Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1809-05-23

soldiers of the Sd Brigade for the prompt
and manly discharge of their respective
duties upon all occasions when called upon
by the constitutional organs of their country
"a retrospect of the past insares the plea
sing anticipation of their future good con-.
duct.
The Commandments of the regiments com
posing the Sd Brigade will forthwith dis
charge from requisition the attachments
now IN readiness for actual sarvice.
JOHN GUER2ANT, Jr.
B G. Sd b. V. M.
Goochland, May 10th, 1909.
ON1iNUWIC.1TION
TO The Printers Of the Boston Patriot.
SIRs,
A few words more on the subject of
pressing. In strictness we have 10 do
with The question, whether impre ssrnent
of seamen in England are legal or i'll. gal.
Whatever iniqu,ty or inhumanity that go.
vcrnneut may inflict on their own SUP
jecls, we have no authority to call tnem
to an account for it. But when they ex.
tend that power To Us, a fore,sn nation, il
is natural for US, and it is our duty as well
as in,eres, TO conside- what il is among
themselves.
The mpst remarkable case in which this
subject has been touched in Wes:-min
ster Hall, is in Ccwper's Reports, page
5i2, Rex vs. John Tubbs. Tive report of
the case is very long, ard sllsll onij, OBJ
serve, tina, the question OF the legality of
the power of impressmen,, was not before
the court. The question was whether
the lord mayor had right to exempt tnir.
ty or forty Waterman for his barges.---
Lord Mansfield sufficiently expresses his
alarm and his apprchensions of the con.
sequences OF starting question relative
to this subject, in the following words
4" / am very sorry that either Of the res
peetable parties before the court, the city
of London on the one hand, or the lords
commissioners ofthe admiralty on The o
Their, have been prevailed on to agitate this
question:" sc.
81 was in hopes the court would have
had an opportunity of investigating this
point to the bottom, instead of being ur
ged to discuss it so instantaneousiy, &c.
own wished for a more deIib rate con
sidera,icn upon this sublecl [; but b ing
prevented Of that, am bound to say wat
my present sentiments are. The power
OF pressing is founded upon imme mortal
usage, allowed fog ages. lift be SO foun
ded, and allowed for ages, it can have no
ground TO stand upon, nor can Il be vindi
Gated or jut fed by Any reason but the
safety Of he state : and the praclice is de.
duced from that trite maxim of the con-
sItutionaI law of England, that private
mischief had better be submit. ed to, than
public deuImeni and inconvenience should
ensue. To be sure there are instances
where priva;e men must give way 20 the
public good. In every case of pressing,
every man must be very sorry for the acl
and for the necessity which gives rise 10
il. Il ought therefore TO be exercised
with the greatest moderation and only
upon the most cogent necessity, & though
il be legal power, it may, like many o.
Tiers, be abssed IN the exercise Of IT,"
The case is too long to transcribe but
it is worth reading. My remarks upon 1t
shall be short.
}. Lord Mansfield most mapifes,ly drea.
ded the question:, probably OH account OF
the innumerable difficulties attending it,
as well as the national uproar It would
most certainly excite.
2. His lordship carefully avoided the
use ofthe word right Tie kne the sense,
force and power OF words TOO we'll to pro,
fame that sacred expression, By applying
it to a prastice SO losse and underlined, so
irregular and cspricIous, so repoghant to
the inherent, hereditary, unslienabi= and
iodefessIble births right of British sub
jeSis.
,. Tie calls il practice and power,
but he does no, even venture 10 call il
prefogadSe OF the erown-