51. It shall be in order for the Committee on Enrolled and Engrossed Bills to report at any time.

52. Messages shall be transmitted to the Governor and Senate by the Door keeper, unless otherwise directed by the House.

53. No bill shall be introduced into the House on the last week of the session, nor shall the above rules, or any of them, be rescinded or suspended, unless three-fourths of the members present so direct.

MONDAY, December 3d, 1855.

The House met pursuant to adjournment.

Mr. Harlee Jones, Representative from Nassau County, appeared and took his seat.

The roll being called, the following members answered to their names, viz:

Mr. Speaker, Messrs. Bowers, Braswell, Brown, Darling, Fennell, Foy, Galbraith, Haddock, Ives, Jones of Nassau, Langford, Mays, Parsons, Riviere, Shine, Speer, Thompson of Levy, Thompson of Santa Rosa, and VanZant-20.

There being no quorum present, the list of absentees was again called, and none of them answered to their names.

On motion, the doors were closed, and the Sergeant-at-Arms instructed to cause the appearance of the absent members.

Messrs. Rowley, Chaires and Christie appeared at the bar of the House, and were excused without the payment of fees. The Speaker announced that a quorum was present. The Rev. Mr. Anderson officiated as Chaplain. The Journal of Saturday was read and approved.

On motion, the House reconsidered the vote on Saturday last, ordering the printing of 75 copies of a bill to be entitled an Act to establish the ad valorum system of taxation, and said bill was referred to the Committee on Finance.

In pursuance of a motion adopted on Saturday, that the respective portions of the Governor's message be referred to the appropriate Committees;

Ordered, That so much of the Governor's Message as relates to the Reports of the Comptroller and Treasurer upon the General Fund of the State, and those portions of the Message relating to State Debt, Taxation, and Criminal Prosecutions, be referred to the Committee on Finance;

That so much of the Message as relates to the Report of the Treasurer and Register upon the Seminary and Common School Fund, be referred to the Committee on Schools and Colleges;

That so much of the Message as relates to the Report of the Treasurer upon the Internal Improvement Fund, the Report of the State Engineer and Geologist, and to Internal Improvements, be referred to the Committee on Internal Improvements;

That so much of the Message as relates to Census Returns be referred to the Committee on Census and Apportionment;

That so much of the Message as relates to Charters be referred to the Committee on Corporations;

That so much of the Message as relates to Amendments of the Constitution and the Boundary Line be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary;

That so much of the Message as relates to Swamp and Overflowed Lands be referred to the Committee on State Lands;

That so much of the Message as relates to Indians be referred to the Commitee on Indian Affairs;

And that so much of the Message as refers to our Federal Relations be referred to the Committee on Federal Relations.

The following Bills and Resolutions which had passed the House, were transmitted to the Senate, viz:

A bill to be entitled an Act in relation to Assaults with intent to commit Rape, and for other purposes;

Senate bill to be entitled an Act to amend an act incorporating the City of Apalachicola ;

Senate Resolution in relation to the payment of the accounts of Henry J. Stewart and William J. J. Duncan ;

Senate Preamble and Resolutions asking the establishment of a Mail Route along the Bellamy Road, between the St. Johns River and Newnansville, in the County of Alachua, and the transmission of semi-weekly mails over said route; and

Senate Resolution respecting Appeals and Writs of Error from the District Courts of Florida to the Circuit Court of Georgia.

On motion of Mr. Galbraith,

Senate bill to be entitled an Act to incorporate a Bank in the City of Tallahassee, was taken from the table and referred to the Committee on Corporations.

The rule being waived, Mr. Rowley was permitted to introduce without previous notice, a bill to be entitled an Act authorizing cer, tain persons to practice law in the Courts of this State;

Which was placed among the orders of the day.

Pursuant to previous notice, the following bills were introduced and placed among the orders of the day, viz:

By Mr. Speer:

A bill to be entitled an Act to establish a Ferry across the St. Johns River.

By Mr. Darling:

A bill to be entitled an Act to amend the 6th Article of the Constitution; and

A bill to be entitled an Act to provide for filling vacancies in the office of Clerk of the Circuit, Supreme and Chancery Courts. By Mr. VanZant:

A bill to be entitled an Act to authorize Nathaniel Bryant to establish a Ferry across the Suwannee River at Shoal Town. By Mr. Ives:

A bill to be entitled an Act for the relief of certain persons therein named.

By Mr. Mays:

A bill to be entitled an Act to prevent slaves in the City of St. Augustine from hiring their own time.

The rule being waived, Mr. Parsons was permitted to introduce, without previous notice, a bill to be entitled an Act to amend the act incorporating the Florida Railroad Company;

Which was placed amon the orders of the day.

