That northern territory is of no importance to us, and belongs to the United States, and not to Massachusetts, which has not the shadow of a claim to any land north of 45 degrees, to the eastward of the Penobscot river, as you may easily convince yourself of, by recurring to her charters.

I have the honour to be, with respect, &c.

The Hon. the Secretary of State

ALBERT GALLATIN.

of the United States, Washington.

Extract from the Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States. APRIL 18, 1822.

Mr. Floyd submitted the following resolution, viz:

Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to cause to be communicated to this House, if not injurious to the public good, any letter or communication which may have been received from Jonathan Russell, Esquire, one of the Ministers of the United States who concluded the Treaty of Ghent, after the signature of that Treaty, and which was written in conformity to the indications contained in said Minister's letter, dated at Ghent, 25th December, 1814.

The said resolution was read and ordered to lie on the table one day.

APRIL 19, 1822.

The resolution submitted by Mr. Floyd, on yesterday, was taken up, read, and agreed to by the House.

MESSAGE from the President of the United States, to the Housc of Representatives, of 4th May, 1822, in answer to their Resolu tion of 19th April, 1822.

To the House of Representatives of the United States:

In compliance with a resolution of the House of Representatives, of the 19th of April, requesting the President "to cause to be communicated to the House, if not injurious to the public interest, any letter which may have been received from Jonathan Russell, one of the Ministers who concluded the treaty of Ghent, in conformity with the indications contained in his letter of 25th of December, 1814,". I have to state, that, having referred the resolution to the Secretary of State, and it appearing, by a report from him, that no such document had been deposited among the archives of the Department, I examined and found among my private papers a letter of that description, marked "private" by himself. I transmit a copy of the report of the Secretary of State, by which it appears that Mr. Russell, on being apprized that the document referred to by the resolution had not been deposited in the Department of State,

delivered there" a paper purporting to be the duplicate of a letter written by him from Paris, on the 11th of February, 1815, to the then Secretary of State, to be communicated to the House, as the letter called for by the resolution."

On the perusal of the document called for, I find that it communicates a difference of opinion between Mr. Russell and a majority of his colleagues, in certain transactions which occurred in the negotiations at Ghent, touching interests which have been since satisfactorily adjusted by treaty between the United States and Great Britain. The view which Mr. Russell presents of his own conduct, and that of his colleagues, in those transactions, will, it is presumed, call from the two surviving members of that mission, who differed from him, a reply, containing their view of those transactions, and of the conduct of the parties in them, and who, should his letter be communicated to the House of Representatives, will also claim that their reply should be communicated in like manner by the Executive-a claim which, on the principle of equal justice, could not be resisted. The Secretary of State, one of the Ministers referred to, has already expressed a desire that Mr. Russell's letter should be communicated, and that I would transmit, at the same time, a communication from him respecting it.

On full consideration of the subject, I have thought it would be improper for the Executive to communicate the letter called for, unless the House, on a knowledge of these circumstances, should desire it; in which case the document called for shall be communicated, accompanied by a report from the Secretary of State, as above suggested. I have directed a copy to be delivered to Mr. Russell, to be disposed of as he may think proper, and have caused the original to be deposited in the Department of State, with instruction to deliver a copy to any person who may be interested. JAMES MONROE. Washington, May 4th, 1822.

The Secretary of State, to whom was referred the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 19th ultimo, requesting the President" to cause to be communicated to the House, if not injurious to the public good, any letter or communication which may have been received from Jonathan Russell, Esquire, one of the Ministers of the United States who concluded the treaty of Ghent, after the signature of that treaty, and which was written in conformity to the indications contained in said Minister's letter, dated at Ghent, 25th of December, 1814," has the honour of reporting to the President, that, until after the adoption of the said resolution by the House, there was upon the files of the Department of State, no letter from Mr. Russell, of the description mentioned therein;

but that Mr. Russell himself has since delivered at the Department, a communication purporting to be the duplicate of a letter written by him from Paris, on the 11th of February, 1815, to the then Secretary of State, to be communicated to the House, as the letter called for by their resolution.

A copy of this

paper is herewith submitted to the President. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

Extract from the Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States. MAY 6th, 1822.

Mr. Fuller submitted the following resolution, to wit:

Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to communicate to this House the letter of Jonathan Russell, esquire, referred to in his message of the 4th of May, instant; together with such communications as he may have received relative thereto, from any of the other ministers of the United States who negotiated the treaty of Ghent.

The said resolution was received by unanimous consent of the House, read, and ordered to lie on the table one day.

MAY 7th, 1822.

The House took up and proceeded to consider the resolution submitted by Mr. Fuller, yesterday, and the same being read,

Mr. McCarty moved that it lie on the table; which, being disagreed to.
The question was taken on agreeing to the resolution,

And passed in the affirmative.

Extract from the National Intelligencer of 13th June, 1822.

CONGRESSIONAL

[It is one of the most vexatious incidents that has ever occurred to us, of lesser importance, that we mislaid our notes of the proceedings which took place in the House of Representatives on the 7th May last, on Mr. Fuller's motion, respecting Mr. Russell's letter, and on the bill authorizing the change of the site of the canal in this city, both of which debates we hoped to have published. We have the more reason to regret the circumstance, because a curiosity has been expressed to see what was said on Mi. Fuller's motion. friend, who attended to what passed, has furnished us, from memory, with the following sketch of the proceedings on that occasion. It is brief, but is believed to be substantially correct.]

