Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1813-06-07

Rhe principal remaining alleged eauie OF mol
tiltyn the impeachment OF leamen from OUT
merchant veiIel..
The war in Europe opened to thefe Hates
iuch an sxten6ve fieid for commercial enter
prize. thai j. nigh have been difficult to pro
cure immedia ely fuch numbers Of American
iesmen a. would p, ftably be employed. Our
wealth AID navigation increaIed with rapid
~ which has never been exceeded many
thoulands therefore Of Britih ieamen de'erted
thar fervice for more fate and lncraive EN-
ploymen, in ours aud greater numbers might
have reforted 10 US, if they had nor been Up
prehen6re thar the Btitifh navy would reclaim
them hut if there had been no competitors
from abroad, as men will always employ their
induffry in manner they find molt sdvanta.
seous, the high price for that ipeeies OF labour
would foon have Undue ed fufhcient number
of Americans TO become ieamen in thar cafe
the danger of imprefmen, by Britith fhips
would have been prevented 1t appears there
fore, that Briulh ieamen have been patronized
Rt the experce Of our own and ihould Great
Britain now content TO relinquih the right of
taking her own fubjeets, II woula be OF no
advantage to our native feanen; 1t would on
iy tend to reduce their wages by inereaiing
the number Of that clafs OF men.
THr Britifh Government has never claipsed
right to take our native American ieamen /,
had fuch claims beer made we ihouid all have
united 10 refilt il Gssat Britain only claims
the right of taking her own ius lec,s from neu-
trail merchant seHss. In doing his, from a
iimiiar,ty IN language our ciuzens have iouse
times been fubjeefe1 10 imPreiiment; ou' 10
far az have heard hey have Teen discharged
when application made In their behalf and
evidence furni.hed # their citizenihip In
fome inflances there may have been wan
ton e,ercie of power by the in Prsshng Off
Ger. but it's impofiible for the beit regulated
State wholly to control the actions OF II. lob
jects, OF refrain ali It's military and naval ofh
c6s in their diftsnt operations. from inioieute
and opr,tffion !; il !, therefore a rue CT ia.
iionai law, iha, the faults of individuals ih,i
not be imputed TO he nation, unle's ,hey are
approved and ratified by the government
Some abufes muft undoubtedly happen
from the difficulty of diftirguiihing hmet-
leans from fnglifhmen but II appears
from the examinations already made, that
,hefc abufts have been greatly exae Grated,
and that only fmall number of native A.
mercans are in the Britifh fervice who
have not voluntarily engaged; and oftheie
the Britiih Minfter, before the war. re-
quefted our government to furnlih lit,
that nealures might be taken tor their
difcharge. It is probable that more than
one third of the native American ieamen
belong 10 this State, and three four,hs are
iuppofed 10 be from the States OF New
York and New England If the number
detained IN Brltilh ihps had been great
the complaints would have been loudee
from thi. par, of the Union /; but the fact
has been quite olherwiie. You, gentle.
men, reprefsnt every town in the Com.
fnonweath, and will be able to aicertaln
how many of your n,igh5ors are held
without their voluntary content 10 the ma
w of Great Britain.
All the European nations agree IN toun-
ding allegiance upon the circumstances at
nativity they claim and treat as iutjeets
all thoie who are born within the confines OF
their dominions although removed to a.
mother country in their youth. This doc
ttine of allegiance Is alto the common law
Of orr own country, and as iuch, II often
has been, aud probably always will be re-
cognized by our coults.
The fovereigns of Earots have ALTO uni
verfaly afiumed the right OF prohibiting,
whenever they pleafe, the der Arturo CT tn ir
fuhjsets out OF the realm and We ATE
told BY the moa approved writers on the
law of naiions. that State has jutt cauie
of complaint sgaina another which entI-
cs away, and employs its uieiul inhJetts.
. That every government has a Jnit calm
to the fervice of ito fubjeets in time OF war,
and thai al thoie who ABANDON Their
country when ia danger are deieIierS which
me has right 10 puDiih. 1t WAS upon
this principle that our laws for the conht
cation Of abfen,ees' eftates were psiied, &
if the principle is inbound tho.e laws were
unjuh.
Great Britain complains that we have
alured her feamen into our employment
by holding up hyperion inducements to
them to quit her fervice and engage IN ours,
and this too AT a time when ihc was con-
tending for all that was dear 10 her, agalrf
the mott formidable and efficient force,
that in any age of the world has been unit
ed under one head. She aiierts thst her
famen ara efiential to her iafe,y that
though they are not liable to be taken from
our national ftips, and VIC have right 10
protea them while they remain within our
territories yet, If they pats into her do
minions, or if in traniatting their own at
fairs on the high way of naticns,ihey come
within her power, ihe has right TO take
them in virtue of her prior claim that
the nations of Europe have for ages cl'im'
ed and exerciied this right, and that HE
can never relinquifh il 10 long as we en-
ploy her eamen, without endangering the
exiitence of her navy. What hope of peace
then can be rcafonably entertained while
fuch iacri6cc is required of her. A M
tion ought FRI to do juitice TO Others be-
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