A nation that can stir up the savages round your western frontiers to murder, will hesitate but little to introduce the horrours of St. Domingo into your southern country.

In addition to this, the Creek Indians have been provoked to hostility against us, and have already committed murder and robbery on our frontiers; this we believe to have been caused by the war between the United States and Great Britain, for before that event, the savages professed friendship for us, or at least a neutrality, though instigated to war by the corrupt government in St. Augustine.

Deplorable as is our situation, it is made worse from the impossibility of carrying into the United States what slaves may remain faithful, without violating your laws, and thereby making them liable to seizure. Some of us have been accustomed to the sweets of affluence, and most of us to the enjoyments of plenty. We, in common with other citizens, would willingly have sacrificed all we have, had it been in defence of the United States; but to be beggared and branded as traitors, is wretchedness indeed, to men who thought they were acting as some of their forefathers had in 1776. We have heard of the dispositions and efforts of the President, the House of Representatives, and a respectable minority in the Senate, to benefit our situation.

Allow me, sir, in behalf of the people of East Florida, to entreat the President and his cabinet council, to take into consideration our unhappy, unexpected, and unmerited situation, and that it will be determined, that a sufficient number of troops and gun-boats be ordered to remain for our protection until a cession of the country shall be accepted by the United States, or a reinforcement thrown by the British into St. Augustine, when offensive operations might be resorted to. Upon the principles of justice and of humanity, we call for the protection of the United States; with it we become free and happy; without it, we must become wanderers upon the face of the earth, or tenants of loathsome dungeons, the sport of cruel and inexorable tyrants.

Our state of anxiety will be an apology for begging you tó send me an answer as speedily as possible.

I am, sir, &c.

The Hon. James Monroe.

JOHN H. MINTOSH.

B.

In Camp, one Mile from Knoxville, Dec. 3, 1812.. SIR,-Late intelligence shows a want of troops in East Florida, to check the hostile savages. A considerable part of the Georgia militia, it is said, have refused to afford relief to the troops of the United States, stationed at St. Johns, from a fatal exposition of the constitution relative to the militia. And believing from the course of political events, that the government of the United States will shortly wish to occupy the Floridas, I determined to collect some military force, and march directly to that quarter. Upon short notice, one hundred and sixty-five mounted men convened at this place, on Tuesday the first of this month, and will march on to-morrow under my command, for St. Johns; where it will afford us pleasure to execute the orders of the President. In executing your orders, not a man in this corps will entertain constitutional scruples on the subject of boundaries.

Accept, sir, &c.

The Hon. James Madison.

JOHN WILLIAMS.

Nashville, December 12, 1812.

SIR,-The hostile conduct of the Creek Indians, with the spirit of disaffection among the blacks, as manifested in the attack of captain Williams of the marine corps of the United States, on the frontier of Georgia, founded as it is believed, from the instructions which they have from time to time received, from the Spanish local authorities, at St. Augustine and St. Marks, tending to excite the Indians and blacks in that quarter, to commit murders and depredations on the frontier citizens of the state of Georgia;

and on the troops of the United States; as also to attack the militia and volunteers of Georgia on the frontier of that state, for defensive purposes, having been ascertained by many well informed people, resident in East Tennessee, they have, as I have understood, with the hope of affording relief to their fellow citizens of the United States in Georgia, and on that frontier, enrolled themselves in companies, to the number of one hundred and fifty or two hundred men, under the command of colonel John Williams, adjutant general of this state, and on the 4th inst. marched to the frontier of Georgia, well armed and well equipped, well clothed and well mounted; with the intention on their arrival there, to report themselves to the government, ready to engage in any enterprize, or to comply with any order the President of the United States may think proper to give, or to enter into any service he may point out, or command them to enter upon. They have armed and equipped, and supported themselves for the service and their march to St. Marys at their own expense. This volunteer corps is composed of men as respectable and as well attached to the government, as any to be found in this or any state in the Union, and it is believed had they delayed their march one week longer, that one thousand men of the same description would have marched with them. The spirit of the people of both East and West Tennessee is up, and the universal sentiment among them is, that they will to a man act promptly in support of the government of their free choice, and in support of the great cause now before the American people. Among the mass of people in Tennessee, east and west, north and south, from any point, there is as much worth and genuine patriotick ardour, as can be found in the same number, on any spot on earth. If the attempt of this volunteer corps to serve their country, is favourably noticed by the President, and active employ furnished them, the people will put forth their actual strength; if their exertions should be chilled by cold neglect, the cause of liberty will be injured. Those people do not measure the continent to know where to fight. They have no constitutional scruples further than to act in support of their government; they have no constitutional objections, neither of natural or artificial kind. Give them employ, they will prove by

their acts, that they deserve it. This I know, and if an opportunity is afforded them, the world will know it. If this flame is fanned, and such conduct encouraged by the President, the proper zeal will be felt until our enemies are destroyed, when we shall again enjoy the blessings of uninterrupted peace, under the mildest and best government known to man, and which has declared war, in support and defence of the rights of freemen, whose principal delight is to confide in the regularly constituted authorities of the Union, from a full conviction that they deserve their confidence.

I have the honour to be, &c.

WILLIE BLOUNT.

Hon. William Eustis, Secretary at War.

D.

Extracts of Letters from General Wilkinson to the Secretary at War. New Orleans, July 22, 1812.

"A NEW governour and one hundred and thirty men, blacks, have been sent from the Havanna to Pensacola."

September 22, 1812.

"Two Spanish armed schooners arrived from Havanna, destined to Mobile, with one hundred and sixty troops. "Our information from Pensacola states, that the Spaniards are fortifying, and expect reinforcements."

D.

Adjutant General's Office, Washington City, Jan. 13, 1813. SIR, From the best information I possess on the subject, I should estimate the Spanish force at St. Augustine, at nine hundred men; at Pensacola, at five hundred; and at Mobile, at two hundred and fifty.

I am, sir, &c.

T. H. CUSHING,

The Honourable Secretary of War.

Adjutant General:

E. No. 1.

GOVERNOUR MITCHELL'S CORRESPONDence.

Mr. Monroe to Governour Mitchell. Department of State, July 6, 1812.

SIR, I had the honour to transmit to you, some time since, a copy of an act of Congress, declaring war against Great Britain, and also of the President's message to Congress, and of the report of the committee of foreign relations on the subject.

As the President entertained full confidence that you would discharge the duties of the trust confided to you, respecting East Florida, with ability and discretion, according to the act of Congress, of which you were furnished with a copy, and the instructions given to your prede, cessor, founded on it, and according to those given to yourself, since the revocation of his powers, I have said nothing of late on the subject, waiting to receive a further report from you of the actual posture of affairs in that province.

Another motive for delay, in giving you other instructions, proceeded from the expectation, that Congress might, in consequence of the war with England, make some modification of the law under which you acted.

I have now to inform you that soon after the declaration of the war, a bill to authorize the Executive to take possession of East Florida, and of the remaining part of West Florida, was taken into consideration by Congress, and, after passing the House of Representatives, was rejected by the Senate. Hence the authority of the Executive remains unchanged, being precisely what it was at the commencement of the present session.

Intelligence has been received here, through the publick gazettes, that an additional force of five hundred men have lately arrived at St. Augustine, and that the commandant there had sent a message to colonel Smith, the commander of our regular force opposed to it, that if he did not retire voluntarily he would attack and endeavour to compel him by force. It is not known, if the report of the arrival of these troops be true, whether they be Spanish