_New Hampshire._--Silas Betton, Caleb Ellis, David Hough, Samuel Tenney,
and Thomas W. Thompson.
_Massachusetts._--Joseph Barker, Barnabas Bidwell, Phanuel Bishop, John
Chandler, Orchard Cook, Jacob Crowninshield, Richard Cutts, William Ely,
Isaiah L. Green, Seth Hastings, Jeremiah Nelson, Josiah Quincy, Ebenezer
Seaver, William Stedman, Samuel Taggart, Joseph B. Varnum, and Peleg
Wadsworth.
_Rhode Island._--Nehemiah Knight, and Joseph Stanton.
_Connecticut._--Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, jr., Jonathan O. Mosely,
Timothy Pitkin, jr., John Cotton Smith, Lewis B. Sturges, and Benjamin
Tallmadge.
_Vermont._--Martin Chittenden, James Elliot, James Fisk, and Gideon Olin.
_New York._--John Blake, jr., Philip Van Cortlandt, George Clinton, Silas
Halsey, Josiah Masters, Henry W. Livingston, Gurdon S. Mumford, John
Russell, Peter Sailly, Thomas Sammons, Martin G. Schuneman, David Thomas,
Uri Tracy, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Nathan Williams, Eliphalet Wickes,
and Daniel C. Verplanck.
_New Jersey._--Ezra Darby, Ebenezer Elmer, John Lambert, James Sloan,
Henry Southard, and William Helms.
_Pennsylvania._--Isaac Anderson, David Bard, Robt. Brown, Joseph Clay,
Frederick Conrad, Wm. Findlay, Andrew Gregg, James Kelly, Michael Leib,
John Pugh, John Hamilton, John Rea, Jacob Richards, John Smilie, Samuel
Smith, John Whitehill, and Robert Whitehill.
_Delaware._--James M. Broom.
_Maryland._--John Archer, John Campbell, Leonard Covington, Charles
Goldsborough, Patrick Magruder, Roger Nelson, William McCreery, Nicholas
R. Moore, and Joseph B. Nicholson.
_Virginia._--Burwell Basset, Matthew Clay, John Claiborne, John Clopton,
Christopher Clark, John Dawson, John W. Eppes, James M. Garnett, Peterson
Goodwyn, Edwin Gray, David Holmes, John G. Jackson, Walter Jones, Joseph
Lewis, Jr., John Morrow, Thomas Newton, jr., John Randolph, Thomas Mann
Randolph, John Smith, Philip R. Thompson, Abram Trigg, and Alexander
Wilson.
_Kentucky._--Geo. Michael Bedinger, John Fowler, Thos. Sanford, John
Boyle, Matthew Lyon, and Matthew Walton.
_North Carolina._--Nathaniel Alexander, Willis Alston, jr., William
Blackledge, Thomas Blount, Evans Alexander, James Holland, Thomas Keenan,
Nathaniel Macon, Duncan MacFarland, Richard Stanford, Marmaduke Williams,
Joseph Winston, and Thomas Wynns.
_Tennessee._--Wm. Dickson, John Rhea, G. W. Campbell.
_South Carolina._--Levi Casey, William Butler, Elias Earle, Thomas Moore,
Robert Marion, David R. Williams, O’Brien Smith, and Richard Wynn.
_Georgia._--Peter Early, Joseph Bryan, Cowles Mead, and David Meriwether.
_Ohio._--Jeremiah Morrow.
_Mississippi Territory._--Delegate: William Lattimore.
_Indiana Territory._--Delegate: Benjamin Parke.
MONDAY, December 2, 1805.
This being the day appointed by the constitution for the annual meeting
of Congress, the following members of the House of Representatives
appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats, to wit:
_From New Hampshire_--Silas Betton, Caleb Ellis, David Hough,
Samuel Tenney, and Thomas W. Thompson.
_From Massachusetts_--Joseph Barker, Barnabas Bidwell, Phanuel
Bishop, John Chandler, Orchard Cook, Jacob Crowninshield,
Richard Cutts, William Ely, Isaiah L. Green, Jeremiah Nelson,
Josiah Quincy, Ebenezer Seaver, Samuel Taggart, Joseph B.
Varnum, and Peleg Wadsworth.
_From Rhode Island_--Nehemiah Knight and Joseph Stanton.
_From Connecticut_--Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, jr.,
Jonathan O. Mosley, John Cotton Smith, Lewis B. Sturges, and
Benjamin Tallmadge.
