The Congressional Globe, Volume 14: Twenty-Eighth Congress, Second Session Page: 62
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62
CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
by the President as envoy extraordinary and minister plen-
ipotentiary of tlie United States at Paris, and signifying your
readiness to proceed upon your mission, I have now the
honor to transmit to you your commission m that character,
and a credential letter addressed to his Majesty the King
of the French,.together with an open copy of the same for
your inspection and u"se. In presenting your letters of cre-
dence, you will take advantage of the occasion to address
his Majesty assurances of the tamest desire by w^hich the
President continues to be animated to maintain unimpaired,
and to strengthen, if possible, the friendly relations so hap-
pily subsisting between the United States and France; and
to that end, the President relies with confidence upon your
general knowledge of the situation and position of the two
countries with regard to each other, and upon your expe-
rience and discretion, for a judicious co-operation in the
cultivation and improvement of this good understanding
between the parties.
* -rf # # # #
The instructions'of this depaitment to your predecessors
in the mission, to which you are relerredas embodying the
views entertained by the existing administration ol this
government, together with the other records and papers be-
longing to the legation, will give you an adequate idea of
the state of the relations between the United States and
France. These are, at present, and have long been, of the
most friendly kind; and in intrusting them to your imme-
diate charge and superintendence, the President indulges
the confident hope, as I have already intimated, that no ef-
forts will be spared on your part to strengthen and con-
firm the sentiments of mutual good understanding and re-
spect prevailing between the two nations, and which are
not less honorable to the character than advantageous to the
interests of the "parties. Special instructions upon impor-
tant points at issue between the governments will be trans-
mitted to you from time to time, as occasions for them may
arise
During your residence in France, you may sometimes be
applied to, to interpose in behalf of American citizens to ob-
tain satisfaction for claims which they may have on his
Majesty's government^ or the redress of grievances which
they may experience in the course of their dealings and
transactions. You will, in all such -oases, where the inter-
vention of the government may be proper, according to the
public law, aifoid such official aid as may appear to you
likely to be useful, whether you have special instructions
from this department or not.
1 am, sir, with great respect, your obedient servant,
J. C. CALHOUN.
Wm. R. Kikg, Esq., &c., Sec., &c.
Mr. Calhoun to Mr. King —Extract.
Department ok State,
"Washington, August 26, 1844.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the reccpt of your
despatch No. 2, dated July 31, and to express my gratifica-
tion at the result of your conversation with M. Guizot; es-
pecially that part of it which refers to the rumoied prote&tof
the French government, conjointly with that of Gieat Bnt-
ain, against the proposed annexation of Texas to the United
States. Such a step, had it been taken by France, must have
excited unkind feelings, and given to the United States just
cause of complaint. The government of the United States
will confidently rely on the assurances of M. Guizot, and
and it is hoped that, neither separately nor jointly with any
other power, will France adopt a course which would seem
go little m accordance with her true interests, or the friendly
relations which have so long subsisted between the two
countries.
My reply to your first despatch, which was forwarded by
the last steamer, renders it unnecessary for me to enlaige
on the topics presented in your last. In regard to Mr.
Guizot's inquiry respecting a proposed guaranty of the in-
dependence of Texas, your reply was well timed, and judi-
cious. The settled policy of the United States has been to
avoid entermg into such gumanties, except in cases of
strong necessity. The present case offers no reasons to
warrant a deviation from that policy On the contrary, it
presents a strong additional reason why it should be adhe-
red to; as such a guaranty would permanently defeat the
proposed measure of annexation, which both countries seem
anxious to advance.
♦
Wm. R. King, Stc >&c., &c.
On motion of Mr. HUNTINGTON, the message
and correspondence were referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations, and ordered to be printed. _
Mr. ARCHER presented a memorial from citi-
zens of Pennsylvania, praying for reform of the
naturalization laws. It was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary.
Mr. CRITTENDEN gave notice that, to-morrow,
or the earliest day convenient, he would introduce
a bill for the relief of Joshua Shaw.
Mr. ASHLEY presented the petition of L. D
Marchand, of Arkansas, praying for indemnity for
French spoliations prior to 1800.
. Mr. A. also gave notice that, on some future day,
he would a*k leave to introduce a bill supplementa-
ry to the act of 4th February, 1841, to permit pre-
emptioners to enter the quarter of quarter sections
of the public lands.
