DIE DOLLAR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN AOVANCE. TOWANDA: Thursday Morning, January 5, 1860. President's Message. I'elh ur-eilizens of Ihe Senate ami House af Jhpecatntatives : —Our deep and hi urtfelt •rj*t itude is due to that i'uwer which Las bestowed upon ns such varied and numer ous blessiugs through the past year. The general health of the country has been excel lent ; our harvests have been unusually plen tiful, and prosperity smiles throughout the laud. Indeed, notwithstanding our demerits, we have much reason to believe from the past events it. our history, that we have enjoyed the special protection of Divine l'rovidcnce ever since our origin as a nation. We have I.ceii exposed to many threatening and alarm ing difficulties in our progress ; but on each Mircessive occasion the impending cloud has i.u'ti dissipated at the moment it appeared r. ady to burst upon our head, and the danger lu our institutions ha.; passed away. May we ever lie under the divine guidance and protec tion ! While it is the duty of the President "from lime to time to give to Congress infoiillation of the state ol tlie L niein," I shall no', refer in detail to the recent sad and bloody oceur i.nee at Harper's Ferry. Still, it is proper to MTVC that these events, however bad and ■ no 1 in then.-elves, derive their chUf import ui.ee from ihe apprehension that they are but Miuptotns ol an incurable disease in the public mill i. which may break out in still more dun _t runs outrages, and terminate at la-t in tin , |nii war by the North to abolish Slavery in tae South While, for myself, 1 entertain no sueli apprehension, tliev ought to afford a -oli tun w Mining to us aii to beware of the ap i ; ith of Oatrgvi Our A nitm is a stake of - it inestimable value as to demand on, con ant and watchful vigilance for its preserva tion. 11l this view, let me implore mv count ry i. North un! Suth, to cultivate the ancient '••I lings of niiiiual for be a ranee and good will 'award each other, and stiive to allay the de mon spirit of sectional hatred and strife now iue in the land. This advice proceeds from tlie heart of an old public fuuetiotmrv whose ; v ice commenced in the last generation, 1 : lining the wise am! conservative statesmen of Unit day, now nearly all passed end whose first and d< a rot eiirt lily wish i* to leave is country trantpiil, prosperous, united, and i overfill. \\ e ought to refl.-ct that in this age. and es | ,r:ailv in this country, there is an incessant :i i.x and ri flux of put>lie opinion Qne-tious wi.ieh, in tin ir day. nssiiuicd a most thrextet;- ; g aspect, have now nearly gone trom tfie in inory of men. Tln v are *' volcanoes burnt o;i, ami mi the lava and aslie", and sipial.d - Tie of ol" eruption- grow the peacetul i , the clu'i roig v.ne, miio the mi taming • a - ' Sueli, in mv opinion, wii ptove to tie ' fate of the priscnt sectional excitement, • .ou!d those who wis.ilv set k to applv the i-iindy, eoitliutte always to confine tlieir t fforts u I'l.in the pale of the Constitution. If this . use be pui>u>d, the x-ting agitation on ' ie subject of Domestic Slavery, like eveiy liiiug Human, will have its l-iy, ami give place to other and '< s- threatening controversies.— i' 'I • coin inn in this eouujrv is ail powerful, i w hen i f rerfi'lu s a J i nger<>us excess upon any i|sie.t ion, the good sense of the people will tarnish the corrective aud bring it back within -afe limits. S ill, to hasten tin. an ions result, at lie present cris s, we ought lo rcnicmhi r that every rational creature must • presuin tl to intend iln-natural eoiisvqu •nees of hi- own teachings. Those who announce : h-traet doctrines subversive of the Cons til n ; n and the Union, mn-t not be surprised siionhl tln ir hrati d partisan.- advance one step .: liter, and attempt by violence to carry these doctrines into practic.;! effect. In this view of the subject, it ought never ' i tie forgotten that, however great muv have .en ihe political advantage resulting from the 1 ntou to every portion of our eominou conn try, these would all prove to be ns nothing -hould the time ever arrive w hen tliev cannot e enjoyed without serious danger to the per - ma! safety of the people of fifteen mem Iters of the Confederacy. If the peace of the vlo tut -tic fireside throughout these States should ever be invaded—if the mothers of families within this extensive region should not be able to retire to rest at night without suffering dreadful apprehensions of what may be Aheir . AII fate and that of their children before the .rning—it would be vain to recount to such a peop'e the |>oiitieal