-
rffll.-M DoiUas per annum in advance.
fJrtiaMiien iUerted at 81 Pr square for th first.
t tH cent for r8fcb uwequem insertion. ,. vun, ,wf
V SiMei $5 pcrjeent higher. . ' - .
i deduction of 33 per cent. will be uade tp'those
wbo .JH by, year., .
sod ijcctilire of Mr. Fleteiicr Web
...r on " China and the Chinese."
f ftwJi Repartl of the N.-.. Y. Cpn. Advertiser.
Ir. AVe bslcr delivered his second lec
ure on th s rnatiners and customs 'of tbe
(iDCse', t& a large, intelligent and atten
jjve audience.! . v
After! some brief prefatory remarks, be
resamed t le subject of the municipal go
vernment of China, and said that while
the government in its police' department
vas prom it and vigorous, he thieves on
le other lahaWere expert and daring.
The members jof the legation on their ar
'rival at! lIacao. were warned against bur
glars. iThese strip themselves, oil their
persons apd pit sharp knives in their hair,
the only part by which they can be seized,
w as to:cu t tbJfingers of any one attempt
ing to arrstf them. They never, enter a
iark room, thtfe reversing the practice of
tHeir profession; in this and other countries.
Bat eyepy thing must be reversed there.
The CWnese'db nothing as.wedd. 1 Their.
night is oUr day ; their West our East ;
two friends when they meet shake : their
jjandsa each other a safe practice, cer
tainly whjere, as in.China cutaneous dis
eases are common their mourning dress
U white; their; com pass points ; to " th e
Sooth ; they put their saucers ' on top ' of
their cups;; they are certain that the sun
poes round their earth, and they know that
the earth is flat dnd square; Parents are
rewarded for the virtues of their children:
snd indeed they have every thing peculiar
to themselvesij And of course the habits
of their Jrieuef must be peculiar also.
One of the gentlemen of the legation
fell asleep leaving the window of his bed
room open, j: Two burglars by the aid of
bamnoo scaled the window, looked in
and seeing thf.t the gentleman was fast
asleep, jstepjpeil .without noise into the
chamber, secured his pistol and drawn
sword, and vi'ji He one probably closely
waicijed him, the other stripped the room
and decamped. In the morning there was
great eiciltemejnt, and had the gentleman
been willing td punish the innocent with
the guiltyj he'rriight doubtless have reco
vered trie kvhole of the property. He pre
ferred, however, the opposite course, and
the matter wajifallowed to pass over.
vWher a for eigner takes a house, said
Mr. Webster! some one. presents himself
as steward, or comprador, generally a per
son of some! property, who ofTers security
Tor his ability a'nd honor. f
lie is in reu ai so mucn a montn, or un
dertakes his duties for aommission on
U he pufchases, and a modicum from
etch servant. I! He has charcre of everv
thing" in any way connected with the do
mestic affairs of the household. He hires
all the servants, is responsible for them
all, holds all the keys, anoVrelieves the
owner of every possible care. If anything
is lost or sjtolert he must replace it; and
Ujn turn I hoUli i nil his underlings respon
sible to him. If an vthincr is destroyed bv
4hatvith USh-SO mischievous nersnn.
NobodtJ. the servants rnnsf cnmliinp tr
Tnakeitun: and in the ease of theft nl.
ready mentioned had the loser followed
k np, the. steward would have been re
sponsible for the conduct of the watch
men, and probably all the servants would
have bcert banibooed. By this system one
ireai pome is secured ; namely the cer
tainty of punij hment for every crime.
Some one is st e to be held responsible.
