WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1863.

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

Mr. MCCAMANT, from the committee of propositions and grievances, presented the following bills:

No. 72. A bill allowing the Lynchburg, Franklin, Citizens and Washington building fund associations to purchase their stock.

No. 73. A bill incorporating the Submarine battery joint com

pany.

Mr. ANDERSON of Botetourt, from the committee on military affairs, to whom had been referred

No. 39. A senate bill entitled an act making appropriation for payment to Alfred Beckley, for military services performed by him, reported the same without amendment.

Mr. ANDERSON, from the same committee, presented the following bills:

No. 74. A bill to amend an act passed 17th May 1862, entitled an act to authorize a force of ten thousand men to be raised for the defence of the commonwealth.

No. 75. A bill authorizing the board of public works to impress free negroes and slaves for the improvement of New river.

No. 76. A bill providing more effectually for the arrest of de

serters.

Mr. NEWTON, from the committee of schools and colleges, presented the following bill:

No. 77. A bill authorizing the sale, by the county court, of the district schoolhouses, and the lots attached thereto, in the county of Henry.

No. 60. An engrossed 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 third time and passed.

Ordered, that the clerk communicate the same to the senate, and request their concurrence.

No. 64. An engrossed 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. GRATTAN, read a third time and passed-Ayes 87.

AYES-Messrs. Sheffey (speaker), Ambers, J. T. Anderson, F. T. Anderson, Bailey, Barbour, Baskervill, Bass, Bayse, Bouldin, Bradford, Burks, Cazenove, Cecil, Clarke, Coffman, Crockett, Davis, Edmunds, Evans, Fleming, Fletcher, Flood, Franklin, Fry, Fulton, Garrison, Gatewood, George, Gilmer, Grattan, Green, J. H. Hopkins, H. L. Hopkins, Hunter, Huntt, James, Johnson, Jordan, Kaufman, Kyle. Laidley, Lively, Lockridge, Lundy, Lynn, Magruder, Mathews, Mayo, McCamant, A. W. McDonald, I. E. McDonald, McKinney, McLaughlin, W. G. T. Nelson, Newton, Noland, Orgain, Pitman, Powell, Prince, Reid, Richardson, Riddick, Rives, Robertson, Robinson, Rowan, Rutherfoord, P. Saunders, R. C. Saunders, Shannon, Sherrard, Staples, R. F. Taylor, Thomas, Tomlin, Tredway, Tyler, Vaden, Vermillion, Walker, Ward, West, Williams, J. L. Wilson, Woolfolk, Worsham and Wynne-87.

Ordered, that Mr. GRATTAN carry the same to the senate, and respectfully request their concurrence therein.

No. 56. A bill changing the times of holding the circuit courts of the fourteenth judicial circuit, was taken up, on motion of Mr. JAMES, 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 on their part had agreed to the report of the committee of conference as to the matters of disagreement between the two houses, in relation to house bill No. 51, entitled an act to provide for the discharge from active military service, of persons who have furnished substitutes: in which they respectfully requested the concurrence of the house of delegates. On motion of Mr. TOMLIN,

Resolved, that the committee of roads and internal navigation enquire into the expediency of requiring by law that internal improvement companies shall receive and deliver by weight all grain offered for transportation.

On motion of Mr. MCCAMANT,

Resolved, that leave be given to withdraw from the files of this house, bill 98 of the last session, providing for the forfeiture of lands of citizens of the United States lying west of the Alleghany mountains; and when such lands are claimed by loyal citizens under grants from the commonwealth, to transfer the same to them; and that the same be referred to the committee for courts of justice.

Mr. AMBERS submitted the following preamble and resolutions; which, upon his motion, were referred to the committee on confederate relations:

Whereas the high prices now demanded for all the necessaries of life, is not only a cause of complaint by the people, but has been recommended to our careful consideration, both by the state and confederate executives: and whereas this general assembly, conscious of the existence of said grievances, and anxious, as far as practicable, to remedy the same, doth

Resolve, 1st, that said grievance, to a considerable extent, has its origin and continuance, not so much in a general scarcity of articles of prime necessity, as in a want of transportation, whereby those articles cannot be properly distributed, and speculators are enabled to hoard them up and prey upon the wants of the people.

