_Washington, April 4, 1838_.
The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
The Secretary of State, to whom has been referred the resolution of the
House of Representatives of the 21st ultimo, requesting the President,
"if not incompatible with the public interests, to communicate to that
House any information possessed by him respecting the capture and
destruction of the steamboat _Caroline_ at Schlosser during the night of
the 29th December last, and the murder of citizens of the United States
on board, and all the particulars thereof not heretofore communicated,
and especially to inform the House whether said capture was authorized,
commanded, or sanctioned or has been avowed by the British authorities
or officers, or any of them, and also what steps have been taken by him
to obtain satisfaction from the Government of Great Britain on account
of said outrage, and to communicate to the House all correspondence or
communications relative thereto which have passed between the Government
of the United States and Great Britain, or any of the public authorities
of either," has the honor to lay before the President the accompanying
documents, which contain all the information in the possession of this
Department relative to the subject of the resolution; and to state,
moreover, that instructions have been transmitted to the minister of the
United States in London to make a full representation to Her Britannic
Majesty's Government of the facts connected with this lamentable
occurrence, to remonstrate against the unwarrantable course pursued
on the occasion by the British troops from Canada, and to express the
expectation of this Government that such redress as the nature of the
case obviously requires will be promptly given.
Respectfully submitted.