MESSAGE 
 
 r FROM THE 
 
 PRESIDENT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES, 
 
 TO 
 
 BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS. 
 
 —a— raro———■ ——i mb»— wa maaew 
 
 15th December, 1802 . 
 
 Read \ and ordered to be committed to the Committee of the 
 whole House on the state of the Union. 
 
 WASHINGTON CITY I 
 
 PRINTED AT THE APOLLO PRESS, 
 
 BY W. DUANE & SON. 
 
 f 
 
 1802. 
 

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TO TIIE 
 
 SENATE and HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES 
 
 or tss 
 
 UNITED STATES . 
 
 When we assemble together, fellow-citizens, 
 to consider the state of our beloved country, our 
 just attentions are first drawn to those pleasing cir¬ 
 cumstances which mark the goodness of that Being 
 from whose favor they flow, and the large measure 
 of thankfulness we owe for his bounty ; another year 
 is come around, and finds us still blessed with peace 
 and friendship abroad, law, order, and religion at 
 home, good affection and harmony with our Indian 
 neighbors, our burthens lightened, yet our income 
 sufficient for the public wants, and the produce of 
 the year great beyond example. These, fellow- 
 citizens, are the circumstances under which we 
 meet: and we remark, with special satisfaction, 
 those which, under the smiles of Providence, result 
 from the skill, industry, and order of our citizens, 
 managing their own affairs in their own way, and 
 for their own use, unembarrassed by too much 
 regulation, unoppressed by fiscal exactions. 
 
 On the restoration of peace in Europe, that por¬ 
 tion of the carrying trade, which had fallen to our 
 share during the war, was abridged by the returning 
 competition of the belligerent powers. This was 
 to be expected, and was just. But, in addition, we 
 find, in some parts of Europe, monopolizing discri¬ 
 minations, which, in the form of duties, tend effectu¬ 
 ally to prohibit the carrying thither our own produce 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 in our own vessels. From existing amities, and a 
 
 spirit of justice, it is hoped that friendly discussion 
 
 will produce a fair and adequate reciprocity. Bin 
 
 should false calculations of interest defeat our hope, 
 
 it rests with the legislature to decide whether they 
 
 will meet inequalities abroad with countervailing 
 
 inequalities at home, or provide for the evil in any 
 
 other wav. 
 
 * 
 
 It is with satisfaction I lay before you an act of 
 the British parliament anticipating this subject, so 
 far as to authorize a mutual abolition of the duties 
 and countervailing duties, permitted under the trea¬ 
 ty of 1794. It shews on their part a spirit of justice 
 and friendly accommodation, which it is our duty 
 and our interest to cultivate with all nations. Whe¬ 
 ther this would produce a due equality in the navi¬ 
 gation between the two countries, is a subject for 
 vour consideration. 
 
 Another circumstance which claims attention, as 
 directly affecting the very source of our navigation, 
 is the defect, or the evasion of the law providing 
 for the return of seamen, and particularly of those 
 belonging to vessels sold abroad. Numbers of 
 them, discharged in foreign ports, have been thrown 
 on the hands of our consuls, who, to rescue them 
 from the dangers into which their distresses misrht 
 plunge them, and save them to their country, have 
 found it necessarv in some cases, to return them at 
 the public charge, 
 
 The cession of the Spanish province of Louisiana 
 to France, which took place in the course of the 
 late war, will, if carried into effect, make a change 
 in the aspect of our foreign relations, which will 
 doubtless have just weight in any deliberations! of 
 the legislature connected with that subject. 
 
,( 5 ) 
 
 There was reason, not long since, to apprehend 
 that the warfare in which we were engaged with 
 Tripoli might be taken up by some other of the 
 Barbary powers. A reinforcement therefore was im¬ 
 mediately ordered to the vessels already there. 
 Subsequent information however has removed these 
 apprehensions for the present. To secure our com¬ 
 merce in that sea, with the smallest force compe¬ 
 tent, we have supposed it best to watch strictly the 
 harbor of Tripoli. Still however the shallowness 
 of their coast, and the want of smaller vessels on 
 our part, has permitted some cruisers to escape un¬ 
 observed : and to one of these an American vessel 
 unfortunately fell a prey. The captain, one Ameri¬ 
 can seaman, and two others of colour, remain pri¬ 
 soners with them ; unless exchanged under an 
 agreement formerly made with the Bashaw, to 
 whom, on the faith of that, some of his captive sub¬ 
 jects had been restored. 
 
