aments on any
of the great northern lakes, and what preparations, if any, have been
made by this Government to put the United States, and especially those
frontiers, in a posture of defense against Great Britain in case of war.

M. VAN BUREN.

WASHINGTON CITY, _June 29, 1840_.

_To the House of Representatives of the United States_:

I transmit the inclosed report of the Secretary of War, with
accompanying documents, furnishing all the information the Department
has been able to obtain in relation to any violation of or desire on the
part of Great Britain to annul the agreement entered into between that
Government and the United States in the month of April, 1817, relative
to the naval force to be maintained upon the American lakes, called for
by a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 9th March last.

M. VAN BUREN.

Hon. R.M. JOHNSON,

_President of the Senate_.

SIR: I transmit herewith to the Senate a statement from the Secretary of
the Navy of the transfers which have been made since the commencement of
the present year from different appropriations for the naval service to
other appropriations for the same service, which had become necessary
for the public interests.

The law under which these transfers were made conveys no authority for
refunding the different amounts which may be transferred. On the
contrary, so soon as the appropriations for the year shall pass and the
means be furnished for refunding these sums the repayments would be
prohibited by the law of 3d March, 1809, in relation to general
transfers.

Some authority to refund the amounts which may be transferred under
the law of 30th of June, 1834, seems so obviously indispensable to any
beneficial exercise of the power which it grants that its omission may
be presumed to have been accidental.

The subject is respectfully referred to the consideration of Congress
for such action as they may deem proper to accomplish the restoration of
these transfers, and thus confirm the original appropriations as they
are established by Congress, instead of leaving their expenditure
discretionary with the Executive.

M. VAN BUREN.

JULY 2, 1840.

[The same message was addressed to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.]

WASHINGTON, _July 20, 1840_.

_To the Senate of the United States_:

I transmit herewith, in reply to the resolution of the Senate of the
11th March last, a report[81] from the Secretary of War, ac