By Mr. SPESSARD: Petition of citizens of Botetourt county asking to be annexed to Alleghany county. Referred to the committee on counties, cities and towns. By Mr. MUSHBACH: A bill to incorporate the Alexandria and Fairfax agricultural and industrial association. Referred to the committee on propositions and grievances. By Mr. FULKERSON: A bill for the relief of Silas D. Martin of Lee county. Referred to the committee on finance. By Mr. WALKER of Chesterfield: A bill to relieve the premiums of the state agricultural society of Virginia from attachment and other legal process. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. WALKER of Chesterfield: A bill to repeal the fourth section of an act approved March 12, 1878, in relation to office hours of certain officers and clerks of the state government. Referred to the committee on officers and offices at the capitol. By Mr. HENRY: A bill to pay the judges of the commonwealth their salaries and mileage fixed by law on the 12th of March during their several terms. Referred to the committee for courts of justice. By Mr. FARR: Petitions of citizens of Fairfax county, Virginia, asking that the question of liquor license or no liquor license may be submitted to the qualified voters of the county. Referred to the committee on finance. By Mr. CARTER of Loudoun : Joint resolution effectually settling the state debt. Referred to the committee on finance. By Mr. FARR: Resolution of the citizens of Lebanon, Fairfax county, regarding the taxes levied and collected by the state for free school purposes; also, in reference to repealing the present road law. Referred to the joint committee on constitutional amendments, and the committee on counties, cities and towns. The morning hour having expired, the House proceeded to the business on the calendar. No. 28. House bill entitled an act in relation to the assessment of real property for purposes of municipal taxation in the city of Alexandria, and to exempt and except said city from the operation of an act to provide a basis of municipal taxation on the real property in cities and towns, approved March 29, 1877, came up. The amendment of the Senate as follows: Strike out from the word "and," where it first occurs in the 3d line of the 2d section to the word "provided" in the 5th line of the same. section, and insert in lieu teereof the following words: "such laws and ordinances as the city council may enact"-- Was agreed to. Mr. MUSHBACH Moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the amendment of the Senate was agreed to; which motion was rejected. No. 17. Senate bill entitled an act to amend section 2, chapter 171, Code of 1873, and the acts amendatory thereto, in regard to commissioners of courts, was read a third time and passed. No. 41. Senate bill entitled an act to amend and re-enact the 1st and 2d sections of chapter 170 of the Code of 1873, in relation to the removal of causes pending in one court to another, was read a third time and passed. No. 46. Senate bill entitled an act to amend and re-enact the 16th section of an act approved February 24, 1876, entitled an act to provide for the working of roads in the county of Fauquier, was read a third time and passed. Mr. GREEN moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the bill was passed; which motion was rejected. No. 32. House engrossed bill to extend the time for the repeal of the present fence law in the magisterial district of Rowanty, in the county of Dinwiddie, was read a third time and passed. Mr. SMITH of Dimriddie moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the bill was passed. On motion of Mr. BERNARD the motion to reconsider was passed by. A message was received from the Senate by Mr. SLEMP, who informed the House that the Senate had agreed to a joint resolution to furnish the senators from Virginia in congress with Hotchkiss' Summary of Virginia; in which they respectfully request the concurrence of the House. No. 22 House bill to amend and re-enact section four of an act approved April 2, 1874, in relation to the jurisdiction of county courts, was, on motion of Mr. DAVIS, passed by. No. 38. House bill to amend and re-enact section 7 of chapter 161 of the Code of 1873, in relation to compensation of commonwealth's attorneys, was, on motion of Mr. GRAVES, passed by. No. 37. House bill to amend and re-enact section 15 of an act approved March 29, 1875, as amended by an act approved March 29, 1876, and section 30 of the same act as amended by the said act approved March 29, 1876, and act approved April 2, 1877, and section 18 of an act approved March 29, 1875, as amended by an act approved April 2, 1877, prescribing the duties, powers, liabilities and compensation of certain county officers, was, on motion of Mr. McMULLAN, passed by. No. 31. House bill to secure to tax-payers in cities the right of education for their children, came up. Mr. MUSHBACK withdrew his amendment. Mr. WALKER of Chesterfield offered a substitute. On motion of Mr. GRAVES, the bill was passed by and the substitute ordered to be printed. No. 46. House bill to amend and re-enact section 53 of chapter 21 of the criminal code in reference to the organization, government and discipline of the penitentiary, approved March 14, 1878, was, on motion of Mr. PULLIAM, passed by. No. 48. House bill to amend an act to prevent the sale of cotton between certain hours, was, on motion of Mr. STEVENS, passed by. No. 34. House bill to provide for the protection of fish in the Appomattox river, was read a second time. On motion of Mr. WALSH, the bill was amended by adding at end of 1st section the words "injurious to fish." The bill was ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time. The following House bills were read a second time and ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time: No. 35. House bill for the relief of Frances J. Waggle, of Lee county. No. 38. House bill to authorize the board of supervisors of Amelia county to pay counsel employed by them to prosecute certain suits on behalf of the county. No. 39. House bill to amend and re-enact an act approved March 8, 1875, declaring South Anna river, in Louisa county, a lawful fence No. 43. House bill to incorporate the Bangens' hydraulic mining and manufacturing company. No. 45. House bill to authorize courts, or judges thereof in vacation, or justices of the peace, to order sales of personal property seized under writs of fieri facias, or under distress warrants in cases where such property is expensive to keep or perishable; was read a second time. The substitute proposed by the committee for courts of justice was agreed to. The bill was ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time. The following House bills were read a second time and ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time. No. 47. House bill granting a loan of arms of the state to the principal of the Suffolk military academy, No. 49. House bill to amend and re-enct sections 4, 8, 11 and 34 of an act entitled an act to amend the charter of the city of Alexandria, approved February 20, 1871, as amended by an act approved March 21, 1871, and by an act approved March 17, 1876, and by an act approved March 20, 1877. On motion of Mr. HENSON, the House adjourned until to-morrow at 12 o'clock M. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1879. Prayer by Rev. Dr. H. A. Tupper, of the Baptist church. A communication from the Senate by their clerk, was read as follows: In Senate, January 7, 1879. The Senate have disagreed to the substitute proposed by the House of Delegates to Senate bill authorizing a lien on all animals, vehicles and harness kept by the keeper of a livery stable, or of a house of private entertainment, to secure the payment of all charges due for keeping the same, No. 15.. They have passed bills entitled an act to incorporate the town of Danville, in the county of Campbell, No. 38; an act instructing the attorney general to contest the constitutionality of the act entitled an act to authorize the formation of the Atlantic, Mississipppi and Ohio railroad company, in so far as it disposes of certain claims of the state for loans to the Norfolk and Petersburg, Southside, and Virginia and Tennessee railroad companies, No. 59. In which bills they respectfully request the concurrence of the House of Delegates. No. 15. Senate bill was referred to the committee for courts of justice. No. 38. Senate bill was read twice and placed on the calendar, the rule having been suspended, on motion of Mr. MCCAULL, requiring its reference to a committee. No. 59. Senate bill was read twice and referred to the committee. for courts of justice. Senate joint resolution to furnish the senators from Virginia in Congress with Hotchkiss' Summary of Virginia, was read twice and placed on the calendar, the rule having been suspended, on motion of Mr. MCCAULL, requiring its reference to a committee. No. 66. House bill to amend and re-enact section 5, chapter 163, of Code of 1873, as to remedy by motion, on certain bonds taken or given by officers, reported by the committee for courts of justice, was read a first time. No. 67. House bill to amend and re-enact section 32, of chapter 8, of the Code of 1873, in reference to the counting of the vote by board of state canvassers in cases of special election, reported from the committee on privileges and elections, was read a first time. No. 68. House bill for the relief of the sureties of Peyton R. Ford, late collector of Madison township, of the county of Charlotte, reported from the committe onfinance, was read a first time. Mr. JORDAN, under a suspension of the rule, offered the following resolution: 1st. Be it resolved by the House of Delegates, That inasmuch as the explanation made by the superintendent of public instruction in response to a resolution of the House, requesting him to explain, &c., is not satisfactory, therefore, he is hereby requested to inform this House when, how and by whom, the diversion of school funds was made, and to what other and different objects the public school funds have been applied. 2d. That the superintendent of public instruction be and is hereby requested to furnish to this House an explanation of his announcement in the September number of the Educational Journal, "of course this robbery will not be allowed to continue much longer;" also to explain to this House the cause of the well-known trouble, and when, how and by whom this robbery of public schools was committed. Which was agreed to. Mr. GRAVES moved a re-consideration of the vote by which the resolution was agreed to; which motion was rejected. Mr. HENRY, under a suspension of the rules, offered the following resolution: Be it resolved, That the auditor of public accounts be requested to furnish this House a statement of the railroad companies in default in the payment of taxes, and for what amounts, and what steps have been taken to collect the sums for which said companies are in default. Which was agreed to. Mr. ROBINSON of Portsmouth offered the following resolution : Whereas there exists much doubt as to the amount of interest on the state debt the present rate of taxation will pay nearly every member of the assembly having his own peculiar method of figuring;, therefore, be it Resolved, That the auditor of public accounts be directed to report officially what amount of interest the present rate of taxation will pay. Which was agreed to. Mr. ROBINSON of Portsmouth moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the resolution was argreed to; which motion was rejected. The following were presented and referred under rule 37: By Mr. HENRY: A bill to repeal section 9 and to amend section 10 of chapter 119 of the Code of 1873, in relation to descents from infants. Referred to the committee for courts of justice. By Mr. PULLIAM: Resolved, That the committee on finance be instructed to report upon the expediency of so amending the liquor law as to reduce the specific tax to be paid by bottlers of ale and beer, or by dealers in malt liquor only. By Mr. FRAZIER: A bill for the re-assessment of a tract of land belonging to Henry A. Goodloe, of Rockbridge county, and for refunding taxes erroneously assessed thereon. Referred to the committee on finance. By Mr. WALSH: A bill to amend and re-enact section 4 of chapter 115 of the Code of 1873, relating to mechanics' liens. Referred to the committee for courts of justice. By Mr. HANGER: A bill to amend and re-enact section 4 of chapter 154 of the Code of 1873, as amended by an act approved April 2, 1874, in relation to the jurisdiction of county courts. Referred to the committee for courts of justice. By Mr. WITTEN; A bill in relation to liens by judgment, mortgage, or deed of trust. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. WITTEN: A bill to authorize the principal of the High School of Jeffersonville, Virginia, to confer certificates of distinction. Referred to committee on schools and colleges. By Mr. MUSHBACK: A bill to incorporate the Grand United Order of Sons and Daughters of Zion, of the state of Virginia. Referred to the committee on propositions and grievances. By Mr. FINNEY: Resolved, That the committee on the Chesapeake and its tributa |