cluding quartermasters, paymasters and commissaries, now paid by the state of Virginia, exclusive of the forces under the command of Major General Floyd.

Ön motion of Mr. BASS,

Resolved, that the board of public works be requested to furnish, as early as possible, to this house, any information in their possession, or which may be obtained, without delay, as to the present condition of the Southwestern turnpike; whether, in their judgment, the said road may be transferred to the counties through which it runs, without detriment to the commonwealth; or if they think otherwise, what is the prospect for said road sustaining itself, or becoming a source of profit to the commonwealth.

A message was received from the senate by Mr. COLLIER, who informed the house of delegates that the senate had passed house bill entitled an act amending and re-enacting the first and second sections of an act entitled an act to repeal the fence law of Virginia as to certain counties, and to authorize the county courts to dispense with enclosures in other counties, passed October 3, 1862, and to legalize the action of county courts held under said law, No. 39, with an amendment: in which they respectfully requested the concurrence of the house of delegates.

On motion of Mr. ANDERSON of Botetourt,

Resolved, that the committee on military affairs be enlarged, by the addition of four members.

The SPEAKER announced the following members as added to the committee under the resolution: Messrs. McCamant, Orgain, Anderson of Rockbridge, and Buford.

The hour having arrived for the consideration of the order of the day, the substitute reported from the committee on extortion, to house bill No. 27, entitled a bill to suppress extortion, being the order of the day, was taken up; and the question being on agreeing to the motion heretofore submitted by Mr. HUNTER, to strike out the 5th section of the substitute-pending the consideration of which,

On motion of Mr. GRATTAN, the house adjourned until to-morrow, 12 o'clock.

[NOTE.-Mr. MALLORY asked and obtained leave to have printed a substitute for the substitute of the committee, which at the proper time he proposed to submit for the consideration of the house.]

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 1863.

Prayer by Rev. Dr. Burrows of the Baptist church.

The amendment proposed by the senate to house bill entitled an act amending and re-enacting the first and second sections of an act entitled an act to repeal the fence law as to certain counties, and to authorize the county courts to dispense with enclosures in other counties, passed October 3, 1862, and to legalize the action of county

courts held under said law, was taken up; and on motion of Mr. WOOLFOLK, the bill and amendment were laid on the table.

Subsequently, a message was received from the senate by Mr. EARLY, who informed the house of delegates that the senate had passed a resolution asking the return of the bill and amendment to that body.

The resolution was concurred in.

Ordered, that Mr. BARBOUR carry the bill and amendment to the senate.

Mr. MAGRUDER, from the committee of privileges and elections, to whom had been referred

No. 16. A senate bill entitled an act with regard to general and special elections of members of congress during the present session, reported the same with an amendment.

Mr. BOULDIN, from the committee for courts of justice, presented the following bill:

No. 62. A bill to legalize the records, proceedings and acts of the county court of Spotsylvania county, at the terms of said court held during the year 1862, at places in the said county other than the courthouse thereof; which subsequently was read a first time, and on motion of Mr. MARYE, two-thirds concurring, was read a second. time, and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time.

Mr. BOULDIN, from the same committee, presented an adverse report to the petition of Ferdinand Woltz, clerk of Botetourt, and other clerks of courts, asking for an increase of fees.

Mr. BARBOUR, from the committee on finance, presented the memorial of the rail road companies of Virginia, praying relief from taxation on military freight and travel; which, on his motion, was laid on the table and ordered to be printed. Doc. No. 23.

Mr. KAUFMAN, from a select committee, presented the following bill:

No. 63. A bill to authorize free negroes to be employed as laborers on the fortifications and other public defences; which subsequently, on his motion, was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

Mr. COFFMAN, from a special committee, presented the following • bill:

No. 64. A bill to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act to refund money received for exemption from military duty, passed January 9th, 1863.

On motion of Mr. BURKS,

Resolved, that the committee for courts of justice enquire into the expediency of so amending the 7th and 8th sections of chapter 104 of the Code of Virginia, edition of 1860, as to increase the penalties on persons permitting slaves to go at large or hire themselves out. On motion of Mr. SHANNON,

Resolved, that the committee of roads and internal navigation be instructed to enquire into the expediency of incorporating a joint stock company for the improvement of the north fork of the Holston river in the county of Smyth.

On motion of Mr. NOLAND,

Resolved, that the committee on finance enquire into the expediency of providing by law for the payment of interest on the war tax bonds, to those banks which have been prevented, by the presence of the enemy, from demanding the same at the time and in the manner required by law.

On motion of Mr. EGGLESTON,

Resolved, That the committee on finance enquire into the expediency of reporting a bill refunding to Samuel E. Lybrook, sheriff of Giles county, a sum of money erroneously paid into the treasury.

Mr. DAVIS presented the petition of the Lynchburg, Franklin, Citizens and Washington building fund associations, praying that said associations be allowed to purchase their stock, which was referred to the committee of propositions and grievances.

No. 60. A bill to amend and re-enact section 12 of an act passed March 29, 1861, incorporating the Rockbridge insurance company, was taken up, on motion of Mr. REID, read a first time, and twothirds concurring, read a second time, and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time.

A message was received from the senate by Mr. ARMSTRONG, who informed the house of delegates that the senate insisted upon their amendments to house bill entitled an act to provide for the discharge from active military service, of persons who have furnished substitutes, No. 51.

Mr. NOLAND presented a letter from Dr. Charles Bell Gibson, which was read as follows:

DEAR SIR:

RICHMOND, Jan. 31, 1863.

I find in the papers of this morning, that Mr. Mallory of Brunswick and Mr. J. T. Anderson of Botetourt stated yesterday in the house of delegates, that they had been informed I was receiving a salary of $ 15,000 per annum, for my services as surgeon general of Virginia, and with nothing to do.

