The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-10-08


have been impressed and are held in the
British service. Taking into view the man
,,er in which these unfo, tauate persons came
into the power Of the British government.
that their own rights and inclinations, tn
RIGHTS of their country, the law OF nations,
and every principle Of justice were violated
In the very act by which each OF these men
was brought within its power. and that ttd,
wrong accumulates so long as amy OF them
remain in its power, do maintain that they
are ON every ground entitled to, and the
British government is bound to grant their
Immediate and complete release. is &C.
nu;rrJ them only as the spoils of unlawful
Violence how then can it retain them as
the fruits of lawful war ? Its right OF control
over them can only arise from the lawful
ness OF their detention but that winch was
cnlawfuliy taken Cannot be riyhtiniiy heid,
end to acknowledge the pretension to such
contrx,l IS their lordships' purpose implies,
would be to legi,imati.e the act by which
they came into the;r power. Inc BRITISH
government disclaims all right ana All IN
seution TO take them. and this disaVowai Is
an acknowledgements OF It's oo''Sa'ioi 10
store them to the same conoi'ioh' anu :" 'iie
same freedom from which they we've taken.
Upon what ground is it, then, that they are
40 be treated as prisoners of war; Not many
years have elapsed since all Europe resoun-
dei with the complaints OF Sreat britain
Syains. France for OBTAINING as prisoners OF
war certain British subjects who, having en-
tered the French territories III time "f peace,
were found there at the breaking out OF The
war. But If that were regarded IN England
xs an outrage, what will be thought OF this
detention, as prisoners OF war, OF American
seamen, who, having been wrongfuily taken
ON the high seas and torCibly carried into the
British service in time of peace, are found
therein at the breaking out OF war doing
her service aud fighting her battles! The
ccnduct of France was attempted TO be JUS
eifed by certain acts of England, which
were alledsea to. be equally contrary to the
law OF nations. But what Justification, what
excuses can be set up fer this conduct Of q.
Britain towards the impressed American
seamcns What infraction of the law OF ma
tioas, what Violence OF injustice exercised TO-
wards British subjects, Or what outrage is
this cruel act to retaliate 1t cannot be the
free and spontaneous permission given by
the u =. at the commencement OF the war,
fer every British subject, of every class and
description, found within their territories or
in heir power TO return to his country, that
this imprisonment Of American seanlen is to
reouite. And surely this. cannot be the in
Identification which Great Britain offers
,hess unfortnnate men for the wrongs WHICH,
sue ms !tiNClcQ ON lhSui, VI VIC
which she bestows for the service she has
received attheir hands
"To the unqualified prohibition of all eor
respondence between myself and the inn
pressed American seamen IN his Britannia
majesty's feet, so unreservedly stated in the
letter of their ordships' secretary of the 9th
instant, ] must conform whatever may be
my sentiments and feelings respecting it,
The situation in which these unfortunate
men and MI self stood towards each other,
appeared not only to invite, but to authorize
Il communication between us. On their part
the object OF this correspondence was to OBJ
tain information and counsel as 20 the pro
per manner of conducting themselves uEder
circumstances the most difficult, and on an
occasion the most important and solemn,
namely, how &c act while forcibly held to
service in ships of war belonging to a state
engaged in actual hostilities against their
country situation which their own good
aense and proper feelings taught them was
alike incompatible with their rights & their
duties. My part has been, after having
waited FIVE months in vain for communi-
cation Of their lordships' intentions, to re-
commend them, since there appeared no
means of obtaining their release, to give
the mselves up as prisoners Of war an evil
comparatively light to that which they suf-
Ser. la other instances their letters have
related the rejection of their offer and the
ahrcats of punishment, and all contain com
paints Of the unexanpled hardship Of their
SITUATION"
ITO be coEtt1HeR.