The National Register.
London, England, 1813-12-26 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

590

tioconicrits winch det•0111FIly them, are submitted to the
eo.-st:leration of the lion-e, it: the following order.
1 lit-tieittmort of the American prisorterA.
y. I)eteutton of Annette:in pri:•oner.„ as British subjects, under
the pretext of their being born on British territory, or of traturalisa-
t o t.
:4. 1)CWIlt101: as priscners, because tbey were in EngWO

%bulb v‘,ls• vva• stucitavii.
4 Folecd bicc of American sailors, pressed on board English men
of %var.

Atolotion of flags of truce.
Itatts,,m of American prisoners, taken by the savages in the
Berviee of Eir2lalld. .
7. Plitage and destruction of private property in the Bay of
Ciiesitocake, and the neighbouring country.
8. Massacre of American prisoners surrendered to the tfrce.s of
Great Riitain, by the savages engaged in its service ; abandoning
to the savages the corpses of American priFotterS kith d by the Eng-
lish, into whose hands they had been : urtcadeted ; pillage and miir-
i!er of American citizens who had repaired to the English wider the
assitrai.ce of t heir protection ; the fortro:og of tfieir houses.
9. ei itch ies cmiclA:d Hanipton, iu Virg,inia.
Tie' first artiCic dcnionstratcs, that the Engli,h government has
adopt( i::Dram measures towards the prisoners which were not tie-
ccs.ary to <el'iste• them. It also proves the contempt of that Go-
‘,ll.l' Melt t for the ordinary law's of war ; that Government, %%hid'
conliot,s individuals in close prisons, and transport.: them, without
cause, from the ports of the English colonies, to the idand of Great

111-itiOl''. •
The second slims, that this usage of detainint: American citizens
as Eta: subjevts, in whatever light it tray be t ea.ardtd as Tar as
p.inciptea ate concerned, is till in force ; and that these detentions
e,-ntii tie to. false place by the intervention of the military or
rawal a deers of this govettnnent. It proves also, that though Great
d-es not permit other nations to natmalise its subjects, it is
titlio.ed to constrain thane foreigners who have got themselves
tnitlitalised iu Great Britain to remain subject to its laws. This
custom, even soprsing that all persons so detained ate afterwards
released. evidently subjects our fellow-citizens on a bare suspicion
to treatment whit•li they might not to suffer, aceoiding to estabbslied
rules eoneerniou ironer' of war.
It i 4 seen by the third point, that while other American citizens
were allowed a reasonable time to leave England aster the row nre,
all the seateen who were thin: in the teriiioiy ot 61 eat Vritain Dave
bi en coti•ei,:g, It at, pats..ner- of w.ir, whether they had entered its
ports in tints of peace, or whether been c.otolneivel
by force, mole' pro( nee of their cal ryinu on an illicit t.siitie. 'llle
iii;iistiee of thi• excep•Aoti I. not less e vileilt than the
.italousy it
b-tiays of.this class ea our fellow conotrymen. Tl,e commit-
tee leis:Nei. 0!-Iy, that tf illis rtavliet, of ClIgogillt; American sailor,
to serve on hoiril vesstisis 4roetiilly adopted and atolonised
( Alert) i, sollic,effily permed be ativerti-colviit of George Mottle,
at - net 119y:11, which is anoint); the doettnirots josti .
fussy the tir,t toe eaval in;wer of that State xvid iing ease in
propol lion to tltr hotelier of °or saiiors mho shout iniprisont.d.
711 t, present yloingeil *Le trlative sitnation of the two
Ilie pick:n(l(d right of loe,;•ing van 110 1014,,er ht." tArrci,ed ;
1)111 the sone end is anal:Led by ;mother nit ails. Ail the sailors
so employed Ole time of their ~i rvire is not fixed), increase the
tiaval ot tot' enemy, not only by depriving the triiited
States of their active services, but also by fornist.ing Great Brit ant
with the means of continuing and even extending its connotive,
without the number of sailors employed on board of its
Mtn of war.
The documents in support of the fourth accusation prove that
the officer:4 of the Elgiish armed vessels are in the habit of forcing
the Americans will) are pressed, to serve against their country, by
threats, corporal ptinisliment, and even the tear of insta t execit•
time; %Odell f.:ritisties lust •:active continent on the protestations
Qf the Enalkh Government, eft its promptness in releasing Anierican
sal7.•fts .mood nn boarel English men of war.
With reveet to the fifth proof of the cruelty of our enemies, it is
onlyneeessary to observe, that in a particular instance, thai of 1)1..
'gumless of their conduct was inervased by the
g of trace was destitute of every kind of
it the Doctor was charged sidelv with the
of the onfort ulnae prisoners taken an the
January, 1313. The treatment of Mr.
ies of England, but by the officers of its
qtly explained, except on the supposition,
/cry good policy to hinder the American
stance to their Conntunien, because the

