which he is directly interested; or in any case where he was not present when the question was put.

17. Every member who shall be in the House when question is put, shall give his vote, unless the House for special reasons shall excuse him.

18. No motion shall be debated until the same shall be seconded and stated from the chair; and when a motion shall be made and seconded, it shall be reduced to writing, if desired by the Speaker or any member, and delivered in at the table, and read by the Speaker, before the same shall be debated.

19. No petition shall be received by the House, unless it be presented by a member thereof, and upon motion made for that purpose, nor until the substance of said petition be concisely minuted and the name of the member and the town he represents recorded upon the back thereof; and it shall be the duty of the Speaker, whenever any motion relative to a petition is to be stated to the House, to state, in the first place, the substance of the petition, as minuted on the back thereof.

20. After a motion is stated by the Speaker, it shall be in possession of the House, but may be withdrawn at any time before an amendment.

21. When any question is under debate, no motion shall be received but, 1st, to adjourn; 2d, to lie on the table; 3d, to postpone indefinitely; 4th, to postpone to a day certain; 5th, to commit; and 6th, to amend; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they are arranged. Motions to adjourn and lie on the table shall be decided without debate.

22. When a question is postponed indefinitely, the same shall not be acted upon during the session.

23. Any member may call for a division of the question, when the sense will admit of it.

24. A motion for commitment, until it is decided, shall preclude all amendment to the main question; and all motions and reports may be committed at the pleasure of the House.

25. No new motion shall be admitted under color of amendment, as a substitute for the motion under debate.

26. No vote shall be reconsidered, unless the motion for reconsideration be made by a member who voted with the majority, nor unless notice of such motion be given on the same day on which the vote passed, or on the next day on which the House shall be in session, between the hours of ten and twelve o'clock.

27. When the reading of a paper is called for, and objected to by any member, it shall be determined by a vote of the House.

28. Any member may excuse himself from serving on any committee, at the time of his appointment, if he is then a member of two other committees who have not reported.

29. Each member shall seasonably and punctually attend his duty in the House, and no one shall absent himself from the service of the House unless he have leave, or be sick and unable to. attend.

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30. The Speaker shall appoint a sergeant-at-arms whenever may be necessary to execute the commands of the House and process issued by its authority.

OF STANDING COMMITTEES.

31. The following standing committees shall be appointed early in the June session:

A committee on Elections; a committee on the Judiciary; committee on Banks; a committee on the State Prison; a committee on Public Lands; a committee on Agriculture; a committee on Manufactures; a committee on Finance; a committee on Military Affairs; a committee on Education; a committee on Incorporations; a committee on Towns and Parishes; a committee on the Division of Towns; a committee on, the Asylum for the Insane; a committee on Railroads; a committee on Roads, Bridges and Canals; a committee on Unfinished Business; a committee on Mileage; to consist of ten members each.

A committee on Bills on their Second Reading; a committee on Printers' Accounts; a committee on Military Accounts; and a committee on Claims-to consist of seven members each.

A committtee on the Alteration of Names, to consist of five members.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Elections to examine and report upon the certificate or other credentials of the election of the members returned to serve in this House, and to take into consideration all such petitions and other matters in relation to elections and returns, as shall or may be presented, or come in question, and shall be referred to them by the House.

It shall be the duty of the committee on the Judiciary to take into their consideration all matters in relation to the judiciary system of this State; to examine and report what laws have expired or are near expiring, and require to be revived or further continued, and report their opinion on all constitutional questions that may be referred to them by the House.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Banks to consider all

applications for the incorporation of banks, and all subjects relating to such institutions, that may be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on the State Prison to take into consideration all matters in relation to the State Prison, to examine all reports and accounts that may be submitted by the Warden, and make such report, either by bill or otherwise, as they think the interest of the State requires.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Public Lands to consider all proposals and applications for the sale of public lands, and every other matter in relation to them, that may be referred to the committee by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Agriculture to take into their consideration all matters concerning the agricultural interests of the State, and the incorporation of agricultural societies, that shall be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Finance to examine and take into consideration the state of the treasury, to report what sum it may be necessary to raise as a State tax, and on every subject touching the financial interests of the State, that may be referred to them by the House.

