ration of four years; and the number of these classes shall be so proportioned that one-half of the whole number of Senators may, as nearly as possible, continue to be chosen thereafter every second year.

Mr. G. W. WILLIAMS submitted the following report:

The Special Committee appointed to prepare and report upon Rules for the Government of the Senate, respectfully report the following: They are in the main the Rules heretofore adopted by the Senate, and where changes and alterations have been made, they are such as necessarily arise from changes which have been made in the Senate itself, and which alterations appeared to the Committee necessary to the prompt and efficient discharge of business.

Respectfully submitted,

G. W. WILLIAMS, Chairman.

RULE I.

Every Member, when speaking, shall address the Chair, standing in his place.

RULE II.

No Member shall, without leave of the Senate, speak more than twice on the same question, in one day, unless to explain.

RULE III.

If two or more Members rise at the same time, the President shall decide who shall speak first.

RULE IV.

Every Member, when speaking, shall adhere to the question before the Senate, and shall not be interrupted, unless he depart from it.

1.

RULE V.

When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received, unless : To adjourn; 2. To call for the order of the day; 3. To lie on the table; 4. For the provious question; 5. To postpone indefinitely; 6. To postpone to a day certair; 7. To commit ; 8. Or to amend; which several motions shall have precedence in the order in which they stand arranged.

RULE VI.

Every question of order shall be decided by the President, without debate, subject to an apneal from his decision.

2

RULE VII.

If any Member absent himself without leave, he shall be sent for at his private expense, and be kept in custody of the Messenger, until discharged by order of the Senate.

RULE VIII.

When a motion to adjourn is made and seconded, there shall be no debate before the question of adjournment shall have been decided.

RULE IX.

When the President shall have taken the Chair, no Member shall pass him covered, nor shall any Member pass between the Chair and a Member addressing the Chair.

RULE X.

When there is a division of the Senate on any question, and it shall be required by two Members, the question shall be decided by yeas and nays; and on taking the same, no Member who is absent when the affirmative and negative have been both put, shall be allowed to vote, without leave of the Senate.

RULE XI.

When a Member intends to protest against any proceeding of the Senate, he shall give notice of his intention so to do immediately after the determination of the business, and shall be allowed three days, and no longer, from that time, (unless by leave of the Senate,) to deliver his protest; but in case of the adjournment thereof, such protest, if given to the President, shall be entered on the journals.

RULE XII.

In taking any question by yeas and nays, the President shall be called on last, and shall be at liberty to assign the reasons for his vote.

RULE XIII.

All Committees of the Senate shall be appointed by the President, unless otherwise especially directed, in which case they shall be appointed by ballot; all Committees shall have leave to report by bill or otherwise.

RULE XIV.

The Standing Committees of the Senate shall be the following, to wit: 1st. A Committee on Privileges and Elections.

2d. A Committee on Federal Relations.

3d. A Committee on Finance and Banks.

4th. A Committee on the Judiciary.

5th. A Committee on Accounts, Vacant Offices and Printing. 6th. A Committee on Claims and Grievances.

7th. A Committee on the Military and Pensions.

8th. A Committee on the College, Education and the Legislative Library.

9th. A Committee on Incorporations and Engrossed Acts.

10th. A Committee on Agriculture and Internal Improvements.

11th, A Committee on Roads and Buildings.

12th. A Committee on the Lunatic Asylum and Medical Accounts.

13th. A Committee on Commerce, Manufactures and Mechanic Arts. 14th. A Committee on Colored Population.

RULE XV.

None of the Standing Committees enumerated in the foregoing Rule shall consist of more than five or less than three Members.

RULE XVI.

No Member shall withdraw a motion, which may have been regularly made and seconded, and put by the President, without leave of the Senate.

RULE XVII.

No question shall be put by the Chair, or any motion made, until seconded.

RULE XVIII.

No Member shall present a petition without having first endorsed the subject-matter thereof, and his name.

RULE XIX.

Reports shall be separately made on not less than half a sheet of paper, and be signed by the Chairman, or a majority of the Committee.

RULE XX.

In filling up blanks, the largest sum, and longest time, shall be first put.

