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therefore, we Include all the dates, naedi
arelyor immedlately, under the dominion
of Franee, wc Hull n r.d that fne has at her
difpcfal a population equal to 50 million.
JEFFERSON’S MESSAGE. *
1—
This day a* coon. Mr. Coles, the Pre
fuf-ftr** fecreur;, prtTeotcd the following
F-SSA.GE f.notr) the Prtfidenf; 1 >
To fft'Stitatt Pn.i J/fit/Aof Rrprefentati’jn
cj tkr XJnut d SfiTtti us Attuned.
A T a moment when the nations ot K«* f
are il> Com .notion >odar‘lidg‘agahift
each ofher, when these v.im we h*«vc
principal,inicrcOorfc ate’engaged in rhe gen
eral cumrft, and \ hen the countenance of
f. tic of them ton auk out country
that may »>ot he nnaff clrd by
what is puffing on thr gclkrifl theatre, a
trees Jug ofthe reprefcptiicivcs of rh conation
•in both houses of cen/rth, hasbecome more :
than ufoiHy 'defirahlc,, Coming from eve
ry fe&ion of oyt country, they bring with
rlv in the fhwimenrs and the information ot"
the whole, and will he enabled (ogive a djU
region to the 'public.-affairs, which rhe will
and th- iviflotn of the uheic vt dl approve
snd fit poor* < __ ,
In sakmg a view *f »h« ftutc ot our coun
try, -wc,, in the ft»H pfc>e« notice• the late
i.ffiiAioti of two of oujf cities under the fatal
* fever, which in latter limes lias occaliorial
1/ viilU'J uur lliores. Providence in uir.
gOodncft. gave it an early termination on
this ard leaned the rutnbei of
viflims which have ideally fallen bet ore ir.
In the course of'the fevefahv .fitatiems by
this difeafr, it has applied that it if. Urict-
Hie "coun'Ty 1 ei
ther by per funs > titter the disease, or by.
. goods carried front difeafed'places ; that its
acctfs is with the autumn, and it disappears
wtrh the early frofts. Tnfcfis nTnkdionj,
within narrow limits ,cf time and space, give
fedurity even to our matt hnf t cities, during
threc.foufihs ofthe year, and to'the' country
always.
Although from these f»As it appears uno«-
ceffary ; ye<,tofaiisly tbo fears of foreign nati
ons cautions 00 thciVpjtrt not to be complained
- ofinadr agrr whole limits are jer unknown to
* them, I have drift ly enjoined on the officers at
th»head ofthecyllems to certify with txatl
tru th for every veffcl filing for a foreign* port
‘ thfcJlatc oi'hcikh refpofting this fever, which
prevails at Ihe pi ace I rum which (he fails; under
every motive item tharadUr and duty to cer
l.jl»y the truth, I have no doubt they have
faithfully executed this injhnftion. lyiuch
real injury has, however, been fudained
from a propcafity to identify with this en>
dcmic and to udl by the fares nsuu, fevers
pf very diiTcrynt kir-.ls which have been f
k.mw 11 at all timrs, and in all countries, and I
never have been placed among ihofe deerntd \
contagious. As we advance in our know',
ledge of this disease, as fafta dcvelopc the
fouiTc from which individuals receive ir,
th<» ftatc authorities charged *with the care
«f th| public hedth, and congsefs with that
tof the gcncrl conuucrtc, w ill become able
to regulate with dFcft their refpeftive func
tions in these departments.
The burthen of quarantines is felt at home
as well as abroad, their efficacy merits ex
amination, Although the health Jaw of the
dare? (hould be found to need no present rc
vifal by congress, yee commerce claims
that their attention (hould ever be awake to
them.
Since our lad meeting, thfeafpeft of our
foreign relations has considerably changed.
Our coasts have been infefted, and our har
btrs watched by private aimed veflcls, son a \
of them without conmhffions, fume with
illegal commiffiom!, others with thofeofJe
gal (own, bat committing piratical atSls bc
. ybnd the aurharity of their coHimiffions.
