Ordered, That a bill or bills be brought in pursuant to the said resolution; and that the Committee of Ways and Means do prepare and bring in the same. The House, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the bill sent from the Senate, entitled “An act giving effect to the laws of the United States, within the State of Tennessee;" and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Coit reported that the committee had, according to order, had the said bill under consideration, and made some progress therein. Resolved, That this House will, on Monday next, again resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the said bill. The several orders of the day were further postponed until Monday next. MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1797. The Speaker laid before the House a certificate and return from the Governor of Massachusetts, of the election of Thompson J. Skinner, to serve in this House, as a member for the said State, in the room of Theodore Sedgwick, appointed a Senator of the United States; which was read: Whereupon, The said Thompson J. Skinner appeared; and, the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, being first administered to him, by Mr. Speaker, according to law, he took his seat in the House. A petition of Francis M'Donald, of the city of Philadelphia, brother, and heir at law of Alexander M’Donald, deceased, was presented to the House and read, praying relief, in the case of a certificate granted for the depreciation of the pay of his said brother, as a soldier in the seventh regiment of the Pennsylvania line of the continental Army, during the late war, which was lost, and afterwards delivered into the land office of the said State, with a forged receipt thereon, in the name of the deceased, dated subsequent to the time of his death. Also, a memorial of Samuel Morrill, of the county of Rockingham, in the State of New Hampshire, a soldier in the Army of the United States, during the late war, praying that he may receive the same rate of pension which was granted him by an act of the last session of Congress, from the time of his discharge from the service, to the time of passing the said act. Ordered, That the said petition and memorial be referred to the Committee of Claims. A petition of Nathaniel Cushing, by Dwight Foster, his attorney, was presented to the House and read, praying that he may be permitted to locate warrants for a certain tract of land in the fourteenth range of townships, in the territory of the United States, Northwest of the river Ohio. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee appointed on the fifth instant, to inquire into the progress made in carrying into effect the act, entitled "An act providing for the sale of the lands of the United States in the territory Northwest of the river Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river;" and, also, whether any, and, if any, what, alterations may be necessary in the same. Mr, Dwight Foster, from the Čommittee of Claims, to whom were referred the peti tions of David Allshouse, and of Edward Thompson, made reports; which were read and considered: Whereupon, Resolved, That the prayer of the petitions of the said David Allshouse and Edward · Thompson cannot be granted. Mr. Swanwick, from the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, presented, according to order, a bill relative to the compensations of certain officers employed in the collection of the duties of impost and tonnage; which was received, and read the first time. On motion, The said bill was read the second time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next. Mr. Swanwick, from the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, to whom was referred, on the fourteenth ultimo, a resolution of the Legislature of the State of Massachusetts, ceding to the United States a tract of land, called Gay's Head, on the island of Martha's Vineyard, in the said State, for the purpose of erecting a light-house thereon, made a report, which was read and considered: Whereupon, Resolved, That the application of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the establishment of a light-house on Gay's Head, be postponed until the next session of the General Legislature of the United States. Mr. Gilman, from the committee appointed, presented, according to order, a bill for the relief of the refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia ; which was received, and read the first time. On motion, The said bill was read the second time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Thursday next. Mr. Swanwick, from the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, presented, according to order, a bill in addition to an act, entitled "An act to provide for mitigating or remitting the forfeitures and penalties accruing under the revenue laws, in certain cases therein mentioned;" which was received, and read the first time. On motion, The said bill was read the second time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee, of the Whole House on Wednesday next. Ordered, That the Secretary of the Treasury, to whom was referred, on the second instant, the petition of Philip Stimmel, be discharged from the consideration of the same; and that the said petition be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures. The House, according to the order of the day, proceeded to consider the report of the Committee of Claims, of the nineteenth instant, to whom were referred the petitions of William Clark, of Peter Lee, of Cutlip Nestler, and of John Stephenson : Whereupon, The said report being again read at the Clerk's table, Resolved, That the prayer of the petitions of the said William Clark, Peter Lee, Cut: lip Nestler, and John Stephenson, cannot be granted. The House, according to the order of the day, again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the bill sent from the Senate, entitled "An act giving effect to the laws of the United States within the State of Tennessee;" and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Coit reported that the committee had, according to order, again had the said bill under consideration, and made an amendment thereto; which he delivered in at the Clerk's table, where the same was twice read, and agreed to by the House. Ordered, That the said bill, with the amendment, be read the third time to-morrow. A message from the Senate, by Mr. Otis, their Secretary: Mr. Speaker: The Senate have disagreed to the bill, entitled "An act making provision for the claim of M. Poirey, as Secretary and Aid-de-Camp to Major General Lafayette." And then he withdrew. The House, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the report of the committee, of the thirteenth instant, to whom it was referred to inquire whether any, and what, amendments may be necessary in the act "to ascertain and fix the Military Establishment of the United States ;" 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 report under consideration, and made some progress therein. Resolved, That this House will, to-morrow, again resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the said report. Mr. William Smith, from the Committee of Ways and Means, to whom it was referred, on the tenth instant, to inquire whether any, and, if any, what, articles