The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-05 00:00:00

MANNING IHE NAVY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—I have this day read your own comments
l in your Panei of Tuesday, the 25th uit., and
th"ugh now laid on the shelf of the naval service,
still I cannot help offering you my tribute of ap-
proval and thanks, for publication of the only ener-
getic, truly sensible, independent, and well digested
expo:Sl have vet seen on the alarming and impor-
tant subject of our seamen, and its probable results
in ease of another war, which, from many probable
causes, may not be far distant.
For more than two centuries the House of Com-
mons of this country have occasionally expressed
disgust at impressment of seamen for our naval ser-
vice, but never had nerve sufficient to meet the
question with that perseveriNg spirit this all impor-
tant subject requires. In a letter I addressed to
Lord Melville, as First Lord of the Admiralty, 24
years ago, I concluded by saying, " The British
seamen have brought their country through many
wars to its present state of greatness in the scale of
nations, and unless you make the service more
eligible to their mind and feelings, and render im-
pressment nugatory, by proper encouragement,
equal or superior to their brothers in war, British
seamen will be the destruction of their nation,
which they have brought to such a pitch of great-
ness." In elucidation of this, I will tell you truth,
that in the last American war their ships were
manned with British seamen. The day they de-
clared war agaioit us, ,hey, by an
c official census,
counted twenty thousand British seamen in the
United „state, Yes, 'het t‘ere the seamen that
fought Your battles of Nile. Copenhagen, and Tra-
falgar, and swept e, -r-
-e opposing naval foe but
America from the surface of the ocean. From many
causes, I know more on this subject than most, if
not ativ otiier person. And I could almost shed a
teat for my country, if she does not immediately
remedy this evil, which will otherwise destroy her.
I was Ca.ptain of the Macedonian when she was
Captured by the United States American ship, and
on nay being taken on board that ship, I recognized
many of her crew in different ships I had com-
manded ; one of my crew found his brother on
board ; others cousins ; and one of my quarter-mas-
ters on the Court-martial swore to his having
known 17 of the American crew, who served their
time out of the ports of Newcastle and Shields at
the tune he did. While the United States and
Macedonian lay vgether in the harbour of New
London, my crew being prisoners, I was met one
evening by the crew of the United States, I be-
lieve purposely, in the street, pet haps 300 of them;
they gave me three dietl.s, and said we captured
you, the Americans could not do it, and when our
country behaves well to us we will capture the
Americans. In fact the crew of the American
ship always paid me more respect than they did to
their own officers. You are not to look on this as
a solitary instance ; it was the case with all their
ships. The American Captains told me they would
not go to sea with native seamen. I have known
an American frigate at New York hoist the flag
for entry of seamen, and in twenty-four hours 800
British seamen crossed her deck, from whom the
Captain picked 400 of a crew. Those facts may
startle, but are no less true, and will be again more
awfully realized, to the discomfort of Great Bri-
tain. I could verify the truth of every sentiment
your valuable comment contains, and happy will
it be for England if she takes seasonable measures,
from the tenor of your very important dictate, as I
assert that on this subject alone she rises or falls as
a nation. Except the enemy are landed on your
shore, and Man, woman, and child becomes terror-

struck, impressment cannot be again resorted to,
and though I feel assured the present Government
would gladly enter on the subject, still party spirit
tuns so high, the chance is any measure they brought
.forward would be frustrated. A letter will not ad-
mit of recounting my former suggestions to remedy
the evil of impressment, and I can only say I deem
it very feasible, and shall be always most happy to
lend assistance, by suggestion, and detail of many
facts. - Your remark on the state of the manning of
our fleet, at the conclusion of the war, is, I fully
know, perfectly correct ; in fact, ours was then a
nominal navy. I here insert the crew of the Mace-
donian, being, the last ship I commanded in the war.
Offie,rs, petty iifficars, seamen, and marines ..
Leadsmen.... 258 Boys

36

Crew of the United States. 297
Officers, petty officers, seamen, and marines...... 478
Landsmen
None
Boys

479
I do hope- and trust, Sir, that you will persevere
in the cause you have under aken—the salvation of
this nation. It is worthy of your strenuous efforts
'I am, Sir, you: obliged and obedient servant,
JOHN S. CARDEN, Rear-Admiral.
Oichenham, nirch 1.