Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

«... r -r-r --ya • j PI TI.AEELPI IIA, Jan, 4. Arrived this morning, the o; ip Matilda, rapt. Talbut, in 25 days from New-Orleans. No troops had arrived there, and the n (Indians on American trade continued to be rigidly enforced. WASHINGTON CITY, December 31. Wc underdand that the Ex ecutive have received authentic information, that the late fuf penfion of the right of depofit at New-Orleans was undertaken without orders from the Spaniffi government, and that the mea fure had been immediately com municated to the governor of Cuba, who has a Aiperintcnding authority over Loiirfuua, as it doubtlefs was to the Span ids gwernmern. It is certain alfo that the governor at New-Or leans, who has no authority over the officer from whom the fuf penfion ifoued, objeded to the meafurc. Under thefe circum dances, and the interpofitions of cur own government, it may be reafonably hoped that the mat ter will be peaceably and early aoj uded. We underftand that Tome days fince, Mr. Rutledge, a j member of the houfe of repre sentatives, Cent a challenge to j Mr. Ellery, a member of the fenate, then to Port Tobacco, whither the former, attended by Mr. Lewis R. Morris had fol lowed the latter. The challenge was not accepted. OnTuefday I Mr. Ellery, on his return to the city, was attacked at a public houfe at Pifcataway, by Mr. Rutledge. Mr. Ellery w r as without any means of defence. Mr. Rutledge flruck him leve ral times with a cane or club, until Mr. Ellery clofed upon him and held him till they were feparated by the interpofition of third perfons. We do not, at prefent, give the particular circuits (lances of this tranftvdion, as it is our wifli that what fo deeply implicates character, Ihould be dated with the utmod corrcdlnefs. CONG RESS Of the UNITED STATES. House or Representatives. ' Tburjday , December 30. Mr. Claiborne prelented the petition of Sampfon Henderiba praying pecuniary re lief. Re ared to the committee of claims, Mr. Mitchell moved a refo- Intion for the appointment of a committee tor enquiring into the expediency of amending and reviling the kveral acts relped ing patent, and cony rghrs, to report thereon by bill or ocher wife. Before ofoe ring the refolntion, Mr. Mitchell oblerved that his <>bje<sl was to fimplify the exid h:g (latures refpe&iog parents, by comprising them in the act. Refolucion agreed to without ad v ft on. Tucjda y, Jan. 4, 1803. I he fpeaker laid before the ! euft a letter from the lecretary of the trerfjry, inciofinga ftate fuent of the duties and draw chandize imported ir.ee, and ex ported from the United States during the years 1 799, ißco, and 1801. 'The houfe refolved itfelfinto a committee of the whole, Mr. John C. Smith in the chair, on the bill for the relief of infolvent debtors within tine diflrict of Columbia. Mr Nicholfon (aid that when this (h 6l ion was under confede ration yefterday, a number of gentlemen had declared them (elves decidedly againft the principle of it. lie therefore moved to (trike out the fe6lion though lie fhould vote agalnft u o it. On this motion the queflion was immediately taken, and car ried in the affirmative by a large majority-—Ayes 50. When on motion of Mr. Nicholfon, the committee rofe, the houfe refuted their permif fion to (it again, and recommit ted the bill to the committee who introduced it. The houfe went into a com mittee of the whole, Mr. Daw- Ton in the chair, on the bill mak ing a partial appropriation (or the naval lervice during the year 1803. The bill appro priates 100,000 dollars. The committee having gone through the bill, reported it without amendment to the houfe, who immediately took it up, and ordered to be eng r o(Ted for a third reading to-morrow. The houfe refolved itfelf into a committee of the whole—Mr. Dawfon in the chair—on the bill making appropriations for the military cdabkdiment of the United States for the year 1803, who filed up the fcveral blanks and reported it with an amend ment. to the houfe, who con curred therein, and ordered it to be engroffed for a third read ing, to-morrow. IVedneJday , January 5, 1803. A mefoage was received from the prefident, by Mr. Lewis his fecrctary, inclofing, in com pliance with a refclution of the houfe, a (latetnent of the militia of thofe (la cc s from which re turns have been received dat ing that the returns comprifed but a (mall part of the aggregate militia of the United States j and inclofmg a copy of a circu lar letter add re (Fed by the fecre tary of war to the feveral dates. Referred to the committee appointed on fo much of the mefiage of the prefident as re lates to the militia inditutions. Two engrofoed bills, the one making a partial appropriation for the naval dr vice during the year 1803, the other, making appropriations for the military edabh(lament of the United States for the year 1803, were read a third time and pa (Ted. Mr. Gn Avoid called up his refolucion rcfpedling Louifiana, laid on the table yederday, as follows: Refolved, that the prefident 01 the United States, be requed eu to clnebl the proper officer, to liv before this houfe, copies of (uch official documents as have been received by this ga announcing the e’ef fion of Louifiana to France, to