Whole JVb, 383.
Tarhorough, (Edgecombe County, JV. C.J Tuesday, December 20, 1831.
Vol. VIII Wo 18.
'The "North-Carolina. Free Press,"
BY GEORGE HOWARD,
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MESSAGE
From the President of the U. States,
to the two Houses of Congress, at
the commencement of the first ses
sion of the 22d Congress.
Fellow citize)is of the Senatey
and House of Iiepresentatives:
The representation of llie
people has been renewed for
the twenty-second time since
the constitution they formed has
been in force. For near half a
century, the Chief Magistrates,
who have been successively cho
sen, have made their annual
communications of the state of
the nation toils representatives.
Generally, these communica
tions have been of the most gra
tifying nature, testifying an ad
vance in all the improvements
of social, and all the securities
of political life. But frequent
ly, and justly, as you have been
called on to be grateful for the
bounties of Providence, at few
periods have they been more a
buntly or extensively bestowed
than at the present: rarely, if
ever, have we had greater rea
son to congratulate each other
on the continued and increas
ing prosperity of our beloved
country.
Agriculture, the first and
most important occupation of
man, lias compensated the la
bors of the husbandman with
plentiful crops of all the varied
products of our extensive coun
try. Manufactures have been
established, in which the funds
of the capitalist find a profitable
investment, and which give cm
ployment and subsistence to a
numerous and increasing body
of industrious and dexterous
mechanics. The laborer is re
warded by high wages, in the
construction of works of inter
nal improvement, which are ex
tending with unprecedented ra
pidity. Science is steadily pe
netrating the recesses of nature
and disclosing her secrets, while
the ingenuity of free minds is
aubjecting the elements to the
power of man, and making"each
new conquest auxiliary to his
comfort, liy our mails, whose
speed is regularly increased,
and whose routes are every year
extended, the communication of
public intelligence and private
business is rendered frequent
and safe -the intercourse be
tween distant cities, which it
formerly required weeks to ac
complish, is now effected in a
few days; and in the construc
tion of rail-roads, and the ap
plication of steam power, we
have a reasonable prospect that
the extreme parts of our coun
try will be so much approxima
ted, and those most isolated by
the obstacles of nature render
ed so accessible, as to remove
an apprehension sometimes en-
lertamed, that the great extent
of the Union would endanger
its permanent existence.
If, from the satisfactory view
of our agriculture, manufactures
and internal improvements, we
turn to the state of our naviga
tion and trade with foreign na
tions and between theStates,
we shall scarcely find less cause
for gratulation. A beneficent
Providence has provided, for
their exercise and encourage
ment, an extensive coast in
dented by capacious bays, noble
rivers, inland seas; with a coun
try productive of every material
for ship building and every com
modity for gainful commerce,
and filled with a population, ac
tive, intelligent, well informed,
and fearless of danger. These
advantages are not neglected;
and an impulse has lately been
given to commercial enterprise,
which fills our ship yards with
new constructions, encourages
all the arts and branches of in
dustry connected with liiem,
crowds the wharves of our cities
with vessels, and covers the
most distant seas with our
canvass.
Let us be grateful for these
blessings to the beneficent Be
ing who has conferred them,
and who suffers us to indulge a
reasonable hope of their conti
nuance and extension, while we
neglect not the means by which
they may be preserved. If we
may dare to judge of His future
designs by the manner in which
his past favors have been be
stowed, he has made our na
tional prosperity to depend on
ihe preservation of our liberties
our national force on our fe
deral union and our individual
happiness on the maintenance
of our State rights and wise in
stitutions. If we are prosper
ous at home, and respected a
broad, it is because we are free,
united, industrious, and obedi-
ent to tne laws. While we
continue so, we shall, by the
blessing of Heaven, go on in
the happy career we have be
gun, and which has brought us,
in the short period of our poli
tical existence, from a popula
tion of three to thirteen mil
lions from thirteen separate
Colonies to twenty-four Uni
ted States from weakness to
strength from a rank scarcely
marked in the scale of nations
to a high place in their respect.