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-7th May, 1822.

A

Mr. Fuller's resolution, which was submitted yesterday, requesting the President to communicate the letter of Jonathan Russell, esq. relating to the treaty of Ghent, together with such communications as had been received from the other plenipotentiaries, or either of them, in explanation of the letter of Mr. R. was called up, and, on the question of its adoption

Mr. Floyd said, he had moved the original resolution for the Ghent correspondence, with an expectation that it might throw some light on the importance of the Columbia river, and the bill before the House proposing an establishment there. As the President, however, had not thought proper to communicate the letter in question, when specially called for, he (Mr. F.) had moved to

have the message committed to a committee of which he was a member, but the motion had not prevailed. He had, however, hoped, since he had desisted from again requesting the letter, that no other gentleman would have proposed it. It was manifest that it had been withheld to prevent the excitement and ill blood which the contents might produce. He hoped the resolution would not be adopted.

Mr. Fuller said, he was happy to hear from the gentleman from Virginia, that he had been induced to abstain from a further, call for Mr. R's letter to prevent the excitement of "ill blood," and he would by no means be behind him, (Mr. Floyd,) in such a laudable intent; but, in his opinion, the communication of the letter, and of the explanation of the other commissioners, to Congress and to the public, would have a far greater tendency to allay the ill blood, if any existed, than the suppression of the explanation, while the letter was in effect made public. The President's message informed us, Mr. Fuller said, that he had transmitted the letter to the Department of State, and directed copies of it to be delivered to persons who should apply; consequently, it would soon reach the newspapers, while the comments or explanations which ought to accompany it would be effectually suppressed. Nothing, in his opinion, could be more unfair than thus to stifle all reply. It reminded him, he said, of what he had of late frequently witnessed in this House, when some bill was pending, and, before it was understood, one of its opposers would make a speech against it, and conclude with a motion to lay it on the table, which precluded all debate, and, consequently, all explanation. The indignation produced by such a course every gentleman must have observed and sometimes have felt. There was nothing so safe and honourable as a full disclosure of the statements of both sides. He regretted, he said, that his colleague, the writer of the letter, was not in his seat, as he was sure he could not object to the call, more especially as it appeared from the message, that the gentleman himself had furnished to the Department a duplicate or copy of that letter to be communicated to Congress before the original had been found. As to the suggestion that the Ghent correspondence or the letter in question could throw a single ray of light on the subject of the occupation of Columbia river, it was too improbable, Mr. Fuller said, to have ever entered his mind; but if the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Floyd) had expected it at first, he could see no reason for his giving over the pursuit. He hoped the House would see the obvious justice of adopting the resolution.

Mr. Cocke said, he could see no reason for calling for the letter; the President had declined communicating it, and, therefore, he thought it not proper in the House to persist in the call.

Mr. Sergeant said, he rose to correct the error into which the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cocke) had fallen, in supposing the President had "declined" communicating Mr. Russell's letter. It appeared, on recurring to the message, (a part of which Mr. S.

read,) that he merely declined sending the letter, without also sending such answer or explanation as the majority of the commissioners who negotiated the treaty, or any of them, should request. On the other hand, the President signifies his willingness to communicate both together; and Mr. S. said, he could see no objection whatever to the resolution, which seemed, under existing circumstances, to ask no more than was due to the survivers of the commissioners, whose conduct was implicated, and who had a right to be heard.

Mr. Cocke, after hearing the message read, the terms of which, he said, he had not before so particularly attended to, withdrew his opposition.

Mr. Hardin said, he was glad the letter was called for, and he should vote for the resolution, as it would show the western people in what manner their interests were disregarded or sacrificed; that the commissioners offered to give up the navigation of the Mississippi to secure the fisheries of the east.

The resolution was then adopted with only one or two voices in the negative.

MESSAGE from the President of the United States, transmitting (pursuant to a resolution of the House of Representatives, of 7th May,) a Letter of Jonathan Russell, late one of the Plenipotentiaries of the United States, at the negotiation of Ghent, with Remarks thereon, by the Secretary of State.

To the House of Representatives:

In compliance with the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 7th of May, requesting the President of the United States" to communicate to that House the letter of Jonathan Russell, esq. referred to in his message of the 4th instant, together with such communications as he may have received relative thereto, from any of the other ministers of the United States who negotiated the treaty of Ghent," I herewith transmit a report from the Secretary of State, with the documents called for by that resolution. JAMES MONROE.

Washington, May 7, 1822.

Department of State,

Washington, 7th May, 1822.

The Secretary of State has the honour of transmitting to the President of the United States his remarks upon the paper deposited at the Department of State on the 22d of last month, by Jonathan Russell, late one of the plenipotentiaries of the United States, at the negotiation of Ghent, to be communicated to the House of Representatives, as the letter called for by their resolution of the 19th of that month; and the Secretary of State respectfully requests that the President would transmit to the House of Representatives these Remarks, together with the above mentioned communication of Mr. Russell, on the renewal of the call therefor by the House. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.