Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-07-14

rated II at scco, ard, much more
who have swelltd il 70 so,Gco, ATE H..
bic with gross misrepre ssnsatien, ~
mons,rasing This. we shall avsil ours
extensively Of eMoial statements n,I
the executive. I, must however ben
cd, that the numbers detailed by,he,]
Of our govern msnt is far oytf.,.,,eI
because by SCI atinizirg the r,natd n
ments it viii be found ina. lie sam, n
is often enumeratedas frequently as,b1
petition Of &C mp!aint for rtlietsiis mad.
the individual ard Cd. many ccn,Ll
are made by persons who are rot Gil
l,nt who, under an American mask, o. \
by spurious documents, expestto ,sess]
the crowd as such, and whose CASH.
.hefore classed among the Americas, n
or without proofs.
In the letter dated January S, 1904
dressed BY Mr.. Madison TO Mr.. M@l
containing instructions for arranging a nj
with Great Britain he observes, UPON
head Of impressments (priDted vol. >, l:|
follows. The rtmarks apply to the
PERIOD BEFORE THE YEAR 1902
The annexed report to eongressaI
subject Of impressmsf,ts, with the addr]
Of such cases as may be in the hands dl)
Ewing, will verify the re marx in its NJ
<oa,ion to the present war (viz. ,ha. CD
Britain gained bur lew OF her seamenLyA
practice OF imprt ssment.( The stat.a]
made by his predecessor during ii: \
war, and which is also annexed, is 10 \
same view still mo,e conclusive. n
statement ccmprehends not only all the 4
plioa,iens made by him in the first irsa|
for the liberation compressed seamsn, /
tween the month Of June, 1897, AID Sd
1901, but many also, which had bssln.I
previous to this agency by MIR. (Thn
Pirkney and MIR. King, ard which nV
necessary for him to renew. These aps;II
cations therefore may fairly be consilr
as embracing the greater parl Of the REID
Of the war and as applications are kro|
to be pretty indisc,.m:nattly made, d
may further be considered as entraciar
not the whole, The far greater part q 1
impressments, those of British subjes|
well as o.hers. Yet the result exit
2o59 cases only, and Of this NUMBER I
scamer were detained as British subaI
which is less than 1, 2oth OF the numbHH1
pressed and 1912 discharged, OF ordeTt
be so, as not being British subjects, ls'S1
eos for further proof withthe strongest
sumption, that the greater part, il not |
whole, were Americans or other AID
whose proof of citizenship lhad been hS|
destroyed, or whose situation would actca|
Tor the difficulties and delays in Proda']
IL"
thus, therefore, it appears ofhc'aly'@
the executive knew Of only sos9 cases
complaints Of impressment, from the va
the war commenced, or more eortselI
speaking from the latter end of l7s',wf
latter end of 1901, being eight years
less than 266 per annum on an average.
must likewise be RENE mbered, that IN p
Of this period the temper Of England
wards ,his country was more uniaV0I'I
than it ever has been since, thar tor sol
time she acted towards our vessels as u
die had been cast for war. and that IN q
sequence of the almost indiscr!mnsts Y
ture Of our vessels, an immense nunDa
our seamen were thrown Upon her snal
destitute, unprotected anslsmore thanusl
" exposed TO impressment. As Inois''1
this war was thefrsr inHwhich seannensPl
tections were required to prove lhs'J
IS neutrals, many more we're
pressed for want of them, then when o
continuance ofthe war, their use and n'l
sity became more familiar. Yet undal
those unproYi,ious circumstances, wla
annual average of $50 complaints, n.|
than half the number of seamen ob'apI
relief. Ofthose cases not reported N
susceptible of Immediate relief, 'u'vI
allowance than is admitted by Nh ||
ron "a m he n, ,d. for en,A &c urre Itlt