her with most tropical productions, with greater facility and cheaper than they can be procured from Cuba, or from any other of the West India islands. A tithe of the sum necessary to purchase Cuba, if Spain should be willing to dis pose of it, and a fiftieth part of the amount of expenditure necessary to con quer and annex that island by arms, orto obtain it in any other mode, honorable or dishonorable, if expended by the federal government (even as above indicated, by liberal grants of land), in aid of works of internal improvement in Flo rida, would render that state more valuable than Cuba ever can be, to this confederacy. Such a policy might also subdue some of the covetings and cravings many seem to have for the "Queen of the Antilles," (as they designate that island,) and obviate in some degree the necessity which they insist now exists, of its being forthwith wrested from Spain and possessed by the United States. War and bloodshed would also be thereby averted.

the lands offered are yet unsold,) will the Atlantic cities, but the entire valley remain unsold for many years to come, of the Mississippi, can be supplied by unless some of the public improvements suggested should enhance their value. At least eleven-twelfths of all the land in the state are yet owned by the United States. A very large portion of them, even if the principal improvements suggested should be made, would not probably for some time afterwards be sold at the present minimum price of the public lands. The fact that of 17,043,111 acres surveyed and offered for sale prior to June, 1851, but 1,000,407 acres have been sold, (and many of them have been offered for sale for twenty-seven, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, or ten years,) proves that in the present state of things they are utterly worthless to the United States. On the proposed routes of the great Central Rail-road there are, in different sections of the state, vast tracts of these lands, at present of no value to the general government, to the state, or to individuals. Rich and exhaustless beds of marl are to be found in several sections of the state. Those at Alum Bluff, on the Apalachicola river, but a short distance from The most judicious policy that can be the place where the great Central Road adopted by the federal government with will probably cross, are of great value. reference to Florida, in my judgment is That road alone will, by the cheap to transfer without delay to that state transportation of the marl, afford faci- every acre of public lands within its lities for fertilizing the lands contigu- borders, stipulating that the proceeds ous to it in every section of the state, but especially in Middle and West Florida; and at the same time the lumber, tar, turpentine, rosin, and resinous oils that may be obtained from most of such lands, prior to their being thus prepared for and put in cultivation, could be readily conveyed to market by the same means. Florida is the fifth state in size in the confederacy. Her area is 59,268 square miles, or 37,931,520 acres. She possesses an advantage had by no other state of the Union. She alone, of all the present United States, can cultivate and raise advantageously, and for the No one, it is presumed, will deny that supply of the other states on this side of the coast frontier of every part of the the continent, tropical fruits and other United States is peculiarly a subject of highly valuable tropical products! She legitimate concernment for the federal will have no rival in this respect among government, or, that to a certain extent her sister states till further "extension" the states have yielded the partial con and additional "annexation" is effected. trol thereof to the United States; and You are referred on this subject to the that, in some respects, it may be regard public documents and other authentic ed as the common property of the people books specified in the note, (D,) hereto an- of all the states of this confederacy. nexed. In a few years, whether in time The lines of jurisdiction between the of war or in time of peace, not only states and the federal government, and

thereof hereafter realized by the state, shall be exclusively devoted to internal and harbor improvements within the state; the United States reserving only the necessary sites for light-houses, for tifications, and other structures, under the control of the federal government. At any rate the transfer of all lands, that, at this time, or hereafter, have been offered for sale at $1.25 per acre, for ten years, and that remain unsold, should be made, and a similar rule could be wisely applied to all the states wherein public lands lie.

