In testimony whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the City of Philadelphia the twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the twenty-first. JOHN ADAMS. By the President: TIMOTHY PICKERING, _Secretary of State_. MONDAY, May 15, 1797. This being the day appointed by the Proclamation of the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, of the 25th of March last, for the meeting of Congress, the following members of the House of Representatives appeared, produced their credentials, and took their seats, to wit: _From New Hampshire._--ABIEL FOSTER and JONATHAN FREEMAN. _From Massachusetts._--THEOPHILUS BRADBURY, DWIGHT FOSTER, NATHANIEL FREEMAN, Jr., SAMUEL LYMAN, HARRISON GRAY OTIS, JOHN READ, SAMUEL SEWALL, WILLIAM SHEPARD, GEORGE THATCHER, JOSEPH BRADLEY VARNUM, and PELEG WADSWORTH. _From Rhode Island._--CHRISTOPHER G. CHAMPLIN and ELISHA R. POTTER. _From Connecticut._--JOSHUA COIT, SAMUEL W. DANA, JAMES DAVENPORT, CHAUNCEY GOODRICH, ROGER GRISWOLD, and NATHANIEL SMITH. _From Vermont._--MATTHEW LYON. _From New York._--DAVID BROOKS, JAMES COCHRAN, LUCAS ELMENDORPH, HENRY GLENN, JONATHAN N. HAVENS, HEZEKIAH L. HOSMER, EDWARD LIVINGSTON, JOHN E. VAN ALLEN, PHILIP VAN CORTLANDT, and JOHN WILLIAMS. _From New Jersey._--JONATHAN DAYTON, JAMES H. IMLAY, and MARK THOMPSON. _From Pennsylvania._--DAVID BARD, JOHN CHAPMAN, GEORGE EGE, ALBERT GALLATIN, JOHN ANDRE HANNA, THOMAS HARTLEY, JOHN WILKES KITTERA, BLAIR M'CLENACHAN, SAMUEL SITGREAVES, JOHN SWANWICK, and RICHARD THOMAS. _From Maryland._--GEORGE BAER, Jr., WILLIAM CRAIK, JOHN DENNIS, GEORGE DENT, WILLIAM HINDMAN, WILLIAM MATTHEWS, and RICHARD SPRIGG, Jr. _From Virginia._--SAMUEL JORDAN CABELL, THOMAS CLAIBORNE, MATTHEW CLAY, JOHN CLOPTON, JOHN DAWSON, THOMAS EVANS, WILLIAM B. GILES, CARTER B. HARRISON, DAVID HOLMES, WALTER JONES, JAMES MACHIR, DANIEL MORGAN, ANTHONY NEW, JOHN NICHOLAS, ABRAM TRIGG, and ABRAHAM VENABLE. _From North Carolina._--THOMAS BLOUNT, NATHAN BRYAN, JAMES GILLESPIE, WILLIAM BARRY GROVE, MATTHEW LOCKE, NATHANIEL MACON, RICHARD STANFORD, and ROBERT WILLIAMS. _From South Carolina._--ROBERT GOODLOE HARPER, JOHN RUTLEDGE, Jr., and WILLIAM SMITH, (of Charleston District.) _From Georgia._--ABRAHAM BALDWIN and JOHN MILLEDGE. And a quorum, consisting of a majority of the whole number, being present, The House proceeded, by ballot, to the choice of a SPEAKER; and, upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole House was found in favor of JONATHAN DAYTON, one of the Representatives for the State of New Jersey: whereupon, Mr. DAYTON was conducted to the chair, from whence he made his acknowledgments to the House, as follows: