GENERAL HISTORY. 



[175 



she was bound by treaty to have 

 prevented, but had not the power 

 to prevent. To have stopped at 

 that line, would have given new 

 encouragement to these savages, 

 and new vigour to the whole 

 combination existing there, in 

 the prosecution of all its perni- 

 cious purposes. 



In suppressing the establish- 

 ment at Amelia Island, no un- 

 friendliness was manifested to- 

 wards Spain, because the post 

 was taken from a force which had 

 wrested it from her. The mea- 

 sure, it was true, was not adopted 

 in concert with the Spanish 

 Government, or those in authority 

 under it ; because, in transactions 

 connected with the war in which 

 Spain and her colonies are en- 

 gaged, it was thought proper in 

 doing justice to the United States, 

 to maintain a strict impartiality 

 towards both the belligerent 

 parties, without consulting or 

 acting in concert with either. It 

 gives me pleasure to state, that 

 the Governments of Buenos- Ayres 

 and Venezuela, whose names were 

 assumed, have explicitly disclaim- 

 ed all participation in those mea- 

 sures, and even the knowledge of 

 them, until communicated by this 

 Government ; and have also ex- 

 pressed their satisfaction, that a 

 course of proceeding had been 

 suppressed, which, if justly im- 

 putable to them, would dishonour 

 their cause. 



In authorizing Major- General 

 Jackson to enter Florida in pur- 

 suit of the Seminoles, care was 

 taken not to encroach on the 

 rights of Spain. I regret to have 

 to add, that, executing this order, 

 facts were disclosed respecting 

 the conduct of the officers of Spain 



in authority there, in encouraging 

 the war, furnishing munitions of 

 war, and other supplies to carry 

 it on, and in other acts not less 

 marked, which evinced their par- 

 ticipation in the hostile purposes 

 of that combination, and justified 

 the confidence with which it in- 

 spired the savages, that by those 

 officers they would be protected. 

 A conduct so incompatible with 

 the friendly relations existing 

 between the two countries, parti- 

 cularly with the positive obliga- 

 tion of the 5th article of the treaty 

 of 1795, by which Spain was 

 bound to restrain, even by force, 

 those savages from acts of hostili- 

 ty against the United States, 

 could not fail to excite surprise. 

 The commanding General was 

 convinced, that he should fail in 

 his object, that he should, in 

 effect, accomplish nothing, if he 

 did not deprive those savages of 

 the resource on which they had 

 calculated, and of the protection 

 on which they had relied, in 

 making the war. As all the do- 

 cuments relating to this occurrence 

 will be laid before Congress, it is 

 not necessary to enter into further 

 detail respecting it. 



Although the reasons which 

 induced Major-General Jackson 

 to take these posts were duly ap- 

 preciated, there was, neverthe- 

 less, no hesitation in deciding on 

 the course which it became the 

 Government to pursue. As there 

 was reason to believe that the 

 commanders of these posts had 

 violated their instructions, there 

 was no disposition to impute to 

 their Government a conduct so 

 unprovoked and hostile. An 

 order was in consequence issued 

 to the General in command there, 



to 



