Mr. Boudinot thought the number too large. Feifons, he observed, who wished to purchase so large a tract, could afford, and would have 110 ob jection toconie tothe feat of government to make the purchase. Mr. Sedgwick observed that it would be a great advantage to have the contract for large purcha ses made under the immediate eye of govern ment. 'he house, however, he thought was not prepared to fill up the blank ; lie wished it left open. I he motions for filling the blanks were with drawn. Mr. Boudhiot proposed that all smaller quail tities be fold at the subordinate offices —To pre vent the confufion thdt felling the fame quantity at the different offices might occasion.—Agreed. Mr. Smith (S. C.) wished it determined under whose direction these offices should be ; whether of one or three conuniifioners, or of any officer already appointed. He thought one officer would be moil eligible ; there would be more refpon libility, and uniformity. Mr. Sherman wished the determination of this particular delayed. His mind was notmadeup. —The motion was delayed. Mr. Boudinot proposed that no lands should be fold previous to fettling the indian claims— Agreed. That part of the report was read, which sets apart certain lots, for certain particular purpo ses anddiredts the manner oflocating them, Mr. Scott moved as a fublHtutc his second pro position, that such districts as (hall be set apart for sale shall include the actual settlements, and be left to be indiscriminately located. He said it was improper to set aside different tracfts for different modes of location, some in large trades, others in small lots ; he conceived it would be the interest of government to let every one purchase where he pleased and as much or as little as he chose. From experience he knew that those parts were always fettled with the moll celerity that were not bound down to any of those reftriftions I or his part he could fee no good argument in fa vour of them ; he wished some of the gentlemen ■who approved of this mode, to give him some reasons for preferring it. There could be no fear, he observed, of individual settlers flattering and losing themselves in the back woods ; there was a fufficient check to prevent it—the Indians would keep them cornpadt, much more effectual ly than any regulation Congress could make. If certain scattered tracfts to individu al settlers, a confutable tracfc including these was wanted, he could fee no inconvenience in granting it, reserving to the former settlers their rights. Mr. Williamfon rose to give the gentleman lafi: up one reason for opposing indiscriminate locati on. Hitherto he owned much mifchief had i.o' anfen from this mode of settlement ; but now there were persons rich in lecurities and ca/li ready to take up conttderable quantities ofland which if they were permitted to feleft here and there, pick and chufe every choice tract they could, ifindifcriminate location was the establish ed principle, take upall the good lands, and leave for future settlers, those who might not have the fame means of purchasing immediately at com niand, the indifferent parcels. Many he knew had it in contemplation te do this if the opportu nity offered. He instanced North-Carolina as an example of the injurious tendency of this liber ty ; whe.re many tratfs are unsaleable, ovvino- to" this circnmrtance. If these tradts were to be pur chafed by ac'tual settlers, the cafe would be dif ferent ; but they would only be taken up by per foils under the name of actual settlers. Such a practice would be an impediment to such compa nies of Europeans as might wish to fettle amon r Mr. Scott raid he expedted the gentleman would have offered more solid objections to his plan and more forcible arguments in favor of the other' Though the firft settlers had the the land ; yet he conceived the remaining part would acquire a considerable additional value from the furroundmg settlements. As f or the European companies who might be tempted to fettle amonp us, he did not contemplate it as an object so de ferable. A body of French people fettling in that way would, hefaid, preserve their and manners 2000 years perhaps ; this woufd not be for the true interest of the country all its i n habitants ftould by mutual intercourse become affimulated and no name be known but that of Americans. .