Mr. WOODCOCK laid on the table the follow-grades. According to the relative rank, as now reging resolution:

DECEMBER, 1822.]

DEBATES OF CONGRESS.

Suppression of Piracy.

of the commander himself, known only by the dates of their commissions, there will not be that respect and subordination observed that are essential to order and harmony. The additional pay, it is thought, cannot afford any well-founded objection to the measure, if the real benefits confidently believed to result from it are duly appreciated.

[H. OF R.

able seamen, ordinary seamen, and boys, required for
the vessels of war in active service.

Paper D is an exhibit showing the whole number
of commission and warrant officers required for the
Navy of the United States, when the ships-of-the-
line, frigates, and steam-batteries, directed by the
"act for the gradual increase of the navy," shall be
completed.

Paper E is an estimate of the annual expense of the officers of the navy, proposed by the bill, including the organization of the navy yards, and a comparative view between the present expense and that proposed.

Authorizing the appointment of midshipmen, who have been examined and found qualified for promotion, to the duty of sailing-master, would be highly beneficial to the service. By the rules and regulations, sailing-masters are not considered in the line of promotion, and have not, of course, so strong inBy which last exhibit it will be seen that the anducements to remain permanently attached to the service, as officers who have this prospect before nual expense of the officers of the navy will be rethem; and whenever more profitable employment induced about ninety thousand dollars below the estiA Peace Establishment for the marine corps havthe merchant service is presented, they will generally mates necessary under the existing establishment. accept of it. ing been fixed by the act of the 3d of March, 1817, and no material alteration being deemed necessary, no other plan has been prepared to accompany this report.

The number of lieutenants is already so great that the prospect of promotion of midshipmen is not very promising. To employ examined midshipmen as sailing-masters, would be giving them some little distinction, and affording them an opportunity of improving themselves for the higher and more important duties of the service.

In most of the classes of commissioned officers, the number fixed by the bill embraces all at present in office, and where that is not the case, it is provided that none shall be discharged but the number reduced to that contemplated in the bill, by omitting to fill the vacancies as they may occur. This, it is thought, is no more than justice requires; and, as the number thus retained is but small, the expense will be inconsiderable, and will soon entirely cease.

The increased pay provided for some few of the officers attached to ships-of-the-line and frigates, while in actual service, is recommended by considerations of justice, and the good of the service. To perform the duties required of these officers on board the largest ships involves far more responsibility, and requires not only greater professional knowledge and experience, but much more labor; these, or similar distinctions, are recognized in every wellregulated service; and as but a small number of our largest vessels are kept in service in time of peace, the additional expense will be of no great amount.

It has been considered a more simple mode of payment, and less liable to abuse, to allow fixed salaries to the officers stationed at the several yards and naval stations, than as now provided by law by monthly pay and rations.

navy

That part of the bill which makes the marine guard, detailed for the protection of navy yards, subject to the orders of the commandant of the yard, is deemed essential for the preservation of order and harmony. The difficulties which have occurred under the present regulations on that subject, suggest the necessity of some alteration; and no well-founded objection is perceived to placing this guard under the immediate orders of the commandant of the yard, in the same manner as the marine guard is placed on ship-board under the orders of the captain. The exhibits accompanying this bill will serve to show the applicability of its provisions to our present Naval Establishment, and the comparative expense between it and the one contemplated by the bill.

Paper B is an exhibit showing the number of commissioned and warrant officers required to officer certain ships, and vessels, and navy yards.

Paper C is an exhibit showing the petty officers,

Although, perhaps, not falling strictly within the scope of the resolution, yet the present affords a fit opportunity of respectfully suggesting the importance of establishing a Naval Academy for the instruction of our young officers in the sciences connected with their profession. As this is intended as a mere suggestion of a measure deserving consideration, I have not thought proper to present any plan for carrying it into effect. This may be done hereafter, should the measure meet with a favorable reception; nor is it deemed fit for me, at this time, to urge the many considerations which will readily occur to all liberal and enlightened minds in favor of such an institution. All which is respectfully submitted,

SMITH THOMPSON.

The PRESIDENT of the U. S.
A motion was made by Mr. Russ, to lay the
Message on the table, and print it.

Mr. COCKE hoped it would not be laid on the table, but that it would be referred to the Naval Committee, there to undergo the proper investigation, and to be reported upon.

Mr. Russ withdrawing his motion, the MesAffairs. sage was referred to the Committee on Naval

Suppression of Piracy.

