PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 69, MARKET-STREET, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREETS, PHI; A DELPHI A.
[No. 71, of Vol. ll.]
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
AT THE THIRD SESSION,
Begun and held at the City of Philadelphia, on Monday the sixth
of December, one thousand seven hundred and ninety.
An ACT, supplementary to the A<sl, intitled,
i( An A(fl making further Provision for the
Payment of the Debts of the United States."
WHEREAS no express provision has been made for extend
ing the ast, intitled, " An ast to provide more effectually
for the collection of the duties imposed by law on goods, wares
and merchandize imported into the United States, and on the
tonnage of ships or veflels," to the collection of the duties im
posed by the said " Ast making further provision for the pay
ment of the debts of the United States," and doubts concerning
the fame may arifeTherefore,
Be it watted by the Senate and Hsufe of Representatives of the United
States of America, in Congress ajjembledy That the ast, intitled, " An
ast to provide more effectually for the collection of the duties im
posed by law on goods, wares and merchandize imported into the
United States, and on the tonnage of fliips or vefTels," doth and
Ihall extend to, and be in force for the collection of the duties
fpecified and laid in and by the ast, intitled, " An ast making
further provision for the payment of the debts of the United
States, as fully and effectually as if every regulation, reftriftion,
penalty, provision, cl.aufe, matter and thing therein contained, had
fceen inserted in and re-enacted by the ast last aforefaid.
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
JOHN ADAMS, Vice-President of the United States,
and PreJidentofthe Senate•
Approved, December twenty-seventh, 1790.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, President of the United States.
(True Copy)
THOMAS JEFFERSON, Seer State.
7'hi following remarks are (fubftatitialb ) copied from
the New-York Daily Advertiser.
IT is a very honorable proof of the patriotism
of the public creditors, that they discover so vo
luntary and general an acquiescence in the fund
ing system palled the la!t feiiion of Congress.
After the national legislature had so fully dif
cufled the fubjecft, and viewed all the circum
stances attending the public debt; it Ihould be
presumed, that their final determinations are,
upon the whole, best calculated to establish pub
lic credit, and protect the interests of public cre
oitors. Under this persuasion, and with an ar
dent desire to give effect to the operations of the
new government, the enlighted citizens of the
United States have generally demonstrated a
most lively approbation of the funding system,
as it now stands ; and it cannot be expected, that
Congress will depart from the principles upon
which the funding system has been modified :
For, whatever conclusions may be drawn from
rigid definitions of public faith, they now cease
to be llridtly applicable to our lituati'on. !t can
not fail to occur to every observing man, that
immense transfers of the public debt have taken
place since the funding system was established.
Those transfers have been regulated by the idea,
that the system was liable to no alteration—tha
jt was the result of a comprehensive \iew of th(
cafe, and would be as immutable by the legifla
ture, as the constitution itfelf. The question,
therefore, has assumed a different afpetft. Wha
would have been right the lall feflion, would be
wrong now. The bare difcuflion of the point ii.
Congress, whether the system should undergo an
alteration, would excite a suspicion with refpetft
to the final eftablifliment of public credit. The
great bulk of the creditors are contented, and
manifeft tjiie highest confidence that what is pro
mifed will be performed.
It is a favorable presage of the {lability and
vifdom of Congress, that the Senate of the United
States have pafled their laterefoluiion, with onl)
one diflenting voice.
Public creditors ! if ye be wife, be quiet where
ye are. ' CONSISTENCY.
BENNINGTON, Dec. 6
Lately a ball at Windham, in Connecticut, was
graced with the presence of about thirty younp
ladies, each of whom was drefled in a handfoine
muslin gown, wrought by their own hands. A
patriotic example worthy the imitation of every
lady among ui, who wiflies well to her country,
as, on the advancement of the manufactures of
America, depends her trued interest.
Saturday, January i, 1791.
ALBANY, Dec. 20.
By a gentleman lad evening from Quebec, we
are informed of the arrival at that place, of the
Hon. Gen. Alured Clarke (late Lt. Governor of
the island of Jamaica) who is appointed to fnc
ceed Lord Dorchester in the government : His
lordihip, however continues in it till spring—The
above gentleman farther informs that news of
the expedition against the Indians (mentioned
in the President's speech) under Gen. Harinar,
had reached Canada, and caused various conjec
tures, and various opinions were in circulation
respecting its real destination, some supposed it
was againlt Detroit, some one place and some
another.
NEWBURYPORT, Dec. Ij,
In this town, according to the late enumerati
on, the inhabitants amount to 4837 The dwel
ling-houses are 616. According to an enumera
tion taken in 1784, the number of inhabitants
was 4113 and the dwelling-houses 430. The
whole town nieafures but 620 acres, about 400 of
which are taken up for pastures, streets, &c. Its
greatest length is one mile and a half, and about
half a mile in breadth.
Lately died, on the coast: of Guinea, Captain
Wingate Newm an, of Philadelphia.
FOR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES,
" is gone," Columbia said,
Jl "My sage is now no more !"
Then drooping, hung her beauteous head,
His exit to deplore.
Bright genius flew on wings of wind,
Some comfort to address;
And thus she (pake in accents kind,
Whom she resolves to bless.
" Why wrepe Columbia ? Franklin's gone,
But ; s there then no more; —
Is Franklin then thy only son
Enrich'd with learning's lore ?
Or have I sent my che«ring light
T' illumine him alone P
My brightest ray now shines in Dwighf,
Thy long negle&ed son.
