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HV CAMAK A KMiLAMi, ST.ITE fy VJtITEO ST.IfES Pltl.YTERS.
MIM.EUOKVIl.LE, TUE8DAY, NOVF.MHF.lt 14, I —JO
Executive Department, Gvoriua, ^
Milledgf villc, 1th Nun. 1B26. J
FELLOW-CITIZENS,
The political year just terminated, has been
distinguished by nothing so much ax the decease
of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who, af
ter laying the foundation of American Indepen
dence, and filling the highest ollices of State,
through a long series of time, survived to the
fiftieth Anniversary of the Independence they
lind declared, and on that day, almost at the same
hour, died full of years and lull of honor, deplored
by the whole nation, whose grief was testified by
a universal mourning, accompanied n idi every
demonstration of love, respect and veneration—
Among the many tokens of the tender mercies of
Di\ ine Providence toward our country, none
have been more signal than those which accom
panied this memorable dispensation—so much
so that our sorrows have found solace and com
fort in the admiration and gratitude due to A1
mighty God for the special interposition which,
by its circumstances, made their deaths not less
glorious than their lives had been exemplary and
illustrious.
it was known to the last Legislature, that for
certain reasons expressed by the President of the
United Stales, he would call the attention of Con
gress, at their first meeting, to the validity of the
Treaty negotiated at the Indian Springs in t82.z;
and in his message to the Congress at the opening
of the session, after announcing that “ the Treaty
had been ratified under the unsuspecting impres
sum '!*»» itveenue"0'i: Alwl ":gmm ,: !i"
promised to lay before that body the subseipient
transactions in relation to it. The President
/ailed to do so—Toward the dose of the session
.of Congress he did subm t to the Senate a new
Treaty in abrogation of the old one, with a gen
eral declaration of the falsehood and deception
practised by the Commissioners, in their official
communications with the Government, of the
numerical inferiority of the party which signed
■jt, and of tilt ir consequent inability to earn it
into effect, but unaccompanied by a single docu
mentor voucher to support any fact or principle
contained in that declaration,—The .Senate, a-
vou know, ratified the Treaty ; and the one of the
Indian Springs of prior dale, of prior ratifica
Cion, and passing vested rights to Georgia, was
declared null and void. The objections to ilii>
proceeding, considered altogether novel and un
precedented, were obvious—Georgia, for whose
benefit hIouc the Treaty was negotiated. iv;i< de
priveii, without her eouscul, of interests already
Vested The party' with whom the old I reaty
had been legoeiated wa not recognised as a pm
ty at all in the conclusion of the new, and in tic
execution of the new l'reaty without their eon
sect, and even against their consent, they have not
merely been deprived of every right which they
Could claim under the old or new, but hare been
to ali intents and purposes denationalized, and
forced either to submit unconditionally to tin
pow er of their enemies or to abandon their coun
try. It was with a knowledge of what was in
prospect, from the first annunciation of the Pre
sident to Congress, that the Legislature of t icor
gia, at I he close of its session, again reviewed and
again confirmed the validity of the J reaty of the
Indian Springs. This confirmation was the more
imposing, because the Legislature which first
acknowledged the authority of that Treaty had
returned lo the people, its conduct had been pass
ed in review, and of course a favorable verdict
pronounced upon it. The act of the Legisla
ture, founded on the provisions of the old Trea
ty, having been, as it were, re-enacted by a sue-
cecding Legislature, w as to be regarded as man
datory and imperative, to be carried into efii'ct
bv the Executive under his oath of office, ac
cording to its requisitions, unless forbidden by
paramount considerations—there could be none
paramount, but what would be found in tin* ( nn-
■siitution of the United States, and none su< h
■were found. The’Constitution itself, in de
nouncing an act impairing the obligation of con
tracts, recognized the sacredness of the 1 reaty
of the Indian Springs. The Executive of Geor
gia, therefore, had no alternative but to carry
tliat Treaty into effect, in conformity with the
repeatedly expressed will of liie Legislature
His intentions were early communicated in the
most frank and ingenuous maniierto the Execu
tive Government at Washington, and from that
time to the present moment he lias never ceased