As rain is proportioned tdthe evaporation,
is puaisihment to crime ; and in China,
punishnierjt, like rain also, falls oipoir4he
just anc the unjust. ' -
Their code of civil and criminal law is
Tery volurninods ia detail. There is. no--
JlnS w,hich man can do or leave undone
"l&t is Hot nrnvirWl . frti nnrl Kocirloa tlio
ocialrpgulatins of other codes, it con-:
to diretioni for all thej-ights and cere
mqnies ofj religion and worship, an reg-
T V1 ine modes ot social intercourse ;
the most hrdinftrv jiitMiitioa n;r Ar.
went modes of salutation to a brother, a
preat, or between friends and relatives
J-n the, style of courtship is prescribed
fjf ''ough I am not quite sure, said
WW tjhat the tariff is sjirictly observed
hls Jnitter, and am rajther inclined to
w,4 that a cdntraband sighf or glance is
JjmeUmep indulged in. Even the season
Jfjbe yep is regulated, and is at the dis
WUon of the chief Mandarin, who puts
hls appropri ate dressy and summer or
f'Kat least, jn his district. : As
.T05 K man-of-war, when the officer
- Ofclock. he is ordered to " mRlfft it
Ai4sent reiSni"K family is ofMant-SMnari9Sin-
44 the Tartars,
SfiEflffT11' 1 me nad been -tributary to
Uinese, and whose territories lay on
Je outsuje of the great wall, seized upon
V Sornmerit and have hitherto retain
Jlion. Thej)resen Emperor Taou
H ;an aged man, dnd is-the grand
f fnp Emperor by fhom Lord Ma
j'Jfe English Envoy, was received,
M SH m9te 1h$ celebrated tea ode
ch M grea ly pleased Voltaire. He
&nf tf his jaliant defence of his fa-,
for tL ulnui rectin of the palace guards;
CnfeCl? haS ,J!,e right Lto PPint
A .0lfc ,0t hi t Rons th nn whn eKnll Rll
i w VMrnade of the sovereign, which is
ejiCfjSny rtg Reason's Glory, it is sa-
4SS 1h'e usage similar to that
ch.VL.ains i? Earope, where the monr
Ynt M r111? N "ever heard. The ad-
Pre.!!r CW in the laws of the ern-
cU was W fect but little,
more.than
.vl: & ?l aammistration in this conn
H Pfyt ithe decapitation; which in
KH Pce to about the
same
Vr, - I .. M.Kio a ooat jctox -iii-twj -".T. - Betas. Do this, uro Libektt , - VttW -nt"iTni irurr it "
, ; - Editors $ Proprietors.' , , is sirs. r. ivw C" - ' ' Gen JanW- "NUMBER 33, OFTOLUME II., ,.E
i 1 ii ,r i - '. 1 " ' - , i'i ,i - tt . 1 i- - ' - .. - . h i X I. .. , , i ... i i- i " v.r i . i ' , "' i" 1
-p. j ;;; r- I .;, " ... :' jf; ' ji- 3-. " - - .--- - j ;.". .-.. .-.,- - v- - i' i - 0 3 - . M -'" .-. . . J . - '.V.-i' -
, -:6--::.y--SAIiISBUR3"'NC DECEMBER 13, 1845. : ::
amount, is in China reajHvbile.here it is
buturaitre. The slaughter which at
tended their conauest was very great, the
Dutch Ambassaaor, who at that time tra
velled from Canton to Pekin, records that
his way was over devastated and ravag
ed plains and sacked cities, whose count
less inhabitants bad fallen beneath the
sword of the victorious Tartars. The on
ly innovation that took place was that the
custom of shaving the head, which before
had been confined to "the Tartars, was
made universalso that no obvious token
of distinction between the two races might
remain. It might be said, with almost lit
eral truth, that all China was shaved in
a day. Some mountaineers still remain
unsubjected to the Tartar government:
Y It was curious,' observed Mr. Webster,
to trace the many national customs re
garding the dressing of the jiair. The
Tartars and Turks'shave off all but one
lock, by which they hope to be pulled into
Paradise. The Ceylonese dress their hair
as our ladies ujsed t dovith tortoise shell
combs, &c. 'I'he Chinese tail, he "thought
was the origin of the Indian scalp-lock.
