H. R. 196. An act for the relief of the heirs and legal representatives of Cyrus Turner, deceased. H. R. 337.. An act for the relief of Mary Segar, of Jefferson county, State of New York. H. R. 345. An act for the relief of Justin Jacobs. H. R. 349. An act granting a pension to Abraham Ansman. H. R. 377. An act for the relief of the legal representatives of John Ruddle. H. R. 366. An act for the relief of Mary Phelps, of the county of Genesee, State of New York. H. R. 347. An aet granting a pension to John Campbell, of Garland, in the State of Maine. H. R. 165. An act for the relief of Samuel D. Enochs. H. R. 130. An act for the relief of Nathan Smith, Charles R. Smith, and others. H. R. 136. ceased. An act for the relief of the heirs of Doctor John Gray, de H. R. 292. An act for the relief of Margaret Gwinnup, of Hamilton county, Ohio. H. R. 301. An act for the relief of William Gump. H. R. 373. An act to equalize the compensation of the surveyors general of the public lands of the United States, and for other purposes. H. R. 113. An act for the relief of the owner and crew of the schooner Tancred. H. R. 162. An act for the relief of Isaiah Parker. H. R. 215. An act to amend the act approved 2d April, 1844, entitled An act directing the disposition of certain unclaimed goods, wares, or merchandise, seized for being illegally imported into the United States.' H. R. 302. An act for the relief of John Carr, John Batty, and Samuel Stevenson, seamen on board the whale ship Margaret. H. R. 59. An act authorizing the inhabitants of township one, of range thirteen east, Seneca county, Ohio, to relinquish certain lands selected for schools, and to obtain others in lieu of them. H. R. 445. An act to establish an additional land district in Iowa. H. R. 142. An act for the relief of Wiley B. Parnell, of Blount county, Alabama, and James A. Whiteside, of Illinois.. H. R. 239. An act for the relief of Ebenezer Conant, of the county of Jefferson, State of New York. H. R. 54. An act to refund to certain persons an excess of duty exacted on the importation of foreign merchandise. H. R. 52. An act for the relief of Samuel D. Walker, of Baltimore. H. R. 68. An act to regulate writs of error and appeals from the district court of the United States for the middle district of Alabama. H. R. 157. An act granting a pension to Orris Crosby. H. R. 266. An act for the relief of James Gee. H. R. 106. An act granting certain lands to the Territory of Iowa to aid in the improvement of the navigation of the Des Moines river, in said Territory. H. R. 374. An aet to grant a certain quantity of land to aid in the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, and to connect the same by a canal, in the Territory of Wisconsin. H. R. 371. An act for the relief of John Milsted, of Escambia county, Florida. H. R. 23. Joint resolution for the relief of John B. Denton and Curtis Humphreys. H. R. 49. An act making appropriations for the support of the army for the year ending on the 30th June, 1847. H. R. 408. An act to authorize the constituted authorities of the county of Polk, in the Territory of Iowa, to enter a quarter section of land for a seat of justice. H. R. 297. An act more effectually to provide for the enforcement of eertain provisions in the treaties of the United States. H. R. 210. An act for the relief of Patrick Kelly, senior, of the county of Indiana, and State of Pennsylvania. H. R. 317. An act for the relief of James Journey. H. R. 173. An act to confirm an entry of land made by the administrator of James Anderson, deceased, of Iowa Territory. H. R. 158. An act granting a pension to Elijah C. Babbit. H. R. 181. An act for the relief of Langtry and Jenkins. H. R. 344. An act for the relief of Surranus Cobb.. H. R. 346. An act granting a pension to Daniel Pratt. H. R. 348. An act granting a pension to Joseph Dusseau. H. R. 510. An act for the relief of Amos Hunting. H. R. 254. An act for the relief of Solomon Russell, of the county of Somerset, in the State of Maine. H. B. 300. An act for the relief of Lewis Laing. H. R. 334. An act for the relief of Patrick Masterson. H. R. 93. An act to enable the Secretary of the Navy to purchase the right of using Mix's patent manger stopper. H. R. 450. An act for the allowance of drawback on foreign merchandise imported into certain districts of the United States from the British North American provinces, and exported to foreign countries. H. R. 122. An act for the relief of Thomas Ap Catesby Jones. H. R. 390. An act for the relief of the owners of the ship Herald, of Baltimore. H. R. 229. An act for the relief of the heirs or legal representatives of Thomas Kelly. H. R. 278. An act for the relief of William Moss. H. R. 335. An act for the relief of Elizabeth Betts, of the city of New York. H. R. 204. H. R. 298. An act for the relief of Daniel H. Warren An act for the relief of Leah Gray. H. R. 268. An act for the