benefits which result to ■hem from the LAlton Self-preservationi- the first instinct of nature ; and therefore any -Late of society in which the sword is all the time su-pended over the heads of the people, must at last become intolerable, But I in dulge in no suchgloomy forebodings On the contrary, I firmly believe that the events at Harper's Ferry, bv causing the people to pause and reflect upou the possible peril to 'heir cherished institutions, will be the means, '. aider Providence, of allaying ihe existing ex > \ inent, and preventing future outbreaks of a similar eharacfcr. Tiny will resolve that tin- Constitution and the Union shall uot be • Lingered by rash counsels, knowing that, s!i..ii!d " the silver cord lie loosed.or the gold en bowl be broken * * at the fountain,'' hu :-an [tower could never rcouite the scattered End hostile fragments. 1 cordially congratulate you upon tire final Settlement by the Supreme Court of the United B'utes of the question of Slavery in the Ter ritories, which had presented an aspect so truly formidable at the cOuiiueuceiHeut of my a huiuwtration. The right has been establish ed <>f every ritiun'O take his property of anv kind, including slaves, into the common Ter rdories belonging equally to all the States of ti.e Confederacy, ami to have it protected there under the Federal Constitution. Neither Congress nor a Tcriitorial Legislature, nor any human power has any authority to annul or impair this rested right The supreme ju- THE BRADFORD REPORTER. dicial tribunal of the country, which is a co- j ordinate branch of the Government, has sanc tioned and nfllruicd there principles of consti tutional law, so manifestly just in themselves, and so well calculated to promote peace and harmony among the States. It is a striking j | proof of the sense of jastice which is inherent j in our people, that the property in slaves has never lieen disturbed, to my knowledge, in j any of the Territories. Even throughout the late troubles in Kansas there lias not been ; any attempt, as I am credibly informed, to in- 1 terfere, in a single instance, with the right of the master. Had any such attempt been made, j the judiciary would doubtless have afforded an adequate remedy. Should they fail to do this hereafter, it will then be time enough to strengthen their hands by further legislation. ' Had it been decided that either Congress or the Territorial Legislature possess the power to annul or impair the right to property in slaves, the evil would be intolerable. In the latter evert, there would be a,strnggle for a majority of the members of the Legislature at each successive election, and the sacred rights of property held under the Federal Constitu tion would depend tor the time being on the ro.-ult. The agitation would thus be rendered incessant while the territorial condition re mained, aud its baneful influence would keep aiive a dangerous excitement among the peo ple of the several Bttes. Thus lias the status of a Territory, d tiring the intermediate period from its first sett le nient until it shall become a State, been ir revocably fixed bv the final decision of the Supreme Court. Fortunate has tips been for the prosperity of the Territories, s well as the tranquility of the States. Now, emigrants from the North and South, the Hist and West, wiil meet iu the Territories on a common plat form, ''living brought with them that species of prop; rty hi st adapted, in their own opinion, to promote their welfare. From natural causes, the Slavery question will, iu each ease, soon virtually settle itself ; and before the Territory i- prepared for admission as a State into the Union, this decision, one way or the other, w ill have been a foregone conclusion Meanwhile, the settlement of the new Terri tory will proeecti without serious interruption, and its progress and prosperity will not tie en dangered or retarded by violent political struggles When, in the progress of events, the inhab itants nf any Territory shall have rea died the nnmlier required to lorm a State, th.y will then proceed, iu a regular manner, and iu the exeicise of tlie rights of PopaiarSovereignty, to form a Constitution preparatory to admix sion into the Union. After thixlias been done, to employ the language of the Kansa.- and N< bi .i-ka art, " they shall be received into the Union with or without Slavery, a- their Con s itutiou may preser.be at the lime of their miuii-xiou " I'll is sound p ineipie li is happ.lv be -n r.cogn Z"d, in some form or other, by an a. most unanimous vote of both Houses of the la-t Congress. Alt lawful moans at mv command have been employ, d, and shall continue to tie employed, to execute the law.