The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-01-21


his predecessor during the last war, and
VIII CHI is also annexed, is ia the same view
still more conclusive. The statement com
iprshends not only all the applications made
o. him III the first instance, for the liberia
''on OF impressed seamen, between the
month OK June 1877. and September 1901,
bur many also which had been made pre-
y,ons to this agency by Mir. Pinckney and
I Mr.. King, and which il was necessary for
him to renew. These applications therefore
may fairly be considered a. embracing the
greater part of the period of he war and
as applications are known To he pretty i'm
discriminateiy made, they may further be
considered as embracing, If not the whole.
! the Tar grea CT pare of the improvements,
! those OF British subjects rs well as others.
let the result EXHIBITS O5o cases ONLY, *
{ oil TINS number, l02 seanen only detained
; rs oc'hg briSh subjects, winch is less
jthdn 1-2O OF the number impressed, and
/ ll42 discharged or ordered to be SO. as not
being British subjects which is more than
nan OF the Whole number, leaving sos for
further proof. with the strouges, l.res,lmp-
ltoh that the greater part, if not The whole,
! were Americans or other aliens whos,.
proof at citizenship had been lost or de
stroyed. ar whose situation would account
ior the difficulties and DELAYS in producing
II. 30 that 1t is Certain, that for all the I3ri
Iish Seamen gaiNed by this violent proceed
H'S, more than an equal humber who were
not So were the victims. IL is highly pro
baOle that for every British scaa7en so gain
ed, a number of others NOT less than ten for
one must have been the victims, and IL IS
even possible that this number may have
exceeded the proportion of tncnty to one
IL cannpt therefore be doubted, that
the acquisition of British sea,nen BY these
ma h.. IL Il,
taSe, is lost IN the wrorp done to Ameri
cans, Igncran'iy or wIifuiy mistaken for
british subjects !; in the jealousy and i'll will
excited am ny al maritime nations by an
aoherence TO such practice =; and in the
particular provocation TO measures of re
dress on the part Of The u. States, not less
dlsagreeable to them than embarras sing TO
'Ireat Britain, and which NAV threaten the
good understanding which ought to be
faithfully, cultivated by both.''
The 2nd fact is dra ,yn from a document
laid before the last Congress of the u. S.
headed " An Abstract of the Return or
Last OF American citizens who have been
impressed and hrld on board mis- Britannia
majesty S ships er war from 1st July TO 3Oth
sep. 1910, inclusively." This lis; comp,izes
total OF S25 seameu, lin three months y
OF whom only 90 ale proven to be natives
the United Kingdom and the W. Indies
A'Saily oOO Americans are therefore mace
slaves OF, to give he British "a chance of re-
covering % only of their own seamea.!
we say, that when such abuses result
from the practice, it IS impossible it can be
T3SHf; 1t must be wrong. No rule caH be
sound one. which produces more harrn 20
ourselves than good to the other party
more especially when We propose to take
every fairs step on our side to give them their
own.
No man viii! pretend to say. that it is no
eUHto our seamen TO be thus impre ssed from
our ships. Torn from their country, and
from ali the domestic charities of life, hur
ried into a new climate, and doomed per
maps to shed the blood of their own coun-
tlymen, is this situation to be desired p
What say you to Vass. who was burnt
beneath an Indian Sum- his own father not
knowing him What say yous to Clark.
lacerated by three dozen of lashes on his
back, because he would not fight against
his country
Is al this right ? And must we submit
to it al ;