Mr. Mercer presented a petition of Simon Summers, of the State of Virginia, praying to be paid the commutation of half pay to which he is entitled as an officer of the army of the revolution.

Mr. Claiborne presented a petition of Maria Duval, of the State of Virginia, and others, heirs at law of Major Daniel Duval, of the revolutionary army, praying to be paid the commutation of half pay to which the deceased was entitled as an officer in the said army.

Mr. Claiborne presented a petition of the heirs and representatives of James Quarles, late of the State of Virginia, deceased, praying to be paid. the commutation of half pay to which the deceased was entitled as an officer in the army of the revolution.

Mr. Lyon presented a petition of the heirs and representatives of Thomas Blackwell, deceased, praying to be paid the interest on the commutation of haif pay granted to the heirs of said Blackwell by the act of May 29, 1830. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims.

Mr. Edward Everett presented a petition of Henry Hatch, administrator of Crowell Hatch, deceased, late of the city of Boston, praying to be paid for property captured by French cruisers prior to the year 1800.

Mr. Cambreleng presented a memorial of Mary O'Sullivan, widow and administratrix of John O'Sullivan, deceased, stating that a vessel called "The Dick," was arrested on her voyage, in 1822, at Buenos Ayres, by the agent of the United States, upon frivolous pretences, and sent to New York for trial, which trial never took place; by reason of which arrest and detention great loss was sustained by her late husband, and praying indemnity for the same.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Hoffman presented a petition of Elizabeth Trenchard, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, widow of Edward Trenchard, late a captain in the navy of the United States, praying to be allowed a pension out of the naval pension fund; which petition was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs.

Mr. Mercer presented petitions of inhabitants of the counties of Logan and Kenhawa, in the State of Virginia, praying that the District Court of the United States for the western district of Virginia, may be held at Charleston instead of Lewisburg; which petitions were referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

On motion of Mr. Mercer,

Ordered, That the petition of Robert Leekie and Joseph Wallace, of the eity of Washington, sureties of Jeremiah D. Hayden, late a paymaster in the army, presented June 25, 1832, be referred to the Committee of Claims. Mr. Leavitt presented a petition of inhabitants of the counties of Tuscarawas and Columbiana, in the State of Ohio, praying for the establishment of a post route; which was referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.

On motion of Mr. Thomas, of Louisiana,

Ordered, That the petition of Simon Rodrigues, presented January 10, 1831, be referred to the Committee on Private Land Claims.

On motion of Mr. Plummer,

Ordered, That the undermentioned petitions, heretofore presented, be referred to the Committee on the Public Lands, viz.

The petition of Woodson Wren, presented December 19, 1831.

The petition of Greenwood Leflore and others, on behalf of Jacob Thompson, presented February 29, 1832.

The petition of Lewis Leflore, presented December 15, 1831;

The petition of the heirs of Col. John Ellis, presented December 13,

1831.

Mr. Plummer presented a petition of Hartwell Vick, of the State of Mississippi, praying authority to locate land entered by him at a land office in said State, and afterwards lost to him by an order of survey.

Mr. Plummer presented a petition of the board of trustees of Oakland College, in the State of Mississippi, praying Congress to grant a certain quantity of public land to said college.

Mr. Plummer presented a petition of Silas D. Fisher, one of the captains of the north west district of the Choctaw nation of Indians, praying permission to locate the lands granted him by the late treaty with said nation, on any unlocated land in said district.

Mr. Plummer presented a petition of John K. Goff, of the State of Mississippi, praying that the right of pre-emption on the purchase of a certain tract of public land may be granted to him for reasons set forth in his petition.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Public Lands.

Mr. Elisha Whittlesey, from the Committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of John Thompson, of Virginia, accompanied by a bill (No. 617) for his relief; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House to-morrow.

Mr. Elisha Whittlesey, from the Committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of Richard Bagnall, executor of James B. Vaughan, accompanied by a bill (No. 618) for his relief; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House to

morrow.

Mr. Verplanck, from the Committee of Ways and Means, reported a bill (No. 619) to exempt merchandise imported under certain circumstances from the operation of the act of the 19th of May, 1828, entitled "An act in alteration of the several acts imposing duties on imports," accompanied by sundry documents upon the subject; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.

On motion of Mr. Jarvis,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed, whose duty it shall be to consider all matters referred to them touching the public grounds and public buildings in the city of Washington, with leave to report by bill or otherwise.

Mr. Jarvis, Mr. Clayton, Mr. Allen, of Virginia, Mr. Hogan, Mr. Appleton, Mr. Banks, and Mr. Cooke, of Ohio, were appointed the said committee.

Mr. Anderson moved the following resolution, viz.

Resolved, That when this House adjourns, it adjourns to meet on Monday next.

And, on the question to agree to this resolution,

The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are,

Those who voted in the negative, are,

On motion of Mr. Edward Everett,

Resolved, That so much of the communication of the Superintendent of Public Buildings as relates to the public buildings and grounds, and the

supply of water to them, be referred to the Select Committee on the Public Buildings, and that the Committee for the District of Columbia be discharg ed from the further consideration of the same.

