Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-04-26
FROM THE Essay REc1srEa.
IMPRESSED sEAMtN

-
Our government has receiver, The ra,,ore
Oh OBJ cases OF impressment, and Mr.. Ly-,A
man. onr consul AZ London, adds in his re-
port Hthat he has reason TO believe not n,o,.,
than one third have come 70 his knowIhpe
Sommcdore Rodgers speaking on the same
SUBJECT conJecturss that one eighth of the
sGdmen III the British navy are Americans.
Npw tee British employ about l50, 900 sea-
men, their state ships, one eigth OF this
number would be about 5000, and. this
number agrees with what IN Lyman am
poses. A tcrtherproof that 9ianv more
seamen have been impressed thassase know
Oh we gar that the government .bss,e ne yer \
neard oil out ten cases OF impreS s.s3siit frouI
Salem. we have examined the pnbFc do,
cumentS CONSUMING the rasAes ofsss z,uisd
: Merii''<i on'ysts.1 ipsl from Salem known to
the governRseRts kfsere have. BEEN move
than $50 inIgasss4ents from Sslte,s anS
the probability therefore is, s.sit there IRE i
many more from tie other toms thsn ,EHs z
government has heard OF. Syspos;nc ~
3OCO American se.neA Wild ,h3vc been g
stahtiy employed in the British sersS ice for
t";hty years past, (and think tie supDo-
si'iOh not too great tAeir wages az twenty
dollars per month would amount TO twenty
TOUR millions OF dollars. But take the actu-
al number OF Sly thouGaadstwo hundred
and hity ssyen American seaAen who have
been III the service, at the wages Of twenty
d9liara per month, and the amount for ons-
year WI! be l, sol, $50 dollars YEAR
VOW, snppose, what rs greatly too little,
mat TINS number Of men have been in the
service Tor only te9S ears, there will be due
70 tnein from the Enlish government, l5,-
oio'ooo collars wages besides their priza
money. Ought the government ever RI
make peace without demanding that no, an
~ every one OF those men should be dis.
Charged, but that lltheir wages sho;.Il he
Ilaio 10 the United States and that h.reaC-
yer lhey should never again make another
impresSment.
1t It should be said that all seamen in tho
Brush service receive their monthly wa.
geS, we have only TO ask what is the a,nonnt
oitheir pays Why abont twenty shilEngs
sterling Deduct this amount from wb,,ris
actually their due, or what they might have
earn ed In our own service, and the resu,t
WIZ be about the same. a little less than we
have given before.
1 he English officers have the STRONGEST
motives TO iSlpress our seamen. tbat Fan
actrate men An American seaman receives
~, ~, "aSes' no prize money, FOX his services.
His patriotism, his virtue willnot sum-, I'm;
TO enter the service, but he remains fi.cu,
year TO year, with " singular censfo,,lI ,,
IN a hopeless hops tiiat he shall one timeor
ether, escape or be discharged. lie isr1Sd
To leave che service without asking ifs}b lis
wages and prize money, and the wh3le s..
| mount aCcrues TO tile officers Onr unfnr
tunatS seam armust serve out his best 6avs
anl waste the prime ofhis lie from his enc.
teriug family, his destitute children. end b;s
aged parents, that Englisbmen nav have q
pocket foil of spending money. Iii. t6ere-
lore highly for the interest of the sr;,;tl,
navy officers, as well as pleasing TO tbei,.
government, to impress our countIyme,. :
IL VIC are thus 20 furnish thesI}ritisf,, ro,y,
with men, let as be placed upon q f1,sline
win respect TO tnelr families, as favorable
as tie iamiieS OF British seamen. LIT US
solicit the government Of Great B.itai}f 81.
extend her laws RESPECTING sear,,sn -
their families 70 our own country. BV !,
law OF that country, passed H. l79s. RS G.
III ch'%S) regular monthly supply IS Grant
ed TO the wife and each child or 10 In. =.
ged parent OF anyseaman Wins gilIinslta
make such an arrangement. But. alas , Gus
seamcn, who have manned the British ha,,,
many years, TO the number of several tbor-
| sand, have neither received WAGES tber,-
selves, nor their families. say, II we INNS,
submit to this practice, which the fedrra
lists. particularly Timothy Pickering. $40
| We ought TO do, let W do Che best for tbcfo
ard gfaclously petition tile prince regent to-
| place our unfortunate cauntrymen under
| the same iayorabis laws as his own subieetS
| enjoy.
SALEM LIST coNTINUKHh
No. IS. francis Jalbert. in a Isttee 81
mis- father dated on board the BellernDI,e,s.
June l6. 1911, he says, ~ have wrote seve.
raj letters 70 you, GEAR father, tLese ave
years past, and have never rccei, cd AN an.
swer from you, which makes me think yae
have entirely forgotten nc. ! have lost my
protection AID was inpgesGsd " board ii,