Duties of the General Government to Individual States. 325

between the respective state govern- tional guaranty that "it shall protect ments, as to such coast frontier, are dis- each of them [the states] against invatinctly marked by the federal constitu- sion," &c. The federal government tion. The federal government has not builds fortifications, and navy yards, and been invested by the states with any ships, and armories, and arsenals, and right of property to the coasts. By Art. military, and navy, and marine hos4, 2, clause 1, of the federal compact, pitals, and custom-houses, and it esit is stipulated that "the citizens of each tablishes lines of mail steamers to Great state shall be entitled to all privileges Britain and Europe, and to the Pacific; and immunities of citizens in the several it has erected and maintains an observastates;" and it has been held that the free right of navigation, of commerce and of piscary, and in fine of every usufructuary privilege of the coast waters, (not essentially and exclusively local,) and that are common rights, as distinguished from exclusive rights of property, in a state, or in individuals, pertain equally to the citizens of the United States of every state of the confederacy, without distinction in favor of the citizens of that state of which such coast is the frontier. Such police regulations as sound policy may render necessary, can be rightfully established and enforced by that state, and it may enact laws for the protection and conservation of such common rights, and to regulate their use so as to prevent their abuse; but such laws must apply equally to its own citizens as to the citizens of the other states. The general rights of navigation and of commerce, by all, and that of piscary in waters not exclusively local, cannot be withheld for the exclusive benefit of its own citizens. But no other state may rightfully legislate as to such privileges on the coasts of a sister state, nor does the federal government possess any constitutional power to regulate by law the right of piscary on the coasts of a state, nor to cede by treaty or otherwise the privilege of using such fisheries to a foreign power or its subjects,any more than it can regulate by law any other common right in a state, or cede away a part of the territory of a state to a foreign power. To defend and protect such coast frontier in which the citizens of the United States in all the states have such common interest, as well as because it is a part of one of the states; to "repel invasions," (see Art. 1, § 8, cl. 15, Const. U. S.) is the bounden duty of the federal government. It is in the clause just cited invested with full power, and the national compact twice enjoins the fulfilment of such duty, (see clause last cited, and Art. 4, § 4,) and the same instrument contains an express constitu

tory and a military and naval academy; has a "coast survey" establishment; sends ships of war on exploring expedi tions; and Congress within the last fifteen years has spent millions of dollars for the making and publication of all kinds of books on all kinds of subjects. Some of the improvements on the coasts, and leading to the coasts of Florida above noticed, are as directly and immediately important and essential for the "defence" and "protection" of that section "against invasion" as forts, ships, &c., can be elsewhere. This, it is true, is owing in some degree to the peculiar geographical position, insular formation, and character of that section. Under such circumstances, to deny the legitimate constitutional power of the federal government to "provide for the common defence" by aiding and promoting such necessary improvements in Florida, is to deny to it the power to employ the proper and necessary means of fulfilling such constitutional duty. Whilst the obligation of the general government to "defend" and "protect" a state "against invasion" in time of war, is conceded, to object that the federal constitution does not allow prudent and proper and necessary preparation by it in time of peace for the fulfilment of such duty economically, advantageously and successfully, is extending "the salutary rule of strict construction" into absurdity. The attenuated logic by which objections are made to the means of defence and protection as unconstitutional, because forsooth the resort to such means may also and otherwise promote other interests of the state or of the confederacy, has little weight with me. But when the aid desired can be yielded in the exercise of the undoubted constitutional authority of Congress to dispose of the public lands for the common benefit, all scruples with respect to grants of such lands in aid of those improvements in the states where the lands lie, should be extinguished. The impolicy and injustice of the federal

should leave its print on our shore." The dishonor of a successful invasion by an enemy will be as great if the assault be made at Cape Sable or Apalachicola as if made at Philadelphia or Washington. Besides, if such improvements are made, the means of defence thereby permanently established in Florida, will enable the federal government to provide more readily and early for other exposed points, and to furnish troops which could not be withheld or abstracted from Florida in her present condition, during such war, without gross dereliction of federal duty.

