Lansing, Friday, January 11, 1861. The President called the Senate to order at 10 o'clock. Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Armstrong. Roll called quorum present. Journal of yesterday read and approved. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES. By the committee on State affairs: The committee on State affairs, to whom was referred A bill to amend sections 7, 13 and 21, chapter 12, of the re vised statutes, being sections 154, 160 and 173 of the compiled laws; Also, A bill to repeal act No. 29, of the session laws of 1859, Beg leave to report that they have had the same under consideration, and herewith return them to the Senate without amendment, and recommend that they do pass, and ask to be discharged from the further consideration thereof. All of which is respectfully submitted, B. G. STOUT, Chairman. The report was accepted, the committee discharged, the first named bill ordered printed, referred to the committee of the whole and placed on the general order, and the last named bill ordered to a third reading. By the committee on public instruction: The committee on public instruction, to whom was referred A bill to amend section 2033 of the compiled laws, relative to gifts and bequests to religious societies, Report that they have had the same under consideration, and return the same to the Senate without amendment, and recommend that the bill be laid on the table and printed. S. L. WITHEY, Chairman. The report was accepted, the committee discharged and the bill laid on the table and ordered printed. By the committee on public lands: The committee on public lands, to whom was referred A bill to repeal act No. 197, of the session laws of 1859, being an act entitled an act to restore certain sections of land to town six south of range five east, approved February 15, 1859, Report that they have had said bill under consideration, and return the same to the Senate without amendment, and recommend that it do pass. EZRA HAZEN, Chairman. The report was accepted, the committee discharged, and the bill ordered to a third reading. COMMUNICATIONS FROM STATE OFFICERS. The President announced the following: OFFICE OF SUPT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, To the HON. JAMES BIRNEY, President of the Senate: DEAR SIR: The State Printers being prevented by the pressure of other work from completing the work on my annual report, and the information contained therein being important for the use of the Legislature, I have caused copies of the same, as far as printed, to be laid on the tables of the Honorable Senators. I write this to explain the reason of the imperfect state of those copies. Yours respectfully, SIR-I am instructed by the House to transmit the following bill, entitled A bill to facilitate the commencement of suts against joint defendants residing in several counties; Which has passed the House by a majority vote of all the members elect, and by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elect, been ordered to take immediate effect, and in all of which the concurrence of the Senate is respectfully asked. Very respectfully, ED. W. BARBER, Clerk of the House of Representatives. The message was laid on the table, and the bill read twice and referred to the committee on the judiciary. The President also announced the following: To the President of the Senate: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, } SIR: I am instructed by the House to transmit the following entitled bill: A bill to provide for the restoration of lost records, papers, or other proceedings, in courts of record; Which has passed the House by a majority vote of all the members elect, and in which the concurrence of the Senate is respectfully asked. Very respectfully, ED. W. BARBER, Clerk of House of Representatives. The message was laid on the table, and the bill road twice and referred to the committee on the judiciary. MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES. On motion of Mr. Ingersoll, The following concurrent resolution was taken from the table: Resolved, (the House concurring,) That the committees of the Senate and House of Representatives on the State Prison, be empowered to act as a joint committee, and that they have leave to visit the State Prison, examine the same in all its parts, and report to the Senate and House any change they may deem necessary to be made in the mechanical departments, or otherwise, and the amount necessary to be appropriated for the use and support or improvement of said prison for the next two years; Which resolution was adopted by the following vote, Mr. De Land calling for the yeas and nays: Mr. Bailey, YEAS. Mr. McDermid, Strickland, Resolved, That the committee on judiciary be instructed to report to the Senate whether any modification of act No. 189, of the session laws of 1859, is necessary in order more fully to define the duties of Judges of Probate. Senate bill, entitled THIRD READING. A bill to repeal act No. 197 of the session laws of 1859, being an act entitled "an act to restore certain sections of land to town six south of range five east," approved February 15, 1859, Was read a third time and passed, a majority of all the Senators elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays as follows: The title was agreed to, and the bill ordered to take immediate effect by a vote of two-thirds of all the Senators elect. Senate bill, entitled A bill to repeal act No. 29 of the session laws of 1859, Was read a third time and passed, a majority of all the Sen ators elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays as follows: The title was agreed to, and the bill ordered to take imme diate effect, by a vote of two-thirds of all the Senators elect. GENERAL ORDER. On motion of Mr. Stout, The Senate went into committee of the whole, for the consideration of the general order, the President calling Mr. Stout to the chair. After some time spent in committee of the whole, the committee rose, and, through the chairman, reported to the Senate that the committee had had under consideration Senate bill No. 2, being A bill to amend section 2581 of the compiled laws, being section 4 of an act entitled an act to provide for the collection of tolls, and for the care and charge of the St. Mary's Falls Ship Canal, approved February 12, 1855; Which the committee had amended by striking out section 2; Also, Senate bill No. 1, being A bill to amend an act entitled an act to provide for the incorporation of railroad companies, approved February 12, 1855; |