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documents, and the reported speeches of the members of the two Houses to be sought for from various sources.

The manuscript files and records are preserved in the office of the House in which they may have been presented, or to which they may have been communicated. The printed documents and speeches, however, require a more particular description and reference, which will be given as concisely as practicable.

CLASS No. 8.

EMBRACING THE DOCUMENTS ORDERED TO BE PRINTED BY THE TWO HOUSES OF CONGRESS SINCE MARCH 4, 1789.

These consist of messages from the President, reports from the seve ral Executive Departments and Bureaus, reports of committees of the two Houses, with documents and tables communicated therewith, as well as memorials, petitions, resolutions of State Legislatures, and all other papers printed under the order of either House. These will be

arranged into sections:

Sec. 1. THE FOLIO EDITION OF STATE PAPERS PUBLISHED UNDER JOINT RESOLUTIONS OF CONGRESS, AND PRINTED BY MESSRS. GALES & SEATON, CONSISTS OF 21 VOLUMES. These documents were selected with much care from the mass of manuscript and printed documents, papers and books in the offices of the two Houses, from all sources, and upon all subjects, having deficiencies supplied from the archives and records of the Executive Departments. These were divided into ten different classes, according to their nature or subject, viz.:

4 vols. Foreign Relations. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to Feb. 28, 1797.

Vol. 2, from Feb. 28, 1797, to Feb. 19, 1807.
Vol. 3, from Feb. 19, 1807, to March 3, 1815.
Vol. 4, from March 3, 1815, to May 3, 1822

2 vols. Indian Affairs. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to Nov. 18, 1814.

Vol. 2, from Nov. 18, 1814, to March 1, 1827.

3 vols. Finances. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to April 29, 1802.

Vol. 2, from April 29, 1802, to March 2, 1815.

Vol. 3, from March 2, 1815, to March 12, 1822.

2 vols. Commerce and Navigation. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to Feb. 9, 1815. Vol. 2, from Feb. 9, 1815, to Feb. 25, 1823.

2 vols. Military Affairs. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to Feb. 25, 1819.
Vol. 2, from Feb. 25, 1819, to Feb. 28, 1825.

1 vol. Naval Affairs. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to March 5, 1825.
1 vol. Post-Office. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to March 2, 1833.
3 vols. Public Lands. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to Feb. 27, 1809.

Vol. 2, from Feb. 27, 1809, to Feb. 14, 1815.

Vol. 3, from Feb. 14, 1815. to May 26, 1824.

1 vol. Claims. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1823.

2 vols. Miscellaneous. Vol. 1, from March 4, 1789, to Feb. 16. 1809. Vol. 2, from Feb 16, 1809, to March 3, 1823.

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There will also be included in this section the two additional volumes on Publis Lands that were printed by Duff Green, by order of the Senate, viz. :—

2 vols. on Public Lands. Vol. 4, from May 26, 1824, to Jan. 2, 1829.

Vol. 5, from Jan. 2, 1828, to Jan. 21, 1834.

In the compilation of these state papers, care was taken to render each class as complete as practicable. The authority for the publication, and the manner of proceeding in the execution of the work, will be found stated at the beginning of the first volume on Foreign Relations. As it purports to be a selection of those documents and papers, it will not, of course, be expected to embrace every document and paper presented in or communicated to either House of Congress, as these can alone be found in the archives of Congress; but it was intended that they should embrace every important document of the classes to which they respectively belong, considered valuable as precedents for the future action of the Government, or material in its political and statistical history, or as establishing principles in the allowance or rejection of private pecuniary claims against the Government, or in the settlement of private land claims.

These state papers were printed under the authority of the act of Congress "making provision for a subscription to a compilation of congressional documents," approved March 2, 1831, and continued under the joint resolution of March 2, 1833, which limited the continuation to eight volumes, and which, with those previously authorized, made twenty-one volumes. These were disposed of by a joint "resolution directing the distribution of a compilation of congressional documents, and for other purposes," approved July 10, 1832.

CLASS No. 9.

Sec. 1 WILL EMBRACE THE DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN OCTAVO FORM BY ORDER OF THE SENATE, during each session, from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1851. These are numbered as they are sent to the printer; loose copies are furnished to the members of both Houses of Congress and other public functionaries, and sometimes extra copies for distribution, as they are printed; and other copies are retained and bound, in as many volumes as necessary, with copious indexes, for preservation, when the printing of each session is completed. The more important of these printed documents will be found reprinted, under their appropriate heads, in the folio state papers, where they will be found more conveniently, in connection with kindred subjects which had accumulated from March 4, 1789, to the time to which the class they belong to was reprinted, as stated in the preceding section; from which time, recourse must be had to these bound documents of each session-every session having a separate index.

In addition to these documents, the bills and resolutions of the Senate are printed in folio form, and distributed nearly as the octavo documents. Several copies of these have been bound into volumes, with indexes, since 1824-5.

CLASS No. 10.

Sec. 1 WILL EMBRACE THE DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN OCTAVO FORM BY ORDER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, from March

4, 1789, to March 3, 1851. These are divided into several series, each being numbered as sent to the printer. One series consists of the reports of commit tees of the House of Representatives, with their accompanying documents; and the other series consists of messages, reports, and documents, from the Executive Departments, and all other documents ordered to be printed by that House. Loose copies are furnished to members of both Houses of Congress, and other public functionaries, and sometimes extra copies for distribution, as they are printed; and other copies are retained and bound, each series separately, (in as many volumes as necessary, with separate indexes,) for preservation, when the printing of each session is completed. The more important of these documents, of both series, will be found reprinted, under their appropriate heads, in the folio state papers, as mentioned in the preceding section, as far as they extend; from which time, recourse must be had to these bound documents of each session-every session having a separate index for each series of these documents.

