Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1813-03-08


Re-. 3lr. x ri : ddafess
The Rev Mr. iaggart, member of
Congress from this state, has, with his
accustomed fidelity, ability and industry,
presented to his constituents the rOuIl
of some accurate Investigations he has
made upon the subject Of seamen.
Sur members OF congress in the mi
nority have with apparent concert, at
least with great good fortune, taken
very distinct and separate views oil our
public affairs.
While Mr.. Quincy very eloquently
examined the secret as well as a,owed
Causes OF this iuinous war-whiie he
drew aside the veil, which concealed
the works of darkness, the Hon. Mr.
Emott, with an ability which would do
honor TO the proioundest lawyer or
statesman in this country, penetrated TO
the bottom the two most interesting
questions which have been the subject
Of dispute between us and Great
Britain.
Mr.. faggart has principally confined
himself TO A very able analysis Of the ia
nous 6o57 Report Of Impressed sea.
mcn--that swollen and bioated false
hood, nshered forth from the dep TT
menl OF State, and perfectly character
isiic of he present war--a war founded
IS il now appears on false documents
declared upon unjust principles, and
prosecuted with folly and madness
fully worthy Of its origin aud ptiaci
pies.
hose who have a fondness for q
ithmetical calculations and mathemali
al truths will do well to- read all the
details of Mr. ipggzu's speech, in
which he has sifted mos; thoroughl,
every part Of the 6057 report, aud be-
lore whose piercing eye and scorehing
touch, his evaporaled liSe the morning
dew before an Angus. sun these
Buckram sailors have vanished into al
We think however we shall render
IN acceptable service to our readers by
giving he resull OF his Investigations.
Let Us take, says he. 6257, which IN
cludes 200 not properly belonging 10 IL,
not being included in Mr. Lyman s re
ports, and therefore il not being ascer-
tanned that thew are not discharged, but
ADMIT 1t TO be 6257 From this deduct
fist, duplicate, triplicaie, sc applica
tons, In which the same man is nun
bered over again from twice to FIVE
ines, (the Instances of which abomin
4ble negligence Of fraud) amour, to
548 1t is frob4ble The number is much
z eater, but this ID dseertaiHed, 10 this
add 757, bIunder in the enumeration
Tor ignfes) between the reports fin
uary, 1895, ant. OF March, 1903, which
Mr. iaggart could 6nd no solution OF
nom the public fills, aud which was a
pure mislaky, there then will remain
1852 here arc $40 cases of impress
ments from ships whose national cha
racter Is ascettained, aud OF them l42
are British, being 5ths nearly Of the
whole. Ii we add / 6 cases from
French, Swedish and Danish yessl Is,
who were enemies of Grea, Britain, and
where she had a right to seize our sea-
men, 1t will exceed 5lhs; it is fair to
presume that in the cases where the
vessels from which the seamen was
impressed is not known, [ei,her thai
the application is wholly fraudulent or
that the proportion OF British TO Amer
lean vessels is nearly the same with
those we have given 10 us-indevd
there can be no other rule---but coll il
a third instead oil . 5ths-[ Now as the
British had a right to impress from
their ozva merchant ships any Ameri.
cans serving voluntarily on board and
hey could not DC on board merchant
ships but voluntarily, as they DO not
imhress for the merchant service, or At
least We should not and do not 90 TO
var TO prevent her impre ssiug out OF
her own Ships,] deductiag then 81
for impressmeut thus proved 10 have
been made from B7itsh ships. there
will rem in only 1902 f the 6257, of
these 1924 have been discharged or
ordered TO b. discharged, besides
those discharged under AIR. Talbot's
agency in the West Indies, leaving
balance oil 1873.