«mi ox Mr. Boudinot was against indiscriminate loca tion . He Taid, he had seen the bad effetfts ofJr in the State from which he came. Persons had bough, up the lowlands, and r„,d to Inch as absolutely needed a water lot to E farm at enormous prices. He mentioned another objection to the plan-the tendency it had to create law-fmts. He said he was certain moll money had been (pent at law in disputes arifin! from that mode of settlement in New-Terfev S . W0 " ld h * v ? b f. en neceflary to purehife the Jand in the whole state. The late Congress, he informed, had adopted a method to obviate the inconveniences of the former mode—the lands were laid our into mile-squares, these divided in to four equal squares, and in that form fold. Mr. White proposed that such as fliall not im prove their purchases within a fixed reasonable time, fbould forfeit the fame. Mr. Boudinot wished it left to a committee to determine. He had no objection to leave the power with the commissioners. Mr. Scott approved of the idea thrown out by Mr. White, and agreed to amend the proposition in conformity with the opinions of Mefli s Boudi not and White. Mr. Boudinot conceived it would be very diffi cult to determine what an actual settler was. A pui chafer could go and spend a few days oil his land, and call himfelf an acftual settler. Mi. White proposed that a man holding only a certain proportion of uncultivated land to the improved, ihould be called an actual settler. Mr. Sedgwick disliked indiscriminate location, He was confident if the diftricfis so to be fettled were extensive, there would be too great room for speculation aud monopoly. Mr. Scott said there were traces of land which it is lmpoflible to fell even by offering good parcels with them. Between Philadelphia and his home there were, he said, fpors, that were only intend ed by nature for the birds and beasts—that could be of no value for cultivation. He could not fee, he faid,much probability, that the belt land would be picked out—the difficulty of exploring a wild and uncultivated defart, opposed a conhderable banier to such attempts. Mr. Scott's amendment was loft. Mr. Fitzfimons moved to flrike out from the clause the limitation of 100 acres to each settler. Mr. Scott disliked the limitation, he wished it amended so as to leave it to Congress to fix the li mitation by ad—Agreed. „I? the " ext Paragraph in the following words. The other tracts flial! from time to time be set apait for (ales in town/hips of ten miles square, except where they shall adjoin upon a boundary of Tome prior grant, or of a trad so set apart; in which cases there/hall be no greater departure fiom such form oflocatton, than may be absolute ly necessary." Mr. Scott moved an amendment that the seven ■ anges which in laying off Congress had already I Vrt 3 c ,°* rable expence, be fixed on for by that article <""*« P'to b.fa apart ir wn r ;,,l h r i,an J aS a s ainft the motion; hefaid t would be confining the settlers to too narrow bounds in making their choice. rh^r r V C,ymer wi . <hed to kllow how much land tliefe seven rages included. Mr. Scott said, he could not give the exa<fc in formation. rose, and reported progress TUESDAY, Dec. 28 In committee of the whole house on the state -i'! e L " lon - Mr - Boudinot in the chair, i ne report of the Secretary of the Treafnrv on thefubjedsof a land office 7 and the pnaied lands in the Western Territory, under confiderauon. J> UiiUCI Mr.Scott said he was readyro give fon.e informa tion relative to the extentof the seven ranees • He produced a map of them, from which it appeared that they mcluded 35 ] ot s, each 6 milesTquare Ihe traf. in the ffiape of a triangle, of which one eg measured about 60, and the 42 1t all about 1200 square miles His amendmen was agreed to. uclli [ 7he next article was agreed to with a triflinsr amendment— without debate. Then the following was read : " That- 1-JlO price shall be thirty cents pr. acre, to b e pa id either in gold or filrer, or public securities c^m tPeTe!!S f f Which /ha ' l bear an '"'mediate in reieit of fix per cent, as at par with gold and sil ver, and thofe-which shall bear a future or less 1 Mr e s'cnrr any a*?*' at a P ro P ortio »al value." Scott In ° v ed that 30 cents Ihould be struck pr M acre en H, n f"? "J™ So cents ■ K , M : . re was every reasonable probability, that the lands would be worth that sum in a few years. ' La ,j rance f ? id tllat as the quality of the and would vary, j t appeared proper to fix 011 two prices, at which they foould 'be fold, viz Thlt h .