7. Respecting an Invasion of Cuba. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED States. A PROCLAMATION. THERE is reason to believe that an armed expedition is about to be fitted out in the United States, with an intention to invade the Island of Cuba, or some of the Provinces of Mexico. The best information which the executive has been able to obtain, points to the Island of Cuba as the object of this expedition. It is the duty of this government to observe the faith of treaties, and to prevent any aggression by our citizens upon the territories of friendly nations. I have therefore thought it necessary and proper to issue this proclamation, to warn all citizens of the United States who shall connect themselves with an enterprise so grossly in violation of our laws and our treaty obligations, that they will thereby subject themselves to the heavy penalties denounced against them by our acts of Congress, and will forfeit their claim to the protection of their country. No such persons must expect the interference of this government, in any form, on their behalf, no matter to what extremities they may be reduced in consequence of their conduct. An enterprise to invade the territories of a friendly nation, set on foot and prosecuted within the limits of the United States, is in the highest degree criminal, as tending to endanger the peace, and compromit the honor, of this nation :—and, therefore, I exhort all good citizens, as they regard our national reputation; as they respect their own laws, and the laws of nations; as they value the blessings of peace and the welfare of their country, to discountenance and prevent, by all lawful means, any such enterprise; and I call upon every officer of this government, civil or military, to use all efforts in his power to arrest, for trial and punishment, every such offender against the laws providing for the performance of our sacred obligations to friendly powers. Given under my hand, the 11th day of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, and the seventy-fourth of the Independence of the United States. By the President: J. M. CLAYTON, Secretary of State. Z. TAYLOR. Aug 11, 1849. 8. Nesqually and Portland, in Oregon, made Ports of Delivery. BY THE PRESIDENT OF The United STATES. A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS, by an act of the Congress of the United States of the fourteenth of August, eighteen hundred and forty-eight, entitled, "An Act to establish the territorial government of Oregon," the President of the United States is authorized to establish such ports of delivery in the collection district created by that act, not exceeding two in number, (one of which shall be located on Fuget's Sound,) as he may deem proper: Now, therefore, I, Zachary Taylor, President of the United States of America, do hereby declare and proclaim the ports of Nesqually (on Fuget's Sound) and Portland, in the collection district of Oregon, in the Territory of Oregon, to be constituted ports of delivery, with all the privileges authorized by law to such ports. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. [L. S.] Done at the city of Washington, this tenth day of January, in the By the President: J. M. CLAYTON, Z. TAYLOR. Secretary of State. Nov. 1, 1850. Preamble. 1828, ch. 111. 9. Respecting Duties on Ships and Imports from Chili. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THe United StATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS, by an act of the Congress of the United States of the twenty fourth of May, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight, entitled “An Act in addition to an act, entitled 'An Act concerning discriminating duties of tonnage and impost,' and to equalize the duties on Prussian vessels and their cargoes," it is provided that upon satisfactory evidence being given to the President of the United States, by the government of any foreign nation, that no discriminating duties of tonnage or impost are imposed or levied in the ports of the said nation, upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise, imported in the same, from the United States or from any foreign country, the President is thereby authorized to issue his proclamation, declaring that the foreign discriminating duties of tonnage and impost, within the United States, are, and shall be, suspended and discontinued, so far as respects the vessels of the said foreign nation, and the produce, manufactures, or merchandise, imported into the United States in the same from the said foreign nation, or from any other foreign country; the said suspension to take effect from the time of such notification being given to the President of the United States, and to continue so long as the reciprocal exemption of vessels belonging to citizens of the United States, and their cargoes, as aforesaid, shall be continued, and no longer : And whereas satisfactory evidence has lately been received by me, from the government of the Republic of Chile, through an official communication of Señor Don Manuel Carvallo, accredited to this government as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of that Republic, under date of the thirty-first of October, 1850, that no other or higher duties of tonnage and impost are imposed or levied in the ports of Chile, upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, and upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in the same from the United States, and from any foreign country whatever, than are levied on Chilean ships and their cargoes, in the same ports, and under like circumstances: Discriminating Now, therefore, I, Millard Fillmore, President of the United States of Ameriluties of ton- ca, do hereby declare and proclaim, that so much of the several acts imposing nage and impost discriminating duties of tonnage and impost within the United States, are, and discontinued as respects ships shall be, suspended and discontinued, so far as respects the vessels of Chile, and imports of and the produce, manufactures, and merchandise imported into the United Chile. States in the same, from Chile and from any other foreign country whatever; the said suspension to take effect from the day above mentioned, and to continue thenceforward, so long as the reciprocal exemption of the vessels of the United States, and the produce, manufactures, and merchandise, imported into Chile in the same, as aforesaid, shall be continued on the part of the government of Chile. Given under my hand at the City of Washington, this first day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty and the seventy-fifth of the independence of the United States. MILLARD FILLMORE By the President: W. S. DERRICK, Acting Secretary of State. 10. Declaring Act of 1850, ch. 49, respecting the Boundaries of Texas, to be in force. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS, by an act of the Congress of the United States of the ninth of September, one thousand eight hundred and fifty, entitled "An Act proposing to the State of Texas the establishment of her northern and western boundaries, the relinquishment by the said State of all territory claimed by her exterior to said boundaries, and of all her claims upon the United States, and to establish a territorial government for New Mexico," it was provided, that the following propositions should be, and the same were thereby, offered to the State of Texas, which, when agreed to by the said State, in an act passed by the General Assembly, should be binding and obligatory upon the United States and upon the said State of Texas: Provided, The said agreement by the said General Assembly should be given on or before the first day of December, eighteen hundred and fifty; namely: "First. The State of Texas will agree that her boundary on the north shall commence at the point at which the meridian of one hundred degrees west from Greenwich is intersected by the parallel of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes north latitude, and shall run from said point due west to the meridian of one hundred and three degrees west from Greenwich; thence her boundary shall run due south to the thirty-second degree of north latitude; thence on the said parallel of thirty-two degrees of north latitude to the Rio Bravo del Norte, and thence with the channel of said river to the Gulf of Mexico." "Second. The State of Texas cedes to the United States all her claim to territory exterior to the limits and boundaries which she agrees to establish by the first article of this agreement." "Third. The State of Texas relinquishes all claim upon the United States for liability of the debts of Texas, and for compensation or indemnity for the surrender to the United States of her ships, forts, arsenals, custom-houses, custom-house revenues, arms and munitions of war, and public buildings with their sites, which became the property of the United States at the time of the annexation." "Fourth. The United States, in consideration of said establishment of boundaries, cession of claim to territory, and relinquishment of claims, will pay to the State of Texas the sum of ten millions of dollars in a stock bearing five per cent. interest, and redeemable at the end of fourteen years, the interest payable half-yearly at the treasury of the United States." "Fifth. Immediately after the President of the United States shall have been furnished with an authentic copy of the act of the General Assembly of Texas accepting these propositions, he shall cause the stock to be issued in favor of the State of Texas, as provided for in the fourth article of this agreement: Provided also, That no more than five millions of said stock shall be issued until the creditors of the State holding bonds and other certificates of stock of Texas for which duties on imports were specially pledged, shall first file at the treasury of the United States releases of all claim against the United States for or on account of said bonds or certificates in such form as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury and approved by the President of the United States. Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to impair or qualify any thing contained in the third article of the second section of the 'joint resolution for annexing Texas to the United States,' approved March first, eighteen hundred and forty-five, either as regards the number of States, that may hereafter be formed out of the State of Texas, or otherwise." And whereas it was further provided, by the eighteenth section of the same act of Congress, "That the provisions of this act be, and they are hereby, suspended until the boundary between the United States and the State of Texas shall be adjusted, and when such adjustment shall have been effected, the President of the United States shall issue his proclamation declaring this act to be in full force and operation:" And whereas the Legislature of the State of Texas, by an act approved the twenty-fifth of November last, entitled "An Act accepting the propositions made by the United States to the State of Texas, in an Act of the Congress of the United States approved the ninth day of September, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty, and entitled 'An Act proposing to the State of Texas Dec. 13, 1850. 1850, ch. 49. the establishment of her northern and western boundaries, the relinquishment by the said State of all territory claimed by her exterior to said boundaries, and of all her claims upon the United States, and to establish a territorial government for New Mexico,'" of which act a copy authenticated under the seal of the State has been furnished to the President, enacts" that the State of Texas hereby agrees to and accepts said propositions, and it is hereby declared that the said State shall be bound by the terms thereof, according to their true import and meaning: Now, therefore, I, Millard Fillmore, President of the United States of America, do hereby declare and proclaim that the said act of the Congress of the United States of the ninth of September last, is in full force and operation. [L. S.] Given under my hand, at the City of Washington, this thirteenth day 11. Respecting the Rescue of an alleged Fugitive Slave at Boston. A PROCLAMATION. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. WHEREAS information has been received, that sundry lawless persons, principally persons of color, combined and confederated together, for the purpose of opposing by force the execution of the laws of the United States, did, at Boston, in Massachusetts, on the fifteenth of this month, make a violent assault on the Marshal or Deputy Marshals of the United States, for the district of Massachusetts, in the Court-House, and did overcome the said officers, and did, by force, rescue from their custody a person arrested as a fugitive slave, and, then and there, a prisoner lawfully holden by the said Marshal or Deputy Marshals of the United States, and other scandalous outrages did commit, in violation of law: Now, therefore, to the end that the authority of the laws may be maintained, and those concerned in violating them brought to immediate and condign punishment, I have issued this my Proclamation, calling on all well-disposed citizens to rally to the support of the Laws of their Country, and requiring and commanding all officers, civil and military, and all other persons, civil or military, who shall be found within the vicinity of this outrage, to be aiding and assisting, by all means in their power, in quelling this, and other such combinations, and assisting the Marshal and his Deputies in recapturing the abovementioned prisoner; and I do, especially, direct, that prosecutions be commenced against all persons who shall have made themselves aiders or abettors in or to this flagitious offence; and I do further command, that the District Attorney of the United States, and all other persons concerned in the administration or execution of the Laws of the United States, cause the foregoing offenders, and all such as aided, abetted, or assisted them, or shall be found to have harbored or concealed such fugitive, contrary to law, to be immediately arrested and proceeded with according to law. Given under my hand, and the seal of the United States, this 18th day [L. S.] of February, 1851. DAN'L WEBSTER, MILLARD FILLMORE. Secretary of State. |