Tuesday, 6 o'clock P. M., March 3.
Thanks to the Speaker.
Mr. Page moved the following resolution:
Resolved, That the thanks of the House be presented to Theodore Sedgwick for his conduct while in the chair of this House.
The question was taken whether this motion was in order. It was decided to be in order.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
Mr. Christie said he should not point out the improprieties in the conduct of the Speaker while in the chair, otherwise than by his vote, though he possessed the right to call up to the recollection of the House the many inconsistencies his presidency had been marked with. In doing that, Mr. Speaker, I shall behave better to you than you have ever done to me.
The cry of "order!" "order!" prevented any more being said, and Mr. C. sat down.
The yeas and nays were then taken, and resulted—yeas 40, nays 35.
Whereupon Mr. Speaker made his acknowledgments to the House in the manner following:
Accept, gentlemen, my thanks, I pray you, for the respectful terms in which you have been pleased to express the opinion you entertain of the manner in which I have discharged the arduous duties of the station to which I was raised by your kind regard.
Although I am conscious of having intended faithfully to execute the trust confided to this chair, yet I am sensible that, whatever success may have attended my endeavors, is justly attributable to the candid, honorable, and firm support which you have constantly afforded. I cannot lay the least claim to merit for any thing that I have done; because the generous confidence which you had reposed in me, demanded that I should devote all my feeble talents to your service.
Being now about to retire from this House, and, as I hope, from the public councils for ever, permit me, gentlemen, to bid you, collectively and individually, an affectionate farewell. It is true that I have long wished to indulge repose in the shade of private life; but the moment of separation inflicts an anguish inexpressible by language. It is a separation from men of dignity of character, of honorable sentiments, and of disinterested patriotism; an association with whom has been my pride and solace amidst all the fatigue and vexation of public life. Of the friendship of such men, long, uninterrupted and cordial as it has been, I shall always cherish a grateful remembrance. May you receive the reward most grateful to generous spirits, the reward of witnessing, as the effects of your labors, the increasing prosperity, and happiness, and glory, of your country.
As the last words which I shall utter, as a public man, allow me to declare, that those with whom I have had the honor, here, to act and think, whose confidence I have enjoyed, whose bosoms have been opened to my inspection, in my cool and reflected opinion, deserve all of esteem, affection, and gratitude, which their countrymen can bestow. On this occasion I deem myself authorized, from the present circumstances, to make this declaration; and I do it in the most solemn manner, in the presence of the assembled Representatives of America; and not only so, but in the awful presence of that heart-searching Being to whom I feel myself responsible for all my conduct. May the Almighty keep you in his holy protection. Farewell.
A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have appointed a committee on their part, jointly, with such committee as may be appointed on the part of this House, to wait on the President of the United States, and to inform him that Congress is ready to adjourn without day, unless he may have any further communications to make to them.
The House proceeded to consider the foregoing resolution of the Senate, agreed to the same, and appointed Mr. Pinckney and Mr. Grove the committee on the part of this House.
Mr. Pinckney, from the joint committee of the two Houses, appointed to notify the President of the United States of the proposed recess of Congress, reported that the committee had, according to order, performed that service, and that the President signified to them that he had no further communication to make, but the expression of his wishes for the health and happiness of the members, and a pleasant journey on their return to their homes and families.
Ordered, That a message be sent to the Senate to inform them that this House, having completed the business before them, are now ready to adjourn without day; and that the Clerk of this House do go with the said message.
The Clerk accordingly went with the said message; and being returned, Mr. Speaker adjourned the House, sine die.[61]
[SEVENTH CONGRESS.—FIRST SESSION.]
BEGUN AT THE CITY OF WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 7, 1801.
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,—THOMAS JEFFERSON.
LIST OF MEMBERS
SENATORS.
New Hampshire.—Simeon Olcott, James Sheafe.
Vermont.—S. R. Bradley, Nathaniel Chipman.
Massachusetts.—Jonathan Mason.
Rhode Island.—Christopher Ellery, Theodore Foster.
Connecticut.—James Hillhouse, Uriah Tracy.
New York.—John Armstrong, G. Morris.
New Jersey.—Aaron Ogden, Jonathan Dayton.
Pennsylvania.—George Logan, Peter Muhlenberg.
Delaware.—William H. Willes, Samuel White.
Maryland.—John E. Howard, Robert Wright.
Virginia.—Stevens T. Mason, Wilson C. Nicholas.
North Carolina.—Jesse Franklin, David Stone.
South Carolina.—John C. Calhoun, Jacob Read.
Georgia.—A. Baldwin, James Jackson.
Tennessee.—William Cocke, Joseph Anderson.
Kentucky.—John Breckenridge, John Browne.
REPRESENTATIVES.
New Hampshire.—Abiel Foster, Joseph Pearce, George B. Upham.
Vermont.—Lewis R. Morris, Israel Smith.
Massachusetts.—John Bacon, Phanuel Bishop, Manasseh Cutler, Richard Cutts, William Eustis, Seth Hastings, Silas Lee, Eben Mattoon, Nathan Read, William Shepard, Josiah Smith, Joseph B. Varnum, P. Wadsworth, Lemuel Williams.
Rhode Island.—Joseph Stanton, Thomas Tillinghast.
Connecticut.—Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, Calvin Goddard, Roger Griswold, Elias Perkins, John C. Smith, Benjamin Talmadge.
New York.—Theodore Bailey, Lucas Elmendorph, E. Livingston, Samuel L. Mitchill, Thomas Morris, John Smith, David Thomas, Philip Van Cortlandt, John P. Van Ness, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Benjamin Walker.
New Jersey.—John Condit, Ebenezer Elmer, William Helms, James Mott, Henry Southard.
Pennsylvania.—Thomas Boude, Robert Brown, Andrew Gregg, John A. Hanna, Joseph Heister, Joseph Hemphill, William Hoge, William Jones, Michael Leib, John Smilie, John Stewart, Isaac Van Horne, Henry Woods.
Delaware.—James A. Bayard.
Maryland.—John Archer, John Campbell, John Dennis, Daniel Heister, Joseph H. Nicholson, Thomas Plater, Samuel Smith, Richard Sprigg.
Virginia.—Richard Brent, Samuel J. Cabell, Thomas Claiborne, John Clopton, John Dawson, William B. Giles, Edwin Gray, David Holmes, John Geo. Jackson, Anthony New, Thomas Newton, John Randolph, John Smith, John Stratton, John Taliaferro, Philip E. Thompson, Abram Trigg, John Trigg.
North Carolina.—Willis Alston, William B. Grove, Archibald Henderson, William H. Hill, James Holland, Charles Johnston, Nathaniel Macon, Richard Stanford, John Stanley, Robert Williams.
South Carolina.—William Butler, Benj. Huger, Thomas Lowndes, Thomas Moore, John Rutledge, Thomas Sumter.
Georgia.—John Milledge, Benjamin Taliaferro.
Mississippi.—Narsworthy Hunter.
Tennessee.—William Dickson.
Kentucky.—Thomas T. Davis, John Fowler.
Ohio.—Paul Fearing.