The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-28 00:00:00

PRESIDENT TYLER'S MESSAGE.

By the arrival, at a late hour, of the American packet-ship
Independence, we are in possession of New York papers to
the Bth inst., with the annual message to Congress of the
American President Tyler, dated Washington, December 7,
Of this document, which is very legthy, we can only afford
space, at this late hour, to give the snbstance.
After the usual congratulatory paragraphs, President Tyler
proceeds to notice the case of M'Leod's acquittal and subse-
quent discharge ; and states, that although the British go-
vei nment had formally taken upon itself the responsibility of
the act (the destruction of the Caroline) for an alleged impli-
cation in which that individual had been formally put
upon his trial, and had made the demand for his discharge

on the ground that he was only fulfilling the orders of his
government, yet that by his acquittal such demand had been
" answered in the only way in which it could be answered
by a government the powers of which are distributed amongst
the several departments by the fundamental law." And
adds—

" Happily for the people of Great Britain, as well as those
of the United States, the only mode by which an individual,
arraigned for a criminal offence, before the courts of either,
can obtain his discharge, is by the independent action of the
judiciary, and by proceedings equally familiar to the courts
of both countries."

By a subsequent passage he affords to us the most satisfac-
tory assurance that had M`Leod been found guilty by the
State Court by which he was tried, the general legislature
could not have interfered to stay the sentence, and intimates
that, M`Leod having declined to prosecute a writ of error
from the State Court to the Supreme Court in the first in-
stance, his government was not intitled to complain, whatever
might have been the result.
" In cases of this kind, a government becomes politically
responsible only, when its tribunals of last resort are shown
to have rendered unjust and injurious judgments in matters
not doubtful."

The anomalous position of the central government with re-
spect to the state legislatures, as displayed throughout this
question, has not escaped the President, as will be perceived
from the following remarks:—
" I cannot fail, however, to suggest to Congress the pro-
priety, and, in some degree, the necessity, of making such
provisions by law, so far as they may constitutionally do so,
for the removal at their commencement, and at the option of
the party, of all such cases as may hereafter arise, and which
may involve the faithful observance and execution of our in-
ternational obligations, from the State to the Federal Jus-
ticia.). This government, by our institutions, is charged
with the maintenance of peace and the preservation of ami-
cable relations with the nations of the earth, and ought to
possess, without question, all the reasonable and proper
means of maintaining the one and preserving the other.
Whilst just confidence is felt in the Justiciary of the States,
yet this government ought to be competent in itself for the
fulfilindnt of the high duties which have been devolved upon
it under the organic law, by the States themselves."
He proceeds next to notice the satisfactory termination of
the Grogan affair, and regrets to state that it is not in his
power to state a similar termination of the affair of the Caro-
line, for the burning of which he insists that an atonement is
due to the American government, notwithstanding the pos-
sible employment of that vessel in the service of rebels
making war upon Canada, as having been accompanied and
accomplished by means of an invasion of tne American ter-
ritory—which that government can never permit to any
state " untill they shall voluntarily acknowledge their in-
ability to acquit themselves of their own duties to others."
Upon the question of the right of search in case os sus-
picion claimed by the British Flag for fhe suppression of the
slave trade in the African seas, President Tyler is very decided.
The British Governmen, he maintains, has no right to exer-
cise the powers of search conferred upon her by treaties with
other powers, without her consent to those treaties. The

Americans " cannot consent, however anxious they may be
for the suppression of the slave trade, to interpolations into
the maritime code, at the mere will acid pleasure of other
governments. We deny the right of any such interpolation to
any one, or all the nations of the earth, without our consent.
We claim to have a voice in all amendments or alterations
of teat code—anti when we are given to understand, as in
this instance, by a foreign government, that its treaties
with other nations cannot be executed without the establish-
ment and enforcement of new principles of maritime police,
to be applied without our consent, we must employ a lan-
guage neither of equivocal import, or susceptible of miscon-
struction. American citizens prosecuting a lawful com-
merce in the African seas, under the flag of their country,

are not responsible for the abuse or unlawful use of that
flag by others ; nor can they rightly on account of any such
alleged abuses, be interrupted, molested, or detained while
on the ocean; and if thus molested and detained, while pur-
suing honest voyages in the usual way, and violating no law
themaelves, they are unquestionably entitled to indemnity."
In continuation he expressed his confidence that such rea-

sonable indemnity will not be refused by the British govern-
ment ; and in the meantime the possibility of American ves-
sels, or vessels under the American flag, contrary to the ex-
press law of the republic, being engaged in this traffic, he
recommended to Congress the consideration of measures of
increased stringency for the prevention of such abuses.
A correspondence between Lord Palmerston and Mr. Ste-

venson with respect to the rice duties is briefly noticed, and
the president then proceeds to notice, in very general but at
the same time conciliating terms, the progress of the survey
upon the boundary question, which, in a short time, be hopes
to be able to lay before the department of state. He next
proceeds to notice an expected arrangement with the govern-
ment of Spain for the payment of the claims upon it in arrea:(
to the eitizens of the United States—the state of the negoci-
ation for the ratification of a treaty of commerce with Bel-
gium—the state of the Texas boundary question, and th 2
prospects of that republic generally—and the relations of the
United States government with the republics of South
America.

