The commerce of the United States is essential, if not to their existence, at least to their comfort, their growth, prosperity, and happiness.  The genius, character, and habits of the people are highly commercial.  Their cities have been formed and exist upon commerce.  Our agriculture, fisheries, arts, and manufactures are connected with and depend upon it.  In short, commerce has made this country what it is, and it can not be destroyed or neglected without involving the people in poverty and distress.  Great numbers are directly and solely supported by navigation.  The faith of society is pledged for the preservation of the rights of commercial and sea faring no less than of the other citizens.  Under this view of our affairs, I should hold myself guilty of a neglect of duty if I forbore to recommend that we should make every exertion to protect our commerce and to place our country in a suitable posture of defense as the only sure means of preserving both.

I have entertained an expectation that it would have been in my power at the opening of this session to have communicated to you the agreeable information of the due execution of our treaty with His Catholic Majesty respecting the withdrawing of his troops from our territory and the demarcation of the line of limits, but by the latest authentic intelligence Spanish garrisons were still continued within our country, and the running of the boundary line had not been commenced.  These circumstances are the more to be regretted as they can not fail to affect the Indians in a manner injurious to the United States.  Still, however, indulging the hope that the answers which have been given will remove the objections offered by the Spanish officers to the immediate execution of the treaty, I have judged it proper that we should continue in readiness to receive the posts and to run the line of limits.  Further information on this subject will be communicated in the course of the session.

In connection with this unpleasant state of things on our western frontier it is proper for me to mention the attempts of foreign agents to alienate the affections of the Indian nations and to excite them to actual hostilities against the United States.  Great activity has been exerted by those persons who have insinuated themselves among the Indian tribes residing within the territory of the United States to influence them to transfer their affections and force to a foreign nation, to form them into a confederacy, and prepare them for war against the United States.  Although measures have been taken to counteract these infractions of our rights, to prevent Indian hostilities, and to preserve entire their attachment to the United States, it is my duty to observe that to give a better effect to these measures and to obviate the consequences of a repetition of such practices a law providing adequate punishment for such offenses may be necessary.