Star.
London, England, 1828-08-15 00:00:00

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portion of our inconvenience's as so the discipline, crimes,
and punishments. It would be fortunate, in every re-
spect, if not one man floated upon an American bottom.
eislieiortemintileaif tinlittul,,mhO.ditt:Oot claim A inei
skin his birth-place.. ' .
,nokieipt operation of theselcauses, with some others
of less influence, will account fin the difficulties " which
Wave occurred in enlisting seamen for the navy." "The
messutes which may be necessary to remove them!'
should be applied to the nature of these causes, and
' comport With the character of uur institutions. They
should be addiessed to the interests, and to the freedom
'of action and choice in tie citizen, and-not to the exe
ci,e of violence or compulsive power. Impressment is
'the instrument ot un deleg a ted authority, and to be tole-
- rated only where the citizen doe. not feel his right to
that equAlity on v hick oar institutions rest.
1. It is not believrd to be expedient to•increase the
• pay. It is already sufficient to ',locate the necessary
numbers, provided other remedies within the power of
the Government be applied. This one should be reserved
' for times of greater pressure. The ration, which is
• fixed by law, and which may be regarded as a part of
• the pay, and the allowances upon entering on ship-
board, might be useffilly changed in some respects:.
• Notice has been taken of this point in former reports to
Congress, to which reference is made.
2. -The contract with the seaman should be scrupu-
Ions!), respected. and he should be discharged when it
expires, and in his own count'''. If this be not done,
be isslisiatisfied and unwilling again to enlist ; and his
services are often lost for reel to his Government. when
le is landed in a foreign country, without the means of
• conf art and the power to return immediately. It is
:obviously impracticable in every instance to accomplish'
-cilia desirable object, because the time of the seamen ex-''
• .pires at different periods. It is also difficult to ieduce the
length of the cruises of our vessels, witnout greatly aug-
menting, the elpeuse of supporting our squadrons abroad.
With the number and size of our vessels now in corn.
mission on the different stations, a reduction of the
• length of the cruise from three to two years would
create an annual addition to the expenses of supporting
• the navy of nut less than 150,009 -dollars; still, the
object is so Desirable, that every effort has been, and
*boo d continue to be. made to secure it. In June,ls27,
• a general circular letter was sent to the commanding
fficeis at sea, and at the recruiting renieavous, giving
• instructions up in the subjectothich has already produced
a salutary iffect upon the feelings of the seamen towards
- the service, and will eventually lead to great good. A
copy •of that letter is added to•this Report. It is not
? pee ceived that any other measure is necessary in refer-
mice to this point.
. S. Hospital establishments suited to the wants of the
Navy, and calculated to answer the just expectations
of our seamen, can only be provided at an early period
• by legislative aid, in appropriating money for that put-
- pose. And the conviction is earnestly but most re-
spectfully expressed, that there is no object on which a
portion. of the public funds could be bestowed with
more advantage to the interest of the naval service, or
to the honour and justice of the Government and nation.
• Heretofore nothing has been expended upon it which
• was not drawn. directly from the meagre pay of our
• officers and seamen. They have been exclusively taxed
to provide establishments which the humanity of the
• whole nation ought to have erected, and on which a
. portion of the national pride should have tested.—
. Even that money taken from our seamen has not. until
. recently. been devoted to its proper destination, but
has sometimes been used fur other purposes. Re-
- fereoce on this pint is made to the reports heretofore
prese,ted to Congress. Fur three years past. laborious
attention has been paid to secure to tie Hospital
11/4nd all that it was entitled to receive under the
law. and to commence and prosecute a system which
'should, in the end, furnish the building and accom-
modations which would be necessary or useful. By
an order dated the 11th of March, 1524, all the money
deducted from the pay of the officers And &earnest is
regularly transferred to the fund on the first day of
e'er y quarter. Sites have been purchased at Boston,
New York,. Philadelphia, and Norfolk. and alrange-
• meats made for selecting one at P. nsacola. An asylum
at Philadelphia, and an hospital at Norfolk, have been
commenced, and are progressing as rapidly as the
magnitude 't the buildings will justify. With sufficient
funds at the controul of the Commissioners, the hospio
tals at the places mentioned might be completed in two
.• years, and nsysternestablished which would meet 'WI
wants of the navy for half a century to-come, perhaps
for ever. And should it be the will of Congress to
make a suitable appropriation for this interesting object,
*most salutary effect would be wrought upon the in-
. dimitiess of mamma to enter the service, and upon all
its highe.t and best interests.
For those difficulties which ariseftom seam navigas
";tioa-ofrons the commerce in vessels—from enlistments
in.skie service of ether Governments—from the augusenol
, Mimi of tonnage—front the practice of taking a sew
bp/lend green bands—end from the number of foreign
'seamen in our employ, there seems to be but one ade-
..-arate and appropriate remedy; which is, such an in-
.CCOUB of native American seamen as will answer every
:demand Glom mercantile and naval marine. It will
.. not be easy speedily, if at all, to artainehis result. The
preens must be skno ; but it is worth the sacrifice of
• tiene, convenience, and money, which it will require.
- It is peculistly important that those who navigate our
public ships should be n live Americans. Cur seamen
..ore believed to be-oat least for our own purposes—bet-
tee than those of any other nation ; economical, vigu.
roes; hardy, skilful; taught in the best schools; bred in
the best nurseries; not ignorant of their rights, but
governed with ease, when governed with justice. It is
desirable not to mingle other and worse materials with
such men, to injure their habits, create a spirit lead-
ing to insubordination and crime, and when the tir or of
• action comes, to have among them those who must con-
tend, not for, but perhaps against their native flag. In
peace we can do better without foreign seamen; in war
slight temptations of avarice, and other causes, will lead
. them from us. and their presence will give us less con-
fidence in battle. Every sailor in our ships should have
located here all those attachments which bind man to
his cooetry.. Long vied steady service under his native
•flag will increase fidelity to it, give a more generous
. courage in its defence, and ensure that devotion which
shields the home and the tilesitie from invasion.
. In attaining this condition, so far as the navy is con-
ceratd. it is a favourable circumstance that habit induces
theratior to peer nue ships of war to the merchatit or
. onp other sea vice ; .that althorigh the discipline is more
• s igoroos. his comforts-are greater, his employments and'
:vicissitudes less changing ; he will therefore continue in
then', even at less wages. If we can procure for, and
Macs iw ciur itavy, ,as many native American sea-
,men as are tequiredi we shell probably be able to
Hues theoioandi thus. be prepated for ever'' event
;tibia Olio Pr liaomal P"`doce- the ougsbero neces-
sary far oer.spetehent vessels and .siiips of war may be
readily estimated. Oue.topnage, in 1826, amounted to
1,534,191; in 1827, ptobably to about 1,600000 ;