A convention had been entered into with the Peruvian
Government, providing for the settlement of certain claims
of the citizens of the republic ; those against the Brazilian
Republic remained unsatisfied, but it is hoped an adjustment
be made without delay. The war with the Indian tribes in
Florida had been prosecuted with rigour, and the energy of
the troops had " crowned them with unfading laurels." It
was hoped the war would speedily terminate, and that through
acts of kindness and benevolence, civilization might be

imparted to the child of the forest.
The sixth census of the inhabitants of the States had been
taken, and exhibited a total of 17,069,453, making an increase
since 1830, of 4,202,646 inhabitants,—the increase being
327 per cent. in the last ten years.
The state of the treasury is next entered upon. The total
expenditure for the year is 32,025,070 dollars, leaving a
deficiency to be provided for on the Ist January, 1842, of
627,557 dollars.

The message most notices the tariff of duties ; and with re-
ference to any necessity that may arise for additional imports,
the President states that so long as the duties have direct re-
ference to the wants of the treasury, no well-founded objec-
tion can be urged against them.

" Some of the provisions of the compromise act, which
will go into effect on the 30th June next, may, however, be
found exceedingly inconvenient in practice, under any regu-
lations that Congress may adopt."
This regarded home valuations.
" I recommend (says he) this whole subject to the consi-
deration of Congress, with a single additional remark. Cer-
tainty and permanency in any system of government policy
are, in all respects, eminently desirable ; but more particu-
larly is this true in all that affects trade and commerce, the
operations of which depend much more on the certainty of
their returns, and calculations which embrace distant periods
of time, than on high bounties or duties, which are liable to
constant fluctuations."
Upon the Currency Question, the president enters at
some length into a statement of his views, deprecating the
exorbitantly large issues of paper money by the state banks
irredeemable in specie, and gives the heads of the measure
which is to be introduced by the secretary of the treasury,
to place the entire regulation of the currency tinder a perma-
nent system, the heads of which he thus details :
" It proposes by effectual restraints, and by invoking the
true spirit of our institutions, to separate the purse from the
sword ; or more properly to speak, denies any other control
to the President over the agents who may be selected to carry
it into execution, but what may be indispensably necessary to
secure the fidelity of such agents; and by whose regulations,
keeps plainly apart from each other, private and public funds.
It contemplates the establishment of a Board of Control, at
the Seat of Government, with agencies at prominent com-
mercial points, or wherever else Congress shalil direst for the
safe-keeping and disbursement of the public moneys, and a
substitution, at the option of the public creditor, of Treasury
notes, in lieu of gold and silver. It proposes to limit the is-
sues to the amount of 15,000,000 dollars, without the express
sanction of the legislative power. It also authorises the
receipt of individual deposits of gold and silver to a limited
amount, and the granting certificates of deposit, divided into
such sums as may be called for by the depositors. It pro-
ceeds a step further, and authorises the purchase and sale of
Domestic Bills and Drafts, resting on a real and substantial
basis, payable at sight, or having but a short time to run,
and drawn on places not less than one hundred miles apart—
which authority, except in so far as may be necessary for
government purposes exclusively, is only to be exerted upon
the express condition, that its exercise shall not be prohi-
i bited by the State in which the agency is situated.
" In order to cover tne expenses incident to the plan, it
will be authorised to receive moderate premiums for certifi-
cates issued on deposits, and on bills bought and sold, and
thus, as far as its dealings extend, to furnish facilities to com-
mercial intercourse at the lowest possible rates, and to sub-
duct from the earnings of industry the least possible sum. It
uses the State Banks at a distance from the agencies, as auxi-
liaries, without imparting any power to trade in its name. It is
subjected to such guards and restraints as have appeared to
be necessary. It is the creature of law, and exists only at the
pleasure of the legislature. It is made to rest on an actual spe-
cie basis, in order to redeem the notes at the places of issue—
produces no dangerous redundancy of circulation—affords no
temptation to speculation—is attended by no inuation of
prices—is equable in its operation—makes the treasury notes,
which it may use along with the certificates of deposit, and
the notes of specie-daying banks—convertible at the place
where collected, receivable in payment of government dues—
and, without violating any principle of the constitution,
affords the government and the people such facilities as are
called for by the wants of both. Such, it has appeared to me,
.
are its recommendations, and view of them it will be sub-
mitted, whenever you may require it, to your consideration."
Upon the subject of the debts owing by the various states,
and principally expended by them in internal improvements,
the president thus expresses himself :
" For the debts thus contracted the states are alone re-
sponsible. I can do no more than express the belief that
each state :will feel itself bound, by every consideration of
honour, as well of interest, to meet its engagements with
punctuality. The failure, however, of any one state to do
so, should in no degree affect the credit of the rest ; and the
foreign capitalist will have no just cause to experience
alarm as to all other state stocks, because any one or