to remonstrate and protest, one\ci v octasion in
quiring it, against any act injuriously affecting
interests of Georgia derived under it But there
were other reasons for maintaining the inviola
bility of the Treaty of the Indian Springs—By
that Treaty Georgia had acquired all her terri
tory within the (.'reek limits—by the new she
was to acquire Its.—and the difference between
them was by the stipulations of the new guaran
tied to the Indians forever. The (Governor could
in no manner recognise the power ot the Presi
dent and Senate, by the abrogation ol the old
Treaty, to violate the Constitution of Georgia—
The Constitution of Georgia, as well as the arti
cles of agreement, entered into in conformity w till
it, had settled her permanent boundaries irrevoca
bly. The new Treaty prescribed new boundaries
for Georgia, and by its perpetual guaranti e mane
them permanent—Lands, the rightful property
of Georgia, were taken from her and ceded to
tin- Indians forever; and the jurisdiction over the
river Chaiitihoochie, which had been secured ex
clusively lo her by the original charter, by her
Constitution, and by the articles of agreement
and cession, was divided by die new Treaty be
tween Alabama and Georgia—As no power is
giveu by the Constitution of the United States
to the Government of die United Slates, to alter
or revoke the Constitution of a State, it «on.
have been not merely an unpardonable nidifi •
ern e to her rights and honor to have subnn
silence to these palpable infractions of tl. .
'he Chief Magistrate would have belitvcu mu.
$e!l gn’tlty of a criminal desertion of the inter
•"Is of the fstate, if his -.auction or couiitenaui i
had been given to such in instrument. It the
difference between the provisions of the old and
new Treaiii s, had been a nominal, not a re ildif
lerence, the United States and Georgia could
have proceeded m good faith, and without colli
sion of interest, to execute either, as the one or
the other was believed to be the Constitution
al law ; but as those piovisions were variant
in several particulars involving essential rights,
and as one o them especially, whether so design-
ed or not, would have effectually p tstponed the
settlement of the country for an entire year, it
could not be expected that Georgia would sur
render rights, interests and principle too. because
the President of the United States considered the
new Treaty the Constitutional law. The (iov
eminent of either State is to he considered as on
independent moral agent, having n conscience of
its own, the arbiter within itself of right and
wrong, to he influenced or controlled only bv
1 )ivinc authority ; and the conscience of this Go
vernment has already passed definitively on the
validity of the Treaty ol the Indian Springs.—
Anil here permit me to remark iliai with regard
to the rights of sovereignty and jurisdiction ge
nerally, which Georgia claims un ier her charter,
to the territory within her limits in the occupan
cy <•( tne Indians, there is such a radical differ
ence of opinion between the authorities of Geor
gia and those ol the United Slates, that the liar
niony and tranquility of the two Goverliments
much to |jg "hcrUlteii bv ;dl good men, can
m ver lie maintained unmlomipteiiiy nil ill fuo.-e
Indians shall have been removed. In illustra
turn of ibis, it is sufficient to inform you that
on a recent occasion the right of Georgia to
make even areconnoisance within that territory,
with a view to even ual internal improvement,
Was denied, and tli.it denial accompanied by a
formal protest of the President of die United
States against ii : and moreover, that when about
the same time there were indications of an hos
tile feeling on the part of the Indians, which
threatened interruption to our Commissioners
engaged in running, with the consent and appro-
ha lion of the United States, the dividing line
between Alabama aiij this State, and preeaniiOi)-
ry measures were taken Ibr their safety, Georgia
was given to understand that she had no right to
end rigorous justice.” Is it to he wondered that
under such treatment the friendly party should
be reduced to a mere reninnut, an impotent ami
h'lplrsi minority, or is it not a subject of won
der, that instead of the 1000 which remain, there
should be one left bearing the name or rallying
under the standard of .McIntosh. W'e cannot
permit ourselves to believe that the Congress of
the United States, will not itself regard with
tenderness and compassion a portion of the hit
man family, reduced by reverses to piteous dis
tress, deserted by the inconstancy of f. iendship,
and abandoned to the sports of fortune.
