sively to her own security, and in no way affecting the citizens of other States or the national government. Resolved, That, in the opinion of this General Assembly, the people of Rhode Island, so far from having justly incurred the reproaches which have been cast upon them by the resolutions of Maine and New Hampshire, have covered themselves with honor, and deserve the lasting gratitude of the States of this Union for the triumphant vindication of the great principles of consti tutional liberty, and their successful maintenance of the supremacy of the laws against the assaults of anarchy and treason. Resolved, That his excellency the governor be requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to each of the governors of the several States and Territories of this Union; and that our Senators and Representatives in Congress be requested to lay the same before their respective houses of Congress. Ordered, That the said resolutions be laid upon the table. Mr. John A. Rockwell presented resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut, requesting the Senators and Representatives from said State in the Congress of the United States to use their exertions to secure a distribution of the decisions of the Supreme Court to the several States: which resolutions were referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Mr. William W. Campbell presented a memorial of the New York Historical Society, praying the erection of a monument to the memory of General Nicholas Herkimer, a revolutionary officer: which memorial was referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. Mr. Culver presented a petition of citizens of the county of Saratoga, praying a repeal of all laws which sanction or sustain slavery in the District of Columbia, and also for the abolition of the slave-trade between the States. Mr. Culver moved that the said petition be referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia. Mr. Price moved that it be laid on the table. Mr. Culver called for the reading of the said petition. Mr. Brodhead objected to the reading. And the question being put, Shall the said petition be read? It was decided in the affirmative. The petition was accordingly read by the Clerk. And the question being put, Shall the said petition be laid on the table? It was decided in the affirmative, Yeas, 108 61 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. Stephen Adams Archibald Atkinson Mr. John S. Chipman Francis A. Cunningham Mr. Charles Goodyear James Graham Mr. John G. Chapman presented resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Maryland, requesting the Senators and Representatives from said State in the Congress of the United States to use their exertions to obtain an appropriation for the improvement of the harbor of Havre de Grace, in said State: which resolutions were referred to the Committee on Commerce. Mr. Tibbatts presented a supplement to the petition of the practical steam engineers, and others, of the city of Cincinnati, relative to steamboat explosions-presented heretofore January 18, 1844: which supplement was referred to the Committee on Commerce. Mr. Cranston presented the following resolutions: STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.. In General Assembly, January session, A. D. 1845. Whereas certain resolutions of the General Court of the State of New Hampshire, in relation to the trial and imprisonment of Thomas W. Dorr, passed on the 27th day of December, 1844, have been transmitted by the governor of that State to his excellency the governor of this State, and by him have been communicated to this General Assembly, and it appears from said resolu tions that the same are to be communicated to both houses of Congress, and to the governors of the several States and Territories: Resolved by this General Assembly, That said resolutions, marked as they are by the grossest falsehood, ignorance, and impertinence, are at once disgraceful to the legislature of New Hampshire, and insulting to the government and people of Rhode Island. Resolved, That the secretary be instructed to return said resolutions to the governor of New Hampshire, accompanied by a copy of these resolutions; and that his excellency the governor be requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to each of the governors of the States and Territories of this Union; and that our Senators and Representatives be requested to lay the same before their respective houses of Congress. Ordered, That the said resolutions be laid upon the table. STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS. In General Assembly, January session, A. D. 1845. Resolved, That the compact of union between the several States of the United States was entered into by the people thereof, in their respective States, "in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity;" and the government by them instituted is a government with certain limited powers, clearly specified and defined in the constitution; all other powers not therein especially relinquished being "reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Resolved, That the limited government of the United States possesses no power to extend its jurisdiction over any foreign nation, and no foreign nation, country, or people, can be admitted into this Union but by the sovereign will and act of the free people of all and each of these United States: and therefore, in the opinion of this General Assembly, the annexation of Texas to this Union, either by treaty negotiated by the President of the United States, or by joint resolution of the Congress of the United States, would be a violation of the constitution, manifestly tending to destroy the peace and prosperity of the country, and defeat the objects of the Union. Resolved, That the State of Rhode Island, faithful to the constitution, cannot consent to, but does most solemnly protest against, the annexation of Texas, or any other foreign state or territory to this Union, unless the same shall be accomplished by an independent expression of the sovereign will of the free people of all and each of these United States. Resolved, That our Senators and Representatives in Congress be requested to use their exertions to prevent the ratification of any treaty, or the adoption of any joint resolutions by Congress, to annex the territory of Texas to this Union. Resolved, That his excellency the governor be requested to transmit a copy of the foregoing resolutions to each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress, and to the governors of the several States of the Union. A true copy-witness: HENRY BOWEN, Secretary. Mr. Relfe presented a memorial of the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, praying