 The convention with the state of Georgia has been 
 ratified by their legislature, and a repurchase from 
 the Creeks has been consequently made, of a part of 
 the Talasscee county. In this purchase has been 
 also comprehended a part of the lands within the fork 
 of Oconee and Oakmulgee rivers. The particulars 
 of the contract will belaid before Congress so socn 
 as they shall be in a state for communication. 
 
 In order to remove every ground of difference 
 possible with our Indian neighbors, I have proceed¬ 
 ed in the work of settling with them, and making 
 the boundaries between us. That with the Choc¬ 
 taw nation is fixed in one part, and will be through 
 the whole within a short time. The country to 
 which their title had been extinguished before the 
 ^revolution is sufficient to receive a very respectable 
 populution, which Congress will probably see the 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 expediency of encouraging, so soon as the limits 
 shall be declared, We are to view this position as 
 an outpost of the United States, surrounded by 
 strong neighbors, and distant from its support. 
 And how far that monopoly, which prevents popu¬ 
 lation, should here be guarded against, and actual^ 
 habitation made a condition of the continuance of 
 title, will be for your consideration. A prompt 
 settlement top of all existing rights and claims with¬ 
 in tlris territory, presents itself as a preliminary 
 operation. 
 
 * 
 
 In that part of the Indiana territory which in¬ 
 cludes Vincennes, the lines settled with the neigh¬ 
 boring tribes fix the extinction of their title at a 
 breadth of twenty four leagues from East to West, 
 and about the same length, parallel with and includ¬ 
 ing the Wabash. They have also ceded a tract of 
 four miles square, including the Salt-springs near 
 the mouth of that river. 
 
 In the department of finance, it is with pleasure 
 I inform you that the receipts of external duties, for 
 the last twelve months have exceeded those of any 
 former year,and that the ratio of increase has been al¬ 
 so greater than usual. This has enabled us to answer 
 all the regular exigencies of government, to pay from 
 the treasury, within one year, upwards of eight mil¬ 
 lions of dollars principal and interest, of the public 
 debt, exclusive of upwards of one million paid by 
 the sale of bank stock, and making in the whole a 
 reduction of nearly five millions and an half of prin¬ 
 cipal, and to have now in the treasury four millions 
 and an half of dollars, which are in a course of ap¬ 
 plication to the further discharge of debt, and cur¬ 
 rent demands. Experience too, so far, authorised 
 us to believe, if no extraordinary event supervenes* 
 and the expences which will be actually incurred 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 shall not be greater than were contemplated by Con¬ 
 gress at their last session, that we shall not be dis¬ 
 appointed in the expectations then formed. But 
 nevertheless as the effect of peace on the amount of 
 duties is not yet fully ascertained, it is the more ne¬ 
 cessary to practise every useful ceconomy, and to 
 incur no expence which may be avoided without 
 prejudice. 
 
 The collection of the internal taxes having been 
 compleated in some of the states, the officers em¬ 
 ployed in it are of course out of commission. In 
 others they will be so shortly, but in a few, where 
 the arrangements for the direct tax had been retard¬ 
 ed, it will still be some time before the system is 
 closed. It has not yet been thought necessary to em¬ 
 ploy the agent authorised by an act of the last session, 
 for transacting business in Europe relative to debts 
 and loans. Nor have we used the power, confided 
 by the same act, of prolonging the foreign debt by 
 re-loans, and of redeeming in stead thereof, an equal 
 sum of the domestic debt. Should however the di- 
 ficulties of remittance on so large a scale, render it 
 necessary at any time, the power shall be executed, 
 and the money thus unemployed abroad shall, in 
 conformity with that law, be faithfully applied here 
 in an equivalent extinction of domestic debt. When 
 effects so salutary result from the plans you have al¬ 
 ready sanctioned, when merely by avoiding false ob¬ 
 jects of expence, we are able, without a direct tax, 
 without internal taxes, and without borrowing, to 
 make large and effectual payments towards the dis¬ 
 charge of our public debt, and the emancipation of 
 our posterity from that mortal canker, it is an en¬ 
 couragement, fellow-citizens, of the highest order, 
 to proceed as we have begun in substituting cecono¬ 
 my for taxation, and in pursuing what is useful for 
 a nation placed as we are, rather than what is prac- 
 
/ 
 
 ( 8 ) 
 
 tised by others under different circumstances. And 
 whensoever we are destined to meet events which 
 shall call forth all the energies of our countrymen, 
 we have the firmest reliance on those energies, and 
 the comfort of leaving for calls like these, the ex¬ 
 traordinary resources of loans and internal taxes, in 
 the mean time, by payments of the principal of our 
 debt, we are liberating, annually, portions of the ex¬ 
 ternal taxes, and forming from them a growing 
 fund, still further to lessen the necessity of recur¬ 
 ring to extraordinary resources. 
 
