And then the main question being taken, that the House do agree to the said first resolution, amended to read as followeth :

"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to ascertain and fix the military establishment of the United States,' which relate to the light dragoons, ought to be repealed; and that the four regiments of infantry to be reduced to three," It was resolved in the affirmative.

The second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth resolutions being again read, were, on the question severally put thereupon, agreed to by the House.

Ordered, That a bill or bills be brought in, pursuant to the said resolutions, and that Mr. Samuel Smith, Mr. Hartley, Mr. Parker, Mr. Van Cortlandt, and Mr. Dearborn, 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 for the better regulation of pilots within the bay and rivers of the Chesapeake ; 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 some progress therein.

Resolved, That this House will, to-morrow, again resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the said bill.

The several orders of the day were further postponed until to-morrow.
And then the House adjourned until to-morrow morning eleven o'clock.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1797.

Mr. Parker, from the committee appointed on the sixteenth ultimo, to inquire into the state of the naval equipment, ordered by former acts of Congress; and whether any, and what, other naval force is necessary for the protection of the commerce of the United States, and the support of their flag, made a report; which was read, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Monday next.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the peti tions of Arnold Martin, and Sarah his wife, late widow of James Mugford, deceased, and of Jonathan Haynes, made reports; which were read and considered: Whereupon, Resolved, That the prayer of the petitions of the said Arnold Martin, and Sarah his wife, and Jonathan Haynes, cannot be granted.

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Otis, their Secretary:

Mr. Speaker: The Senate have disagreed to the amendment proposed by this House to the bill sent from the Senate, entitled "An act giving effect to the laws of the United States within the State of Tennessee." And then he withdrew.

The House proceeded to consider so much of the report of the Committee of Elections, of the nineteenth instant, as relates to the contested election of Joseph Bradley Varnum, one of the members returned to serve in this House, for the State of Massachusetts, which lay on the table: Whereupon,

The last clause contained in the said report, being under consideration, in the words following, to wit:

"Your committee are, therefore, of opinion, that Joseph Bradley Varnum was duly elected; and that the attempt to deprive him of his seat, was rather the effect of malevolence, than a desire to promote the public good:"

A motion was made and seconded to amend the said last clause of the report, by striking out the words "and that the attempt to deprive him of his seat, was rather the effect of malevolence, than a desire to promote the public good," for the purpose of insert. ing, in lieu thereof, the following words: "and that the charges contained in the said petitions, against the sitting member, are wholly unfounded; and that the conduct of the sitting member appears to have been fair and unexceptionable, throughout the whole transaction."

And on the question thereupon,

It was resolved in the affirmative, S Yeas

Nays..

44,

28.

The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present,

Those who voted in the affirmative, are,

The several orders of the day were further postponed until to-morrow.
And then the House adjourned until to-morrow morning eleven o'clock.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1797.

The several petitions of John Valentine and John Curle, of John Brown, and of Presley Thornton, were presented to the House and read, respectively praying compensa tion for services rendered, or losses and injuries sustained, in the Army of the United States, during the late war.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee of Claims.

The House proceeded to re-consider their amendment, disagreed to by the Senate, to the bill sent from the Senate, entitled "An act giving effect to the laws of the United States, within the State of Tennessee :" Whereupon,

Resolved, That this House doth insist on their said amendment.

Ordered, That the Clerk of this House do acquaint the Senate therewith.

On motion,

Ordered, That the petition of Alleta Bogert, presented the ninth of March last, and so much of the report of the Committee of Claims, of the thirty-first of May, as relates to the said petition, be recommitted to the Committee of Claims.

The Speaker laid before the House a report of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, enclosing a report of the Secretary of the Treasury to the said Commissioners; and, also, an official statement of the Accounting Officers of the Treasury Department, relative to the sale of part of the capital stock of the bank of the United States, belonging to the United States, in pursuance of the act "Making provision for the payment of certain debts of the United States;" which were read, and ordered to be referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the petitions of Mehitabel Baker, late widow of Obediah Newton, deceased, and of Samuel Morrell, made reports; which were read, and considered: Whereupon,

Resolved, That the prayer of the petitions of the said Mehitabel Baker and Samuel Morrill, cannot be granted.

