of my country, I hope it may be my privilege to deserve and secure not only your cordial cooperation in great public measures, but also those relations of mutual confidence and regard which it is always so desirable to cultivate between members of coordinate branches of the Government. FRANKLIN PIERCE. SPECIAL MESSAGES. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 12, 1853. In answer to the resolutions of the Senate of the 17th of August, 1852, and 23d of February last, requesting a copy of correspondence relative to the claim on the Government of Portugal in the case of the brig General Armstrong, I transmit a report from the Secretary of State, to whose Department the resolutions were referred. FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON, December 12, 1853. To the Senate of the United States: I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation between the United States and Paraguay, concluded on the 4th of March last. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 12, 1853. I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, a treaty for the free navigation of the rivers Parana and Uruguay between the United States and the Argentine Confederation, concluded on the 10th of July last. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 12, 1853. I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation between the United States and the Argentine Confederation, concluded on the 27th of July last. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 12, 1853. I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, a convention for the mutual extradition of fugitives from justice in certain cases, concluded at London on the 12th day of September last between the Government of the United States and the Kingdom of Bavaria. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 19, 1853. I transmit certain documents in answer to the resolution of the Senate of the 6th of April ultimo, requesting information in regard to transactions between Captain Hollins, of the Cyane, and the authorities at San Juan de Nicaragua. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 23, 1853. In answer to the resolution of the Senate of the 18th January, 1853, in regard to the claims of American citizens against Hayti and to the correspondence of the special agent sent to Hayti and St. Domingo in 1849, I transmit a report from the Secretary of State and the documents by which it is accompanied. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, December 31, 1853. I transmit to the Senate a report from the Secretary of State, with accompanying papers,* in answer to their resolution of the 12th instant. FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON CITY, January 9, 1854. To the Senate of the United States: I herewith communicate to the Senate a letter from the Secretary of the Interior, accompanied by a report of the result of an investigation of the charge of fraud and misconduct in office alleged against Alexander Ramsey, superintendent of Indian affairs in Minnesota, which I have caused to be made in compliance with the Senate's resolution of the 5th of April last. FRANKLIN PIERCE. *Correspondence relative to the treaty of Washington of July 4, 1850, between Great Britain and the United States. To the House of Representatives: WASHINGTON, January 9, 1854. In answer to the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 3d of January, 1854, I have the honor to transmit herewith a letter of the Secretary of the Navy and the papers accompanying it. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the House of Representatives: WASHINGTON, January 19, 1854. I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of State, with accompanying documents, † in compliance with the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 3d instant. FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON, January 23, 1854. To the Senate and House of Representatives: I transmit to Congress a report of the Secretary of State, together with the set of works illustrative of the exhibition in London of 1851 to which it refers, in order that such disposal may be made of them as may be deemed advisable. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, January 25, 1854. I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of State, with accompanying documents, ‡ in compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 23d instant. FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON, February 2, 1854. To the House of Representatives: I transmit herewith a report from the Secretary of State, with accompanying documents,§ in compliance with the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 30th ultimo. FRANKLIN PIERCE. *Correspondence with and orders to commanders of vessels or squadrons on the Atlantic coast of British North America relative to protecting the rights of fishing and navigation secured to citizens of the United States under treaties with Great Britain. + Relating to seizure and imprisonment by Spanish authorities at Puerto Rico of officers and crew of schooner North Carolina. Relating to a complimentary mission to the United States of Archbishop Gaetano Bedini, apostolic nuncio to the Empire of Brazil, for the purpose of conveying, in the name of Pope Pius IX, sentiments of regard for the President of the United States. Correspondence with the American chargé to Austria relative to the claim of Simon Tousig to the protection of the United States. EXECUTIVE OFFICE, February 4, 1854. To the Senate of the United States: I submit to the