ouisiana, which lies north of thirty-six
degrees and thirty minutes north latitude, etc. But on the following
day he withdrew his original amendment, and submitted the following:

"_And be it further enacted_, That in all the territory ceded by
France to the United States, under the name of Louisiana, which
lies north of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes, north latitude,
excepting only such part thereof as is included within the limits
of the State contemplated by this act, slavery and involuntary
servitude, otherwise than in the punishment of crime whereof the
party shall have been duly convicted, shall be and is hereby
forever prohibited. Provided always, that any person escaping
into the same, from where labor or service is lawfully claimed in
any State or territory of the United States, such fugitive may be
lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her
labor or service as aforesaid."

Mr. Trimble, of Ohio, offered a substitute, but it was rejected. The
question recurring upon the passage of the amendment of Mr. Thomas,
excluding slavery from all the territory north and west of Missouri,
it was carried by a vote of 34 to 20.

Thus amended, the bill was ordered to engrossment by a vote of 24 to
20. On the 18th of February the bill passed, and this was its
condition when it came to the House. By a vote of 93 to 72 the House
agreed not to leave the Missouri question on the Maine bill as a
rider; but immediately thereafter struck out the Thomas Senate
amendment by a vote of 159 to 18. The House disagreed to the
remaining Senate amendments, striking out the clause restricting
slavery in Missouri by a vote of 102 to 68.

Thus rejected, the bill was returned to the Senate shorn of its
amendments. After four days of debate in the Senate it was decided not
to recede from the attachment of the Missouri subject to the Maine
bill; not to recede from the amendment prohibiting slavery west of
Missouri, and north of 36 deg. 30' north latitude, and insisted upon the
remaining amendments without division.

When the bill was returned to the House a motion was made to insist
upon its disagreement to all but section nine of the Senate
amendments, and was carried by a vote of 97 to 76.

The Senate asked for a committee of conference upon differences
between the two Houses, which was cheerfully granted by the House. On
the 2d of March, Mr. Holmes, of Ma