The House resumed the consideration of the last clause contained in the report of the Committee of Elections, of the nineteenth instant, in the case of the contested election of Joseph Bradley Varnum, one of the members returned to serve in this House for the State of Massachusetts: Whereupon,

The question being taken, that the House do agree to the same, amended to read as followeth :

"Your committee are, therefore, of opinion, that Joseph Bradley Varnum was duly elected; and that the charges contained in the said petitions against the sitting member, are wholly unfounded; and that the conduct of the sitting member appears to have been fair and unexceptionable, throughout the whole transaction :"

It was resolved in the affirmative.

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Otis, their Secretary:

Mr. Speaker: The Senate recede from their disagreement to the amendment, insisted on by this House, to the bill sent from the Senate, entitled "An act giving effect to the laws of the United States, within the State of Tennessee." 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 ninth instant, to whom it was referred to inquire whether any, and what, alterations ought to be made in the compensations allowed by law to the officers 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.

The several orders of the day were further postponed until to-morrow.

And then the House adjourned until to-morrow morning eleven o'clock.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1797.

A petition of Ludwig Kuhn was presented to the House and read, praying a re-consideration of his petition, presented the twenty-eighth of November, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two; and that such relief may be granted him in the premises, as to the wisdom of Congress shall seem meet.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee of Claims.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the petitions of William Matthews, of Catharine Metcalf, widow of Simon Metcalf, deceased, and of John Nickless, made reports; which were severally read and considered : Whereupon,

Resolved, That the prayer of the petitions of the said William Matthews, Catharine Metcalf, and John Nickless, cannot be granted.

The House, according to the order of the day, again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the report of the committee, of the ninth instant, to whom it was referred to inquire whether any, and what, alterations ought to be made in the compensations allowed by law to the officers 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, again had the said report under consideration, and gone through the same, and made several amendments thereto; which he deliv ered in at the Clerk's table.

The House then proceeded to consider the said report and amendments: Whereupon,

A motion was made, and the question being put, to strike out the first clause of the said report, in the words following, to wit:

"That, in the opinion of the committee, the compensations allowed by law to the Secretary of War and the Attorney General, ought to be augmented, by an additional compensation of five hundred dollars per annum, to each of the said officers; and to commence on the first day of January, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven:"

The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present,

Those who voted in the affirmative, are,

And then the question being taken, that the House do agree with the Committee of the Whole House in their amendment to the said first clause, for striking out the words "Secretary at War and,"

The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present,

George Jackson,
Aaron Kitchell,
Matthew Locke,
William Lyman,
Samuel Maclay,

Nathaniel Macon,
John Milledge,

Andrew Moore,

Frederick A. Muhlenberg,

Anthony New,
Alexander D. Ort,
Josiah Parker,
John Richards,
Robert Rutherford,
John S. Sherburne,
Tompson J. Skinner,
Israel Smith,

William Strudwick,
John Swanwick,

George Thatcher,

Richard Thomas,

Mark Thomson,

Joseph B. Varnum,

Abraham Venable, and

Richard Winn.

William Hindman,

John Wilkes Kittera,

Richard Sprigg, junior,

Zephaniah Swift,

John E. Van Allen,

Peleg Wadsworth, and

John Williams.

The next amendment reported by the Committee of the Whole House, for striking out the second clause of the said report, in the words following, to wit: "That, in the opinion of the committee, an addition of salary, for the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven, ought to be allowed to each of the following officers, viz: The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of the Department of War, the Attorney General, the Postmaster General, the Treasurer, the Comptroller of the Treasury, the Commissioner of the Revenue, the Auditor, the Register, the Agsistant Postmaster General, and the Keeper of Military Stores; and that such addition of salary ought to be at the rate of twenty-five per cent. on the amount of the present compensation allowed by law, to each of the said officers, respectively;" was, on the question put thereupon, agreed to by the House: Yeas 57, Nays 32.

The yeas and nays being demanded by one-fifth of the members present,