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vol. v.)
ATHENS, Georgia: publisksd my ALEXANDER M ? DONNELL.
Governor’s Communication.
T ihrv Citizens of tht Senate
&4 <tf the Heufe if Reprtfont stives.
After a forbearance to which
thee >s fcarcly parallel to be
frn.d in the hiftory of anv indepen
dent nadon, the Uniter! Stares have
a 1-ng‘h beer, compelled, in vindi
f?,t on of their honor and for the
nsa*:?e nance of their indubitable
rights, co declare War ngainft G.
B 2ir. A detail of the caufes
which produced this aft of our go
vernment, is I rrefume, neither ex
peftrd nor dr fired from me at this
t?m ; rh**v Have been committed
to Ceng eft bv the Conffrtutional
the Prefi lent of the United
in a lucid and
c;j> rfi and addrels, which you ail
fern and no dnubtpcffTi.—
T Vnfolent and arbitrary domiaion
gilumed bv the Briiifh, to contr 1
by ner naval power the rgilts of th**
country, and the mtafurcs by our
government with a vkw of briig
irg the corrupting nrmftry v( Ls.
B tun to a fele of juftice, have
ben felt by Gorga wtn m ich
fe verity *s any other ftate m the U~
pi rn. Her planters ad 1m g oren
rin the nabit of raifi g articles for
exportation, from whi t> they dcriv
c principal refources, and de
p*- ,’**d upon importations from a
” 411 for their annual tupphes $
hence, they feU with peculiar iff ft
the want of that inrercourfe from
which rhsy derived their
advantages; vet no (cififh views
e*rr operated upon their minds, or
imr>a’rfd their confidence in the
government or the wildorn of their
m*afure>; on the contrary, they
ha e u. dcr every d-ffi ulcy and pri
vation maintained a fi m republican
and ronfi rutional charafter, which I
am corfi ent they wilj ftill main
tain No ibffi uitiea or privations
will ever induce them toiubmitto
cbg adation or and fhonor. And
permit me to (k, if a fubmiffi n to
the black catalogue of Bnt lb Tg
gr fli n, would not be a lubm flion
t<s degt adation and diftwnoi ? It
affurtaly would: Let us therefore
maintain the charader we have ac
q ilrrd, and unite heart a. and hand in
fepp rt of th< government, and the
Cornell in which we are now cn
g*jrey—it is a conttfl iatftiomd by
juftice and prompted by ncctffi v,
and under the guidance of D vine
Providence we lhali obtain tiicob
j f},% for which we tontc. and.
wc contemplate the pre
frnt fi ua,tn of tins ftate, our atten
tion is irrefiftably direfted to our
fj c: fi ‘e frontier. Our fca-coaft,
from the river Savannah to that of
S* Mary’s inclufive, is indented by
numerous inlets, affording fufficient
dtpth of water for armed fhips f
c ■. (lietable force ; to oppolc the
entrance of which, there are few
works of defence—fke population
thin, and a vaft property to invite
the attention and facisfy the cupidi
ty ever, of Bncifti cruifers.
From the mouth of St. Mary’s to
the termination of our line on the
1 * gain river, wy have an extent of
frontier, for between three and four
Hundred mi.ies; the territory mune-
GEORGIA EXPRESS.
M 14 ANT SMALL ROM T 9 AMI fRO, AM* KMOWLSBOI SMALL IS IS<C \t ASIA.”
diarlv beyond which- is occupied by
numerous tribes of and war
like favages of doubtful f aich ; feme
of wham we may already co; fider
our enemies, ( he Seminole* ) and
the reft sltho* at this time prof. flig
a ctfiij to remain at peace, may
loon and unfxprfted y be ii.duced
by the arts and intrgurs of old
friends, and the ft 11 m-re powerful
irft i'.-nee of large prefmts, c© be
came hoflile to us. With due pre
paration, however, th* (Lee s capa
ble of defend'ng berfe- againft any
Boftile auempr of B‘ ,f fh Cruifers or
or Indian enenves. Our-citizens of
the middle or weftern parts Me nu
merous, ha r dy and bra e, and are
not or.ly capable of defending them-
Lives againft the Indian!., but would
march at atMomem’s v/arning to the
afiiftance of their fdlow citizens un
the lea b* ard in cafe of netti, who
although cq ailv brave, arc Ufs r.u-
Mifrcus a.id conf que tlv kfsaole
to defend their exte- fi e and valua
ble coaft ; but to do this, the cui
ze s mult ~.ave arm*, and they muft
be raughi the, life of thm, as well as
Uui.ts >f chc < amp. Thelc cob
fi crations have Induced me to prefs
upon > ur a thorough re
v fion of ©ur milifialaws, ana of
hi-K prov finis for the purchafe
of arms and a nmututson, &c. 11
the defence of our lea coati it will
not e! ape your attention that arc 1-
i-iry arc impoiiaficc, and yet,
trsere is not a lingie company of
the city of Savannah in the whole
of the fi ft brigade. This is no
doubt *wi g to the great expeace
attending the equipment fup
portcif luch corp;, which but a kw
are able to fuft&m. Permit me to
recommend to your rot fide ration,
the propriety of making lome pro
vifiun for the encouragcm;nt of this
defcription of t-oops.
