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reachedsu?f tic inforpiattuanon the.
fubjeft has oeen received from that
source. But it is known that the
mediation was declined in the firft
infiance, and there is no evidencej
notwithstanding the tapfe of time,
that a change of qifpofition in the
British councils has*taken place, or/
is to be expected.
Under luch cittumfianccs, a na
* lion proud of its rights, and con
scious of its filength, has no choice
hut air of the one in sup
port of the other. this deter
mination, the belt encouragement
is derived from the success with
which i? has pleased the Almighty
?r>4>kTs our arms, both on the land
and on the water. Whilst proofs
have been continued of the
prize and (kill of our cruizers,'pub
lic and private, on the ocean, and a
new tropliv gained in the capture
of B irifh by an American vcffel
ot r, after an action giving ce
febrily to the name ot the victori- *
ous commander; the great inland
waters, on which the enemy were
utlo to be encountered, have pre
sented achievmcnts of our uaval
arms, as brilliant in their character
as they have been important in their I
onfequences.
On Lake Eric the squadron un
per command of Capt. Perry, hav
ing met the British squadron, of su
perior force, a sanguinary conflict ■
ended in the capture of the whole, i
The conduct of that officer, adroit •
as it was daring, and which was so |
veil seconded by his comrades, just- \
them to the admiration
and gratitude oi their country; and
will fill an early page in its naval ;
artoals, with a vtftory, never surpas
sed in lufi.ru, however much it may
have been in magnitude.
On Lake Ontario, the caution
ot the British commander, favored
bw contingencies, fruftrated the ef
fort;. of the American commander, ;
to bring on a deciftve adion. Cap
tain Chauncey’ was able, however
.to establish an afcendency on that
important theatre, and to prove, by
the manner in which he cliculed
every thing p jffible, that opportu
nities only were wanted, tor a more
fl.ir.ing display of his own talents
and of the gallantry of tlioie under
his command. ,
The success on Lake Eric having
opened a pafTage to the territory of
the enemy, the officer commanding i
the north weflcrn army transferred [
the war thither; and rapidly purfu- ■
ing the hoflile troops fleeing with |
their lavage afl'oeiates, forced a gen
eral action, which quickly termin
ated in the capture of the British,
and dispersion of the savage force.
This rciult is signally honorable to
Major-General Harrison, by whose
military talents it was prepared ; to
colonel Johnson and his mounted
volunteers, whose impetuous onset
gave a decisive blew to the ranks
of the enemy ; and to the spirit of
the volunteer militia equally brave
and patriotic, who bore an interoft
ing part in the feene; more espe
cially to the chid magistrate of Ken
tuckv at the head ot them, whole
heroiftn, fignalifed in the war which
eflablifhed the Independence of his
country, fought, at an advanced
ago, a fharc in hat dflaps and battles,
for maintaining its rights and its
fafety.
The efieift of these fuccefies has
been to refeue the inhabitants of
Michigan front their opprefiions,
aggravated by grefs infractions of
the capitulation which fubje&ed
♦hem to a foreign power; to r v “ •
ate the savage of nutticroua tribes
frofn thef enemy, by whom they
were disappointed and abandoned ;
and to relieve alt extensive region
i of country from a ntercilefs warfare
! which delojatcd its frontiers, and
■ imposed on its citizens flic mofl
harraiiing services.
In conlequence of our naval su
periority on Lake Ontario, ami the
opportunity allorJtd by it for con
centrating our forces by water, op
i crations, which had been pri viouliy
planned, were let on foot, against
the poUeffions of the enemy on the
St. Lawrence. Such, however, was
the delay produced, in the firft in
llance, by adverle weather of unu
sual violence and continuance, and
fuel) the circumliances attending
; the final movements of the army,
’ that the pro (pc ft, at one time lo fa
vorable, was not realised.
