Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1842-12-09
g the 0ze d Kgowse Of Representatives Uited States

profound gratitude to the great Creator o
all things for numberless benefits conferred
upon us as people. Blessed with genla
seasons, the husbandman has his gamers fill
ed with abundance, and the nccessaries o
life, not to speak of its Injuries, abound ii
every direction. While in some other ma
tons steady and industrious labor can hard
ly find the means of subsistence, the greatest
evil which we have TO encounter, is sur
plus reproduction beyond the home demand,
which seeks, and with difficulty finds, par
tial market in other regions. The health OF
the country, with partial exceptions, has for
the past year been well preserved; and I'M
der their free and wise Institutions the Uni
ted States are rapidly advancing towards the
contamination Of the high destiny which an
ovcrruling Providence seems TO have mark
cd out for them Exempt from domestic
CONFUSION, and at peace with the world, we
are left free to consult as TO the best means
of securing and advancing the happiness OF
the People Such are the circumstances
under which YOU now assemble in your re-
spective chambers, and which should lead us
10 unite in praise and thanksgiving to that
great Being who made us, and who preserves
us as nation.
| congratulate you, fellow-ctizens, on the
happy change in the aspect of our foreign
affairs since mylast annual message. Causes
of complaint at that time existed between
the United States and Great Britain, which,
attended by irritating circumstances, threat
ened most seriously the public peace. The
difficulty of adjusting arnlcably the questions
at issue between the two countries, was in
no small degree augmented by the lapse of
time since they had their origin, The opin-
ions entertained by the Executive on several
of the leading topics in dispute, were frank
ly set forth in the Message at the opening of
your late session. The appointment of
special minister by Great Britain to the Uni
ted States with power to negotiate upon
most of the points of difference, indicated
desire on her part amicably TO adjust them,
and that minister was met by the Executive
in the same spirit which had dictated his
mission. The. Treaty consequent thereon,
having been duly ratified by the wo'Govern-
ments, copy, together with the correspond
ence which accompanied it., is herewith
communicated | trust that whilst you may
see in it nothing objectionable, it may be the
means Of preserving, for an indefinite period
the amicabe relations happily existing be-
tween the two governments. The questions
Of peace or war between the United States
and Great Britain, is question of the deep
est interest not only to themselves, but to the
civilized world, since it is scarcely possible
that war could exist between them without
endangeriug the peace of Christendon.-I
The immediate effect of the Treaty upon
ourselves will be felt in the security afford
ed to mercantile enterprise, which, no lon
ger apprehenslvc of interruption, adventures
its speculations in the most distant sea and,
freighted with the diversified productions of
every land, returns to bless our own. There
Is nothing in the Treaty which, in the slight
est degree, compromits the honor or dignity
of either nation Next to the settlement of
the boundary line, which must always be
matter of difficulty between States as indvd- |
uals, the question which seemed to threaten
the greatest embarrassment, was that con-
nected with the African slave trade.
BY the 18th article of the Treaty of Client |
it was expressly declared that whereas the |
traffic in slaves is irreconcilabe with the |
principles of humanity and Justice; and
whereas both His Majesty and the United
States are DESTROYS of continuing their efforts |
to promote its entire abolition it is hereby |
agreed that both the contracting parties shall! |
use their best endeavors to accomplish so de- |
sirabc an object" In the enforcement off
the laws and treaty stipuations of Great
Britain, practice had threatened to grow
up on the part of its cruisers ofsublecting to |
visitation ships sailing under the American
flag, which, while it seriously involved our
maritime rights, would subject to vexation
branch of our trade which was daily increas-
ing, and which required the fostering care
of the Government And although Lord
Aberdeen, in his correspondence with the
American Enyoys at London, expressly dis
claimed all right to dctain an American ship
on the high seas, even if found with cargo
OF slaves on board, and restricted the British
prctens0ns TO mere claim to visit and en-
quire, yet it could not well be discerned by
the Executive of the United States how
such visit and enquiry could be made with
out detention on the voyage, and Consequent
ly interruption to the trade. 1t was regard
cd as the right Of search, presented only in
new form, and expressed in different
words; and | therefore felt it to be my duty
distinctly to declare, in my annual message
TO Congress, that no such concession could
be made, and that the United States had
both the will aud the ability to enforce their
own laws, and to protect their flag from being
used for purposes wholly forbidden by those
laws, and obnoxious to the moral censnre of
the world Taking the Message as his let
ter of instructions, our then Minister at
Paris, felt himself required to assume the
same ground in remonstrance which lie
felt it TO be his duty to present to NJ Guizot
aud through him to the King of the French
against what has been called the Quntupe .
treaty and his conduct in this respect met
with the approval ofthis Government.