ing for that officer and all on board, a praise which cannot be too liberally bestowed; not merely for the victory actually atchieved, but for that prompt and cool exertion of commanding talents, which, giving to courage its highest character, and to the force applied its full effect, proved that more could have been done in a conteft requiring more.

Anxious to abridge the evils from which a ftate of war cannot be exempt, I loft no time after it was declared in conveying to to the British government the terms on which its progress might be arrested, without awaiting the delays of a formal and final pacification. And our charge d'affaires at London was at the fame time, authorized to agree to an armiftice founded upon them. Thefe terms required, that the orders in council fhould be repealed as they affected the United States, without a revival of blockades violating acknowledged rules; that there fhould be an immediate discharge of American feamen from British fhips; and a stop put to impreffments from American ships, with an understanding that an exclufion of the feamen of each nation from the fhips of the other fhould be ftipulated; and that the armiftice fhould be improved into a definitive and comprehenfive adjustment of depending controverfies.

Although a repeal of the orders fufceptible of explanations meeting the views of this government, had taken place before this pacific advance was communicated to Great Britain, the advance was declined, from an avowed repugnance to a fufpenfion of the practice of impreffment during the armiftice, and without any intimation that the arrangement propofed with refpect to feamen would be accepted. Whether the fubfequent communications from this government affording an occafion for re-confidering the fubject, on the part of Great Britain, will be viewed in a more favorable light, or received in a more accommodating spirit, remains to be known. It would be unwife to relax our measures, in any respect, on a prefumption of such a refult.

The documents from the department of State, which relate to this fubject, will give a view alfo of the propofitions for an armiftice, which have been received here, one of them from the authorities at Halifax and Canada, the other from the Britifh government itfelf, through Admiral Warren and of the grounds upon which neither of them could be accepted.

Our affairs with France retain the pofture which they held in my laft communications to you.-Notwithstanding the authorifed expectation of an early as well as a favorable iffue to the dif cuffions on foot; thefe have been procraftinated to the latest date. The only intervening occurrence meriting attention, is the promulgation of a French Decree purporting to be a défi. nite repeal of the Berlin and Milan Decrees. This proceeding, although made the ground of the repeal of the British Orders

in Council, is rendered, by the time and manner of it, lial: to many objections.

The final communications from our special Minifter to Denmark, afford further proofs of the good effects of his million, and of the amicable difpofition of the Danish Government. From Ruffia we have the fatisfaction to receive affurances of continued friendfhip, and that it will not be affected by the ruptures between the United States and Great Britain. Sweden alfo profeffes fentiments favorable to the fubfifting harmony.

With the Barbary powers, excepting that of Algiers, our af fairs remain on the ordinary footing. The Conful General refiding with that Regency has fuddenly, and without caufe, been banished, together with all the American citizens found there. -Whether this was the transitory effect of capricious defpotifm, or the first act of predetermined hoftility, is not afcertained. Precautions were taken by the Conful, on the latter fuppofition. The Indian tribes, not under foreign inftigations, remain at peace, and receive the civilizing attentions which have proved fo beneficial to them.

With a view to that vigorous profecution of the war, to which our national faculties are adequate, the attention of con. grefs will be particularly drawn to the infufficiency of theexifting provifions for filling up the military establishment. Such is the happy condition of our country, arifing from the facility of fubfiftence and the high wages for every fpecies of occupation, that notwithstanding the augmented inducements provided at the laft feffion, a partial fuccefs only has attended the recruiting fervice. The deficiency has been neceffarily fupplied during the campaign, by other than regular troops, with all the inconveniencies and expences incident to them. The remedy lies, in establishing, more favorably for the private foldier, the proportion between his recompence and the term of his enliftment. And it is a fubject which cannot too foon or too seriously be taken into confideration.

The fame infufficiency has been experienced in the provisions for volunteers, made by an act of the laft feffion. The recompenfe for the fervice required in this cafe, is ftill lefs attractive than in the other.-And although patriotifm alone has fent into the field fome valuable corps of that defcription, thofe alone who can afford the facrfiice, can reafonably be expected to yield to that impulfe.

It will merit confideration alfo whether, as auxiliary to the fecurity of our frontier, corps may not be advantageoufly organ. ized with a reftriction of their fervices to particular diftricts convenient to them. And whether the local and occafional fervices of mariners and others in the feaport towns, under a fimilar organization, would not be a provident addition to the means of their defence.

I recommend a provifion for an increase of the general offi. cers of the army, the deficiency of which has been illuftrated

by the number and diftance of feparate commands, which the courfe of the war and the advantages of the fervice have required. And I cannot prefs too strongly, on the earlieft attention of the Legislature, the importance of the re-organization of the staff eftablishment; with a view to render more diftinct and definite the relations and refponfibilities of its feveral departments.That there is room for improvements which will materially promote both economy and fuccefs, in what appertains to the army. and to the war, is equally inculcated by the examples of other countries, and by the experience of our own.

A revifion of the militia laws for the purpose of rendering them more fyftematic, and better adapting them to the emergencies of the war, is at this time particularly desirable.

Of the additional fhips authorised to be fitted for fa, two will be fhortly ready to fail; a third is under repair and de lay will be avoided in the repair of the refidue. Of the appro priations for the purchase of materials for fhip building, the greater part has been applied to that object, and the purchases will be continued with the balance.