RULE XXI.

When a motion has been made, and disposed of, any Member of the majority may move for the reconsideration thereof, on the same or the succeeding day. And when the Senate are equally divided on any question, any Member may, in like manner, move a reconsideration of the same.

RULE XXII.

All questions relating to the priority of business to be acted on, shall be decided without debate.

RULE XXIII.

After commitment and report of a Bill to the Senate, or at any time before its passage, it may be recommitted.

RULE XXIV.

Any Bill may, on motion, be referred to a Committee, immediately after its reading.

RULE XXV.

No clause shall be introduced or inserted in a Bill, other than such as relates to the general subject of the Bill.

RULE XXVI.

No amendment or rider, offered by a Member, shall be added to any Bill at the third reading, unless notice of the substance of the amendment be given in writing, and be read from the Chair, at the second reading of the Bill; nor shall any such amendment or rider, or any amendment made in and sent from the other House, on the third reading of a Bill, be adopted, unless the same be first referred to and reported by a Committee.

RULE XXVII.

All Messages to the House of Representatives shall be sent by either of the Clerks, as directed by the Chair.

RULE XXVIII.

The Reading Clerk shall be charged with the duty of having executed, in a prompt and accurate manner, all the printing ordered by the Senate.

RULE XXIX.

When no other hour is fixed by a vote of the Senate, the hour to which the Senate, on an adjournment, shall be deemed to stand adjourned, shall be ten o'clock of the following day, except Sunday.

RULE XXX.

At the close of every Session, the Members of the Senate shall be required to hand into the Clerk all Petitions not reported on, and all Papers in anywise appertaining to the Legislative business of the Senate, that the same may be regularjy filed in his office.

RULE XXXI.

In all cases not embraced by the foregoing Rules, the Senate shall be governed by usage, and the "Manual of Parliamentary Practice."

RULE XXXII.

No motion to rescind, or alter, either of the foregoing Rules, shall be considered on the day on which such motion is made.

RULE XXXIII.

When the General Orders of the Day have been taken up, any Member may move to continue a matter when called in the Calendar, to the next session; and if the Senate agree thereto, the matter shall be thereupon continued, and the Clerk of the Senate shall make up a Calendar of all the matters so continued, placing the same thereon in the order in which they have been continued, and at the ensuing session the continued matters shall be taken up and considered in the same stage in which they were when so continued, and matters ordered to be placed in the General Orders, at the said ensuing session, shall be placed there in turn, and have priority according to the last order for consideration made upon them, and the Calendar shall be proceeded in as heretofore provided; a motion to continue shall have precedence to a motion to lay on the table, and shall be decided after such short conversation as the President may, in his discretion, permit.

The report was considered and agreed to, and fifty copies of the Rules were ordered to be printed for the use of the Senate.

SPECIAL ORDER FOR 1 P. M.

At 1 P. M., the Senate proceeded to the election of Reading Clerk, which had been assigned for this hour.

Mr. TOWNSEND moved that each of the candidates should read before the Senate a certain portion of manuscript, to enable the Senators to judge of their qualifications; which was considered and rejected. The Senate then proceeded with the election.

On the first call of the roll, the Senators voted as follows:

Hon. F. J. Moses, President, and Messrs. Thomson, Wilson, Hemphill, Bratton, Skipper, Boozer, McDuffie, Townsend and Johnson for Mr. J. C. Kennedy.

Messrs. Henery, Manning, Tracy, Tillman, Sullivan, J. H. Williams, Winsmith, Beaty, McCutchen for Mr. Lesesne.

Messrs. Shingler, Buist, Townes, G. W. Williams and Kershaw for Mr. Hayne.

For Mr. Kennedy, 11.

For Mr. Lesesne, 9.

For Mr. Hayne, 5.

Twenty-five votes having been given, there was no election.

The roll was again called, and Mr. Hayne having been withdrawn, the Senators voted as follows:

Hon. F. J. Moses, President, and Messrs. Thomson, Wilson, Hemphill Bratton, Townes, Skipper, Boozer, McDuffie, Townsend, Grisham and Johnson, for Mr. J. C. Kennedy.