Thcv have captured in the very entrance cf
our harbors, as well $s on the high Teas,
not only the veflels of oar friends corning to
trade with us, bur our own also. They
have carried them.off underpretence or legal
adjudication, hut not daring tn approach a
copre juttice, they have plundered and
funk them by tire in obfeure places,
w'hcre no could arifa againh them,
mal-treated the crews and abandoned, them
in boats, on the ep?n sea, or< od daCsrt
wjrboat fooil or covemig. —TUtfe
enormities appearing to be unreachcd by any
coßcroiil of their fpveieigns.' I found it
ncceffary to equip a force, to cruifc within
our own Teas, ro nrreft all vdTcls of these
deferiptioas found hovering on our coasts,
within the Uniiis es dream, and
to bring them in for cfjal as pirates.
The lame fyftcm of hovering on oarccafts
and barbers, under coUur of fecking en*.
mie.», has been »ifo carried on by public ar
med (hips, to the great annoyance and op.
predion of our commerce. New principles
too have been interpolated into the law cf na
tions, founded neither in justice nor the
ulhge op acknowledgement of nations ; ac
cording to these a belligerent takes to itfclf
a commerce with its «»n enemy, which it
dentes to a neutral, on the ground of its
a'ding that enemy in the war. But reason re
volts at such an in cor'd ft tncy—and the neo
tr>l having equal right with the hilligeren
to decide the qeftion, the interests of out
constituents, and the duty «f maintaining
the authority of mftn, the only umpire be.
tween just fl»tfor,g, Impose on us tins obliga
tion of providing an eifeftoil and 1 ' deteimin- '
eel oppofitioa & injorous to the
rights of peaceable nations.—lndeed the
confidence we ought to have on the jaftitc
of ethers, still countenance* the hope, that
a founder view of those right* will of itfelf
induce from every belligerent a more corrcft
obfervaoce of thebi.
.* With Spain our negotiations for the f«t
tlemcnt of differsncc* have not had a fatisfac
tory xffue. Spoliations during the former*
war, for which flic had formally acknow
ledged hetfelf refpdnfiblc, have been iifafed
to be compenftted but on conditions affef*-
iag other claims in ao wife conntdlcd with
tlie/T! — ■ — yet thv fame practices are renewed in
the present war, ard arc already of great
amount. On the Mobile, our certtmefae paf
f;ig ‘ throegh that river, continues -to he
ohltruffed, by arbitrary duties and vexati
ous searches. Proportions for adjusting am
icably, the boundaries ofLouifiarta have not
yet been jfccedcd to. While the right i»
unsettled, we have avoided changing the
(late of thing-, by taking new ports, or
ff rengtheriing ourfclves in the'difputcd ter
ritories, in the hope that the other power
would not, by a contrary ipnduft, oblige
os to meet their example, and endanger con
flitffc of authority, /the iflae of which may
not he caftly contioicd ; but in this hope we
have reason to IclTen our confidence—ln- /
roads have been recently made into the ter
ritories of Orleans and the, Mississippi; our
citizens have be*n fei/ed, and their pro
perty plundered in the very parts of the
former which had been attually delivered
up by Sp.lin, and this by the regular offi
cers and foldic* of that government, 1 have
i , 'V-reOre found it n?ceff»r»r ft length, -to
give oner* to our troops on that Irdßrier to
be in reidinefs to protect our citizens, and
repel by a tiro any fimijar aggressions in fu
ture. Other details ncceffary for your
full \ information of the state of thing*
between this country and that, (hail be the
fubjeft cf another comaiunioaticn.
In reviewing ibefc injuries from feme of
the biHigcrcnt-pewers, the moderation, the
lirmnefs, and the wifdora pf the legislature
will all be called io-to action. Wc ought
(till to hope that time and a more correfl eC.
timate of inlwcft as well as cf tharafter,
yilbvroducc the jcfticc wc arc bound to cx
iktftA But ftw>«tld any nation deceive itfelf
l\y feufc calculations, and disappoint that ex-
_w* must join in the unprofitable
of trying w hich party can do the
ofncr we mod harm , feme of -theft inju
res ruby perhaps admit a peaceable remedy,
where that is competent, itisalways ihemoft
Icfirabic-hut fomeef th«m arc of a nature to
met by force only r , and all of them may
/lead to it. 1 cannot, therefore, but rccem
i"roteml jpeh preparation* as circumstances call,
| xfor. The firft objedl is to place our Tea-
L port towns oat of the dangers cf insult. *
\ Meafuras have already been takon, for fur.
