Mr. Hunter moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the joint resolution was agreed to, which motion was rejected. Mr. Armstrong moved that when the house adjourns to-day it adjourn to meet on Monday next at 11 o'clock A. M., which was rejected. Mr. J. Armistead Carter stated that he was requested by his colleague, Mr. Harrison, to state that had he been present on yesterday when the vote was taken on the passage of house bill entitled an act to amend and re-enact section one of chapter 147 of the Code of 1873, extending the jurisdiction of justices in civil cases to one hundred dollars, No. 71, he would have voted in the affirmative. The report of the committee for courts of justice (unfinished business of the morning hour), as follows, came up : The committe for courts of justice have, according to order, had under consideration a resolution to them referred for amending section 33 of chapter 49 of the Code of 1873, so as to provide that in case of exemption from distress in favor of husband or parent, that an amount in value of exemption shall be fixed, instead of enumerated articles, and permit the husband or parent to make the selection of such articles as he may desire, equal in value to the amount of exemption, and have adopted the following resolution: Resolved (as the opinion of this committee), That it is inexpedient to legislate on the subject. The report was agreed to. The following were presented and referred under rule 37: By Mr. Lee: A bill for the relief of the sureties of John R. Phan, late sheriff of Alleghany county. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. Webb: A bill to amend and re-enact section 1, chapter 146 of the Code of 1873, in relation to limitation of entry on or action for land. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. Fulkerson: A bill to incorporate the Abingdon academy of medicine. Referred to committee on propositions and grievances. By Mr. Cockerille: A memorial of citizens of Fairfax courthouse, asking for the passage of a law prohibiting sale of ardent spirits on the Sabbath. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. Brown: Resolved, That the committee on retrenchment and economy inquire into and report to this house whether the public interest requires the services of ten clerks and one messenger to do the work in the first auditor's office; and if not, what reduction of this force shall be made. 2d. Whether five clerks be actually necessary to do the work in the second auditor's office; if not, what reduction of force should be made. Also, whether the office of adjutant-general, in these days of peace, should cost the State $2,000; and whether the duties of superintendent of public buildings, which office now costs the State $1,200, could not be equally as well performed by the register of the land office by a small increase of the salary of said officer. The morning hour having expired, the house proceeded to the business on the calendar. No. 55. House bill entitled an act for the relief of sheriffs in the service of civil process of other counties than the one in which they reside, came up. The amendments of the senate were agreed to. No. 60. House bill entitled an act to amend the second section of chapter 109 of the Code of 1873, in relation to escheators, came up. The amendment of the senate was agreed to. No. 55. Senate bill entitled an act to incorporate the One Dollar savings bank at Charlottesville, was read a third time and passed. Mr. Magruder moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the bill was passed, which motion was rejected. No. 5. House engrossed bill to amend fourth section, chapter 182, Code of 1873, with reference to judgment liens, was read a third time and passed. Mr. Graves moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the bill was passed, which motion was rejected. No. 15. House bill authorizing D. A. Plecker to erect a toll-bridge across North river, at Mount Crawford, in Rockingham county, was read a second time. The amendments proposed by the committee on roads and internal navigation were agreed to. The bill, as amended, was ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time. No. 26. House joint resolution to amend and re-enact joint resolution directing a distribution of the new Code when published, approved April 2, 1873, came up. The question being on agreeing to the substitute proposed by the committee on finance, The substitute was amended and agreed to. The joint resolution as amended was agreed to. The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time. Mr. Critz moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time, which was rejected. No. 69. House bill to authorize the school trustees of Stonewall district, in the county of Richmond, to appropriate for school purposes the dog tax for 1872 in said county, was, On motion of Mr. Round, dismissed. No. 73. House bill to amend and re-enact an act entitled an act authorizing certain commissioners to sell a certain lot of land in Winchester belonging to the Winchester academy, was read a second time and ordered to be engrossed to be read a third time. On motion of Mr. J. L. Nash, the house adjourned until Monday next at 12 o'clock M. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1874. Prayer by Rev. Henry Clay Cheatham, of the Methodist church. The journal was read by the clerk. A communication from the senate, by their clerk, was read as follows: In Senate, February 7, 1874. The senate have agreed to house resolution asking for the appointment of a committee of conference on the subjects of disagreement between the two houses in relation to house bill (No. 13) entitled an act to amend section 6, chapter 201 of the Code of 1873, with reference to larceny. The speaker appointed Messrs. Coghill, Ould and Blair the committee on the part of the house under the joint resolution for the appointment of a committee of conference on house bill No. 13. The following senate bills were reported from the committee on finance : No. 63. Senate bill entitled an act to provide artificial limbs for soldiers maimed in war, and for other purposes, with an amendment. No. 117. Senate bill entitled an act to release certain taxes and county levies in the county of Elizabeth City and other counties. No. 117. House bill to protect mocking birds in the counties of Westmoreland and Richmond, reported from the committee on propositions and grievances, was read a first time. No. 118. House bill to declare Staunton river between certain points a lawful fence, reported from the committee on counties, cities and towns, was read a first time. No. 119. House bill for the protection of sheep in the counties