CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

BEGUN and held at the City of Washington, in the Territory of Columbia, on Monday, the second of December, one thousand eight hundred and five, being the First Session of the Ninth Congress held under the Constitution of Government of the United States:

On which day, being the day appointed by the Constitution for the annual meeting of Congress, the following members of the House of Representatives appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats, to wit:

From New Hampshire,

From Massachusetts,

From Rhode Island,

From Connecticut,

Silas Betton,

Caleb Ellis,

David Hough,

Samuel Tenney, and
Thomas W. Thompson.

(Joseph Barker,
Barnabas Bidwell,

Phanuel Bishop,

John Chandler,
Orchard Cook,
Jacob Crowninshield,
Richard Cutts,
William Ely,
Isaiah L. Green,
Jeremiah Nelson,
Josiah Quincy,
Ebenezer Seaver,
Samuel Taggart,
Joseph B. Varnum, and
Peleg Wadsworth.
Nehemiah Knight, and
Joseph Stanton.
Samuel W. Dana,
John Davenport, jr.
Jonathan O. Mosely,
John Cotton Smith,
Lewis B. Sturges, and
Benjamin Tallmadge.

And a quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number, being present,

The House proceeded, by ballot, to the choice of a Speaker; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of NATHANIEL MACON, one of the Representatives for the State of North Carolina: Whereupon,

Mr. Macon was conducted to the chair, from whence he made his acknowledgments to the House as followeth :

"Gentlemen: Accept my sincere thanks for the honor you have conferred on me. Permit me to assure you, that my utmost endeavors will be exerted to discharge the duties of the chair with fidelity, impartiality, and industry; and that I shall rely with confidence on the liberal and candid support of the House."

The House proceeded, in the same manner, to the apppointment of a Clerk; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of John Beckley.

The oath to support the Constitution of the United States, as prescrihed by the act, entitled "An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths," was administered by Mr. Nicholson, one of the Representatives for the State of Maryland, to the Speaker; and then the same oath or affirmation was administered by Mr. Speaker to all the members present, to wit:

Silas Betton, Caleb Ellis, David Hough, Samuel Tenny, Thomas W. Thompson, Joseph Barker, Barnabus Bidwell, Phanuel Bishop, John Chandler, Orchard Cook, Jacob Crowninshield, Richard Cutts, William Ely, Isaiah L. Green, Jeremiah Nelson, Josiah Quincy, Ebenezer Seaver, Samuel Taggart, Joseph B. Varnum, Peleg Wadsworth, Nehemiah Knight, Joseph Stanton, Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, junior, Jonathan O. Mosely, John C. Smith, Lewis B. Sturges, Benjamin Tallmadge, Martin Chittenden, James Elliot, James Fisk, Gideon Olin, John Blake, junior, Silas Halsey, Josiah Masters, Gurdon S. Mumford, John Russell, Peter Sailly, Thomas Sammons, Martin G. Schuneman, David Thomas, Uri Tracy, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Nathan Williams, Ezra Darby, Ebenezer Elmer, John Lambert, James Sloan, Henry Southard, Isaac Anderson, David Bard, Robert Brown, Joseph Clay, Frederick Conrad, William Findley, Andrew Gregg, Michael Leib, John Pugh, John Rea, Jacob Richards, John Smilie, Samuel Smith, John Whitehill, Robert Whitehill, John Campbell, Leonard Covington, Charles Goldsborough, Patrick Magruder, William M'Creery, Nicholas R. Moore, Joseph H. Nicholson, Burwell Bassett, John Claiborne, John Clopton, John Dawson, John W. Eppes, James M. Garnett, Peterson Goodwyn, David Holmes, John G. Jackson, Joseph Lewis, junior, John Morrow, Thomas Newton, junior, John Randolph, Thomas M. Randolph, John Smith, Philip R. Thompson, Alexander Wilson, George M. Bedinger, Thomas Sandford, Willis Alston, junior, Thomas Blount, James Holland, Thomas Kenan, Richard Stanford, Marmaduke Williams, Joseph Winston, Thomas Wynns, William Dickson, John Rhea, Levi Casey, Elias Earle, Thomas

Moore, David R. Williams, Peter Early, Cowles Mead, David Meriwether, and Jeremiah Morrow. And moreover, the same oath was administered by Mr. Speaker to William Lattimore, the Delegate from the Mississippi Territory.

The same oath, together with the oath of office prescribed by the said recited act, were also administered by Mr. Speaker to the Clerk.

Ordered, That a message be sent to the Senate to inform them that a quorum of this House is assembled, and have elected Nathaniel Macon, one of the Representatives for North Carolina, their Speaker; and that the Clerk of this House do go with the said message.

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Otis, their Secretary :

Mr. Speaker: I am directed to inform this House that a quorum of the Senate is assembled and ready to proceed to business; and that, in the absence of the Vice President of the United States, the Senate have elected the Honorable Samuel Smith their President pro tempore: the Senate have resolved that two Chaplains, of different denominations be appointed to Congress, for the present session, one by each House, who shall interchange weekly. The Senate have appointed a committee on their part, jointly, with such committee as may be appointed on the part of this House, 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 communication that he may be pleased to make to them. And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the resolution of the Senate for the appointment of Chaplains, do lie on the table.

