That when Dickinson, from d the petition of J That the prayer of t Breese, from the B.20) to provide for which was read, Bright reported f d duly enrolled the dzes of the circu in Alexandria. The Senate resumed be resolution (S. R notice to the gover ed States will, in v presented the memorial of Abraham P. Housman, adminisHousman, deceased, praying indemnity for the destruction y by the Seminole Indians during the Florida war: which o the Committee of Claims. esented the petition of Edward Hardy, praying the reimthe duties alleged to have been unlawfully exacted of him or of the port of New York: which was referred to the Com ance. Mr. Dickinson presented the petition of the heirs and legal representatives of Cornelius Oakley, deceased, praying a pension for his services in the revolutionary war: which was referred to the Committee on Pensions. Mr. Semple presented a petition of citizens of Union county, Illinois, praying the establishment of a national armory at Fort Massac, on the Ohio river, in that State: which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. Mr. Dix presented a memorial of citizens of Cayuga county, remonstrating against the renewal of a patent heretofore granted to Jethro Wood for an improvement in the construction of a plough. Ordered, That it lie on the table. Mr. Dix presented the petition of George Trull, praying the reimbursement of the duties alleged to have been unlawfully exacted of him by the collector of the port of New York: which was referred to the Committee on Finance. Mr. Sturgeon, from the Committee on Patents, to whom was referred the petition of Oliver C. Harris, reported a bill (S. 125) for his relief: which was read, and passed to the second reading. On motion by Mr. Dix, Ordered, That the Committee on Commerce be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of citizens of Philadelphia that steel may be admitted free of duty, and that it be referred to the Committee on Finance. Mr. Dix, from the Committee on Commerce, to whom the subject was referred, reported the following resolution; which was read: Resolved, That the Secretary of War be requested to communicate to the Senate all the information in the bureaus connected with the Department of War in relation to the relative capacities of the harbors between Erie and Buffalo, on lake Erie, of being made ports of refuge for vessels compelled to seek a harbor by stress of weather, with the plans of improvement which have been made, together with the estimates of expenditure necessary to execute such plans, the sums of money heretofore expended, the condition of the work already performed, and any other data by which an accurate opinion may be formed as to the most prompt and economical method of securing a port of refuge on that part of lake Erie above referred to. On motion by Mr. Mangum, Ordered, That when the Senate adjourn, it be to Monday next. Mr. Dickinson, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the petition of J. Melville Gilliss, reported a resolution: "That the prayer of the petitioner ought not to be granted." Mr. Breese, from the Committee on Public Lands, reported a resolution (S. R. 20) to provide for the publication of a code of land laws and instructions: which was read, and passed to the second reading. Mr. Bright reported from the committee that they had examined and found duly enrolled the bill (H. R. 260) to repeal the act requiring one of the judges of the circuit court for the District of Columbia hereafter to reside in Alexandria. The Senate resumed, as in Committee of the Whole, the consideration of the resolution (S. R. 1) advising the President of the United States to give notice to the government of Great Britain that the government of the United States will, in virtue of the second article of the convention of the t A. D. 1827, between the two governments, relative to the ory, annul and abrogate that convention: and e, and the consideration, by unanimous consent, of Execu adjourned. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1846. ing message was received from the President of the United - Walker, his secretary: and House of Representatives of the United States: for your consideration, a correspondence between the minisannic majesty in Washington and the Secretary of State, conangement for the adjustment and payment of the claims of governments upon each other, arising from the collection of duties in violation of the second article of the commercial 3d of July, 1815, between the two countries; and I respecto Congress the propriety of making provision to carry this nto effect. End to any port of I article of this convention provides that "no higher or other e imposed on the importation into the United States of any rowth, produce, or manufacture of his Britannic majesty's Europe, and no higher or other duties shall be imposed on -n into the territories of his Britannic majesty in Europe of he growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, all be payable on the like articles, being the growth, produce, e of any other foreign country.' The na careful considera his claim on the part it unnecessary to s e whole subject bein Treasury and the ac The amount necessary ned with any des ed his case to the gov ed that the amount Cet as it has been in h es that it will not ex the other hand, the have been already stor in exchequer ate minister at Lon 6168. 10d. sterli United States. may be long befo and it would be aimants until this c remment immedia erican rough rice. would be accept the act of Parliament of the 13th of August, 1836, the duty gh rice imported into Great Britain was two shillings and ing per bushel. By this act the duty was reduced to one arter (of eight bushels) on the rough rice "imported from the Africa." arnest and repeated remonstrances of our ministers at Lontion to this discrimination against American and in favor of as a violation of the subsisting convention, Parliament, by 1 July, 1842, again equalized the duty on all foreign rough it at seven shillings per quarter. In the intervening period, early six years, large importations had been made into Great erican rough rice, which was subjected to a duty of two shilence per bushel; but the importers, knowing their rights unation, claimed that it should be admitted at the rate of one rter, the duty imposed on African rice. This claim was reBritish government, and the excess of duty was paid, at the rotest, and afterwards, in consequence of an arrangement i of customs, by the deposite of exchequer bills. have been a clear violation both of the letter and spirit of the admit rough rice, "the growth" of Africa, at