Mr. Ten Eyck presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the state of New York, praying that vessels belonging to the subjects of Great Britain, and navigating the waters of Lake Ontario, may be allowed to enter the ports of the United States free of duty.

Mr. McLane, of Delaware, presented a petition of Robert Imlay, N. Potts, and I. and D. Muhlenburg, owners of a steam boat called "The Etna," praying, for reasons therein set forth, that they may be permitted to change the name of said boat to that of "New York." Ordered, That the said petitions and resolutions be referred to the Committee on Commerce.

Mr. Lincoln presented a petition of sundry inhabitants of the counties of Oxford and Kennebeck, in the state of Maine;

Mr. Williams, of New York, presented petitions of inhabitants of the counties of Otsego, and Oneida, in the state of New York;

Mr. Marvin presented a petition of inhabitants of the county of Yates, in the state of New York;

Mr. Wright presented a petition of inhabitants of the counties of Stark, Tuscarawas, Columbiana, Beaver, and Mercer, in the state of Ohio;

praying, respectively, for the establishment of post routes.

Mr. Whittlesey presented a petition of Peter B. Beals, Postmaster at Bunton, in the state of Ohio, praying for additional compensation.

Mr. Buckner presented a petition of Joseph Porter and Tunstall Quarles, praying, for the reasons therein set forth, that they may be released from all liability to the United States, as the sureties of William J. Sallee, late Postmaster at Somerset, in Kentucky.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.

On motion of Mr. Mitchell, of Maryland,

Ordered, That the petition of Henry Bennett, and others, heretofore presented on the 19th of April, 1824, be referred to the same committee.

Mr. Hobart presented a petition of Eliphalet Loud and Samuel Bayley, in the state of Massachusetts, complaining of the unlawful seizure and condemnation of their ship Commerce, by authorities of the Russian Government, in the year 1807, and praying redress of grievances from the Government of their own country. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Tomlinson presented a petition of Samuel Hawley, of the state of Connecticut, praying to be placed on the roll of Revolutionary Pensioners; which was referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions.

Mr. Mallary presented a petition of James D. Cobb, late an officer in the Army of the United States, complaining that he has been dismissed by a Court Martial, illegally constituted, and unlawfully conducted, and praying that he may be allowed his pay from the date of his pretended or unlawful dismissal, to the time of disbanding the corps to which he was attached; which petition was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.

Mr. Ten Eyck, presented a petition of David S. Chapin, a pensioner of the United States, praying, for reasons set forth in his petition, for a grant of land in the Michigan Territory.

Mr. Clark presented a petition of John Percival, of the town of Smyrna, in the state of New York, praying that, for his services in the Revolutionary war, his name may be inscribed on the list of United States' pensioners.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims.

Mr. Cambreleng presented a petition of Christian Jacob Burckle, of the City of New York, merchant, representing that his correspondent at Hamburg, had shipped to his address, (through mistake) two packages, containing Spanish playing cards, which were destined for Carthagena, in Colombia, praying permission, to reship them to Hamburg, or to export them to South America, with benefit of drawback; which petition was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

Mr. Tracy presented a petition of Marshall Smith, of Buffalo, in the state of New York, praying to be paid the value of a team of wagon horses and harness, lost in the service of the United States, during the late war with Great Britain.

Mr. Tracy also presented a petition of Daniel Bramin, praying payment for a house taken and destroyed by the troops of the United States, at Black Rock, in the month of November, 1814.

Mr. Harris presented a petition of Frances Albright, widow and administratrix of the late Jacob W. Albright, district paymaster of the Army of the United States, deceased, praying that a law may be passed, authorizing the accounting officers of the Treasury Department to settle the accounts of the said deceased, upon the principles of equity and justice.

Ordered, That the said petitions be, severally, referred to the Committee of Claims.

On motion of Mr. Tracy,

Ordered, That the petition of Samuel Thompson, heretofore presented, on the 16th of December, 1816, be also referred to the Committee of Claims.

Mr. Spence presented a peitition of Joseph E. Muse, of the state of Maryland, praying that a law may be passed, authorizing the sale of certain lots of ground in the City of Washington, the property of the heirs of Levin H. Campbell deceased, who are minors.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Call, of Indiana, presented a petition of Heman Nelson, praying, for reasons set forth in his petition, to be discharged from the effect of a judgment obtained against him at the suit of the United States, in the state of Indiana,

Mr. Call, the Delegate from the Territory of Florida. presented a a memorial of Waters Smith, marshal for East Florida, and John M. Hanson, marshal for the middle district of Florida, complaining

of a law passed by the Legislative Council of said Territory, authorizing the appointment of executive officers of the supreme courts, (sheriff) whereby the emoluments of their respective offices are greatly diminished, praying the interference of Congress, in their behalf.

Mr. Call, the Delegate from the Territory of Florida, also presented a memorial of the Legislative Council of the said Territory, complaining of the delay attendant on the adjustment of the land claims in said territory; portraying the advantages which would result to said territory, and in time of war to the United States, of a canal across the Peninsula of East Florida, from the river Suwaney to St. John's; suggesting the propriety of granting pre-emption to settlers upon the public lands; and recommending the appropriation of one or more townships of the public lands as an endowment of a Territorial University.

Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Cook presented a resolution of the Legislature of the state of Illinois, instructing their Senators in Congress, and requesting their Represenative, to use their exertions to have the agency system extended to the Camanchee and other neighboring tribes of Indians; which resolution was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

Mr. Owen presented a petition of James Pendleton, of the state of Alabama, praying that a law may be passed, granting to him the right of pre-emption, in the purchase of a tract of land upon which he has made improvements.

