You will at once transfer to General Ulysses S. Grant, who has this day been authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad interim, all records, books, and other property now in your custody and charge.

By virtue of the power and authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States, you are hereby suspended from office as Secretary of War, and will cease to exercise any and all functions pertaining to the…

It is impossible to conceive any state of society more intolerable than this; and yet it is to this condition that 12,000,000 American citizens are reduced by the Congress of the United States.

I return herewith the bill entitled 'An act supplementary to an act entitled 'An act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States,' passed on the 2d day of March, 1867, and the act supplementary thereto, passed on the…

Within a period less than a year the legislation of Congress has attempted to strip the executive department of the Government of some of its essential powers.

They apply equally well to the bill now before me, and I am content merely to refer to them and to reiterate my conviction that they are sound and unanswerable.

The inevitable result is that the Federal Government, by the agency of its own sworn officers, in effect assumes the civil government of the State.

For reasons heretofore stated in my several veto messages to Congress upon the subject of reconstruction, I return without my approval the 'Joint resolution to carry into effect the several acts providing for the more efficient government…

The debts of these States, thus legitimately incurred, when accurately ascertained will, it is believed, approximate $100,000,000.

It is worthy the consideration of Congress and the country whether, if the Federal Government by its action were to assume such obligations, so large an addition to our public expenditures would not seriously impair the credit of the…

It is exceedingly difficult at the present time to estimate the probable expense of carrying into full effect the two acts of March last and the bill which passed the two Houses of Congress on the 13th instant.

I communicate herewith a report on the subject from the Secretary of State, from which it appears that the correspondence called for by the Senate has already been communicated to the House of Representatives.

In compliance with the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 3d instant, requesting me to transmit all the official correspondence between the Department of State and the Hon. Lewis D. Campbell, late minister to Mexico, and…

In compliance with so much of the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 8th instant as requests information in regard to certain agreements said to have been entered into between the United States, European and West Virginia…

In compliance with the resolution of the House of Representatives of the 5th of July, requesting the President 'to inform the House what States have ratified the amendment to the Constitution of the United States proposed by concurrent…

I transmit herewith a report from the Attorney-General, additional to the reports submitted by him December 31, 1866, and March 2, 1867.

This instrument provides for a cession of territory to the United States in consideration of the payment of $7,200,000 in gold.

To the Senate of the United States: I transmit to the Senate, for its consideration with a view to ratification, a convention between the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Japan, concluded at Yedo on the 25th of…