MONDAY, December 2, 1799.
This being the constitutional day for the annual meeting of Congress,
the following members of the House of Representatives appeared, produced
their credentials, and took their seats, viz:
_From New Hampshire._--ABIEL FOSTER, JONATHAN FREEMAN, and WILLIAM
GORDON.
_From Massachusetts._--BAILEY BARTLETT, PHANUEL BISHOP, DWIGHT FOSTER,
HARRISON G. OTIS, SILAS LEE, SAMUEL LYMAN, JOHN REED, SAMUEL SEWALL,
THEODORE SEDGWICK, WILLIAM SHEPARD, GEORGE THATCHER, JOSEPH B. VARNUM,
PELEG WADSWORTH, and LEMUEL WILLIAMS.
_From Connecticut._--JONATHAN BRACE, SAMUEL W. DANA, JOHN DAVENPORT,
WILLIAM EDMOND, CHAUNCEY GOODRICH, ELIZUR GOODRICH, and ROGER GRISWOLD.
_From Rhode Island._--JOHN BROWN, and CHRISTOPHER G. CHAMPLIN.
_From Vermont._--MATTHEW LYON, and LEWIS R. MORRIS.
_From New York._--THEODORUS BAILEY, JOHN BIRD, WILLIAM COOPER, LUCAS
ELMENDORPH, HENRY GLENN, EDWARD LIVINGSTON, JONAS PLATT, JOHN THOMPSON,
and PHILIP VAN CORTLANDT.
_From New Jersey._--JOHN CONDIT, FRANKLIN DAVENPORT, JAMES H. IMLAY,
AARON KITCHELL, and JAMES LINN.
_From Pennsylvania._--ROBERT BROWN, ANDREW GREGG, ALBERT GALLATIN, JOHN
A. HANNA, JOSEPH HEISTER, JOHN WILKES KITTERA, MICHAEL LEIB, PETER
MUHLENBERG, JOHN SMILIE, RICHARD THOMAS, ROBERT WALN, and HENRY WOODS.
_From Maryland._--GEORGE BAER, WILLIAM CRAIK, GABRIEL CHRISTIE, GEORGE
DENT, JOSEPH H. NICHOLSON, SAMUEL SMITH, and JOHN CHEW THOMAS.
_From Virginia._--JOHN DAWSON, THOMAS EVANS, DAVID HOLMES, GEORGE
JACKSON, JOHN MARSHALL, JOHN NICHOLAS, ANTHONY NEW, LEVEN POWELL, JOHN
RANDOLPH, ABRAM TRIGG, and JOHN TRIGG.
_From North Carolina._--WILLIS ALSTON, JOSEPH DICKSON, ARCHIBALD
HENDERSON, WILLIAM H. HILL, NATHANIEL MACON, RICHARD STANFORD, and DAVID
STONE.
_From South Carolina._--ROBERT GOODLOE HARPER, ABRAHAM NOTT, JOHN
RUTLEDGE, Jr., and THOMAS SUMTER.
_From Georgia._--JAMES JONES, BENJAMIN TALIAFERRO.
_From Tennessee._--WILLIAM CHARLES COLE CLAIBORNE.
A quorum of the whole number of members being present, the House
proceeded to the election of a SPEAKER; when, on counting the ballots,
the tellers reported that Mr. SEDGWICK had 42 votes; Mr. MACON, 27; Mr.
DENT, 13; Mr. RUTLEDGE, 2; Mr. SUMTER, 1.
That the whole number of votes was 85, and the rules of the House
requiring a majority of the members present to constitute a choice,
neither of the above gentlemen were elected.
The House then proceeded to a second trial; when Mr. SEDGWICK had 44
votes; Mr. MACON, 38; Mr. DENT, 3; Mr. RUTLEDGE, 1.
Whereupon Mr. SEDGWICK was declared duly elected, and conducted to the
chair accordingly.
Mr. SEDGWICK, upon taking the chair, addressed the House in the
following words:
"GENTLEMEN: Although I am conscious of a deficiency of the
talents which are desirable to discharge with usefulness
and dignity the important duties of the high station to
which I am raised, by the generous regard of the
enlightened and virtuous representatives of my country,
yet, reposing myself on the energy of their candid support,
I will not shrink from the attempt.
"Accept, I pray you, gentlemen, my grateful acknowledgment
of the honor you are pleased to confer; and, with it, an
assurance, that no consideration shall seduce me to
deviate, in the least degree, from a direct line of
impartial integrity."
A message was received from the Senate, informing the House that, a
sufficient number of members appearing to form a quorum, they had
proceeded to the choice of a President _pro tempore_, when Hon. SAMUEL
LIVERMORE was elected.
The House proceeded to the choice of a Clerk; when it appeared JONATHAN
W. CONDY had 47 votes, JOHN BECKLEY, 39.
Whereupon Mr. CONDY was declared by the SPEAKER to be duly elected.
_Ordered_, That a message be sent to the Senate, to inform that body of
the election of the Hon. THEODORE SEDGWICK, as SPEAKER of the House of
Representatives.
On motion of Mr. MACON, the House proceeded to the choice of a
Sergeant-at-Arms, Doorkeeper, and Assistant Doorkeeper; when JOSEPH
WHEATON, THOMAS CLAXTON, and THOMAS DUNN, were unanimously elected.
The oath to support the Constitution of the United States, as prescribed
by the act, entitled "An act to regulate the time and manner of
administering certain oaths," was administered by Mr. RUTLEDGE, one of
the Representatives for the State of South Carolina, to the SPEAKER, and
then the same oath or affirmation was administered by Mr. SPEAKER to
each of the members present.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON having also appeared, as a Representative for the
territory of the United States north-west of the river Ohio, the said
oath was administered to him by Mr. SPEAKER.
The same affirmation, together with the affirmation of office prescribed
by the said recited act, were also administered by Mr. SPEAKER to the
Clerk.
A message was received from the Senate, informing the House, that they
had passed a resolution, appointing a joint committee to wait on the
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and inform him that Congress had met and
were ready to receive any communications he might think proper to make;
and, in case of concurrence, that Messrs. READ and BINGHAM were
appointed a committee on behalf of the Senate.
The House concurred in the resolution, and Messrs. MARSHALL, RUTLEDGE,
and SEWALL, were appointed to wait on the PRESIDENT, in conjunction with
the committee from the SENATE.
The following letter was read by the Speaker.
72 WELBECK-STREET, LONDON,
_September 20, 1798_.
SIR: I beg leave, through you, to offer to the House of
Representatives of the United States, impressions of the
two prints of the American Revolution, which I have lately
caused to be published.[48]
The importance of the events, and the illustrious
characters of the two great men to whose memory they are
particularly devoted, give to these works their best claim
to your notice; and the patriotism of my countrymen, I
trust, will give them a kinder reception than their
intrinsic merit might entitle me to hope.
With great respect, I have the honor to be, sir, your most
obedient, humble servant,