, 1866-01-26

The Department Of Agriculture, under its
pase1 direction, Is accomplishing nuchih de-
Teloping and utilizing the vast agricultural ca
pabitiess Of The e6uutry, and for information |
respecting the details Of its management, refer
, eneeisJ pHde to the eRnpual report Of the Com
missiouer.
Foreign Relations.
l have dwslt thus fGly on onr.domestic affairs !
because of their transcendent importance. Un-
der any circumstances, our great extent of Ter
rtoty and variety Of climate, producing al aRSst
everything that is necessary for the wants and
+ ever Comfort of man, making US singularly in
dependent of the varying policy Of foreign pow
ers, and protect us against every temptation to
Heutangling alliance" whilst at the present mo-.
& heht tbe re. establishment of harmony and the
strength that comes from harmony, will be our
best security against ''nations who feel power
and forget right" FormyselE it has been and
it will my constant aim to promote peace and
1afnity with all foreign nations and Powers; and
have every reason to believe that they 'all,
without exception, are animated by the ssme
dis position
q, -0arTrslstions with the Emperor Of China, SO
recent in their origin, are most friendly. Our
commerce with bis domiuions is receiving new
developments, and it is very pleasing to find that
thegoyernment of that great empire mRnifes:s
SRtisfaction with our policy, and reposes just
confidence in the fairness which marks our in
! tereobrse, The unbrokeh harmony between the
the United States and the Emperor of Russia is
receiving a new, support from an renterprise de-
'sighedto carry telegraphic lines across the con-
tinent of Asia, through his dominions, and 50
tto connect us. with. all Europe by anew channel
of intercOu Sc. Our commerce with South
America is about to receive encouragement by q
direct line OF mail steamships tolthG rising En-
.pire Of Brazil. The distinguish ed party of men
of science who have recently left our country
to made scientific exploration Of the natural
history and rivers and mountain ranges of that
region, have received from the Emperor that gen
. aerous welcome which was to have been expected
from his constant friendship, for the United
States, and his we'll known zeal, in the promo
ting the advancement acknowledge. A hope is
entertained that our commerce with therich and
populous countries that border the Mediterranean
sea may be largely increased Nothing will be
wanting, on the part of this Government, to ex-
tend the protection Of our flag over the enter
prise Of our fellow-citizens. We receive from
the Powers in that region assurances of good
will; and it is worthy Of note that special en-
voy has brought us messages of coincidence on
the death of our late Chief Magistrate from the
Bey Of Tunis, whose rule includes the old do-
minions Of Carthage the African coast.
Our domestic contest, now happily ended, has
left some traces in relations with one atleast
CT the great maritime powers The formal az
cordauce of begerent rights to the insurgent
States was unprecedented, and has not been jus
tilted by the issue. But in the systems of neu.
tralitv pursued by the Powers which made that
CONCESSION there was marked difference. The
materials of war for the insuTgeut States were
furnished in great measure from the workshops
of Great Britain and British ships, manned BY
British subjects, and prepared for receiving Brit
4sh Armament sailed from the ports of Great Britt
tain to make war on American commerce under
the shelter Of comm ssion from the insurgeut
States. These having once escaped from British
ports, ever afterwards entered them in every
partNO the world, 10 reft and so to renew their
depredations. The consequences Of this conduct
were most disastrous to the States then. in re-
beiion, increasing their dtsolation aud misery
RTte@v9Fo, tRGe "eect, 10 great extent, to drive
the American flag from the sea, and to transfer
much Of our shipping and our commerce 10 the
very Powers subjects who created thenecessityf for
such change. These events took place before
4 was called to the Administrations Of the Gov.
ernment. The sincere desire for yeaee by which
I-ah- animated led me to approve the proposal,
already, made, to submit questions which had
thus arisen between the countries, to arbitration
These questions of such moment that they
must have commanded the attention of the Great
Powers, and are so interviewer with the peace
and interest Of every one of them as to have en-.
sured an impartial decision | regret to inform
oou that Great Britain declined the arbtrament
but on the other hand, invited us to the forma.
tion of joint commission to settle mutual claims
between the two countries from which those
for the depredahOns before mentioned should be
excluded. The proposition in that very unsatis.
factory form, has been declined. 81. l...
The United States did not present the subject
as an impeachment of the good faith Of power
which was protesting the most friendly disposi
ttons, bat as Involving questions Of public law
ofyhicb the settlement is essential TO the peace
ofnatons, and though pecunary repsratiOn tC
their injured citizens would have followed Incl.
dentally on decision against Great Britain
such compensation was not their primary object
They had higher motive, and it was in the in
terests ofpeace and justice to establish impor
tant principles Of international law. The cor
resPondence will be placed before you. The
grounds on which the British Minister reit hii
justification is, substantially, that the munci.
,pal law of uatiOp, and the domestic iBteiPteta.
tibus oGthf A%, are the 10 easure 0f its dn u al
neutral; and | feel bound to declare my opn.
ion, before you and before the world, that justi
hsAti0n cannot be sustained before the tyibuuAl
Ofsstions. At the same time, 4 DO not advise
any present attempt at redress by acts Of egisla.
ton- For thsfuture friendship between thetEo
countries must rest on the basis Of mutual justice
EonmterrsHtioH.
From the moment of the establishment Of
our free constitution, the civilized world has
been eonvuIsed by revolutions in the inter.
est of democtaey but through all those rev,
ViEtions the United States have wisely and
firmly refused to become propagandists Of
repubheanisu. 1t is the only government
suited to our condition but we have never
sought to impose it upon others and we
have consistently followed the advice of
Washington to recommend it only by the
careful preservation aud prudent use Of the
blessing
During all the intervening period the pol.
icy Of the European powers and ofthe Uni.
ted States has, on the whole, been harm66fi>
ous. Twice, indeed, rumors Of the invasion
OfSoue parts Of America, in the interest of
monarchy have prevailed twice my preds>
eessors have had occasion to announce the
views Of this nation in respect to snch inter
ference. On both occasions the remopstranoe
Of the United States was respected, from =
deep conviction, on the part of European
governments, that the system Of noninterfer-
ence and mutaalabstinenee from propaganda