Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1808-05-24

contract Of service ,s our citizens, within
our Jurisdictions upon the high seas And
whr her he has a right expressly 10 con.
maod bic naval officers SO TO seize them. Is
this 40 acknowledged priuciple! Certain,
y DOT. Why thtn is this proeanatien
described as founded upon uneon.es.ed
principle? And shy il the command so
Justly Offensive 20 Us, and so mischleveus,
as Sht then have been made 10 exscu-
tion, altogether omitted?
!, Bas II is no. the taking OF British sub.
ljec,s from our vesssls, i,is the taxing un
der color Oft that pretence. our own native
American citSzeas, which constitutes the
most gslling aggrss asiso Of this merclless
I practice. Yet eyen this, we are told is but
| q rreieuce for three reasons.
! 1. Becssse the nutnber Of ci,izeas thus
taken is small.
9 Because il arises osly from the impos.
sibia,y Of Distinguishing EcglssEnrn from
] Americans.
| 3. Because, such impressed American
cilisens are delivered up Ga duly aushea-
,icsted proof.
! 1. SmslI and great IN point of numbers
| are relative terms. To suppose thar The
native Americans form ssmall proportion
| oftacWhole nan.bsr inp,essedi is mistake.
| The reverse is the fact. Eyamire The Of.
ac,al returns from the department. Of safe.
| They give the names ct between four and
five Thousand men impressed siaec the
| commence seas Ct the present war. Of
! which rumb=r, not Que fifth pare were
| British subjects. The uunbcr Of natural.
! ised e mericans could Hot amaunt to one
ten,h. hazard lit l. in taying.iha, more
than hyes fourths were naive Americans.
| fin b. sad shat some Of ,hese meu tho
appearing CA ,hs face Of he rsurns Ane.
can ci,iSsns, were really British subiec,s.
AM had ffaudeut'y procured her pro'ec.
1 ,iocs Irepiy tina, this number must be
far exceeded by the cases OF the citzeos
impressed. which never reach the d-pa,,
nent Of state. The American consul in
London estimates he number Ct impress
! mrntr :, l.ing the war a. nearly three times
! the IA ,uis of the names returned If the
ma ure Of the offence BE- considered ia its
.rue color., TO peopls having just sense
Of pars oosl Liberty aud security, il is 10
every single instance, Of NAL gni'y not afe.
rior to that of murder. The very sam.
| act, when commuued by the recruiting ogi,
| Ger Ct one nation within The territories Of
another, 10 by .he uaiVeTsal Law and usage
| Of ns,ions eonished with death. Suppose
the crime had 1T every instance, as by its
I coosr quene.s i has been 10 many. delbe.
rate nurse, Would Il al ~ or slence
the voice of eur complaints to be told sha,
! the sumbc was small!
! ?. The impoxaibiIi,y of distinguishing from
| the American seanen is not the only, not
| even the most frequen, occasion of impress
| ment Look again into the returns from the
department of state you will see that the
officers take our men without pretending to
enquire where they were born; sometimes
from tie wantonness of power. When they
| manifest the most tender regard for the neu
trail rights Of America, they lament that they
want the men. They regret the necessity,
but they must have their complement, When
we complain of these enorn1ites, We are an
swered that the acts of such officers were
not authorised: that the commanders OF men
of war arc an unruiy set Of men, for Whose
violence their own government cannot a.
| ways be answerabIe; that enquiry shall be
NADIA court-martial is sometimes men
homeland the issue of Whitby's court-mar-
tial has taught us what relief is 70 be expect
ed from that. There are even examples am
| told, when UGH officers have been put upon
| the yellow list. But this is rare exception.
The ordinary issue, when the act IS disayow.
ed, is the promotion of the actor.
5. The impressed native American citizens
however, upon aaly authenticated hroof are
delivered up. Indeed! How unreasonable
e4A