MONDAY, December 4, 1815.

This being the day appointed by the Constitution of the United States for the meeting of Congress, the following members of the House of Representatives appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats, to wit:

From New Hampshire-Charles H. Atherton, Bradbury Cilley, Roger Vose, and Jeduthun Wilcox.

From Massachusetts-William Baylies, George Bradbury, Elijah Brigham, Benjamin Brown, Samuel S. Conner, John W. Hulbert, Cyrus King, Jeremiah Nelson, Albion K. Parris, Timothy Pickering, John Reed, Thomas Rice, Nathaniel Ruggles, and Solomon Strong.

From Rhode Island-John L. Boss, junior.

From Connecticut-Epaphroditus Champion, John Davenport, jun., Lyman Law, Jonathan O. Moseley, and Lewis B. Sturges.

From Vermont-Daniel Chipman, Luther Jewett, Chauncey Langdon, Asa Lyon, Charles Marsh, and John Noyes.

From New York-Samuel R. Betts, James Birdsall, Micah Brooks, Oliver C. Comstock, Henry Crocheron, Thomas R. Gold, Jabez D. Hammond, John Lovett, Hosea Moffit, John Savage, Abraham H. Schenck, John W. Taylor, Enos T. Throop, George Townsend, Jonathan Ward, and James W. Wilkin.

From New Jersey-Ezra Baker, Ephraim Bateman, and Henry Southard.

From Pennsylvania-William Crawford, William Darlington, John Hahn, Joseph Heister, Joseph Hopkinson, Samuel D. Ingham, Aaron Lyle, William Maclay, William Milnor, William Piper, Thomas Smith, James Wallace, John Whiteside, Thomas Wilson, and William Wilson.

From Delaware-Thomas Cooper. From Maryland-John C. Herbert, Philip Stuart, and Robert Wright

From Virginia-Philip P. Barbour, James Breckenridge, William A. Burwell, Thomas Gholson, Peterson Goodwyn, Aylett Hawes, John P. Hungerford, Joseph Lewis, jun., William McCoy, Hugh Nelson, Thomas Newton, James Pleasants, jun., William H. Roane, Ballard Smith, Magnus Tate, and Henry St. George Tucker.

From North Carolina-Joseph H. Bryan, James W. Clarke, John Culpeper, Nathaniel Macon, Wil

liam H. Murfree, Richard Stanford, Lewis Williams, and Bartlett Yancey.

From South Carolina-John C. Calhoun, John J. Chappell, William Lowndes, William Mayrant, Henry Middleton, Thomas Moore, John Taylor, and William Woodward.

From Georgia-John Forsyth, Bolling Hall, Wilson Lumpkin, and Richard Henry Wilde.

Desha, Richard M. Johnson, Alney McLean, Stephen From Kentucky-James Clark, Henry Clay, Joseph Ormsby, Solomon P. Sharpe, and Micah Taul.

Henderson, Samuel Powell, James B. Reynolds, and From Tennessee-Newton Cannon, Bennett H. Isaac Thomas.

From Ohio-John Alexander, James Caldwell, David Clendenin, William Creighton, jun., and John Mc

Lean.

From Louisiana-Thomas B. Robertson.

A quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number of members, being present, the House proceeded, by ballot, to the choice of a Speaker, and, upon examining the ballots, it appeared that HENRY CLAY, one of the Representatives for the State of Kentucky, was duly elected: Whereupon, Mr. CLAY was conducted to the Speaker's Chair, and the oath to support the by the act, entitled "An act to regulate the time Constitution of the United States, as prescribed administered to him by Mr. WRIGHT, one of the and manner of administering certain oaths," was members for the State of Maryland; after which he made his acknowledgments to the House in the following words:

"GENTLEMEN: It is not merely in compliance with a respectful usage, but from the most profound gratitude, that I thank you for the honor which you have just conferred on me. I shall find, in the discharge of the arduous duties of the Chair, considerable alleviation, from the natural progress of the system of order, and from the improvement which it has received under the able presidency of my predecessor. But, gentlemen, it is chiefly upon your liberal co-operation and support that I place my reliance. Under the expectation of receiving this, I shall proceed, with all the impartiality of which I am capable, to the execution of the duties which you have assigned me, soliciting your

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indulgence for unintentional error, and soliciting it particularly during my present indisposition."

The oath or affirmation to support the Constitution of the United States, as prescribed by the act above mentioned, was then administered, by the SPEAKER, to all the other members present. WILLIAM LATTIMORE, from the Mississippi Territory; JONATHAN JENNINGS, from the Indiana Territory; and BENJAMIN STEPHENSON, from the Illinois Territory, having also appeared and produced their credentials as delegates to represent the said Territories in the fourteenth Congress, the said oath was administered to them by the SPEAKER, when they took their seats.

