publish patents immediately upon their being issued by the Commissioner of Patents. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Patents. By Mr. Tappan: The memorial of Rebecca Brewer, widow of Zachariah Brewer, praying for arrears of pension; which was referred to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. The Speaker, by unanimous consent, laid before the House executive communications, as follows, viz: I. A letter from the Secretary of State, transmitting statements of the contingent expenses of his department during the last fiscal year; which was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed. II. A letter from the Secretary of the Interior, transmitting, in compliance with a resolution of the House of the 23d of June last, a copy of the report of Mr. Pritchette, the special agent appointed to investigate certain charges against A. D. Bonesteel, United States agent for the Menomonee Indians, together with a copy of the letter of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs accompanying the same; which was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed, together with the report of James H. Howe, attorney for the tribe, in the matter of the Menomonee Indian investigation, submitted, by unanimous consent, by Mr. Cadwalader C. Washburn. III. A letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting information, in compliance with a resolution of the House of the 16th of April last, in regard to the action of the War Department in the execution of the act of February 8, 1856, "to remove obstructions to navigation in the mouth of the Mississippi at the Southwest Pass and Pass à l'Outre;" which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, and ordered to be printed. On motion of Mr. John G. Davis, by unanimous consent, Ordered, That an amendment proposed to be submitted by him to the bill of the House (H. R. 835) for the construction of a Pacific railroad be printed. On motion of Mr. Phelps, Ordered, That when the House adjourns, it adjourn until Monday next. Mr. Vallandigham, by unanimous consent, from the select committee to whom was referred the bill of the Senate (S. 35) to abolish the franking privilege, submitted a report in writing; which was ordered to be printed, together with the bill and pending amendment. Notices were given, under the rule, of motions for leave to introduce bills, as follows, viz: By Mr. Ashley: A bill to amend an act providing for the taking of the Seventh Census of the United States, and to fix the number of the members of the House of Representatives, and to provide for their future apportionment among the several States, approved 23d May, 1850. By Mr. Isaac I. Stevens: A bill for the completion of the public buildings in the Territory of Washington; Also, a bill for the completion of military roads in the Territory of Washington; Also, a bill for the defence of Puget sound and the entrance of the Columbia river. The Speaker having announced as the regular order of business the call of the committees for reports Mr. Cobb, from the Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill of the House (H. R. 50) to construe the word "minimum" price of the public lands, reported the same with an amendment in the nature of a substitute therefor. Pending the question on agreeing to the said amendment, Mr. Thaddeus Stevens moved that the bill be laid on the table. And the question being put, It was decided in the negative, Yeas ... Nays.... 90 100 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. Charles F. Adams William C. Anderson Emerson Etheridge Reuben E. Fenton Orris S. Ferry Augustus Frank Muscoe R. H. Garnett Mr. John A. Gilmer Daniel W. Gooch George S. Hawkins William A. Howard Mr. John J. Perry William N. H. Smith Israel Washburn, jr. Mr. David Clopton Williamson R. W. Cobb Mr. R. Holland Duell William S. Kenyon Mr. David Kilgore Lucius Q. C. Lamar Mr. Christopher Robinson Albert Rust Daniel E. Sickles Thomas C. Theaker Cadwalader C. Washburn William G. Whiteley Samuel H. Woodson. So the House refused to lay the bill on the table. The question then recurring on the demand for the previous question, Mr. Cobb withdrew the same. The question then recurring on the pending amendment, Mr. Curtis moved to amend the same by inserting after the words "to entry" the words "to actual settlers only.” Pending which, Mr. Cobb moved the previous question; which was seconded and the main question ordered, and under the operation thereof the said amendment to the amendment was agreed to. Under the further operation of the previous question the amendment as amended was then agreed to, and the bill ordered to be engrossed and read a third time. Being engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time. Ycas And it was decided in the affirmative, {Na.... 137 57 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. Charles F. Adams John B Alley Mr. James Buffinton John C. Burch Martin Butterfield John Carey Luther C. Carter Charles Case John B. Clark John Cochrane Mr. Samuel R. Curtis John G. Davis Charles Delano William H. English Thomas B. Florence Stephen C. Foster Philip B. Fouke Mr. Daniel W. Gooch Robert Mallory Gilman Marston Charles D. Martin Mr. John A. McClernand Mr. Charles B. Sedgwick Daniel E. Sickles Thomas C. Theaker Cadwalader C. Washbur Mr. Roger A. Pryor James A. Stewart 修 Mr. Cobb moved that the vote last taken be reconsidered, and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table; which latter motion was agreed to. The title of the bill was then amended by adding at the end thereof the following words "and for other purposes;" and, as amended, the title was agreed to. Ordered, That the Clerk request the concurrence of the Senate in the said bill. A message in writing was received from the President of the United States, by A. J. Glossbrenner, his private secretary; which, by unanimous consent, was read, and is as follows, viz: To the House of Representatives: In answer to the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 9th of April last, requesting information concerning the African slave trade, I transmit a report from the Secretary of State, and the documents by which it was accompanied. WASHINGTON, December 5, 1860. JAMES BUCHANAN. Ordered, That the said message and accompanying documents be laid on the table and printed. The Speaker announced that he had appointed the following members of the select committee to which was referred, under the order of the House of the 4th instant, "so much of the President's message as relates to the present perilous condition of the country," viz: Mr. Corwin, of Ohio; Mr. Millson, of Virginia; Mr. Charles F. Adams, of Massachusetts; Mr. Winslow, of North Carolina; Mr. Humphrey, of New York; Mr. Boyce, of South Carolina; Mr. Campbell, of Pennsylvania; Mr. Love, of Georgia; Mr. Ferry, of Connecticut; Mr. H. Winter Davis, of Maryland; Mr. Robinson, of Rhode Island; Mr. Whiteley, of Delaware; Mr. Tappan, of New Hampshire; Mr. Stratton, of New Jersey; Mr. Bristow, of Kentucky; Mr. Morrill, of Vermont; Mr. Nelson, of Tennessee; Mr. Dunn, of Indiana; Mr. Taylor, of Louisiana; Mr. Reuben Davis, of Mississippi; Mr. William Kellogg, of Illinois; Mr. Houston, of Alabama; Mr. Morse, of Maine; Mr. Phelps, of Missouri; Mr. Rust, of Arkansas; Mr. William A. Howard, of Michigan; Mr. Hawkins, of Florida; Mr. Hamilton, of Texas; Mr. Cadwalader C. Washburn, of Wisconsin; Mr. Curtis, of Iowa; Mr. Burch, of California; Mr. Windom, of Minnesota; and Mr. Stout, of Oregon. Mr. Hawkins moved that he be excused from service on the said committee. Pending which, After debate, Mr. Hawkins moved the previous question. Pending which, Mr Millson moved, at 2 o'clock p. m., that the House adjourn. And the question being put, It was decided in the affirmative, { Yeas. Nays 104 92 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. Charles F. Adams Green Adans Cyrus Aldrich Mr. John C. Burch Alfred A. Burnham Mr. Samuel S. Cox Samuel R. Curtis |