Whether in reference to that part of the torri
te.rv of Georgia, y et in the occupancy of the
Cherokee*, you will think proper, in conformity
with the recommendation to tint effect contained
in i lale message, to extend the laws over it as a
right resulting from your general sovereignty and
j juri-dietion, or whether yon'wil! abide the result
ol future negotiations h\ the United States, to
extinguish their claims in virtue of the compact
of 1802, will be for you, as the only competent
authority to dee de A state of things so m.na
tural and so fruitful of evil as an independent
government of a semi-barbarous people co-exist
ing within the same limits, ranuot long continue
and wise counsels must direct, that relations
which cannot be maintained in peace, should lie
dissolved before any occasion can occur to break
that peace. How ungenerously tantalizing to
this unhappy tribe would be a policy inviting
them to a local habitation and repose, when the
t ties Ind already decreed their destiny to be fix
ed and irreversible upon another soil. To per
peuiate the remnant of a noble race, we ask of
the United States to give them a resting place
within boundaries of their own, fruitful, atnpl.'
and salubrious, such as they command, and such
us in humanity they should bestow, where the
arts of civilization and the lights of Christianity
can reach them unmixed with the corrupting and
contageous vires of the whiles, and where their
perpetuity and independence can be assured.—
It’the United State.- hesitate now, a few years
will bring them to Just reflections, but too late to
save from irredeemable waste and decay the mi
in r eal strength ami moral energies ol a pco-
ji’e, sit far preserved by the encourage nent and
patronage of the United .States, with the toler
unco of Geor i r.
extend her protection to her own officers engaged
on her own soil in carry ing into effect an act of
her own I legislature against such hostility. It i-
' si in to look into the Constitution of the United
States to find wlmt rights of sovereignty and ju
risdiction acquired under the charter over the
territory within her limits, Georgia has surren
dered to the Federal Government—No such sur
render has been made, and yet Georgia, in her
late i teroourse w nil the United States has been
treated in ibis respect as if -lie bad no l ights of
soveri ignty or jurisdiction at all, and this loo
whilst the laws of the United States, as well as
the articles of agio cincnt and cession distinctly re
cognise and proclaim them, and of course to the
v ery same extent as they are asserted by die Trea
ty of Hopewell and others.
The forlorn and helpless condition to which
me McIntosh, or friendly party of the Creeks,
have been reduced by the continued persecutions
to which they have been exposed, is submitted to
you as claiming your humane and benevolent
consideration This portion of the Creek tribe
having fought the battles of the United States
and vanquished the hostile part of it, who won
at once their enemies and the enemies of the Uni
ted States, it was Imped that they would have
been regarded with some degree of favor by that
government and people, in whose defence they
had expended theii blood and put to hazard evi -
; rv thing dear to them. For a time ibis hope
was not disappointed—General Jackson, by his
Trea’y of 1314, hid recognised their services
and tin ir claims—Their Clneliian was distiu
gnished bv the favor of the Government, and
lie and bis follovvi rs were regarded not only as
the faithful and devoted friends ol die whites, hut
as the conquerors of the lied .■slicks, then limn
heriug two thirds of the whole nation, wince
rights of territory, by the laws of war, passed to
the victors. It was the conviction ol the justice
of their cause and of the rights acquired by it,
which dictated the letter of the Secretary of VVar
of the I 7ill day of March, 1317, recognizing m
full the power of Milntosh and his followers to
sell the country . When, it obedience to tlieex-
pressed wishes of the United Stales, McIntosh
with others, proceede d at the Treaty ol the In-
eiiau ‘springs, to exe rcise this uckumv lodged (low
er, the power was denied, and the murder ol
himself and Chiefs which followed, looked upon
without emotion, whilst the murderers were e lie -
risked, caressed and honored by the Government
of the United States—his followers left without
home, without protection, widiout bread, and
finally denationalized and put under the ban—
so that at last they were considered as no part
of tli nation, havingiio claim of territory and
of course no rightful participation in the rousi
