Friday, November 9.
Two other members, to wit: from Massachusetts, William Eustis; and from Pennsylvania, Robert Brown, appeared, and took their seats in the House.
Frigate Philadelphia.
Mr. J. Clay’s motion relative to Captain Decatur and the officers and crew of the ketch Intrepid, was taken up in Committee of the Whole.
On motion of Mr. Clay, the resolution was altered, by striking out after the word “sword,” the words “the value of —— dollars,” and filling up the other blank with the word “two,” thereby giving the officers and crew two months’ pay.
Mr. C., with a view of showing the propriety of the measure, read extracts of letters written by Commodore Preble and Lieutenant Decatur, which had been obtained from the Secretary of the Navy; they contained an account of the circumstances attending this honorable exploit, which have heretofore been printed in the public newspapers.
The committee rose and reported the resolution as amended.
Mr. Griswold presumed the object of this step was to pay a tribute of respect to those brave men who had so gallantly achieved this glorious and dangerous enterprise. He wished to do this in a manner the most honorable and notorious, and perhaps the best course would be to obtain from the Head of the Navy Department, a list of the names of the officers and the number of the crew, together with a detail of the circumstances attending the event. With this view, he moved to postpone the consideration of the resolution reported by the Committee of the Whole, till to-morrow, in order to introduce a resolution to this effect:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Navy be directed to communicate to this House the name of the officers and the number of the men employed in the destruction of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, together with a statement of the circumstances attending that event.
The postponement was agreed to without opposition, and the resolution of Mr. Griswold was adopted, with a small variation, suggested by Mr. J. Randolph, and acquiesced in by the mover, to wit: “That the President of the United States be requested to cause to be laid before this House,” etc.
Mr. J. Clay and Mr. T. M. Randolph were appointed a committee to wait on the President and communicate the request of the House.