The House proceeded to elect a Clerk, when it appeared that of one hundred and twenty-two votes, THOMAS DOUGHERTY, Esq., had one hundred and fourteen, and was, therefore, duly elected. The SPEAKER laid before the House a letter from Joseph Wheaton, offering himself as a candidate for Sergeant-at-Arms.

On motion of Mr. WRIGHT, after some little discussion, it was

Resolved, That Thomas Dunn be appointed Sergeant at Arms; Thomas Claxton, Doorkeeper; and Benjamin Burch, Assistant Doorkeeper to this House.

The several resolutions passed by the Senate were received, read, and concurred in.

Messrs. WRIGHT and HOPKINSON, were appointed the committee on the part of this House to wait on the President of the United States.

Messrs. LOWNDES, FORSYTH, and CHAMPION, were appointed to inquire into the state of the new building prepared by the citizens for Con

Several other members, to wit: from Pennsylvania, JARED IRWIN; from Maryland, GEORGE BAER; from Virginia, JAMES JOHNSON, JOHN KERR, and DANIEL SHEFFEY; and from North Carolina, WILLIAM GASTON, and DANIEL M. FORNEY, appeared, produced their credentials, were qualified, and took their seats.

Mr. WRIGHT, from the joint committee appointed yesterday to wait on the President of the United States, reported that the committee had performed that service, and that the President answered that he would make a communication to the two Houses to-day, at twelve o'clock.

A Message was then received from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, which was read, and referred to the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union. [For this Message see Senate proceedings of this date, ante page 12.]

WEDNESDAY, December 6.

Several other members, to wit: from New Jersey, LEWIS CONDICT; from Pennsylvania, JOHN SERGEANT; and from North Carolina, WILLIAM C. LOVE; appeared, produced their credentials, were qualified, and repaired to their seats.

DECEMBER, 1815.

Ordered, That the petition of the Legislature of the Mississippi Territory, for an admission into the Union, as an independent State, presented on the 21st of January, 1815, be referred to Messrs. LATTIMORE, ROBERTSON, CANNON, MCLEAN, of Kentucky, STRONG, NOYES, and LUMPKIN.

A message was received from the Senate, proposing the usual appointment of two Chaplains of different religious denominations, to interchange weekly between the two Houses.

This proposition was concurred in, with some dissenting voices, and to-morrow assigned for the election of the Chaplain on the part of this House.

STANDING COMMITTEES.

On motion of Mr. TAYLOR, of New York, the Standing Committees were ordered to be appointed, pursuant to the rules and orders of the House. They are as follows:

Committee of Elections-Mr. Taylor, of New York, Mr. Piper, Mr. Sharpe, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Vose, Mr. Barbour, and Mr. Law.

Committee of Ways and Means-Mr. Lowndes, Mr. Burwell, Mr. Taylor, of New York, Mr. Moseley, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Ingham, and Mr. Gaston.

Committee of Commerce and ManufacturesMr. Newton, Mr. Murfree, Mr. Baylies, Mr. Parris, Mr. Chappell, Mr. Boss, and Mr. Sergeant.

Committee of Claims-Mr. Yancey, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Goodwyn, Mr. Davenport, Mr. Lyle, Mr. Stanford, and Mr. Chipman.

Committee on the Public Lands-Mr. Robertson, Mr. Creighton, Mr. Clark, of Kentucky, Mr. Hall, Mr. King, of Massachusetts, Mr. McCoy, and Mr. Sturges.

Committee for the District of Columbia-Mr. Tucker, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Irwin, of Pennsylvania, Mr. Savage, Mr. Herbert, Mr. Taylor, of South Carolina, and Mr. Brigham.

Committee on the Post Office and Post RoadsMr. Ingham, Mr. Cannon, Mr. Breckenridge, Mr. Throop, Mr. Conner, Mr. Caldwell, and Mr. Langdon.

Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims Mr. Chappell, Mr. Comstock, Mr. Stuart. Mr. Milnor, Mr. Southard, Mr. Henderson, and Mr. Wilcox.

Committee on the Judiciary-Mr. Nelson, of Virginia, Mr. Ormsby, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Wright, Mr. Wilde, Mr. Gold, and Mr. Sergeant.

Committee on Public Expenditures-Mr. Murfree, Mr. Gholson, Mr. Champion, Mr. Thomas Wilson, Mr. Hammond, Mr. Nelson, of Massachusetts, and Mr. Wallace.

Committee of Accounts-Mr. McLean, of Ohio, Mr. Rudd, and Mr. Betts.

Committee of Revisal and Unfinished BusinessMr. Condict, Mr. Bradbury, and Mr. Maclay. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.