Knowing ef no manuftftory
of iwords and p ftt Is within the ftate,
my scentton ha3 been to
other tiate* for a fupply of tkofe
artii Its, as contemplated by the aft
of Ift it fii ?n, ? r r rne ule of the ca
vairy ; bu , I fi jd rhr profprft of
procu.i, g them lu remote and un
certain, ihai I fhall a t mpt to .ave
th; (words made at h nir, and I Am
flittered with the hope t-f na> • g
tn s done in a ft) it of fhip
luperior to thole imported for com
mon ufe, and at a much cheaper
rate. Tnc manufacture of them
will commence immediately in rh.s
pla e, and will produce a*out five
Z n e very week. I full ufc rny
utmoft efforts to have the
made in the ftate alfo. Thrfe are
objefts which in our prefent fixa
tion claim the foftering care of the
leg’flaturc.
In the courfe oflaft the
Secretary at War of the U. States,
by order of the Prffilcnt called
upon this ftate under the authority
of an aft sf C ongrefs, to detach from
her militia three chuufand five hun
dred, which has been done accord
ingly. fhefc men thus detached
are liable to be called into aftual fer
vice whenever tht Prffi lent fhail f
dtreft, and ten companies of them
have been called tor and are new in
the field, wncre they arc liable to
be detsined fi* months. I: is pnf
fnlt, nay very piobable, that many
cf rhefe mea new on duty have left
fsmilif* orrtlaiivts at home, whole
principal dependence for fuppot
was upon their labor, or whole link
property may be at the mrcy of a
creditor for ah i neon fider able debt.
S< me leg fiarivc prov.fi n in fuch
cabs w. uid in my opinion be both
r aiot.able and juft, and may be done
wt-iout impairing the juft rights of
others. r*> prudent liberality on
the part of the ftate the indigent or
infirm family or relative of the fol
dter and lislitcle property may be
relieved a*d prierveti, whilst he in
return n in all probability fpilhrg,
or at any race ready to fpul h.s
blc<?d in her cadence,.
In March Lit a revolution com
menced in Eait Florida, and from
the part taken by toe Comm fli mer
of the United Stares, and the move
meat of their troops, 1 flittered nr< -
felf that they had deto mined os Lhe
immediate occupancy ot the wh.lc
Province.
Ihc progress of this revoluiijn
be air.e ext.rciT.dy interdl g to
Genrg i, and I am indebted to the
v g .aricc and atrention of Brgaaier
General Fioyiij for the fi It, ai:U %
r su'ar continuance cf intornu ion
upm the fubjedl, irom which 1 loon
began to (wiped that t-ie cuuric
purlued not oaly rail of iuc
ce.s but chat our frontier in that
quarter might ioun be involved in
much ri.fti uitv and cltftrcis. Un
der thefe impreftiuns, and conceiv
ing that if the General Gav-troment
had dttcrmined upon the ©ccupancy
of the Province, they would have
communicated the faft to the go
vernment of GeorgI*, 1 *, and placed
the ftate ©n her guaiu agai.ft a fail
ure oi the entepprize, fince in that
event (he wouiu be the imrricd.aie
ftifferer, l wrote a letter to the bc
cretary at war, dating my appre
hei.fions o( the **i coriitqumwts
that were likely to rtiuL to Utoi
ga from the ma .ner in tnc
proceedings in Florida sen cun
dufted, and rtqutftrd tea* the con
tents •fmy letter might be commu
nicated to the P c (idem. B* tore
letter had reached its dcitma
tion, I received one from the se
cretary of State by order ot me
Parfi .cnt, in which he declares,’that
the proceedings ot the Agent m tn
traniaftions u Florida wot unamo
rifed, and call, g upon me as Go
vernor of the b.a e, to aft for the
General Government, if.a;muth as
the inttreft of Georgia were impli
cated as well as thelc of the United
Scares; and alio containing infti ac
tions as to the courfe it was
expefted I would purfue in fo deli
cate and important a tranfaftton. —
It required but a few days to dif
patch luch public bufineit as was
then in the Executive office, and to
prepare every thing neceffary to ad
mit of my abfcnec. 1 his be >g
accomplilhed I proceeded with u
delay to St. Marys, as-me molt
convenient fpot where I oaid by
fp;*il have a free comraunt atton
with any part of the Union, and with
Cite Governor of Eait Florid, a ,and
Col. Smith the Commander of me
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, ilia.
