174] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



the savages, might justly be in- 

 flicted on the savages themselves. 

 If the embarrassments of Spain 

 prevented her from making an 

 indemnity to our citizens, for so 

 long a time, from her treasury, 

 for their losses by spoliation, and 

 otherwise, it was always in her 

 power to have provided it, by 

 the cession of this territory. Of 

 this, her Government had been 

 repeatedly apprised ; and the 

 cession was the more to be antici- 

 pated, as Spain must have known 

 that, in ceding it, she would in 

 effect cede what had become of 

 little value to her, and would 

 likewise relieve herself from the 

 important obligation secured by 

 the treaty of 1 795, and all other 

 compromitments respecting it. If 

 the United States, from consi- 

 deration of these embarrassments, 

 declined pressing their claims in 

 a spirit of hostility, the motive 

 ought at least to have been duly 

 appreciated by the Government 

 of Spain. It is well known to 

 her Government that other 

 Powers have made to the United 

 States an indemnity for hke 

 losses, sustained by their citizens 

 at the same epoch. 



There is, nevertheless, a limit 

 beyond which this spirit of 

 amity and forbearance can in no 

 instance be justified. If it was 

 proper to rely on amicable nego- 

 tiation for an indemnity for 

 losses, it would not have been so, 

 to have permitted the inability of 

 Spain to fulfil her engagements, 

 and to sustain iier authority in 

 the Floridas, to be perverted 

 by foreign adventurers and 

 savages, to purposes so destruc- 

 tive to the lives of our fellow- 

 citizens, and the highest interests 



of the United States. The right 

 of self-defence never ceases. It 

 is among the most sacred, and 

 alike necessary to nations and to 

 individuals. And, whether the 

 attack be made by Spain hei'self, 

 or by those who abuse her Power, 

 its obligation is not the less strong. 

 The invaders of Amelia Island 

 had assumed a popular and res- 

 pected title, under which they 

 might approach and wound us. 

 As their object was distinctly 

 seen, and the duty imposed on 

 the Executive, by an existing 

 la^i , was profoundly felt, that mask 

 was not permitted to protect 

 them. It was thought incumbent 

 on the United States to suppress 

 the establishment, and it was 

 accordingly done. The combi- 

 nation in Florida, for the unlaw- 

 ful purposes stated, the acts per- 

 petrated by that combination, 

 and above all, the incitement of 

 the Indians to massacre our fellow 

 citizens, of every age, and of both 

 sexes, merited a like treatment, 

 and received it. In pursuins: 

 these savages to an miagmary 

 line in the woods, it would have 

 been the height of folly to have 

 suffered that line to protect them. 

 Had that been done, the war 

 could never cease. Even if the 

 territory had been exclusively 

 that of Spain, and her power 

 complete over it, we had a right, 

 by the law of nations, to follow 

 tne enemy on it, and to subdue 

 him there. But the territory 

 belonged, in a certain sense at 

 least, to the savage enemy who 

 inhabited it, the power of Spain 

 had ceased to exist over it, and 

 protection was sought, under her 

 title, by those who had committed 

 on our citizen^ hostilities, which 



she 



