Gentlemen of the Senate, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:

Immediately after the adjournment of Congress at their last session in Philadelphia, I gave directions, in compliance with the laws, for the removal of the public offices, records, and property. These directions have been executed, and the public officers have since resided and conducted the ordinary business of the Government in this place.

I congratulate the people of the United States on the assembling of Congress at the permanent seat of their Government; and I congratulate you, gentlemen, on the prospect of a residence not to be changed. Although there is cause to apprehend that accommodations are not now so complete as might be wished, yet there is great reason to believe that this inconvenience will cease with the present session.

It would be unbecoming the Representatives of this nation to assemble, for the first time, in this solemn temple, without looking up to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and imploring his blessing.

May this Territory be the residence of virtue and happiness! In this city may that piety and virtue, that wisdom and magnanimity, that constancy and self-government which adorned the great character whose name it bears, be for ever held in veneration! Here, and throughout our country, may simple manners, pure morals, and true religion flourish for ever!

It is with you, gentlemen, to consider whether the local powers over the District of Columbia, vested by the constitution in the Congress of the United States, shall be immediately exercised. If, in your opinion, this important trust ought now to be executed, you cannot fail, while performing it, to take into view the future probable situation of the Territory for the happiness of which you are about to provide. You will consider it as the Capital of a great nation, advancing, with unexampled rapidity, in arts, in commerce, in wealth, and in population; and possessing, within itself, those energies and resources which, if not thrown away, or lamentably misdirected, will secure to it a long course of prosperity and self-government.

In compliance with a law of the last session of Congress, the officers and soldiers of the temporary army have been discharged. It affords real pleasure to recollect the honorable testimony they gave of the patriotic motives which brought them into the service of their country, by the readiness and regularity with which they returned to the station of private citizens.

It is, in every point of view, of such primary importance to carry the laws into prompt and faithful execution, and to render that part of the administration of justice which the constitution and laws devolve on the federal courts, as convenient to the people as may consist with their present circumstances, that I cannot omit once more to recommend to your serious consideration the judiciary system of the United States. No subject is more interesting than this to the public happiness, and to none can those improvements which may have been suggested by experience be more beneficially applied.

A Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the King of Prussia has been concluded and ratified. The ratifications have been exchanged, and I have directed the treaty to be promulgated by proclamation.

The difficulties which suspended the execution of the sixth article of our Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, with Great Britain, have not yet been removed. The negotiation on this subject is still pending. As it must be for the interest and honor of both nations to adjust this difference with good faith, I indulge confidently the expectation that the sincere endeavors of the Government of the United States to bring it to an amicable termination will not be disappointed.

The Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary from the United States to France were received by the First Consul with the respect due to their character; and three persons with equal powers were appointed to treat with them.[56] Although, at the date of the last official intelligence, the negotiation had not terminated, yet it is to be hoped that our efforts to effect an accommodation will at length meet with a success proportioned to the sincerity with which they have been so often repeated.

While our best endeavors for the preservation of harmony with all nations will continue to be used, the experience of the world, our own experience, admonish us of the insecurity of trusting too confidently to their success. We cannot, without committing a dangerous imprudence, abandon those measures of self-protection which are adapted to our situation, and to which, notwithstanding our pacific policy, the violence and injustice of others may again compel us to resort. While our vast extent of sea-coast, the commercial and agricultural habits of our people, the great capital they will continue to trust on the ocean, suggest the system of defence which will be most beneficial to ourselves, our distance from Europe, and our resources for maritime strength, will enable us to employ it with effect. Seasonable and systematic arrangements, so far as our resources will justify, for a navy, adapted to defensive war, and which may, in case of necessity, be quickly brought into use, seem to be as much recommended by a wise and true economy as by a just regard for our future tranquillity, for the safety of our shores, and for the protection of our property committed to the ocean.

The present Navy of the United States, called suddenly into existence by a great national exigency, has raised us in our own esteem; and, by the protection afforded to our commerce, has effected, to the extent of our expectations, the objects for which it was created.

In connection with a navy ought to be contemplated the fortification of some of our principal seaports and harbors. A variety of considerations, which will readily suggest themselves, urge an attention to this measure of precaution. To give security to our principal ports, considerable sums have already been expended, but the works remain incomplete. It is for Congress to determine whether additional appropriations shall be made, in order to render competent to the intended purposes the fortifications which have been commenced.

