_Resolved_, That the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES be requested to
cause to be transmitted to AARON BURR, Esq., of New York, Vice President
elect of the United States, notification of his election to that office,
and that the President of the Senate do make out and sign a certificate,
in the words following, viz:
"BE IT KNOWN, That the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America, being convened at the city
of Washington, on the second Wednesday in February, A. D.
1801, the underwritten Vice President of the United States
and President of the Senate, did, in presence of said
Senate and House of Representatives, open all the
certificates and count all the votes of the electors for a
President; whereupon it appeared that THOMAS JEFFERSON, of
Virginia, and AARON BURR, of New York, had a majority of
the votes of the electors and an equal number of votes; in
consequence of which the House of Representatives proceeded
to the choice of a President, and have this day notified to
the Senate that THOMAS JEFFERSON has by them been duly
chosen President: by all of which it appears that AARON
BURR, Esq., of New York, is duly elected, agreeably to the
constitution, Vice President of the United States of
America.
"In witness thereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this 18th day of February, 1801.
"THOMAS JEFFERSON."
And that the President of the Senate do cause the certificate aforesaid
to be laid before the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, with this
resolution.
MONDAY, February 23.
Mr. PINCKNEY, a Senator for the State of South Carolina, attended.
THURSDAY, February 26.
The bill to prohibit the Secretary of the Navy from carrying on any
business of trade, commerce, or navigation, was read the second time,
and referred to Messrs. LANGDON, NICHOLAS, and DAYTON, to consider and
report thereon.
SATURDAY, February 28.
_Retiring of the Vice President._
The VICE PRESIDENT addressed the Senate as follows:
_Gentlemen of the Senate_:
To give the usual opportunity of appointing a President,
_pro tempore_, I now propose to retire from the chair of
the Senate; and, as the time is near at hand when the
relations will cease which have for some time subsisted
between this honorable House and myself, I beg leave,
before I withdraw, to return them my grateful thanks for
all the instances of attention and respect with which they
have been pleased to honor me. In the discharge of my
functions here, it has been my conscientious endeavor to
observe impartial justice, without regard to persons or
subjects; and if I have failed of impressing this on the
mind of the Senate, it will be to me a circumstance of the
deepest regret. I may have erred at times--no doubt I have
erred--this is the law of human nature. For honest errors,
however, indulgence may be hoped.
I owe to truth and justice, at the same time, to declare,
that the habits of order and decorum, which so strongly
characterize the proceedings of the Senate, have rendered
the umpirage of their President an office of little
difficulty; that, in times and on questions which have
severely tried the sensibilities of the House, calm and
temperate discussion has rarely been disturbed by
departures from order.
Should the support which I have received from the Senate,
in the performance of my duties here, attend me into the
new station to which the public will has transferred me, I
shall consider it as commencing under the happiest
auspices.
With these expressions of my dutiful regard to the Senate
as a body, I ask leave to mingle my particular wishes for
the health and happiness of the individuals who compose it,
and to tender them my cordial and respectful adieu.
After which the VICE PRESIDENT retired.
Whereupon the Senate proceeded to the election of a President _pro
tempore_, as the constitution provides; and JAMES HILLHOUSE was duly
elected.
_Ordered_, That the Address of the VICE PRESIDENT, made this day, taking
leave of the Senate, be referred to a committee, with instruction to
prepare and report the draft of an Address in answer thereto; and that
Messrs. MORRIS, J. MASON, and DAYTON, be the committee.
MONDAY, March 2.
_Answer to the Vice President's Valedictory._
Mr. MORRIS, from the committee appointed the 28th ultimo, on the Address
of the VICE PRESIDENT, made, on his taking leave of the Senate, reported
an answer thereto, which was read, as follows:
SIR: While we congratulate you on those expressions of the
public will, which called you to the first office in the
United States, we cannot but lament the loss of that
intelligence, attention, and impartiality, with which you
have presided over our deliberations. The Senate feel
themselves much gratified by the sense you have been
pleased to express of their support in the performance of
your late duties. Be persuaded that it will never be
withheld from a Chief Magistrate, who, in the exercise of
his office, shall be influenced by a due regard to the
honor and interests of our country.
In the confidence that your official conduct will be
directed to these great objects, a confidence derived from
past events, we repeat to you, sir, the assurance of our
constitutional support in your future administration.
On the motion to strike out these words: "a confidence derived from past
events," it passed in the negative--yeas 9, nays 19, as follows:
YEAS.--Messrs. Chipman, Hindman, Howard, Livermore, Paine,
Read, Ross, Tracy, and Wells.
NAYS.--Messrs. Anderson, Armstrong, Baldwin, Bloodworth,
Brown, Cocke, Dayton, T. Foster, D. Foster, Franklin,
Greene, Gunn, Hillhouse, Marshall, S. T. Mason, J. Mason,
Morris, Nicholas, and Pinckney.
And the report was agreed to.
_Ordered_, That the committee who drafted the answer to the Address,
wait on the President elect of the United States, and present it to him.
The PRESIDENT laid before the Senate a letter from the President elect
of the United States; which was read, as follows:
WASHINGTON, _March 2, 1801_.
SIR: I beg leave, through you, to inform the honorable the
Senate of the United States, that I propose to take the
oath which the constitution prescribes to the President of
the United States, before he enters on the execution of his
office, on Wednesday, the 4th instant, at 12 o'clock, in
the Senate Chamber.
I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, sir,
your most obedient and most humble servant,