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between the United States and Great Britain, and France, and their dependencies; and for other purposes," to take on board cargoes of domestic or foreign produce, and to depart with the same for any foreign port or place, with which such intercourse is or shall, at the time of their departure respectively, be permitted, in the same manner and on the same conditions as is provided by the act aforesaid for vessels owned by citizens of the United States; and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

Mr. Newton, from the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, to whom the above recited resolution was referred, presented, according to order, a bill respecting the ships or vessels owned by citizens or subjects of foreign nations with which commercial intercourse is permitted, which was received and read the first time.

On motion,

The said bill was read the second time, and committed to a committee of the whole House, to

norrow.

On motion of Mr. Cutts,

Ordered, That the several petitions of sundry owners and mariners of fishing vessels, residing in the districts of Kennebunk, of Portland and Falmouth, and of Wiscasset, in the state of Massachusetts, presented to this House on the twenty-second and twenty-eighth of December last, be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

Mr. Lewis presented a petition of sundry freehold. ers and inhabitants of the counties of Loudon and Fairfax, in the state of Virginia, whose names are thereunto subscribed, praying a reduction of the fees allowed to the flour-inspector of the town of Alexandria, in the district of Columbia.

The said petition was read, and referred to the Committee for the district of Columbia.

On motion of Mr. Southard, and seconded, Resolved, That this House will, to-morrow, at

twelve o'clock, proceed, by ballot, to the appoint ment of a Chaplain to Congress, on their part.

Mr. M'Kim presented a petition of George Vaughan, praying to be placed on the pension list of the United States, in consideration of wounds received whilst a lieutenant in the Pennsylvania line of the continental army, during the revolutionary war with Great Britain.

The said petition was read, and ordered to be referred to the Secretary of War, with instruction to examine the matter thereof, and report the same with his opinion thereupon to the House.

Mr. Findley presented a memorial of Arthur St. Clair, a major-general in the army of the United States during the revolutionary war with Great Britain, praying the reimbursement of a sum of money advanced by him on public account, in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy six, for the purpose of re-inlisting the troops then in service in the northern department, in order to form the permanent army, then organizing agreeably to a resolution of Congress.

The said petition was read, and referred to the Committee of Claims.

Mr. Bard presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of Mifflin county, in the state of Pennsylvania, whose names are thereunto subscribed, praying the establishment of a post-route from Lewistown to Bellefonte, in the said state."

Mr. Wheaton presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the state of Massachusetts, whose names are thereunto subscribed, praying that the new turnpike road from Taunton to Boston may be established as a post-road.

The said petitions were read, and referred to the Committee on Post-office and Post-roads.

On motion of Mr. Milnor,

Ordered, That the memorial of sundry merchants of the city of Philadelphia, signed by William

Davy, and others, their committee, presented to this House on the twenty-sixth of November, one thousand eight hundred and seven, be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

Mr. Anderson presented a petition of sundry inhabitants and freeholders of the town of Marcus Hook, in the state of Pennsylvania, whose names are thereunto subscribed, praying compensation for the ground on which the public piers in the river Delaware are erected.

The said petition was read, and ordered to be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

A motion was made by Mr. Livermore, and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution;

Resolved, That it is expedient that the operation of so much of the act, entitled "An act to interdict the commercial intercourse between the United States and Great Britain and France, and their dependencies," as inhibits the importation of goods from Great Britain and its dependencies, be suspended until the tenth day of June next.

The said proposed resolution was read, and order. ed to be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, with leave to report thereon by bill or otherwise.

A motion was made by Mr. Randolph, and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution:

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire whether any and what prosecutions have been instituted before courts of the United States, for libel at common law, and by what authority; and to report such provision as in their opinion may be necessary for securing the freedom of speech and of the press. And after debate,

The question was taken thereupon,
And resolved in the affirmative.

Ordered, That Mr. Randolph, Mr. Holland, Mr. Dana, Mr. Howard, and Mr. Tracy, be appointed a committee pursuant to the said resolution.

Another motion was made by Mr. Randolph, and seconded, that the House do come to the following resolution:

Resolved, That provision ought to be made by law to secure the right to an impartial jury, in all cases, civil and criminal, maintained in the courts of the United States.

Ordered, That the said proposed resolution do lie on the table.

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

FRIDAY, May 26, 1809.

Another member, to wit: Robert Weakley, from Tennessee, appeared, produced his credentials and took his seat; the oath to support the constitution of the United States being first administered to him by Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the governor of the state of Virginia, enclosing the cir tificate of the election of John G. Jackson to serve as one of the representatives for that state in the eleventh Congress of the United States, which were read and ordered to be referred to the Committee of Elections.

On motion of Mr. Morrow, and seconded,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be directed to inquire what further provision is necessary to be made for the disposal of the public lands in the Mississippi territory, ceded by the Cherokees and Chickasaws, and that they report by bill or otherwise.

On motion of Mr. Morrow, and seconded,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency of authorizing the appointment of an agent whose duty

it shall be to appear before the board of commissioners for adjusting the claims to land in the district of Kaskaskia, in behalf of the United States, to investigate the claims for lands, and to oppose all such as may appear to be fraudulent and unfounded; and also to inquire whether any, and if any, what additional compensation ought to be allowed the said commissioners and their clerk, for services rendered in the year one thousand eight hundred and eight; and that the committee have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

The House then, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into the committee of the whole House on the state of the union; and after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Pitkin reported, that the committee had, according to order, had the state of the union under consideration, and come to several resolutions thereupon, which he delivered in at the Clerk's table, where the same were read as follow:

1. Resolved, That so much of the message of the President of the United States, as respects our relations with foreign nations, be referred to a select committee.

2. Resolved, That so much of the message of the President of the United States as relates to a revision of our commercial laws, for the purpose of protecting and fostering the manufactures of the United States, be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

3. Resolved, That so much of the message of the President of the United States, as relates to the modifications of the military and naval establishments of the United States, be referred to a select committee.

4. Resolved, That so much of the message from the President of the United States as relates to the fortification of our sea port towns, be referred to a select committee.

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