The Sun.
London, England, 1837-01-02 00:00:00

celled and destroyed. Their re-issue is sanctioned by no law,
and warranted by no necessity. If the United States be re-
sponsible in their stock for the payment of those notes, their
re-issue by the new corporation, for their own profit, is a fraud
on the Government. If the United States is not responsible,
then there is no legal responsibility in any quarter, and it is a
fraud on the country. They are the redeemed notes of a dis-
solved partnership ; but, contrary to the wishes of a retiring
partner, and without his consent, are again re-issued and cir-
culated. _ _

It is the high and peculiar duty of Congress to decide whe-
ther any farther legislation be necessary for the security of the
large amount of public property now held and in use by the
new bank, and for vindicating the rightt of the Government,
and compelling a speedy and nonest settlement with all the
creditors of the old bank, public and private, or whether the
subject shall now be left to the power now possessed by the
Executive and Judiciary. It remains to be seen whether the
persons, who, as managers of the old bank, undertook to con-
troul the Government, retained the public dividends, shut the
doors upon a committee of the House of Representetives, and
filled the country with panic to accomplish their own sinister
objects, may now, as managers of a new bank, continue with im-
punity to flood the country with a spurious currency, use the
seven millions of Government stock for their own profit, and
refuse to the United States all information as to the condition
of their own property, and the prospect of recovering it into
their own possession.
The lessons taught by the bank of the United States can-
not well be lost upon the American people. They will take care
never again to place so tremendous a power in irresponsible
hands, and it will be fortunate if they really consider the con-
sequences which are likely to result on a smaller scale from
the facility with which corporate powers are granted by their
State Governments.

It is believed that the law of the last session regulating the
deposit banks operates onerously and unjustly upon them in
many respects ; and it is hoped that Congress, on proper re-
presentation, wjfi adopt the modifications which are necessary
to prevent this conseqtumce.
The .?4ort of the Secretary at War ad interim, and the
abcompan3 ing documents, all of which are herewith laid before
you, will give you a full view of the diversified and important
operations of that department during the past year. The
military movements rendered necessary by the aggressions of
the hostile portions of the Seminole and Creek tribes of In-
dians, and by other circumstances, have required the active
employment of nearly our whole regular force, including the
marine corps, and of large bodies of militia and volunteers.
With all these events, so far as they are known at the seat of
Government, before the termination of your last session, you
are already acquainted ; and it is therefore only needful in
this place to lay before you a brief summary of what has since
occurred.

The war with the Seminoles, during the summer, was, on
our part, chiefly confined to the protection of our frontier settle-
ments, from the incursions of the enemy ; and as a necessary
and important means for the accomplishment of that end to the
maintenance of the post previously established. In the course
of this duty several actions took place, in which the bravery
and discipline of both officers and men were conspicuously dis-
played, and which I have deemed proper to notice, in respect
to the former, by the granting of brevet rank for gallant ser-
vice in the field. But as the force of the Indians was not so
far weakened by those partial successes as to lead them to
submit, and as the savage inroads were frequently repeated,
early measures were taken for placing at the disposal of
Governor Call, who, as Commander-in-Chief of the territo-