2d. Resolved, that it is the duty of the government to allow transportation for the necessaries of life to all parts of the country, and that it be recommended to the confederate authorities to furnish every facility for the transportation of freight of private citizens, upon all rail roads and other public conveyances over which they have control.

3d. Resolved, that the governor be requested to transmit the foregoing resolutions to the president of the Confederate States.

On motion of Mr. GEORGE,

Resolved, that leave be given to withdraw from the files of this house of the session of 1861-62, bill 139; and that the same be referred to the committee of propositions and grievances.

On motion of Mr. WALKER,

Resolved, that the committee on finance enquire into the expe

diency of allowing to William W. Hook the sum of forty-eight dollars and fifty cents, paid by him to the sheriff of Augusta county as a license tax.

On motion of Mr. GILMER,

Resolved, that leave be given to withdraw from the files of this house, bill 16, entitled a bill to organize the militia force of Virginia, between the ages of 35 and 45, passed May 14, 1862, and that the same be referred to the committee on military affairs.

Mr. WORSHAM presented the petition of J. B. Read, asking that the Union agricultural society of Virginia and North Carolina be exempted from taxation; which was ordered to be referred to the committee on finance.

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 order of the day, was taken up.

Mr. HOPKINS moved to amend the fifth section, by adding thereto the following: "provided, however, that nothing in this act contained shall embrace or apply to the sale of land, slaves, tobacco or horses, or to any sheriffs' sales or sales of dead men's estates, or to sales under any deed of trust executed prior to the passage of this act;" and the question being on agreeing thereto, was put, and decided in the affirmative.

Mr. ANDERSON of Botetourt moved further to amend the fifth section, by adding to the proviso just agreed to, the following: "and provided further, that all persons who now have or may hereafter purchase salt, shall be permitted to sell the same at a price not exceeding the price paid to the manufacturer when made, together with the costs of transportation on the same to the place where offered for sale, and twenty-five per centum upon the said prime costs and costs of transportation: and provided also, that the present holders of bacon, who cured the same, shall be allowed to sell the same at the cost thereof, together with twenty-five per centum upon the said cost;" and the question being on agreeing thereto, was put, and decided in the affirmative.

Mr. HARRISON moved to strike out the sixth section of the substitute; and the question being on agreeing thereto, Mr. BARBOUR demanded the previous question; which was sustained by the house; and being put, was decided in the negative-Ayes 20, noes 73.

On motion of Mr. HARRISON, the vote was recorded as follows:

AYES-Messrs. Bailey, Bouldin, Cazenove, Clarke, Coffman, Coleman, Forbes, Gilmer, Grattan, Green, Harrison, J. H. Hopkins, Hunter, McKinney, Robertson, P. Saunders, Sherrard, Ward, Williams and J. L. Wilson-20.

NOES-Messrs. Sheffey (speaker), Ambers, J. T. Anderson, F. T. Anderson, Barbour, Bass, Bayse, Bigger, Bradford, Burks, Carpenter, Cecil, Crockett, Custis, Daniel, Edmunds, Eggleston, Fleming, Fletcher, Flood, Franklin, Fulton, Garrison, Gatewood, George, H. L. Hopkins, Huntt, James, Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kaufman, Kyle, Laidley, Lively, Lockridge, Lundy, Lynn, Magruder, Mallory, Mathews, Mayo, McCamant, A. W. McDonald, I. E. McDonald, McLaughlin, Montague, R. E. Nelson, W. G. T. Nelson, Newton, Noland, Orgain, Pitman, Powell, Prince, Reid, Riddick, Rives, Robinson, Rowan, Rutherfoord, Shannon, Staples, R. F. Taylor, Thomas, Thrash, Tredway, Tyler, Vermillion, Walker, West, S. M. Wilson, Woolfolk and Worsham-73.