American troops, at the fame time.
On mv arrival ar tha r place, I ( u and
the prt.grtls of the revolution ft p
ped before St. Auguftme, c : e Pat
riots brirg una;P aione to a*. a k
that formidable p ft U h v American
C3 troops not permitted to aft f*ti
* ffii
Augyft.ne in compliance with rhe
inftiuftions I lud received, and a
correlpondence between the perfen
then aftirg as Governor and my felf
commenced which, however, (cron
terminated, in confrquence of rhe
Spaniard preferring the application
of forte to remove the American
which he aftually tried on the 16 h
Mar, to the m >re ted om operatic n
of having *t done bv nrg >ciarion in
a pca> t!ul manner. Fhe experi
ment hc.werer, did nor fucccc<*‘, aid
the troops kept their ground. The
letters of the Sec re ary of S * f r o
me on the 2nd and of M?y
Eft, will eXplvn !he reaf">ii wny r e
troops wese no. withdravvn; h v
are rtafar.s founded on ti e i■ nr.d ft
principles of. poi.cy ’as wed as jdi e
and humanity, rhr, a f pi- , ;o ~u r
prefer-t /ituation ofEuft Fiot da with
double force.
The cor-fiiencowith which I an
ticapa ed tne declaration of \Var a
ga nft G/cat-Britain, 1-d me *.'h
’ qual c.u.fi.jence to aatic’i a e an
C.Hia gmcnc of the powers cf *he
Prefidcnt by Cor.grefs as rhe n<-
ctfTary coidtsquencc, having for on
jft -he cnt.re occupan yof f ift
and VVtft Florida. That th>. fli void
have been the courfe pnrfu o, I was
extremely folicftcus 3 knowing as I
did, and ftill do tha rh intrreft of
Georg a would be efFedually pro
moted by that event, and the views
and wifhes ©f the General G vern
meßt at tnc fame time a corni 1 fil
ed. The Senate of the U S’ arcs,
huwcv r, in heir wifdcm had dif
ferent views of the (kbj ft, aid ho
maitrr was pt milted to remain as
before the wr. It is nrvvr f h Ifi
m fi .ccrc and- and and opin o n , tnat
the peac* ad .af-rv <-.f tms ftate
will be azar cd, if occujiaacy
©f ib.ad F. r ca by * tir g
is reli. qu.fhtd, -r much long r de
layed. I ftc i’relit it for<'t. in Au
guft ne is of a Itf r.p i. n w.ucli we
ttniot tolcrare, a* and the of
warfare which the Govern r of hat
place ha* commenced, 10 favag Sc
baibarous, that it is irrpofiluie / r
an American to hear it without feel
ing the urmuft indignation and ‘e
femment agalr ft the powe*r vv 10
conaaiandi or even permiti it. I
recommend th.s fuhj ft j n a 1 cfpe
cai manner to your moft fc r :oua
confiderarion, as involvi. g not only
your immediate intereft, but ur
future pea e and h rppinefs. It is
with real plcafure that Ia flu re you
of my entire ce fiience in the dif
p fi. ton of the to proceed
in .tnc bufinefs with the utmoft dc~
cifion, if he is authorif-d by C h
gr s. Caprs of luch documents
as arc calc *ia ed to g*ve vou a clear
view of toe fubj-ft ani enaole you
to form cor-vft con<;l ifi us, *!1
accompany tn;s c •'min , JiiPat
A.id lh uld an* td-iir!-; .nf.> rmi
tioi be ‘tell and du- 1. feffi
if in Liiepjwer 01 tnc Executive,
(No. 225.