- against the African sluv trade. After a mo-t careful and rigo-oas ox amina'ion of our coasts and a thorough itives titration of the subject, we have not been able ' t<> di-covcr that any slaves have been import ed into the United States except the cargo by the Wanderer, numbering between three au-i , four hundred. Those engaged iu this unlaw- j I'll envrpn*e have been rigorous!)'prosecuted; | but not with as much success us their crimes have deserved. A number of theui are still u in Ie rn TOS*CU t ion Our history proves that the Fathers of the Republic, in advance of all other nations, con demned the African slave trade. It was, not w it',;-?and ng, deemed expedient by the fraliters of til • Coils'it it ion to deprive Congress of the power to prohibit " the migration or importa tion of sueli person*as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit '' " prior to the year one thousand eight buiidmd and It will be seen that this restriction on the power of Congress was confined to Mich States only as might think proper to admit the itn porta'ion of slaves. It did not extend lo other States or to the trade carried on abroad According, we find that so early a- the 22ii of March. 1794, Congress pa.-sed un act imp. s iug severe penalties and punishments upon c it iz ns and residents of the L niteil States who should engage iu this trade between foreign I nations. The provisions of this act were ex tended and enforced by the act of 10th May, 1800. I Again ; The Stales themselves had a clear right lo waive the constitutional privilege in tended for their benefit, and to prohibit, by their own laws, this trade at any time they thought proper previous to 1868. Several of llmu exercised this right before that jieriod, and among them some containing the greatest : number o! slaves. Th:sgave to Congress the i ) Immediate power to act iu regard to all such I States becau-e they themselves had removed i the eoi.fetuUonal barrier. Congress according ly passed un act on the 28th February, 1803, "to prevent the imi>ort.ition of certain per sons into certain States where, bv the laws thereof, their admission is prohibited." In this manner the importation of African slaves inlo the United Stales was, to a great extent, prohibited some years in advance ot 1808. As the ytar 1808 npftroaebed. Congress de termined not to suffer this trade to exist even for a single day after tlmy had the power to abolish it. Ou the 2d of March. 1807, they passed an act to take effect "from and after the Ist day of January, 1808," prohibiting the importation of African slaves into the ; United States. This was follbwe l by subse queut acts of a similar character, to which 1 need not specially refer. Such were the prin ciples and sneh the practice of our ancestors more than fifty years ago in regard to the African slave-trade. It did uot occur to the revered patriots w ho had been delegates to the Convention, and afterward became Members of Congress, that in passing these law* they had violated the Constitution which they had framed with EO PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'HEAR A GOODRICH. j much care and deliberation. They supposed j that to prohibit Congress, iu express terms, ! from exercising a specified power before an ap pointed day, necessarily involved the right to exercise this power after that day had arrived. If this were uot the case, the framers of 1 the Constitution had expended much labor in vain. Had they imagined that Congress would j possess no power to prohibit the trade either before or after 1808, they would not have taken so much care to protect the States against the exercise of this power before that period. Nay more, they would not have at- j taehed such vast importance to this provision us to have excluded it from the possibility of future repeal or amendment, to which other [Mirtions of the Constitution were exposed It would, then, have beeu wholly unnecessary to engraft on the fifth article of the Constitution, prescribing the mode of its own future amend ment, the proviso, " that no amendment which I may be made prior to the year one thousand 1 eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect" the provision iu the Constitution se curing t) the States the rigiit to admit the im portation of African sluves previous to that period. According to the adverse construction, the clause itself on which so much care and dis- j mission had been employed by the members of the Convention, was an absolute nullity from the begiuaing, and all that has since beeu done under it a mere usurpation. It was well and