™,e,ha„ ■ ,z n - or T , h ; f ; tnan He fubmuted the idea to the con sideration of the committee * Ir ' S prefered the insertion of a sum below which the lands ftould not be fold. Mr. Will 1 amfon fnggefted the propriety of Pnth a g f, a i d,ffCrenCei . , V he P Hce tf thoS J who pnrchafelarse quantities, from the price tothofe who purchase fmalj quantities. The motion for striking out was loft. Mr Sedgwick then moved to amend the clanfe bcleft e ;S'l that ! hCp, " ke P" ««<■»» "« oc lei* man 30 cents pr. acre. 690 Mr. Stone objected to the motion. Hefaid the operation of it would be, to leave it discretion ary with the surveyors to fix the price of the v a . rious tradls : This would be to constitute a tribu bunal, in a measure independent of the govern nient. He thought the policy of the govern ment mould be, to fix on a price, which fhafl be so reasonable, that persons m ay feel every induce ment to pay it before they take up the lands for it has been found by experience, laid he, that oncea tra*ftof distant country is taken pofc feflion of, you never can get any thing more than the settlers are willing to pay. He infilled that it was impracticable to fix the relative value of unlocated lands—it had been repeatedly tried without effect. He asked if any of the States had ever established various rates for their lands ? He knew of none. Mr. Sedgwick answered the enquiry refpe<tin£ the relative value of lands being ascertained in the several states : He said that so far as his in formation extended, which refpe<fted only the states of New-York, New Hampshire, and MalTa cliufetts, this had invariably been the cafe: Every man knows there is a moil eflential difference in the value of lands : Those on navigable rivers may be ten times as valuable as those on the top of a mountain—this every individual is so sensi ble of, that a difference in the price is constantly m and government (heuld not make a difference, it is impoflible to fay; any man, by caitinghis eye on a map, can at once determine that fonie part of the land is unspeakably more valuable than other parts. He was certain that veiling a discretionary power, in the disposal of the land would be productive of the grearefl ad vantage to the United States ; and on this prin ciple he could not conceive why the furveyorg ihould not determine the relative quality, that the United States may fland some chance of get ting the value of this property. Mr. Livermore was in favor of Mr. Sedgwick's motion—and enlarged on the unreasonableness or fixing a particular price. Mr. Jackson was opposed to inverting a discre tionary power to determine the price with any persons whatsoever ; _it had been productive of mUchievous consequences in the state ofGeorgia. —He was for fixing a price, and the highefl price r u ° L lan(is would bear— when that is old, if the residue will not bear the price efta bliihed, xt can thenbe reduced. ? cott objected to the motion—he stated se veral difficulties jthe principle was, that foreign ers will be deterred from adventuring ; owing to the uncertainty in the price : For when they arrive in the country to fettle,they most purchase, and they will then lie at the mercy offpeculators. (To be continued.) WEDNESDAY, Dec. 29. , Carrol took his feat this day. 1 he bill directing the mode in which the evi dences of the debt of the United Stares, which have been, or may be loft ordeftroyed, shall be renewed, was read a second time, and referred to a committee of the whole house on Monday next, 100 copies were ordered to be printed. The petition of Shubael Swaine, a prisoner connn d in gaol for a breach of the revenue law, praying Congress to rake his cafe into confeder ation and remit his fine, was read, and on mo tion referred to a committee confilting of Mr. Goodhue, Mr. Livermore and Mr. Sinnickfon. Mr. Firzfimons presented the petition of Philip Buck, praying comper.fation for disability occa-- Uon d by services on board one of the row gal lies during the late war, and for a schooner loft ; which was read and referred to the Secretary at War. J : , H ® i(ter P resented the petition of Anna Wilhelmina Elizabeth Longcanner,pitying com peufation for services rendered by her late hus band, during the war, which was read, and re ferred to the Secretary at war. Mr. Lawrance-prefented the petition of Win throp Sargent, praying compensation for addi tional services, whilst executing and performing the duties of Governor of the Western Territory which was read and refered to the Secretary of the Treasury. J Agreeable to the order of the day, the house resolved ltfelfir.to a committee of the whole to take into confideratioji the bill to provide for the delivery of goods, wares and merchandize, in the river Delaware, in the Stare of Pennsyl vania, in cafe of obltruciion by ice. Mr. Boudinot in the chair. The committee made sundry amendments which were reported to the liotife, the fame were read, other amendments were proposed in the house which were agreed to, and the bill as amended was ordered to be engrofled for a third [ reading. The lioiife proceeded to consider a motion madeyefterday by Mr. Tucker, that the com mittee appointed to prepare and bring in a mi litia bill, be initru<fted to bring in a clause to this effedt. " Be it enacted, That the militia of the several States of the union confiftingof such perrons as are, or may be enrolled by them rel pc<shvely, shall be organized, armed and disci
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