The Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1861-1862, 1861-12-07
9rRRsIDENT,sga gaIRssAtsIs
Fellose- Citizens of tie Seidtf = ~
lI- and Ho,Lse of Reols 8 .llIlil;es u ,

and House ofe RspzsS llllliUes
% In the midst Of untfdcedeated political
troubles we have cause of great gratitude 70
God lor;unlisual good he'd lth and most ab1hI
dant harvests. You will not Be surprised to
learn that in the pecuiiaE exiSencles Of the
times our intercourse with foreign nations has
been attended with profound solicitude, chief.
ly turning upon our own Domestic affairs. A
I disloyal portion Of the Aiainican people have
during the whole year beeulengaged in. an at
tempt to divide aud destroy the Union. A
nation which endlres factions domestic diyi-
ions is exposed to tiisrespe9 abroad, and one
party, if not both, assure sooner orlater to in
woke foreign intervention. Nations thus
tempted to interfere are not alsTays able to re-
sistIthe .couhsels of seeming pediency and
ungepereuss aHbiti ion, al y lpeasyres a.
! dopted under such Influences seldom tail t6 be
unfortunate and injurious to those adopting
them. s' .s5l Ftalr. .'...t -..
The disloyal citizens of the United States,
who have offered the ruin of our country in
return for the aid and comfort which they have
invoked abroad, have received less patronage
and encouragement than they probably expec-
ted. If it were just to suppose, as the insur-
gents have seemed to assume, that foreign
nations, in this case, discardng all moral, So
cial and treaty obligations, would act solely
and selfshly for the most speedy restoration
of commerce, including especially the acquisi-
tion of cotton, those nations appear, as yet,
not to have seen their way to their object
more directly or clearly through the destruc-
ton than through the preservation of the Uni
| on. five could dare to believe that foreigp
nations are actuated by no higher principle
than this l am quite sure sound argument
could be made to show them that they can
reach their aim more readily and easily by
aiding to crush this rebellion than by giving
encouragement to it, The principal lever
relied upon by the insurgents for exciting
foreign nations to hostility against us, as al
ready intimated, is the embarrassment ofcom-
merce! Those nations, however, not improb-
ably, saw from the first that it was the union
which made as well our foreign as our domes-
| tic commerce. They can scarcely have failed
to perceive that the effort for disunion pro-
duces the existing difficulty, and that one
strong nation promises more durable peace
and more extensive, valuable and reliable
commerce than can the same nation broken
into hostile fragments. 1t is not my purpose
to review our discussions with foreign states,
because whatever might be their wishes OF
1 dispositions the integrity of our country and
the stability of Government mainly depend,
not upon them, but on the loyalty; virtue, pat
riotsm and the intelligence of the American
people The correspondence ITSELF with the
usual reservations, is herewith submitted
venture to hope that it will appear that we
have practccd prudence and liberality towards
foreign powers, ayerting causes of irritation,
and with, ,frmness maintaining our own rights
and horror. Since however. it is apparent
that here as in every other state, foreign dan
gers necessarily attend dpal ostic diiifsuIties, I
recommend that adequate and ample meas
urcs be adopted for maintaining the public de-
fences on every side While under this gen
cral recommendato provision FOR defending
our sea coast line already occurs to the mind,
| also, in the same connection, ask the atten-
ton of Congress to our great lakes and rivers.
Ii is believed that some Notifications and de-
pots of arms and munitions, with harbor and
navigation Improvements, all at we'll selected
points upon these, would be of great impor-
tance to the national defence and preservation.
ask attention to the views Of the S,creta-
ry of War expressed in his report upon the
same general subject. deem of importance
that the loyal regions Of East Tennessee and
Western North Carolina should b. connected
with Kentucky and other faithful parts of the
Union by railroad. therefore recommend,
as a military measure, that Congress provide
for the construction of such road as speedily
us possible, Kentucky no doubt will co-ope
rate, and through her Legislature make the
mos judicOus selection of line. The north
ern terminus must connect with some existing
railroad, and whether the route shall be from
Lexington or Nicholasville to the Cumberland
Gap, or from Lebanon to the Tennessee line
in the direction of Knoxville, or on some still
different line, can easily be determined. Ken
tucky and the gener2} government co-opera-
ting, the work can be completed in very
short time, and when done it will be nos only
of vast present usefulness, but also valua-
bic permanent improvement, *orth its cost in
all the temporary future.
Some treatise, designed chiefly for the in
terests of commerce, and having no grave pe-
| litical importance, have negotiated and will
be submitted to the Senate for their consid-
Grafton. Although we have failed to induce
some of the commercial Powers to adopt dc.
sirable melioration of the rigor of maritime
war, we have removed all Instructions from
the way Of this humane reform, except such
as are merely of an accidental OCCURRENCE. g
! invite your attention to the correspondence
between her Brittanic Majesty's Minister, ac-
credited to this Government, and the Secre-
tary of State, relative to the detention of the
British ship Pertsshire, in June last by the
United States steamer Massachusetts,, for a
supposed breach of the blockade. AS this de-
tention was occasioned by an obvious misap-
prehension of the facts, and as justice requires
that we should commit no beligerent act not
founded on strict right, / recommend that an
appropriation be made to satisfy the reasona-
Bile demand of the owners Of the vessel for her
detention. -1 a
| | repeat the recommendation of my pre-.
decessor in his annual message to Congress in
December last, in regard to the disposition O.
the surplus which will probably remain aftel
satisfying the claims OF American citizens
against China, pursuant to the awards of thu
commissioners, under the Act of the Sd o
March, 1859. If, however, it should not b
deemed advisable to carry that recommends
ton into effect, would suggest that authority
be given for investing the principal over thu
proceeds Of the surplus referred to- in good Sc
curities, with view to the satisfaction Of sucl
other isast claims of our citizens against Chini
. as are not unlikely to arise hereafter in tn
cource of our extensive trade with that EN-
pire.
Blythe Act of the 9TH of August last, Con
gress authorized the President to instruct tn
commanders Of suitable vessels to defen,
4 themselves against and to capture pirates
This authority has been exercised in q singl