formant that any of the members of Congress were concerned, but that a majority of them thought favorably of the plan, and would support it. In all the conversation the informant had with Randall, this informant told him that he could not expect this informant's assistance, as the informant would never agree to sell any of the lands of the United States for less than a dollar per acre. Randall then informed the informant, before a witness, that it was strange; that the informant was the only person in Congress, that he had applied to, but what seemed to think favorably of his plan. The informant told Randall that his opinion was fixed, and still advised his application to the President, which Randall declined. 5th January, 1796. G. CHRISTIE. The informant, Theodore Sedgwick, a member of the House of Representatives of the United States, declares, that, some time before he left the place of his residence, in Massachusetts, one Israel Jones, Esq. of Adams, in that State, waited on him and introduced to him a man whom he now knows by the name of Charles Whitney, of the State of Vermont. That Mr. Jones is a man of respectable character, a magistrate, a member of the State Legislature, (as the informant believes) and a trustee of the Corporation of Williams College. That Mr. Jones informed the informant that he, with others, had in contemplation an application to Congress for a grant of a tract of country lying between the lakes Huron, Michigan, and Erie. Considerations of a public nature having been stated and enlarged upon, the opinion of the informant was requested, relative to the propriety and success of the proposed application. He answered, in substance, that he believed it was to be doubted whether the Legislature would undertake actually to contract for any of the vacant public lands, and that the doubt was still stronger respecting these lands, the Indian claim to which had not been previously extinguished. He stated to Mr. Jones that, by reason of sickness in his family, it was not probable he should attend the next session of Congress at all events, however, he advised Mr. Jones not to make an early application, as it was probable the subject of disposing of the public lands would occupy the attention of Congress, during the then ensuing session; and that, by the delay, Mr. Jones could form a more correct judgment of the course which it would be most eligible for him to pursue, relative to this subject. That, while the informant was waiting on Mr. Jones to the door, at his departure, Mr. Jones asked him if there could be any impropriety in a member of Congress being concerned in an application for a grant of lands? The informant answered, that it would depend on the circumstances under which the application was made: proper, if the application was made to a Land Office, but otherwise, if to the Legislature; because, in the latter case, it would be for a man to contract with himself. To this answer Mr. Jones gave an explicit assent. That the informant never, at any time, before or afterwards, to his remembrance, saw the said Whitney, until he saw him in this city, during the present session. That the informant came from his own home, to New York, in company with Colonel Pepoon, stated by the said Whitney as one of his associates. That the informant hath been informed, and believes, that the said Pepoon is now in this city; but that he had never spoken to the informant on the subject of the said land speculation. That, not long after the arrival of the informant in this city, the said Whitney one morning waited on him, and stated to him an intended memorial respecting the tract of land aforesaid, and urged on the consideration of the informant the motives of a public nature for a grant thereof. That the informant inquired of the said Whitney, to what State he belonged? and being answered, to Vermont, he recommended to him to request the Representatives of that State to present his memorial. That the said Whitney requested the informant to peruse his memorial, when it should be prepared, which he understood was not then the case. That he answered, according to his best recollection, that whenever he had leisure, he should be willing to do it; or to that effect. That the whole time of the interview he believes did not exceed six, he is very confident could not exceed ten, minutes. That twice, afterwards, the informant's servant informed him that the said Whitney wished to see him, and that he caused himself to be denied; and the informant is very confident he never undertook either to draft, or to present, any memorial for the said Whitney. On the morning of the twenty-eighth of December, Mr. Smith, of South Carolina, informed the informant of what he afterwards stated in evidence to the House respecting Robert Randall. The informant advised Mr. Smith, as soon as possible, to make the same known to the House of Representatives, which Mr. Smith informed the informant he had determined to do; and the informant, having previously advised the said Whitney to apply to the Representatives of Vermont, he thought it his duty, and he accordingly took the earliest opportunity to request Mr. Smith, of that State, to avoid presenting any memorial with which he might be entrusted for a grant of land, and desired him to make the same request to Mr. Buck, the other member from the same State. The