Not supposing that these gentlemen design to impeach my charac ter, but that they simply wish to correct abuses, I appeal not to them, but to you, as a member of the house personally known to me, to make the following statement to the honorable body before whom that statement was made:

During the session of the convention of the state in April 1861, I was appointed by that body surgeon general of Virginia, and performed the duties of the office until the arrival of the confederate government at Richmond-a period of about forty days.

Soon afterwards, I was appointed a surgeon in the confederate army; and from that hour my pay as surgeon general of Virginia ceased. I drew from the state of Virginia pay for forty days, as well as my memory serves me, at the rate of $3,000 per annum, namely, about three hundred and thirty dollars.

There were, for some months, duties to be discharged, pertaining to the office of surgeon general, which were performed by me without pay, or expectation of pay.

During the forty days, the governor, the executive council, and nearly two hundred medical officers, appointed by them on my nomination, can testify that the office was not exactly a "sinecure."

Will you have the goodness to have this letter read to the house to-day, as I am anxious to have any impression which to-day's papers may make on persons not cognizant of the facts, at once erased. I am, very respectfully, yours,

MAJ. B. P. NOLAND,

House of Delegates.

CHARLES BELL GIBSON, M. D.

The hour having arrived for the consideration of the order of the day, the substitute heretofore reported from the committee on extortion, to house bill No. 27, entitled a bill to suppress extortion, being the special order of the day, was taken up, and the pending question being on the motion of Mr. HUNTER, heretofore submitted, to strike out the fifth section of the substitute-pending the consideration of which,

On motion of Mr. ROBERTSON, the house adjourned until Monday, 12 o'clock.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1863.

Prayer by Rev. Dr. Read of the Presbyterian church.

A communication from the senate, by their clerk, was read as follows:

IN SENATE, Jan. 31, 1863.

The senate have passed house bill entitled:

An act for the relief of Wm. Paris, late sheriff of Appomattox county, No. 20.

And they have passed a bill entitled:

An act amending and re-enacting an ordinance of the convention concerning the aids to the governor, No. 37.

In which they respectfully request the concurrence of the house of delegates.

No. 37. A senate bill entitled an act amending and re-enacting an ordinance of the convention concerning the aids of the governor, was read a first and second times, and referred to the committee on military affairs.

Mr. ANDERSON of Botetourt, from the committee on military affairs, presented an adverse report to a resolution enquiring into the expediency of enrolling and organizing persons exempt from service in the Confederate States army, and of persons between the ages of 18 and 60, into brigades, regiments and battalions for home defence.

Mr. BARBOUR, from the committee on finance, presented the following bill:

No. 65. A bill refunding to Matthew Harris a sum of money; which subsequently was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

Mr. BASS, from the committee of claims, presented the following bill:

No. 66. A bill for the relief of George Cross and Elizabeth Cross, keeper and assistant keeper of the Craney island light-vessel.

Mr. MAGRUDER, from the committee of privileges and elections, presented the following bill:

No. 67. A bill to provide for filling vacancies in the general assembly of Virginia.

No. 18. A senate bill entitled an act to amend and re-enact the twelfth section of chapter twenty of the Code of Virginia, so as to compensate the printer of the senate for printing and binding the journals of the senate at extra sessions, was taken up, on motion of Mr. MALLORY, and read a third time; and the question being-Shall the bill pass? the roll was called, with the following result-Ayes 14,

noes 69.

AYES-Messrs. Sheffey (speaker), Ambers, J. T. Anderson, Bigger, Carpenter, Coleman, Davis, Gatewood, Kaufinan, Mallory, Pitman, F. G. Taylor, Thomas and Wynne-14. NOES-Messrs. F. T. Anderson, Barbour, Bass, Bayse, Carter, Cazenove, Cecil, Clarke, Coffman, Crockett, Daniel, Dunn, Edmunds, Eggleston, Ewing, Fleming, Fletcher, Flood, Forbes, Fry, Garrison, George, Gilmer, Grattan, Green, Harrison, J. H. Hopkins, H. L. Hopkins, Huntt, James, Johnson, Jones, Kyle, Lively, Lockridge, Lundy, Lynn, Magruder, Mathews, Mayo, McCamant, A. W. McDonald, I. E. McDonald, McLaughlin, Montague, R. E. Nelson, W. G. T. Nelson, Newton, Noland, Orgain, Powell, Prince, Reid, Richardson, Rowan, P. Saunders, Shannon, Staples, R. F. Taylor, Thrash, Tomlin, Vermillion, Walker, West, Williams, J. L. Wilson, S. M. Wilson, Worsham and Wright-69. Resolved, that the bill be rejected.

On motion of Mr. JONES, the vote by which the bill was rejected was reconsidered; and then, on his further motion, the vote ordering the bill to its third reading was reconsidered, and the bill referred to the committee on finance.

No. 64. A bill to amend and re-enact the 1st section of an act entitled an act to refund money received for exemption from military duty, passed January 19, 1863, was taken up, on motion of Mr. COFF MAN, and read a first time, and two-thirds concurring, was read a second time, and ordered to be engrossed and read a third time. On motion of Mr. EVANS,

Resolved, that the committee of claims enquire into the expediency of allowing the claims of Edward S. White, the keeper of the New Point light-house, and of the captain and crew of the Wolf-trap light-vessel, for services rendered by them from the 1st January 1861 until the said light-house and light-vessel were taken from their possession.

On motion of Mr. FLOOD,

Resolved, that the committee on finance enquire into the expediency of amending the act passed at the present session, for the relief of the securities of William Paris, late sheriff of Appomattox county.

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