deration for wlfich the territory sold—and what
I is vvors- than all, the money which should have
I been given to them under the Treaty, not only
given to their enemies, hut made the instrument
of educing from llteir allegiance the friends ol
McIntosh, who lead no alternative but to take
the bribe or share the calamities of the party.—
To complete their degradation as an unworthy
and ignoble race, the President, in his official
message to the Senate, ha> deigned to stigmatize'
them as « an impotent and helpless minority,”
“ unable to oxecute their engagements”—“ >..•
fugitives instigated by a vindictive fury,” “ ma
king extravagant and unwarrantable de-niauo
whilst they were eating the bread and beggi
ie protection of the l lilted State-. Viui a . i
“a party making unwarrantable pretrnsi •>
exit av igant de muds, and having noel. n
u41 me l lilted States, oilier than of imparua.
Messrs (.'rawfot d, Blount and Hamilton, were
appointed Commissioners, James Camak rna
thematicinn, assisted by the Chief Civil En
gineer, and Edward t,. Thomas, surveyor, ill
pursuance of a resolution of the Legislature,
to run the dividing line between this State and
Alabama These gentlemen have, in the execu
tion of their several trusts, discharged the duties
confided to them to my entire satisfaction. Those
assigned to the Commissioners were delicate and
arduou-, and whilst tliev respected as tiny ought
die rights of others, they have not been unmind
ful of w hat was due to the State they repiesent-
eel, its honor, interest and dignity. I’he Chief
Civil Engineer having received the appoint
ment from tin Executive, was to lie considered
a- under his exclusive* directum and control,
until the inerting of die Legislature Ilis (low
er over this officer was, however, from a con
sideration of fitness and propriety, volun
tarily and cheerfully, but informally, surren
dered to the Board of Public Works, with a
settled purpose not to interfere with the exercise
of that power, unless claims to his services ol
higher interest to the pulil'n , should, at any time
he interposed. An occasion offered, and lie
was ordered, without hesitation, from the less,
to the more important service. It is to he
regretted that the Commissioners of Alabama
could not leel themselves authorised to concur
iv ith those i f (ie-orgm. The eonosjamifence be
tween trie two commission;- will exhibit the views
of each, ami it is not presu ing too much to
sav, that those of Georgia are not the lc.-s
satisfactory, because tliev have not received the
eoiicii re nee or approbation of the Commix
sioueis of Alabama. Il the first Bend above
Ucliee and Coweta and t.usselah Towns, from
which a line to Niekajack did not strike the ri
ver, would not satisfy the requisitions of the ar
ticles of agreement and cession, it was not to he
exported that any other bend above it, and far
ther removed from Ucliee and the Tow ns, would.
!t was the less to he expected that the Coinmis
sinners of Georgia would consent to pass that
henri, for no other reason than that Alabama
would take more atid Georgia less of territory
by it—And when the Commissioners, without
the concurrence of those ol Alabama, finally
adopted the point of Miller’s Bend, :t was the
point which was about mid-way between that
assumed as the true one by die Governor of Ala
bama, and the one ultimately proposed by her
Commissioners to ours— is the Commissioners
of Alabama would not agree to run from the first
bend immediately above Uchec, and n> a line
running from that bend intersecting the river,
would have made the boundary not a straight one
as contemplated by the articles, but a devious
un. . straight upon the laud and meandering on
the water, it is eiillicult to perceive bow the go
vernment of Alabama can withhold it.-, assent
from a boundary which contemplated in all its
aspects, would spent, at least lo us, to reconcile
more differences ami present fewer objection- than
any. The Commissioners of Alabama appear
to consider < >eoigia as the principal party to
die measure, having deepest concern and interest
in it, an a the bom el uy having been established
bv the art of Georgia, .my participation hi the
expense has been declined, and the whole ol u
suffered to fall on tins government alone. —
I'lie expon e therefore, unavoidably considerable,
believed to have been incurred with as little ot
» sU'fiilncs-and extravagauce as could be cx
cted fi uni an operation so tedious, and con
lea d under so many disadvantage s. 1'lic r<
port, correspondence and documents, relating to
this subject, with till* account of the expendi
tures, will be laid before vou.