wise to confer this power on Congress, because, had it beeu left to the States, its effi ient exercise would have been impossible. In that event any one State could have effectually continued the trade not only for itself hut tor all the other slave States, though never so much against their will. And why ? Because African slaves, when once brought within the limits of any one Stute, in accordance with the laws, cannot practically be excluded from any other State where Slave ry exists And even if all the States had separately passed laws prohibiting the impor tation of slaves, these laws would have foiled of t fleet for want of a naval force to capture the riavcrs and to guard the coasts. Such a force uo State can employ in time of peace without the consent-of Congress. These acts of Congress, it is believed, have, with very rare and insignificant exceptions, ac- l coiuplislied tlieir purpose. For a period fo aiore than half a century there has been no perceptible addition to tlie number of our do me.-tic slaves. During tiiis period their ad vancement ipciviliz ition has far surpassed that os any other portion of the African race.— The light and the blessings of Christianity have been extended to them, and Lot li their moral and physical condition has lieeii greatly improved. lb-open the trade, and it would be difficult to determine whether the effect would b- more deleterious ou the interests of the master or those of the native-born slave. Of the evils to the master, the one most to lie dreaded ! would l>e the intioductiou of wild, beat lieu, and ignorant barbarians among the sober, ordi riv, and tpm-t slaves, whose ancestors have been on the soil for several generations. This might tend to barbariz *, demoralize, and ex a-perate the whole mass, and produce most deplorable consequences. The iff ct upon the existing -lave would, if po-.-iole, be >tiH more deplorable. At present he is treated with kindliest and humanity. He is well fed, well clothed, and not overworked. His condition is incomparably better than that of the coolies which modern nations of high civilization have employed as a .-üb-titute for African slaves. Both the philanthropy and the self-interest of the master have combined to prod ace this humane result. But let this - trade be reopened, and what will be the effect? , The same, to a considerable extent, as on a neighboring island the only spot now on earth where the African slave trade is openly tolerated : and this in defiance of solemn treaties with a power abundantly able at any moment to enforce their extension. There the master, intent upou present gain, extorts from 1 the slave as much labor a< his physical powers , are capable of enduring—knowing that, when dcatli comes to his relief, his place can be sup plied at a price reduced to the low est point by the competition of the African slave-traders. Should this ver lie the case in onr country— ; which I do not deem possible—the present u-t fill character of the domestic institution, wherein those too old or too young to work are provided for with care and humanity, and those capable of labor are not overtasked, would undergo an un'ortnnate change. The ; feeling of reciprocal dependence and attach- i Imciit which now exists between master and -lave would be converted into mutual distrust and hostility. But we are obliged, as u Christian and moral nation, to cousider what would be the effect • upon unhappy Africa itself if wp should re ' open the slave-trade. This would give the trade an impnl-e and extension which it has never had even in its palmiest days. The nu merous victims required to supply it would convert the whole slave coast into a perfect l'andeinonium, for which this country wonld ■be held responsible in tlie eyes both of God and man. Its petty tribes would then be con-1 -tantlv engaged in predatory wars against each other for the purpose of seizing slaves to sup ply the American market. All hopes of Afri i can civilization would thus be ended. On the other hand, when a market for Afri ; can slavesshali no longer be furnished in Cuba, and thus al! the world be closed against this I trade, we may then indulge a reasonable hope for the gradual improvement of Africa. The chief motive of war among the tribes will cease whenever there is no longer any demand j for slaves. The resources of that fertile but 1 miserable country might then be developed by the hand of industry and afford subjects for legitimate foreign and domestic commerce. In this manner Christianity and civilization may gradually penetrate the exi-ting gloom. The wisdom of the course pursued by this Government toward