which was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Mr. Semmes (by leave) introduced

A bill (S. 172) to extend an act entitled "An act to graduate the pay of general officers," approved June 10, 1864;

which was read the first and second times and considered as in Committee of the Whole; and no amendment being proposed, it was reported to the Senate.

Ordered, That it be engrossed and read a third time.

The said bill was read the third time.

Resolved, That it pass, and that the title thereof be as aforesaid. Ordered, That the Secretary request the concurrence of the House of Representatives therein.

Mr. Semmes presented the memorial of G. G. Steever, agent of the Bank of Louisiana, praying the restoration of coin seized, under such restrictions as Congress may impose; which was referred to the Committee on Finance.

Mr. Simms presented the memorial of Capt. C. S. Hart, chief quartermaster of Lomax's cavalry division, praying to be relieved from the payment of certain funds of the Government stolen from him on the 30th day of October, 1864; which was referred to the Committee on Claims.

The joint resolution (H. R. 23) received this day from the House of Representatives for concurrence was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Claims.

The Senate resumed the reconsideration of the bill (S. 130) to authorize newspapers to be mailed to soldiers free of postage, returned by the President with his objections; and

On the question,

Shall this bill pass, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding?

Yeas..

It was determined in the affirmative, Nays

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The vote having been taken by yeas and nays, as required by the Constitution,

Those who voted in the affirmative are,

Messrs. Baker, Caperton, Garland, Graham, Haynes, Henry, Maxwell, Oldham, Semmes, Simms, Walker, Watson, and Wigfall. Those who voted in the negative are,

Messrs. Brown, Burnett, Dortch, and Sparrow.

So it was

Resolved, That this bill pass, two-thirds of the Senators present voting therefor.

On motion by Mr. Baker,

Ordered, That the Secretary communicate the said bill, the message of the President returning the same to the Senate with his objections, and the proceedings of the Senate thereon, to the House of Representatives.

On motion by Mr. Watson,

The Senate resolved into secret legislative session.

The doors having been opened,

On motion by Mr. Haynes,

The Senate adjourned.

SECRET SESSION.

The joint resolution (S. 25) to amend a joint resolution entitled "Joint resolution on the subject of retaliation," approved May 1, 1863, was read the second time and considered as in Committee of the Whole; and no amendment being proposed, it was reported to the Senate.

Ordered, That it be engrossed and read a third time.

The said resolution was read the third time.

On motion by Mr. Wigfall,

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The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the Senators present, These who voted in the affirmative are,

Messrs. Baker, Burnett, Caperton, Graham, Haynes, Maxwell, Semmes, Simms, Sparrow, Walker, and Watson.

Those who voted in the negative are,

Messrs. Garland, Henry, Johnson of Missouri, Oldham, Vest, and Wigfall.

So it was

Resolved, That this resolution pass, and that the title thereof be as aforesaid.

Ordered, That the Secretary request the concurrence of the House of Representatives therein.

On motion by Mr. Sparrow,

The Senate resolved into executive session.

EXECUTIVE SESSION.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 30th November last) the nominations of John A. Bowie, to be major in the Commissary Department, and Robert Berry, to be assistant commissary, with the rank of captain, reported, with the recommendation that said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 14th ultimo) the nominations of W. G. Williamson, to be captain, and R. H. Griffin and D. S. Hessey, to be first lieutenants of engineer troops, reported, with the recommendation that all of said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 29th ultimo) the nominations of P. M. B. Young, to be major-general, with temporary rank; John J. Clarke, to be colonel; S. R. Johnston, to be lieutenant-colonel; E. T. D. Myers, John McCrady, A. H. Campbell, and John Johnson, to be majors; and E. E.

Mason, O. Heinrichs, J. F. Lanneau, J. H. Toomer, and J. W. Glenn, to be captains of Engineer Corps; J. P. W. Read, to be lieutenantcolonel of artillery; and A. Meade Smith, to be major in the Subsistence Department, reported, with the recommendation that all of said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 3d instant) the nominations of James L. Corley, to be major in the Quartermaster-General's Department, Army of the Confederate States, and W. J. Armstrong, to be major in the Subsistence Department, Provisional Army of the Confederate States, reported, with the recommendation that said nominations be confirmed. The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 9th instant) the nominations of W. H. Mauldin, S. M. H. Byrd, C. B. Gwathmey, F. P. Turner, J. B. Hill, H. T. Massingale, Richard Orme, Y. S. Patton, E. H. Janney, J. G. Blount, Benjamin E. Crane, S. M. Finger, W. C. Scott, and J. I. Middleton, to be majors in the Quartermaster's Department, and John L. McKinney, James Hancock, L. Doizé, and James A. Stansbury, to be captains and assistant commissaries, reported, with the recommendation that all of said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 13th instant) the nominations of James H. Whitner, to be captain, and Moses Hough, to be second lieutenant (for distinguished valor and skill), reported, with the recommendation that said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 16th instant) the nominations of J. L. Brent, to be colonel of artillery; I. W. Avery, to be colonel; William L. Cook, to be lieutenant-colonel, and D. J. Owen, to be major of cavalry; C. S. Hart, to be major in the Quartermaster's Department; Walter Weir, to be assistant adjutant-genera!, with rank of captain; Henry B. Haynie, Benjamin F. Ward, Edward Miller, and Joseph W. Aken, to be surgeons; and Peter F. Scott, William V. Croxton, Thomas Wells, Alex. Tinsley, John Ligon, William S. Easley, Robert P. Myers, Robert D. Porter, Thomas W. Flagg, John P. Tallbott, Charles F. Butler, John A. Hamilton, Robert L. Knox, P. Willson, William P. Brewer, Jacob W. Summers, William J. Reeves, Alfred S. James, James A. Fogle, Thomas S. Lafitte, William H. Ford, Richard F.