nilhing them with heavy cannoo for the
ferrice of f uch land batteries as may make a
part of their defence against armed veffitl*
approaching them. In aidjlof these it is de
sirable we (hquiri have a competent number
of gun.boats and the number to be compe
tent m«U he ccnfidcrable. If immediately
begun, they may be in readipefs for fcrvicc
at the opening cf rext season.—Whether it
will be ueceflary to augment nur land for
ces, will be decided hy occurrences proba
bly in the course of your session, In the
mean time you will confidcr whether it
would not be expedient, fora stat? of peace
as well as of war, so to organize or class
the malitia, as would enable ns, on any
hidden emergency, to call for the her vice* of
the younger portions, unincumbered with the
old and those having families. Upwards
of three hundred thousand able bodied men,
between the ages of 18 and 26 years, which
the last centos (hews wc may now count
within our limits, will, furnilh a competent
number for offence or defence, in any point
where th«y may be wanted, and will give
time so r raising rrguiar forces tfter the nc
ceflity of them (hall become certain ; and
the reducing to the early period of life
all its aflivc fcrvice, cannot hut be defuable
to our younger citizens, of tho present as
well as futuro time, in as much as it enga
ges to them in more advanced age a quiet
and ondifturbed repose in the boCom of their
Smiles 1 cannot then but earncftly recom
mend to your curly confideratinn, the ex
pediency of so modifying cur militia fyft.
emas, by aftparation#fthe more adiive part
from that which is iefs so, ive may draw
from it, when nectflary, an efficient corps,
fit for real and aftive service, and to be
called to it in regular rotation,
Confiderablc jptovifious has been made
under former authorities from Congress of
materials for the conftruftion of (hips of war
of 74 gens, these materials are on hand
fuhjcft to the further will of the legiflaturc.
An immediate prohibition of the ex
• portation of arms and ammunition is also
fuhmited to your determination.
Turning from these nnpleafant views of
violence and wrongs, I congratulate yoa. on
the liberation of our fcllow-citizens, who
were stranded on rhe coast of Tripoli, and
made prisoners of Wa£, In a governmeat
bottomed on the will of all, the life and
liberty,of every citizen become intarefting
to all. In the treaty, therefore, which
has concluded our warfare with that state,
s ' ; r .
an article for the ranforn of bar citizens has
been agreed to. An operation by land/ by
a finall band pt our countrymen, and others
engaged for the occafiop, in conjon&ipn
with the troops of the ex-baHia** of that
country* gallantly ccndurtcd by our late
Earcn, and their fucccfsful enter
prise on the city of Derrie,' contributed
doiibtlefs to the impression which produced
peace"; and the conclusion of this prevented,
opportunities of which the officers and men
of our squadron, destined for Tripoli, would
have availed themselves, to emulate the a£ls
of valour exhibited by their brethren in the
attack of the last year. Rcflerting with
high fatisfarticn on the diftinguifiied bravery
displayed, whenever occasions permitted,
in the late Mediterranean service, I think
it would be an Hfeful encouragement, as well
as a j(id reward, to make an openings for
some prefenr promotion, by enlarging our
peace eftablidiment of captains and lieuten
ants.
With Tunis* some mifunderftanuirgs
havsarifen, no: yet fufficienfly explained ;
but friendly difeuflions with their arobafla
dor recently arrived, and a mutual disposi
tion todo whatever is just and reasonable,
cannot fail of dlffipaiing these. So that we
may confider our peace on that coad, gene
rallj', to be ou as found a footing as it has
been at any preceding time. Still it will
pot be expedient to withdraw immediately
the whole of our force from that sea.
The law providing for a naval peace
establishment, fixes the number of frigates
which (hall be kept in constant service ia
time of peace ; and prefcrlbcs that they
(hall be manned by not more than two thirds
of their complement of Teamen and ordinary
seamen. Whether a frigate may be traded
to two thirds oqly of the proper complement
of men, mud depend on the*naturc of the
service on which (he is ordc red, that may
sometimes for her (Safety, as well as to ensure
her object, require her fulled complement.