It is proposed, in concert with the General
Government, to commence running the dividing
line betwe e n this State be Florida, on the fir?tday
<>f December next. The corrcspot deuce in re
lation to ii is submitted, and it will be seen that
no lifliculties can lie expected to arise to embar
rass the operation or to prevent the most desira
ble conclusion of it,
Alter a tedious correspondence with several of
the most distinguished of the Engineers of the
United States, from which no satisfactory result
could lie promised, Hamilton Fulton, Esq. a gen
tlemau of known integrity of character, and re
commended by the most eminent of the Engieers
of England, was appointed to the office of Chief
Civil Engineer. It i- hoped that .Mr. Fulton will
not disappoint the just expect itions of the public.
The proceedings of the Board ol' Public Wotks,
<Mtcr their first organization, are submitted to you.
A plan ot internal improvement having been, di
gested and prescribed by the Legislature, nothing
remained for them but to adopt the most prompt
and appropriate measures lei carry it into effect
Tlie report of the Board and ol d e Chief En
gine t, will disclose the first practical operations
under them, and will enable you to decide upon
die merits of die past, and what for (lie future, in
furtherance of the plan, the public interest shall
require. Toopcn new sources of commerce and
d'v e tacilitics to time already e pen are the great
objects ol the system. It by a communication
between the waters of Tennessee and those oj
Georgia, the trade ol the Mississippi and Ohio
can In- diverted to our \tlantic port-, the freight
and commissions would more than suffice to ic-
place, with the ordinary interest, the capital
which might be employed in effecting that com
munication, and if this were true at the begin
ning, the progressively increasing commerce
which an almost unbounded region, with rapidly
augmenting population, would supply, might
convert aclimiiK 1 of intercourse into a perma
nent source of revenut to the State. \\ liatever
can he realized in this respect, will depend on th<
facilities given by the pr ijected canal across
die Pcninsuia of i'lorida, which forming a line
ol steam boat communication between the Wes
tern vvatirs and our Atlantic ports, cheap, conti-
' nous and comparatively safe, may have advan
tage- over the short and more direct route, not
open to this valuable instrument of Conveyance
As connected with Mich an undertaking, the
States of Alabama anil Teunes-ce have been
consulted, and tin ir view s in relation to it, so far
as enminitiiii aled, nre submitted
With respect to that part of public improve
ment, designed to facilitate the intercourses of
trade within our on u limits, the obvious rule will be
to adapt our measures not only to the actual state
ol the trade and commerce of the country, but
to he means which we can command to give
efiicai y and success to them ; and, whether
canals, nr rail roads, or turnpikes, shall in dif
ferent situations be considered as host adapted
to this end, to limit both capital and labor to a
single object at a time, until that object is accom
plished. It need not excite surprise, if, before a
long time, with the exception of the level alluvi
al country, the rail will universally supercede
the canal, having the advantage of cheapness,
expedition, health fulness, safety and certainty.
A ou will receive with other documents on this
subject, a communication from the Governor of
~omit Carolina, which looks to the improvement
ol' the navigation of the Savannah river, bv a
• oncert of measures and combination of resour
ce- of that State and this, depending on the au
thovity of their respective Legislatures, with m\
answer, which will disclose to you inv own views
and opinions in relation to the subject, and to
w hich it may lie only necessary to add that those
views and opinions remain unchanged.