It shall be the duty of the Military committee to consider all applications for altering or amending laws regulating the militia of this State, and for the removal of militia officers, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Roads, Bridges and Canals to consider all applications for the incorporation of turnpikes, bridges or canals, and for the alteration of tolls, and all matters relative thereto, that may be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Railroads to consider all petitions for the incorporation of railroads; for alterations; and all matters relative thereto, that may be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Education to consider all subjects relative to the regulation of school districts and schools, and all matters concerning education, that may be referred to them by the House, and report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Towns and Parishes to consider all applications for the altering of town or parish lines, by the annexation of one portion of a town or parish to another town or parish, that may be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Division of Towns, to consider all applications for incorpororation of towns or parishes by division of towns or otherwise, that may be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Incorporations to consider and report on all applications for acts of incorporation, and all other matters which may come in question relative to bodies · corporate, that may be referred to them by the House, excepting those relating to towns, parishes, turnpikes, railroads, canals, banks, agricultural societies and factories.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Unfinished Business to examine and report from the journals of the last session, all such matters as were then pending and undetermined.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Mileage to ascertain the distance travelled by each member of the House, computing the same by the nearest public travelled highway, and report to the House, with the names of the several members, the distance travelled by each.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Bills on the Second Reading to take into consideration all bills on the second reading, that may be committed for amendment, or otherwise, and to make such report thereon as they may think expedient.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Printers' Accounts to examine and adjust all accounts against the State for printing, and every subject relating to such accounts, that may be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Military Accounts to examine, adjust and report on all accounts relative to the militia, that may be referred to them by the House.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Claims to audit, adjust and report on all accounts and claims that may be presented for allowance, except accounts for printing, military accounts, and accounts for engrossing bills.

It shall be the duty of the committee on Manufactures to consider of all matters concerning the manufacturing interests of the State, and all applications for incorporation for manufacturing purposes which shall be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

It shall be the duty of the committee on the Asylum for the Insane to examine all accounts, particularly those relating to the expenditure of moneys appropriated by the State; to examine in relation to the rules and government of the institution and all matters of general interest connected therewith; and all

such matters as shall be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

32. All other committees shall consist of three members, unless otherwise ordered.

33. The standing committees shall attend at their respective committee rooms two hours before the meeting of the House in the morning, and at such other times as the House shall order; and no committee shall sit during the sitting of the House, unless when the Speaker shall consider it to be necessary.

34. The first named member of any committee appointed by the Speaker of the House, shall be chairman; and in case of his absence, or being excused by the House, the next named member, and so on as often as the case shall happen, unless the committee by a majority of the number, elect a chairman. And when any committee shall report otherwise than by bill, they shall, if the subject admit of it, subjoin to their report, a resolution making such disposition of the matter committed to them as to the committee shall seem expedient.

35. Whenever it shall not be convenient for any standing committee to attend properly to all the business which may properly be referred to it, the Speaker may, on a vote of the House to that effect, appoint an additional committee upon the same subject, to consist of the same number of members as the original committee, whose duty it shall be to take into consideration all matters in relation to that subject which shall be referred to them by the House, and to report thereon.

ON BILLS.

36. Every bill and joint resolution shall be introduced by motion for leave, or by an order of the House, on the report of a committee; no bill or joint resolution shall be introduced by any member, (except on the report of a committee,) unless he shall have given at least one day's notice of his intention, and of the object of the bill or resolution to be introduced.

37. Every bill shall have three several readings in the House previous to its passage; the first reading shall be for information, and thereupon, when the bill shall have been introduced by a committee, if not rejected or otherwise disposed of, a time shall be assigned for its second reading; and upon the second reading, if not rejected or otherwise disposed of by the House, a time shall be assigned for a third reading. When a bill shall have been introduced by a member upon leave, or by message