China has been vindicated by the event. While we sustained a neutral ■ position iu the war waged by Great Britain i aud France against the Chinese Empire, our " aX'ixK.Di.sas or OSWOWCXZTION raon ANY QCA*IX*." I late Minister, in obedience to his instructions, 1 judiciously cooperated with the Miuisterg of : these Powers in all peaceful measures to se cure by treaty the just concessions demanded jby the interests of foreign commerce. The 1 result is that satisfactory treaties have been concluded with China bv the respective Min isters of the United Ste.tes, Great Britain, 1 France, and Russia. Our " treuty, or general : : convention of peace, amity, and commerce," with that Empire was concluded at Tieu-tsiu on the 18th of June, 1858, and was ratified . by the President, by aud with the advice and | consent of the Senate, on the 21st of Decem ber following. On the 15th December, 1858, John E. , Ward, a distinguished citizeu of Georgia, was ' duly commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to China. He left the United States for the place of his ; destination on the sth of February, 1859, 1 bearing with hini the ratified copy of this treaty, and arrived at Shaughae on the 28th May. From thence he proceeded to Pckiu on the 16th June. Lift did uot arrive in that city until the 27th July. According to the terms , of the treaty the ratifications were to be ex changed on or before the 18th June, 1859 i This was rendered impossible by reasons and j events beyond his control, not necessary to de tail ; but still it is due (o the Chinese author ities ut Shanghae to stute that they always as sured him uo udvautage should be taken of the delay, aud this pledge his beeu faithfully redeemed. Ou the arrival of Mr. Ward at Pckiu he requested au audience of the Emperor to pre sent his letter of credence. This he did not obtain, in consequence of his very proper re- ! fusai to submit to the humiliating ceremonies required l>v the etiquette of this strange peo ple in approaching their sovereign. Neverthe less the interviews on this question were con ducted in the most friendly -pirit uud with all due regard to hi* personal feelings and the honor of his country. When a presentation to His Majesty was found to be impossible, the letter ot credence ft oiu the President was re- j ceivt d with peculiar honors by Kweiliang, "the I Emperor's Prime Minister and the second man iu the Empire to the Emperor hiinseif." Tim ratifications of the treaty were afterward, ou the 16th of August, exchanged iu proper form at Pei-tsang. As the exchange did not take place until after the day prescribed by the treaty, it, is deemed proper, before its publica- J tion, again to submit it to the Senate. it is but simple justice to tfie Chinese au thorities to observe that, throughout the whole transaction, they appear to have acted in good faith and iu a friendly spirit toward the Unit ed States. It is true this has been done after their own peculiar fashion ; but we ought to regard with a lenient eye the ancient customs of an empire dating back for thousands of j years, so far us this may be consistent with our own national honor. The conduct of our mi nister on the occasion has received my entire approbation. In order to carry out the spirit of this treuty, and to give it full effect, it became necessary to conclude two supplemental con ventions—the one for the adjustment and sat | islttctioii of the claims of our citizens, and the ! other to fix the tariff on imports and exports, and to regulate the transit duties and trade of our merchants with China. This duty was -atisfactorily performed by our late uiiuister. These conventions bear date at Shanghae-on the Bth November, 1858. Having been con ! sidered iu the light of binding agreements sub sidiary to the principal treaty, and to be car ried into execution without delay, they do not provide for any formal ratification or exchange | of ratifications by the contracting parties.