This last advantage is one
that has resulted, in a great de
gree, from the principles which
have guided our intercourse
with foreign Powers, since we
have assumed an equal station
among them: and hence, the
annual account which the Exe
cutive renders to the country, of
the manner in which that branch
of his duties has been fulfilled,
proves instructive and salutary.
The pacific and wise policy
of our government kept us in a
state of neutrality during the
wars that have at different pe
riods since our political exist
ence, been carried on by other
powers: but this policy, while
it gave activity and extent to our
commerce, exposed it in th.-t
same proportion to injuring
from the belligerent nations.
Hence have arisen claims of
indemnity for those injuries.
England, Franco, Spain, Hol
land, Sweden, Denmark, Co
pies, and lately Portugal, had
all in a greater or less degree
infringed our neutral rights.
Demands for reparation were
made upon all. They have had
m all, and continue to have in
some cases, a leading influence
on the nature of our relations
with the powers on whom they
were made.
Of the claims upon England
it is unnecessary to speak, fur
ther than to say, that the state
of things to which their prose
cution and denial gave rise has
been succeeded by arrange
ments, productive of mutual
good feeling and amicable rela
tions between the two coun
tries, which it is hoped will not
be interrupted. One of these
arrangements is that relating to
the colonial trade, which was
communicated to Congress at
the last session; and although
the short period during which it
has been in force will not ena
ble me to form an accurate
judgment of its operation, there
is every reason to believe that it
will prove highly beneficial.
The trade thereby authorized
has employed, to the 30th Sep
tember last, upwards of 30,000
tons or American, and 15,000
tons of foreign shipping in the
outward voyages; and, in the
inward, nearly an equal amount
of American, and 20,000, only,
of foreign tonnage. Advanta
ges, too, have resulted to our
agricultural interests from the
state of the trade between Can
ada and our Territories and
States bordering on the St.
Lawrence and the Lakes, which
may prove more than equivalent
to the loss sustained by the dis
crimination made, to favor the
trade of the Northern colonies
with the West Indies.
After our transition from the
state of colonies to that of an
independent nation, many points
were found necessary to be set
tled between us and Great Bri
tain. Among them was the
demarcation of boundaries, not
described with sufficient preci
sion in the treaty of peace.
Some of the lines that divide
the States and Territories of the
United States from the British
provinces, have been definitively
fixed. That, however, which
separates us from the provinces
of Canada and New Brunswick
to the north and the east, was
still in dispute when 1 came in
to office. But I found arrange
ments made for its settlement,
over which I had no control.
The commissioners who had
been appointed under the pro
visions of the treaty of Ghent,
having been unable to agree, a
convention was made ; with
Great Britain by my immediate
predecessor in office, with the
advice and consent of the Sen
ate, by which it was agreed
"that the points of difference
which have arisen in the settle
ment of the boundary line be
tween the American and Brit
ish dominions, as described in
the 5th article of the Treaty of
Ghent, shall be referred, as
therein provided, tosome friend
ly sovereign or state, who shall
be invited to investigate, and
make a decision upon such
points of difference:" and the
King of the Netherlands hav
ing by the late President, and
his Brittanic Majesty, been de
signated as such friendly sove
reign, it became my duty to
carry, with good faith, the a
greernent so made, into full
effect. To this end I caused all
the measures to be taken which
were necessary to a full exposi
tion of our case, to the sovereign
arbiter; and nominated as Min
ister Plenipotentiary to his court,
a distinguished citizen of the
State most interested in the
question, and who had been one
of the agents previously employ
ed for settling the controversy.
On the 10th day of January last,
his Majesty the King of the Ne
therlands delivered to the Pleni
potentiaries of the United States
and of Great Britain, his writ
ten opinion on the case referred
to him. The papers in relation
to the subject will be communi
cated by a special message to
the proper branch of the Gov
ernment, with the perfect confi
dence that its wisdom will adopt
such measures as will secure an
amicable settlement of the con
troversy, without infringing any
constitutional right of the States
immediately interested.
