Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-12-15
THE MESSAGE:
To The Senqte and House of


cd with abundance, and the necessares oi
life, not to speak of It's Injuries, abound il
every direction. While in some other ma
tons steady and industrious labor con hardly
find the means of subsistence, The greatest
evil which we have to encounter, is a surplu,
of production beyond the home demand
which seeks, and with difficulty finds, par.
ilnl market IN other regions. The health ~
the country, with partial exceptions, has for
the past year been well preserved; aud IN.
der their free and wise institutions, the Uni.
ted States are rapidly advancing towards the
/ consumlnatIon OF the high destiny which an
Gvcrnling Providence seems to have marked
ont for them. Exempt from domestic con.
vulSion, aud at peace with the world, we ara
left free TO consult ns TO the best means OF
securing and advancing the happiness OF the
! people. Such arc the circumstances under
which you now assemble IN your respective
chambers, e. which should lead us To unite IN
praise and thanksgiving 10 that great Being
who made Us, aud who preserves rs as ma
tIOn.
congratulate You, fellow citizens, on tie
happy change in the aspect of our foreign
affairs since my last annual message. eau
SOS of complaint at that time existed between
TIE United States and Great Britain, which,
attended by irritating circumstances, threat
en"d most seriously the public peace. The
difficulty of adjusting nmcaby the questions
0t issue between the two counties, was in
no small degree augmented b. the lapse OF
time since they had their origin. The opn-
ions entertained by The Executive on several
of the leading topics in dispute, were frankly
set forth IN the message at the opening of
your late session. The appointment Of n
special minister by Great Britain to the u.
States with power to negniisie upon most
Of the points Of difference. indicated desire
on her part nmlcably To adjust them, and that
minister was met by the Executive in the
same spirit which had dictated bis mission.
\ The Treaty consequent thereon, having
been duly ratified by the two Governments.
q copy, together with the correspondence
which accompanied it, is, herewith communI.
cgteJ. ] trust that whilst you may see in it
polling objectionable, it may be ihe means
OF preserving, for an indefinite period, the
amirabe relations happily existing between
the two Governments. The Iucstlon o.
peace or war between the United States aud
Great Britain, is a question Of the deepest
interest not only to themselves, hut TO the
civilized world, since It is scarcely possible
that war could exist between them without
rndongcrIng the peace Of ofChris,cndom. The
Immediate effect of the Treaty upon ourselves
will be te!, in the security afforded To mer-
camille enterprise, Which, no longer apprc-
henslve of interruption. adventures lis spccu.
latons in The most distant sea and freight
ed with the diversified productions Of every
land, returns To bless our own.
There Is nothing in The Treaty which. in
tEe slightest degree, compromlts the honor
or dignity OF either nation. Next To the set
iIcmcnt of the Boundary line, winch must Al
Enls bc n matter Of ofdlflicully between States
as between individuals, the question which
seemed To threaten the greatest cmbarrass-
mcnt, was that connected with the African
slave trade.
BY the 10Th articlc Of iLe Treaty Of Ghcnt
it was expressly declared That "whcrcas The
traffic IN slaves Is lrreconclable with the prin-
clpI"s of humanity and Justice; and whereas
both Ills Majesty and the United States are
deslrons OF continuing their Efforts to promote
lis entire abolition, It is hereby agreed that
both the contracting parties shall use their
best endeayors 10 accomplish SO desirable an
object"
In tho enforcement of the laws and ,.catv
stipulatlonS oi Great Britain, practice had
threatened to grow up on the part OF It's crni-
scrs Uf SuhleCtng 10 visitation slips sailing
under the American flag. which while it Sc
rloGsIy involved our iiararne rights, would
SUBJECT TO veXatIon branch Of our trade
whch was daily increasing, aud which re-
CURED the fostering care OF the Government
And although Lord Aberdeen IN his CORE
spondcnce with The American Envoys at
London, expressly dsclaImed all right 10 de
tam an American ship on the high seas, even
1t found with cargo OF slaves on board, and
restricted the Blush pretcnsions to mere
clam TO visit and enquire, yet II could not
well be dlscerncd by the Executive OF the u.
States how such VISIT aud enquiry could be
made without Delegation on the voyage, and
consequent interruption to the trade. II was
regarded as the right of search, presented
only III new form, and expressed IN differ
ent words and therefore felt il to be my
duty distinctly 10 declare, N my annual mos
sage to Congress, that no such concession
could be made, ond that the Uutcd States
had both the will and the ability to enforce
their own laws, aud to protect their flag from
being used for purpose, wholly forbidden 10y
those laws, and obnoxious TO the moral cen.
sure Of the world.
Taking The Message as his letter of in.
s,ructOns, our then Minister at rariS felt
himself required to assume the sane ground
in rcmonstraucc winch he felt il To be Iii
duty to present to NJ Gulzot, and through
him to- tie King of the Flcncl, against what
has been called the Qunluple treaty 6ud
his conduct IN this respect, met with the APP
proval of this Government. IN close conior-
unity with these views, the eighth article ol
the Treaty was framed. v hlch provides that
"cach nation shall keep nlluat ~ the African
seas force not less than eighty guns, to act
separately aud apntt, under Instructions from
their respective Govctnmculs, aud for the
enforcement ot their respective laws aud
obligations" From this 1t will be seen thai
the ground assumed ~ The message has been
fully maintained, NJ the siur time that the
siipulAtlons of the Treaty ui Ghcui arc to bc .
carried oui ~ good faith hy the two com
ttcs. aud that all prctcucc - renewed Tor
Interference with our commerce for any put-
pose whatever hy foreign Government.
Wmc, therefore, the iniri States have
been standing up lor The freedom oi The seas,
they have not thought proper tn make ,hti
prcicAi tor avoiding nlfImcut oi their
Treaty slpulailous urn ground iir giving
couutcnaucr to a trade rcprubatcd by our
iaws. \ sImIlar arrangement by the other
great mowers could not iall 10 sweep from tine
ocean the .liyc trade. without thc m;crpo,l-