— This was nut deemed necessary by the' Chinese, j who are already proceeding in good faith to satisfy the claims of our citizens, and, it is hoped, to carry out the other provisions of the conventions. Still I thought it was proper to submit them to the Senate, lij which they wa re ■ ratified on the 3d of March, 1859. The rati fied copies, however, did not reach Shanghae ' until after the departure of our minister to l'ekin, aud these conventions could not, there fore, be exchanged at the same time with the principal treaty. No doubt is entertained that they will be ratified and exchanged by the I Chinese Government, should this be thought advisable; but under the circumstances pre sented, I shall consic'er them binding engage ments from their date on both parties, and cause them to be published as such for the in formstion and guidaneeof our merchants trad ing with the Chinese Empire. It affords me much satisfaction to inform yoti tjial all our difficulties with the Republic of Paraguay have been satisfactorily adjusted. ! It happily did not become necessary to employ the force for this purpose which Congress had placed at my command, under their joint reso lution of 2d of June, 1858. On the contrary, the President af that Republic, in a friendly spirit, acceded promptly to the just and rea | sonable demands of the Government of the United States. Our Commissioner arrived at Assumption, the capital of the Republic, on the 25th of January, 1859, and left it on the 17th of February, having in three weeks ably and successfully accomplished all the objects of his mission. The treaties which he has con cluded will be immediately submitted lo the ; Senate. In the view that the employment of other j than peaceful means might become nec< ssarv j to obtain "just satisfaction'" from Paraguay, a strong naval force was couceutrated in the wa ters of the La Plata to await contingencies, while our Commissioner ascended the river to Assumption. The Navy Department is eoti . tied to great credit for the promptness, effi ciency, aud economy with which this expedi tion was fitted out and conducted. It consis ted of 19 armed vessels, great and small, car rying 200 guns, and '2 500 armed.men, all B't t der \he command of the veteran ar.d gailant Shubriek. The entire expenses of the expedi* ; i lion have beeu defrayed oot of the ordinary I appropriations for the naval service, except the sum ot $239,000, applied to the-purchase of seven of the steamers, constituting a part of it, under the authority of the naval appropria- tion act of the 3d ot March It is believ ed that these steamers are worth mora than their cost, and they a;e uow usefully aud ac ' tively employed iu the naval service. The appearance of so large a force, fitted j out in such a prompt mauner. iu the far-dis tant waters of the La Plata, and the admira k ble conduct of the officers and men employed iu it, have hud a happy effect in favor of our country throughout all that remote portiou of | the world Our relations with the great Empires of France and Russia, as well as with all theoth er Governments on the continent of Europe, unless w uiay except that of Spain, happily cutiiiuuc to be of the most friendly character. |. In my last annual message I presented a statement of the unsatisfactory condition of our relations with Spaiu ; aud J regret to say this j has not materially improved. Without special reference to other claim*, even the "Cuban claims" the payment of which has beeu ably urged by our Ministers, ami in whicli more than u hundred of our citizens are directly iu i terested, remain unsatisfied, notwithstanding both their justice and their amount ($123,635 54; had been recognized and ascertained by i the Spanish Government itself. " 1 again recommend that an appropriation be made to be paid to the Spanish Govern ment for the purpose of distribution among the claimants in the Amistsd case " iu com | IUOII with two of my predecessors^l entertain i no doubt that this is required by our treaty with Spain of the 271h October, 1795. Tlie failure to discharge this obligation has be; u employed by the Cabinet of Madrid us a rea son against the settlement of our claims. J Heed not repeat the argument which I urged iu my last annual message iu favor of the acquisition of Cuba by fair purchase. My opinions ou that measure remain unchanged I therefore again invite the serious attention of Congress to this important subject With out a recognition of this policy on their part, it will be almost impossible to institute ne gotiations with any reasonable prospect of suc cess. Until a recent period there was good reason ' to believe that 1 should be able to announce to you on the present occasion that our diffi culties with Great Britain, arising out of the CI ivton aud Bulwer treaty, had been finally adjusted in u mauner alike honorable aud sat isfactory to both parties. From causes, how { ever, which the British Government had not anticipated, they have not vet completed trea ty arrangements with the Republics of Hon duras and Nicaragua, iu pursuance of the un derstunding between the two Governments. It is, nevertheless, confidently expected that tiiis good work will ere long be accomplished. While indulging the hope that no other sub ject remained which could disturbe the good ; understanding between the two countries, the question arisen out of the adverse claims of the parties to the Island of San Juan, under the Oregon treaty ot the 15th o.' June, 1846, suddenly assumed a threatening promiuence. In order to prevent unfortunate collisions on that remote frontier, the lute Secretary of State, on the 17th July, 1855, addressed a note to Mr. Cramptou, then British Minister at Washington, communicating to him a copy of the in.