Senate herewith, for their constitutional action thereon, a treaty negotiated on the 27th of July, 1853, by Agent Thomas Fitzpatrick, on behalf of the United States, with the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache Indians inhabiting the territory on the Arkansas River. FRANKLIN PIERCE. EXECUTIVE OFFICE, February 4, 1854. To the Senate of the United States: I submit to the Senate herewith, for their constitutional action thereon, two treaties, one negotiated on the 10th day of September, 1853, by Superintendent Joel Palmer and Agent Samuel H. Culver, on the part of the United States, and the chiefs and headmen of the bands of the Rogue River tribe of Indians in Oregon; the other negotiated on the 19th of the same month, on behalf of the Government by the said superintendent, with the chiefs of the Crow Creek band of Umpqua Indians in said Territory. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the House of Representatives: WASHINGTON, February 6, 1854. I transmit a report from the Secretary of State upon the subject of the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 14th of December last, and recommend that the appropriation therein suggested as being necessary to enable him to comply with the resolution be made. FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON, February 10, 1854. To the Senate and House of Representatives: I herewith transmit a communication from the Secretary of the Navy, accompanied by the second part of Lieutenant Herndon's report of the exploration of the valley of the Amazon and its tributaries, made by him in connection with Lieutenant Lardner Gibbon under instructions from the Navy Department. To the Senate of the United States: FRANKLIN PIERCE. WASHINGTON, February 10, 1854. I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, a treaty between the United States and the Mexican Republic, signed by the plenipotentiaries of the parties in the City of Mexico on Requesting a statement of the privileges and restrictions of the commercial intercourse of the United States with foreign nations and a comparative statement between the tariff of the United States and other nations. the 30th of December last. Certain amendments are proposed to the instrument, as hereinafter specified, viz: In order to make the duties and obligations stipulated in the second article reciprocal, it is proposed to add to that article the following: And the Government of Mexico agrees that the stipulations contained in this article to be performed by the United States shall be reciprocal, and Mexico shall be under like obligations to the United States and the citizens thereof as those hereinabove imposed on the latter in favor of the Republic of Mexico and Mexican citizens. It is also recommended that for the third article of the original treaty the following shall be adopted as a substitute: In consideration of the grants received by the United States and the obligations relinquished by the Mexican Republic pursuant to this treaty, the former agree to pay to the latter the sum of $15,000,000 in gold or silver coin at the Treasury at Washington, one-fifth of the amount on the exchange of ratifications of the present treaty at Washington and the remaining four-fifths in monthly installments of three millions each, with interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum until the whole be paid, the Government of the United States reserving the right to pay up the whole sum of fifteen millions at an earlier date, as may be to it convenient. The United States also agree to assume all the claims of their citizens against the Mexican Republic which may have arisen under treaty or the law of nations since the date of the signature of the treaty of Guadalupe, and the Mexican Republic agrees to exonerate the United States of America from all claims of Mexico or Mexican citizens which may have arisen under treaty or the law of nations since the date of the treaty of Guadalupe, so that each Government, in the most formal and effective manner, shall be exempted and exonerated of all such obligations to each other respectively. I also recommend that the eighth article be modified by striking out all after the word "attempts" in the twenty-third line of that article. The part to be omitted is as follows: They mutually and especially obligate themselves, in all cases of such lawless enterprises which may not have been prevented through the civil authorities before formation, to aid with the naval and military forces, on due notice being given by the aggrieved party of the aggressions of the citizens and subjects of the other, so that the lawless adventurers may be pursued and overtaken on the high seas, their elements of war destroyed, and the deluded captives held responsible in their persons and meet with the merited retribution inflicted by the laws of nations against all such disturbers of the peace and happiness of contiguous and friendly powers. It being understood that in all cases of successful pursuit and capture the delinquents so captured shall be judged and punished by the government of that nation to which the vessel capturing them may belong, conformably to the laws of each nation. At the close of the instrument it will also be advisable to substitute "seventy-eighth" for "seventy-seventh" year of the Independence of the United States. FRANKLIN PIERCE. To the Senate of the United States: WASHINGTON, February 13, 1854. I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, an additional article to the convention for the establishment of |