sdtve sec gronN had a mole sure and expeditious method of termi-
nating their setterings.
The sixth article, relative to the ransom of the prisoners, merits
the attention ot the House : first, meaccentit of the pulley Which it
indicates aid. next, because it is intimately connected with the
cruelties of the savage allies of England. If we consider the In-
dians as a y forest in the pay of Elieland, the amount of the
ransoms may be regarded as a part of •the indemnification stipulated
for their service; and as the price of the ransom is augmented by
the terror which the most shocking barbarities inspire, it may be
jestly coecieded, that whatever may be the intention of toe English
Guyer:at:vet, the custom of redeeming the prisoners with matey
will be encom•aged by the butchery that will be made of our tellow-
collo t rymete aiid the outrages si hick Will be count' i tied on their
dead bodies, long as t::e Indians shall 1w emploved by the ere ivy.
The justness of this inference is confirmed by the tesemouy ot
several witnesses, %Oho, after basing been ransomed, have been de-
tented as prismiers of war.
The erool's which support the seventh article of accusation. spew
us, )brat !lie repo ty of unarmed intlivi.nals has been pillatfed by
the ollicers end sailors of unarmed ve),sels cruising on the coast;
that the Louses have bt en burnt, the churches protaued and
sti.e,yeal. It appears, that the ctricers, animated by the preschee
of Athetral (:ockburn, particularly distieguished themseleke on this
occasion, and that they si ere impelled by the united motives of
:Iva' ice and same-cal:cc ; not contented with appropriating to them-
selves articles of value, they destroyed all that could not tratity
their insatiahle cupidity. It has beet) alleged, to excuse these acts
of stupid cruelty, that a vessel Frut on slime by the Admitai had
been received by a discharge of musket' y from the America)
lifia. The dectiments prove that this is false. This protest has
been found -out to palliate conduct which no circumstances can
justify.
'lke Committee, folly convinced that no person, either of this
nation, or of any other, Call read Without finely remtneeets of ie-
dignation amt) horror, the bare recitel' of all the shameful violations
of honour,
.justice, and humanity, of whieli our enemies have been
guilty, abstain tiom makiiig any rt flectious the documents which
thane:palate their anthenticity. And It tno one think ot palliating
these shameful actions, by aileeieg that they were committed by
savetees. Evers; eivilizt"! nation is• respoesible for the couthiet of
the Attics nutter its command, and as it shares the advantagt•s.of
their suet ens, it ought also to partake the odium ot' their crimes.
Bet this masoning., thongli ju,t, does not express all the ietamy
of the condo) t at the in the atlair of the on the Ralblil
RiVer. The niAssi,ele of the 2:3d, :titer the capitulation, took
place without their making any effort to hinder it. This is a fact,
the ecelandy of whirls is proved !!), ail the eh elm:stance- ; and if the
English filbert.: did mit contribute to this carnage with their mu
halals. they skewed a criminal indillerence to the fate of the un-
happy wounded. But that which priives more than all the rest the
depravation t.f the character of the Eeelish soldiers, is their havii•g
deleted to the dead bodies the last doties of limilautly. Tile eerP!'eg
of our unhaupy conetus men remained exposed to every insuit, amid
le came the prey of wild beasts, in the stela' of men Who affect the
eicittest rtspt et fur the laws of humanity and ot ieligion. Doubt-
le'e: the chartieter of that al my is very contemptible, vi Inch Is re-
duced to the alternative of coufeesing that its savage allies vvoultt
not eermit it to pay the last duties to the dead. The Cominissitm-
ers have not bee o aide to di-cover what effect such barbarit it 6 have
produced no the military and civil authorities of the frontier, but
the choice of au indium trophy, to adorn the Hall of the Legisla-
iiie Body of Upper Crmb, gives eround to coeieetnee
The Committee have considered it as their ditty to submit to the
house the proofs of the atrocities committed at Hampton, thouJi
it has been since they met to mike their report. Those barbai OAS
acts may reasouahly be considered as a natural conseneenee of the
oomph: Liken by the wirers of the naval force On our coast.
The leneli,b inrpitutie coutnines to increase, and the saldiers
.ire prepared for the perpetration of the toast abominable ilteds,
by being allowed to commit smaller excesses with impunity. It
must excite indignation, though not stirpii-e, that troops who have
been led, by the example of their otheurie to plunder the property,
and to burn the houses,: of unarmed citizens, should be guilty of
violence and nundets._ But tar every violation of the laws of
litimaeity, our enemies find Or fabricate and excuse. The wounded
prisoners on the northern liontier were massacred by the savages ;
the sick pat to death, the women insulted at Hampton, were 611 by
foreign troops it) the pay of Great Britain. These pretexts (ifwe
• admit their truth) are as (lieu:vacant as the conduct which i, forced
to have recourse to them. Honour and magnanimity impose it as
a law) nut only to forbid the soldier to commit these crimes, but

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