On motion of Mr. Wardwell,

Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be instructed to inquire as to the expediency of erecting a light-house at the mouth of Big Sandy creek, and also at the mouth of Salmon river, both in Mexico bay, Lake Ontario, State of New York.

On motion of Mr. Soule,

Resolved, That the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions be instructed to inquire into the expediency of allowing to Andrew Michael and Reynhart Trougot, of Montgomery county, New York, each, a pension for services rendered the United States during the revolutionary war.

Mr. Root submitted the following preamble and resolution:

Whereas, by the act of the 2d of April, 1792, establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States, the American dollar, of the value of a Spanish milled dollar, was required to contain 371.25 grains of fine, and 416 grains of standard silver; and the American eagle, of the value of ten dollars, was required to contain 247.5 grains of fine, and 270 grains of standard gold; and, by the same act, the relative value between silver and gold was fixed at 15 to 1, "that is to say, every fifteen pounds weight of fine silver shall be of equal value, in all payments, with one pound weight of pure gold." And whereas the relative value of gold and silver bullion has, since that time, materially varied in the principal commercial countries of Europe and in the United States, and it being desirable that Congress be advised of the extent of that variation: therefore,

Resolved, That the Director of the Mint do report to this House, as far as in his power, the present relative value of gold and silver bullion in the principal countries of Europe and the United States; that is to say, if 371.25 grains of pure silver is worth our dollar, what is the value of the same weight of pure gold?

Resolved, That the said Director do report to this House his opinion of the degree of fineness, or proportion of alloy, the best fitted, in gold coins, to give durability and continued brightness to the metal; and, also, his opinion what is the most suitable metal for that alloy.

These resolutions being read, were agreed to by the House.

On motion of Mr. Banks,

Resolved, That the Committee on Invalid Pensions be instructed to inquire into the expediency of placing the name of Samuel Byers on the invalid pension list.

On motion of Mr. Jenifer,

Resolved, That the Committee on Revolutionary Claims be instructed to inquire into the expediency of allowing to the representatives of James Murray, a soldier of the Maryland line during the American revolution, such bounty lands, and other compensation, as his services may have been entitled to.

On motion of Mr. Barbour, of Virginia,

Resolved, That the Committee on Revolutionary Claims be instructed to inquire into the propriety of making provision, by law, for paying to the legal representatives of the late Doctor George Yates, who was a surgeon in the continental line, five years' pay in commutation of the half pay for life

promised by the several resolves of Congress to officers of the revolutionary army rendering service to the close of the war.

On motion of Mr. Draper,

1

Resolved, That the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be directed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a post road from Aus tinville, in the county of Wythe, to the Seven Mile Ford, in the county of Smyth, in the State of Virginia; and, also, from Grayson court-house, in the said State, to intersect the former at the house of William Scott.

On motion of Mr. Speight,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency of continuing in force, for the term of two years from the 26th day of May next, the act of Congress authorizing certain citizens of Arkansas to locate certain land claims.

On motion of Mr. Thomas, of Louisiana,

Resolved, That the Committee on Private Land Claims be instructed to inquire into the expediency of so amending the law authorizing the granting of patents on confirmed French and Spanish titles, or on such as may hereafter be confirmed, to two or more claimants under the same grant, as to direct that patents shall issue to each one severally for the part respec. tively owned by him, and not to all conjointly, nor to the original French or Spanish grantee, where he has sold and conveyed the land.

On motion of Mr. Carr,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads be instructed to inquire into the expediency of establishing a post route from the town of Vienna, in the county of Scott, State of Indiana, by the way of the State Ford, on Muskatatack, to Fischlies' mills, on the Drift Wood fork of White river, in said State.

Resolved, That the Committee on Roads and Canals be instructed to inquire into the expediency of appropriating_either land or money to assist in opening the following roads in the Territory of Michigan, viz. The Territorial road from Sheldon's, on the Chicago road, to the mouth of the river St. Josephs; the Territorial road from Port Laurence, through Adrian, to the Chicago road; the road from the month of the Saline, to Ris don's, on the Chicago road; a road from the point at which the La Plaisance Bay road intersects the Chicago road, direct to Marshall, the county seat of Calhoun county, and thence on the most direct and eligible route to the rapids of the Grand river; a road from Niles, to the mouth of the St. Josephs river; and a road from Clinton to Jacksonsburgh.

On motion of Mr. Plummer,

Resolved, That the memorial of the General Assembly of the State of Mississippi, (praying for the passage of a law granting to each head of a family in the State of Mississippi a pre-emption right to purchase, at the minimum price, one hundred and sixty acres of the land recently acquired from the Choctaw Indians by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit creek,) presented to Congress at the last session, be referred to the Committee on the Public Lands, with instructions to inquire into the expediency of granting the prayer of the memorialists.

Resolved, That the Committee on Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing by law for the payment of the account of John C. Naylor for services rendered as clerk in the office of Surveyor General in the district south of Tennessee.