Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-04-26

We were, therefore, justified in view.
ing the subject with very different feel.
ings without being justly liable to the
charge Of taking high tone, and wish.
ing TO lord it over America as superior
nation. He conceived, that the Ameri.
can government had acted in an unwor-
thy and discreditable manner, in taking
tone upon this subject not consistent
with reason or good sense, and which
wen, so directly to break that harmony
between the two countries which it
would be SO DESTROYS to preserve. He
thought that no rational or fair man could
say that there was any thing in those pa
pcrs which Showed any desire on the
part Of his majeSiy's government to do
any thing unjus, or oppressive towards
America. The American government,
however, had been pleased to assume,
that very considerable number OF A.
merican seamen had been impressed on
board our ships Of war |; and they had
made ont their list so far as to calculate
them at 10000. In order to give any
color to such statement, they mustas-
sumo, in the first place, that every man
taken out Of American ships was really
an American seaman, The statement,
however, was nothing like true &C
count. Although the whole number
employed in our fleets amounted to LIS
600, when the lords of the admiralty, in
January 1911, called upon those sailors
who claimed to be American seamen to
declare themselves, there were only $500
who pretended to be American seamsn,
and this year there were considerably
less. When the truth of their allega-
tons was examined, it did not appear
that more than a fourth Of those who
claimed to be American seamen, could
support their claim in any manner what
ever. 1t was, indeed, reasonable to ex.
pect, that in the hopes OF gettiag their
d discharge many would have ASSERTED
themselves to be American seamen who
were not. Instead oftwenty thousand,
it would therefore appear, that sixteen
or seventeen hundred was the greatest
number of American seamen which we
could have in our navy. How could a.
ny rational person really believe that
this country would go to war with Anne
RIGA fer the purpose OF keeping such
small number of Americans III cur feet
When the American government, how.
ever, SGT forward in such strong colors
the number Of American seamen i'm.
pressed in our vessels, it was remarka'
BILE that all the maritime states OF Anne
RIGA from which those seamcn must be
supposed to be taken, denied the evil 10
have existed in any material degree, and
dlsspproved Of the war that was under.
taken on that pretenee. TWAS the agri'
cultural states of the south, and tho pro.
vinces ON the Mississippi, who joined
the president in this ground Of war but
the public feeling OF the maritime and
commercial states of America was very
evident from their not having given ,
single vote for that President who made
the impressmsnt of their seamen tho
p.etext of war. (Hear, hear He
believed that it would DO very evident,
on the perusal of the papers, that this
government had acted throughout in the
spirit of Cancellation and forbearanes,
but that no such dispositions were ma.
infested on the part Of the American 60
verDment.
T..ere were some who thought that
since the commencement OF the war, the
government had not acted with sufficient
vigor. This was question that he was
prepared to discuss Whenever it should
regularly be brought forward. He wcu d
confess that ministers did feel spirit OF
Cancellation, and that they had hcpec,
even after the declaration of war, that
the American government might &C
brought to something like spirit Il
conciIia,ien on the repeal Of our orders
in council.-He should, however, be
prepared to show, that if ministers did
not Immediately send as great force as
many thought .hould have Immediately
been sent against America, it was be-
cause such force could not then be
spared from other services. As to &c.
fensive measures, it was evident that
that hey had adopted sufficient measures
for the defence of Canada, and our pos
sessions in that part Of the world -
Neither had any Of our valuable fleets
been captured, as nigh, have been ex-
pccled in the first eruption Of the gar,
when the assaiIsnts might choose their
Own ,;mc for commencing il. Ali that
they could be charged with on tins head;
was nst having Immediately seut farce
strong enough to act offcn-igely Some
men expected that this country vas 10
BE- equally strongly land and by sea, at
all points 81 the " orld where war might
break out This was, however, not
rational slpposition, and he trusted that
he could prove tho, ministers had used
ovar,, ca..,noIl, .I;jireEre Tn meet this