special committee to investigate the naturalization and election frauds, and irregularities perpetrated in the recent election in the city and State of New York; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Anthony presented resolutions of the Board of Trade of Providence, Rhode Island, in favor of the passage of the bill to establish a postal telegraph system for the United States; which were referred to the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads.

Mr. Morton presented the petition of William P. Herron, praying to be allowed arrears of pension; which was referred to the Committee on Pensions.

Mr. Sherman, from the Select Committee on Railroads in the States, to whom was referred the bill (S. 554) to promote commerce among the States, and to cheapen the transportation of the mails and military and naval stores, reported it with amendments.

Mr. Wilson, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (S. 665) to repeal section six of the act entitled "An act making appropriations for the support of the army for the year ending June 30, 1868," approved March 2, 1867, reported it with an amendment.

Mr. Sawyer asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 670) to relieve sundry citizens of South Carolina from disabilities; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Wilson asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 671) to authorize the payment of arrears of pension to Charles L. Willey; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and referred to the Committee on Pensions.

Mr. Wilson asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 672) to fix the number of judges of the Supreme Court and change the judicial circuits; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Harlan asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 673) in relation to swamp lands in the State of Iowa; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on Public Lands, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Harlan asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 674) to authorize the authorities of the District of Columbia and the cities therein to issue bonds and borrow money; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Drake asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 675) to incorporate the United States Accident and Life Insurance Company; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Williams asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 676) to amend an act entitled "An act to establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and to repeal the acts heretofore passed upon that subject;" which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Stewart asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 677) to punish the crime of holding office in violation of the

14th article of the Constitution; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Morton asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 678) to provide for the redemption in coin of the United States notes and fractional currency, and requiring the national banks to redeem their notes in coin; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Corbett asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 679) to amend an act granting lands to the State of Oregon to aid in the construction of a military road from Eugene City to the eastern boundary of said State; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on Public Lands, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Cole asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 680) relating to contracts payable in coin; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on Finance, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Sherman asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 681) to provide railroad facilities to the capital of the United States; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Select Committee on Railroads in the States, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Conkling asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 682) to repeal "An act to fix the times for the regular meetings of Congress;" which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Ferry asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 683) to amend the naturalization laws; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Thayer asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 684) to incorporate the Washington City Glass Manufacturing Company; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Pomeroy asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 685) to create a Department of Indian Affairs, and to provide for the consolidation, civilization, and government of the Indian tribes; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Ferry asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 686) to establish a certain post road in the State of Connecticut; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and referred to the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads.

Mr. Ferry asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 687) to establish a certain post road in the State of Connecticut; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and referred to the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads.

Mr. Wilson asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a bill (S. 688) to amend an act entitled "An act to regulate the elective franchise in the District of Columbia;" which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Kellogg asked, and by unanimous consent obtained, leave to bring in a joint resolution (S. 187) for the disposal of the public lands in the

States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida; which was read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, referred to the Committee on Public Lands, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Morrill, of Vermont, submitted the following resolution; which was considered, by unanimous consent, and referred to the Committee on Agriculture:

Resolved, That the Committee on Revising the Rules of the Senate be instructed to inquire and report as to the expediency of authorizing a committee of five on education.

The following message was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Moore, his secretary:

To the Senate and House of Representatives:

I transmit a copy of a note of the 24th of November last, addressed to the Secretary of State by the minister of Great Britain, communicating a decree of the district court of the United States for the southern district of New York, ordering the payment of certain sums to the defendants in a suit against the English schooner "Sybil," libelled as a prize of war. It is requisite for a fulfilment of the decree that an appropriation of the sums specified therein should be made by Congress. The appropriation is recommended accordingly.

WASHINGTON, December 8, 1868.

The message was read.

ANDREW JOHNSON.

Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations and be printed.

Mr. Henderson submitted the following resolution; which was considered, by unanimous consent, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Interior be requested to communicate to the Senate all reports, papers, and other information in the department connected with the late battle on the Washita river.

Mr. Henderson submitted the following resolution; which was considered, by unanimous consent, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be requested to communicate to the Senate all reports, papers, or other information in the department connected with the late Indian battle on the Washita river.

Mr. Morrill, of Maine, submitted the following resolution; which was considered, by unanimous consent, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to communicate to the Senate the number of United States troops employed on the plains or frontiers in connection with the Indian hostilities, in protecting the Missouri river traffic, the Union Pacific railroad, or in otherwise policing that region of country; and also whether volunteer forces or militia from the States or Territories, or Indians, are or have been so employed, and if so, what, what numbers, from what States or Territories, and upon what authority and upon whose order.

Mr. Kellogg submitted the following resolution; which was considered, by unanimous consent, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Secretary of War be requested to transmit to the Senate any information in his possession from officers connected with the Freedmen's Bureau in the State of Louisiana touching the recent disturbance in said State.

