must be paid entirely out of the proceeds of the lands. There were two ways proposed: first, to let the State satisfy aU the demands by her own tribunals or auditors, and then turn the residuum of the public domain over lo the United States; or secondly, to let the latter take the whole encumbrances of the war, with all the lands, and pay the claimants, as our Government may direct. The objection to the latter plan, on thepart of the United Stales, would be, that those expenses and the extent of the liabilities are unknown, and ca11not be ascertained; that a greater Liberality would be claimed from them, in the interpretation of grants and other demands than would be expected from the State, whose citizens, for their own in lerest, would be obliged to adjust them upon more longer, the sacrifices of the public land for the means of defence will leave no surplus beyond her debts. That part which provides that locations of land shall not be deemed defective for any failure to comply with formal requisites, is, I believe, not consistent with public opinion, as great complaint is made against the tenure of lands by persons who have merely complied with some of the unimportant conditions of the grants, such as erecting a temporary cabin, and marking boundaries, and then have left the premises. The very object of the grants, which was to induce acl11al selllemenls, and provide security by the increase of population, has, in this way, been often defeated; and the colonists, who have borne the burden of the troubles, have built up a society, and have made the country what it is by their labor, will be likely to insist that the lands of others, who have not acted in this good faith, shall be retained by the State, to increase her ability and resources. The section which . requires slavery lo be allowed of persons of African derivation, refers to a limited toleration of it, as it exists in the United States. The consitution prohibits the importation ofslaves, except from that country; and the President has, already, on the the 3d of April last, issued his proclamation declaring that trade to be "destructive to national morals and to individual humanity," and requiring the public functionaries of the Government to be vigilant and active in areesting all person and vessels attempting to contravavene that article of the constitution. The proviso exempting the citizens of Texas for a Limited lime from suits for debts contracted previous to their
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