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The said bill was then farther amended at the Clerk's table, and, together with the amendments, ordered to be engrossed, and read the third time to-morrow.

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

Mr. Speaker: The Senate have agreed to the resolutions of this House, of the fifth ultimo,"relative to the balances found due by commissioners for settling accounts between the United States and the individual States," with an amendment; to which they desire the concurrence of this House. And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said amendment be committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow.

Mr. Madison, from the committee to whom was referred, on the third instant, the memorial of Anna de Neufville, widow of John de Neufville, deceased, made a report; which was read, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Friday next.

The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Secretary of War, accompany ing a list of certain claimants to be placed on the pension list, belonging to the State of New Jersey; as, also, returns made by the examining physicians to the Department of War, in the cases of the said claimants, in pursuance of a resolution of both Houses of

1797.]

Congress, of the eighteenth of April, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six ; which were read, and ordered to be referred to the Committee of Claims, with instruction to report by bill or otherwise.

Mr. William Smith, from the Committee of Ways and Means, presented, according to order, a bill to provide for the assessment and collection of direct taxes; 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 Monday next.

Mr. William Smith, from the same committee, presented, according to order, a bill laying a direct tax upon the United States; which was received and read the first time. On motion,

The said bill was read the second time, and ordered to be committed to the Committee of the whole House last appointed.

On a motion made and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution: Resolved, That so much of a resolution entered into the sixth of January, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven, and requesting the Secretary of the Treasury to lay before Congress certain annual statements respecting the product of the internal revenues, and the expenses of collection, as relates to "a list of all the officers employed in collecting the said revenues, and of the compensations allowed to each," be rescinded: The question was taken that the House do agree to the said motion, And passed in the negative.

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, FEBRUARY 8, 1797.

An engrossed bill to alter and amend an act, entitled "An act to ascertain and fix the military establishment of the United States," was read the third time, and the blanks therein filled up.

Resolved, That the said bill do pass, and that the title be, "An act to alter and amend an act, entitled 'An act to ascertain and fix the military establishment of the United States."

Ordered, That the Clerk of this House do carry the said bill to the Senate, and desire their concurrence.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the memorials and petitions of James Brotherton, of Elijah Holcomb, of Francis M'Donald, and of Robert Munford, made reports; which were severally read, and considered: Whereupon,

Resolved, That the prayer of the memorials and petitions of the said James Brotherton, Elijah Holcomb, Francis M'Donald, and Robert Munford, cannot be granted.

Mr. Swanwick, from the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, to whom was referred a memorial of sundry manufacturers of chocolate, made a report; which was read, and ordered to be committed to the Committee of the Whole House to whom was committed, on the third ultimo, the report of the Committee of Ways and Means, on the subject of further revenues.

Ordered, That a message be sent to the Senate, to inform them that this House is now ready to attend them in opening the certificates, and counting the votes of the Electors of the several States, in the choice of a President and Vice-President of the United States, in pursuance of the resolutions of the two Houses of the second and third instant; and that the Clerk of this House do go with the said message.

The Clerk accordingly went with the said message, and being returned,

The Senate attended, and took seats in the House; when, both Houses being assembled,

Mr. Sitgreaves and Mr. Parker, the tellers on the part of this House, together with Mr. Sedgwick, the teller on the part of the Senate, took seats at the Clerk's table.

The President of the Senate, in the presence of both Houses, proceeded to open the certificates of the electors of the several States, beginning with the State of Tennessee; and, as the votes were read, the tellers, on the part of each House, counted and took lists of the same; which, being compared, were delivered to the President of the Senate, and are as follow:

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The President of the Senate, pursuant to the joint resolutions of the two Houses of the second and third instant, then announced the state of the votes to both Houses, and declared "That JOHN ADAMS, of Massachusetts, was duly elected President of the United States, for four years, to commence on the fourth of March next; and that THOMAS JEFFERSON, of Virginia, was duly elected Vice President of the United States, for the like term of four years, to commence on the said fourth day of March next"-concluding in the following words-"And may the Sovereign of the Universe, the ordainer of civil government on earth, for the preservation of liberty, justice, and peace among men, enable both to discharge the duties of their offices conformably to the Constitution of the United States, with conscientious diligence, punctuality, and perseverance." The two Houses then separated.

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, FEBRUARY 9, 1797.

A petition and memorial of Sarah Macomb, Alexander Macomb, and Alexander Von Pfister, executrix and executors of William Macomb, deceased, was presented to the House and read, praying that grants of certain tracts of land, in the vicinity of Detroit, made by the Indians to the said Alexander Macomb, and William Macomb, as tenants in common, may be confirmed to the devisees of the deceased.