Mr. CONDICT, of New Jersey, rose to make a motion. In the Message of the President to both Houses of Congress, at the opening of the session, he said, a very brief allusion was made to piracies, committed in the West Indies. All that was said on that subject, is comprised in a short paragraph, which Mr. C. read. Intelligence has been recently received, and probably since that part of the Message was penned, of transactions, so flagrant and outrageous in their character, as to call, imperiously, for the early and efficient interposition of this House. The ed Allen, has excited a spirit of indignation premature death of the gallant and lamentthroughout our country, unequalled since the late war. It calls loudly for retributive justice upon those lawless barbarians; and I hope to see, with as little delay as practicable, a com

H. OF R.]

Presentation of Medals to Congress.

[DECEMBER, 1822.

A new member, to wit, from South Carolina, JOHN CARTER, elected to supply the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of James Blair, appeared, was qualified, and took his seat.

Hostile Expeditions from the United States against Countries at Peace with the United States.

petent force, at the disposal of the Executive, | LIAM LEE BALL; and from Georgia, ALFRED under some one of the most experienced naval CUTHBERT, and ROBERT RAYMOND REID, apofficers, with ample powers and instructions to peared, and took their seats. ferret them out of their lurking holes, and to drag them to a certain and speedy punishment. A speedy punishment, because I have no idea of incurring the delay, or the hazard, of transporting them here, or of extending to them a trial by jury, with all the delays incident to our courts of justice. They have placed themselves beyond the protection of the laws of civilized society; they have set at open defiance the laws of God and man; their hand is against every man, and every man's hand should combine against them. And the most effectual restraint which you can impose upon their barbarities, is to furnish to them the spectacle of a few dozen of their leaders suspended by the halter, from the yard-arms of some of our public ships. Deeming it expedient that Congress should, at an early period, adopt some decisive measures on this subject, I submit the following

resolution:

Piratical Outrages in the West Indies-Death of Lieutenant Allen.

On motion of Mr. JOHNSON, the resolution moved by Mr. CONDICT, was ordered to lie on the table; and the Message of the PRESIDENT was read, as follows:

To the House of Representatives of the United States: Recent information of the multiplied outrages and depredations which have been committed on our seamen and commerce by the pirates in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico, exemplified by the death of a very meritorious officer, seems to call for some prompt and decisive measures on the part of the Government. All the public vessels adapted to that service, which can be spared from other indispensable duties, are already employed in it; but, from the knowledge which has been acquired of the places from whence those outlaws issue, and to which they escape from danger, it appears that it will require a particular kind of force, capable of pursuing them into the shallow waters to which they retire, effectually to suppress them. I submit to the consideration of Congress, the propriety of organizing such a force for that important object.

JAMES MONROE. WASHINGTON, December 6, 1822.

The said Message was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs.

WEDNESDAY, December 11.

Several other members, to wit: from New York, ELIJAH SPENCER; from Virginia, WIL

Mr. COLDEN submitted the following resolution, viz:

Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to lay before this House such information as he may possess with regard to any hostile expedition which may have been prepared in the United States, and sailed from thence, within the present year, against the territory or dependency of any power in amity with the United States; and to taken to bring to condign punishment the persons inform this House whether any measures have been who may have been concerned in such expedition, contrary to the laws of the United States.

The resolution was ordered to lie on the table one day.

THURSDAY, December 12.
Presentation of Medals to Congress.
The SPEAKER also laid before the House the
following letter:

BOSTON, July 4, 1822.
To the Hon. the SPEAKER of the House of Reps.

SIR: The letter which I had the honor to address to you on the 4th July, 1819, and which Mr. Lowndes was so obliging as to take charge of and deliver, was intended to have been accompanied by the collection of medals therein referred to; but this was unfortunately lost on board the ship Factor, bound to New York, of which accident it appears that the House was duly informed by its committee. As soon as I heard of it, I endeavored to procure a duplicate of the collection, and succeeded a few days before I left Paris, in April last. This, together with the medals which have been struck at Paris, to commemorate some principal events of, and men distinguished in, our Revolution, I take the liberty through you, sir, of herewith sending and offering to Congress, for the use of the National Library.

With sentiments of the highest respect, &c.
GEORGE W. ERVING.
P. S.-A printed catalogue of the French medals
proper is enclosed in the case which contains them.
The American medals are but five proper, viz:
One of General Washington, at the siege of Boston;
One of Doctor Franklin;
One of Paul Jones; and

Two of the battle of the Cowpens.

To these I have thought it well to add Columbus and Kosciusko, taken from the collection of illustrious men, deceased, now publishing in the French Mint.

The letter was, on motion of Mr. PLUMER,

DECEMBER, 1822.]

Lawless Expedition against Porto Rico.

[H. OF R.

of New Hampshire, referred to the Library | In regard to this subject, Mr. C. said there had Committee.

Disbursement of Public Money.