one penny per t the very same article, "the growth" of the United States, ith a duty of two shillings and sixpence per bushel. of Great Britain, under the same article of the convention, is e tariff act of 30th August, 1842. Its 25th section provides ed by an act of Cong on. The claim properly authent WASHINGTON, March message was read red, That it be r Vice President la easury, made in the condition of th s, and the cost o "that nothing in this act contained shall apply to goods shipped in a vessel bound to any port of the United States actually having left her last port of lading eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, or beyond Cape Horn, prior to the first day of September, 1842; and all legal provisions and regulations existing immediately before the 30th day of June, 1842, shall be applied to importations which may be made in vessels which have left such last port of lading eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, or beyond Cape Horn, prior to said first day of September, 1842." The British government contends that it was a violation of the second article of the convention for this act to require that "articles, the growth, produce, or manufacture" of Great Britain, when imported into the United States in vessels which had left their last port of lading in Great Britain prior to the first day of September, 1842, should pay any "higher or other duties" than were imposed on "like articles," "the growth, produce, or manufacture" of countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. Upon a careful consideration of the subject, I arrived at the conclusion that this claim on the part of the British government was well founded. I deem it unnecessary to state my reasons at length for adopting this opinion, the whole subject being fully explained in the letter of the Secretary of the Treasury and the accompanying papers. The amount necessary to satisfy the British claim cannot at present be ascertained with any degree of accuracy, no individual having yet presented his case to the government of the United States. It is not apprehended that the amount will be large. After such examination of the subject as it has been in his power to make, the Secretary of the Treasury believes that it will not exceed $100,000. On the other hand, the claims of the importers of rough rice into Great Britain have been already ascertained, as the duties were paid either under protest, or in exchequer bills. Their amount is stated by Mr. Everett, our late minister at London, in a despatch dated June 1, 1843, to be £88,886 16s. 10d. sterling, of which £60,006 0s. 4d. belong to citizens of the United States. As it may be long before the amount of the British claim can be ascertained, and it would be unreasonable to postpone payment to the American claimants until this can be adjusted, it has been proposed to the British government immediately to refund the excess of duties collected by it on American rough rice. I should entertain a confident hope that this proposal would be accepted, should the arrangement concluded be sanctioned by an act of Congress making provision for the return of the duties in question. The claimants might then be paid as they present their demands, properly authenticated, to the Secretary of the Treasury. JAMES K. POLK. WASHINGTON, March 23, 1846. The message was read. Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee on Finance and printed. The Vice President laid before the Senate a report of the Secretary of the Treasury, made in compliance with a resolution of the Senate, showing the condition of the building intended for a marine hospital at New Orleans, and the cost of completing it; the sum paid monthly for the rent g now used, and the monthly expenses of the establishment. as read, and ordered to be printed. presented a petition of citizens of Indiana, praying the coni wire suspension bridge across the Ohio river: which was e Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. eon presented the memorial of members of the bar of Pittsylvania, praying that the unexpended appropriation for the associate justice of the supreme court for the third judicial e divided among the several district judges in that circuit. That it lie on the table. ron presented seven petitions of citizens of Pennsylvania, adoption of measures for abolishing slavery in the United was made that the petitions be received: and being ob That the motion lie on the table. resented two petitions of citizens of New York, praying the the treaties of December, 1838, and May, 1842, with the ns: which were referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. on presented a petition of citizens of Missouri, praying the measures for terminating the convention between the United reat Britain, relative to the Oregon Territory, and the extenws of the United States over said Territory. That it lie on the table. r. Bazby submitted a Eg Wallace Wormley: Benton presented a an appropriation fo mous consent, an ott presented the memorial of Daniel Simmons, praying inhe destruction of his property by the Seminole Indians in the which was referred to the Committee of Claims. ott presented the petition of the heirs of Jonathan Johnson, officer in the revolutionary army, praying to be allowed com: which was referred to the Committee on Revolutionary e presented the petition of Martha Moore, widow of a detionary soldier, praying a pension: which was referred to the Pensions. presented the petition of Priscilla Green, widow of a detionary soldier, praying a pension: which was referred to the n Pensions. presented a petition of citizens of Carroll parish, Louisiana, On motion by Mr. red, That the Cor the further consider Ohio, presented t ee on Public Lan Jarnagin, from the -stablishment of a national armory and foundery at Fort Mased the petition d Ohio river: which was referred to the Committee on Military at presented a memorial of the legislature of the State of Mising that certain settlers on the public lands in that State may in their pre-emption rights: which was referred to the Comblic Lands. ridge presented a petition of citizens of Milwaukie, Wisconpraying the establishment of a daily mail on the route beukie and Detroit: which was referred to the Committee on ce and Post Roads. report: which Jamagin, from the red the petition a bill (S. 126) for a tract of land in Segui on the 2 bill was read, and red, That the rep Woodbridge, from la memorial of th 1127) to surrender lands in Tenness ssional reservation ld presented the petition of Michael Bowden, a revolutionary ng a pension: which was referred to the Committee on Pen |