ing that they be allowed the difference between the half-pay or commutation between a captain and that of a colonel, and that they may have refunded to them certain advancements made by the said David Hopkins during the revolutionary war. By Mr. Dunlap: A petition of Sarah Felton, of Wendell, in the State of Massachusetts, (widow of Stephen Felton, deceased, who was a soldier of the war of the Revolution,) a pensioner of the United States, praying for arrears of pension; Also, a petition of Relief Gibson, of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, widow of Thomas Gibson, deceased, who was a corporal in the army of the war of the Revolution, praying for an increase of pension. Ordered, That said petitions be referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. By Mr. John G. Chapman: A memorial of citizens engaged in the shad and herring fisheries on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, within the limits of the District of Columbia, praying for protection to their fisheries: which was referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia. By Mr. Andrew Johnson: A memorial of David S. Rogers, of the county of Hawkins, and State of Tennessee, a captain in the Indian war of 1836-7, praying, for himself and company, to be indemnified for the depreciation of the funds in which they were paid: which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. By Mr. Dunlap: Sundry memorials of citizens of the United States, and resolutions of State legislatures, heretofore presented, relative to the payment of the spoliations upon our commerce by the French prior to the year 1800. By Mr. Lumpkin: A memorial of citizens of the counties of Clarke and Jackson, in the State of Georgia, praying that Congress provide in some constitutional way for the assemblage of a congress of nations to form a code of international law, by which national disputes may be determined. Ordered, That said memorials and resolutions be referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. By Mr. Foster: The petition of citizens of Cambria county, and State of Pennsylvania, praying for the establishment of a mail route-heretofore presented January 15, 1844, By Mr. Delano: A memorial of citizens of Knox county, and State of Ohio, praying for the establishment of a semi-weekly mail route from Columbus to Coshocton, in that State. By Mr. Wentworth: Á petition of citizens of the State of Illinois, praying for a change or alteration of a mail route; Also, five petitions of citizens of the counties of Lake and McHenry, in the State of Illinois, and Racine county, in the Territory of Wisconsin, praying the establishment of a mail route from Little Fort, in Lake county, to Solon, in McHenry county, in the State of Illinois. Ordered, That said petitions and memorial be referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. By Mr. John G. Chapman: A petition of Zachariah Walker, of the county of Washington, in the District of Columbia, praying compensation for services rendered in saving certain public records at the time of the burning of the United States capitol by the British in the year 1814. By Mr. Dargan: A petition of James K. Blount, of the county of Washington, and State of Alabama, praying remuneration for a tract of land purchased of the United States government, which was found, after he had improved it, to be covered by previous claims. By Mr. Giles: A memorial of the heirs of Bernard Todd, late of North Point, in the State of Maryland, deceased, praying remuneration for property destroyed by the British during the war of 1812 at North Point. Ordered, That said petitions and memorial be referred to the Committee of Claims. By Mr. La Sère: A petition of Maunsel White and two hundred and sixty-three others, merchants of New Orleans and Mobile, and citizens of Biloxi, praying for the erection of a light-house at or near Biloxi, on the Mississippi river. By Mr. Arnold: A petition of citizens of the States of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, residing at or near the village of Pawtucket, praying an appropriation for the improvement of the navigation of the Pawtucket river. By Mr. Brinkerhoff: Proceedings of a public meeting of citizens of Vermilion, Erie county, and State of Ohio, in relation to the improvement of the harbor at that place. By Mr. Wentworth: A petition of citizens of the State of Illinois and Territory of Wisconsin, praying an appropriation for the construction of a harbor and the erection of a light-house at Little Fort, on lake Michigan, in the State of Illinois. Ordered, That said petitions and other papers be referred to the Committee on Commerce. By Mr. Sawyer: A memorial of citizens of the State of Ohio, praying an appropriation for the establishment of a naval depot at the harbor of Toledo, in said State. By Mr. Pendleton: A memorial of John Mason, of Fairfax county, and State of Virginia, praying payment for certain cannon manufactured by him for the naval service of the United States. By Mr. Maclay: Two memorials of citizens of the State of New York, praying that civilians only may be appointed to the heads of bureaus in the Navy Department of the United States government. Ordered, That the said memorials be referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs. By Mr. La Sère: A memorial of Thomas Reed, of the city of New Orleans, and State of Louisiana, praying for a pension on account of wounds and disabilities incurred in the naval service of the United States in the war of 1812 with Great Britain. By Mr. Brinkerhoff: The petition of A. D. W. Bodley-heretofore presented March 16, 1840. By Mr. Trumbo: The petition of Griffin Kelley-heretofore presented January 2, 1844. By Mr. Morgan L. Martin: The petition of Ephraim Shaler-heretofore presented December 9, 1828. Ordered, That said memorial and petitions be referred to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. On motion of Mr. McKay, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein, the Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Brodhead reported that the committee having, according to order, had the state of the Union generally under consideration, particularly the bill (No. 47) making appropriations for certain fortifications of the United States for the year ending on the 30th June, 1847, had directed him to report the said bill to the House, with amendments. The House proceeded to the consideration of the said bill, when the said amendments were concurred in; and the bill was ordered to be engrossed, and read a third time to-day. The said bill being engrossed, was accordingly read the third time, and passed. Ordered, That the Clerk request the concurrence of the Senate in the said bill. And then, on motion of Mr. Vinton, the House, at ten minutes past 3 o'clock, p. m., adjourned until to-morrow, at 12 o'clock meridian. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1846. Charles H. Carroll, a member of the House of Representatives from the State of New York, appeared, was sworn to support the constitution of the United States, and took a seat in the House. Mr. Thomas Butler King asked and obtained the unanimous consent of the House to make an explanation, personal to himself; and while proceeding with such explanation, Mr. Rathbun objected to his proceeding, on the ground that his remarks were taking a wider range than leave to make a mere personal explanation allowed. The question was then put, Shall Mr. King have leave to proceed? Yeas, 86 63 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. Amos Abbott John Quincy Adams John H. Crozier Mr. Alexander Harper Mr. Julius Rockwell Bannon G. Thibodeaux Robert Toombs Robert C. Winthrop Those who voted in the negative are Mr. Stephen Adams Archibald Atkinson James B. Bowlin Mr. John H. Harmanson Thomas J. Henley Timothy Jenkins Mr. George Rathbun William L. Yancey Mr. King then proceeded, and concluded his remarks. The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Postmaster General, transmitting a report of the disbursing agent of the Post Office Department, exhibiting the receipts and payments during the calendar year 1845, including the expenditure of the contingent fund for said department: which letter and report were referred to the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department. Mr. Roberts (by leave) presented resolutions of the legislature of the State of Mississippi in favor of reducing and graduating the price of the public lands; for an amendment of the pre-emption law, by striking therefrom the provision which requires the pre-emptor to reside five years upon land after he has paid for it before he can obtain a title; and also for the issuing of patents to all lands donated to the State of Mississippi: which resolutions were referred to the Committee on Public Lands. A message was received from the President of the. United States, by James K. Walker, his private secretary, notifying that he did, yesterday, approve and sign the bill of the House (No. 128) relative to collectors and other officers of the customs. On motion of Mr. Tibbatts, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein, the Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Brodhead reported that the committee having, according to order, had the state of the Union generally under consideration, particularly the bill (No. 65) making appropriations for the payment of revolutionary and other pensioners of the United States for the year ending 30th June, 1847, had come to no resolution thereon. The following petitions, memorials, and other papers, were laid on the Clerk's table, under the 24th rule of the House, to wit: By Mr. Jacob Thompson: The petition of William L. S. Dearingheretofore presented February 6, 1840. By Mr. Rathbun: The memorial of Daniel Brown, praying payment of the amount certified to be due him by a jury, in a suit instituted against him by the United States-heretofore presented December 24, 1833. Also, a petition of Daniel Brown, of Cortland county, and State of New York, late a colonel in the 23d regiment United States infantry, in the war of 1812 with Great Britain, praying payment for property lost or destroyed by the enemy when in the service of the United States. Ordered, That said memorial and petitions be referred to the Committee of Claims. By Mr. Harmanson: A petition of Anthony Bessey, of the parish of East Baton Rouge, and State of Louisiana, praying permission to locate or fix his claim to six hundred and forty acres of any unappropriated land belonging to the United States, for that amount of land purchased by him, against which there is no conflicting claim: which petition was referred to the Committee on Private Land Claims, By Mr. John G. Chapman: Two petitions of citizens of the county of Washington, in the District of Columbia, residing out of the limits of Washington city and Georgetown, praying for a change in the organization of the levy court of said county: which were referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia. By Mr. Bowlin: A petition of citizens of the county of Oregon, and State of Missouri, praying the establishment of a mail route from Thomasville, in Oregon county, to the mouth of Little Piney, in Pulaski county, in said State. Also, a petition from citizens of the county and State aforesaid, praying the establishment of a mail route from Thomasville, in the county of Oregon, to Rockbridge, the county seat of Ozark county, in the State of Missouri. By Mr. Cullom: A petition of citizens of Jackson county, and State of Tennessee, praying the establishment of a mail route from Double Springs, in Jackson county, to Smithville, in De Kalb county, in said State. By Mr. Rhett: A petition of citizens of the districts of Barnwell, Orangeburg, and Lexington, in the State of South Carolina, praying the establishment of a mail route from the town of Aiken, in the district of Barnwell, to Burcalow, in the district of Orangeburg, in said State. By Mr. Schenck: A memorial of E. W. Davis and fifty other citizens of Dayton, in the State of Ohio, protesting against any alteration of the postage laws whereby the tax for the transportation of mail matter will be increased. By Mr. Leonard H. Sims: A petition of citizens of the town of Springfield, in the county of Greene, and State of Missouri, praying the establishment of a mail route from Jefferson city to Springfield, in Greene county, in said State. By Mr. James B. Hunt: A petition of Daniel Le Roy and other citizens of Fentonville, in the State of Michigan, praying the establishment of a mail route from Ann Arbor to Flint, in said State. Ordered, That said petitions and memorial be referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. By Mr. John G. Chapman. Two petitions of citizens of the District of Columbia, praying the passage of an act to make the bridges on the Anacostia river, or Eastern branch, in said District, free: which petitions were referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. ," By Mr. Sawyer: A petition of thirty-two members of the Senate of the State of Ohio, praying an appropriation for the improvement of the Maumee river, in that State. Also, a petition of fifty members of the House of Representatives of the State of Ohio, of like import. |