gether with a report explaining and conditions under which that province is to be delivered up —unlefs fuel) documents and report will, in the opinion of the prefident, divulge to the houfc particular transitions not pro per at this time to be commu nicated. The queftion was put on taking it into confideracion, and carried—Ayes 36 —Noes 32. Mr. Randolph obfervccl that the difcufTion on this motion might embrace points nearly connected with the fubjet re ferred to a committee of the whole on the (late of the Union, and whu h had been difculT d with doled doors. He there fore thought it would be expe dient to commit this motion alfo to the committee of the whole on the ftate of the union to whom had* been committed the meftage of the prefident ref peting New-Orleans. Mr. Randolph accordingly made fuch a motion. Mr. Grifwold only rofe to make a queftion of order, viz. whether the gentleman could move the reference of the refo lurion to a committee of the whole, on a fubjeft whofe dif cuffion required fiiut doors. Mr. Speaker laid the motion was to refer the refolution to a committee on the Union gene rally—There was no fpccial committee on the ftate of the Union, Mr. Grifwold faid he made no queftion of order of that. He had no doubt it was in order. The fpeaker decided the motion to be in order. Mr. Grifwold hoped the mo tion would not prevail. He did not fee what arguments could be urg*d in favour of it. The refolution related to a pub lic tranfation dated on the journal. He did not think that any thing which ought to be kept fecret could be involved in the difcufTion of it. What is its purport ? It only requefts the president to furnifh docu-. ments refpeting “ the ceffion of the Spanifh province ofLou ifiana to Fiance, which took place in the courfe of the lat£ war,” —and which the prefident favs “ will, if carried intoeffet, make a change in the afpect of onr foreign relations, which will doubtlefs have juft weight in any deliberations of the legif lature connected with that lub jet.” Mr. Randolph's motion to refer the fubjet ro a commit tee of the whole on the ftace of the Union was fupported by Mefilfs. Smilie and Gregg, and oppofed by Meftrs. Dana, Da vis, Huger and Bacon. The queftion was taken by yeas and nays, and carried m the affirmative —yeas 49 —nays' 39. The houfc immediately re folved icfelf into a committee of the whole on the ftate of the Union, Mr. John C. Smith in the chair. When Mr. Randolph rofe, and faid he held in his hands certain refolutions connected with the meffcge of the prefident the difcufTion of which had been ordered to be carried on with clofrd door 0 . He appealed to the cha r 10 know whether the .. llflf ' 11-U r*l ' The cf uTrran thought t \,c. clearing of die galleries mull be the aft of the houfe. Mr. Randolph then called for the reading of the prdidcnt’fi mefiage. The chairman declared thva call nor in order, as that could only be read with clofed doors. Mr. S. Smith moved that the committee fhould rife, in order to obtain the directions of the houfe to clear the galleries. This motion was oppofed by Medics. Gnfwold, Dana, Rut ledge, and L. R. Morns ; and fupported by MefTrs. S. Smith, and Macon, Carried—Ayes 49—Noes 37—the yeas and nays being called. The queftion was then take a on clearing the galleries— Ayes 41 —Noes 41 —The fpeaker declaring himfelf in the affirma mative, the galleries were clear ed at about 3 o’clock. They' remained fo for about ten mi nutes, when the doors were opened, and the houfe adjourns ed. Ihurjday , January 6, 1805. The fpeaker laid before the houfe a letter from the fccreta ry of the treafury, indofing two ftatements reipefting the inter nal revenues received from the commifTioncr of the revenue. Mr. Gi ifwold moved that the houfe fhould refoive itfclf into a committee of the whole on* the flare of the Union, on hia refoludon refpefting Louifiana. The fpeaker faid the houfe could not refoive itfelf into 3, committee of die whole on the Race of the Union, on any par ticular lubjed. It mull bedonp generally. Mr. Grlfwold fo modified his motion. The motion was fupported by MefTrs. Grlfwold, Lowndes, Hemphill, Goddard, and Dana,, and oppofed by MefTrs, S, Smith, Bacon, Dawfon, and Randolph, in an animated de.~ bate which continued for two hours; on which the yea« and nays were taken, on the call of Mr. Grlfwold, and were yeas 38 —nays 48. Immediately after the deci fion of the houfe was declared by the fpeaker, Mr Randolph,- and Mr. Grlfwold both contend ed fur the floor. The fpeaker gave the prefc* rence to Mr. Grlfwold, who immediately moved rcfolutions to the following effeft, with a view to refer them to the com mittee of the whole houfe. 1. Refolved that the people of the United States are entitled to the free navigation of cnc MiflifTippi. 2. Refolved, that the navi gation of that river has been ob flrufted by recent irregular meafures carried on at New- Orleans. 1 , Refolved that the right of the people of the United t tares to the free navigation of that r - ver ought never to be abandon ed. 4. Refolved, that a commit tee be appointed, to enqc ;C whether any, and what leg!na tive meafures are neceflary to r taken to fecure the free nav a ti< n of that river. The aueftion was put on