Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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.