On motion of Mr. TAYLOR, of New York, the House having resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, Mr. CONDICT in the Chair, the Message of the President was read. Whereupon, on motion of Mr. TAY

LOR, of New York, the following resolutions were adopted, viz:

1. Resolved, That so much of the Message of the President of the United States as relates to Foreign Affairs, be referred to a select committee.

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thority which, in the view of the President, ought to be given to the Executive of the United States efficiently to command the services of the militia in the cases contemplated by the Constitution.

3. That so much as relates to our Naval Affairs, be referred to a select committee.

4. That so much as relates to an Uniform National Currency, be referred to a select committee. 5. That so much as relates to Roads and Canals, be

referred to a select committee.

6. That so much as relates to a National Seminary of Learning within the District of Columbia, be referred to a select committee.

7. That so much as relates to the classification and organization of the Militia, be referred to a select committee,

8. That so much as relates to an alleviation of the burdens imposed by the necessities of the War, and the general subject of the Revenue, be referred to the Committee of Ways and Means.

9. That so much as relates to Manufactures, be referred to the Committee of Commerce and Manufac

tures.

10. That the said committees have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

These resolutions having been reported by the Committee to the House, were all concurred in. Mr. Forsyth, Mr. Macon, Mr. Wilkin, Mr. Gholson, Mr. Atherton, Mr. Sheffey, and Mr. Sharpe, were appointed a committee pursuant to the first resolution.

Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, Mr. Barbour, Mr. Moore, of South Carolina, Mr. Forsyth, Mr. Desha, Mr. Champion, and Mr. Hulbert, were appointed a committee pursuant to the second resolution.

Mr. Pleasants, Mr. Middleton, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Parris, Mr. Hammond, Mr. Boss, and Mr. McLean, of Kentucky, were appointed a committee pursuant to the third resolution.

Mr. Calhoun, Mr. Macon, Mr. Pleasants, Mr. Hopkinson, Mr. Robertson, Mr. Tucker, and Mr. Pickering, were appointed a committee pursuant to the fourth resolution.

Mr. Creighton, Mr. Lowndes, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Ingham, Mr. Condict, Mr. Lovett, and Mr. Alexander, were appointed a committee, pursuant to the fifth resolution.

Mr. Wilde, Mr. Sergeant, Mr. Calhoun, Mr. Sheffey, Mr. Herbert, Mr. Savage, and Mr. Orms by, were appointed a committee pursuant to the sixth-resolution.

Mr. Clark, of Kentucky, Mr. Taylor, of New York, Mr. Kerr, of Virginia, Mr. Piper, Mr. Moore, of South Carolina, Mr. Breckenridge, and Mr. Forney, were appointed a committee pursuant to the seventh resolution.

Mr. GHOLSON Suggested a doubt whether these resolutions embraced a subject of very great importance, which was recommended by the Presis dent to their attention. He referred to the au

militia. It was therefore in his opinion already committed. If at any future day an express instruction on that head to the committee should be found to be necessary, it could then be given.

Mr. WRIGHT said there was another very important subject adverted to by the President which was not embraced, he believed, in the resolutions just adopted; though he was not certain it was not, because he could not distinctly understand them by casually hearing them read and decided on without previous notice. He referred to the recommendation to provide for the payment of the militia called into service during the late war, without the authority of the United States. This was a subject he had much at heart, not only as respected the State he represented, but other parts of the Union, whose militia had promptly turned out to meet the enemy before the authority of the United States could be put in motion to guide their zeal. It was due to the militia who fought for the country that they should be paid; it was due to the magnanimity of the nation that it should make the payment from the National Treasury. In the part of the State which he represented, all the military duties during the war had been performed at the instance of the militia officers, the country being so cut off by the bay from the seats of both the State and General Governments, as to prevent prompt communication with them. The recommendation on this subject contained in the Message was one which, he said, did great credit to the head and heart of the Executive, and he hoped the House would not overlook or slight it, &c.

Mr. TAYLOR, of New York, observed that he thought it would be better to defer the examination of this subject until brought before the Congress in some shape by the parties concerned. It these separate exertions of patriotism required compensation, they would be brought before Congress in the form of memorials, from the States or individuals who had made them. Thus brought before Congress, the subject might be referred to a committee and generally and fully examined.

Mr. WRIGHT, after some further remarks, submitted the following motion:

"That so much of the President's Message as relates to the arrangement of the militia expenses, incurred by the several State Governments, without the previous sanction or authority of the Government of the United States, be referred to a select committee."

This motion was agreed to, nem. con.; and Messrs. WRIGHT, BARBOUR, RICE, POWELL, SMITH of Pennsylvania, LYON, and CILLEY, were appointed the committee.

Mr. P. BARBOUR, of Virginia, said there was another subject of importance referred to in the Message, which he wished to bring to the view of