Ordered, That the said petition and memorial be referred to Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Var num, and Mr. Marclay; that they do examine the matter thereof, and report the same, with their opinion thereupon, to the House.

A petition of Hendrick Doyer, of the city of New York, merchant and distiller, was presented to the House and read, praying relief against a decision of the late Secretary of the Treasury, relative to a penalty incurred for a breach of the laws of revenue.

Also, the petitions of sundry manufacturers of cordage, in the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York, whose names are thereunto subscribed, respectively praying that an additional duty may be imposed on foreign cordage and yarn, imported into the United States; or that such other encouragement may be given to the manufacture of cordage within the United States, as to the wisdom of Congress shall

seem meet.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

A petition of John Stephens and others, Inspectors of the Customs for the port of New York, was presented to the House and read, stating the insufficiency of the compensations allowed them by law; and praying that the same may be increased, and rendered more adequate to their services.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee of the Whole House to whom was committed, on the sixth instant, the bill relative to the compensations and duties of certain officers employed in the collection of impost and tonnage.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom were referred the memorials and petitions of Lawrence Fonda, of Edward Lacey, and of John Walters, made reports; which were severally read and considered: Whereupon,

Resolved, That the prayer of the memorials and petitions of the said Lawrence Fonda, Edward Lacey, and John Watters, cannot be granted.

Mr. Dwight Foster, from the Committee of Claims, to whom was referred the petition of Comfort Sands, and others, and the report of the Secretary of the Treasury thereon, made a report ; which was read, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Tuesday next.

The House proceeded to consider the report of the Committee of Claims, of the sixteenth ultimo, on the memorial of Andrew Dunscomb, which lay on the table: Whereupon,

Resolved, That the prayer of the memorial of the said Andrew Dunscomb cannot be granted.

Mr. Sitgreaves, from the committee appointed on the first instant, on the part of this House, jointly with a committee appointed on the part of the Senate, to ascertain and report a mode of examining the votes for the President and Vice President, and of notifying the persons elected of their election; and to regulate the time, place, and manner, of administering the oath of office to the President, made a farther report; which he delivered in at the Clerk's table, where the same was twice read, and agreed to by the House, as followeth :

Resolved, That the Clerk of this House be directed to give, by letter, to the Vice President elect, a notification of his election.

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

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 for increasing the compensations allowed to the members of the Legislature, and certain officers of the Government, for a limited time;" and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Muhlenburg reported that the committee had, according to order, had the said bill under consideration, and directed him report to the House their disagreement to the same.

The House the proceeded to consider the said bill at the Clerk's table; and, on the question that the House do agree with the Committee of the Whole House in their disagreement to the same,

It was resolved in the affirmative,

Yeas
Nays

58,

38.

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

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Chauncey Goodrich,

Roger Griswold,

Robert Goodloe Harper,

William Hindinan,

And so the said bill was rejected.

Samuel Maclay,

Nathaniel Macon,
James Madison,

John Milledge,
Andrew Moore,

Frederick A. Muhlenberg,

Anthony New,
John Nicholas,

Alexander D. Orr,

John Page,

Josiah Parker,

John Patten,

Francis Preston,
John Richards,
Robert Rutherford,
John S. Sherburne,
Tompson J. Skinner,
Israel Smith,

Richard Sprigg, jun.
Thomas Sprigg,
William Strudwick,
Mark Thomson,
Philip Van Cortlandt,
Joseph B. Varnum,
Abraham Venable, and
Richard Winn.

Edward Livingston,

Samuel Lyman,

Francis Malbone,

William Vans Murray,
Elisha R. Potter,

John Reed,

Samuel Sewall,

Samuel Sitgreaves,

Jeremiah Smith,
Nathaniel Smith,
Isaac Smith,
Samuel Smith,
William Smith,
Zephaniah Swift,

George Thatcher,

Richard Thomas,

John E. Van Allen,

Peleg Wadsworth, and

John Williams.

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

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

Mr. Speaker: I am directed to communicate to this House an address, which was, this day, made to the Senate by the Vice President, in the following words, to wit: Gentlemen of the Senate:

In consequence of the declaration, made yesterday in the Chamber of the House of Representatives, of the election of a President and Vice President of the United States, the record of which has just now been read from your Journal by your Secretary, I have judged it proper to give notice, that, on the fourth of March next, at twelve o'clock, I propose to attend again in the Chamber of the House of Representatives, in order to take the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States, to be taken by the President, to be administered by the Chief Justice, or such other Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, as can most conveniently attend; and in case none of those Judges can attend, by the Judge of the District of Pennsylvania, before such Senators and Representatives of the United States, as may find it convenient to honor

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