Part 37

Washington, February 2, 1829.

To the Senate of the United States:

In compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 20th ultimo, requesting information received since the last session of Congress from the Mexican Government respecting the recovery of debts in that country due to American citizens, I transmit a report from the Secretary of State, with copies of a letter of instructions to the minister of the United States in Mexico, and of his answer, relating to the subject of the resolution.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington, February 6, 1829

To the Senate of the United States:

In compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 9th of December last, requesting a detailed statement of the amount expended by the Federal Government upon works of internal improvement within the limits of the several States, with an estimate of the amount necessary to complete any work begun and not yet completed, I transmit herewith reports from the Secretaries of the Treasury and of War, with documents, containing the information desired by the resolution.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington, February 6, 1829.

To the House of Representatives of the United States:

In compliance with a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 4th instant, I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of War, with that of the commissioner appointed to locate the national road from Zanesville, in Ohio, to the seat of government of the State of Missouri.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington, February 11, 1829.

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States:

By the act of Congress of the 23d of May last, "supplementary to the several acts providing for the settlement and confirmation of private land claims in Florida," provision was made for the final adjudication of such claims by the judges of the superior courts of the districts wherein the lands claimed respectively lie, and by appeal from them to the Supreme Court of the United States; and the attorneys of the United States in the several districts were charged with the duty, in every case where the decision should be against the United States by the judge of the superior court of the district, to make out and transmit to the Attorney-General of the United States a statement containing the facts of the case and the points of law on which the same was decided, and it was made the duty of the Attorney-General in most of those cases to direct an appeal to be made to the Supreme Court of the United States and to appear for the United States and prosecute such appeals. By the same act the President of the United States was authorized to appoint a law agent to superintend the interests of the United States in the premises, and to employ assistant counsel if in his opinion the public interest should require the same.

In the process of carrying into execution this law it was the opinion of the Attorney-General of the United States that a translated complete collection of all the Spanish and French ordinances, etc., affecting the land titles in Florida and the other territories heretofore belonging to France and Spain, would be indispensable to a just decision of those claims by the Supreme Court. At his suggestion the task of preparing this compilation was undertaken by Joseph M. White, of Florida, who was employed as assistant counsel in behalf of the United States. The collection has accordingly been made and is deposited in manuscript at the Department of State, subject to such order as Congress may see fit to take concerning it. The letter from Mr. White to the Secretary of State, with a descriptive list of the documents collected and thus deposited, is herewith transmitted to Congress.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington, February 16, 1829.

To the Senate of the United States:

In compliance with the resolution of the Senate of the 5th instant, requesting detailed statements of the expenses incurred and of those which may be necessary for the expedition proposed for exploring the Pacific Ocean and South Seas, and also of the several amounts transferred from the different heads of appropriation for the support of the Navy to this object and the authority by which such transfers have been made, I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of the Navy, with documents, from which the Senate will perceive that no such transfer has been made, and which contain the other information desired by the resolution.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington, February 20, 1829.

To the Senate of the United States:

In compliance with the resolution of the Senate of the 10th instant, requesting copies of correspondence and communications from 20th October, 1816, to 24th November, 1817, received at the Department of State from the American commissioner under the fourth article of the treaty of Ghent, I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of State, with the copies of papers mentioned in the resolution.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington, February 20, 1829.

To the Senate of the United States:

I transmit to the Senate a report from the Secretary of the Treasury, with documents, prepared in pursuance of their resolution of the 31st of December last, and showing the amount of expenses incurred in the survey, sale, and management of the public lands for the year 1827.