144] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



America, North and Soufh. — Message to the Senate and House of Repre- 

 sentatives from President Madison. — Votes taken for President and Vice- 

 President. — Monroe chosen for the former Office, and his Speech. — 

 Second Speech, on December the 2d. — State of Spanish AJairs. 



ON the 3d of February the fol- 

 lowing message was received 

 by the Senate and House of Re- 

 presentatives, from the President 

 of the United States : — 



" The Government of Great 

 Britain, induced by the posture of 

 the relations with the United States 

 which succeeded the conclusion of 

 the recent commercial convention, 

 issued an order on the 17tli day 

 of August, 1S15, discontinuing 

 the discriminating duties payable 

 in British ports on American ves- 

 sels and tlieir cargoes. It was not 

 rmtil the '2'2d of December follow- 

 ing that a correspondent discon- 

 tinuance of discriminating duties 

 on British vessels and their car- 

 goes in American ports, took effect, 

 under the authority vested in the 

 executive by the act of March 

 1S16. During the period between 

 these two dates there was con- 

 seciuently a failure of reciprocity 

 or etjuality in the existing regu- 

 lations of the two countries. I re- 

 commend to the consideration of 

 Congress the expedience of paying 

 to the- British Government the 

 amount of the duties remitted, 

 diuing the period 'n ipiestion, to 

 the citizens of the United States; 

 subject to a deduction of the 

 amountof whatever discriminating 

 duties may have commenced iu 



British ports after the signature 

 of that convention, and been col- 

 lected previous to the 17th of 

 August 181.''). 



Feb. 3, 1817. James Madtson." 

 This message was referred to 

 the Committee of Ways and Means, 

 and ordered to be printed. 



PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT. 



On the 4th of February votes 

 were taken for the choice of per- 

 sons to fill the offices of President 

 and Vice-President ; when James 

 Monroe was declared President, 

 and Daniel D. Tomkins, Vice- 

 President, by a large majority. 



On the same day the Pjcsident was 

 solemnly inaugurated, after which 

 he delivered the following speech: 



" I should be destitute of feel- 

 ing if I was not deeply affected by 

 the strong proof which my fellow- 

 citizens have given me of their 

 confidence, in calling me to the 

 high ofHce whose functions I am 

 about to assume. As the expres- 

 sion of their good opinion of my 

 conduct in the public service, I 

 derive from it a gratification, which 

 those who are cpnscious of having 

 done all they could to merit it, can 

 alone feel. My sensibility is in- 

 creased by a just estimate of the 

 impoitance of the trust, and of the 

 nature and extent of its duties : 



■yvith 



