was frozen, and that, in some instances, they were obliged to attach sixteen horses to a boat; that they were obliged to unload the boats and transport the articles over land for some distance, in order to put them on board of the vessels at Albany, and that Mr. Ely incurred considerable additional expense. It appears from the account of Griffith & Wellet, that the whole expense of transportation from Rochester to Brooklyn exceeded $10 per ton. The Hon. Mr. Hawkins, a member of this House, agreed to transport the stores from Genesee river to Rochester, at $1 00 per ton, but in consequence of not receiving them in season, and in less quantities than was agreed on, he charged them $1 25 per ton, besides incidental expenses, amounting to $56 51. A statement is presented to the committee, signed by many respectable gentlemen, who were intimately acquainted with the price of transportation from Sackett's Harbor to New York, in the year 1825, and they say, that the ordinary price was $15 per ton, and that it was worth twenty per cent more to transport heavy articles, such as cannon and anchors, than it was to transport the ordinary property generally passing between those places. The committee is not disposed to vary the terms of the contract, or to grant relief, because it was a hard bargain; but believing that a part of the articles were not delivered within a reasonable time after the 10th of June, thereby making it much more expensive to the petitioners to transport them than it would have been if they had been delivered in season, the committee think that this expense, whatever it may amount to, should be paid by the United States. All the testimony establishes the fact, that the petitioners had made the most ample arrangements for fulfilling the contract on their part, and that they prosecuted them with great zeal. The amount of damages sustained, is not rendered sufficiently certain to report a specific sum. Their adjustment will be referred to one of the accounting officers.. As to the amount claimed for expenses incurred in obtaining their money, the committee think this is inadmissible. DANIEL JOHNSON. MARCH 26, 1830. Mr. DRAYTON, from the Committee on Military Affairs, made the following REPORT: The Committee on Military Affairs, to which was referred the petition of Daniel Johnson, report: That the petitioner sets forth, that, on the 16th September, 1800, he was bound by indentures of apprenticeship, to the then Superintendent of the United States' Armory at Harper's Ferry, to learn the trade of an armorer, from the date of his indentures until he should attain the age of 21 years; that he was entitled, under his indentures, to board, clothing, and lodging, and a certain portion of education, and at the expiration of his service, to two suits of clothes; that he remained during the whole period of his apprenticeship, the duties of which he diligently and faithfully performed, without the benefit of any education, and without receiving the two suits of clothes, entitled; he therefore prays, that Congress would grant to him, either the amount which accrued to the United States, from his manual labor whilst he was at the Armory, as a compensation for the injury which he has sustained, from the non-performance of its contract on the part of the Government, or at least, that a sum of money may be awarded to him, equivalent to what his schooling, for a reasonable time, would cost, and to the price of two suits of clothes. to which he was The facts alleged by the petitioner, which are established by the clearest testimony, exhibit a case of peculiar injury and injustice towards him. Immediately after leaving Harper's Ferry, he married, and shortly became the father of a family, for whose support he was compelled to give so unremitting an attention to his business as to be deprived of the opportunity of deVoting any leisure time to the acquisition of even reading and writing, the mere elements of education. Under these circumstances, the committee consider the petitioner entitled, at least, to a sum of money equal to what would have been expended by him, after he had quitted the Armory upon his schooling, clothing, board, and lodging, for one year; and also, to the cost of two suits of clothing; for which amount they therefore report a bill.. For schooling, clothing, board, and lodging, for one year, at $12 a month, For the cost of two suits of clothing, - $144 00 50 00 $194 00 |