618 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



lamation issued by their President under date of the 

 19th inst., in which, after declaring that an insurrec- 

 tion has broken out in this Confederacy against the 

 Government of the United States, he announces a 

 blockade of all the ports of these States, and threatens 

 to punish as pirates all persons who shall molest any 

 vessel of the United States under letters of marque 

 issued by this Government. Notwithstanding the au- 

 thenticity of this proclamation, you will concur with 

 me that it is hard to believe that it could have ema- 

 nated from a President of the United States. 



Its announcement of a mere paper blockade is so 

 manifestly a violation of the law of nations, that it 

 would seem incredible that it could have been issued 

 by authority ; but conceding this to be the case, so far 

 as the Executive is concerned, it will be difficult to 

 satisfy the people of these States that their late con- 

 federates will sanction its declarations will determine 

 to ignore the usages of civilized nations, and will in- 

 augurate a war of extermination on both sides, by 

 treating as pirates open enemies acting under the au- 

 thority of commissions issued by an organized gov- 

 ernment. 



If such proclamation was issued, it could only have 

 been published under the sudden influence of passion, 

 and we may rest assured that mankind will be spared 

 the horrors of the conflict it seems to invite. 



For the details of the administration of the different 

 departments, I refer to the reports of the secretaries 

 of each, which accompany this Message. 



The State Department has furnished the necessary 

 instructions for those commissioners who have been 

 sent to England, France, Russia, and Belgium, since 

 yor adjournment, to ask our recognition as a member 

 of the family of nations, and to make with each of 

 these powers treaties of amity and commerce. 



Further steps will be taken to enter into like nego- 

 tiations with the other European powers, in pursuance 

 to resolutions passed at your last session. 



Sufficient time has not yet elapsed since the depart- 

 ure of these commissioners for the receipt of any in- 

 telligence from them. 



As I deem it desirable that commissioners or other 

 diplomatic agents should also be sent at an early pe- 

 riod to the independent American powers south of our 

 Confederacy, with all of whom it is our interest and 

 earnest wish to maintain the most cordial and friendly 

 relations, I suggest the expediency of making the ne- 

 cessary appropriations for that purpose. 



Having been officially notified by the public authori- 

 ties of the State of Virginia that she had withdrawn 

 from the Union and desired to maintain the closest 

 political relations with us which it was possible at this 

 time to establish, I commissioned the Hon. Alexander 

 H. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederate States, 

 to represent this Government at Richmond. 



I a,m happy to inform you that he has concluded a 

 convention with the State of Virginia, by which that 

 honored Commonwealth, so long and justly distin- 



fuished among her sister States, and so dear to the 

 earts of thousands of her children in the Confederate 

 States, has united her power and her fortunes with 

 ours and become one of us. This convention, to- 

 gether with the ordinance of Virginia adopting the 

 Provisional Constitution of the Confederacy, will be 

 laid before you for your constitutional action. 



I have satisfactory assurances from other of our late 

 confederates that they are on the point of adopting 

 similar measures ; and I cannot doubt that, ere you 

 shall have been many weeks in session, the whole of 

 the slaveholding States of the late Union will respond 

 to the call of honor and affection, and by uniting their 

 fortunes with ours, promote our common interests and 

 secure our common safety. 



In the Treasury Department, regulations have been 

 devised and put into execution for carrying out the 

 policy indicated in your legislation, on the subject of 

 the navigation of the Mississippi River, as well as for 

 the collection of the revenue on the frontier. 



Free transit has been secured for vessels and mer- 

 chandise passing through the Confederate States, and 



delay and inconvenience have been avoided as far as 

 possible. 



In organizing the revenue service for the various 

 railways entering our territory, as fast as experience 

 shall indicate the possibility of improvement in these 

 regulations, no effort will be spared to free commerce 

 from all unnecessary embarrassments and obstruc- 

 tions. 



Under your act authorizing a loan, proposals were 

 issued inviting subscriptions for five millions of dollars, 

 and the call was answered by the prompt subscription 

 of eight millions by our own citizens, and not a single 

 bid was made under par. 



The rapid development of the purpose of the Presi- 

 dent of the United States to invade our soil, capture 

 our forts, blockade our ports, and wage war against 

 us, induced me to direct that the entire subscription 

 should be accepted. It will now become necessary to 

 raise means to a much larger amount to defray the ex- 

 penses of maintaining our independence and repelling 

 invasion. 



I invite your special attention to this Subject. The 

 financial condition of the Government, with the sug- 

 gestion of ways and means for the supply of the 

 Treasury, will be presented to you in a separate com- 

 munication. 



To the department of Justice you have confided not 

 only the organization and supervision of all matters 

 connected with the courts of justice, but also those 

 connected with patents and with the bureau of the 

 public printing. 



Since your adjournment all the courts, with the ex- 

 ception of those of Mississippi and Texas, have been 

 organized by the appointment of marshals and district 

 attorneys, and are now prepared for the exercise of 

 their functions. In the two States just named the gen- 

 tlemen confirmed as judges declined to accept the ap- 

 pointment, and no nominations have yet been made to 

 till the vacancies. 



I refer you to the report of the Attorney-General, 

 and concur in his recommendation for immediate legis- 

 lation, especially on the subject of patent rights. Early 

 provision should be made to secure to the subjects of 

 foreign nations the full enjoyment of their property in 

 valuable inventions, and to extend to our own citizens 

 protection not only for their own inventions, but for 

 such as may have been assigned to them or may here- 

 after be assigned by persons not alien enemies. 



The patent office business is much more extensive 

 and important than had been anticipated. The appli- 

 cations for patents, although confined under the laws 

 exclusively to citizens of our Confederacy, already 

 average seventy per month, showing the necessity for 

 the prompt organization of a bureau of patents. 



The Secretary of War, in his report and accompany- 

 ing documents, conveys full information concerning 

 the forces, regular, volunteer, and provisional, raised 

 and called for under the several acts of Congress 

 their organization and distribution ; also, an account 

 of the expenditures already made, and the further 

 estimates for the fiscal year ending on the 18th of 

 February, 1862, rendered necessary by recent events. 



I refer to the report, also, for a full history of the 

 occurrences in Charleston harbor, prior to, and includ- 

 ing the, bombardment and reduction of Fort Sumter, 

 and of the measures subsequently taken for common 

 defence on receiving the intelligence of the declaration 

 of war against us, made by the President of the United 

 States. 



There are now in the field at Charleston, Pensacola, 

 Forts Morgan, Jackson, St. Philip, and Pulaski, 19,000 

 men, and 16,000 are now en route for Virginia. It is 

 proposed to organize and hold in readiness for instant 

 action, in view of the present exigencies of the coun- 

 try, an army of 100,000 men. If further force be need- 

 ed, the wisdom and patriotism of the Congress will be 

 confidently appealed to for authority to call into the 

 field additional numbers of our noble-spirited volun- 

 teers, who are constantly tendering their services far 

 in excess of our wants. 



The operations of the Navy Department have been 