Mr. WOODBURY asked and obtained leave to
withdraw from the files of the Senate the papers of
John Retlebever.
Mr. HAYWOOD presented petitions and papers
of Win. H. Thomas, praying for compensation for
provisions furnished certain Indian tribes, at dif-
ferent periods, in North Carolina: referred to the
Committee on Indian Affairs.
Mr. FOSTER of New York presented the peti-
tion of Philip Ward; which was referred to the
Committee on Pensions.
Mr. BARROW asked and obtained leave to with-
draw from the files of the Senate, and refer to the
Committee on Private Land Claims, the petition and
papers of A- Ledoux & Co.
Mr. B. also asked for the consideration of an or-
der to print a report sent to the Senate last session in
relation to sugar and other interests of Louisiana,
and important to the whole Union. As the report
did not come up till the latter part of last session, in
the press of business it failed to be ordered to be
printed.
The Senate now ordered the printing of the re-
poit.
Mr. BAYARD, from the Committee on Naval
Affairs, reported in favor of printing the report of
the Secretary of the Navy on the contingent ex-
penses of the navy for the year 1844.
The report was ordered to be printed.
Mr. BERRIEN, from the Judiciary Committee,
reported several bills heretofore referred to it.
Among them were the following:
- --
f A bill for the relief of Pierre Menard; and recom-
&xpended its passage.
I i A bill authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury
pto compromise with the sureties of Samuel Swart-
fjwout; and recommended its passage.
! The House bill to establish a uniform time of
•holding elections for. electors of President of the
United States, with an amendment. -
Mr. BATES reported from the -Committee on
Pensions, a private bill, (name not heard;) and, on
his motion, the report was ordered to be printed.
Mr. WOODBURY, from the Committee on Pub-
lic Lands, reported several bills.
Mr. CHOATE, from the Committee on Foreign
Relations, reported a bill m relation to claimants on
account of Frcnch spoliations prior to 1800; which
was read, and ordered to a second reading.
Mr. COLQUITT, from the Committee on Pri-
vate Land Claims, reported several bills; which
were read, and ordered to a second leading.
Mr. PORTER, from the Committee on Roads
and Canals,reported a bill, (name not heard,) with
an amendment, and recommended its passage.
0)1 motion by Mr. BAP^ROW, the following
resolution offered by him was considered $nd
adopted:
Resolted, That the Committee on the Libiary be instruct-
ed to inquire into the expediency of causing to be pur-
chased, for the use of the Senate, one hundred sets of the
laws of the United States.
A message was received from the House of Rep-
resentatives, stating that the House had passed a
bill for establishing an independent treasury.
On motion by Mr. CHOATE, the following reso-
lution was considered and adopted:
Resolved, That the Committee on rateuts be instructed to
inquire whether any, nnd what, amendment of the law is
necessary upon the subjects of appeals from the commis-
sioner to the courts, in cases where applications for pa-
tents, or fox renewals thereof, are refused.
On motion of Mr. MOREHEAD, the petition of
citizens of Kentucky in behalf of Francis A. Har-
ison was withdrawn from the files, and referred to
he Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.
Mr. BERRIEN offered a resolution of inquiry
calling on the Secretary of State to report to the
Senate any information in possession of his depart-
ment relative to arrangements made by foreign gov-
ernments for transmitting to the United States their
paupers or convicts; and also for any information in
the possession of said department relative to the
annual and aggregate number of foreigners arriving
in the United ^States. This (Mr. B. said) was in-
formation called for in aid of the duties which the
Judiciary Committee would have to perform in
making up their report upon the several petitions re-
ferred to them touching the natuialization laws.
The resolution was adopted.
Mr. TAPPAN having given notice of a bill he
intended to introduce, stated that, on Monday next,
he would ask for the consideration of his bill to es-
tablish the Smithsonian Institute.
On motion of Mr. ARCHER, the papers of
Chas. C. G. Thompson were withdrawn from the
files of the Senate.
The following resolutions, offered on Thursday
last, were considered and adopted. That offered by
Mr. Evans:
Resolced, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed
to inform the Senate whether any application has been made
to the department since the close of the last session of Con-
gress for the remission of penalties or forleitares heretofore
incurred end paid for violations of th* revenue laws of the
United States, in the importations of foreign goods or mer-
chandise, and if so, by whom, and the grounds upon which
such application is made; the time when incurred and pfcid,
together with the decision or action of the department there-
on.
Also:
Resolved^ That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed
to inform the Senate what amount of duties which had pre-
viously been paid upon the importationof foreign goods and
merchandise into the United States has been refunded since
the close of the last session of Congress, together with a de-
scription of the merchandise, and the times of importation,
respectively, upon which said duties were collected, and
the names of the persons' to whom refunded-, and also to
communicate copies of all circular letters or instructions is-
sued from the Treasury Department since the close of the
last session relating to the refunding of the same, or to the
rates of duty to be thereafter collected; and that be be also
directed to inform the Senate of the number of applications
now pending for the refunding of duties heretofore paid, the
times when presented and by whom, the description of mer-
chandise imported, and the amount of duties paid.
That offered by Mr. Huntington:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed
to inform the Senate what number of steamers for the reve-
nue service have been built, or have been ordered to be
*b«ilt, the respective periods of time when the contracts for
building the same were made; the, cost of each > the places
where the same have been,.or are to be built; the names of
the contractor or contractors; the actual or estimated ex-
pense attending their employment; the difference in the ex-
pense of construction and employment-between the same
and the wooden revenue cutters; and whether any trial of
the same has been made to test their utility; and whether
they will probably be as useful for the revenue service, hav-
ing reference to their speed, and to all other considerations
connected with their cost and use as the revenue cutters
heretofore built and used m the service.
That offered by Mr. Johnson:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed
to communicate to the Senate, as early as may be practi-
cable, copies of all orders or instructions whi^h may at any
time have been given by his department to the land officers
and persons acting as surveyor general in Louisiana,-in re-
lation to the "Houma claim," of any plate or surveys in his
department of said claim, and of any arguments or state-
ments heretofore made to tlie department m relation to that
claim, and of the decisions of the department thereon; also
a list of all the private claims derived from either of the
former governments of Louisiana, or based upon any of the
laws oi the United States, which are included in whole or
m part by the claimed lines of the Houma tract, specifying
in each case the name of the claimant, the character, nature,
and date of the original title papers, and the amount claim-
ed; and, if confirmed, the date of the confirmatory law; and
also a list of all such tracts included therein as may, by the
otilcial plats, or the returns of the proper officers, be shown
to have been sold at anytime by the United States, and
their areas and the amounts paid therefor; specifying the
dates of entry and the laws under which they were made;
and also to repoit whether such portions of the said Houma
claim as have been patented were ever regularly surveyed
by the proper authority in confoimity to-the instructions of
the department and the requirements ofth'elaw, and the lines
thereof properly returned and exhibited upon the township
maps sent to the department piior to the granting of such
patents.
The House bill, to establish an independent treas-
ury, was then read twice, and referred to the Com-
mittee on Finance.
The following engrossed bills and joint resolu-
tions were then read a third time, and passed:
An act for the relief of J. McFarlane.
An act for the relief of Gideon Batchelder.
An act for the relief of James Ritchic.
An act for the relief of the legal representatives
of Pierre Menard and others.
A joint resolution authorizing an allowance to
Purser D. M. F. Thornton in the settlement of his
accounts.
A joint resolution explanatory of an act makingap-
propriations for the payment of revolutionary pen-
sions for the fiscal year ending 30th June, 1843.
On motion of Mr. WOODBURY, the petition of
Malachi Hagan was withdrawn from the files of the
Senate.
Mr. ATCHISON presented a petition asking for
a new post route in Missouri: referred to the Com-
mittee on Post Office and Post Roads.
Mr. MERRICK gave notice of his intention to
introduce three several post-office bills, viz: one for
the transportation of our mails to foreign ports; one
for regulating the transmission of the mails by rail-
roads; and another authorizing the Navy Depart-
ment to place at the disposal of the Post Office De-
partment a sufficient number of the United States
steamers for the transportation of our mails to for-
eign ports.
On motion of Mr. EVANS, the Senate proceeded
to the consideration of executive business, and, af-
ter a short time, resumed its legislation; when
Mr. SEMPLE, on leave, introduced the-follow-
ing bills, notice of which had been heretofore given:
A bill to grant a portion of the public lands to the
State of Illinois to aid in the construction of the Il-
linois and Michigan canal;
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United States. Congress. The Congressional Globe, Volume 14: Twenty-Eighth Congress, Second Session, legislative document, 1845; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2366/m1/78/?rotate=90: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.