This topic Mr. W. pursued at some length
and clothed it with considerable interest.
The Chinese have no hereditary aris
tocracy, or distinctions of social rank.
Their dignities are all official, all the peo
ple being, in theory, equally the children
of the Emperor, belonging to one family,
equal in rank and blood. Birth and wealth
arejnore -disregarded there than in any
other part of the world, more even than in
this country. Except the immediate re
latives of the Emperor, who enjoy the pri
vilege oT wearing the yellow jsash, and
th,e followers of Confucius, who have a
similar right, no one man is better than
another; and even the Emperor's rela
tions rapidly lose rank with every descent.
In the theory and in practice, the high
est stations are the rewards of good con
duct and'of scholarship. Schools are uni
versally established and education is pro
vided, for even the poorest and most ob
scure. 'Wealth is regarded solely as a
means of useful ness,an(T it is freely dis
pensed for purposes of benevolence. It is
said that recently, since the royal treasu
ry has been empty, the dignities of the
College, which always open the way to
high offices in the state, have been pur
chased for money; but any one who thus
obtains high place, when itis known, does
not enjoy the respect and honor which the
place would confer on one who had won
it by his own merits and exertions. Of
this Mr. W. gave corroborative facts com
ing under his observation. He remarked
that the Duke of Kwang was the son of a
hong merchant, and was attached to the
mission because of his knowledge of com
merce, and his skill in the two dialects of
the province He was better informed
than any of the rest and anxious to learn
more. He was hospitable, perfectly cour
teous and of great liberality, having du
ring the stay of the embassy purchased
tyvd entire cargoes of rice for distribution
among the poor. . -
There are nine degrees of official rank,
distinguished by the button worn upon the
top of the cap and by the peacock's fea
ther. The highest is that of Kwang, which
corresponds with Duke, and, confers the
right to wear the red button and a two
eyed peacock's feather. All these degrees
of rank are bestowed as the rewards of
personal service or merit, and confer no
honoriipon descendants. The general af
fairs of the empire are managed by sev
eral boards at Pekin7; these are the boards
of rites and ceremonies: of finance and
revenue of war ; of works of this board
Keying isli member; of foreign affairs
and dependent states, and of justice and
punishment. There are alo two councils,
one of which forms the Emperor's Cabi
net ; and above all these is a, board of
censors, which reviews the proceedings of
the rest. It was a question of no little
difficulty, with which of the boards men
tioned Lords Macartney and Amherst
should transact their business ; and it was
finally settled that they should negotiate
through the board of " foreign affairs and
dependent states," because, by bringing
presents, the Epglish embassy had come
in that capacity. They were consequent
ly received in the same way and by the
same functionaries as the Indian delega
tions arevith us. It was found impossi
ble for us t04)btain consent to correspond
with Pekin. When the topic was men
tioned, Keying said that he would attend
to that, as he, being superintendent of the
five open ports, was the proper person.
All that had been attained is the right to
address any one of these boards.
-The principles of a patriarchal Govern
ment were then discussed by Mr. W.,
showing that filial obedience is its found
ation. . Hence the Chinese code is not si
lent upon that subject. No means are o
mitted to deepen, enlarge and strengthen
this feeling. Respect for parents and an
cestors is held to be the first of duties, the
foremost of political and religious obliga
tions. Unusual instances of filial devo
tion are public re warded ; , the names of
those by. whom .they J are performed ..are
held, up io admiration, and handed down
as household , words to succeeding genera-!
tionsi ; and their historyinVadejibe text book
ior"the:young ReversintheiEuropean
mode, in China parents are Rewarded,, fan
,iu vinues aua aoimies oi meircmiuren r
i - . " - " . . . . . - . . . ' '
rana.tae parent ot wprthy children dies, an
.cms
gy in honorrbf Jiim is prepared,' forjt is:
held he must have been a good father, and
worthy; of honor, to rear such virtuous and
worthy children. , . ,
Some frequently interpose and request
to be punished for the offences of their pa
rents ; nor is this so rare as to be consid
ered extraordinary. Love for parents is
the strongest sentiment in the breast of a
Chinese. No change of domestic ties af
fects it, and death but elevates it into a
religions rite and veneration. It bolda the
same. place in China as with us does af
fection for a wife ; and in China will ev
ery son, even as did iEneas, '
from the flames of Troy r
The old Anchises bear,"
convey his father from instant and over
whelming peril to which his wife and chil
dren will be abandoned.