It affords me satisfaction to
inform you that suggestions,
made by my direction, to the
Charge d'AjVaires of his Brit
tannic Majesty to this govern
ment, have had their desired
effect in producing the release
of certain American citizens,
who were imprisoned for setting
up the authority of the State of for the renunciation of an im
Maine, at a place in the disputed portant claim for commercial
territory under l ho actual juris-privileges, under the construc
diction of his Brittanic Majesty, itiou they gave to the treaty for
From this, and the assurances 1
have received, of the desire of
the local authorities to avoid
any cause of collision, I have
the best hopes that a good un
derstanding will be kept up un
til it is confirmed by the final
disposition of the subject.
The amicable relations which
now subsist between the United
States and Great Britain, the
increasing intercourse between
their citizens, and the rapid ob
literation of unfriendly prejudi -
ccs to which former events na-
turally gave rise, concurred to tion will be offered to those
present this as a fit period fur 'powers, if any. which may be
renewing our endeavors to pro- j inclined to evade them, that
vide against the recurrence of th;y will never be abandoned,
causes of irritation, which, in j Above all, a just confidence will
the event of war between Great) be inspired in our fellow citi-
bntain and any other powcr,!zens, that their Government
would inevitably endanger our
peace. Animated by the sin-
v
ccrest desire to avoid such a
state or things, ana .peacefully
to secure, under all possible cir
cumstances, the rights and hon
or of the country, 1 have given
such instructions to the Minister
i f I fit
lately sent to the Court of Lon-
i . i . i
don, as will evince that desire;
and it met by a correspondent
disposition, which we cannot
doubt, will put an end to causes
of collision, which, without ad
vantage to either, tend io es
trange from each other two na
tions who have every motive to
preserve, not only peace, but an
intercourse of the most arnica
ble nature.
In my message at the open
ing of the last session of Con
gress, I expressed a confident
hope that the justice of our
claims upon France, urged as
they were with perseverance
and signal ability by our Minis
ter there, would finally be ac
knowledged. This hope has
been realized. A treaty has
been sinod which will irnme-
diately be laid before the Seri
ate for its approbation; and
which, containing stipulations
that require legislative acts,
must have the concurrence of
both Houses before it can be
carried into effect. By it, the
French Government engage to
pay a sum which, if not quite
equal to that which may be
found due to our citizens, will
yet, it is believed, under all cir
cumstances, be deemed satis
factory by those interested.
The offer of a gross sum, in
stead of the satisfaction of each
individual claim, was accepted,
because the only alternatives
were a rigorous exaction of the
whole amount stated to be due
on each claim, which might, in
some instances, be exaggerated
by design, in others overrated
through error, and which there
fore it would have been both
ungracious and unjust to havo
insisted on, or a settlement by
a mixed commission, to which
the French negotiators were ve
ry averse, and which experience
in other cases had shown to bo
dilatory, and often wholly ina
dequate to the end. A compa
ratively small sum is stipulated
on our part, to go to the extinc
tion of all claims by French
citizens on our Government
and a reduction of duties on our
cotton and their wines has been
agreed on, as a consideration
the cession of Louisiana.
Should this treaty receive the
proper sanction, a source of ir
ritation will be stopped, that has,
for so many years, in some de
gree alienated from each other
two nations, who from interest,
as well as the remembrance of
early associations, ought to che
rish the most frienldy relations:
an encouragement will be given
for perseverance in the demands
ot justice, by this new proof,
1 that if steadily pursued, they
will be listened to: and admoni-
will exert all the powers with
which they have invested it, in
i r
support of their iust claims ud-
, A . " .
on foreign nations: at the same
time that the frank acknowledg
ment and provision for the pay
ment of those which were ad
dressed to our equity, although
unsupported by legal proof, af-
j fords a practical illustration of
our submission to the divine
rule of doing to others what we
desire they should do unto us.
Sweden and Denmark hav
ing made compensation for the
irregularities committed by
their vessels, or in their ports,
to the perfect satisfaction of the
parties concerned; and having
renewed the treaties of com
merce entered into with them,
our political and commercial re
lations with those Powers con
tinue to be on the most friendly
footinjT.
With Spain our differences,
up to the 22dofFebruary,1819,
were settled by the treaty of
Washington of that date; but,
at subsequent period, our com
merce with the Stales, formerly