of foreign growth or manufacture, imported into the United States, or articles manufactured or used within the United States, will allow of an additional duty to be laid upon them, made a report; which was read, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Monday next. The several orders of the day were further postponed until to-morrow. TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1797. The bill sent from the Senate, entitled "An act giving effect to the laws of the United States within the State of Tennessee," together with the amendment agreed to yester. day, was read the third time: And, on the question that the same do pass, It was resolved in the affirmative. Ordered, That the Clerk of this House do acquaint the Senate therewith. A memorial of Oliver Pollock, of the city of Philadelphia, was presented to the House and read, praying that the House will consider his petition, presented the seventh of April, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four, and that so much of the claim of the memorialist against the United States, as is acknowledged, may receive the sanction of the House during the present session. Ordered, That the said memorial be referred to the Committee of the Whole House to whom was committed, on the twelfth instant, the report of the Committee of Claims on the petition of Oliver Pollock. A memorial of James Arnold and others, inspectors and gaugers at the port of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, was presented to the House and read, stating the insufficiency of the compensation allowed them by law, and praying that the same may be increased, and rendered more adequate to their services. Also, a memorial of Stephen Hopkins and Robert S. Burrough, weighers and measurers at the said port of Providence, to the same effect. Ordered, That the said memorials be referred to the Committee of the Whole House to whom is committed the bill relative to the compensations of certain officers employed in the collection of the duties of impost and tonnage. A petition of John Nelson, Major Commandant of a corps of cavalry of the Virginia line on the State establishment, during the late war, was presented to the House and read, praying that lands may be granted him on the Northwest side of the Ohio, in lien of those which he had obtained for his military services, during the late war, and which, by a late treaty between the United States and the Chickasaw Indians, have been coded to the said Indians. Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee of Claims. Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom was referred the petition of Edward St. Loe Livermore, made a report; which was read, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow. Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the petitions of Joseph Biggs and Elijah Hedges, of John Curley, and of William Smith, made reports; which were severally read and considered: Whereupon, Resolved, That the prayer of the petitions of the said Joseph Biggs and Elijah Hedges, John Curley, and William Smith, cannot be granted. On motion, Resolved, That the committee appointed to inquire into the progress made in carrying into effect the act, entitled “An act providing for the sale of the lands of the United States in the territory Northwest of the river Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river," and, also, whether any, and, if any, what, alterations may be necessary in the same, be further instructed to inquire what progress has been made in carrying into ef fect the act, entitled "An act regulating the grants of land appropriated for military services, and for the Society of the United Brethren for propagating the Gospel among the Heathen;" and, also, whether any, and, if any, what, alterations may be necessary in the same. The House, according to the order of the day, again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House to whom was referred the report of the committee, of the thirteenth instant, appointed to inquire whether any, and what, amendments may be necessary in the act to ascertain and fix the Military Establishment of the United States ;" and, after so ne time speat therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Muhlenberg reported that the committee had, according to order, again had the said report under consideration, and come to several resolutions thereupon; which be delivered in at the Clerk's table, where the same were read, as follow: 1st. Resolved, That all such parts of the act, entitled "An act to ascertain and fix the Military Establishment of the United States," which relate to the light dragoons, ought to be repealed. 2d. Resolved, That a major general, and his staff, are no longer necessary; therefore, that the third section of the said act, together with all other parts thereof, which relate to the major general and his staff, be repealed 3d. Resolved, That there shall be one brigadier general, who may chuse his brigade major and inspector from the captains and subalterns in the line; to each of whom there shall be allowed the monthly pay of dollars, in addition to his pay in the line, and two rations extraordinary per day, and, whenever forage shall not be furnished by the public, to ten dollars per month in lieu thereof. That there shall be one brigade quar termaster, one brigade paymaster, and one judge advocate, who shall be taken from the commissioned officers of the line, and each of whom shall be entitled to receive two rations extra per day, and dollars per month, in addition to his pay in the line; and, whenever forage shall not be furnished by the public, there shall be allowed to the brigade quartermaster dollars per month, and to the brigade paymaster and judge dollars per month, in lieu thereof. advocate each 4th. Resolved, That so much of the twenty-third section of the said act, as may be construed to affect the brigadier general and his staff, be, and is hereby, repealed. 5th. Resolved, That, from and after the day of next, the pay of the lieutenants shall be thirty dollars, and that of the ensigns twenty-five dollars per month. That to the brigadier, while commander in chief, he shall be allowed rations per day extraordinary; and each officer commanding a separate post, shall be entitled to receive twice the number of rations to which he otherwise would be entitled. -- 6th. Resolved, That the majors be entitled to receive four rations per day, for their subsistence. The House proceeded to consider the said resolutions: Whereupon, The first resolution being again read at the Clerk's table, A motion was made and seconded to amend the same, by adding, after the word "repealed," at the end thereof, the following words: "and that the four regiments of infantry be reduced to three :" And, on the question thereupon, It was resolved in the affirmative, The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, Another motion was then made and seconded, farther to amend the said first resolution, by striking out the words, "all such parts of the act, entitled 'An act to ascertain and fix the Military Establishment of the United States," which relate to the light dragoons, ought to be repealed:" And, on the question thereupon, Yeas It passed in the negative, Nays 18, The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, |