that the lands lying in the great swamp in the southern part of Missouri and northern part of Arkansas may be appropriated to the draining of said swamp. Mr. Relfe presented a memorial of the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, praying a donation of alternate sections of land lying contiguous to the St. François and Big Black rivers, to aid in improving the navigation of said rivers. Ordered, That the said memorials be referred to the Committee on Public Lands. Mr. Stanton gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill to establish a port of entry at Memphis, in Tennessee. Mr. Jacob Thompson gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill legalizing the sales of certain lands made at Chocchuma and Columbus land offices, in the State of Mississippi. Mr. Ficklin gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce bills of the following titles, viz: A bill to make an appropriation for the continuation of the Cumberland road in the States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. A bill to grant lands to the States of Indiana and Illinois for the improvement of the Wabash river, so as to open an intercommunication between the northern lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. A bill to grant lands to the actual settlers upon the public domain, under certain limitations. Mr. Robert Smith gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce bills of the following titles, viz: A bill making appropriations for the national road in the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. A bill to grant to the State of Illinois the right of way through the public lands of the United States for certain railroads, and for other purposes. A bill for the relief of William McCauley, a soldier in the late war with Great Britain. A bill for the relief of Isaac Baker. A bill to establish a port of entry at the city of Alton, in the State of Illinois. A bill to repeal or so modify the joint resolution of the 3d of March last, directing the Secretary of the Treasury to retain moneys of certain States indebted to the United States, as to exclude from the operation of said resolution the three per-cent. fund set apart for the encouragement of learning by the "acts" of admission of certain new States into the Union. Mr. Wentworth gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill to grant to the State of Illinois a certain number of acres of land equal to that granted to Ohio. A bill to cede the public lands to the States in which they lie, upon cer tain conditions. Mr. Morgan L. Martin gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce bills of the following titles, viz: A bill to provide for continuing certain public works in the Territory of Wisconsin. A bill to amend "An act to grant a quantity of land to the Territory of Wisconsin, for the purpose of aiding in opening a canal to connect the waters of Lake Michigan with those of Rock river." A bill to provide for opening a communication, by water, between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi river, through the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, in the Territory of Wisconsin. Mr. Dodge gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill to define the boundaries of the State of Iowa, and to repeal so much of the act of 3d of March, 1845, as relates to the boundary of said State. Mr. Truman Smith presented a petition of Frances Gardiner, widow of Captain George W. Gardiner, deceased, of the army of the United States, who fell in the Florida war in the year 1835, praying for an invalid pension. Mr. Rathbun presented the petition of William Slocum-heretofore presented December 10, 1844. Mr. Seaman presented a petition of Sarah Hildreth, of Orange county, New York, widow of John Hildreth, deceased, praying an invalid pen sion. Mr. Goodyear presented a petition of Francis Dodge, of Schoharie county, State of New York, an invalid pensioner, praying for an increase of his pension. Mr. Preston King presented a petition of sundry citizens of Canton, St. Lawrence county, State of New York, praying that an invalid pension may be granted to Eliphas C. Brown, in consideration of disabilities incurred in the military service of the United States. Mr. Jenkins presented a petition of Jeremiah Carter, a citizen of the county of Oneida, in the State of New York, praying for a pension as an invalid soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Benton presented the petition of Darius Hawkins-heretofore presented January 31, 1844, accompanied by an additional petition praying for arrears of pension. Mr. Foster presented a petition of John Mitchell, of Westmoreland county, State of Pennsylvania, praying for an invalid pension as a soldier of the United States in the war of 1812. Mr. McIlvaine presented a petition of James Bumbough, a citizen of Chester county, in the State of Pennsylvania, praying for an invalid pension as a soldier in the army of the United States from 1818 to 1823. Mr. James Thompson presented a petition of Marcus Spalding, a citizen of the State of Pennsylvania, praying for an invalid pension as a soldier of the war of 1812. Mr. Graham presented a petition of George Dimsdale, a citizen of Rutherford county, in the State of North Carolina, praying for an invalid pension as a soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Caleb B. Smith presented a petition of George Hickman, a citizen of Wayne county, in the State of Indiana, praying for an invalid pension as a soldier in the army of the United States from 1808 to 1813. Mr. Kennedy presented a petition of Lucy O'Bryan, widow of William O'Bryan, a private in the marine corps of the United States, praying half pay and a pension for the services of her said husband. Mr. Dunlap presented a petition of Amos Dougherty, a citizen of the county of Cumberland, State of Maine, praying for a pension as a soldier of the United States in the war of 1812; Also, a petition of William Brown, of the city of Portland, State of Maine, praying for an invalid pension as a wounded sailor in an engagement with a French frigate in 1799. Mr. White presented a petition of Sally Thomas, widow of Cornelius Thomas, deceased, a resident of the county of Fulton, in the State of New York, praying for a pension as the said widow of Cornelius Thomas, who was killed whilst serving as a sailor in the war of 1812. Mr. Truman Smith presented a petition of Ransom Mix, a citizen of New Haven county, State of Connecticut, praying for an invalid pension as a soldier in the army of the United States during the war of 1812. Mr. Pollock presented the petition of John P. Schuyler-heretofore presented January 7, 1842. |