The enterprising spirit which has characterifed our naval force, and its fuccefs both in reftraining infults and depredations on our coafts, and in reprisals on the enemy, will not fail to recommend an enlargement of it. There being reason to believe that the act prohibiting the acceptance of Britifh, licences, is not a fufficient guard againft the ufe of them for purposes favorable to the interefts and views of the enemy; further provifions on that fubject are highly important. Nor is it lefs fo that penal enactments fhould be provided for cafes of corrupt and perfidious intercourfe with the enemy, not amounting to treafon, nor yet embraced by any ftatutory provifions.

A confiderable number of American veffels were in England when the revocation of the Orders in Council took place, were laden with British manufactures, under an erroneous impreffion that the non-importation act would immediately ceafe to operate, and have arrived in the United States. It did not appear proper to exercife, on unforeseen cafes of such magnitude, the ordinary powers vefted in the treasury department to mitigate forfeitures, without previoufly affording to congrefs an opportu nity of making on the fubject fuch provifion as they may think proper. In their decifion they will doubtlefs equally confult what is due to equitable confiderations and to the public interest.

The receipts into the Treafury during the year ending the 30th day of September laft have exceeded fixteen millions and a half of dollars; which have been fufficient to defray the demands on the treafury to that day, including a neceffary reimbursement of near three millions of the principal of the public debt. In thefe receipts is included a fum of near 5,850,000 dollars received on account of the loans authorifed by the acts

of the last feffion : the whole fum actually obtained on loan, a mounts to 11.000,000 dollars, the refidue of which, being re ceivable fubfequent to the 30th of September laft, will together with th current revenue, enable us to defray all the expenfes of this year.

The duties on the late unexpected importations of British manufactures will render the revenue of the enfuing year more productive than could have been anticipated.

The fituation of our country, fellow-citizens, is not without its difficulties; though it abounds in animating confiderations of which the view here prefented of our pecuniary refources is an example. With more than one nation, we have ferious and unfettled controverfies: and with one powerful in the means and habits of war, we are at war. The spirit and ftrength of the nation are, nevertheless, equal to the fupport of all its rights, and to carry it through all its trials. They can be met in that confidence. A. bove all, we have the ineflimable confolation of knowing, that the war in which we are actually engaged is a war neither of ambition nor of vain glory: that it is waged, not in violation of the rights of others, but in the maintenance of our own; that it / is preceded by a patience without example, under wrongs accumulating without end; and that it was finally not declared until every hope of averting it was extinguifhed, by the transfer of the British fceptre into new hands clinging to former councils; and until declarations were reiterated to the laft hour, through the British envoy here,that the hoftile edicts against our commercial rights and our maratime independence would not be revoked-nay, that they would not be revoked, without violating the obligations of Great-Britain to other powers as well as to her own interests.

To have fhrunk, under fuch circumftances, from manly refiftance, would have been a degradation blafting our beft and proudest hopes; it would have ftruck us from the high rank, where the virtuous ftruggles of our fathers had placed us, and have betrayed the magnificent legacy which we hold in truft for future generations. It would have acknowledged, that on the clement, which forms three fourths of the globe we inhabit, and where all nations have equal and common rights, the American people were not an independent people, but colonists and vaffals. It wasat this moment, and with fuch an alternative, that war was chofen. The nation felt the neceffity of it and called for it. The appeal was accordingly made, in a just cause, to the just and all powerful BEING who holds in his hand the chain of events and the deftiny of nations. It remains only, that, faithful to ourfelves, entangled in no connexions with the views of other powers, and ever ready to accept peace from the hand of justice, we profecute the war with united counfels and with the ample faculties of the nation, until peace be fo obtained, and as the only means, under the divine bleffing, offpeedily obtaining it. JAMES MADISON.

November 4, 1812,

DOCUMENTS

Accompanying the President's Message to Congress.

LETTERS

From Mr. Monroe to Mr. Russell, Charge des Affaires in Great Britain.

Extract of a letter from Mr. Monroe to Mr. Russell, dated "June 26th, 1812.

"THIS letter is committed to Mr. Foster who has promised to deliver it to you in safety.

"On the 18th of this month, a declaration of war against Great Britain passed Congress. I send you a copy of the act, of the President's Message, and of the Report of the Committee of Foreign Relations, which brought the subject ander consideration.

"This measure has been produced by the continued aggressions of the British government on the rights of the United States, and the presumption arising from that and other facts which it is unnecessary to recite, that no favorable change of policy might be expected from it. It was impossible for the United States to surrender their rights, by relinquishing the ground which they had taken, and it was equally incompatible with their interests and character to rely longer on measures which had failed to accomplish their objects. War was the only remaining alternative, and that fact being clearly ascertained, you will find by the documents transmitted, that it was adopted with decision.

"As war has been resorted to from necessity, and of course with reluctance, this government looks forward to the restoration of peace with much interest, and a sincere desire to promote it on conditions just, equal, and honorable to both the parties. It is in the power of Great Britain to terminate the war on such conditions, and it would be very satisfactory to the President to meet it in arrangements to that effect.

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Although there are many just and weighty causes of complaint against Great Britain, you will perceive by the documents transmitted, that the orders in council, and other blockades, illegal, according to the principles lately acknowledged, and the impressment of our seamen, are considered to be of the highest importanec. If the orders in council are repealed, and no illegal blockades are substituted to them, and orders are given to discon.