The honorable William Schley, in compliance
with his engagements, lias completed his Digest
of the English Statutes. The work was ap
proved by the Executive, and it is believed merits
and will receive (he approbation of the Legisla
ture. If to this work were added a Digest of the
Common and Statute Law , or if the principles of
ilie-e the Civil haw and of the Napoleon Code,
•as applicable to ouri ondilinn and circumstances,
could be embodied into one general system of
jurisprudence, taking the place of all, it would
be worthy the refinement of the age, and would
confer imperishable honor on the legislators and
sago w ho would devi-e and execute it. No sys
tern of jurisprudence w ill avail for all the bene
ficent ends of its iustiluiion, without a w ell or
ganize.. Judiciary to carry it into effect, and on
this subject it may be sufficient to remind the
Legislature of that defective organization of
our own to which its attention has been so re
peatedly, but hitherto unprofilably called.
Our academic institutions continue to flourish,
and Franklin College, at the head of them, sus
tain- its merited reputation. To its other Fro
fe-sor-liips a chair of Moral Philosophy, Rhe
toric ami Belles Retires, has been added, and the
di'cipliue and subordination maintained by the
proper authorities, are not known to be sur
passed by those which prevail in the best regu
lated Colleges of the country.
It is recommended to you to consolidate the
Poor School Fund, to augment it, to secure bv
sufficient guards its faithful application, and to
diffuse its benefits as intensively us possible
among the poor and indigent. These arc die
classes of community who in their means ol
livelihood fall below mediocrity, and who on
this account, as well as on account of their niini-
'u-r- have the strongest claims for that n.ss.stance
a hitli will enable them by the instruction of
i unary schools, to discharge in pence Sc in war,
uli in -i ii-eliiiM' ss lo themselves and adv antage
in the country, all the .allies of good citizens.
O i a' ■ in l.a. noth: >g will he added to the
uu.avion- invitations given to the Legislature lor
- 1*1 J.LJL>^ili_.l .J, n*|
VOLF ME 1
Mhe revi-al ami improvement of a system »> radi
cally defective that it is almost impossible In
maintain the necessary Orgauiiation under it—
he evil has found a palliative hottpvcr in the
encouragement exten-ively given n> the forma
tion ot volunteer corns (cavalry and infantry)
winch no:v present a force highly respectable lor
number, armament and discipline, ready to he
called into service at a moment’s warning, and
inspired by the most patriotic sentiments
The annual reports of the different Banks are
submitted. The interests oi the State, of the
Stockholders and of the trading and commercial
cmmiiiuiiiy claim your immediate attention to
the actualI condition of the Bunk of Darien—
lit'ilitT it shall be left to the operation of time,
mnliT the direction of the institution as estaii-
bsli.d by the charter, to restore the capital with
a view to ulterior active operations, or whether
the Legislature, lor the purpose of restoring the
capital vviil, a view t ith r to I'u, liter opei minus,
or it ttual settlement of its affairs, shall take the
the management into their mi n hands, arc alterna
tives submitted toy our discretion Voitr di ci»
sion will be governed by an estimate of the deep
-.take which die Treasury basin the even:—the
inconvenience resulting to all the part ies concern
ed, lrmn a postponed rexloraiinn of the capital,
of the proportion which die ciri dating pu-diitm
hear- to the actm I demand for it, and of the
powers which you yourselves possess of e ,i.;.s
die desired cifirnry to any measure lor die accom
plishment of either or all of these object*
The orgnization of the territory laa l, ac
quired by the Treaty of the Indian Springs, w ill
ho a subject of early attention. The public re-
seiyationy will particularly require u provision,
which will not merely place them beyond the
probability of trespass or intrusion,'but will
'•take them available, with the least possible de-
lav, for all the benefits and advantages expected
to bedcrived from them.