See Trumbull and fee Barlow raifc
Aloft their founding lyres ;
Columbia ! give thy sons that praise,
Which future aAs inspires.
Another Trumbull (hares my love;
His works of matchless art,
Will ev'ry patriot thought improve—
Nay,—form a patriot heart.
Ada ms, in council ever sage,
And blefs'd with eagle fight:
Adorns Columbia's faireft page,
And teaches man his right.
Nay look around on ev'ry fide
And wipe away those. tears
(Columbia feels an honest pride,
So bright the ftiow appears.)
" Call on yon youth, by me he's blefl,
And study makes him wife ;
Not Franklin's felf knew less of reft—
All nature meets his eves.
Arise and call my Mitchell forth :
For Franklin weep no more:
When you (hall know the living worth,
The dead you'll not deplore."
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Stitch of the Debates cn the MILITIA BILL
FRIDAY, Dec. 24.
r "T , HE amendments of thecomr.iitreeof thewhole
A to the miliria bill, were further difcufl'ed
this day by the house. The debate was conti
nued on Mr. Madison's proposition in favor of
:ierfons conscientiously scrupulous of bearing
a' nis. A majority of the speakers appeared to
be :n favor of their exemption's being left to the
leveral Hates : In support of this idea,
Mr. Bourn observed, that if the general go
vernment should take up the matter, and fubje<fl
he Quakers to a penalty as an equivalent for
-erforial feryice, their situation would be ren
dered less eligible than it is at prefent—for, in
( -veral of the Stares, he observed they are not
only exempted from militia duty, but from all
-659-
[Whole No. 175.]
fines and penalties in lieu thereof; he inft need
o h u e J Sta ' eS , of New-Hampfcire, Maflachulett.,
Knode-illand and Connecticut.
Another memorial from the society of Quakers
on the Eastern fhnre of Maryland, againlt the 16th
section of the bill, was presented by Mr. Smith
member from that State, and read.
A motion of Mr. Clymer, to amend the motion
of Mr. Madilbn, after some difculfion, was nega
tived—and the original motion being also put
was disagreed to ; so that, as the bill now stands,
the exemption of persons religiously scrupulous
of bearing arms, is to be provided for by the re
fpetftive states.
Mr. Smith, (S.C.) then renewed his proposi
tion refpedting independent companies—which
he informed the lioufe he had so modified, as to
avoid the objections before offered to it. It is
to the following effect : —
Whereas certain independent corps of artil
lery, infantry and dragoons, now exilt in thefe
y.eral Urates—lt is hereby enacted, rhat nothing
in this aift shall be confirmed to the dilbanding or
incorporating said companies in the militia ; t hey
at the fame time being liable to the performance
of the military duties herein required.
It being underllood that the biil ffiould be re
committed to a' felecft committee, it was voted
that this proportion be referred, with the bill.
On morion of Mr. Livermore, the 9th fecition
of the bill was expunged ; a motion by the fame
gentleman to strike out the 10th and uthfec
tions was negatived.
It was then moved that the bill be recom
mitted ; which being put, palled in the affirma
tive—and Meflis. Wadfworth, Giles and Tucker
were appointed the committee.
MONDAY, Dec. 27.
In committee of the whole, on the (late of the
Union. Mr. Livermore in the chair.
The report of ihe Secretary of the Treasury on
the eftablifliment of land-offices, for the sale of
the lands belonging to the United States, under
conlideration.
Mr. Boudinot offered the following resolve :
" That it is the sense of the committee, that a
land-office be established at the feat of the gener
al government, under the direclion of 'com
millioners.
Mr. Scot wished the house to take a general
view of the business, before they went into the
particulars of the secretary's report, Upon the
whole lie was pleafecl with the plan drawn up by
that officer ; one part however he objected to.
That part of the report which provided for the
didribution of the land He did not approve
offetling apart trac r ts for particular descriptions
of purchafcrs. As an amendment he offered se
ven propositions, which hewilhed for the prtefenc
to lie on the table,, and which he proposed to of
fer as f'ubliitutes to different parts of the Secre
tary's report, a* they came before the house. His
principal object was to let the tracts which Con
grels proposed to fell, be indifcriininately located.
Mr. Boudinot thought the committee could not
then enter into the minutiae of the business. It:
was enough to fix the general piinciples, viz.
Whether there shall be a general land-office, and
two subordinate—Whether they rhaJl be under
the direction of commilfioners—and whether cer
tain tra<fls of land should bereferved by Congrels
for certain purposes—and then to appoint a com
mittee to bring in a bill on those principles, arid
ro take into consideration the minutiae of the bu
siness. Great changes, he observed, had taken
place since the report was drawn up. The com
mittee, he said, might consider what should be
the greatest quantity fixed as a limit to the sales
made by the general office, and what for the su
bordinate.
Mr. Sherman offered a resolution, that there
be a general land-office eftabliflied.—Agreed.
Mr. Boudinot. That there be two subordinate
offices, one in the government to the North-Weft
—the other South of the Ohio.—Agreed.
Mr. Boudinot moved, that all sales made at the
general land-office fliall be above acres: Then
all below that quantity would be made at the su
bordinate offices. It should also be determined
whether Congress would fix the quantity, or
leave it to the commissioners. It appeared to him
a matter of importance.
Mr. Scott moved that the blank be filled with
one thousand.
Mr. White moved five thiufani.