The sixth section is as follows:

Sec. 6. Be it further enacted, that no person, firm or company, whether incorporated or not, who imports goods, wares or merchandise into this state from any other state of this Confederacy, shall sell the same, or any part thereof, at a greater profit than

per

centum by wholesale, or per centum by retail, on the actual cost thereof: and after passing out of the hands of the importer, no person, firm or company shall afterwards sell the said goods, wares or merchandise at any higher rate of profit than

per centum on the actual costs to him or them: provided, that no person who imports goods, wares or merchandise directly into this state, by running the blockade of the United States, shall be liable to any restrictions or limitations on profits on the sale thereof; but after they once pass out of the hands of the importer, no person shall afterwards sell them at a greater profit than per centum on the actual cost

to him or them.

Mr. FORBES moved to amend the 8th section of the substitute, by striking out the following words at the end thereof: "But the sentence of imprisonment may be commuted, on his application to enlist in the state or confederate army for the war, either in person, if under forty-five years of age, or if above that age, by substitute of at least equal physical capacity for service and endurance; to be adjudged by the presiding justice, if convicted in a county or corporation court, or by the judge, in term or vacation, if convicted in a circuit court;" and the question being on agreeing thereto, was put, and decided in the affirmative.

Mr. HUNTER moved to strike out the tenth section of the bill. Pending the consideration of which,

On motion of Mr. GRATTAN, the further consideration of the order of the day was postponed until to-morrow at 12 o'clock.

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

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1863.

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

The report of the committee of conference, agreed to by the senate and communicated to the house, in relation to the matters of disagreement between the two houses, in regard to house bill No. 51, entitled an act to provide for the discharge from active military service, of persons who have furnished substitutes, was taken up.

On motion of Mr. BURKS,

Resolved (the senate consenting), that the report of the committee of conference, in relation to the disagreement of the two houses, in regard to house bill No. 51, be recommitted to said committee.

Ordered, that Mr. BURKS carry the same to the senate, and request their concurrence.

Subsequently, a message was received from the senate by Mr. ARMSTRONG, who informed the house of delegates that the senate had agreed to the resolution.

A message was also received from the senate by Mr. ARMSTRONG, who informed the house of delegates that the senate requested the return to that body of the report of the committee of conference, in relation to said bill, No. 51, heretofore agreed to by the senate. The request of the senate was agreed to.

Ordered, that Mr. BURKS carry the report of the committee to the

senate.

Mr. RUTHERFOORD, from the committee for courts of justice, presented the following bills:

No. 78. A bill authorizing fiduciaries to invest funds in their hands in certain cases, and for other purposes.

No. 79. A bill authorizing the court of appeals to hold its sessions at other places than Lewisburg, &c.

No. 80. A bill to amend and re-enact the 10th section of chapter 86 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the public health.

Mr. NEWTON, from the committee on confederate relations, presented the following reports:

A report asking that the committee be discharged from the further consideration of the communication from the governor, in relation to rail roads, and to the proposed action of the confederate government as to impressing certain rail road iron possessed by the Virginia Central rail road company, to be used for the purpose of the construction of the Piedmont rail road.

A report asking that the committee be discharged from the further consideration of certain resolutions on the subject of the transportation on rail roads of the freight of private citizens.

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

No. 81. A bill refunding to Samuel E. Lybrook, sheriff of the county of Giles, a certain sum of money.

Mr. MONTAGUE, from the joint committee on the penitentiary, to whom had been referred a resolution of enquiry into the expediency of employing the able bodied convicts in the penitentiary on the fortifications around Richmond, presented a report asking to be discharged from the further consideration of the resolution.

Mr. KAUFMAN, from the special committee on the subject of free negroes, presented the following bill :

No. 82. A bill regulating the mode of binding out free negro apprentices, and for other purposes; which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

No. 70. A bill for the improvement of the north fork of the Holston river in the county of Smyth, was taken up, on motion of Mr. RICHARDSON, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

A message was received from the senate by Mr. PENNYBACKER, who informed the house of delegates that the senate had passed house bill No. 64, entitled an act to amend and re-enact the first sec