The Sun.
London, England, 1830-01-08 00:00:00

much with the whites, and made some progress In The arts
of civilized life, have lately attempted to erect. an. inde-
pendent Government within the limits of Georgia and
Alabama.—These States, claiming to be the only
Sove-
reigns within their territories, extended their laws over the
Indians; which induced the latter to call upon the United
States for protection.
Under these circumstances, the question presented was,
whether the General Govern meat had a right to sustain
those people in their pretensions ? The Constitution de-
dares, that "no new State shall be formed or erected
within the jurisdiction of any other State," without
the consent of its Legislature. It the General Government
is not permitted to tolerate the erection of a confederate
State within the territory of one of the members of this
Union, against her consent, much less could it allow a
foreign and independent Government to establish itself
there. Georgia became a member of the Confederacy
which eventuated in our Federal Union, as a Sovereign
State, always asserting her claim to certain limits; which,
having been originally defined in her Colonial Charter, and
subsequently recognized in the Treaty of Peace, she has
ever since continued to enjoy, except as they have been
circumstanced by her own voluntary transfer of a portion
of her territory to the United States, in the Articles of
Cession of 1602. Alabama was admitted into the Union
on the same footing with the original States, with boun-
daries which were prescribed by Congress. There is no
constitutional, conventional, or legal provision, which
allows them less power over the Indians within their
borders, than is possessed by Maine or New York. Would
the people of Maine permit the Penobscot tribe to erect
au independent Government within their State ? And
unless they did, would it not be the duty of the General
Government to support them in resisting such a measure ?
Would the people of New York permit each remnant of
the six nations within her borders, to declare itself an in-
dependent people, under the protection of the United
States ? Could the Indians establish a separate Republic
on each of their reservations in Ohio ? And if they were
so disposed, would it be the duty of this Government to
protect them in the attempt. If the principle involved
in obvious answer to these questions be abandoned, it will
follow that the objects of this Government are reversed;
and that it has become a part of its duty to aid in destroy-
ing the States which it was established to protect.
Actuated by this view of the subject, I informed the
Indians inhabiting parts of Georgia and Alabatna, that
their attempt to establish an independent government would
not be countenanced by the Executive of the United States,
and advised them to emigrate beyond the Mississippi, or
submit to the laws of those States.

Our conduct towards these people is deeply interesting
to our national character. Their pre►ent condition, con-
trasted with what they once were, makes a most powerful
eppeal to our sympathies. Our ancestors found them the
uneontroulcd possessors of these vast regions. By per-
suasion and force, they have been made to retire from
river to river, and from mountain to mountain, until some
of the tribes have become extinct, and others have left but
remnants to preserve, for awhile, their once terrible
names. Surrounded by the whites, with their arts of
civilization, which, by destroying the resources of the
savage, doom him to weakness and decay, the fate of the
Mohegan, the Narragansett, and the Delaware, is fast
overtaking the Choctaw, the Cherokee, and the Creek.
That this fate surely awaits them if they remain within
the limits of the States does not admit of a doubt. Hu-
manity and national honour demand that every effort
should be made to avert so great a calamity. It is too
late to inquire whether it was just in the United States to
include them and their territory within the bounds of new
States whose limits they could controul. That step can-
not be retraced. A State cannot be dismembered by
Congress, or restricted in the exercise of her Constitu-
tional power. But the people of these States, and of
every State, actuated by feelings of justice and regard for
our national honour, submit to you the interesting ques-
tion, whether something cannot be done, consistently
with the rights of the States, to preserve this much in-
jured race?
As a means of effecting this end, I suggest for your con-
sideration the propriety of setting apart an ample district
west of the Mississippi, and without the limits of any
State or territory now formed, to be guaranteed to the
Indian tribes as long as they shall occupy it; each tribe
having a distinct controul over the portion designated for
its use. There they may be secured in the enjoyment of
governmeute of their own choice, subject to no other con-
troul from the United States than such as may be neces-
sary to preserve peace on the frontier, and between the
several tribes. There the benevolent may endeavour to
teach them the arts of civilization ; and by promoting
union and harmony among them, to raise up on interest-
ing commonwealth, destined to perpetuate the race, and
to attest the humanity and justice of this Government.
'This emigration should be voluntary; for it would be
as cruel as unjust to compel the aborigines to abandon
the graves of their fathers, and to seek a home in a dis-
tant land. But they should be distinctly informed that,
if they remain within the limits of the States, they must
be subject to the laws. In return fur their obedience as
indiViduals they will, without doubt, be protected in the
enjoyment of those possessions which they have improved
by their industry. But it seems to me visionary to sup-
pose that, in this state of things, claims can be allowed
on tracts of country on which they have never dwelt nor
made improvements, merely because they have seen them
from the mountains, or passed them in the chace. Sub-
mitting to the laws of the State and receiving, like other
citizens, protection in their persons and property, they
wi*, ere long, become merged in the mass of our popu-
lation.

