ernment to the agent appointed by the United States to receive the
same in such manner as to discharge all claim on the Mexican Government,
and said agent to be delinquent in remitting the money to the United
States.

The unsettled state of our relations with Mexico has involved this
subject in much mystery. The first information in an authentic form from
the agent of the United States, appointed under the Administration of my
predecessor, was received at the State Department on the 9th of November
last. This is contained in a letter, dated the 17th of October,
addressed by him to one of our citizens then in Mexico with a view of
having it communicated to that Department. From this it appears that the
agent on the 20th of September, 1844, gave a receipt to the treasury of
Mexico for the amount of the April and July installments of the
indemnity. In the same communication, however, he asserts that he had
not received a single dollar in cash, but that he holds such securities
as warranted him at the time in giving the receipt, and entertains no
doubt but that he will eventually obtain the money. As these
installments appear never to have been actually paid by the Government
of Mexico to the agent, and as that Government has not, therefore, been
released so as to discharge the claim, I do not feel myself warranted in
directing payment to be made to the claimants out of the Treasury
without further legislation. Their case is undoubtedly one of much
hardship, and it remains for Congress to decide whether any, and what,
relief ought to be granted to them. Our minister to Mexico has been
instructed to ascertain the facts of the case from the Mexican
Government in an authentic and official form and report the result with
as little delay as possible.

My attention was early directed to the negotiation which on the 4th
of March last I found pending at Washington between the United States
and Great Britain on the subject of the Oregon Territory. Three several
attempts had been previously made to settle the questions in dispute
between the two countries by negotiation upon the principle of compromise,
but each had proved unsuccessful. These negotiations took place
at London in the years 1818, 1824, and 1826--the two first under the
Administration of Mr. Monroe and the last under that of Mr. Adams.

The negotiation of 1818, having failed to accomplish its object,
resulted in the convention of the 20th of October of that ye