The manufacture of arms within the United States still invites the attention of the national Legislature. At a considerable expense to the public this manufacture has been brought to such a state of maturity as, with continued encouragement, will supersede the necessity of future importations from foreign countries.

Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:

I shall direct the estimates of the appropriations necessary for the ensuing year, together with an account of the public revenue and expenditure, to a late period, to be laid before you. I observe, with much satisfaction, the product of the revenue during the present year has been more considerable than during any former equal period. This result affords conclusive evidence of the great resources of this country, and of the wisdom and efficiency of the measures which have been adopted by Congress for the protection of commerce and preservation of public credit.

Gentlemen of the Senate, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:

As one of the grand community of nations, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the important scenes which surround us. If they have exhibited an uncommon portion of calamity, it is the province of humanity to deplore, and of wisdom to avoid, the causes which may have produced it. If, turning our eyes homeward, we find reason to rejoice at the prospect which presents itself; if we perceive the interior of our country prosperous, free, and happy; if all enjoy in safety, under the protection of laws emanating only from the general will, the fruits of their own labor, we ought to fortify and cling to those institutions which have been the source of such real felicity; and resist, with unabating perseverance, the progress of those dangerous innovations which may diminish their influence.

To your patriotism, gentlemen, has been confided the honorable duty of guarding the public interests; and, while the past is to your country a sure pledge that it will be faithfully discharged, permit me to assure you that your labors to promote the general happiness will receive from me the most zealous co-operation.

JOHN ADAMS.

United States, Nov. 22, 1800.

To the President of the United States:

Sir: Impressed with the important truth that the hearts of rulers and people are in the hand of the Almighty, the Senate of the United States most cordially join in your invocations for appropriate blessings upon the Government and people of this Union.

We meet you, sir, and the other branch of the national Legislature in the city which is honored by the name of our late hero and sage, the illustrious Washington, with sensations and emotions which exceed our power of description.

While we congratulate ourselves on the convention of the Legislature at the permanent seat of Government, and ardently hope that permanence and stability may be communicated as well to the Government itself as to its seat, our minds are irresistibly led to deplore the death of him who bore so honorable and efficient a part in the establishment of both. Great indeed would have been our gratification if his sum of earthly happiness had been completed by seeing the Government thus peaceably convened at this place; but we derive consolation from a belief that the moment in which we were destined to experience the loss we deplore, was fixed by that Being whose counsels cannot err; and from a hope that, since in this seat of Government, which bears his name, his earthly remains will be deposited, the members of Congress, and all who inhabit the city, with these memorials before them, will retain his virtues in lively recollection, and make his patriotism, morals, and piety, models for imitation. And permit us to add, sir, that it is not among the least of our consolations that you, who have been his companion and friend from the dawning of our national existence, and trained in the same school of exertion to effect our independence, are still preserved by a gracious Providence in health and activity to exercise the functions of Chief Magistrate.

The question whether the legal powers over the District of Columbia, vested by the constitution in the Congress of the United States, shall be immediately exercised, is of great importance, and in deliberating upon it, we shall naturally be led to weigh the attending circumstances and every probable consequence of the measures which may be proposed.

The several subjects for Legislative consideration, contained in your Speech to both Houses of Congress, shall receive from the Senate all the attention which they can give, when contemplating those objects, both in respect to their national importance, and the additional weight that is given them by your recommendation.

We deprecate, with you, sir, all spirit of innovation, from whatever quarter it may arise, which may impair the sacred bond that connects the different parts of this empire; and we trust, that, under the protection of Divine Providence, the wisdom and virtue of the citizens of the United States will deliver our national compact unimpaired to a grateful posterity.

From past experience, it is impossible for the Senate of the United States to doubt of your zealous co-operation with the Legislature in every effort to promote the general happiness and tranquillity of the Union.

Accept, sir, our warmest wishes for your health and happiness.

