General Assembly of Virginia.
[Extra session.]
Senate.
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 1861.
The Senate was called to order at 11 o'clock, and opened with prayer by the Bev. Mr. Peterkin, of St. James' Church.
Mr. Coghill, from the Committee of Courts of Justice, reported adverse to the petition of Edgar McCloud, asking for the enslavement of certain free negroes.
Mr. Thompson reported a bill to amend the charter of the Virginia Car Spring Company.
The President laid before the Senate a communication from the Executive, transmitting documents from Hon. John Robertson, Commissioner to visit the seceding States.
Laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
The bill to incorporate the American Agency coming up, was laid on the table and made the order of the day for Friday next.
A bill to limit the right to make an entry or bring an action to recover land or the possession thereof, west of the Allegheny mountains, was made the order of the day for Monday next.
Bills Passed.--House bill refunding to Matthew Walmsley, Jr., of the county of Randolph, a certain amount of money erroneously paid by him; House bill for the relief of Rev. J. Packard: House bill granting the Commonwealth's right to real estate of John Kelly, deceased, to Owen Shea; House bill for the relief of James Scott, of Greenbrier county; House bill refunding a license tax to Paul A. Farley, of the county of Lunenburg; House bill refunding to the securities of Wm. H. Blanche, late Sheriff of the county of Mecklenburg, certain damages paid by them; Senate bill for the relief of Daniel S. Dickinson; House bill to amend the charter of the Banks of Scottsville; Senate bill establishing a branch Bank at the town of Jeffersonville, in the county of Tazewell; House bill to incorporate the Capper Springs Company; House bill to amend the 1st section of the act passed March 4, 1856, for marking the boundary line between Fluvanna and Albemarle counties.
On motion of Mr. Dickinson, of Prince Edward, the Senate adjourned.
House of Delegates.
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 1861.
Speaker Critchfield called the House to order at 11 o'clock.
The House were informed by the Clerk of the Senate of the passage by that body of a number of bills; some of which were passed by the House, as follows: Incorporating the Little Kanawha Mining and Manufacturing Company; for the voluntary enslavement of George, Shad, Sam and Suckey, free persons of color, of Buckingham county, without compensation to the Commonwealth; amending the charter of the Bank of Commerce, at Fredericksburg; incorporating the Marion Magnetic Iron Company.
Bills Reported.--The following House bills were reported from Committee: A bill to encourage ship-building in Virginia: to amend and re-enact the 45th section of chapter 85 of the Code of 1849.
Adverse Reports.--Adverse reports were returned as follows: By the Committee on Finance, to the petition of sundry citizens of Allegheny county, asking that Pitman Boley be released from the payments of a fine; to the petition of Thomas McCormick, asking to have a fine refunded; on a resolution to inquire into the expediency of refunding to Andrew L. Lindsay a certain amount of money; on the petition of Abel P. Swinet, asking to have refunded to him a certain amount of money.
Petition.--Mr. Cowan presented the petition of citizens of Present and Monongahela counties, asking relief in the matter of taxes upon the licenses of merchants beginning business.
Senate Bills Reported.--Mr. Rutherford, from the Committee on Courts of Justice, reported Senate bills amending and re-enacting the 8th section of the act passed December 17, 1794, establishing the town of Middletown, in the county of Frederick; paying State's Attorneys in Circuit Courts for services heretofore performed by them; authorizing railroads to appoint police agents; to distribute Mayo's Guide to Coroners; amending the Potomac River Pilot Laws.
From the Committee on Agriculture and Manufactures Senate bills were reported as follows: Incorporating the Industrial Society of Wood county; refunding to M. G. Booth a sum of money paid by him as surety for S. S. Turner, late Sheriff of Franklin county; providing for the location of the Court-House, Jail, and other public building of McDowell county.
Bills Referred.--Senate bills for the relief of Joseph W. Harper, (refunding a merchant's license tax paid in Brunswick;) and refunding to Geo. Harriston, Jr., a sum of money improperly paid into the Treasury, were referred to the Committee on Finance.
Covington and Ohio Railroad.--The House bill concerning the Covington and Ohio Railroad, laid on the table some days since, upon a reconsideration, was taken up, by a suspension of the rule, on motion of Mr. Collier, of Petersburg.
The title of the bill is as follows: ‘A bill for the partial suspension of the sale of State bonds, and to provide for complying with existing contracts already made upon the Covington and Ohio Railroad.’
Mr. Collier submitted the following ryder, which, he hoped, would be acceptable to the friends of the bill: ‘
Provided, however, That the provisions of this bill may at any time be suspended by the Governor of this Commonwealth, should he, in the exercise of a sound discretion, be of opinion that the interests of the State would be subserved by such suspension: And provided, further, That whenever, from time to time, fifty thousand dollars of said notes shall be returned to the Auditor, or shall be redeemed by him, as herein provided, the same shall be cancelled, and be delivered to the Treasurer, to be preserved in his office; and, from time to time, an amount equal to the sum so cancelled may, by direction of the Governor, be again issued, subject to all the provisions hereinbefore prescribed to be used for the benefit of the Treasury. ’
After a brief discussion, the ryder was attached to the bill.
The question then came up on the passage of the bill as amended, and after a discussion of some length, in which Messrs. Robertson, Caperton, Chapman, and others participated, it was decided in the negative by the following vote: Ayes 52, noes 61.
Mr. Segar moved a reconsideration, giving notice that he intended to move to reduce the amount of the bill.
Mr. Woolfolk called the ayes and noes, with the following result: Ayes 70, noes 33.
Mr. Caperton moved to lay on the table, and make the order of the day for next Friday at 11 ½ o'clock.
Opposed by Mr. Haymond, and carried in the affirmative.
State's Prison.--By Mr. Haymond,
"Resolved, That the Directors of the Penitentiary be requested to report to this House the financial condition of the Penitentiary and the Penitentiary store."
In submitting the resolution Mr. Haymond said the House was without information as to the condition of either subjects of inquiry embraced in the resolution.
The proper committee had not reported on the subject.
He wanted said committee to go to the Penitentiary.
[Laughter.] The resolution was adopted.
Condition of the Banks.--A communication was received from J. M. Bennett, First Auditor of the State, in reply to a resolution of the House of Delegates, calling for certain tables respecting the condition of the Banks of this Commonwealth, which he enclosed.
Ordered to be printed.
On motion, the House adjourned. 