 The usual account of receipts and expenditures 
 for the last year, with an estimate of the expences 
 of the ensuing one, will be laid before you by the 
 secretary of the treasury. 
 
 No change being deemed necessary in our mili¬ 
 tary establishment, an estimate of its expences for 
 the ensuing year, on its present footing, as also of 
 the sums to be employed in fortifications, and other 
 objects within that department, has been prepared 
 by the secretary at war, and will make a part ol the 
 general estimates which will be presented you. 
 
 Considering that our regular troops are employed 
 for local purposes, and that the militia is our general 
 reliance for great and sudden emergencies, you will 
 doubtless think this institution worthy of a review, 
 and give it those improvements of which you find 
 it susceptible. 
 
 Estimates for the naval department, prepared by 
 . the secretary of the navy for another year, will in 
 Tike manner be communicated with the general esti¬ 
 mates. A small force in the Mediterranean will still 
 be necessary to restrain the Tripoline cruisers : and? 
 the uncertain tenure of peace with some other of the 
 Barbary powers, may eventually require that force to 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 be augmented. The necessity of procuring some 
 smaller vessels for that service, will raise the esti¬ 
 mate : but the difference in their maintenance will 
 soon make it a measure of (Economy. 
 
 * Presuming it will be deemed expedient to expend 
 
 r annually a convenient sum towards providing the 
 naval defence which our situation may require, I 
 connot but recommend that the first appropriations 
 . for that purpose, may go to the saving what we al¬ 
 ready possess. No cares, no attentions, can pre¬ 
 serve vessels from rapid decay, which lie in water, 
 and exposed to the sun. These decays require great 
 and constant repairs, and will consume, if continued, 
 a great portion of the monies destined to naval pur¬ 
 poses. To avoid this waste of our resources, it is 
 proposed to add to our navy yard here a dock, with¬ 
 in which our present vessels may be laid up dry, 
 and under cover from the sun. Under these cir¬ 
 cumstances experience proves that works of wood 
 will remain scarcely at all affected by time. The 
 great abundance of running water which this situa¬ 
 tion possesses, at heights far above the level of the 
 tide, if employed as is practised for lock navigation, 
 furnishes the means for raising and laying up our 
 vessels on a dry and sheltered bed. And should 
 the measure be found useful here, similar deposito¬ 
 ries for laying up, as well as for building and re¬ 
 pairing vessels, may hereafter be undertaken at other 
 navy yards, offering the same means. The plans 
 and estimates of the work prepared by a person of 
 skill and experience, will be presented to you, with¬ 
 out delay, and from these it will be seen that scarcely 
 more than has been the cost of one vessel is neces¬ 
 sary to save the whole, and that the annual sum to 
 be employed towards its completion may be adapted 
 to the views of the legislature as to naval expendi¬ 
 ture. 
 
 B 
 
( 10 ) 
 
 To cultivate peace and maintain commerce and 
 navigation in all their lawful enterprises; to foster 
 our fisheries as nurseries of navigation and for the 
 nurture of man, and protect the manufactures adapt¬ 
 ed to our circumstances; to preserve the faith of 
 the nation by an exact discharge of its debts and \ 
 contracts, expend the public money with the same 
 care and economy we would practise with our own, 
 and impose on our citizens no unnecessary bur¬ 
 thens ; to keep in all things within the pale of our 
 consitutional powers, and cherish the federal union, 
 as the only rock of safety ; these, fellow-citizens, are 
 the landmarks by which we are to guide ourselves 
 in all our proceedings. By continuing to make 
 these our rule of action, we shall endear to our coun- 
 tryment the true principles of their constitution, and 
 promote an union of sentiment and of action, equally 
 auspicious to their happiness and safety. On my 
 part you may count on a cordial concurrence in 
 every measure for the public good ; and on all the 
 information I possess which may enable you to dis* 
 charge to advantage the high functions with which 
 you are invested by your country. 
 
 TH: JEFFERSON, 
 
 15//6 December, 1802, 
 
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