The cruelty of the enemy, in cn
lifling the savages into a war with
a nation delirous of mutual emula
tion in mitigating its calamities, has
not been confined to any one quar
ter. Wherever they could be turn
ed against us, no exertions to effect
,it have been spared. On our South
I Western border, the Creek tribes,
who, yielding to our pei levering
endeavors, were gtadually acquir
ing more civilized habits, became
the unfortunate victims of {educ
tion. A war tn that quarter has
j been the coni qutnee, infuriated by
; a bloody buMtitifin, recently propa-
I gated among them. It was neces
sary to crush luch a war before it
could spread among the contiguous
tribes, and before it could favor en
terprises of the enemy into that vi
cinity. With this view a force was
called into the service of the United
States from the {fates of Georgia
and 1 enneflee, which, v ith the
nearclf regular troops, and other
corps from the Millillippi territory,
might not only ehaftik the savages
into present but make a iaft
ing impreflioft on thei v fears ihe
progrels ol the expedition, as far as
is yet known, corrcfponds with the
martial zeal with which it was es
poused ; and the bell hopes <fa lat
isfactory iflue are authorifed by the
complete success wth which a well
planned enterprize was ext cured a
gainfl a body ot hollile la rages, by
a detachment ot the volunteer mili
tia ot Tcnneflee. under the gallant
command ot Ge*n. Goftce ; arm by
a {fill more important victory over
a larger body of them, gained un
der the immediate command of
Major-General Jackson ; an officer
equally diftinguiflied tor his patrio
tilin and his military talents.
The fyffcmatic perseverance of
the enemy in courting the aid of the
savages in all quarters, had the nat
ural effedt of kindling their ordina
ry propensity to war into a passion,
w hich, even among thole heft till*
poled towards the United States,
was ready, if not employed cu our
fide, to be turned against us. A
departure from our protracted for
! bcarance to accept the services ten
dered by them, has thus been for
ced upon us. But, in yielding to
it, the retail .tion has been mitigated
as much as possible, both in its ex
tent and in its character, {topping
j far fiiort c[ the example ol the cn
’ tiny, who owe tiro advantages they
have occasionally gained in battle,
chiefly to the number of their savage
aflociates; and who have not con
trolled them either from tfi.ir ulual
practice of iudiferitninate inaffacre
• cn defencclefs inhabitants, or from
f •■•n rtf r■’ ‘iinn.’ v 1 1 :■ t 1 ?'” t *•'’
4 \ HC . II- s, V I-- . r I u ■
on priibneia to the Bntiih arms,
guarded by all the laws of humanity
and of honorable war. For these
enormities, the enemy are equally
refpcnfibL*, whether with the pow
er to prevent them they want the
will, or with the knowledge of a
want of power they {fill avail them
fclves of luch inflruments. In oth
er rcfpe&s the enemy arc pursuing
a course which threatens consequen
ces inoft afflicting to humanity.
A {landing law of Great Britain
naturalizes, as is well known, all
aliens complying with conditions
limited to a fharter period than
thole required by the United States;
and naturalized fubjfecis are, in war,
employed by her government in
common with native lubjeifs. In
a contiguous Brftilh province, reg
ulations promulgated titice th£com
mencenu nt of the war compel citi
zens of the United States, being
‘there under certain circumstances,
to bear arms; whilst of the native
emigrants from the United States
who compote, much of the popula
tion ol tlie province, a number have
actually borne arms against the U.
States within their limits ; fotue of
whom after having done 10, have
become prisoners of war, and are
now in our pofieflion. The Bi itkh
commander in that province, nev
ertheless, with the lan&ion, as ap
pears, ot his government, thought
proper to select from American pri
soners of war, and fend so Great
Britain lor trial as criminals, a num
ber ol individuals, who had emigra
ted from the British dominions long
prior to the ffate of war between the
two rations, who had incorporated
themlelves into our political society,
in the inodes recognized by the law
and the practice ol Great Britain,
and who were made prilor.ers of
war, under the banners of their
adopted country, fighting for its
rights and its latety. The protec
tion due to these citizens requiring
an eiledual inferpofition in their be
half, a like number of British pri*
fouers of v.ar were put into confine
ment, with a notification that they
would experience whatever violence
might he committed on the Ameri
can prisoners of war sent to Great
B itain.