The halls of the rich are always adorn
ed with figures of their ancestors, and in
their temple, the worship of deceased fore
fathers is a prominent and favorite devo
tion. Some one or two days of every sea
son are set apart to visit their ancestral
tombs, built upon the sides of the hills.
They go in5 families and offer sacrifices
and strew flowers over their graves.-
When these rites are ended they partake
of a family feast, seated in enclosures a-
round the tombs; cover the tables with
pieces of colored paper, which represent
various fruits and viands, and which are
burned, to carry upward food for their de
ceased ancestors. And then on retiring:
from these sacred resorts, little flags of
colored paper are put up in various spots,
l - i:it-!.i t r
itnu iue wuoie nui-siue is coverea wun
them.
However much, said Mr. Webster, we
may regret the excess to which the Chi
nese carry this sentiment, it is in itself
highly commendable. It is the source of
many virtues, and is commended to us
with higher authority and more awful
sanctions than it is to them, for from a-
mong the thunderings and lightnings of
Mount Sinai came forth the commandment,
Honor thy father and thy mother," &c.
The American embassy arrived at Ma
cao in February, and the monthsof March,
April and May, said Mr. W.. we passed
in studying the language and waiting as
contentedly as we could intelligence from
Keying, who was to meet us. At last we
received a letter from him, 1500 miles to
the West, saying that he was on his way,
had been detained by want of water in
the canals, and would be there iriue mi
nutes. We waited as patiently as possi
ble.in a city without society, walks; dri
vers or anything in the slightest degree
amusing; and his five minutes proved to
be, according to our division of time, twen
ty days. At last he reached Canton, and
finally a messenger announced that he
was at Macao, and had taken up his lodg
ings at a great temple a mile and a half
out of town. He announced his intention
of calling upon us the following day at 11
o'clock precisely.
The Chinese are very particular in all
matters of et iquette. Their visiting cards,
which no Chinese gentleman can be with
out, Jnstead of being such small bits of
pasteboard as are used by us, are large
sheets of red paper. The Chinese always
use envelopes of all sizes, from a pillow
case to a purse ; always employ sealing
wax -and Inscribe upon' the outside of
their letters i he names of both writer and
person addressed. The two are placed,
with their titles, in parallel columns, run
ning from bottom to top, and the rank of
the person corresponds with the length of
space occupied by his name.
Upon one occasion a letter was sent to
the American Minister by Keying, the
names inscribed onvhich were not equal.
It was therefore not received, and on the
explanation being made, the error was
carefully corrected, and I thought, said Mr.
Webster, that I observed afterwards a del
icate attention on the part of Keying
which was very pleasing. His name be
ing much longer than Mr. Cushing's there
was some difficulty in making them cor
respond in length upon the letter. This
was done byr writing his own name in very
small characters and Mr. Cushing's in
large largo enough for a guide post.
About half an hour before the appear
ance of the high commissioner and suite,
a messenger brought a card and immedi
ately preceding them a second messenger
brought another. Keying then appeared,
and with him wereWang, Chang, Too
Ling, &c. &c. Of Wang, the lieutenant
governor of the two Kwang provinces,
Mr. Webster said that he was, without
any exaggeration or qualification, a gen
tleman of as polished manners, of as cour
teous and easy address as any to be met
in the drawing rooms of Europe or the
United States. He was remarkably hand
some, finely formed and had the smallest
and most delicate hands be had e ver seen
upon a man. Chang was the scholar a
plain man, with a broad, sour face, and
spectacles with glasses as large as a dol
lar, set in black horn rings. Too Ling was
a Titt le subdued now that be was in the
presence of Keying. . When . the high
commissioner drew. near, three guns were
fired, the mariners drew np in the hall and
presented" arms - to receive him. 'C 1 Keying
is. 60 years old tall, largeand dignified.
