The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-01-17 00:00:00

son, will doubtless be right; but the great mass of
the articles on which impost is paid, are foreign
luxuries, purchased by those only who ate rich
enoogli to afford themselves the use of them. Their
pattiotism would certainly prefer its continuance,
and application to the great purposes of the public
education, roads, rivers, canals, and such other ob-
jeas of public improvement, as it may be thought
proper to add to the constitutional enumeration of
federal powers. By these operations, new channels
of eo.nnittilication will be opened between the
States ; the lines of separation will disappear, their
interests will be identified. and their union cemented
by new and indissoluble ties. Education is here
placed among the articles of public care, not that it
would he proposed to take its ordinary branches out
of the bands of private enterpi ize, which manages
so much better all the concerns to which it is equal:
but a public institution can alone supply those
sciences, which, though rarely called for, are yet ne-
cessary to complete the circle, all the parts of which
contribute to the improvement of the country, and
some of them to its preservation.
The snbjeft is now proposed tor the consideration
of Congress, because, if approved, the time the
State Legislatures shall have delibei aced on this ex-
tension of the federal trusts, and the laws shall have
passed, and other arrangements made for their exe-
cution, the necessary funds will be on hand, and
without employment. I suppose an amendment of
the Constitution, by consent of the States, necessary ;
because the (Nee!' now recommended are not among
those enumerated in the Constitution, and to which
it permits the public monies to be applied.
The present consideration of a national establish-
anent for education, particularly, is rendered proper
by this circumstance also, that if Congress, approv-
ing the proposition, shall yet think it more eligible
to found it on a donation of lands, they have it now
in their power to endow it wi.h those which will be
amr. toe earliest to produce the necessary income.
Th, t-undation would have the advantage of being
tod , dent on war. which may suspend other im-
provements. by requiting for its own purposes, the
resources destined for them. _ . .

This, Citize .s, is the state of the public in-
terests, at the present moment, and according to the
information now possessed. But such is the situa-
tion ed. the nation. nt Europe, and such, too, the
predicament in which we stand with corn- of
them, Cf.+ we cannot rttly, with certainty, on the
prfsent raped of .ur affairs, that may change from
moment to moment, during .he course of your
session, or after ytu shall have separated. Oar duty
is, therefore, t' 4et upon the things as they are, and to
ma►e a seasonable provision for whatever they may
be. ‘N ere armies to be raised whenever a spite k of war
is visible in our horizon, we never should have
been without them. Our resources would have
been exhausted on dangers which have never hap-
pened, instead of being reserved for what is really
to take place. A steady, perhaps a quickened pace
in preparations for the deience of our seaport towns
and sewers, an early settlement of the most exposed
ar.l vulnerable parts of the country, a militia so or-
ganized, that its effeCtive portions can be called to
any point in the U.lion, or volunteers instead of
than, us serve a sufliaent time, are means which
may always be ready, yet never preying upon our
resr.urc.ir, until alually called into use. They will
mainc.litt the public interests, while a more permanent
toter shall be in a course of preparation. But much
will depend on the promptitude with which these
me..n+ can be brought into aSivity. If war he
forced upon us, in spite of our long and vain ap-
peals to the justice • f nations, rapid and vigorous
movements, in its outset, will go far towards se-
curing us in its course and is.ue, and towards
thro.ving its burdens on those who render necessary
the resort from reason to force.

The re,alt of our negociations, or srch it cidents
in their cnto• as may enable us to infer their pro-
bable issue; further movements also on our
Western Iron: as may chew whether wet- is to be
pressed there, while negotiation is protrailed else-
where, shall be communicated to ynu from time to
time, as they become known to me ; with whatPver
other information I possess, or may receive, which
may aid your deliberations on the great national
interests committed to your charge.
Dec. 2, ISe/6s !'x. Jeereesotr.

HOUSE OF REPRESEK I ATIVES, Me. 9.