JOHN E. HOWARD,
President of the Senate, pro tempore.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Senate:

For this excellent Address, so respectful to the memory of my illustrious predecessor, which I receive from the Senate of the United States, at this time, and in this place, with peculiar satisfaction, I pray you to accept of my unfeigned acknowledgments. With you, I ardently hope, that permanence and stability will be communicated as well to the Government itself, as to its beautiful and commodious seat. With you I deplore the death of that hero and sage who bore so honorable and efficient a part in the establishment of both. Great indeed would have been my gratification, if his sum of earthly happiness had been completed by seeing the Government thus peaceably convened at this place, himself at its head. But, while we submit to the decision of Heaven, whose councils are inscrutable to us, we cannot but hope, that the members of Congress, the officers of Government, and all who inhabit the city or the country, will retain his virtues in lively recollection, and make his patriotism, morals, and piety, models for imitation.

I thank you, gentlemen, for your assurance that the several subjects for legislative consideration, recommended in my communication to both Houses, shall receive from the Senate a deliberate and candid attention.

With you, gentlemen, I sincerely deprecate all spirit of innovation which may weaken the sacred bond that connects the different parts of this nation and Government; and with you I trust, that, under the protection of Divine Providence, the wisdom and virtue of our citizens will deliver our national compact unimpaired to a free, prosperous, happy, and grateful posterity. To this end it is my fervent prayer, that, in this city, the fountains of wisdom may be always open, and the streams of eloquence for ever flow. Here may the youth of this extensive country for ever look up without disappointment, not only to the monuments and memorials of the dead, but to the examples of the living, in the members of Congress and officers of Government, for finished models of all those virtues, graces, talents, and accomplishments, which constitute the dignity of human nature, and lay the only foundation for the prosperity or duration of empires.

JOHN ADAMS.

City of Washington, Nov. 26, 1800.

Gentlemen of the Senate, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:

I transmit to both Houses of Congress, for their information and consideration, copies of laws enacted by the Governor and Judges of the Mississippi Territory, from the 30th of June until the 31st of December, A. D. 1799.[57]

JOHN ADAMS.

United States, Jan. 1, 1801.

"That, by the cession of the several States of Virginia and Maryland, and the acceptance thereof by Congress, the said District has become the permanent Seat of the Government of the United States;

"That the powers of the said States to legislate within said District have wholly ceased;

"And that the sole power of legislation over the same is thereupon exclusively vested in Congress."

"In testimony of the respect and gratitude of the citizens of the United States to George Washington, and for carrying into effect the resolution of Congress of the 24th day of December, 1799, to commemorate the great events of his military and political life, there shall be and hereby is appropriated a sum not exceeding —— thousand dollars, to be paid out of any moneys in the Treasury of the United States, not otherwise appropriated.

"And be it further enacted, That —— —— shall be and hereby are, empowered, to fix on a plan and make all contracts and engagements for payment of moneys, not exceeding in the whole the aforesaid sum of —— dollars; and to adopt all other measures necessary and proper for the due execution of this act, as to them shall seem expedient."

Yeas.—Messrs. Anderson, Armstrong, Baldwin, Bloodworth, Brown, Cocke, Dayton, T. Foster, D. Foster, Franklin, Hillhouse, Langdon, Marshall, S. T. Mason, Nicholas, and Schureman.

Nays.—Messrs. Chipman, Greene, Hindman, Howard, Latimer, Livermore, J. Mason, Morris, Paine, Read, Tracy, and Wells.

Yeas.—Messrs. Anderson, Armstrong, Baldwin, Bloodworth, Brown, Chipman, Dayton, T. Foster, Dwight Foster, Franklin, Greene, Hillhouse, Howard, Langdon, Livermore, Marshall, S. T. Mason, Nicholas, Paine, and Schureman.

Nays.—Messrs. Bingham, Cocke, Gunn, Hindman, Latimer, J. Mason, Morris, Read, and Ross.

Yeas.—Messrs. Brown, Chipman, Dayton, T. Foster, Dwight Foster, Hillhouse, Hindman, Latimer, J. Mason, Morris, Paine, Read, Ross, Schureman, Tracy, and Wells.

Nays.—Messrs. Anderson, Baldwin, Bloodworth, Cocke, Franklin, Langdon, Livermore, Marshall, S. T. Mason, and Nicholas.