His face expresses talent and decision.-
He is one of the.most able and influential
rhen'in alt; empire of three,bundred jnil
lions.. After a little conversation a olIa
htiop Avas provided ajidtthe guests retired.
without having named the object of the
mission. , . v
I The American embassy returned the
vfsit next day, and after being received
with the unvarying salute of three guns,
were ushered into an inner room to dine.
As a specimen of a Chinese dinner Mr.
Webster described that given by Keying
to the American legation on the conclu
sion and signature of the treaty, the third
of July, 1844.
Light copies of the treaty bad to be
prepared, four in English and four in Chi
nese, and though the Americans worked
hard the Chinese had theirs finished first.
The Americans got theirs written out by
8 o'clock P. M., and it being late, proceed
ed atonce to Keying's residence. The
room vas small, twenty by ten, without
windows, and having only the door by
which they entered. At the farther end a
small table stood upon a platform ; and on
this the two ministers seated themselves,
the rest of the company taking seats a
long the sides of the room. It was exces
sively hot, and though tolerable to the
thinly dressed Chinese, was to the Ameri
cans almost insufferable. The treaty was
read, the copies were compared, and the
seals affixed, when two Tartars entered
bearing a package in yellow cloth, which
proved to be the Imperial seal. This was
stamped upon the document and then the
dinner commenced.
The Chinese, continued Mr. Webster,
insisted that we should take off our coats ;
we had taken care to provide ourselves
with white jackets, except one gentleman,
who was positively obliged to sit at this
great diplomatic dinner, given on the con
clusion of a treaty between two great na
tions, in his shirt sleeves ! The table was
set for twenty, and covered with bananas,
mangoes, oranges and other fruits, sweet
meats, etc. A hot drink, like poor whis
key, called sanchou,' was prepared, each
having a small teapot containing it by his
side. We Avere required to fill a small
cup, take it up with both hands, half rise.
nod to the friend whom we wished to com
pliment, and then empty the cup, taking
care to turn the inside toward him that he
might be assured it was empty. This done
according to the custom, we were helped
to fruits, Keying, with his own chop-stick,
seized a fig and put it on the Minister's
plate. This over, a pudding was introduc
ed, expressly invented for the occasion, by
Keying himself. It was excellent and
spoke volumes for the gastronomic talents
f of the high commissioner. When this
course was removed, two dishes of meat
were brought on by attendants, who were
very numerous and very well drilled.
Keying again helped our Minister to a
dish of chicken and pork, like a stew ; and
the dish was then passed round to the oth
er guests. Then cups of sanchou were
taken. The dishes were then set in the
centre of the table ; the same process was
rapidly repeated until a hundred dishes,
in silver vessels, filled the table from one
end to the other. ,
Bread was brpught in compliment to
the strangers, and then came side dishes,
served as vegetables are served with us,
of lotus flower se'efd, roasted water melon
seeds, sharks fins, the roofs of the mouths
of hogs, sea weeds, deer sinews, biche de
mer, a large sea slug, six ,or-eight inches
by one, found on the flats of the tropical
islands, and edible birds' nests. These
are of a gelatinous substance, supposed
to be collected by swallows upon rocks
from the foam of the sea. They are per
fect nests, and require to be cleansed of
feathers, dirt, &c, and are by no means
disagreeable, being somewhat between
vermicelli and tapioca, stringy like the one,
transparent like the other, and quite taste
less. When purified they are worth their
weight in silver. These things would cer
tainly be thought no great addition to our
festive boards. They are costly, howev
er, and can only be afforded by the rich.
