284 ANNUAL REGISTER, ‘1707. 
To remove the firft difficulty, I 
have determined to leave it to the 
difcretion of the officers of his 
Catholic Majefty, when they with- 
-draw ‘his troops from the forts with- 
in the territory of the United States, 
either to leave the works ftanding, 
ser to demolifh them; and to. re- 
imoye the fecond, I fhall caufe an 
_affarance to be. publithed, and io be 
particularly .communicated to the 
»minifter of his Catholic Majefty, 
and to the Governor of Louifiana, 
that the fettlers or occupants of the 
.Jands in queftion, fhall not be dif- 
- turbed| in. their poffeffions by the 
- troops of the United States, but, 
- on the contrary, that they fliall be 
) protected in-all their lawful claims: 
vand to prevent or remove every 
odoubt on this point, it merits the 
confideration of Congrefs, . whe- 
. ther it, will not be, expedient, im- 
«mediately to pafs a law, giving 
© pofitive affurancé to thofe inhabit- 
- ants, who, by fair, and. regular 
~ grants, or by occupancy, have ob- 
« tained legal titles, or equitable 
claims to lands in that. country, 
s priorto the, final ratification of the 
. treaty between the United States 
- and Spain on the 25th of April, 
- F796, 
: | Thiscountry is rendered pecu- 
- Barly valuable by its inhabitants, 
- svho are reprefented to amount to 
‘ nearly four thoufand, generally 
. wellaffected, and much atiached to 
tka United States, and zealous for 
) the eftablifhment of a government 
. under their authority. 
I therefore recommend to your 
eonfideration, the expediency of 
creating 2 government in the dif- 
é tridt of the Naiches, fimilar to that 
- eftablithed for the territory north- 
~. wefbote the river Ohio, but. with 
(eeriain modifications, relative to 
ea 
titles in claims of land, whether 
of individuals or companies, or to 
_claims of jurifdiGtion of any indivi- 
dual ftate. 
_ Jouw Avams. ” 
_ United States, June 12, Vi97. 
Meffage from the Prefident of the United 
States to Congre/s. 
~ Gentlemen of the Senate, and 
Gentlemen of the Houfe of 
Reprefentatives, 
THE whole of the intelligence 
which has for fome time been re- 
ceived from abroad, the correfponds 
ence between this government 
and the minifters of the belligerent 
powers refiding here, and the ad- 
vices from the officers of the United 
States, civil and military, upon the 
frontiers, all confpire to fhew, in 4 
very ftrong light, the critical fitu- 
ation of our country. That Cons 
crefs might be enabled to form a 
more perfect judgment of it, and 
of the meafures neceffary to be ta- 
ken, I have directed the proper of- 
ficers to prepare fuch colleétions 
of extracts from the public corref- | 
pondence, as might afford the clear- 
eftinformation. The reports made 
to me from the fecretary of ftate, 
and the fecretary at war, with a col- 
lection of documents from each of 
them, are now communicated to 
both houfes of Congrefs. I have 
defired that the meflage, reports, 
and documents, may be confidered 
as confidential, merely that the | 
members of both houfes of Con- 
grefs may be apprifed of their con- 
tents before they fhould be made 
public. As foon as the Houfes 
fhall have heard them, I fhall fub- 
mit to their difcretion the publica- 
tion of the whole, or any fuch parts 
o3] 