It was hoped that this necessary
conlequence of the step unadvisedly
take*n on the part of Great Britain
would have led her government to
reflect on the inconfiftcncies of its
conduct, and that a sympathy with
the British, if not with the American
fufferers, would have arrtfted the
cruel career opened by its example,
‘lhis was unhappily not the case.
In violation both of confiltency and
of humanity, American officers and
non-commissioned officers, in dou
ble the number of the British fol
tliers confined here, were ordered
into close confinement, with formal
notice, that in the event of a retali
ation for the death which might he
inffifted on the prisoners of war sent
to Great Britain for trial, the offi
cers so confined would be put to
death also. It was notified at the
fame time that the commanders of
the British fleets and armies on our
coasts are inftru&ed, in the fame
event, to procccJ with a dei ire dive
severity against our towns and llicir
inhabitants. 1 hat no doubt might
be left with the enemy of our ad
herence to the retaliating resort i*n
pufed on us, a correfprndint num
ber of Britiffi officers priloners of
war in our hands were immediately
put into close confinement, to abide
; fate cf these c't. r red by the
coiy ; and the British government
has been apprized of tlrif dekVmii*-
ation of this goven>n'.cnt,*o retali
ate anjjt other proceeding againff us.
contrary to the legitimate modes ci
warfare.
It ts as fortunate for the United
States that they have it in their poor
er to meet the enemy in tltis deplor
able* conic ft, asr it is honorabh {■;
than, that they do not Join in it bat
under the mid imperious oblige
tions, and with the humane puipofi
of ifleeting a return to tbceflab-
Ilflied mages of war.
The views of the French govern
ment on the (objects which have
been so long committed to ncgoci
at ton, have received no elucidation
since the dole of your lass ccflinn.
T he Minister Plenipi tentiary of the
United States at Paris had not been
enabflft, by propu opportunities,
to press the objects of his million,
as prcicribtd f>y his inifruJtions.
The Militia bting always to L*
regarded as the great bulwark or
defence and security f r free dates,
and the constitution having vilely
cotmnittcd to the national authority
a use of that force, as the tefl provl
fion again It a:: unfafe rr:i!itary eftah
lifhment, as well as a rdonree pe
culiarly adapted to a country hav
ing the extent and the cxp< fur-’’ o<
the United States. 1 recommend tr
Congrels a icvifion of the t rilitia
laws for the purpoft* of securing
more effeftually, thefervices of ail
detachments called into the employ
ment anil placeJ under the govern
ment of th- United States.
It will deserve the confidoration
of Congress alio, whether, among
other improvements in the militia
laws, jultice does not require a re g
ulation, under due precautions, for
defraying the expense incident t
the firft alfembiing ;.a wJI as to th
f’ubfequcr.t moveiuens of detach
ments called into the national fer
vice.
To give to cur veflels of war,
public anJ private, the rujuinte ad
vantage in the-ir entiles, it is oi
much importance that th.y fhculc'.
have, both for rilemfclves ane their
prizes, the use of the ports of frituu
ly powers. With this view, 1 ;c
---comtnend to Congrels the expedi
ency of luch legal provisions as may
supply the defects, or remove the
doubts of the Executive authority
to allow to the cruizers of other
powers, tit war with the enemies of
the United States, such use of the
American ports and markets as
may correspond with the privilege s *
allowed by luch powers to Ameri
can cruizers.
During the year ending on tilt
30th of Sept, last, the receipts into
the Treasury have exceeded thirty
lcvcn millions and a half of dollars,
of which near twenty-four million*
wete the pruduce ol loans. After
meeting all the demands for the
public id vice, there remained in the
Treafuiy on that cay, near fever,
millions of dollars. Under the au
thority contained in the ad of the
rd of August lalf, for hot revving
liven nrliior.s and a half of dollars,
diet fain has been obtained on terms
mere favorable to tite United
States than ri.cfe of the preceding
loan made duiing the prelent year.
I'm (her sums to a considerable .
mount will be necefat v to he oh
m # J
tabled m the fame way daring tlr
ensuing year; and from the inert A
cd capital ot the country, in ra the
fultlky with Which the* public en
gagements have been kept, and the
public ere )\* tnnirtah rd. I* may