The custom of taking , up morsels and
thrusting them into the mouths of their
friends.said the lecturer, which prevails'
at the Chinese tables, reminds one forcibly
of the adjuration of Meg Merrilies to Do
minie Sampson, "Gape sinner, and swal
low r
The Tartar addition to the dinner,
brought in by six cooks with great cere
mony, consisted of roast mutton, turkey,
boiled ham and buffalo hump, and a whole
roasted pig, lacquered and gilt all over.
These were set down behind the chairs,
and then each cook, drawing from his gir
dle a long, sharp knife, carved the meat
into thin slices, whichwere received on
plates by the attendants and handed to
the guests. A large bowl of very nice
soup was then brought in. Keying took
it up with both hands, drank outof it, and
then passed it to the minister ; and then
it went the round of the whole table.
Thus at dinner we spent the time from 9
to 1 o'clock the whole order of a Euro
pean dinner being exactly reversed be
ginning with fruit and ending with soup.
The company rose from the table, put on
their coats and took their leave. The band
struck up, three guns were fired, and they
returned to Macao, ready to exclaim with
Macbeth We'" have supped full of hor
rors." : -;:V - ;
, -Mr. Webster, then remarked : upon the
dress of the Chinese, which, thoughTnot so
graceful - as t the -Turkish or" the Roman,
seemed to him at?alhevents -farmbre so
;thatr our ownv The mandarins wore long
robes of rich and Jieavy silk, embroidered
with gold, and covered by a spienuiu na-
ing coat; a girdle passes arounu uie
waist, fastened with a buckle ot precious
stones, and long boots, whitened, reach
the knees. Around the neck is a string
of beads, of stones in winter and of per
fumed wood in summer. A cap of deli
cate straw or velvet is worn. A precious
stone forms the button and a pearl is fas
tened in front.
The richest, costumes they saw were
worn by players, on the stage. Keying
and his suite were dressed in the plainest
manner, having no ornajrlent except the
button and the peacock's feather. The
Chinese actors are always itinerant, and
are hired by private persons, or by sever
al, who contribute to Taise a fund for the
purpose. They have na changing of
scenes, and everything is very rude and
to us uninteresting. And yet they had
played at Macao three days and nights
without intermission, many persons stand
ing twenty-fours to look on, receiving re
freshments from persons who have to sell.
No women appear, and all speak in
falsetto. Their dramas seem to be histori
cal, abounding in exaggerations and ab
surdities, and their comedies are vulgar
disgusting. They have an extensive lite
rature their poetry abounds in tropes and
figures, and is sometimes touching and
beautiful.
They are remarkably fond of substitut
ing one thing for another which they im
agine to bear any resemblance. Thus
small feet are called golden lilies. But
terflies and the moon are emblems of love
and wooers; thus, a fair one, See-so-sli,
says in a novel, I will drop the screen to
shield me from the influence of the moon
and prevent the butterflies from entering
into my chamber." To them such chang
es are doubtless beautiful.
Another specimen of a different kind.
The Imperial troops put the enemy Jo
flight; 500,000 of the enemy lay dead on
the field in the morninff ; blood flowed
from the hills as a stream, and mustering
the Imperial troops, which had dispursed
in pursuit, they Jmmediately commenced
cooking, for they were very hungry." An
other. A youth exchanges vows with a
maiden, but his relentless sire requires
him to marry some other golden lily. .
He and his first love meet in secret in
the garden. -Sh4 says, You, sir, should
in future not think about your slave So
slim, but marry the maid (imagine the
name, as we have done before) and Jbr a
hundred years be happy with your wives."
Then follows more sentiment ; u I cannot
disregard the person to whom you are to
be wedded. When I have entered the
green grove, beneath the bright moon,
your slave will not be 'jealous or envious
of any one ;' and when she had spoken
she leaned her head upon the garden rail
and wept as though her heart was brok
en." Finally the young gentleman mar
ries both the golden lilies, and " the wives
being now both happy dwell in harmony
together, and endeavor to excel each oth
er in their kind attentions to him."