Mr. Davis submitted the following resolution for consideration: Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury inform the Senate what was the aggregate amount of each issue of United States bonds, by

their respective dates; and the aggregate amount of the gold value of each issue of said bonds at their dates; and also the rate of interest borne by them respectively.

Mr. Sherman submitted the following resolution; which was considered, by unanimous consent, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Interior be directed to communicate to the Senate the report of Mr. Williams, government director of the Union Pacific railroad, on the condition of said road.

Mr. Cattell submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

Resolved, That the Senate receive with profound regret the proposition of the President in his annual message to repudiate a portion of the national obligations, and regard this and all other forms of repudiation as a national crime. National honor requires the payment of the public debt in the utmost good faith to all creditors, at home and abroad, not only according to the letter but the spirit of the laws under which it was created.

Mr. Willey submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

Resolved, That the Senate, properly cherishing and upholding the good faith and honor of the nation, do hereby utterly disapprove of and condemn the sentiments and propositions contained in so much of the late annual message of the President of the United States as reads as follows: "It may be assumed that the holders of our securities have already received upon their bonds a larger amount than their original investment, measured by a gold standard. Upon this statement of facts it would seem but just and equitable that the six per cent. interest now paid by the government should be applied to the reduction of the principal in semi-annual instalments, which, in sixteen years and eight months, would liquidate the entire national debt. Six per cent. in gold would at present rates be equal to nine per cent. in currency, and equivalent to the payment of the debt one and a half times in a fraction less than seventeen years. This, in connection with all the other advantages derived from their investment, would afford to the public creditors a fair and liberal compensation for the use of their capital, and with this they should be satisfied. The lessons of the past admonish the lender that it is not well to be over-anxious in exacting from the borrower rigid compliance with the letter of the bond."

Mr. Warner submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance:

Resolved by the Senate of the United States, That we regard as dishonest the proposition of the President of the United States, contained in his message, to appropriate the interest of the public debt to the payment of the principal.

Mr. Ross reported from the committee that they presented to the President of the United States, on the 10th instant, the enrolled bill (S. 658) to relieve from disabilities Franklin J. Moses, a citizen of South Carolina.

On motion by Mr. Harlan,

Ordered, That the Committee on the District of Columbia be discharged from the further consideration of the petition of the children and heirs of the late Robert Isherwood, for compensation for occupation of and damages to their estate in the District of Columbia by the agents of the government, and that it be referred to the Committee on Claims.

A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. McPherson, its Clerk:

Mr. President: The House of Representatives has passed the following bill and joint resolution of the Senate:

S. 565. An act to authorize the Secretary of State to adjust the claim of Gustavus G. Cushman for office rent while commissioner under the reciprocity treaty.

S. 170. Joint resolution in relation to the library of the Department of Agriculture; and

It has passed the following bills and joint resolutions, in which it requests the concurrence of the Senate:

H. R. 1487. An act to declare and fix the status of the corps of judge advocates of the army.

H. R. 1488. An act to consolidate the several asylums for aged and disabled soldiers, created under the laws of the United States.

H. R. 1489. An act granting a portion of the military reservation at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to the American Baptist Home Mission Society.

H. R. 1490. An act to define the pay of officers of the army detailed to act as military instructors.

H. R. 373. Joint resolution directing the Secretary of War to sell Bergen Heights arsenal.

H. R. 374. Joint resolution authorizing the sale of the Chattanooga Rolling Mill property, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the Southwestern Iron Company.

H. R. 375. Joint resolution donating condemned cannon for the erection of a monument to Major General Kearney.

H. R. 376. Joint resolution to pay W. S. Morse and Charles S. Shambaugh for services rendered the Committee on Military Affairs of the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives has passed the following resolution, in which it requests the concurrence of the Senate:

Resolved, (the Senate concurring,) That when the two houses of Congress adjourn on Monday, the 21st instant, they adjourn to meet on Tuesday, the 5th of January, 1869.

The bills H. R. 1487, H. R. 1488, H. R. 1489, and H. R. 1490, and joint resolutions, H. R. 373, H. R. 374, H. R. 375, and H. R. 376, last received from the House of Representatives, were severally read the first and second times, by unanimous consent, and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.

A message from the President of the United States, by Mr. Moore, his secretary:

Mr. President: The President of the United States approved and signed, on the 11th instant, an act (S. 658) to relieve from disabilities Franklin J. Moses, a citizen of South Carolina.

Ordered, That the Secretary notify the House of Representatives thereof.

On motion by Mr. Willey,

The Senate proceeded to consider, as in Committee of the Whole, the bill (S. 241) authorizing the Commissioner of Patents to pay certain employés of the Patent Office for services rendered; and

On motion by Mr. Willey,

Ordered, That the bill be recommitted to the Committee on Patents. On motion by Mr. Trumbull,

The Senate proceeded to consider the following resolutions:

Resolution of the House of Representatives for the appointment of a