Слике страница
PDF
ePub

1900R 223.1.

USD-2500

99-411

1-15

PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES

OF

THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES,

AT THE THIRD SESSION OF THE THIRTEENTH CONGRESS, BEGUN AT THE CITY OF WASHINGTON, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1814.

[ocr errors]

A PROCLAMATION

By the President of the United States of America. Whereas great and weighty matters, claiming the consideration of the Congress of the United States, form an extraordinary occasion for convening them, I do, by these presents, appoint Monday, the nineteenth day of September next, for their meeting at the City of Washington; hereby requiring the respective Senators and Representatives then and there to assemble in Congress, in order to receive such communications as may then be made to them, and to consult and determine on such measures as in their wisdom may be deemed meet for the welfare of the United States.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed, and [L. S.] signed the same with my hand. Done at the City of Washington, the eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fourteen, and of the independence of the United States the thirty-ninth. By the President:

JAMES MADISON.

JAMES MONROE, Secretary of State.

MONDAY, September 19, 1814. Conformably to the above Proclamation of the President of the United States of the 8th of August last, the third session of the Thirteenth Con

JEREMIAH MORROW and THOMAS WORTHINGTON, from Ohio.

JAMES BROWN and ELIJIUS FROMENTIN, from Louisiana.

JOHN GAILLARD, President pro tempore, resumed the Chair.

THOMAS W. THOMPSON, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of New Hampshire, in place of Nicholas Gilman, deceased, produced his credentials, was qualified, and took his seat in the Senate.

On motion, by Mr. BLEDSOE,

Resolved, As the former Secretary of the Senate has departed this life, that the Chief Clerk do act as Secretary thereof until one shall be appointed.

administered to SAMUEL TURNER, jr. Whereupon, the oath prescribed by law was

On motion, by Mr. ANDERSON, the Secretary was directed to acquaint the House of Representatives that a quorum of the Senate is assembled, and ready to proceed to business.

On motion, by Mr. ROBINSON, Messrs. ROBINSON and VARNUM were appointed a committee on the part of the Senate, together with such comresentatives on their part, to wait on the President mittee as may be appointed by the House of Repof the United States, and notify him that a

gress commenced this day at the City of Wash-quorum of the two Houses is assembled, and ington, and the Senate assembled.

[blocks in formation]

ready to receive any communications that he may be pleased to make to them.

The PRESIDENT communicated the following letter from the President of the United States; which was read:

WASHINGTON, September 17, 1814. SIR: The destruction of the Capitol, by the enemy, having made it necessary that other accommodations bers for the Senate and for the House of Representashould be provided for the meeting of Congress, Chamtives, with other requisite apartments, have been fitted up, under the direction of the Superintendent of the City, in the public building heretofore allotted for the Post and other public offices.

The PRESIDENT

JAMES MADISON.

Of the Senate of the United States.

[blocks in formation]

On motion, by Mr. VARNUM, it was agreed that when the Senate adjourn it be to 5 o'clock this evening.

The usual resolution was adopted for supplying Senators with newspapers, and then the Senate adjourned.

Five o'clock in the Evening.

The number of Senators present not being sufficient to constitute a quorum, the Senate adjourned.

TUESDAY, September 20.

WILLIAM W. BIBB, from the State of Georgia, took his seat in the Senate.

Fellow-citizens of the Senate

SEPTEMBER, 1814.

and House of Representatives: Notwithstanding the early day which had been fixed for your session of the present year, I was induced to call you together still sooner, as well that any inadequacy in the existing provisions for the wants of the Treasury might be supplied, as that no delay might happen in providing for the result of the negotiations on foot with Great Britain, whether it should require arrangements adapted to a return of peace, or further and more effective provisions for prosecuting the war.

That result is not yet known. If, on one hand, the repeal of the Orders in Council, and the general pacification in Europe, which, withdrew the occasion on which impressments from American vessels were practised, suggest expectations that peace and amity may On motion, by Mr. FROMENTIN, two hundred be re-established, we were compelled, on the other copies of the Constitution of the United States, hand, by the refusal of the British Government to acand two hundred copies of the rules for conduct-cept the offered mediation of the Emperor of Russia; ing business in the Senate, were ordered to be by the delays in giving effect to its own proposal of a direct negotiation; and, above all, by the principles printed and bound for the use of the Senate, in and manner in which the war is now avowedly carried the form they have heretofore been. on, to infer that a spirit of hostility is indulged more violent than ever against the rights and prosperity of this country.

A message from the House of Representatives informed the Senate that a quorum of the House of Representatives is assembled and ready to proceed to business. They have appointed a committee on their part to join the committee appointed 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 communications he may be pleased to make to them.

On motion, by Mr. LACOCK, a committee was appointed agreeably to the 42d rule for conducting business in the Senate, and Messrs. LACOCK, HOWELL, and MORROW, were appointed the committee.

Mr. WORTHINGTON submitted the following motion:

This increased violence is best explained by the two important circumstances, that the great contest in Europe for an equilibrium guaranteeing all its States against the ambition of any, has been closed without any check on the overbearing power of Great Britain on the ocean; and it has left in her hands disposable armaments with which, forgetting the difficulties of a remote war with a free people, and yielding to the intoxication of success, with the example of a great victim to it before her eyes, she cherishes hopes of still abuses to the tranquillity of the civilized and commerfurther aggrandizing a Power already formidable in its

cial world.

these more violent purposes, the public councils of a But, whatever may have inspired the enemy with nation, more able to maintain than it was to acquire its independence, and with a devotion to it rendered more ardent by the experience of its blessings, can

Resolved, That two Chaplains, of different denominations, be appointed to Congress during the present session, one by each House, who shall in-never deliberate but on the means most effectual for terchange weekly. defeating the extravagant views or unwarrantable passions with which alone the war can now be pursued against us.

Mr. ROBINSON reported, from the joint committee, that they had waited on the President of the United States, and that the President informed the committee that he would make a communication to the two Houses this day, at 12 o'clock. Mr. HOWELL Submitted the following motion for consideration, which was read:

Resolved, That Mountjoy Bayly, Doorkeeper and Sergeant-at-Arms to the Senate, be and he hereby is authorized to employ one assistant and two horses, for the purpose of performing such services as are usually required by the Doorkeeper of the Senate; which expense shall be paid out of the contingent fund.

In the events of the present campaign, the enemy, with all his augmented means, and wanton use of them, has little ground for exultation, unless he can feel it in the success of his recent enterprises against this metropolis and the neighboring town of Alexan

dria, from both of which his retreats were as precipitate incursions on our Atlantic frontier, his progress, often as his attempts were bold and fortunate. In his other checked and chastised by the martial spirit of the neighboring citizens, has had more effect in distressing individuals, and in dishonoring his arms, than in promoting any object of legitimate warfare. And, in the two instances mentioned, however deeply to be regretted on our part, he will find in his transient success, which interrupted for a moment only the ordinary public business at the Seat of Government, no com

Ordered, That it pass to the second reading. On motion, by Mr. FROMENTIN, a committee was appointed agreeably to the 22d rule for conducting business in the Senate; and Messrs. FRO-pensation for the loss of character with the world, by MENTIN, THOMPSON, and BLEDSOE, were appointed the committee.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.

his violations of private property, and by his destruction of public edifices, protected, as monuments of the arts, by the laws of civilized warfare.

On our side, we can appeal to a series of achieveThe following Message was received from the ments which have given new lustre to the American PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: arms. Besides the brilliant incidents in the minor

« ПретходнаНастави »