But they have also writings of a higher
character, as the works of Confucius,
which are among the noblest specimens
of moral teaching ever written. The art
of printing was known in China long be
fore it was discovered-in, the Western
world ; books are very cheap and univer
sally diffused ; the compass was used,
manufactures of various kinds were car
ried on, canals made, and in short all me
chanical powers,exceptsteam,were known
in China long before they were invented
in tbe West. Paper money had been used
and discarded long before bills of ex
change were known to the Jews, and now
the only coin employed in the immense
trade of the Empire is a copper coin worth
about one-tenth of a cent.
Mr. Webster concluded with remarks
at great length on the antiquity of the-
Chinese nation, as shown by the patriar
chal of the Chinese Government, which is
entirely primitive, and such as obtained in
the earliest ages of the world, and which,
for its preservation, requires a homogene
ous people, an early origin and an unbro
ken history ; and by the character of their
language, which is hieroglyphic.
The language, he said, embraces 80,
000 characters, and is exceedingly difficult
to learn. It has 200 radicals and 800
primitives. The name Roscommon would
be written with the signs for a rose, a cow
and a man. This extraordinary people
claim to have unbroken traditions running
back 2,953 years before Christ, or within
1,200 years of the creation of the world,
and Mr. W. thought it not at all unlikely
that at that time they may have had a
regular government, a monarch, a large
population, and institutions very muchlas
iney are louna now. i
(CT- The Washington Constitution "Us lo
be removed to Baltimore. Of course, now the
Editors of the Union will become printers for
both branches of Congress. , Next to Messrs.
Blair and Rives, the Constitution was the most
formidable conjectured rival of the Union. -Messrs.
Blair and Rives not being candidates,
and the Constitution retiring from the field, the
Union of course takes this whole loaC.or rather
the Whole of the two very large , loaves to be
disposed of by; iher tw House. ' One,,of the
uuuurs of . mai paper-u witwiiy muui
claims than Inf other amonff the names tDoken
MESSAGE
OF THE PRESIDENT o? ths UNITED STATES,
.:r . 4:-:.v. ;Dtcvaa: 1845. i . f. A
Fellouhcitizens of the Senate -'.'
V : - and House of Representatives ,v 1
It is to me a source of unaffected satis
faction to meet the Representatives of the'
States and theTeopfe in Congressassem
bled, as it will beto receive the aid of their
combined wisdom in the ndm'mistration'of s
public affairs, , In performing, for the first;
time 'the duty imposed on me by.theCoW
stitution, of giving to you information
the state of the UnionnndTecommendihvi
to your consideration such -measures as ml
my judgment' are necessary and." expedi4
ent, I am happy .that'I can congratulate
you on the continued prosperity of- ouiv
country; ' Under the blessings of Divine'
rroviaence- nnu tnet uenign , innuencc
our free institutions, it stands before the
world a spectacle of national happiness; -
With our unexample:advancement jh " ; .
all the elements of national greatness, the .
affection of the people is confirmetl fur the -r . -
Union of the States, and for the doctrines
of popular liberty, which JicT at the foun, .
dation of our Governments v J'J - ' vY-V
It becomes us in hu milt ty,.tomake our. j
devout acknowledgment! ijothe Supreme.
Ruler of the Universe for' thnstimable, ;
civil and religious blessings with which
we are favored. V VVV.-W :' - :
In calling the attention of Congress to. J
our relations with foreign Powers, I am
gratified to be able to state, that, .though
with some of them there have existed f inco .
your last session serious causes f. irrita
tion and misunderstandiiigyet nc actual
hostilities have taken place. . Adopting the' "
maxim in the conduct of our foreign a f-' '
fairs, to ask nothing that is not right, and -submit
to nothing that is wrong," it" has .
been my anxiousdesire to 'preserve peace a
with all nations ; but, at the.same Jimef.
to be prepared to resist aggression, and to
maintain all our just rights-
In pursuance of the joint resolution of
Congress 44 for annexing Texas to the Uni
ted States," my predecessor, on the, third ; ,
day of March, 1845, elected to submit the'
first and second sections of that resolution
to the Republic of Texas, as an overture, V
on the part of the United States for here: ...
admission as a State into pur Union. This -
election I approved, and --accordingly; the .