In afltrcriiiig *Ki» fUbjtdty cor g refs will
perhaps esmfider whether the bed limitation
on ths executive diferetion in this case,
would not be by the number of seamen
which may be employed in the whole ler
vicc, rather than by the number of vefifds,
Occasions ofteaer arifie for the employment
of small, than oflarge veffcls ; and it would
leflen ri(k as well as expence to he authorifed
to employ them of preference. The limita
tion suggested by the number of seamen,
would admit of a felcrtio* of.vefiels bed
adapted to tht service,
Our Indian neighbours are advancing,
many of tliara with spirit, and others be
ginning to engaga in the pursuits of agricul
fure and household mamifarturc. They ara
becoming fcnfible that the earth yields fub
dar.ee with less labour than the *foreft, and
find it intereft frem time to time to
dispose of parts of their surplus and wade
lands, for the means cf improving those
they occupy, aid offublifting their families
while they are preparing their farms ; since
your last fcffio* the norther* tribes have fold
to us thtf lands between the Connecticut
reserve and the former Indian boundary,
and those on the Ohio, from the fame
boundary and its rapids, and for a confidera- -
ble depth inland. TheChickafawsimd Chcro- .
keci have (old us the country between and
adjacent to the two diftrirts of Tcencfcc;
and the Creeks t®? rafidae of their lands in
the fork ot the Ocmulgee up. to the Ulco
fauhatche j the three former porchafes are
important, inasmuch as they confolidate*
parts of our fettled country, and render their
intercourfc fecare ; aud the second particu
larly so, as, with the small point on the
river which we expert is by this time ceded
by the Piankeftiaws, it completes our poflef
fion es the whole of both banks of the Ohio,
from its source to near its ipouth, and the
navigation of that river is thereby rendered
for ever fafe to our citizens fettled and
fetteling cn its extensive waters; the pur
chase from'the Creeks too has been fbr fume
. time particularly interesting to the state of
Georgia,
i The fcveral treaties v'hich have been
mentioned trill ba submitted to both houses
of congress sos the cxercife of their rcfpcc
live funrtions.
Deputies now on their way tenths feat of
government from various nations of Indians
inhabiting the Missouri and other parts be
yond the Mississippi, come charged with
afluranccs of their fttisfartion with the new
relations in which they are placed with us,
of dficir difpdfitions to cultivate oar peace
and frlendfhip, and th«ir desire to enter into
commercial interpoarfe whh us.
A state of our progress in exploring the
principal rivers of that country, and of the
information refperting them hitherto ob
tained, will be communicated so foowas we
shall receive soma further relations which
we bavcTeafon (hortely to expert.
The receipts at the treafory during the
year ending on the 30th Scptembet last,
have exceeded the sum of thirteen millions of
dollars, which with-not quite five raiilons
in thS treafucry at the beginning of the year,
have enabled us, after meeting other demands
to pay nearly two millions of the debt con
trarted under the Britifti treaty and con
vection, upwards of four millions of princi
pal of the public debt, and four millions
®f interest : these payments, with those
which had been made in" three years and a
half preceding, have extinguiffied, of the
'- “ ■ V ■•; •“ , *
fcnctu cdt, nearly eighteen . millions cf
principal. 1
Coogtef«j by their aft of November i« f
1803, aothorifed us to borrow
dollars towards meetirg the claims of our
citizen* aflumed by the convention with
'France. We have not, however, n?sde
ufe of this authority, because the font of
fear millions and an half, which remained
in the treasury on the fame 301 b day of
September last, with the receipts which we
niiay calculate on for the enfoing year,
besides paying 'he annual far* cf eight mil
lions of dollars, Appropriated to the funded
debt, and meeting ail the current demands
which may be expefted, will enable «s ro
pay the whole sum of th»cc millions {even
hundred ard fifty tboufard dollars, a filmed
by the French convention, and still Icavts
us a fin-plus of nearly a million of dollars
at our free diffofal; (bould jo« ccn
curjin rheprovifionsof arms and armed veffd*
rccommendedby the circumfiances of the times
this furpluawill furhifh the means of doing so.
