Friday, February 7.
Purchase of Florida.
The Senate resumed the third reading of the bill, entitled “An act making provision for defraying any extraordinary expenses attending the intercourse between the United States and foreign nations;” and,
On motion to postpone the further consideration of the bill at this time, and take up the following resolution:
Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to renew our negotiations with the Spanish Government, in such a manner as may bring every subject in controversy between the two countries to a speedy termination, equally advantageous to both:
It passed in the negative.
On motion to strike out of the bill the words “two millions,” section one, and in lieu thereof, insert “one million;” a division was called for, and the question on striking out was determined in the negative—yeas 13, nays 18, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Adair, Adams, Bayard, Bradley, Gilman, Hillhouse, Logan, Mitchill, Pickering, Plumer, Stone, Tracy, and White.
Nays.—Messrs. Anderson, Baldwin, Condit, Fenner, Gaillard, Howland, Kitchel, Maclay, Moore, Smith of Maryland, Smith of New York, Smith of Tennessee, Smith of Vermont, Sumter, Thruston, Turner, Worthington, and Wright.
On motion to amend the bill by inserting after the word “applied,” in the first section, the words “for the purchase from the Spanish Government of their territories lying on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and eastward of the river Mississippi,” it passed in the negative—yeas 9, nays 20, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Adair, Adams, Bayard, Gilman, Hillhouse, Pickering, Plumer, Tracy, and White.
Nays.—Messrs. Anderson, Baldwin, Bradley, Condit, Fenner, Gaillard, Howland, Kitchel, Maclay, Moore, Smith of Maryland, Smith of New York, Smith of Tennessee, Smith of Vermont, Stone, Sumter, Thruston, Turner, Worthington, and Wright.
On motion to postpone the consideration of the bill until Monday next, it passed in the negative.
On motion to agree to the final passage of the bill, it passed in the affirmative—yeas 17, nays 11, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Anderson, Baldwin, Condit, Fenner, Gaillard, Howland, Kitchel, Maclay, Moore, Smith of Maryland, Smith of New York, Smith of Tennessee, Smith of Vermont, Thruston, Turner, Worthington, and Wright.
Nays.—Messrs. Adair, Adams, Bayard, Gilman, Hillhouse, Pickering, Plumer, Stone, Sumter, Tracy, and White.
So it was Resolved, That this bill pass.[29]