The rule being waived, Mr. Ives was permitted to introduce, withont previous notice, a bill to be entitled an Act to amend the election laws;

Which was placed among the orders of the day.

Notice was given of intention to introduce the following bills at some future day, viz:

By Mr. Bowes:

A Lill to be entitled an Act to increase the jurisdiction of Justices of the Peace, and for other purposes.

By Mr. Langford:

A bill for the relief of William Sapp of Madison County.

By Mr. Foy:

A bill to be entitled an Act to authorize Bennett J. Horne to establish a Toll Bridge across the Withlacoochee River.

On motion, Mr. Taylor was excused from attendance for to-day. On motion, further proce.dings under the call of the House were dispensed with.

Mr. Darling offered the following resolution, which was adopted Resolved, That the Judiciary Committee be instructed to report to this House at as early a day as practicable, by bill or otherwise, whether or not it will aid the attainment of justice, and lessen the expenses of Criminal Prosecutions, to cause all complaints for Petty Larceny, Adultery, Fornication, and Adultery and Fornication, to be removed from the cognizance of Grand Juries, unless the same are sent up to Court by a Justice of the Peace or other committing Magistrate; Also whether or not the criminal law can be more effectually administered by increasing the number of Grand Juries to twentythree Jurors; And also whether or not justice does require that the compensation now allowed by law to Sheriff's or Jailors for feeding

prisoners should be increased; And to amend the present laws so that the selections of Grand Jurors may be made from the best men upon the jury panel.

Mr. Thompson of Levy offered the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, That the proper departments furnish this House with the Documents accompanying the Governor's Message.

ORDERS OF THE DAY.

A bill to be entitled an Act to empower Samuel G. Frierson to assume the management of his own estate;

Was read the second time, and ordered to be read a third time on

to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act authorizing certain persons to practice law in the Courts of this State;

Was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act to establish a Ferry across the St. Johns River;

Was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act to amend the 6th Article of the Constitution;

Was read three times as of the first day, and ordered to be read again on to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act to provide for filling vacancies in the office of Clerk of the Circuit, Supreme and Chancery Courts;

Was read the first time, the rule waived, read a second time by its title, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

A bill to be entitled an Act to authorize Nathaniel Bryant to establish a Ferry across the Suwannee River at or near Shoal Town; Was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act for the relief of certain persons therein named ;

Was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act to prevent slaves in the city of St. Augustine from hiring their own time;

Was read the first time, the rule waived, read the second and third times by its title, and put upon its passage, upon which the vote

was:

Yeas-Mr. Speaker, Messrs. Bellamy, Bowers, Braswell, Brown, Chaires, Christie, Darling, Fennell, Foy, Galbraith, Haddock, Ives, Jones of Nassau, Langford, Mays, Parsons, Riviere, Rowley, Shine,

Speer, Thompson of Levy, Thompson of Santa Rosa and VanZant -24.

Nays-None.

So the bill passed-title as stated.

Ordered that the same be certified to the Senate.

A bill to be entitled an Act to amend the act incorporating the Florida Railroad Company;

Was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow.

A bill to be entitled an Act to amend the election laws;

Was read the first time and ordered to be read a second time on to-morrow.

The following message was received from his Excellency the Gov

Under an interlocutory decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the suit pending between this State and Georgia for the settlement of the boundary line, it became my duty, in June, 1854, to appoint a Commissioner and Surveyor, to meet a similar Commission on the part of the State of Georgia, for the purpose of procuring such information, making such surveys, and running such lines as would enable the Court to decide understandingly. So far as Florida was concerned, the service required was for the benefit of the United States, as the proprietor of the land along the line, and it was expected that the expenses incurred by us would be refunded. I therefore selected as Surveyor, B. F. Whitner, Jr., the same gentleman who had been appointed by the Government to survey the line between Florida and Alabama, and contracted with him that his net per diem should equal that made while engaged in that service. This enabled me to settle with him without difficulty under the authority conferred upon me by an act entitled "An act to provide for the expenses of Florida in the settlement of Boundary with the State of Georgia."

In regard to the Commissioner, Col. B. F. Whitner, I have not been so fortunate. He rendered valuable services, not only in the actual examination and exploration, under circumstances of temperature, &c., which endangered health and life, but collected, at great inconvenience, a mass of testimony of rare value. His investigations were of the most laborious character. His report was one of signal ability, and I have reason to know is considered by the counsel in the case a valuable and important document. He was my own appointee, and without a contract, and I have therefore felt a delicacy in fixing a price upon his services. The State of Georgia paid her