On motion of Mr. BASSETT, the House again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole, on the bill for imposing more rigorous checks on the disbursement of public money.

On motion of Mr. BASSETT, the bill was amended by adding to it the following, as a new section:

SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That no security given to, of obligation entered into, with the Government, shall be in any wise impaired by the dismissing any officer, or from failure of the President to dismiss any officer, coming under the provisions of this

act.

Another slight amendment being madeThe committee rose, and reported the bill; and, on motion of Mr. BASSETT, who did not wish to precipitate the bill through the House, the consideration of the report was for the present deferred.

Lawless Expedition against Porto Rico. The House then resumed the consideration of the following resolution, yesterday submitted by Mr. COLDEN:

Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to lay before this House such information as he may possess with regard to any hostile expedition which may have been prepared in the United States, and sailed from thence, within the present year, against the territory or dependency of any power in amity with the United States, and to inform this House whether any measures have been taken to bring to condign punishment persons who may have been concerned in such expedition, contrary to the laws of the United States.

Mr. LITTLE moved to strike out all that part of the resolution which follows the word "States," in the 7th line, and in lieu thereof insert the following:

"And inform this House what amendments to the existing laws are necessary to punish persons who may have been concerned in any such expedition."

been various reports. It had been stated that a
considerable hostile expedition had been fitted
out from our shores-partly, it was said, from
the port of Philadelphia; in part from the port
of Baltimore, and in part from New York. The
accounts of it were contradictory, but all agreed
in this: that such an expedition had departed
from this country. It appeared to him there
were some considerations connected with this
expedition, which deserved the consideration of
the House. It must be recollected by all, that,
not long since, the United States had taken
possession of one of the dependencies of this
very power, viz., Amelia Island. Our justifica-
tion for doing so, was, that it was a harbor for
pirates, or a place where expeditions were fitted
out without the interference of the Government
of Spain to prevent it. It was not long since,
moreover, we had made applications to Spain
and to her colonial government of Cuba, re-
monstrating to that power, that she had not
done her duty to us and to the world, inasmuch
as she has not restrained the enterprises of indi-
viduals from her ports; and it was a remark-
able circumstance, that at the very time this
expedition was fitted out to wrest from the
mother country this dependency of Porto Rico,
we had a negotiator there remonstrating with
the Governor of that dependency in strong
terms, but with a courtesy and propriety of
manner which did honor to the naval character,
(Captain Spence,) who conducted the negotia-
tion, against the unlawful expeditions fitted
from that port to cruise on the high seas. An-
other singular circumstance, Mr. C. said, was
worth notice: that one of the persons at the
head of this hostile expedition, he who signed
his name as Secretary of State, was a gentle-
man who, not very long ago, was diplomatic
agent of this Government to the territories of
that Government to which Porto Rico was a
dependency. Mr. C. said it was not his inten-
tion, by this resolution, to cast censure on any
one. We do know, said he, that expeditions
may be fitted out from our ports without our
Government having knowledge of the fact, or
the means of preventing it. It was quite prob-
able the President might answer, to this resolu-
tion, that he had no information on the sub-

that he has directed the proper officers to investigate the transaction in question. In either case, Mr. C. said, he should be satisfied. His great object was to show to other nations that, while we demand justice from them, we are not indifferent to the conduct of our own citizens.

Mr. COLDEN said he had no objection to this amendment, as he understood it, though for his own part he believed that the existing laws were competent to the purpose of punishing this offence against the public peace. It was pun-ject; or, if he did not, he might tell the House ishable, by law, by imprisonment not exceeding three years, and also by fine. It appeared proper, Mr. C. said, that he should ask the attention of the House for a few minutes, whilst he explained the considerations which had induced him to propose this resolution. It was well understood, he presumed, that it had reference to an expedition, said to have been fitted out from our ports against the dependency of a country with which we are in amity-he meant the expedition against the Island of Porto Rico. Although we have no further information on the subject than what is derived from the newspapers, he believed the information was of that sort to justify the proposition now on the table.

Mr. LITTLE said his reason for proposing any amendment to this resolution was, that he felt no disposition to give his assent to a resolution which called in question the conduct of the Ex. ecutive of the country in relation to an alleged violation of existing laws. He did not feel himself justified in voting for a declaration, in effect, that the proper authorities have refused

Suppression of Piracy.

or neglected to execute the laws of the Union. | the world. We feel as much indignation at His amendment was drawn up in haste, on the suggestion of the moment, and certainly not with the most distant idea of passing ex post facto laws. His object was, to devise laws to punish offences of this description that may be hereafter committed, if such laws do not now exist. If the gentleman would consent to strike out the latter clause, Mr. L. said he would waive his proposed amendment, leaving the question of law to be examined by the proper committees of this House.