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IN SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1825.

The following Message was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. John Adams, Jr.

To the Senate of the United States :

WASHINGTON, 26th December, 1825.

In the Message to both Houses of Congress at the commencement of the Session, it was mentioned that the Governments of the Republics of Colombia, of Mexico, and of Central America, had severally invited the Government of the United States to be represented at the Congress of American Nations, to be assembled at Panama, to deliberate upon objects of peculiar concernment to this hemisphere, and that this invitation had been accepted.

Although this measure was deemed to be within the constitutional competency of the Executive, I have not thought proper to take any step in it before ascertaining that my opinion of its expediency will concur with that of both branches of the Legislature: first, by the decision of the Senate upon the nominations to be laid before them; and, secondly, by the sanction of both Houses to the appropriations, without which it cannot be carried into effect.

A report from the Secretary of State, and copies of the correspondence with the South American Governments, on this subject, since the invitation given by them, are herewith transmitted to the Senate. They will disclose the objects of importance which are expected to form a subject of discussion at this meeting, in which interests of high importance to this Union are involved. It will be seen that the United States neither intend, nor are expected to take part in any deliberations of a belligerant character; that the motive of their attendance is neither to contract alliances, nor to engage in any undertaking or project importing hostility to any other nation.

But the Southern American Nations, in the infancy of their independence, often find themselves in positions, with reference to other Countries, with the principles applicable to which, derivable from the state of independence itself, they have not been familiarized by experience. The result of this has been, that, sometimes, in their intercourse with the United States, they have manifested dispositions to reserve a right of granting special favors and privileges to the Spanish Nation as the price of their recognition; at others, they have actually established duties and impositions operating unfavorably to the United States, to the advantage of other European Powers; and sometimes they have appeared to consider that they might interchange, among themselves, mutual concessions of exclusive favor, to which neither European Powers nor the United States should be admitted. In most of these cases, their regulations, unfavorable to us, have