Monday, December 2, 1799.
This being the constitutional day for the annual meeting of Congress, the following members of the House of Representatives appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats, viz:
From New Hampshire.—Abiel Foster, Jonathan Freeman, and William Gordon.
From Massachusetts.—Bailey Bartlett, Phanuel Bishop, Dwight Foster, Harrison G. Otis, Silas Lee, Samuel Lyman, John Reed, Samuel Sewall, Theodore Sedgwick, William Shepard, George Thatcher, Joseph B. Varnum, Peleg Wadsworth, and Lemuel Williams.
From Connecticut.—Jonathan Brace, Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, William Edmond, Chauncey Goodrich, Elizur Goodrich, and Roger Griswold.
From Rhode Island.—John Brown, and Christopher G. Champlin.
From Vermont.—Matthew Lyon, and Lewis R. Morris.
From New York.—Theodorus Bailey, John Bird, William Cooper, Lucas Elmendorph, Henry Glenn, Edward Livingston, Jonas Platt, John Thompson, and Philip Van Cortlandt.
From New Jersey.—John Condit, Franklin Davenport, James H. Imlay, Aaron Kitchell, and James Linn.
From Pennsylvania.—Robert Brown, Andrew Gregg, Albert Gallatin, John A. Hanna, Joseph Heister, John Wilkes Kittera, Michael Leib, Peter Muhlenberg, John Smilie, Richard Thomas, Robert Waln, and Henry Woods.
From Maryland.—George Baer, William Craik, Gabriel Christie, George Dent, Joseph H. Nicholson, Samuel Smith, and John Chew Thomas.
From Virginia.—John Dawson, Thomas Evans, David Holmes, George Jackson, John Marshall, John Nicholas, Anthony New, Leven Powell, John Randolph, Abram Trigg, and John Trigg.
From North Carolina.—Willis Alston, Joseph Dickson, Archibald Henderson, William H. Hill, Nathaniel Macon, Richard Stanford, and David Stone.
From South Carolina.—Robert Goodloe Harper, Abraham Nott, John Rutledge, Jr., and Thomas Sumter.
From Georgia.—James Jones, Benjamin Taliaferro.
From Tennessee.—William Charles Cole Claiborne.
A quorum of the whole number of members being present, the House proceeded to the election of a Speaker; when, on counting the ballots, the tellers reported that Mr. Sedgwick had 42 votes; Mr. Macon, 27; Mr. Dent, 13; Mr. Rutledge, 2; Mr. Sumter, 1.
That the whole number of votes was 85, and the rules of the House requiring a majority of the members present to constitute a choice, neither of the above gentlemen were elected.
The House then proceeded to a second trial; when Mr. Sedgwick had 44 votes; Mr. Macon, 38; Mr. Dent, 3; Mr. Rutledge, 1.
Whereupon Mr. Sedgwick was declared duly elected, and conducted to the chair accordingly.
Mr. Sedgwick, upon taking the chair, addressed the House in the following words:
"Gentlemen: Although I am conscious of a deficiency of the talents which are desirable to discharge with usefulness and dignity the important duties of the high station to which I am raised, by the generous regard of the enlightened and virtuous representatives of my country, yet, reposing myself on the energy of their candid support, I will not shrink from the attempt.
"Accept, I pray you, gentlemen, my grateful acknowledgment of the honor you are pleased to confer; and, with it, an assurance, that no consideration shall seduce me to deviate, in the least degree, from a direct line of impartial integrity."
A message was received from the Senate, informing the House that, a sufficient number of members appearing to form a quorum, they had proceeded to the choice of a President pro tempore, when Hon. Samuel Livermore was elected.
The House proceeded to the choice of a Clerk; when it appeared Jonathan W. Condy had 47 votes, John Beckley, 39.
Whereupon Mr. Condy was declared by the Speaker to be duly elected.
Ordered, That a message be sent to the Senate, to inform that body of the election of the Hon. Theodore Sedgwick, as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
On motion of Mr. Macon, the House proceeded to the choice of a Sergeant-at-Arms, Doorkeeper, and Assistant Doorkeeper; when Joseph Wheaton, Thomas Claxton, and Thomas Dunn, were unanimously elected.
The oath to support the Constitution of the United States, as prescribed by the act, entitled "An act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths," was administered by Mr. Rutledge, one of the Representatives for the State of South Carolina, to the Speaker, and then the same oath or affirmation was administered by Mr. Speaker to each of the members present.
William Henry Harrison having also appeared, as a Representative for the territory of the United States north-west of the river Ohio, the said oath was administered to him by Mr. Speaker.
The same affirmation, together with the affirmation of office prescribed by the said recited act, were also administered by Mr. Speaker to the Clerk.
A message was received from the Senate, informing the House, that they had passed a resolution, appointing a joint committee to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that Congress had met and were ready to receive any communications he might think proper to make; and, in case of concurrence, that Messrs. Read and Bingham were appointed a committee on behalf of the Senate.
The House concurred in the resolution, and Messrs. Marshall, Rutledge, and Sewall, were appointed to wait on the President, in conjunction with the committee from the Senate.
The following letter was read by the Speaker.
72 Welbeck-Street, London,
September 20, 1798.
Sir: I beg leave, through you, to offer to the House of Representatives of the United States, impressions of the two prints of the American Revolution, which I have lately caused to be published.[48]
The importance of the events, and the illustrious characters of the two great men to whose memory they are particularly devoted, give to these works their best claim to your notice; and the patriotism of my countrymen, I trust, will give them a kinder reception than their intrinsic merit might entitle me to hope.
With great respect, I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
JNO. TRUMBULL.
The Speaker of the House of Reps. U. S.
Resolved, That the rules and orders of proceeding established by the late House of Representatives, shall be deemed and taken to be the rules and orders of proceeding to be observed in this House, until a revision or alteration of the same shall take place.
Resolved, That each member be furnished with three newspapers, printed in this city, during the session, at the expense of this House.
Mr. Marshall, from the joint committee appointed to wait on the President of the United States, reported, that they had performed that service; and that the President had appointed to-morrow forenoon, 12 o'clock, to meet both Houses in the Representatives' Chamber.
The House then adjourned, till to-morrow morning at eleven o'clock.