Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-04-07

To the above add the cases of the men
who were taken in the British trlgate
Guer,iere, Gin all 49, and who informed
Captain Hull that they had been in7frea-
.e1, the sum total will then be rs.
It appeared further in evidence that
some of tH masters of ships had been
to sea for many years without having
single man impressed: ana IN general
the masters could recslleet but two or
three instances from thsir own vessels,
in the course of their whole sea- laring
life
Your committee also found that in
the practice Of impressments, m some
cases, abuses had taken place, both
with the British and French instances
of which appear by the documents an
acxed. The instances of iH.prsssments
by the French, however, appeared to
have been few in number, comparative
Nv with those by the British.
1t appeared also, that great frauds had
been practised. with regard TO seamen's
troteetions, and which could not easily
be guarded against by the officers oil the
government. Many ofthose projections
it appears, have been forged, aud hun.
dreds Of forged oncs, it was testified, had
been destroyed by the custom house Of
Gccrs. Specimens of these forgeries
we're exhibited to your committee, and
are herewith submitted.
(Sce dshosisions No. l3 and 81
Ii appeared also, that genuine Amerl-
san projections were bought and soldI In
many cases, Tor two dollars pisse; and
that, by means Of the keepers of boa d.
ING houses in the se%ports, who were
in the practice of collecting them, these
genuine projections were put into the
bands o. foreigners whose pecsons a
greed with The desert ptIon in the protec-
ton, and The foreigner then assumed the
mamie OF the .1nlr;1GQn who was named
in The paper; and it sometimes happen
ed, that IIiterate foreigners, who had
procured such projections, forgot the
name Trey were to take.
Such are some Of The facts which have
appes red before your committee in res
pcct to the practice of imprsssments.
Your committee directed their atten.
ton, in the next. place. to the principle
on which G eat Britain POUNDS her claim
Of impre ssing her seamen from mss-
chant ships. This inquiry appeared to
involve principally the following consi-
Arlalions Whether France, and other
European nations recognize and practice
upon the same principle; and whether
the government Of the u. States has e.
yer made it cause of war against France
or any other natlon what measures
have been adopted by the United States
under the former aud present admins
trations in respect to impressments =
what offers have been made on the part
of Great Britain to secure to the United
States the Practical advantages which
they have demanded without formal
REIMBURSEMENT Of The principle contend
ed for; and whether the magnitude OF
the injury had been constantly increas-
ing until the time Of the declaration of
war, to such an alarming degree that
forhearaDce could no longer be JUS
tiled"
First then, does France, as well as o.
Their nations. recognize the same princ!-
pie which IS commended fer by Great
Britain
1t Is a principle acknowledged in al
governments, that allegiance and pro-
tectlon are reciprocal; and that every
government has right to the services
OF Its citizens; and especially that no 81
t;zen has a right to leave his country in
time Of T'ar without the consent of his
own government. This principle has
lhis Is a seaman suho mas Impressed
from fhe chip Hugh Johnson, Cant. En-,
mes u. 1909, at Palermo. The owner
AIp Jak r \ 4