informant further declares, that he never, to his remembrance, saw Robert Randall, till he saw him at the bar of the House. January 5th, 1796. THEODORE SEDGWICK. The House, according to the order of the day, proceeded to a final decision in the case of Robert Randall; and, A motion being made and seconded that the House do come to the following resolution: Whereas any attempt to influence the conduct of this House, or its members, on subjects appertaining to their legislative functions, by motives other than the public advantage, is a high contempt of this House, and a breach of its privileges: And whereas it does appear to this House, by the information, on oath, of sundry members, and by the proceedings thereon had before the House, that Robert Randall did attempt to influence the conduct of the said members, in a matter relating to their legislative functions, to wit: the sale of a large portion of the public property, by motives of private emolument to the said members, other than, and distinct from, the public advantage: Therefore, Resolved, That the said Robert Randall has thereby committed a high contempt of this House, and a breach of its privileges. The previous question thereon was called for by five members, to wit: Shall the main question, to agree to the said resolution, be now put? And, on the question, Shall the said main question be now put? It passed in the negative. A motion was then made and seconded that the House do come to the following resolution: Resolved, That it appears to this House that Robert Randall has been guilty of a contempt to, and a breach of the privileges of, this House, by attempting to corrupt the integrity of its members, in the manner laid to his charge: And, on the question thereupon, It was resolved in the affirmative, S Yeas 78, 17. The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, David Baird, Abraham Baldwin, Thomas Blount, Benjamin Bourne, Theophilus Bradbury, Nathan Bryan, Daniel Buck, Dempsey Burges, Benjamin Goodhue, Chauncey Goodrich, Christopher Greenup, Roger Griswold, William B. Grove, George Hancock, Carter B. Harrison, Robert Goodloe Harper, Thomas Hartley, Jonathan N. Havens, Daniel Heister, Samuel Lyman, Andrew Moore, Another motion was then made, and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution : Resolved, That the said Robert Randall be brought to the bar, reprimanded by the Speaker, and committed to the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, until further order of this House. And, on the question thereupon, It was resolved in the affirmative. Pursuant thereto, the said Robert Randall was brought to the bar in custody, repri manded by Mr. Speaker, and remanded in custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, until further order of the House. The several orders of the day were further postponed until to-morrow. THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1796. The petitions of sundry citizens and inhabitants of the States of Virginia and Georgia, whose names are thereunto subscribed, to the same effect with others from the States of Vermont and Virginia, on the subject of the late treaty negotiated with Great Britain, and in opposition thereto, were presented to the House and read. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union. The several memorials and petitions of Anne Gibson, of Caleb Hammett, of John Story, and of Joseph Spencer Taylor, in behalf of themselves, or as legal representatives of others, were presented to the House and read, respectively praying the liqui dation and settlement of their claims for services rendered, or injuries received, in the Army and Navy of the United States, during the late war. Also, a petition of Daniel Bissel, of the State of Vermont, praying for compensation for his services on a secret expedition against the enemy, by direction of the Commander in Chief of the American Army, some time in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one. Ordered, That the said memorials and petitions, together with the petition of Africa Hamlen, presented on the twenty-fourth day of December, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, be referred to the Committee of Claims. Ordered, That the committee to whom was referred the petition of Clark and Conner, Jonathan Waldo, Nathan Bond, and John Coates, be discharged from the consideration of the same; and that the said petition be referred to the Committee of Ways and Means. Ordered, That the committee appointed on the eighteenth ultimo, to take into consi deration the necessity of extending the time for receiving on loan the domestic debt of the United Staies, beyond the thirty-first day of December, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, be discharged therefrom, and that it be referred to the Committee of Ways and Means, to consider and report thereupon. The House then, according to the order of the day, proceeded to the further hearing and trial in the case of Charles Whitney: Whereupon, The said Charles Whitney being brought to the bar, in custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms, the information in writing, delivered in against him by Mr. Buck, one of the members from Vermont, was read, and it was demanded of him by Mr. Speaker, "what he had to say in his defence?" to which he answered, that he was not prepared to make