bill giving a further compensation to the witnesses who attended the trial of Aaron Burr, before the circuit court of the United States for the district of Virginia, 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 Thurs. day next.

On motion of Mr. Newton,

Ordered, That the report made by the Secretary of the Treasury to the Senate, on the thirteenth of January, one thousand eight hundred and eight, on the subject of draw backs, be referred to the committee of the whole House on the bill to authorize the issuing of debentures in certain cases.

On motion of Mr. Sheffey,

Ordered, That the several memorials and petitions of the officers of the late revolutionary army, presented in December, one thousand eight hundred and eight, and January, one thousand eight hundred and nine, be referred to a select committee.

Mr. Shiffey, Mr. Hale, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Tracy, and Mr Willis Alston, were then appointed the said committee.

On motion of Mr. Poindexter,

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to lay before this House, such information as he may possess relative to the claim of the board of commissioners west of Pearl river, in the Mississippi territory, to additional compensation for their services, together with his opinion as to the equity of said claim.

Mr. Mitchill presented a petition of the brass founders of the city of New-York, praying for a repeal of the duties on imported zinck or spelter.

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

Mr. Seybert presented a petition of Catharine Robertson, late the widow of Jacob Ritter, deceased, praying for an adjustment and final settlement of the

accounts of the said Jacob Ritter, for services rendered during the revolutionary war.

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

On motion of Mr. Milnor,

Ordered, That the petition of Thomas Campbell, presented the twenty-seventh of January last, be referred to a select committee.

Mr. Milnor, Mr. Clopton, Mr. Pickman, Mr. Newbold, and Mr. Stanford, were then appointed the said committee.

Mr. Helms presented a petition of Eden Burrowes, of the state of New Jersey, praying additional compensation for services rendered as a lieutenant in the revolutionary army.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the committee this day appointed, on the memorials and petitions of the officers of the late revolutionary army.

The Speaker presented a letter and memorial of Peter Landais, praying to be allowed and paid his share of prize money in three vessels captured by him in the revolutionary war, while commander of the United States' frigate Alliance.

A motion was made by Mr. Montgomery and seconded, that the said letter and memorial be referred to the Committee of Claims;

And the question being taken thereon, it passed in the negative.

The Speaker laid before the House a report of the Secretary of the Treasury, prepared in obedience to the act regulating the currency of foreign coins in the United States, which was read and referred to the committee appointed the fourteenth instant, on the bill from the Senate further to suspend in part the act, entitled "An act regulating foreign coins, and for other purposes."

Mr. W. Alston presented a petition of Claudius Bougaud, of the territory of Orleans, praying to be confirmed in his titles to two tracts of land lying in

the Mississippi territory, grants for which were obtained from the Spanish government.

On motion of Mr. Bacon,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into the expediency of providing for the formation and printing of a complete general index to the several volumes of the laws of the United States, as now published, including those which may be passed at the present session of Congress, and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

And a committee was appointed of Mr. Bacon, Mr. Matthews and Mr. Jones.

On motion of Mr. Weakley,

Ordered, That the petition of Joseph Brown, presented on the twenty-first of February last, be referred to the committee of the whole House on the report of a select committee on the petition of Alexander Scott.

On motion of Mr. Swoope,

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Navy be directed to explain to this House, the cause wherefore the several bills of exchange, amounting to two hundred and fifty-six thousand dollars, and of various dates, from May tenth, one thousand eight hundred and five, to February twenty-first, one thousand eight hundred and seven, were charged in account number two of Degen, Purviance, and company, navy agents at Leghorn, as settled at the Navy Department on the seventeenth of March, one thousand eight hundred and nine, and for what reasons the same were not included in the account of the said Degen, and company, which was settled at the Navy Department on the thirtieth of June, one thousand eight hundred and eight, and also to inform this House, whether the said bills were purchased by the then Secretary of the Navy, or by a navy agent, and if by the latter, that a copy of the said navy agent's account, embracing the period of purchase, also accompany the informatio!! required.

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to lay before this House, any information which he may have obtained through our minister in France, in answer to the letter addressed to him on the twenty-sixth of June, one thousand eight hundred and nine, (or from any other source) relative to the funds which the drawers of bills (from May tenth, one thousand eight hundred and five, to February twenty-first, one thousand eight hundred and seven,) on Degen, Purviance, and company, navy agents at Leghorn, had in the hands of the said Degen and company, at the time of the transmission of said bills, or at the time when they were passed to the credit of the United States by the said navy agents.

Mr. Poindexter presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of Amite and Wilkinson counties in the Mississippi territory, praying for the establishment of a post route from Tombigbee by Amite court house and Wilkinson court house to Pinkneyville, in said territory.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee on Post-offices and Post-roads.

On motion of Mr. Morrow,

Ordered, That the committee of the whole House be discharged from the consideration of the bill for the removal of the land office established at Nashville, in the state of Tennessee, and Canton, in the state of Ohio, and to authorize the register and receiver of public monies to superintend the public sales of lands in the district east of Pearl river; and that the same be recommitted to the Committee on the Public Lands.

On motion of Mr. Winn,

Ordered, That when the House adjourns it will adjourn to meet again on Wednesday next.

And then the House adjourned until Wednesday morning, eleven o'clock.

WEDNESDAY, December 26, 1810.

On motion of Mr. Gholson,

Ordered, That the petition of John Thompson, presented on the thirty-first of May, one thousand eight hundred and nine, be referred to the Committec of Claims.

A motion was made by Mr. Burwell and seconded, that the House do come to the following resoluti

on :

Resolved, That the further time of six months ought to be allowed to claimants to land under the state of Georgia south of the state of Tennessee, to register the evidences of their titles with the Secretary of State of the United States.

The said resolution was read and referred to the Committee on the Public Lands

Mr. Gholson presented a petition of Charles Minifie, of the city of Washington, praying that Congress will authorize and direct the proper accounting officers, to revise a settlement of his account against the United States for ship timber furnished the Navy Department in the year one thousand eight hundred and three, and that the same may be audited and finally settled "upon the principles of law and equity."

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

On motion of Mr. Morrow,

Resolved, That the Committee on the Public Lands be instructed to inquire what provision ought to be made respecting the location of Virginia military land warrants, west of the boundary line designated by the act of the twenty third day of March, one thousand eight hundred and four, and that they report by bill or otherwise.

Mr. Swoope, from the committee appointed on the twenty-fourth instant, to present a resolution to the President of the United States, reported, that the