A blockiulo of 3,000 miles of sea coast
coubl not be established and vigorously en
forced in a season <?f great commercial ac
tivity like th: presei.t without committing
occasional mistake*, ami inflicting uniuten
tional iijuii'-s upon foreign nations and
their sui j cts. A Jvil war, occuring in a
c imtrv where foreigners reside and curv
on a trade under treaty stipulations, is nec
essary fruitful of complaints of the viola
tions <f neutral rights. 'll such collisions
tend, to excite misapprehensions and possi
bly to produce national reclain<«tions be
tween n ations which have a common inter
est in preserving peace and friendship.
AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION.
I have propose I io some of the foreign
States thus iuteieste 1 mutual conventions,
to examine and adjust such complaints,
fuis proposition hai been made especially
to Gr at Britain, to France, to Spain and
to Prussia, in each case it hay been kiud-
Iv received, but has not yet been formally
adoj ted,
AFRICAN EMIGRATION.
Application has been made to mo by
many tree Americans of African descent to
favor their emigration, with a view to such
colonization as was contemplated in recent
acts of Congre. s. Other parties, at home
arid abroad, some from interesting motives
otheis upon patriotic principles, and still
others influenced by phil ntbropic sen i
ments, have Suggested similar mea«ur s;
while on the other hard several of the
Spanish American Republics have protest
ed against the sending of such coloni-.s to
their respective territories.
