The queftions in the preceding table designated by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. at the head of each column, were fubftantially as follow:

1. Addition of 100 per cent. to the prefent rates of permanent duties on imports.

2. Retention of 25 per cent. on all drawbacks.

3. Additional tonnage duties.

4. Duty of 20 cents per bufhel on Salt.

5. Duty on licenses to diftil fpirits.

6. On licenses to retailers of wines, fpirits, and foreign mer. chandize.

7. On Sales at Auction of Ships or foreign merchandize. 8. A duty of 4 cents per lb. on refined fugar.

9. Duty on carriages ufed for the conveyance of persons. 10. Stamp duties on bank notes.

11. Stamp duties on notes of hand above 50 dollars with one or more endorfers, and bills of exchange.

12. Direct tax of three millions of dollars.

13. That each state be authorised to pay the amount of its quota to the United States with a deduction.

14. That the above taxes fhall be laid only after the United States fhall be engaged in war with a foreign European nation. 15. That the faid taxes fhall continue until one year after the conclufion of faid war.

16. On all the preceding queftions, taken collectively.

REMARKS.

Howell Cobb, Richard Cutts, and Barzillai Gannett, have not attended in Congrefs during the prefent feffion.

Daniel Avery, Jofiah Bartlett, Thomas B. Cook, William Paulding, jun. Lemuel Sawyer, George Sullivan, Peleg Tallman, and D. R. Williams, are abfent from the city on leave.

John Clopton is confined to his room by indisposition.

Samuel Ringgold, we are authorised to ftate, was abfent on the latter votes from fickness, and would have voted throughout in the affirmative, had he been prefent.

The vote on the Salt Tax, No. 4, was the final vote on that question.

It is proper alfo to ftate that the laft vote was one not anticipated, and, it being late in the day, many members had left the Houfe, fuppofing the questions on the report to have been gone through.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

March 6, 1812.

Mr. Bleecker having presented a petition from a number of citizens at Albany; and Mr. Rhea having moved to postpone the fame to the fourth day of July next

Mr. FISK faid, he hoped they would not be postponed. When the people fuffered, they would complain, and it was foothing to their feelings to be answered rather than heard in filence. There was no doubt but the embargo operated feverely in fome quarters, and particularly on these people. The petition was couched in refpectful language; and he thought it would be well to refer it, and have a detailed report made on it.

Mr. BLEECKER. Mr. Speaker-I hope the motion of the gentleman from Tenneffee (Mr. Rhea) will not prevail. A me. morial of this nature, couched in fuch refpectful terms, and from

fo refpectable a quarter, deferves to be treated more courteously and refpectfully. For, fir, what is the answer propoted to be given to the memorialifts by the gentleman from Tenneffee? They afk you to relieve them from impending beggary and ruin; if this motion prevails, you will tell them, "good firs, we will attend to your call when your beggary and ruin are complete.” Whatever, fir, may be thought of it in this House, to the memorialists fuch an anfwer to their respectful prayer will have the appearance of offence and infult.

The motion of the gentleman from Tenneffee is to postpone the confideration of the memorial till the 4th day of July next. This is a flat denial of the prayer of the memorialifts. The propriety and policy of continuing the Embargo, are of course now proper fubjects of difcuffion. Why has an Embargo been laid? It is avowedly the precurfor of war. Its object is to keep our property, our veffels, and feamen, at home fafe from the grafp of our enemy. Being the precurfor of war, war muft begin where the embargo ends. If it does not, the embargo is improper and premature. Now, fir, unless you are prepared to go to war in lefs than 60 days, you cannot juftify a meafure which operates with fuch cruel feverity on the fate of New York, and particu-larly on my immediate conftituents, who ftate to you the immenfe lofs they must fuftain if it be continued. I ask gentlemen, how they will justify themselves to the memorialifts for denying their petition. Sir, we cannot go to war within 60 days. I mean not to offend gentlemen, or to roufe their feelings, but it is impoffible that we can go to war at the expiration of the embargo. I fpeak, fir, of active offenfive war; fuch a war as that is wholly out of the queftion. This being fo, is it wife, is it juft, to dif trefs and ruin fo many of your people by fuffering the produce which they pray your permiffion to export, to moulder and perifh in their granaries? Certainly not, fir; you ought to grant their petition. There is no efcape from this argument. And, fir, am I not correct in faying that you are not prepared to go to war? What is the ftate of your fortifications? Where are your armies, your navy? Have you money? No, fir, rely upon it, there will be, there can be, no war, active offenfive war, within 60 days. Whatever may be thought of it here, the people know that we cannot go to war, at the expiration of the embargo, The petitioners do not believe that you will attempt it. They think with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Randolph) that for the government to go to war in our prefent unprepared ftate, would be little fhort of an act of treafon. Thinking as I do, fir, of the intelligence and patriotifm of the gentlemen who are now the lords of the afcendant in this Houfe, and refpecting the intelligence and patriotism of the cabinet, I cannot believe, that we are to commence the war without any of the neceffary means for carrying it on; without an army, without a naval force, without money. To go to war under fuch circumftances

would neceffarily bring upon us fhame, difgrace, and defeat.The people are unwilling to believe that you are going to war im mediately. You are not prepared now, and long before you can be prepared, the produce of the country may be exported and the avails of it brought home. The alleged policy and necefity of an embargo, therefore, do not exift, and the memorialifis ought to be relieved. You may declare war at the expiration of the embargo or fooner; but what then, fir? Rely upon it, I repeat it, you will have no war, active offenfive war. But, war declared, the produce of the country, that may be fit for expor tations, will fill be embargoed by the fear the owners will of courfe have of the enemy's cruizers that will then hover on our coaft. Sir, gentlemen will find it impoffible to fatisfy the petitioners that Congrels can be juftified in refufing to liften to their prayers. The gentleman from Tenneffee afks me the price of wheat in Albany. I have underflood that there are no fales at all, and that it is not confidered worth more than a dollar a bufhel.

When petitions of a fimilar kind were before the Houfe a few days ago, it was faid that the fufferers under the embargo must charge their lofs to the members on this fide of the Houfe, who by their fpeeches in the Houfe and their converfation out of doors, had deceived the people as to the intention of the government to go to war. I thought this rather an ungenerous obfervation. No fpeeches had been made on this fide of the Houfe on the fubject of war. No, fir, if any falfe impreffion refpecting the war has been made on the public mind, it is to be charged to the proceedings of this Houfe. The people knew that you were not, that you could not foon be, prepared for war. They knew that your coffers were exhaufted, that you had neither fleets nor ar mies. Of course they could not fuppofe that you were going to war with nothing but paper preparations. It was therefore impoffible for them to forefce the embargo. It came upon them fuddenly as a ftroke of thunder. But, fir, there are other important confiderations to induce you to relieve the memorialifts. Is it wife, fir, to plunge the people into diftrefs and ruin, firft to im poverith the country and then to go to war, and that very country too, fir, in and through which the war is to be carried on? Is it not better to have the hearts of the people with you when you are about to enter into the conflict, than to alienate them from you? You cannot go to war without the people. No, fir, it will be better to conciliate a people, who muft neceflarily bear fo much of the privations, burthens, and calamities of the war, the people of a flate fo much expofed to the enemy. I hope the Houfe will ferioufly confider this memorial and not reject it in the manner propofed by the gentleman from Tenneffee, which cannot fail to offend and wound the feelings of the memorialifts.

Mr. BOYD faid, he withed to make a few obfervations on the motion now before the Houle to poftpone the further con