The
Senate met at 10 o'clock A. M. on yesterday, and, on motion, immediately resolved into secret session.
The doors being opened,
Mr. Maxwell, of
Fla., from the Committee of Conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the bill to establish a bureau of foreign supplies, presented a report, which was concurred in.
Mr. Henry, of
Tenn., offered the following, which was agreed to:
Resolved, That the hanks of the Senate are hereby tendered to
the Hon. R. M. T. Hunter,
President pro tempore, for the dignity, impartiality, and ability with which he has presided over the deliberations of the Senate during the present Congress.
Mr. Maxwell, of
Fla., offered the following, which was agreed to:
Resolved, That a committee be appointed to join such committee as may be appointed on the part of the House of Representatives, to wait on the
President of the
Confederate States and notify him that, unless he may have further communications to make, the two Houses, having completed the business before them, are ready to close the present session by an adjournment.
A message was received from the
House announcing the death of
the Hon. Muscoe R. H. Garnett, Representative from the
State of Virginia; whereupon.
Mr. Caperton, of
Va., after some remarks eulogistic of the deceased, offered the following resolutions:
Resolved, That the Senate receives with sincere regret the announcement of the death of
the Hon. Muscoe R. H. Garnett, late a member of the House of Representatives from the
State of Virginia, and tenders to the relatives of the deceased the assurance of their sympathy with them under the bereavement they have been called to sustain.
Resolved, That the
Secretary of the Senate be directed to transmit to the family of
Mr. Garnett a certified copy of the foregoing resolution.
After enologies upon the deceased by
Messrs. Clay, of Ala, and
Maxwell, of
Fla., the resolutions were agreed to.
Mr. Hill, from the
Committee appointed to wait on the
President, announced that the
President had no further communication to make, but tendered to the Senate assurances of his highest consideration, and hoped that before the next meeting of Congress the perils that environed the country would have been dispelled.
The hom of 12 o'clock M. having arrived the Chair declared the Senate adjourned
sine die.
The
House met at 9½ o'clock, and immediately resolved into secret session.
At 10½ o'clock the doors were opened and business resumed in open session.
Mr. Lyons, of
Va., in a fitting and touching manner, announced the death of
Hon. Muscoe R. H. Garnett, and offered the following resolutions, which were adopted unanimously by the
House:
Resolved, That we have heard with deep sorrow, of the death of
the Hon. M. R. H. Garnett, a member of this House, distinguished for his learning, ability and integrity, and in testimony of respect for his memory, we will wear the usual badge of mourning for thirty days.
Resolved, That we tender to his bereaved widow our sincere sympathy in her suffering for the great loss she and our country have sustained in the death of her distinguished husband.
Resolved. That the
Speaker of this
House communicate a copy of these resolutions to the widow of the deceased, and to the Senate.
Resolved, That in further testimony of our respect for the memory of the deceased, this
House will now adjourn.
Speeches were also made by
Messrs. Curry, of
Ala.,
Perkins, of
La., and Miles, of S. C.
Mr. Conrad, of
La., from the committee of conference on the disagreeing vote of the two Houses, on the bill to establish a Bureau of Foreign Supplies, submitted a report, which was concurred in by the
House.
On motion of
Mr. Lyons, of
Va., a committee of three was appointed to wait upon the
President and inform him that the
Congress were ready to adjourn.
The Chair appointed
Messrs. Lyons,
Curry, and
Gartrell.
The remainder of the open session was occupied in receiving bills from the Senate, and the bills of the two Houses which had received the sanction of the
Executive.
At 12 o'clock the resolution adjourning the
House was adopted, when the
Speaker,
Hon. Thos. S. Bocock, delivered a handsome parting address to his fellow members.
He alluded to the efforts that had been made to devise measures calculated to strengthen the army and improve the currency.
Their labors had now terminated, and the future would determine the wisdom of the measures which they have given to the country.
He contrasted the present condition of the country with that which existed when the
Congress first ensured upon its duties, and drew a hopeful picture of the future from the contrast.
Then our army was a little band of untried but patriotic men; now it was a hest of tried and disciplined soldiers, enured to all the hardships, and ready and willing to submit to privations.
With such heroes in the field, and the patriotic spirit of the people to back their energies, subjugation was impossible, much less subjugation by a Government which acknowledged as its chiefs a Butler and a Sickles.
The gibbet or the peace of the grave was preferable to submission to the rule of such a Government.
He exhorted those across whose minds had flitted the dream of subjugation to think of
Stonewall Jackson in his bloody shroud as compared with
Andrew Johnson in his pride of power.
After returning his thanks to the members for their uniform courtesy and unvarying kindness, the
Speaker concluded amid the applause of the
House.