Mr. Owen also presented a petition of Alexander Autery, praying, for reasons set forth in his petition, that the benefits intended to pur chasers of public lands, by the law of 2d March, 1821, may be extended to his case.

Mr. Call, the Delegate from the Territory of Florida, presented a petition of sundry inhabitants, settlers upon the public lands at, or near Cape Florida, praying that the lands upon which they reside may be confirmed to them and their heirs.

Mr. Call also presented a memorial of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Pensacola, praying that certain public lots, commons and houses, within the bounds of their corporation, may be confirmed to the said city.

Ordered, That the said petitions be, severally, referred to the Committee on the Public Lands.

Mr. Cocke, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, to which was referred the message from the President of the United States, upon the subject, reported a bill for the preservation and civilization of the Indian tribes within the United States; which was read the first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole House to

morrow.

Mr. Whittlesey, from the Committee of Claims, made a report on the petition of Gilbert C. Russell, accompanied by a bill for his relief; which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole House to-morrow.

Mr. Scott, from the Committee on the Public Lands, reported a bill for the relief of Moses Plumer; which bill was read the first and second time and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time to-morrow.

Mr. Stewart, from the Committee on Roads and Canals, reported a bill authorizing the subscription of stock in the Dismal Swamp Canal Company; which was read the first and second time and committed to a committee of the whole House to-morrow.

Mr. John T. Johnson, from the Committee on Roads, and Canals, made a report on the petition of John Heck, accompanied by a bill for his relief: which bill was read the first and second time, and committed to a committee of the whole House to-morrow.

The Speaker laid before the House the annual report of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund; which was laid upon the table. Mr. Poinsett submitted the following resolutions:

1. Resolved, That an immediate representation ought to be made to the Captain General of Cuba, setting forth the losses and injuries inflicted upon the property and persons of the citizens of the United States by pirates issuing from that Island, and returning thither with their plunder, and a demand upon him to cause immediate measures to be taken for the punishment of these marauders, and for the prevention of future atrocities by them.

2. Resolved, That if the Captain General should refuse or delay to adopt such measures, the President of the United States, ought to concert with the Maritime powers, interested in the Commerce of the West Indies, efficient means of exterpating the pirates that infest those seas.

The said resolutions were read, and ordered to lie on the table.

The House again resolved itself into a committee of the whole House on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein, the Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Taylor reported that the committee had, according to order, again had the state of the Union, generally, under consideration, and particularly the report of the committee appointed to prepare and report rules to be observed by the House in the election of a President of the United States, whose term of service is to commence on the 4th day of March, 1825, and had come to no decision thereon: It was then

Ordered, That the committee of the whole House on the state of the Union be discharged from the further consideration of the report and rules aforesaid.

The House then proceeded to consider the said rules; the first of which is in the words following:

1. In the event of its appearing, on opening all the certificates, and counting the votes given by the Electors of the several states for President, that no person has a majority of the votes of the whole number of Electors appointed, the same shall be entered on the journals of this House.

The question was put, Will the House agree to this rule? and passed in the affirmative.

The second rule was then read, viz:

2d. The roll of the House shall then be called; and, on its appearing that a member or members from two thirds of the states are present, the House shall immediately proceed, by ballot, to choose a President from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for as President; and, in case neither of those persons shall receive the votes of a majority of all the states on the first ballot, the House shall continue to ballot for a President, without interrup tion by other business, until a President be chosen.

The said rule being amended by inserting, after the word "called," in the first line, the words "by states:"

And on the question, Will the House agree to this rule as amended? It passed in the affirmative.

The third rule was then read, viz:

3d. The doors of the Hall shall be closed during the balloting, except against the members of the Senate, and the officers of the House ;and the galleries shall be cleared on the request of the delegation of any one state.

On motion of Mr. Mallary, this rule was amended by striking out these words, "and the galleries shall be cleared on the request of the delegation of any one state."

Ou motion of Mr. Wright, this rule was further amended by inserting, after the word "Senate," the word "Stenographers.” The question was then put, Will the House agree to the third rule as thus amended? and passed in the affirmative.

The fourth rule was read, as follows:

4th. From the commencement of the balloting until an election is made, no proposition to adjourn shall be received, unless on the motion of one state, seconded by another state; and the question shall be decided by states. The same rule shall be observed in regard to any motion to change the usual hour for the meeting of the House.

And on the question to agree to this rule, it passed in the affirmative.

The fifth rule was then read as follows:

5th. In balloting, the following mode shall be observed, to wit:

The Representatives of each state shall be arranged and seated together, beginning with the seats at the right hand of the Speaker's chair, with the members from the state of Maine; thence, proceeding with the members from the states, in the order the states are usually named for receiving petitions, around the Hall of the House, until all are seated.

A ballot box shall be provided for each state.

The Representatives of each state shall, in the first instance, ballot among themselves, in order to ascertain the vote of their state; and they may, if necessary, appoint tellers of their ballots.

After the vote of each state is ascertained, duplicates thereof shall be made out; and in case any one of the persons from whom the choice is to be made, shall receive a majority of the votes given, on any one balloting by the Representatives of a state, the name of that person shall be written on each of the duplicates; and, in case the votes, so given, shall be divided, so that neither of said persons shall have a majority of the whole number of votes given by such state, on any one ballotting, then the word "divided" shall be written on each duplicate.

After the delegation from each state shall have ascertained the vote of their state, he clerk shall name the states in the order they are usually named for receiving pe