_From Vermont_--Martin Chittenden, James Elliot, James Fisk,
and Gideon Olin.
_From New York_--John Blake, jr., Silas Halsey, Josiah Masters,
Gurdon S. Mumford, John Russell, Peter Sailly, Thomas Sammons,
Martin G. Schuneman, David Thomas, Uri Tracy, Killian K. Van
Rensselaer, and Nathan Williams.
_From New Jersey_--Ezra Darby, Ebenezer Elmer, John Lambert,
James Sloan, and Henry Southard.
_From Pennsylvania_--Isaac Anderson, David Bard, Robert Brown,
Joseph Clay, Frederick Conrad, William Findlay, Andrew Gregg,
Michael Leib, John Pugh, John Rea, Jacob Richards, John Smilie,
Samuel Smith, John Whitehill, and Robert Whitehill.
_From Maryland_--John Campbell, Leonard Covington, Charles
Goldsborough, Patrick Magruder, William McCreery, Nicholas R.
Moore, and Joseph H. Nicholson.
_From Virginia_--Burwell Bassett, John Claiborne, John Clopton,
John Dawson, John W. Eppes, James M. Garnett, Peterson Goodwyn,
David Holmes, John G. Jackson, Joseph Lewis, jun., John
Morrow, Thomas Newton, jr., John Randolph, Thomas M. Randolph,
John Smith, Philip R. Thompson, and Alexander Wilson.
_From Kentucky_--George Michael Bedinger, and Thomas Sanford.
_From North Carolina_--Willis Alston, jun., Thomas Blunt, James
Holland, Thomas Keenan, Nathaniel Macon, Richard Stanford,
Marmaduke Williams, Joseph Winston, and Thomas Wynns.
_From Tennessee_--William Dickson, and John Rhea.
_From South Carolina_--Levi Casey, Elias Earle, Thomas Moore,
and David R. Williams.
_From Georgia_--Peter Early, Cowles Mead, and David Meriwether.
_From Ohio_--Jeremiah Morrow.
_Delegate from the Mississippi Territory_--William Lattimore.
And a quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number, being
present, the House proceeded, by ballot, to the choice of a Speaker; and,
upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House
was found in favor of NATHANIEL MACON, one of the Representatives for the
State of North Carolina: whereupon Mr. MACON was conducted to the Chair,
from whence he made his acknowledgments to the House as follows:
“_Gentlemen_: Accept my sincere thanks for the honor you have
conferred on me. Permit me to assure you, that my utmost
endeavors will be exerted to discharge the duties of the Chair
with fidelity, impartiality, and industry; and that I shall
rely with confidence on the liberal and candid support of the
House.”
The House proceeded in the same manner to the appointment of a Clerk;
and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole
House was found in favor of JOHN BECKLEY.
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. NICHOLSON, one of
the Representatives for the State of Maryland, to the Speaker; and then
the same oath of affirmation was administered by Mr. SPEAKER to all the
members present.
The same oath, together with the oath of office prescribed by the said
recited act, were also administered by Mr. SPEAKER to the Clerk.
_Ordered_, That a message be sent to the Senate to inform them that a
quorum of this House is assembled, and have elected NATHANIEL MACON, one
of the Representatives for North Carolina, their Speaker; and that the
Clerk of this House do go with the said message.
A message from the Senate informed the House that a quorum of the Senate
is assembled and ready to proceed to business; and that, in the absence
of the VICE PRESIDENT of the United States, the Senate have elected the
Honorable SAMUEL SMITH their President _pro tempore_: the Senate have
resolved that two Chaplains, of different denominations, be appointed
to Congress, for the present session, one by each House, who shall
interchange weekly. The Senate having appointed a committee on their
part, jointly with such committee as may be appointed on the part of this
House, to wait on the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and inform him
that a quorum of the two Houses is assembled, and ready to receive any
communication that he may be pleased to make to them.
_Resolved_, That Mr. JOHN RANDOLPH, Mr. CAMPBELL of Maryland, and Mr.
CROWNINSHIELD, be appointed a committee on the part of this House,
jointly, with the committee on the part of the Senate, to wait on the
President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum of the two
Houses is assembled, and ready to receive any communication that he may
be pleased to make to them.
The House then proceeded, by ballot, to the appointment of a
Sergeant-at-Arms to this House; and, upon examining the ballots, a
majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of JOSEPH
WHEATON.
_Resolved_, That THOMAS CLAXTON be appointed Doorkeeper, and THOMAS DUNN
Assistant Doorkeeper of this House.