"Resolved, That this House will attend in the Chamber of the Senate on Wednesday next, at 12 o'clock, for the purpose of being present at the opening and counting of the votes for President and Vice President of the United States; that Messrs. Rutledge and Nicholas be appointed tellers, to act jointly with the teller appointed on the part of the Senate, to make a list of the votes for President and Vice President of the United States, as they shall be declared; that the result shall be delivered to the President of the Senate, who shall announce the state of the vote, which shall be entered on the journals, and if it shall appear that a choice has been made, agreeably to the constitution, such entry on the journals shall be deemed a sufficient declaration thereof."

Gentlemen of the Senate, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:

I wish to know the pleasure of Congress, and request their direction, concerning the disposition of the property of the United States now in my possession; whether I shall deliver it into the hands of the Heads of Departments, or of the Commissioners of the city of Washington, or of a committee of Congress, or to any other persons Congress may appoint, to be delivered into the hands of my successor, or whether I shall present it myself to the President of the United States on the 4th of March next. Any of these modes will be agreeable to me.

JOHN ADAMS.

United States, Feb. 16, 1801.

"Be it known, That the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, being convened at the city of Washington, on the second Wednesday in February, A. D. 1801, the underwritten Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate, did, in presence of said Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and count all the votes of the electors for a President; whereupon it appeared that Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, and Aaron Burr, of New York, had a majority of the votes of the electors and an equal number of votes; in consequence of which the House of Representatives proceeded to the choice of a President, and have this day notified to the Senate that Thomas Jefferson has by them been duly chosen President: by all of which it appears that Aaron Burr, Esq., of New York, is duly elected, agreeably to the constitution, Vice President of the United States of America.

"In witness thereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 18th day of February, 1801.

"THOMAS JEFFERSON."

Gentlemen of the Senate:

To give the usual opportunity of appointing a President, pro tempore, I now propose to retire from the chair of the Senate; and, as the time is near at hand when the relations will cease which have for some time subsisted between this honorable House and myself, I beg leave, before I withdraw, to return them my grateful thanks for all the instances of attention and respect with which they have been pleased to honor me. In the discharge of my functions here, it has been my conscientious endeavor to observe impartial justice, without regard to persons or subjects; and if I have failed of impressing this on the mind of the Senate, it will be to me a circumstance of the deepest regret. I may have erred at times—no doubt I have erred—this is the law of human nature. For honest errors, however, indulgence may be hoped.

I owe to truth and justice, at the same time, to declare, that the habits of order and decorum, which so strongly characterize the proceedings of the Senate, have rendered the umpirage of their President an office of little difficulty; that, in times and on questions which have severely tried the sensibilities of the House, calm and temperate discussion has rarely been disturbed by departures from order.

Should the support which I have received from the Senate, in the performance of my duties here, attend me into the new station to which the public will has transferred me, I shall consider it as commencing under the happiest auspices.

With these expressions of my dutiful regard to the Senate as a body, I ask leave to mingle my particular wishes for the health and happiness of the individuals who compose it, and to tender them my cordial and respectful adieu.

Sir: While we congratulate you on those expressions of the public will, which called you to the first office in the United States, we cannot but lament the loss of that intelligence, attention, and impartiality, with which you have presided over our deliberations. The Senate feel themselves much gratified by the sense you have been pleased to express of their support in the performance of your late duties. Be persuaded that it will never be withheld from a Chief Magistrate, who, in the exercise of his office, shall be influenced by a due regard to the honor and interests of our country.

In the confidence that your official conduct will be directed to these great objects, a confidence derived from past events, we repeat to you, sir, the assurance of our constitutional support in your future administration.

Yeas.—Messrs. Chipman, Hindman, Howard, Livermore, Paine, Read, Ross, Tracy, and Wells.

Nays.—Messrs. Anderson, Armstrong, Baldwin, Bloodworth, Brown, Cocke, Dayton, T. Foster, D. Foster, Franklin, Greene, Gunn, Hillhouse, Marshall, S. T. Mason, J. Mason, Morris, Nicholas, and Pinckney.

/$ Washington, March 2, 1801. $/

Sir: I beg leave, through you, to inform the honorable the Senate of the United States, that I propose to take the oath which the constitution prescribes to the President of the United States, before he enters on the execution of his office, on Wednesday, the 4th instant, at 12 o'clock, in the Senate Chamber.

I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, sir, your most obedient and most humble servant,

TH. JEFFERSON.

The President pro tempore of the Senate.