In addition to these documents, the bills and joint resolutions of the House of Representatives have been printed in folio form, and distributed as the octavo documents. Several copies of these have been bound, with indexes, since 1825.

CLASS No. 11.

DEBATES IN CONGRESS:

Embracing the speeches made in the two Houses of Congress, from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1851.

When it is desired to find the discussion in either House upon any particular subject, it is necessary first to ascertain from the journal of the House in which the discussion has taken place, when, or on what days, such subject was under consideration in the House, and then seek for the publication of the proceedings of those days in the public newspapers that published such debates, or in the various compilations of debates, as either may be found to embrace the time at which the discussion may have taken place.

Sec. 1. The compilation of Joseph Gales, senior, in 2 volumes, contains the debates in the first Congress, 1789 to 1791.*

Sec. 2. The Congressional Register, or History of the Proceedings and Debates of the first House of Representatives, by Thomas Lloyd, 1789-91.

Sec. 3. History of Congress, exhibiting a classification of the proceedings of the Senate and House of Representatives, from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1793. Sec. 4. Debates in the Congress of the United States on the bill for repealing the law "for the more convenient organization of the courts of the United States :" Albany, 1802. (State Department.)

Sec. 5. Debates in the House of Representatives of the United States on questions involved in the British treaty of 1794, (Jay's treaty :) Philadelphia, 1808. (State Department.)

*This compilation has been continued by Gales & Seaton, under the patronage of Congress.

Sec. 6. Debates in the House of Representatives of the United States on the Seminole war, in January and February, 1819. (State Department.)

Sec. 7. Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser, from 1791 to 1793. (Congress Library.)

(Cong. Lib.)

(Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 8. Dunlap & Claypole's Advertiser, from 1794 to 1795.
Sec. 9. Brown's Philadelphia Gazette, from 1794 to 1800. (Cong. Lib.)
Sec. 10. Bache's General Advertiser, from 1795 to 1797. (Cong. Lib.)
Sec. 11. Bache & Duane's Aurora, from 1798 to 1814. (Cong. Lib.)
Sec. 12. Carey's United States Recorder, from 1798 to 1800.
Sec. 13. Delaware Gazette, Political Mirror, from 1798 to 1800.
Sec. 14. Dennison's Republican Watch Tower, from 1800 to 1809. (Cong.Lib.)
Sec. 15. Duane's Weekly Aurora, from 1810 to 1821. (Cong. Lib.)
Sec. 16. Fenno's Gazette of the United States, from 1789 to 1798.
Sec. 17. National Intelligencer, (tri-weekly,) from 1800 to 1813. (Cong. Lib.)
National Intelligencer, (daily,) from 1814 to 1851. (Cong. Lib.)

(Cong. Lib.)

(Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 18. Universal Gazette, (by Samuel Harrison Smith,) from 1798 to 1808. Sec. 19. Philadelphia Gazette, from 1795 to 1797. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 20. Virginia Argus, from 1797 to 1803. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 21. Virginia Argus and Enquirer, (bound together,) from 1804 to 1808 (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 22. Richmond Enquirer, from 1809 to 1814. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 23. Washington City Gazette, from 1815 to 1826. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 24. National Journal, from 1826 to 1831. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 25. United States Telegraph, from 1828 to 1837. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 26. Globe, from 1832 to 1845. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 27. Madisonian, from 1837 to 1838. (Cong. Lib.)

Sec. 28. Register of Debates in Congress, comprising the leading debates and incidents of each session, with an appendix containing important state papers and public documents, and the laws of a public nature enacted during each session, with an index to the subject of debate and to the names of the speakers in each House of Congress for each session, viz.:

2d Session, 18th Congress, 1824-5, in 1st volume.

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Sec. 29. The Congressional Globe and Appendix, containing sketches of the proceedings and incidental debates, and also the debates at large in the two

Houses of Congress, with an index of the subject of debate, and names of the speakers in each House for each session, viz:

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THIS CLASS WILL EMBRACE THE SEVERAL EDITIONS OR SERIES OF THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND INDEXES TO THE LAWS.

Sec. 1. The series containing in separate volumes the laws usually published in pamphlet form at the termination of each session of Congress. In this series the laws are published in extenso, none being omitted.

The first of this series was published in 1797, in 3 volumes, by Richard Folwell, embracing the laws, resolutions, and treaties, from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1797. These were continued by Matthew Carey, to include the 4th volume, to March 3, 1799; by William Duane to include the 5th and 6th volumes, to March 3, 1803; by Roger C. Weightman, to include the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th volumes, to March 3, 1811; and were continued by various individuals, "By authority," in pamphlet form at the termination of every session of Congress, down to March 3, 1851.

Sec. 2. An edition of the laws was published in 1815 by Bioren & Duane and R. C. Weightman. This edition was compiled by J. B. Colvin, upon the basis of a plan prepared by Richard Rush, then Attorney-General of the United States, and adopted by James Monroe, Secretary of State, in conformity with the act of Congress of the 18th April, 1814. It consists of five volumes, and embraces the laws of the United States from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1815, with the exception of "the local judiciary acts, and all acts confiding power to corporate bodies in the District of Columbia, or which have been otherwise passed by Congress in their character of Legislature for the District," which were excluded.

Vol. 1 contains-The Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation. The Constitution, and proceedings which led to its adoption.

Treaties with foreign nations and Indian tribes, from 1778 to 1814.

Grants, treaties, and cessions, by which lands have been acquired by the United States, from 1783 to 1814.

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