this foreet

is called upon to garrison sixty-sight forts of a

large and permanent character, so far, at least, as

It is possible to supply men for the purpose ; and

to • occupy seventy posts less permanently estab­

lished, where the presence of a force is absolutely

required. The area over which these torte and

posts are spread embraces a circuit of about

3,000.000 Square miles, and requires a journey of

many thousand miles to visit the principal ones of

them. •

The external boundary of our country, requiring

throughout a more or lees vigilant military super­

vision, Is 11,000 miles in length, presenting every

variety of climate and temperature, front the in­

clement cold of our Canadian frontier to the tropi­

cal regions of southern Texas. But the oeoupation

of this long lino of frontier lea trifling difficulty in

comparison with that of protecting the double line

of Indian frontier, extending from the Lake of Uni

Woods to the banks of the Rio Grande, on the oast

aide of the Rocky mountains, and from beyond the

river Oregon on the British frontier to tho'head of

the Gulf of California, on the western elope of

those mountains. Emory:hied to these linos, re­

quiring,te be,oecupied, are the great lines of inter­

aolnalunioatiOn between the valley of the Masts­

elppi and,the Pacific ocean, whioh imperatively

demand. that-protection which only the United

States troops can furnish.

These lines are 'v cry long, and, are now extreme­

ly important, 'whilst every year renderb themmore

and more es. -From our western frontier of settle•

menu to those of northern' Oregon the distance is

about 1,800 miles ; from the same frontier to the

settlements of , -Ralifornia, via Salt Lake, is 1,800

miles ; from the frontier of Arkansas, at Fort Smith,

by Albuquerque or Santa Fh, to Fort Tejon, is

about 1,700 miles ; and from San Antonio, by El

Paso, to San Diego, near the borders of the white

settlements, is 1,400 miles; constituting an aggre­

gate line of 8,700 miles which ought to be ma:-

pied, and which we pretend, in some sort, to keep

open and defend.

This