The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-05-11 00:00:00

OY THE FORGERY OF AMERICAN SHIPS'
PAPERS, AND CERTIFICATES OF CITI-
ZENSHIP.

'1 r or

-
LETTER 11. • •
TO THE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.
gin,-1 was correct in my opinion, that the too
near prospect of a third Bourbon mar would tempt
the cupidity of some of the least reputable of our
shipowners and merchants; and that British ship-
ping would be agaiu seen seeking the ports of France,
under the disguise of Americans, and British seamen
be again trained and drilled in the practice of per-
jary I Already have several vessels, thus disguised,
ssi:ed from British ports ; and two have gone from
the River, the one bound to Dieppe, the other, I
believe, to Bourdeaux!
These disgraceful transactions were known to ac-
credited Agents of the United States, and it was in
contemplation to have caused these vessels to be
tested in the portsr,f France ; in which case, the per-
sons so disguised would have had two offences of a
very serious nature to answer for; namely, that of
entering in disguise the port of a nation with which we
stood on the eve of war, whereby the parties might
be tried for their lives as being spies ; and secondly,
if any authorised Agent of the United States should I
prefer a complaint in any foreign port against the !
master and crew for falsely assuming the privileges of
the American flag, and of American citizens, by
Immo of forged Documents, as every person who ,
assumes the disguise becomes a principal in the
!emery. they sveeld all become liable to severe and
ignominious 'punishment, exclusive of the confiscation !
'of the ship, and also of the cargo, if belonging to the I
same parties.

Bat the American Agents, more desirous to prevent
than to punish, contented themselves with giving the
owners to understand, that if those vessels continued
to navigate under the disguise of being Americans,
t!..tt they would be seived by American cruizers,
s!•fit to America for adjudication, and there dealt
according to law.
Whilst no proof has ever been adduced that our
Government hare thrown any impediment in the way
r.f thesecriminal practices, it is notorious that the Go-
iernment of the United States, and particularly during'
the Administration of Mr. GALLATIN, exerted the
power vested in them by the law, and where they
could not prevent the offence, they never failed to
visit it with punishment!

The flags and papers assumed by the Merchants
and Ship-owners of America, were most commonly
she Spanish or Portuguese. The persons offending
pleaded in vain that the fraud was practised against
the country whose flag was assumed, and that it en-
abled an American ship to partake of advantages not
()there ise attainable in time of peace—for example,
it enabled an American ship thus disguised to sail
ditect from the Havannah to Cadiz. Consistent in
their professions and their actions, the Government
of tlin Unites! States treated the offence as a crime of
the blackest dye ; and as they could not punish it as
as, infringement of the laws. of Spain and Portugal,
tiny tried the parties for imposing upon the laws of
the United States, under the disguise of foreigners.
If our Government should still suffer a few privi-
feud malefactors to commit forgery with impunity, and
to hawk about for sale from one coenting-lanuse to
another, ftirged public documents of the most SOlelttll
description, it is pretty evident the Government
of the United States will resist the practice; and if
tacir reptesentationa should prove fruitless, that the
sword will soon be unsheathed, and, in addition to a
Liar with France, we shall again be plunged into
hostilities with America. This danger is neither im-
probable nor remote. The National Inlelligcncer
lately contained a paragraph, stating that the ques-
tion relative to impressments being waved Instead of
adjusted, would soon be followed by another war;
and this practice, as I stated in my last letter, was
confessedly the great producing cause of those im-
pressment% that led to the last war. The last arrivals
from America have furnished us with the PRESIDENT'S'
Illessage, relative to the alleged excesses committed
by the American troops at York-town, which were
urged as a justification of the burning at Wash-
ington of public edifices, not used for warlike
eurpotes. America will, no doubt, keep at
itelee, if she remain in that slate with honour;
hut it is •almost certain she will not endure the
impressment of her seamen under any circum-
stances,—nor the assumption of her flag, to enable
British %hips to enter the ports of France, and thus
disguised, memopoliae a commerce to which, as a
belligerent,4llohas no just or honourable pretensions.
I flattered tn)self in the hope, that my last letter
!.,iL;lit hart. caused some iudependent Member to take
vp this business in the House of Commons. As
‘..ttly as the year 1805, its existence was announced
to the Admiralty Court, but no notice taken of it.
iEr)7, it was made the subject of correspondence
with Mr. PfneEvar., who acknowledged the baseness
tf the practice, but winked at its continuance, on
zcrount of the commercial advantages it procured.
Mr. QutscT ADAMS, who is appointed to represent
..I,r United States of America at the Court of the
Prince Regent, may be daily expected in London ;
nod, no doubt, one of the first objects of his mission
be to protect the flag of the United States from
'itch daring and dangerous violations, the continu.
stioti of which must necessarily ruin the commerce
of America wish France, where American ships
and American citizens cannot expect to find sia.
c!;rity if their neutral character is assumed by the
si,ips and seamen of Great Britain. I firmly be-1
litre if this wicked system is not radically abo-
li•hed we shall he involved in another war with the
United States before the close of this eventful year. !
May 10, ISIS. VEItAX. I

Mr. JOSEPH LANCASTER is Lecturing upon Edo-
cation in Ireland.—A subscription has been corn-
metimd, to bear him clear of loss while exerting his
talents for the public good; and with a design to
retnler it more extensive, a number of Gentlemen
have given him a pressing invitation to res' some
time in Ireland.
The receipts of the Theatre fort of the
amiable widow and family of t r. HENRY
&BOONS, at Edinburgh, eac 4WI. If our
northern neighbours have nut quite so warm a cli-
mate, they have not colder hearts than Englishmen!
JOHNSTON E, SINCLAIR, end Miss O'NEIL, are en-
gaged to perform a limited number of nights at the
Edinburgh Theatre, during the summer season.