The report of a committee April 22, 1802, on "the memorials and petitions of sundry citizens of the United States, praying relief, in the case of spoliations committed on their vessels and cargoes, while in pursuit of their lawful commerce, by the cruisers of the French Republick during the late European war." President's message of April 27, 1802, informing "that a convention had been signed by the commissioners who were appointed to carry into execution the sixth article of the treaty of amity, commerce, &c. between the United States and Great Britain." &c. Similar messages, no other way affecting our "intercourse with foreign nations," than as they suggested the enactment of laws pursuant to the respective treaties or conventions submitted by the messages, have been omitted for a similar reason. President's message December 31, 1804, communicating "a letter from Malta by Richard O'Brien, late consul at Algiers, giving some detail of transactions before Tripoli," Several similar communications, no ways relating to our foreign relations, except as conveying information of hostile operations, will be likewise omitted. The object of the publication was to present the views of our own government and those of other nations on the subjects of negotiation, not a statute book, or a history. Instead of four or five volumes, such a GENERAL compilation of State Papers would fill forty or fifty, within the space of time, to which the publishers' views extend. On page 210 will be found a message from the President of the United States to the Senate, with a report on the impressment of seamen in the service of the United States." This interesting subject is usually exhibited to Congress by stated reports of the Secretary of State, made pursuant to law. These are not within the scope of this publication. The reports alluded to would fill three or four volumes. with a mere catalogue; but the exhibit, which is now printed, will be a good sample of the matter. This, being in the report connected with a proper subject of this undertaking, was necessarily introduced with it. After all, however, the publishers expect that for one who may regret the omission, many will complain of the unnecessary insertion of papers. It is not in consequence of the labour which they have bestowed on this collection, of which, indeed, very few readers can form an estimate, that many pages are devoted to certain official communications, in which no interest was felt at their origin, except by those who were concerned in the several transactions. Such will form a part of any complete volume of documents; and all the foreign concerns of a community can no more be important than all its domestick proceedings. Many minute details in this volume will appear to some cursory observers as occupying the place of more important subjects; but it was not within the publishers' province to curtail any official paper, and the completeness of the collection will by the judicious be thought the best feature in the present volume. Subsequent ones will not contain many such statements, but generally be occupied with the important concerns of our negotiations with Great Britain and France. Some delay has occurred in issuing this volume, for which the publishers feel confident of the sufficiency of their excuse, that for several of the papers it was necessary to resort to gentlemen at a great distance, and that some were to be obtained in manuscript from Philadelphia. It was also necessary to consult officers of the government at Washington, and to obtain the advice of Mr. Jefferson, the former President of the United States. Many errours will be observed in the printing of dates, and names of persons, ships and places, of which few should be ascribed to the present publishers. The papers, for the use of either house of Congress, being printed with great despatch, are frequently printed with extreme inaccuracy in those respects. Conjecture has been trusted in the correction of many passages, but in some, as in the name of the British ship on page 217 line 9 the publishers knew only that their copy was wrong, not how to make it right. The copy of the papers in pages 41-344 contain ed a confusion of dates, some being 1804, others 1805. Uniformity was followed, without caution, in making all the dates 1805, when from the next following pages it is apparent that they should have been 1804. This is the only errour in the book, the occurrence of which the publishers think worth noting. After all their diligence, the publishers think it possible that some documents, within the period comprized in this volume, may have eluded their search. Any gentleman, who, after due examination, shall discover an omission of such paper, will oblige the publishers, as well as the community, by furnishing it for insertion in the Appendix to the next volume. A similar examination will be hoped for succeeding volumes, and the like favour is requested. BOSTON, November, 1814. CONTENTS. PRESIDENT JEFFERSON's Inaugural address, March 4, 1801 Message opening Congress, December 8, 1801 Documents respecting Barbary, December 8, 1801 Message transmitting papers relative to transactions with Message transmitting Documents respecting French Cor- Message transmitting a report from the Secretary of State, 124 149 Message opening Congress, December 15, 1802 Documents relative to Barbary Powers, accompanying President's Message of December 15th, 1802 Message transmitting a report from the Secretary of State re- lative to the violation, on the part of Spain, of the 22d article of the treaty with that nation, December 22, 1802 185 Message relating to the obstruction of the Mississippi, Dec. Message opening Congress, October 17, 1803 Message relative to the taking possession of Louisiana, Jan. 16, 1804 Message opening Congress, November 8, 1804 Documents relative to Louisiana and the district of Mo- 220 bile accompanying President's message of Nov. 8, 1804 233 Message transmitting a report of Secretary of State, with documents relative to complaints against arming the mer. chant vessels of the United States, &c. Jan. 31, 1805 236 Message relative to the Danish brigantine Henrick, Feb. 5, 1805 President Jefferson's Inaugural address, March 4, 1805 6, 1805, relative to subsisting difficulties with Spain 268 Message transmitting further Documents relative to sub- sisting difficulties with Spain, December 10, 1805 337 Message relative to the complaints by the government of 1806 360 |