government retaining all the lands un- of works for coast defence, or any other saleable at the present minimum price national objects, is the necessity or imfixed by it, for a series of years after portance of such work, and the advan they have been offered for sale, without tage that will result to the country thereyielding any taxes for them to the from. The policy of promoting the setstates wherein they lie-not contribut- tlement of an exposed frontier state by ing anything in any mode for the free grants of lands to occupants, and to making and repair of ordinary high the state in aid of internal improve ways and bridges through them, is ments, is, it is conceived, quite as obseverely felt by every resident (whether vious and fully as strong as any policy rich or poor) of a country in which there of defence, as to a future war with a is a large quantity of unsold public lands. naval power, that can be adopted. The The personal labor the settler is com- expense incurred in one such war of pelled to yield in this way to enhance three years, necessary to defend the the value of the property of the United 1200 miles of sea coast in Florida, would States, in addition to his other taxes, is probably exceed fourfold all that is nean onerous burthen. Difficulties will cessary for the government to yield in probably ensue from the granting to one aid of internal improvements in that Sovereign state the control and owner- state! Our entire national coast should ship of lands within another sovereign be defended. "No foe's hostile foot state, even if the lands are made liable to just taxation; and still greater difficulties will arise as to the adoption of any just rate of distribution amongst the states. Some proposed rules of distribution are absurd as well as iniquitous. By the rule of population, New-York would at this time receive 33 acres to every one received by Florida, and yet Florida has 1200 miles of sea coast to defend, whilst New-York has less than 150 on her Atlantic frontier. Florida has 7,671,520 acres more in area than New-York. She is larger than New-York and Massachusetts, or New-York and Maryland together; she is larger than New-York, NewJersey and Connecticut all together; and leaving out Maine, more than twice as large as all the other five New-England states together. Florida has no mountains, and properly improved, she will have within her limits less waste lands not susceptible of cultivation than either New-Hampshire, or Massachusetts, or Maryland, or New-Jersey, though neither of those states is oneseventh of her size; and she would be capable in a few years, if improved as suggested, of sustaining comfortably a larger population than New-York of itself or all the New-England states united. Population is a shifting rule, and not based on any just principle when adopt*ed with reference to grants to the states. If the grant is intended to be given to the citizens of each state disposed to emigrate to and settle on such lands, the federal government had better make the grant directly to the occupant. The only true and just rule as to grants in aid

That the scientific and able engineers educated for and in the federal service, ought to be, (when the federal govern ment has so little appropriate employ for them as at present, and generally in times of peace,) assigned to duty in the states in surveys for public improve ments, is an opinion becoming quite general, and if such course is adopted, it will probably prevent the abolition or re duction of such corps. The services of such officers would be most valuable to Florida in her surveys for the various works I have mentioned above.

The population of Florida by the last census was but 47,167 white persons, 928 free colored and 39,309 colored slaves-in all 87,401. If Congress will encourage and foster the growth and prosperity of the state, by aiding and promoting the works indicated, in the manner suggested, emigration thither from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and other states, will speedily commence, and by

Population-Property wrecked-Fisheries-Land Statement. 327

the year 1860, her population will be duced thereby to become residents of the quadrupled, her resources and wealth islands and coasts contiguous to them; augmented in still greater ratio; and the and they will be looked to, particularly most exposed and defenceless section of by the inhabitants of the great western the Union rendered impregnable. By valley for the supply of that article of even yielding to the state merely the subsistence; and other sections of the lands made valuable by the works she Union, and foreign countries may likemay construct, and with the means wise be furnished from them. They thereby afforded for the employment of pertain exclusively to the state, the conlabor in the construction of such works, she will be enabled to do much. Grant her all the vacant land, and, (excepting the "ship canal") she may effect all that her own interests, or those of her sister states demand, now or hereafter.

15,616,831 The territories of Oregon and Minne17,043,111

1,000,407 sota, it appears, had fewer deaths in 1850, 5,271,578 in proportion to their population, than any state. This may, in some degree, be accounted for by the fact that emi954.583 gration thither is mostly of male adults 20,924 in the vigor and prime of life, and there 500,000 are in these countries comparatively fewer aged and infirm persons 52,114 fewer children than in the old settled 6,240 states.

The entire area of Florida, in acres, is 31,240 37,931,520, and of this there were in 1850 163,888 only 349,049 acres of improved land.

The official average valuation of these improved lands, made by the returning officers, is $18 per acre, being much less than the average valuation of improved lands in any other state or territory.

Florida has less improved lands than any state except Rhode Island and California.

Florida has acres of improved land......
Unimproved, attached to above..
Cash value of improved lands..