_Resolved_, That the Rules and Orders established by the late House of
Representatives, shall be deemed and taken to be the Rules and Orders of
proceeding to be observed in this House, until a revision or alteration
of the same shall take place.
Mr. JOHN RANDOLPH, from the joint committee appointed to wait on the
President of the United States, and notify him that a quorum of the two
Houses is assembled, reported that the committee had performed that
service; and that the President signified to them that he would make
a communication to this House to-morrow, at twelve o’clock, by way of
message.
TUESDAY, December 3.
Several other members, to wit: ABRAM TRIGG, from Virginia; GEORGE W.
CAMPBELL, from Tennessee; and ROBERT MARION, from South Carolina,
appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats in the House.
_President’s Message._
A Message was received from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, which was
read, and referred to the consideration of a Committee of the Whole on
the state of the Union. [For this Message see Senate proceedings of this
day’s date, _ante_, page 346.]
WEDNESDAY, December 4.
Two other members, to wit: JOHN ARCHER, from Maryland, and WILLIAM
BUTLER, from South Carolina, appeared, produced their credentials, and
took their seats in the House.
THURSDAY, December 5.
Another member, to wit: JAMES KELLY, from Pennsylvania, appeared,
produced his credentials, and took his seat in the House.
FRIDAY, December 6.
_Army Rules, &c._
Mr. VARNUM said it would be recollected that the rules and regulations
for the government of the Army had never been revised since the era of
the present Government; and that consequently the rules and regulations
established during the Revolutionary war still continued in force,
though our circumstances had materially changed. From the present aspect
of affairs, he thought it became necessary that a revision should take
place, that they might be adapted to the provisions under the present
Government. An attempt to this effect had been made during the two last
sessions; and in this House a bill had passed, which had been rejected
in the Senate. He was of the opinion that it became the House, by again
attending to the subject, to do their duty; and if neglect should attach
any where, it should be at the proper door. He, therefore, moved the
following resolution:
_Resolved_, That a committee be appointed to prepare rules
and regulations for the government of the Army of the United
States, and that they have leave to report by bill or otherwise.
Agreed to, and a committee of seven members appointed.
_Yazoo Claims._
Mr. GREGG said he wished to submit to the House a resolution on a subject
of considerable importance, which had engaged the House at several of its
previous sessions, and which was generally known by the name of the Yazoo
claims. The discussions on this subject had occupied much time, and had
excited greater irritation than any other subject within these walls. He
supposed there was no probability that the subject would be permitted,
by the claimants, to sleep, while the act appropriating five millions
was permitted to remain in force. His object was, to repeal that act. By
this step the claimants would not be placed in a worse situation, as the
courts of justice would be open to them. Mr. G. said he did not expect
the House immediately to act on this resolution, though he was prepared,
at once, to go into it. But as it was important, and related to a subject
on which the papers were voluminous, he would be satisfied that it should
lie for some time on the table, the more especially that new members
might become acquainted with it. He then offered the following resolution:
_Resolved_, That so much of an act, entitled “An act regulating
the grants of land, and providing for the disposal of the lands
of the United States south of the State of Tennessee,” as
appropriates any portion of the said lands for the purpose of
satisfying, quieting, or compensating any claims to the said
lands, derived from any act, or pretended act of the State of
Georgia, and neither recognized by the articles of agreement
and cession between the United States and the State of Georgia,
nor embraced by the two first sections of the above-mentioned
act, be repealed.
Ordered to lie on the table.
_Executive Documents._
A Message was delivered from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, by Mr.
COLES, his Secretary, as follows:
“_Mr. Speaker_: I am directed by the President of the United
States to deliver you a Message in writing.”
The SPEAKER having received and opened a packet of considerable size,
observed that the Message was confidential, and thereupon ordered the
galleries to be cleared.
In about one hour and a half, the doors were opened, when it appeared
that part of the communications made by the President were confidential,
and that the members of the House remained under an injunction of secrecy
with regard to them; and that another part was not confidential. This
part embraces, among others, the following documents:
1. A letter from Governor Claiborne to the Secretary of
State, dated October 24, 1805, in which, after stating the
preparations making by the Spaniards at Pensacola and other
places, he says: “I flatter myself that hostilities between the
United States and Spain may be avoided, and that an honorable
adjustment of our differences may ensue. But I am inclined to
think that the Spanish agents calculate on a speedy rupture,
and are making all the preparations that their means permit to
commence the war in this quarter.”