1812 .] State of Puhlic A fairs in Decelnler^ $03 
which ciaims from the legislative guardians 
of the national rights, a system of more ana« 
pie provisions for maintaining them. Not¬ 
withstanding the scrupulous justice, the pro¬ 
tracted moderation, and the multiplied efforts 
on the part of the United States, to substitute, 
for the accumulating dangers to the peace of 
the two countries, all the mutual advan¬ 
tages of re-established friendship and confi¬ 
dence, we have seen that the British cabinet 
perseveres, not only in withholding a remedy 
for other wrongs, so long and so loudly call¬ 
ing for it; but in the execution, brought 
home to the threshold of our territory, of 
measures which, under existing circum¬ 
stances, have the character, as well as the 
effect of war on our lawful commerce. 
With this evidence of hostile inflexibility, 
in trampling on rights which no independent 
nation can, relinquish. Congress will fed the 
duty of putting the United States into an ar¬ 
mor, and an attitude demanded by the crisis, 
and correspondiag with the national spirit and 
expectations. 
I recommend, accordingly, that adequate 
provision be made for filling the ranks, and 
prolonging the irdistment of the regular 
troops j for an auxiliary force, to be engaged 
fora more limited term; for the acceptance 
of volunteer corps, whose patriotic ardor 
may court a participation in urgent services ; 
for detachments, as they may be wanted, of 
other portions of the militia ; and lor such a 
preparation of the great body, as will [rropor- 
tion its usefulness to its intrinsic capacities. 
Nor can the occasion fail to remind you of 
the importance of those military seminaries, 
which in every event will form a valuable 
and frugal part of military establish¬ 
ment. 
The manufacture of cannon and small arms 
has proceeded with due success, and the stock 
and resources of all the necessary munitions 
are adequate to emergencies. It will not be 
jnexpedient, however, for Congress, to au¬ 
thorise an enlargement of them. 
Your attention will, of course, be drawn 
to such provisions, on the subject of oar naval 
force, as may be required for the services to 
which it may be best adapted. I submit to 
Congress the seasonableness, also, of an au¬ 
thority to augment the stock of such materials, 
as are imperishable in their nature, or may 
not at once be attainable. 
In conteriiplating the scenes which distin¬ 
guish this momentous epoch, and estimating 
their claims to our attention, it is impossible 
to overlook those developing themselves 
among the great communities which occupy 
the southern portion of our hemisphere, and 
extend into ourneighbourhood. An enlarged 
philanthropy, and an enlightened forecast, 
concur in imposing on the national councils 
an obligation to take a deep interest m their 
destinies j to cherish reciprocal sentiments of 
good will ; to regard the progress of events j 
MoNTJifcy Mas, No- 2^1, 
and not to be unprepared for wliatevef Order, 
of things may be ultimately established. 
Under another aspect of our situation, the 
early attention of Congress will be due to the 
expediency of further guards against evasions 
and infractions of our commercial laws. The 
practice of smuggling, which is odious every¬ 
where, and particularly criminal in free go¬ 
vernments, where, the laws being made by- 
all for the good of all, a fraud is committed 
on every individual, as well as on the statcj 
attains its utmost guilt, when it blends, with 
a pursuit of ignominious gain a treacherous 
subserviency, in the transgressors, to a fo¬ 
reign policy adverse to that of tlieir own 
country. It is then that the virtuo-as indig¬ 
nation of the puhlic should be enabled to ma¬ 
nifest itself, through the regular animadver¬ 
sions of the most competent laws. 
To secure greater respect to our mercantile 
flag, and to the honest Interests which ic 
covers, it Is expedient also that it be made 
punishable in our citizens, to accept licenses 
from foreign governments, for a trade unlaw¬ 
fully interdicted by them to other America^ 
citizens ; or to trade under false colors or 
papers of any sort. 
A prohibition is equally called for, against 
the acceptance, by our citizens, of special 
licenses, to be used in a trade with the Uni¬ 
ted States—and against the admission into 
particular ports of the United States, of ves¬ 
sels from toreign countries, authorised to 
trade with particular ports only. 
Although other subjects will press imme¬ 
diately on your deliberations, a portion of 
them cannot but Se well bestowed, on the 
just and sound policy of securing to our ma¬ 
nufactures, the success they lave attained, 
and are still attaining, in some degree, under 
the impulse of causes not permanent—and to 
our navigation, the fair extent of which is at 
present abridged by the unequal ri^gulations of 
foreign gOTernnients. 
Besides the reasonableness of saving our 
manufacturers from sacrifices which a cliange 
of circumstances might bring on them, the 
national interest requires, that, with respect 
to such articles at least, as belong to our de¬ 
fence, and our primary wants, we should not 
be left in unnecessary dependence on external 
supplies. And whilst foreign govern.ments 
adhere to the existing discriminations in their 
ports against our navigatio.n, and an equality 
or lesser discrimination is enjoyed by their 
navigation, in our ports, the effect cannot be 
mistaken, because it has been seriously felt 
by our shipping interest 3 and in proportion 
as this takes place, the advantages of an inde¬ 
pendent conveyance of our products to foreign 
markets, and of a growing body of marines, 
trained by their occupations for the service of 
their country in times of danger, must be di¬ 
minished. 
The receipts into the treasury, during the 
vear ending on the ffOth of September last, 
4i G 
