Council of said territory, as members thereof, until such office or offices shall have been resigned, and such commission with the resignation shall have been transmitted to the office of the secretary of the territory aforesaid.

The said resolution was read and ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Witherspoon, from the committee appointed on the fourteenth instant, on the petition of Alexander Scott, made a report thereon, which was read and referred to a committee of the whole House on Monday next.

On motion of Mr. Cutts,

Ordered, That the petition of Charles Bean, of Massachusetts, presented the fifth of February last, be referred to the Committee of Claims.

On motion of Mr. W. Alston,

Ordered, That the petition of sundry inhabitants of Point Coupec, in the Orleans territory, presented the twenty second of December last, be referred to the Committee on the Public Lends.

An engrossed bill to fix the compensation of the additional assistant post-master gcneral, was read the third time.

Resolved, That the said bill do pass, and that the title be "An act to fix the compensation of the addi. tional assistant post-master general."

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

rence.

The House, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a committee of the whole House on the bill for the relief of George Armroyd and company; and after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Macon reported, that the committee had, according to order, had the said bill under consideration, and made no amend. ment thereto.

Ordered, That the said bill be engrossed and read the third time to-morrow.

On a motion made and leave given by the House, Mr. Van Horn, from the Committee for the District of Columbia, presented a bill to incorporate the subscribers to the Bank of Washington, 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 on Monday

next.

The House, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a committee of the whole House, on the state of the union, to whom was referred a resolution to amend the constitution of the United States; and after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Cutts reported, that the committee had, according to order, had the state of the union under consideration, and come to no resolution thereon. On motion of Mr. Sheffey,

Ordered, That the committee of the whole House on the state of the union, be discharged from the further consideration of the said resolution, and that it be referred to a select committee.

Mr. Macon, Mr. Pitkin, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Sheffey, and Mr. Mitchill, were then appointed the said committee.

Mr. Van Horn presented a petition of William Dent Beall, late a lieutenant colonel in the army of the United States, praying compensation for extra services rendered as adjutant and inspector of the army stationed at and near New Orleans.

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

Mr. Sheffey presented a petition of John Dixon, of the state of Virginia, praying the payment of a final settlement certificate, with legal interest thereon, granted to his father Roger Dixon for services rendered during the revolutionary war.

Ordered, That the said petition, together with the petition of Lucy Dixon, widow of the said Roger Dixon, presented the twenty-fifth of November, one thousand eight hundred and eight, be referred to the Committee of Claims.

On a motion made and leave given by the House, Mr. Bassett, from the committee appointed the nineteenth instant, presented a bill to incorporate the Protestant Episcopal Church in the town of Alexandria, 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 on Tuesday next.

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

FRIDAY, December 21, 1810.

Two other members, to wit: From Virginia, John Clopton and Walter Jones, appeared and took their seats; a new member, to wit: William M'Kinley, also from Virginia, appeared and took his seat; the oath to support the contitution of the United States being first administered to him by Mr. Speaker, according to law.

On motion of Mr. Gardner,

Ordered, That the petition of sundry merchants of the island of Nantucket, in the state of Massachusetts, presented the ninth of December, one thousand eight hundred and seven, be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

Mr. Lewis presented a petition of John Ratcliffe, deputy post master at Fairfax court house, Virginia, praying an increase of the compensation now allowed him by law.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the post-master general, to consider and report thereon to the House.

On motion of Mr. Poindexter,

Órdered, That the petition from the following named persons, be referred to the Committee on the Public Lands, to wit:

Edwin Lewis, presented the twenty-fifth of January and twenty-fourth of December, one thousand eight hundred and five;

William Coleman, presented the twenty-fifth of February, one thousand eight hundred and six ;

Samuel Mims, presented the twenty-sixth of December, one thousand eight hundred and six, and the fifteenth of January, one thousand eight hundred and

ten.

John Baker, presented the tenth of February, one thousand eight hundred and seven;

Samuel C. Young, presented the fourteenth of November, one thousand eight hundred and eight;

Richard Tervin, presented the fifteenth of December, one thousand eight hundred and eight; and

A committee of the Baptist Church at Salem, in the Mississippi territory, presented the sixth of December last.

On motion of Mr. Southard,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into the propriety of passing a law to prescribe the mode of taking evidence in cases of contested elections for members of the House of Representatives of the United States, and to compel the attendance of witnesses; and that the committee have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

And a committee was appointed consisting of Mr. Southard, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Turner.

Mr. Seybert presented a petition of sundry merchants of the city of Philadelphia, to the same effect with the petition from sundry other merchants of the said city, presented the eighteenth instant, which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

On motion of Mr. Gannett,

Ordered, That the petition of the inhabitants of Bangor, in the district of Maine, presented the nineteenth of March, one thousand eight hundred and ten, be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

On motion of Mr. Sheffey,

Resolved, That the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of encouraging the culture of hemp by protecting import duties, or prohibiting the importation of that article into the United States and its territories, and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

Mr. Van Horn presented a memorial of the united Illinois and Wabash land companies, signed Robert G. Harper, Solomon Etting and Benjarain Stoddert, proprietors and agents, stating at large their claims to lands lying on the Illinois and Wabash rivers, which said lands are claimed and held by the United States, and proposing terms of compromise between the said united companies and the United States, which terms are particularly described in the memorial aforesaid.

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

On motion of Mr. Morrow,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire into the propriety of providing by law for the removal of the land office at Nashville, and the land office at Canton, so that they shall respectively be kept within the districts for which they were established; and that they inquire into the propriety of dispensing with the attendance of the governor of the Mississippi territory, at the public sales of the public lands in the district east of Pearl river, as now directed by law, and that the committee report. by bill or otherwise.

On motion of Mr. Jennings,