defence, and requested that further time might be allowed him for that purpose, until Monday next. The said Charles Whitney then withdrew from the bar, in custody, and the House proceeded to consider of his request; when, A motion being made and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution : Rssolved, That Charles Whitney be discharged from the custody of the Sergeant-atArms, It was resolved in the affirmative, S Yeas Nays.. 52, 30. The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, Theodorus Bailey, Robert Goodloc Harper, Abraham Baldwin, Benjamin Bourne, Theophilus Bradbury, Dempsey Burges, Samuel J. Cabell, Gabriel Christie, Thomas Claiborne, Joshua Coit, William Cooper, Henry Dearborn, William Findley, Nathaniel Freeman, junior, Albert Gallatin, Ezekiel Gilbert, William B. Giles, John Hathorn, Jonathan N. Havens, William Hindman, James Holland, George Jackson, Samuel Sitgreaves, Nathaniel Smith, Samuel Smith, Richard Winn. David Baird, Thomas Blount, Daniel Buck, Isaac Coles, George Dent, Dwight Foster, William Lyman, Francis Malbone, Andrew Moore, John S. Sherburne, Jeremiah Smith, George Thatcher, The several orders of the day were further postponed until to-morrow. FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1796. Another member, to wit: Jeremiah Crabb, from Maryland, appeared, produced his credentials, and took his seat in the House; the oath to support the Constitution of the United States being first administered to him by Mr. Speaker, according to law. The memorial and petition of the Society of the United Brethren for propagating the Gospel among the Heathen, was presented to the House and read, praying that the lands on the Muskingum river, granted to the said Society by an ordinance of the late Congress, of the third of September, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight, may be surveyed, and grants issued for the same. Ordered, That the said memorial and petition be referred to the committee appointed to prepare and bring in a bill or bills for establishing offices for the purpose of granting lands within the Territories of the United States. A petition of William and Archibald M'Neal, of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, ropemakers, was presented to the House and read, praying a remission of the duties accruing on a quantity of hemp imported by the petitioners into the District of Boston, in the month of November, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, which was consumed by fire on the thirtieth day of July last. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures; that they do examine the matter thereof, and report the same, with their opinion thereupon, to the House. Ordered, That the Committee of Claims, to whom was referred the petition of Josiah Long, by Lemuel Benton, his attorney, be discharged from the consideration of the same. Mr. Tracey, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the petitions of Jacob Beck and others, and of Sarah Smart, made a report; which was read, and order. ed to lie on the table. Ordered, That the memorial of Charles Pettit, surviving partner of Major General Greene and John Cox, in the late office of the Quartermaster General of the United States, which lay on the table, be referred to the Secretary of the Treasury, with instruction to examine the same, and report his opinion thereupon to the House. Mr. Tracey, from the Committee of Claims, to whom was referred the memorial of John Sears, made a report; which was read, and ordered to lie on the table. On motion, Ordered, That five hundred copies of the proceedings of this House, in the case of Robert Randall and Charles Whitney, be printed for the use of the members. The House, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the bill for establishing trading houses with the Indian tribes; and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Muhlenberg reported that the committee had, according to order, had the said bill under consideration, and made several amendments thereto; which he delivered in at the Clerk's table, where the same were severally twice read, and agreed to by the House. Ordered, That the said bill, with the amendments, be engrossed, and read the third time on Monday next. A message, in writing, was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Dandridge, his Secretary, as followeth: UNITED STATES, January 8th, 1796. Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives: I transmit to you a memorial of the Commissioners appointed by virtue of an act, entitled "An act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Govern ment of the United States," on the subject of the public buildings under their direc tion. Since locating a District for the permanent seat of the Government of the United States, as heretofore announced to both Houses of Congress, I have accepted the grants of money, and of land, stated in the memorial of the Commissioners. I have directed the buildings therein mentioned to be commenced on plans which I deemed consistent with the liberality of the grants, and proper for the purposes intended. I have not been inattentive to this important business entrusted by the Legislature to my care. I have viewed the resources placed in my hands, and observed the manner in which they have been applied; the progress is pretty fully detailed in the memo |