belligerent parties without consulting or acting in concert with either.
It gives me pleasure to state that the Governments of Buenos Ayres and
Venezuela, whose names were assumed, have explicitly disclaimed all
participation in those measures, and even the knowledge of them until
communicated by this Government, and have also expressed their
satisfaction that a course of proceedings had been suppressed which if
justly imputable to them would dishonor their cause.

In authorizing Major-General Jackson to enter Florida in pursuit of the
Seminoles care was taken not to encroach on the rights of Spain. I
regret to have to add that in executing this order facts were disclosed
respecting the conduct of the officers of Spain in authority there in
encouraging the war, furnishing munitions of war and other supplies to
carry it on, and in other acts not less marked which evinced their
participation in the hostile purposes of that combination and justified
the confidence with which it inspired the savages that by those officers
they would be protected. A conduct so incompatible with the friendly
relations existing between the two countries, particularly with the
positive obligation of the fifth article of the treaty of 1795, by which
Spain was bound to restrain, even by force, those savages from acts of
hostility against the United States, could not fail to excite surprise.
The commanding general was convinced that he should fail in his object,
that he should in effect accomplish nothing, if he did not deprive
those savages of the resource on which they had calculated and of the
protection on which they had relied in making the war. As all the
documents relating to this occurrence will be laid before Congress,
it is not necessary to enter into further detail respecting it.

Although the reasons which induced Major-General Jackson to take these
posts were duly appreciated, there was nevertheless no hesitation in