onduct, looking to the crisis, the occasion, the purpose and effect
of the matter upon which they were called to act; and their
unwillingness to hazard an agreement upon that deemed by them
necessary, by tacking to it that which, however true, was at least
useless, and might in the result be dangerous.

All which is respectfully submitted by

SAMUEL AMES, for self, and
ALEXANDER DUNCAN,
G.H. BROWNE,
WILLIAM W. HOPPIN,
SAMUEL G. ARNOLD,

_Commissioners._

PROVIDENCE, _March 4th, 1861._

* * * * *

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, COUNCIL CHAMBER, }
BOSTON, March 25, 1861. }

_To the Honorable the Senate:_

I have the honor to transmit to the General Court, for its use and
information, a Report just received by me from John Z. Goodrich,
Charles Allen, George S. Boutwell, Theophilus P. Chandler, Francis B.
Crowninshield, John M. Forbes, and Richard P. Waters, Esquires, who
were appointed Commissioners on the part of Massachusetts, under a
Resolve passed the fifth day of February last, to attend a Convention
of delegates from the several States of the Union, recently held at
Washington.

And I embrace this opportunity to congratulate the people of the
Commonwealth upon the fidelity, judgment, and ability with which the
Commissioners, by whom they were represented, conducted their share of
the duties of that deliberation.

And I trust that a similar intelligent, manful, and, at the same time,
charitable and patriotic adherence to principles, fundamental both in
morals and politics, will characterize the people of Massachusetts,
and all their representatives, by whatever experiences of danger or
difficulty their devotion to truth and duty may hereafter be tried.

I ask leave to call the attention of the General Court, also, to the
fact that, as yet, no provision has been adopted for the payment of
the expenses incident to the service with which the Commissioners were
charged, and to recommend that a suitable appropriation for that
purpose be made at the present session of the Legislature.

JOHN A. ANDREW.

To His Excellency JOHN A. ANDREW, _Governor, &c., &c._:

The undersigned, Commissioners appointed by your excellency, in
pursuance of certain resolutions passed by the Legislature at its
present session, to attend a Convention to be held in the City of
Washington, with authority to confer with the General Government, or
with the s