without committing occasional mistakes and inflicting
unintentional injuries upon foreign nations and their subjects.

A civil war occurring in a country where foreigners reside and carry on
trade under treaty stipulations is necessarily fruitful of complaints
of the violation of neutral rights. All such collisions tend to excite
misapprehensions, and possibly to produce mutual reclamations between
nations which have a common interest in preserving peace and friendship.
In clear cases of these kinds I have so far as possible heard and
redressed complaints which have been presented by friendly powers. There
is still, however, a large and an augmenting number of doubtful cases
upon which the government is unable to agree with the governments whose
protection is demanded by the claimants. There are, moreover, many cases
in which the United States or their citizens suffer wrongs from the naval
or military authorities of foreign nations which the governments of those
states are not at once prepared to redress. I have proposed to some of the
foreign states thus interested mutual conventions to examine and adjust
such complaints. This proposition has been made especially to Great
Britain, to France, to Spain, and to Prussia. In each case it has been
kindly received, but has not yet been formally adopted.

I deem it my duty to recommend an appropriation in behalf of the owners of
the Norwegian bark Admiral P. Tordenskiold, which vessel was in May, 1861,
prevented by the commander of the blockading force off Charleston from
leaving that port with cargo, notwithstanding a similar privilege had
shortly before been granted to an English vessel. I have directed the
Secretary of State to cause the papers in the case to be communicated to
the proper committees.

Applications have been made to me by many free Americans of African
descent to favor their emigration, with a view to such colonization as
was contemplated in recent acts of Congress, Other parties, at home
and abroad--some from interested motives, others upon patriotic
considerations, and still others influenced by philanthropic
sentiments--have suggested similar measures, while, on the other hand,
several of the Spanish American republics have protested against the
sending of such colonies to their respective territories. Under these
circumstances I have declined to move any such colony to any state without
first obtaining the consent of its government, with an agreement o