Charge d'Affaires of the United States in
Texas, under instructions of the tenth of
March, 1845, preseritedi 4hese sectTonsiof .1
the resolution for the acceptance of that : .
Republic. The Executive. Government,'
the Congress, and the People of Texas in "
Convention, have successively jcomplied--with
ail the terms and conditions of the "
joint resolution. A Constitution for the
government of the State of Texas, formed
by a convention of deputies, is -here wit hi j
laid before Congress. It is well known, a -also,
that the people of Texas at the polls
have accepted the. terms-of annexation,;.4-'
and ratified the Constitut
. I communicate tp Congress the corres
pondence between the Secretary of State
and opr Charge d'Affaires in Texas and j
also the correspondence of the latter With, ;-,Y
the authorities of Texas together .with ;
the ofliciardocuments transmitted by him
to his own Government. , '-' -f4; . y'rVj'-
The terms of annexation which l were'. .
offered by the United Sthte having been v
accepted by Texas, tbe'Jpublic V faith ot r
both parties is solemnly" pledged to the .
compact of their union. Nothing remains ix :
to consummate the event, but ibe passage
of an act by Congress to admit the Stated
of Texas into tbe Union upon air. equal-;
footing with the original Slates. ,tStrong";
reasons exist why this should be done at"
an early period of the session. It Twill be t
observed thatby the constitution of Texjf
as, the existing government, is only ' on-
tinued temporarily till Congress can act ;
and that the third Monday of the present
month is the day appointed for holding thc
first general election. On that day a go-"
vernor, a lieutenant governor, and, hot h;i! -branches
of the legislature, will be chosen',,
by the people. The President of Texas is
required, immediately after the receipt of
official information that the new State has j
been admitted into our Union by Congress,
to convene the legislature ; and, upop -its
meeting, the existing government wil be
superseded, and the State government
organized. Questions deeply interesting'
to Texas, in common witbthe other States;
the extension of our revenue laws and ju1 C,
dicial system over her people and territo- ,
ry, as wen as measures oi a local cnarac
ter, will claim the early attention of Con
gress :and. therefore upon every princi-
pie of republican government, she ought
to be represented in that body, without un- I
necessary delay. I cannot too "earnestly.;
recommend prompt action on this 4 inipor, -tant
subject. 3,
As soon as the act to admit Texas as a y
State shall be passed, the union of the two
republics will be consummated "by? their -
own voluntaryconsent.4: ' S :-,7f"
This accession to our territory has been
a bloodless achievement. ?No arm offorco ;
has been raised to produce the resuItThe 5
sword has had no partinthejHctory. AVeJ
have not sought to extend our territorial;;,4
. . '..1.1!-' '
possessions oy conquest, or our republican'
institutions over a reluctant people. It
was the deliberate homage of each peo
ple to the great principle of our federative .
union. . , - . .- r .
If we consider the extent of territory in-fl
volved in the annexation its prospective
influence on Americalhemens by which
it has been accomplished, springing purely
from the choice of theeople' themselves .
to share the -blessingsof our ' union, the
history of the world may be chairenged to,
furnish a parallel. ' - .
VTbe jurlsdic&h -f,ihe United States?
which at the formation ot the federal con-4
'stitution was bounded. by-the St. MaryVr:
on the Atlantic, has passed the Capes of
Florida, and been peacefully, extended tp v"
the Del Norte. In contemplating the gran
deur of thiseven itislhot tabe forgotten
that the; resultvas"achie ved in despite of
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