Resolved, That Mr. John Randolph, Mr. Campbell, of Maryland, and Mr. Crowninshield, be appointed a committee, on the part of this House, jointly, with 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 communication that he may be pleased to make to them.

The House then proceeded, by ballot, to the appointment of a Sergeant-at-Arms to this House; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the Whole House was found in favor of Joseph Wheaton.

Ordered, That the said Joseph Wheaton do give his attendance accordingly.

On motion

Resolved, That Thomas Claxton be appointed Doorkeeper, and Thomas Dunn Assistant Doorkeeper of this House.

Ordered, That the said Thomas Claxton and Thomas Dunn do, severally, give their attendance accordingly.

Resolved, That the Rules and Orders established by the late House of Representatives, shall be deemed and taken to be the Rules and Orders of proceeding to be observed in this House, until a revision or alteration of the same shall take place.

On motion,

Resolved, That, unless otherwise ordered, the daily hour to which the House shall stand adjourned, during the present session, be eleven o'clock in the forenoon.

On a motion made and seconded that three hundred copies of the Rules and Orders of this House be printed for the use of the members,

It passed in the negative.

On motion,

Ordered, That a committtee be appointed to prepare and report such standing rules and orders of proceeding as are proper to be observed in this House; and that Mr. Varnum, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Tallmadge, Mr. Gregg, and Mr. Holland, be the said committee. Ordered, That a Committee of Ways and Means be appointed, pursuant to the standing rules and orders of the House;

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. John Randolph, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Joseph Clay, Mr. Quincy, Mr. Meriwether, Mr. Dickson, and Mr. Mosely.

Ordered, That a Committee of Commerce and Manufactures be appointed, pursuant to the standing rules and orders of the House;

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. Crowninshield, Mr. M'Creery, Mr. Leib, Mr. Early, Mr. Dana, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Mumford.

Ordered, That a Committee of Elections be appointed, pursuant to the standing rules and orders of the House;

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. Findley, Mr. Elmer, Mr. Eppes, Mr. Chittenden, Mr. Schuneman, Mr. Bidwell, and Mr. Ellis.

Ordered, That a Committee of Claims be appointed, pursuant to the standing rules and orders of the House;

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. John C. Smith, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Bedinger, Mr. Stanford, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Moore, of Maryland, and Mr. Moore, of South Carolina. Ordered, That a Committee of Revisal and Unfinished Business be appointed, pursuant to the standing rules and orders of the House;

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. Tenney, Mr. Alston, and Mr. Claiborne.

On motion,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed, to consist of three members, to be styled the "Committee of Accounts," whose duty it shall be to superintend and control the expenditure of the contingent fund of the House of Representatives, and to audit and settle all accounts which may be charged thereon.

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. Conrad, Mr. Davenport, and Mr. Cutts. The Speaker laid before the House a letter from the Clerk, accompanying a report of his proceedings, in obedience to a resolution of the House, of the twenty-eighth day of February last, for letting to the lowest bidder the printing work and supplies of stationery for the use of the House, together with sundry documents respecting the same. Ordered, That the said letter, report, and documents, be referred to the Committee of Accounts.

On motion,

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire whether any, and what, amendments are necessary to be made in the acts establishing a post office and post roads within the United States; and that the said committee have leave to report by bill, or otherwise :

And a committee was appointed, of Mr. Thomas, Mr. Robert Whitehill, Mr. Betton, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Elliot, Mr. Knight, Mr. Sturges, Mr. Covington, Mr. Clopton, Mr. Sandford, Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, Mr. Rhea, of Tennessee, Mr. Williams, of South Carolina, Mr. Meade, Mr. Morrow, of Ohio, Mr. Southard, and Mr. Lewis.

Ordered, That the Clerk of this House cause the members to be furnished, during the present session, with three newspapers to each member, such as the members, respectively, shall chuse, to be delivered at their lodgings; and that if any member shall chuse to take any newspaper other than a daily paper, he shall be furnished with as many of such papers as shall not exceed the price of a daily paper.

Mr. John Randolph, from the joint committee appointed to wait on the President of the United States, and notify him that a quorum of the two Houses is assembled, and ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make to them, reported that the committee had, according to order, performed that service; and that the President signified to them that he would make a communication to this House to-morrow, at twelve o'clock, by way of message.

And then the House adjourned until to-morrow morning eleven o'clock.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1805.

Several other members, to wit: from Virginia, Abram Trigg; from Tennessee, George W. Campbell; and from South Carolina, Robert Marion; appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats in the House; the oath to support the Constitu tion of the United States being first administered to them by Mr. Speaker, according to law.

The House proceeded to consider the resolution of the Senate for the appointment of two Chaplains to Congress for the present session, one by each House, to interchange weekly: Whereupon,

Resolved, That this House do concur with the Senate therein.

Ordered, That the Clerk of this House do acquaint the Senate therewith.

Resolved, That this House will, to-morrow, proceed, by ballot, to the appointment of a Chaplain to Congress, on their part.

A message, in writing, was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Coles, his Secretary, as followeth :

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States :

At a moment when the nations of Europe are in commotion, and arming against each other; when those with whom we have principal intercourse are engaged in the general contest; and when the countenance of some of them towards our peaceable country threatens that even that may not be unaffected by what is passing on the general theatre; a meeting of the Representatives of the Nation, in both Houses of Congress, has become more than usually desirable. Coming from every section of our country, they bring with them the sentiments and the information of the whole, and will be enabled