On this firftoccafion ofaddrefiing congrcfs
since, by the’chfiicc of my ccßftituemt, 1 h ave
entered on a second term of ad min id ration
1 embrace theopportnnity to give thispublic
affursnee, that I will exert my best endeavors
to administer faithfally the executive depart
ment ;]will zcslcufly co-operate with yon in
any mcafure which may tend to fcccrc tli
fellow citizens, and tofperfonal fafety cf fur
liberty, property and ccnfolidatc the repaLJi
canfbrms and prln-cipks ofeur government,
i In the courfeof your ftfiion you fhail re
ceive all the aid which I can give for the
dispatch of the public lufirefs, and all ifce
information necsflaiy for j ourdeliberatscnF,
of which the interefis of cur, own country,
and the confidence reposed in us by ethers,
will admit a communication.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
Wajh'mgton City, Dec. 3. rBo£.
NAPLES, August 13.
extract of a letter,
“ Yesterday, at ten o’clock at night, the
eruption of Vefuvias, of which the earth
quake seemed to be the forerunner, took
place. We are going to visit the crater,
when the cries of the people and a volatpe
pf flame informed us that the volcano had o
pentd. The lava precipitated itfclf in three
fcconds from the last peak cf the njoontajn,
and took a direction towards the valley sit
uated between Torre del Greco ard Torre
dell'Annunziatn, two tow ns on the Tea
beyond Portici, and seven or eight miles
from Naples.
** We set off immediately to fee this won.
derful and tremendous phenomenon nearer.
From the place of out departure, we fawr
the whole course of the lava, which extend
ed already two miles from rh« crater to the
houles that join the two towns. The fight
was the molt magnificently frightful that
could be seen. I contemplated - the esfeades
of flame pouring Irons the top of the moun
tain, and (huddered at feeing an immcnfe
torrent of fire ravage the fineft fields, over
throw houses, and deflroy, in a few min
utes, fha hopes and resources of a hundred
families.
“ A line’ of fire marked the profile cf the
mountain ; a cloud offnoke, which firmed
to fend forth ftom time to time flalhes of
lightning, hong over the fccne, and the
mown appeared to be pale. Nothing ca*
adequately deferibe the grandeur olthefcene
or give an accurate ides of the horror of if.
As we approached the spot ravaged by this
river of hell, ruined inhabitants Having
quitted their houses ; defolafcd families try
ing to save their furniture or provisions,
last and feeble,refoiirce ; an immcnfe crows!
of curious persons, retreating flop by flep
‘ from the advancing lava, and leftifyibg, by
extraordinary cries, their wonder, fear,
and pity—the frightful bellowing cf the
mountain, the freqent explofzons which bur ft
from the bosom of the torrent, the crack
ling of the trees devoured by tire fiamts, the
the noise of the walls filling, and the lugu
brious found of a bell, which the religious
of the Camaldules, isolated on a little hill,
and farroanded by two tcrenrs ofjtre, rang
in their distress; such arc the details of
the frightful feene to which 1 was a wit
refs. I.
(< The moment we arrived, the lava was
eroding the great road below' Torre del
Greco. To fee it better, wc got into a
beautiful hoqfe or the road fide—from the
t«rrace vre faW the fire at no more than
fifteen paces from us.--in a minute wc dc
feended and twinty minutes afterwards there
remained of the home but three large walls.
I approached as near at the heart aipd flow'
of the current would permit me ; I attempt
ed as different times to bom the end of my
handkerchief in if; I could only do it by
tying it to my cane. The lava docs not
run in liquid waves: it resembles an immcnfe
quantity of coals or fire, which an invinci
ble strength had heaped Tip, and pufiied on
, with When it met with a .wall, t
it oollcftcd t» the height of foven or ten
feet, burnt it, and overthrew it at once,
I fsw some wails get red hot, like iron,
and melt, if i may use the exprefiion, into
the lava. In its greatest speed, and 00 an
horizontal road, I reckoned that the
torrent travelled at eighteen inches a min
ute.—*lcs smell refembkd that of iron red
tot.”