Sams, Jos. M. Dulin, William S. Stevens, William Alston, John J. Goodwyn, C. R. Smith, John W. Colson, John M. Weekly, John P. Peterson, Henry S. Orme, M. B. Johnson, E. L. Tillinghast, A. J. Burroughs, Thomas McCoy, A. E. McGarity, William W. Murray, William W. Fraser, P. H. É. Sloan, Charles Davant, E. M. Martin, William H. Mitchell, Robert W. Foster, and M. J. Nicholson, to be assistant surgeons, reported, with the recommendation that all of said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 23d instant) the nominations of M. G. Lumpkin, to be major in the Subsistence Department; John N. Logan, to be assistant commissary, with rank of captain; and N. Owings, to be assistant quartermaster, with rank of captain, reported, with the recommendation that all of said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom were referred (on the 25th instant) the nominations of G. G. Dibrell, to be a brigadier-general; S. W. Davitte and Thomas F. Toon, to be colonels; George W. Shannon, C. G. Campbell, and W. A. Gilliam, to be lieutenant-colonels, and S. H. Wilds, John W. Rierson, W. S. Rowan, and J. F. Beall, to be majors, reported, with the recommendation that all of said nominations be confirmed.

The Senate proceeded to consider said report; and in concurrence therewith, it was

Resolved, That the Senate do advise and consent to their appointment, agreeably to the nomination of the President.

On motion by Mr. Sparrow,

The Senate resolved into open legislative session.

MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1865.

OPEN SESSION.

The President and President pro tempore of the Senate both being absent,

Mr. Graham stated that he had received a message from the VicePresident requesting him to preside over the deliberations of the Senate to-day;

Whereupon,

Mr. Graham, by unanimous consent, took the chair.

Mr. Caperton, the forty-eighth rule of the Senate having been suspended therefor, submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

Resolved, That the following be adopted as one of the standing rules of the Senate: "In case of the temporary absence of both the President and President pro tempore of the Senate, the Senate may appoint any Senator who, as President pro tempore ad interim, shall preside over the body during such temporary absence of the Presi

dent and President pro tempore; and when such Senator shall thus preside, his powers and duties shall be the same as those of the President and President pro tempore in these rules specified.”

Mr. Caperton submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Honorable William A. Graham be appointed President pro tempore of the Senate ad interim.

Ordered, That the Secretary inform the House of Representatives thereof.

On motion by Mr. Semmes,

Ordered, That the Hon. Edward Sparrow have leave of absence from the sessions of the Senate until Thursday next.

Mr. Dortch submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of making reputation prima facie evidence of the fact of desertion in all prosecutions under an act entitled "An act to prevent the procuring, aiding, and assisting persons to desert," etc., approved January twenty-second, eighteen hundred and sixty-four.

Mr. Henry (by leave) introduced

A bill (S. 173) to receive volunteer troops for the war;

which was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.

Mr. Oldham presented a resolution of the legislature of the State of Texas concerning peace, reconstruction, and independence; which was read.

Ordered, That it lie upon the table and be printed.
On motion by Mr. Semmes,

Ordered, That the Secretary wait upon the President of the Confederate States and inform him that, in the absence of both the President and President pro tempore of the Senate, temporarily, the Senate have chosen the Hon. William A. Graham President pro tempore of the Senate ad interim.

A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. Dalton:

Mr. President: The House of Representatives have passed the bill of the Senate (S. 129) to provide for the employment of free negroes and slaves to work upon fortifications and perform other labor connected with the defenses of the country, with amendments; in which they request the concurrence of the Senate.

The House of Representatives insist on their disagreement to the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 336) to authorize the establishment of an office of deposit in connection with the Treasury; agree to the conference asked by the Senate on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses thereon, and have appointed Messrs. Lyon, Wickham, and Barksdale managers at said conference on their part. The Speaker of the House of Representatives having signed an enrolled bill, I am directed to bring it to the Senate for the signature of their President.

Mr. Hill presented the memorial of the mechanics and artisans of the city of Columbus, Ga., praying to be relieved from the hardships laid upon them by their present organization into "reserved corps;" which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.

Mr. Dortch, from the committee, reported that they had examined and found truly enrolled bills of the following titles:

S. 134. An act to increase the maximum rates of compensation allowed to railroad companies for the transportation of the mails of the Confederate States; and

S. 153. An act appropriating, for the use of the Post-Office Depart