-tructions which he (Mr. Marcy) had given, on the 14th July, to Gov. Stevens of Washington Territory, having a special refer ence to uii " apprehended conflict between our citizens ftiid the British subjects ou the Island of Sun Juau." To prevent this, the Governor was iustructe 1 "that the officers of the Ter ritory should abstain from all acts on the dis puted grounds which are calculated to provoke any conflicts, so far as it can be done without ' implying the coneesi>ou to the authorities of Great Britiau ot an exclusive right over the premises. The title ought to be settled be fore either party should attempt to exclude the other by force, or exercise complete and exclusive severeigu rigtits within the fairly : disputed limits." In acknowledging the receipt on the next day of Mr Marcy s note, the British Minister expressed Lis eutire concurrence "in the pro priety of the course recommended to the Gov ernor of Washington Territory by your .Mr. MarcyNl instructions to that officer," and stating that he had " lost no timr iu transm t ting a copy of that document to the Governor- General of Br t sh North America," and hid " earnestly recommended to his Exeelien y to take such measures as to him may appear best calculated to secure, on the part of the British local authorities atii the inhabitants of the , neighborhood of the line in question, the ex : ercise of the same spirit of forbearance which is inculcated by you Mr Marcy] on the authorities and citizens ot the United riiat.-s." Thus matters remained upon the faith of this arrangement until the 9:h of July hist, when Gen. Harney paid a visit to the island lie found upon it twenty-five American resi dents with their families, and also tin e.stab lisluneut of the Hudson's Bay Company for the purjiosc of raising sheep. A short time before his arrival, one of these residents had shot an animal belonging to the Company, while trespassing upou his premises, for which however, lie offered to pay twice its value ; but that was refused. Soon after the chief factor of the Company at Victoria, Mr. Dalits, son in-law of Gov Douglas, came to the is lan-l in the British sioopof-war Saiellite, and threatened to take this American (Ms. Cutler) by force to Victoria, to answer for the trespass he had committed. The American seized his rifle, and told Mr. Dalles that if any such at tempt was made he would kill him ou the , spot. The affair then ended. Under tljese ciicumstauces.the American settlers presented a petition to the General, "though the U. S. Inspector of Customs, Mr. Uab'os, to place a - j force upon the island to protect them from the Indians as well as oppressive interference - of the authorities of the Hudsou's Buy Com i 1 pan? at Victoria with their rights as Atner • ican citizens." The General immediately re r j sponded to this petitioo, and ordered Capt. j) George E. Pickett, 9tu iufantry, "to establish f bis company on Bellevus, or San Juan island, f j or some suitable position - near the harbor at - 1 the louth eastern extremity This crder wa VOL. XX. —KO. 81. 1 promptly obeyed, and a military post waa as labliahed at the place designated. Tbe force was afterwards increased, so that by the I sat return tbe wb )!e number of troops whan on the island amounted in tbe aggregate to C9l man. Wbile I do uol deem it proper on ilia pres ent occasiou to (TO further into tba subject, and discuss tbe weight which ought to be at i lached to tbe sUteaiutits of the British Colo ' nial authorities, contesting tbe accurate/ of j tbe information ou which the gallant General ' j acted, it was due to him that 1 abould tbua present his own reasons for issuing the order to Capt. Pickett. From these it is quite clear his object aus to prevent the British author* ities ou Vancouver's island from exercising jurisdiction over American residents ou the Island of San Juan, as well us to pioteutlheta against the incursions of the Indians. Much excitement prevailed for some time ; throughout that region, and serious danger of collision between the per; lea was apprehen ded. The British had a Urge uavai force in the vicinity ; au>l it is but an act of simple justice to the Admiral ou that station to state