relief of William Pool. H. R. 245. An act for the relief of Captain John Patton. H. R. 244. An act for the relief of Lois Mattison, of the county of Jefferson, State of New York. H. R. 172. An act for the relief of John G. McCloud, of Linn county, Iowa. H. R. 285. H. R. 182. H. R. 352. H. R. 236. An act for the relief of Richard Hargrave Lee. An act for the relief of Aquilla Goodwin. H. R. 392. An act for the relief of William B. Lang. H. R. 350. An act for the relief of Griffin Kelly. H. R. 299. An act for the relief of Mary Campbell, widow of John Campbell. H. R. 318. An act for the relief of José Carxillo. H. R. 207. An act for the relief of Peter Rife. H. R. 526. An act supplementary to an act passed on the 20th February, 1846, entitled "An act to enlarge the powers of the several orphans' courts held in and for the District of Columbia. H. R. 22. An act authorizing the trustees of Tymochtee township, Wyandot county, Ohio, to select lands for schools within the Wyandot ces sion. The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (H. R. 5) to establish the Smithsonian institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men, together with the amendments reported thereto: and the reported amendments having been disagreed to, the bill was reported to the Senate. Ordered, That it pass to a third reading. The said bill was read a third time. On the question, "Shall this bill pass?" It was determined in the affirmative, Yeas, On motion by Mr. Allen, The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the Senators present, Those who voted in the affirmative are, 26 13 Messrs. Archer, Atchison, Barrow, Berrien, Cameron, Cilley, Thomas Clayton, John M. Clayton, Corwin, Davis, Evans, Greene, Houston, Huntington, Jarnagin, Johnson, of Maryland, Johnson, of Louisiana, Lewis, Mangum, Miller, Morehead, Phelps, Speight, Sturgeon, Upham, Webster. Those who voted in the negative are, Messrs. Allen, Ashley, Atherton, Bagby, Benton, Calhoun, Dickinson, Fairfield, McDuffie, Semple, Turney, Westcott, Yulee. So it was Resolved, That this bill pass. Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives accordingly. Mr. Lewis, from the committee of conference on the part of the Senate on the disagreeing votes of the two houses upon the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 50) making appropriations for the civil and diplomatic expenses of government for the year ending the 30th June, 1847, and for other purposes, reported that they had met the committee of conference on the part of the House of Representatives; and, after full and free conference on the subject of said disagreeing votes, they have agreed to recommend, and do recommend to the respective houses, as follows: "That the House recede from its disagreement to the 14th amendment of the Senate; amend the same by striking out the words 'including the expenses of furnishing and printing reports of the supreme court of Iowa, four hundred dollars,' and agree to the same as amended. "That the House recede from its disagreement to the 49th amendment of the Senate; amend the same by striking out the whole, and inserting, in lieu thereof, the following: For payment in full to Benjamin E. Green for services while employed in Mexico as chargé d'affaires, three thousand dollars.' "That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments of the Senate marked 10, 11, 13, 34, 35, 40, 45, 46, 52. "That the Senate recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the House to its 16th amendment, and agree to the same. "That the Senate recede from its amendments 6, 17, 20, 23, 31, 32, 36, 37, 39, 43, and 44." The Senate proceeded to consider the said report of the committee of conference: and Resolved, That they concur therein, and that the bill be amended accordingly. Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives thereof. The Senate proceeded to consider the resolution of the House of Representatives to suspend the 16th joint rule so far as regards the bill of the House of Representatives numbered 534, entitled "An act making further provision for the expenses attending the intercourse between the United States and foreign nations:" and Resolved, That they concur therein. Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives accordingly. The Senate proceeded to consider the resolution of the House of Representatives to suspend the 17th joint rule so far as to allow bills passed this day to be presented to the President of the United States: and Resolved, That they concur therein. Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives accordingly. The message yesterday received from the President of the United States, returning, with his objections, the bill entitled "An act for the ascertainment and satisfaction of claims of American citizens for spoliations committed by the French prior to the 31st day of July, one thousand eight hundred and one," which originated in the Senate, was passed by the two houses of Congress, and presented to the President of the United States the 7th of August instant, was read. The Senate proceeded to reconsider the said bill; which is in the following words: AN ACT to provide for the ascertainment and satisfaction of claims of American citizens for spoliations committed by the French prior to the thirty-first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and one. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That satisfaction shall be made, as hereinafter provided, to an amount not exceeding five millions of dollars, to such citizens of the United States, or to their legal representatives, as had valid claims to indemnity upon the French government, arising out of illegal captures, detentions, forcible seizures, illegal condemnations, and confiscations, committed prior to the ratification of the convention between the United States and the French republic concluded on the thirtieth day of September, one thousand eight hundred, the ratifications of which were exchanged on the thirty-first day of July following: Provided, That the provisions of this act shall not extend to such claims as are stipulated for and embraced in the convention between the United States and the French republic concluded on the thirtieth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and three, and for the liquidation and payment whereof provision is made in the said convention; nor to such claims as were allowed and paid, in whole or in part, under the provisions of the treaty between the United States and Spain concluded on the twenty-second day of February, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen; nor to such claims as were allowed, in whole or in part, under the provisions of the treaty between the United States and France concluded on the fourth day of July, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-one: And provided, also, That in all cases of transfer or assignment, no claimant shall be entitled to receive an amount beyond the consideration paid, and interest thereon. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this act, and to ascertain the full amount and validity of said claims, three commissioners shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall meet at the city of Washington on or before the first Monday in October next, and, within the space of two years from the time of their first meeting, shall receive, examine, and decide upon the amount and validity of all the claims included within the description above mentioned; and the Secretary of State is required forthwith, after the passage of this act, to give notice of the said meeting, to be published in three newspapers in Washington, and in such other papers as he may think proper. The said commissioners shall take an oath or affirmation, to be entered on the record of their proceedings, for the faithful and diligent performance of their duties; and in case of the death or resignation of any such commissioner, his place may be supplied by appointment as aforesaid, or by the President, during the recess of the Senate, of another commissioner in his stead. The said commissioners shall be authorized to hear and examine all questions relative to the said claims, and to receive all suitable testimony, on oath or affirmation, and all other proper evidence and documents concerning the same; and the rules for the decision of said commissioners shall be the principles of justice, the law of nations, and the former treaties between the United States and France, to wit: the treaty of amity and commerce of the sixth of February, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight, the treaty of alliance of the same date, and the consular convention of the fourteenth of November, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight. Their decisions shall be in writing, and filed with their secretary, and the individuals interested therein shall, on demand, have a copy thereof; and the promulgation of the decisions of said commissioners shall be in public. The said commissioners shall not, at any one time after the first day of January next, adjourn for a longer period than ten days, without the consent of the President of the United States, in writing, first had and obtained. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners shall be, and they are hereby, authorized to make all needful rules and regulations, not contravening the laws of the land or the provisions of this act, for carrying their said commission into full and complete effect. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to procure, within the shortest time after the passage of this act, through the American minister at Paris, or otherwise, all such evidence and documents relating to said claims as can be obtained from abroad; which, together with the like evidence and documents on file in |