- Thompson Gilbert Livingston
- Connell John
- Crespigny.
- Crofton—
Mr
Thompson called on me this morning to communicate to me
some information respecting the cultivation of sugar from the cane with
reference to the revisal of the Tariff, which must shortly be brought up
for the consideration of Congress— He said there was great injustice and
much fraud committed in consequence of the two denominations under which
the duties are levied upon sugars—brown and clayed: and he spoke of some
new invention for the manipulation of sugar which he had used upon his
plantation in Louisiana, and with which the labour of eight men can be
performed by one. He said if I would call at his house at some leisure
time he would shew and explain its operation to me, and I promised to
call.— He spoke also of the condition of his claim upon Mexico, which is
very large, and which the late joint commission have left without a
definitive decision upon its amount. At the House this was a day for the
consideration of debatable private bills, but after the adoption of a
Resolutions offered by Thompson for a Committee of investigation
concerning the furnishing of the new Custom house at New-York, Fillmore sent to the Clerk’s table
a Letter to him from the Secretary of the
Navy, stating that a draught on the Department for an
inconsiderable sum, had for want of funds at the Department been
necessarily protested; and on that Letter Mr
Fillmore, founded his motion to go into Committee of the whole on the
state of the Union, to take up the Navy Appropriation Bill—which was
carried— Clifford of Maine in
the Chair— The first item, for the pay of the officers and men was
upwards of three millions— Meriwether of Georgia moved to reduce it nearly a
million, to the sum appropriated last year— Fornance of Pennsylvania made a
feeble attempt at a retrenchment speech; but was so little headed that
he soon got out of humour, sat down and refused to proceed. A long and
rambling debate ensued, upon the promotions and new appointments of
Officers within the last year; a disproportionate number of whom are
from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia— Wise, the Chairman of the naval
Committee, was argufying before a magistrate against the right of the
Judge to bind him over to keep the Peace, out of the District— He came
in at last and frightened Meriwether out of his economy, by the terror
of Bermuda, the Gulf of Mexico, and abolitionism. John Connell, Crespigny, Crofton and Mary Cutts here this evening.