Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-11-18
EslleD citizens of the Senate,

" n
The suspicious circumstances, under
which you will commence the duties OF the
a rseni session, will tighten the burthen,
3. parable from the high trust committed
TO ycu. The fruits OF the earth have been
unusually abundant: commerce has flour.
ished the revenue has exceeded the most
,syorable anticipation, and peace and ami
iy are preserved with foreign nations, on
conditions Just and honorable to our coun-
Try. For these inestimable blessings, we
cannot bu, be grateful TO that Providence
which watches over the destinies Of ma
rioDs.
AS the term limited for the operation Of
the commercial convention with Great Bri,
tain will expire early in the month oI July
next, and il was deemed important that
there should be no interval, during which
that portion OF our commerce which was
provided for by that convention should not
be regulated, either by arrangement be-
tween the two governments, or by the au-
thority OF Congress, the Minister OF the u
nited States at London was instructed, ear
" in the last summer, TO invite the attention
of the British government to the subject,
with a view to that object. He was instruc-
ted to propose, also, that the negotiation
which il was wished 10 open, might extend
20 the general commerce of The two coun.
tries, and to every other interest and unset
lied difference bela ee n them (; particularly
those relating TO impressment, the fisheries,
and boundaries, in the hope that an ar
rangement night be made, on principles
Of reciprocal advantage, which might COM
prehend, and provide, in satisfactory
manner, for all these high concerns. !
have the satisfaction 10 state, that the pro-
posal was received. by the British govern.
ment, in The spirit which prompted il and
that negotiation has been opened at Lon
don, embracing all these objects. On full
consideration of the great extent and mag
nitude Of the trust, II was thought proper
to commit it to not less than two four dis
tinguished citizens, and, in consequence,
the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pie.
nipoten,iary of the United States, at Paris,
has been associated with our Envoy Extra
ordinary and Minister Plenopotentiary, at
London; 10 both Of whom corresponding
instructions have been given, and they are
now engaged in the discharge Of its duties.
II is proper to add, that, to prevent any in.
convenience resulting from the delay incl
dent to negotiation on so many important
subjects, it was agreed, before entering on
II, that the existing convention should be
continued for term not less than eight
years.
Our relations with Spain remain nearly
in the stale in which they were at the close
of the last session. The convention of 1909,
providing for the adjustment oil a certain
portion Of the claims Of our citizens for in
iuries sustained by spoliation, and so long
suspended by the Spanish government, has
at length been ratified by il; but 10 ar.
rangement has yet been made for the pay
ment of another portion OF like claims, not
less extensive or well founded, or for other
classes of claims, or for the settlement OF
boundaries. These subjects have again
been brought under consideration in both
countries, but no agreement has been en-
tered into respecting them. In the mean
time, events have occurred, which clearly
prove the i'll effect of the policy which that
government has so long pursued, on the
friendly relations Of the two countries,
which, il is presumed, il is at least Of as
much importance 10 Spain, as TO the Uni
ted States, TO maintain A state Of things
has existed in the Floridas, the tendency Of
which has been obvious to all who have
pail the slightest attention to the progress
Of affairs in that quarler. Throughout the
whole Of those provinces to which tine Spa
nish title extends, the government Of Spain
has scarcely been felt. lite authority has
been confined, almost exclusively, TO the
walls of Pensacola and St. Augustine
within which only small garrisons have
been maintained Adventures from every
country, fugitives from justice, and abb
sconding slaves, have found an asylum
there. Several tribes of Indians, strong in
the number of their warriors, remarkable
for their ferocity, and whose settlements
extend to our limits, inhabt those provin-
ees. These different hordes of people,
connected together, disregarding, on the
one side, the authority of Spain, and pro-
tected, on the other, by an imaginary line.
which separates Florida from the United
States, have violated our laws prohibiting
the introduction of slaves. have practised
various frauds on our revenue, and commits
ted every kind Of outrage on our peaceable
citizens, which their proximity TO US enabled
them to perpetrate. The invasion Of Ame-
LA Island last year, by small band of adj
venturers, not exceeding one hundred and
Fifty in number, who wrested II from The in
considerable Spanish force stationed there,
and held il several months, during wbich,a
single feeble effort only was made to reco-
yer it, which failed, clearly proves how
completely extinct The Spanish authority
bad become, as the ccnduct of those adj
venturers, while III possession of theisland,
as distinctly shows the pernicious purposes
for which their combination had been form
ed.
This country had, in fact, become the
theatre Of every species OF Iawless adven.
tpre. With little population Of its own, the
Spanish authority almost extinct, and the
colonial governments in state Of reyolu-