I he claims lor militia services, remain unac
ted on by ( ongress. Our citizens interested lit
diem suffer by the delay, whilst the delay re alls
in no advantage to the U nited Stati s. It is in
deed a useless procrastination of wlmt must in
evitably come to pass as an irreversible decree
ol justice. The objection, hitherto taken, of the
mersion ot the-e claims in the articles of ng ce
ment and cession, must lie satisfactorily removed
by tlie evidence communicated from this depart
ment, nndivliir.h shews that thrCoinmissioivusof
I the I k Slates, w h > negotiated the articles, -ub- »
cjr.enlly n cognized the claiu s as in no in; n cr
connected with the stipulations o that instrument.
The militia claims and iIip territorial claims
of Georgia, remaining nusatisiied for twenty or
thirty years, have given rise to tli • unliappv dif
ferences, subsisting between the Federal go*
veminent and ibis It is sincerely Impe l that
these dillereiices approach to an amicnbl > ter
mination, and that enlightened counsels united
to belter feeling; will restore the harmony w i k
it is so much the interest of both parties to c..hi-
vale and cherish. Wrong lias been done
Georgia—her views misrepresented, anil hrt
character traduced ; but wrong will come ti*
right, and what prejudice has tnisreprcscnied,
history will correct. That history.from infancy
to the present moment falsifies the charges by
w liich malignancy lias sought to make her odious.
In all her departments, her Kepreseniatives and
magistracy, in peace and in war, have fiti ' in nor
olhing of their duty to tlie U. Si tes. To the cone
sti till muni law, a ready and cheerful. be . *.. i has
been rendered at all tunes Ii. si ason- ol'danger
her contributions have been given without -t ,»
her sword draw n upon the first appeal. If for the-e
she claims no merit, she deserves uo reprn.n b —*>
They are the righteous only whom we aci.now-
ledge as our peers, and to their judgmc i we . ub-
niit our actions without hesp a ing fir ill in any
tiling but the award due to their intrinsic merits.
I cannot conclude this message without con
gratulating you on the blessings comtnuniratei)
to society by that universal toleration of reli
gion (the guarantee of our political constitd-
lions) by which the intolerant himself as well a*
the believing and the unbelieving are exempt froni
all responsibility, but to their Maker, whilst thd
numerous Sectaries of the Christian church, dif-
ering in creeds, but united in the faith given to the
sermon on the mount, preach and worship secure
ly almost in the same Temple, spreading the he*
nigndoctrines of that sermon far and wide, im
pressing their sacrcdness by precept and exam
ple, nniHaying the pro-perity of society in the
deep foundations of a pure morality.
It becomes nations and communities, like in*
dividuals, from time to time to render homage
and adoration to the Supreme Governor of tlie
universe, the author of every good, to acknowl
edge his power, to make confession of sins, ta
ask their forgiveness, to supplicate his merev)
and to deprecate his wrath. It especially be
comes us, the most favored of the clnldrc n(
men, to display our gratitude and thankfulness
for the continued dispensations of his parental
goodness, by which our independence and 1 iier-
tiesare preserved, our indnstrv made fruitful)
and its fruits protected—physical evils avertedf
and moral blessings multiplied, so that the pios-
perity and happiness we enjoy not only trans
cend one deserts, but promise a des'inv, more
elevated than any portion of the human fami
ly has attained. To set apart a day of thanks
giving and prayer for these past manifestations of
a superintending Frovulence may he though) an
act ot moral and religious duty, not inconsis*
tent with the high political ones which you are
required to perforin, and may propiliutp for in
in ilie time to come, a continuance of the same
aenigiiunt smiles which our uuwortliiness may
forfeit, but w Inch In. loving kinduess is ever rest*
ly to ilispc: se to tlie humble sui plications of dip
good ii>d \ riuotis of all nations.
\our fellow-citizen,
GLUKGE AL TROUP*