rial militia, had been temporarily invested with the command, 1
an ample force for the purpose of resuming offensive operations
in the most efficient manner, so soon as the season should
permit. Major-General Jessup was also directed on the con- '
elusion of his duties in the Creek country, to repair to Florida
and assume the command.
The result of the first movement made by the forces under
the direction of Governor Call, in October last, as detailed in
the accompanying papers, excited much surprise and disap-
pointment. A full explanation has been required of the causes
which led to the failure of that movement, but has not yet been
received. In the meantime, as it was feared that the health
of Governor Call, who was understood to have suffered much
from sickness, might not be adequate to the crisis, and as
Major-General Jessup was known to have reached Florida,
that officer was directed to assume the command, and to pro-
secute all needful operations with the utmost promptitude and
vigour. From the force at his disposal, and the dispositions
he has made and is instructed to make, and from the very effi-
cient measures which it is since ascertained have been taken
by Governor Call, there is reason to hope that they will soon
be enabled to reduce the enemy to subjection. In the mean-
time, as you will perceive from the Report of the Secretary,
there is urgent necessity for further appropriations to suppress
• these hostilities.
Happily for the interests of humanity, the hostilities with
the:Creeks were brought to a close soon after your adjourn-
ment, without that effusion of blood which at one time was ap-
prehended as inevitable. The unconditional submission of the
hostile party was followed by their speedy removal to the
country assigned them, west of the Mississippi. The inquiry
as to alleged frauds in the purckse of the reservations of these
Indians, and the cause of their hostilities, requested by the re-
quested by the resolution of the House of Representatives of
the Ist of July last, to be made by the President, is now going
on, through the agency of commissioners appointed for that
purpose. Their report may be expected during your present
session.
The difficulties apprehended in the Cherokee country have
been prevented, and the peace and safety of that region and
its vicinity effectually secured, by the timely measures taken
by the War Department, and.still continued.
The discretionary authority given to General Gaines to cross
the Sabine, and to occupy a position as far west as Nacogdo-
ches, in in case he should deem such a step necessary to the
protection of the frontier, and to the fulfilment of the stipula-
tions contained in our treaty with Mexico, and the movement
subsequently made by that officer, have been alluded to in a
former part of this Message. At the date of the latest intel-
ligence from Nacogdoches our troops were yet at that station ;
but the officer who has succeeded General Gaines has recently
been advised that, from the facts known at the scat of Govern-
ment, there would seem to be no adequate cause for any longer
maintaining that position ; and he was accordingly instructed,
in case the troops were not already withdrawn under the dis-
cretionary powers before possessed by him, to give the requi-
site orders for that purpose, on the receipt of the instructions
unless he shall then have in his possession such information as
shall satisfy him that the maintenance of the post is essential
to the protection of our frontiers, and to the due execution of
our treaties as previously explained to him.
Whilst the necessities existing during the present year for
the service of militia and volunteers have furnished new proofs
of the patriotism of our fellow-citizens, they have also strongly
illustrated the importance of an increase in the rank and file of
the regular army. The views of this subject, submitted by
the Secretary of War in his report, meet my entire concur-
rence;_ and are earnestly commended to the deliberate atten-
tion of the Congress. In this connection it is also proper to
remind you, that the defects in our present militia system are
every day rendered more apparent. The duty of making fur-
ther provisions by law for organising, arming, and disciplining
this arm of the defence has been so repeatedly presented to
Congress by myself and my predecessors that I deem it suffi-
cient, on this occasion, to refer to the last annual Message,
and to former executive communications, in which the subject
Ins been discussed.
It appears from the report of the officers charged with
mustering into service the volunteers called for under the Act
of Congress of the last session, that more presented them-
selves at the place of rendezvous in Tenessee than were
sufficient to meet the requisition which had been made by the
Secretary at War upon the Governor of that State. This was
occasioned by the omission of the Governor to opportion the
requisition to the different regiments of the militia, so as to
obtain the proper number of troops, and no more. It seems
but just to the patriotic citizens who repaired to the general
rendezvous, under circumstances authorizThg them to believe
that their services were needed, and would be accepted, that
the expense incurred by them, while absent from their homes,
should be paid by the Government. I, accordingly, recom-
mended that a law to this effect be passed by Congress, giving
them a compensation which will cover their expenses on the
march to and from the place of rendezvous, and while there ;
in connection with which it will be also proper to make provi-
sion for such other equitable claims, growing out of the service
of the militia, os may not be embraced in the existing laws.
On the unexpected breaking out of hostilities in Florida,
Alabama, and Georgia, it became necessary, in some cases, to
take the property of individuals for public use. Provision
should be made by law for indemnifying the owners, and I
would also respectfully suggest whether some provision may
not be made, consistently with the principles of our Govern-
ment, for the relief of the sufferers by Indian depredations or
by the operations of our own troops.
No time was lost after the making of the requisite appro-
priations in resuming the great national work of completing
the unfinished fortifications on our seaboard, and of placing
them in a proper state of defence. In consequence, how-
; ever, of the very late date at which these Bills were passed
but little progress could be made during the season which has
just closed. A very large amount of the moneys,granted at
, your last session, accordingly, remains unexpended ; but, as
, the work will be again resumed at the earliest moment in the
coming spring, the balance of the existing appropriations,
and in several cases, which will be laid before you with
the proper estimates, further sums for the like objects may
be usefully expended during the next year.
The recommendation of an increase in the Engineea Corps,
and for a reorganization of the Topographical Corps, sub-
mitted to you in my last annual Message, derive additional
strength from the great embarrassments experienced during
the present year in those branches of the service, and under
which they arc now suffering. Several of the most important
surveys and constructions, directed by recent laws, have been
suspended in consequence of the want of adequate force in
those corps. The like observations may be applied to the
ordnance corps and the general staff, the operations of which,
as they are now organized, must either be frequently inter-
rupted, or performed by officers taken from the line of the
army, to the great prejudice of the service.
For a general view of the condition of the military academy,
and of other branches of the military service not already noticed,
as well as for fuller illustrations of those which have been
mentioned, I refer you to the accompanying documents; and
among the various proposals contained therein for legislative
action, I would particularly notice the suggestions of the
Secretary at War for the revision of the pay of the army, as
entitled to your favourable regard.
The national policy, founded alike in interest and humanity,
so long and so steadily pursued by this Government, for the
removal of the Indian tribes originally settled on this side of
the Mississippi to the west of that river, may be said to have
been consummated by the conclusion of the late treaty with
the Cherokees. The measures taken in the execution of that
.treaty, and in relation to our Indian affairs generally, will fully