of Clarke and Frederick, reported from the committee on agriculture and mining, was read a first time. No. 120. House bill to confirm sale made by trustees of Tinker Creek Baptist church, and empower them to convey land sold to the Big Lick board of public free school trustees, reported from the committee on schools and colleges, was read a first time. No. 121. House joint resolution fixing the time for adjournment of both houses of the general assembly on the first day of March, reported from the committee on finance with a recommendation that it do not pass, was read a first time. The following report was agreed to: The committee on privileges and elections have, according to order, had under consideration the petition of Henry Turpin contesting the election of Edmund S. Pendleton, the member returned from the county of Goochland, and after a careful examination of the testimony pre sented by the parties, recommend the adoption of the following resolution : Resolved, That Edmund S. Pendleton was duly elected on the 4th day of November, 1873, as the member of the house of delegates from the county of Goochland, and is entitled to a seat therein as such. Leave of absence was granted Messrs. Swann one day and Young five days. Mr. Stuart, under a suspension of the rules, offered the following resolution : Resolved, That the committee for courts of justice be and they are hereby instructed to prepare and report a bill which shall provide that in future all acts incurred in the arrest, custody and trial of persons charged with criminal offences in the several counties and cities of this Commonwealth, shall be defrayed out of the treasuries of the respective counties and cities, in the courts of which said prosecutions are conducted, and not out of the treasury of the State. The resolution was agreed to-yeas 45; nays 43. On motion of Mr. Jack Carter, the vote was recorded as follows: YEAS-Messrs. Alexander, Anderson, Armentrout, Armstrong, Banks, Beaton, Bickings, Blair, Branch, J. Armistead Carter, Peter J. Carer, Cecil, Cockerille, Cox, Crank, Fitzpatrick, Flood, T. S. Gibson, Gilliam, Hale, Hamilton, Harris, Hill, Holbrook, John T. Hoskins, Hunter, Koiner, J. Horace Lacy, Lee, Lipps, Lipscomb, Longley, Lovell, Magruder, McGonigal, Nickens, Pendleton, Raius, Sellers, Stuart, Wallace, Whittaker, Williams, Yager, and Mr. Speaker-45. NAYS-Messrs. Bagwell, Bohannon, Brown, Jack Carter, A. J. Clark, Critz, Davis, Dooley, Finney, Franklin, Fulkerson, Gaines, Gardner, P. Gibson, Gilman, Goodwyn, Graves, Griffith, Haden, James, Jett, Jordan, B. W. Lacy, Lamkin, Lightner, Lovenstein, May, McMullan, Montague, Morris, John L. Nash, Neeley, Onld, Pannill, Powell, Richmond, Spratt, Syphax, Taliaferro, Taylor, Webb, Wharton, and Withers-43. Mr. P. J. Carter moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the resolution was agreed to, which motion was rejected. The following were presented and referred under rule 37: By Mr. Powell: A bill to amend and re-enact 16th section, eighth chapter, Code of Virginia (edition 1873), in relation to elections. Referred to committee on privileges and elections. By Mr. Beaton: A bill to incorporate the town of Lawrenceville, in Brunswick county. Referred to committee on counties, cities and towns. By Mr. B. W. Lacy: Resolved, That the committee on the Chesapeake and its tributaries. inquire into the expediency of enacting a law for the protection of sturgeon in the tidal rivers, and to prevent the destruction of young sturgeon in the autumn, and make report to this house by bill or otherwisc. By Mr. Lovenstein: A bill incorporating the Germania Mænnerchor of the city of Richmond. Referred to committee on propositions and grievances. By Mr. Dooley: A bill to amend and re-enact section 35, chapter 172, Code of 1873, with reference to depositions. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. Richmond: Joint resolution directing the president and directors of the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio railroad company to commence the work on the road to Cumberland Gap. Referred to committee on roads and internal navigation. By Mr. Gilliam: A bill to amend and re-enact chapter 99, section 9, Code of 1873, in reference to killing wild fowl, and to protect the catching thereof in nets or traps. Referred to committee on propositions and grievances. By Mr. Taliaferro: Resolved, That the joint committee on constitutional amendments be instructed to inquire into the power of the general assembly to frame and submit for ratification to the people of this State a new constitution, and if in their judgment such power exists and it shall be deemed expedient, that they shall report to the general assembly such new constitution for its consideration. By Mr. Armstrong: Resolved, That the joint committee on constitutional amendments be requested to inquire into the expediency of amending the constitution by adding to the eighth line of the first section of the third article, after the word "voting," the words: "paupers and all persons who have been assessed with taxes, for either State or county purposes, for the year next preceding any election at which they may propose to vote, and have failed to pay the same." By Mr. Armstrong: Resolved, That the joint committee on constitutional amendments be requested to inquire into the expediency of amending the constitution by striking out the word "annually," in the first line of the sixth section and fifth article, and insert the word "biennially." By Mr. A. J. Clark: A bill to amend and re-enact section 26, chapter 47, in relation to clerks of boards of supervisors. Referred to committee on counties, cities and towns. By Mr. Armstrong: A bill to amend and re-enact sections 1, 5 and 6 of chapter 174 of the Code of 1873, making it the duty of sheriffs or sergeants to execute decrees of sales by any court, and allowing them compensation therefor. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. Armstrong: A petition of a portion of the citizens of the county of Rockingham, praying for the passage of a law providing that in all cases where the courts decree the sale of lands, that the sheriffs be appointed commissioners to sell the same. Referred to committee for courts of justice. By Mr. Gilman: Resolved, That the committee for courts of justice be directed to inquire and report upon the expediency of the State's uniting with the corporation authorities of the city of Richmond in the erection of a suitable courthouse for the use of the supreme court of appeals and law library, in connection with the courts of the city of Richmond; and in view of such action, to determine what disposition shall be made of the |