The accompanying report of the Secretary of the Navy
will make you acquainted with the condition and useful
employmeut of that branch of our service during the pre-
sent year. Constituting, as it does, the best standing se-
curity of this country against foreign aggression, it claims
the especial attention of Government. In this spirit, the
me 'sures which, since the termination of the last war,
have been in operation for its gradual enlargement were
adopted; and it should be continued to be cherished as
the offspring of our national experience. It will be seen,
however, that, notwithstanding the great solicitude which
has been manifested for the perfect organization of this
arm, and the liberality of the appropriations which that
solicitude has suggested, this object has, in many important
respects, not been secured.
In time of peace we have need of no more ships
of war thsn are required to the protection of
our commerce. Those not wanted for this object
must by in the harbours, where, without proper
covering, they rapidly decay, and, even under the best
precautions for theirpreservation, must soon becolue useless.
Such is already the case with many of our finest
vessels, which, though unfinished, will now requ;re
immense sums of money to be restored to the condition
in which they were when committed to their proper
element. On this subject there can be but little doubt
that our best policy vrculd be to discontinue the building
of ships of the first and second class; awl look rather to
the possession of ample materials prepared for the emer-
gencies of war, than to the number of vessels which we
can float in a season in peace, as the index of our naysl
power.
_ _

Judicious deposits in navy yet ds, of timber, and other ma-
tarials, fashioned under the hands of skilful workmen, and
fitted by prompt application to their various purposes,
would enable us, at all times, to construct vessels as fast
as they can be manned, and to save the heavy expense of
repairs, except to such vessels as must be employed in
guarding our commerce. The proper points for the esta-
blishment of these yards are indicated with so much force,
in the Report of the Navy Board, that, in recommending
it to your attention, I deem it unnecessary to do more than
express my hearty concurrence in their views. The yard
in this district, being already furnished with most of the
machinery necessary for ship-buildinrs,will be competent to
the supply of the two selected by the Board as the best
for the concentration of materials ; and from the facility
and certainty of communication between them, it will be
useless to incur, at these depots, the expense of similar
machinery, especially that used in preparing the usual me-
tallic and wooden furniture of vessels.
Since the last Session of Congress, numerous frauds on
the Treasury have been discovered, which I thought it my
duty to bring under the cognizance of the United States,
Court for this district, by a criminal prosecution. It was
my opinion, and that of able Counsel who were consulted,
that the cases came within the penalties of the Act of the
17th Congre,s, approved 3d March, 1523, providing for
the punislnnent of frau Is committed on the Government
•of the United States. Either from some defect in the law
or in its administration, every effort to bring the accused
to trial under its provisions proved ineffectual; and the
Government was driven to the necessity of resorting to the
vague and inadequate provisions of the common law. It
is therefore my duty to call your attention to the laws
which have been passed for the protection of the Treasury.
If, indeed, there be nu provision by which those who may
be
.unworthily entrusted with its guardianship, can be
punished for the most flaw ant violation of duty, extending
even to the most f audulent appropriation of the public
funds to their OWA. WC, it is time to remedy so danger-
ous an om;ssion. Or, if the law has been perverted
from its original purpose, and criminals, deserving to be
punished under its provisions, have been rescued by legal
subtleties, it ought to be made so plain, by emendatory