tLal he wisely and discreetly forbore to com mit any hostile act. but determined to refer the whole uifair to his Government and await their instructions. This uspect of the matter, in my opinion, de manded serious attention. It would have been a great calamity for both natioua had they been precipitated into acts of hostility not ou the i|ue*tiou of title to the island, but merely concerning what should be iiscouditiou during the intervening period while the two Govern ments might be employed iu settling the ques tion to which of them it bvlougs. For this rea son Lieutenant General Scott was dispatched on the lTlh of September last to Washington Territory to take immediate command of the United i> ! ules forces on the Pacific coast should he deem this necessary. The main ob ject o! his mission was to carry out the spirit of the precautionary urraugemt-uts between the late Secretary of State and the British Minister, and thus to preserve the peace and prevent collisiou between the British and American authorities pending the negotiations between the two Governments. Entertaining no doubt of the validity of our title, I need scarcely add that, iu any event, American cit izens were to be placed on a footing at least as favorable as that of British subjects, it being understood that Captaiu Pickett's coin duny should remain ou the island. It is prop |er to observe that, considering the distauce from the scene of action, and in iguorauce of w hut might have trauspired on the spot before the General's arrival, it was necessary to leave much to his discretion, and 1 am happy to state tiic event lias proven that this discretion could uot have been intrusted to more compe tent bauds. General Scott bus receutly re turned from his mission, having successfully accomplished its object, and there is r.o longer any good reason to apprehend a collision be tween the forces of the two countries during tie pendency of the existing negotiations. I regret to inform you that there has been no improvement iu the affairs of Mexico since my last annual message, and I am again obliged to ask the earnest attention of Con gress to .he unhappy couditioa of that repub lic. The Constituent Congress of Mexico, which adjourned on the 17th of February, 1857, adopted a constitution and provided for a popular election. This took place in the fol lowing July (1857), and General Coinonfort was chosen President, almost without opposi tion. At the same election u new Congress was chosen, whose first session commenced on I the I6ili of September (1857). Bv the Con stitution of 1857 the presidential term was to begin on the Ist of December (1557), aud continue for four years. On that day General Couioufort appeared before the assembled Con gress in the City of Mexico, tock the oath to support the new Constitution, and was duly inaugurated as President. Within a month afterward he had been driven from the capital and a military rebellion had assigned the su preme power ot the Republic to Gen Zul oaga. The Constitution provided that in the absence of the Presidcut his office should de volve upon the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and, Genero! Coinonfort having 1- ft the country, this functionary, Genera! Juan-I, proceeded to form, at Guanajuato, a con stilutio.ial Government. Before this was of ficially known, however, at the capital, the Government of Znloaga had been recognized by the entire diplomatic corps, including*the Minister of the United States, as the de fuclo Government of Mexico. The constitutional President, nevertheless, maintained his posi tion with firmness, and was soon established ' with his Cabinet .at Vera Cruz Meanwhile, the Government of Zdonga was earnestly re sisted iu many ports of the Republic, and even in the capital, a portion of the army having pronounced against it, its functions were de clared terminated, and nn assembly of citizens was invited for the choice of a new President This Assembly elect'd Gen. Mirnm n, lut that 1 officer repudiated the plan under which he was chosen, and Zuloaga was thus restored to bis previous position He assumed it, however, ' only to withdraw from it, and Mirumon, hav ing become, by his appointment, " President Substitute,'' continues, with that title, at tba i head of the insurgent party. In m> last annual message, I eommun cated i to Congress the circumstances under which the > late Minister of the United States suspended - i his official relations with the Central Gevern ; ment, and withdrew from the country. It was ; impossible to maintain friendly intercourse 1 with a Government, like that at the Caplal, under whose usurp