Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-10-25

Il
| lor of the crews That during the present
| war with the Uri,ed States of Ant riea, his
| Majestys Naval Service has, IN several i'll.
stances, experienced defeat, in manner,
| and to degree unforeseen and unexpected
by this House, by the Admiralty and by the
country at large.-rhat the cause of these
lameniable defeats is not any superiority
possessed 10y the enemy, either in skill or
| vaIor, nor the well known difference in the
weight OF metal, which heretofore has been
deemed unimportant but arises chiefly from
| the decayed and heartless sta of the crews
OF his Majesty's ships of war, compared with
their former energy and zealand csmpar-
cd, on the other hand. with the freshness
and vigour Of the crews OF the enemy. That
II Is an indisputab'e fact, that long and UNI
! limited confinement to ship, as well as to
any other particular spot, and especially
| when accompanied with the diet necessarily
that of ships of war, and deprivation IF the
usual recreatiOns OF man, seldom fails to
| produce rapid decay OF the physical pow
| erS-the natural parent, in such cases, of
| dependency OF mind. That the late and
present war against France (inc.uding a
| snort interval OF peace, in which the navy
was not paid off have lasted upwards of2s
| years, and that new naval war has recent
! iy commenced. That the duration of the
term 1T service in ais Majesty's navy is alb
! soiuiey without any limitation: and that
there IL 10 mode provided for by law, for
the fair and impartial discharging OF men
| thereirom and that, according TO the pre-
Sent practice, decay, disease, incurable
| wounds OF death, can alone procure the re-
lease OF any seaman, of whatever aye, or
| Whatever length ut service. That seamen
VINO have become wholly unfit for active
| service, are, in place of being discharged &
] led th..;,.
their sutFerlngs, transferred to ships on har
oour duty, where they are placed under Of
| hcers wholly anacquaintsd with their eliza
racter and former conduct, who have no o.
tner means to estimate them, but on the
scale OF their remaining activity and bodily
| strength where there IS no distinction made
| between the former petty officer ard the
! common sesmen; Between youth and age,
| and where those worn out and wounded sea
| men who have spent the best part of their
| lives, or have lost their health in the ser
! wee ottheir country, have to perform a du
| ty raore laborious than that of the convict
| Telons III the dock-yariS and with this re
| markable distinction, that the labours of the
latter have knewn termination. That tho
| the seameD, thus transferred. and thus en-
| ployed, have ali been invaded, they are
! permitted TO re-enier ships ot war on ae>
tuai service and that such is the nature OF
| the harbor duty, that many, in ordSrto es
| cape from 1t, do so re enter there being no
| limitation as 20 the number Of times of their
being invaded, OF that of their re entering.
| That to obtain discharge from the navy, by
| purchase, the sum of eighty pound. sterling
is required by tse Admiralty, which toge.
thcr with other expenCes, amounts to TWEEN
ty times the original bounty, and is equal TO
| all that a seaman can save, with the most
| OH nv Il
in which he is capable of service that this
1 sum is demanded alihe from men of all ages
I and OF al lengths OF servitude; from those
pensioned for wounds, and also from those
| invaded for harbour duty thus converting
| the funds of Greenwich and the reward of
| former services into means Of recruiting
| the Navy (; that such is the horror which
! scamen have of this useless prolongatinn of
| their captivity, that those who are able, in
| order TO escape from it, actually return into
| the hands of Governmet all those 'fruits of
| their toll which formerly they looked to as
the means OF some little comfort in their old
/ age.
| That besides these capital grievances, ten
ding to perpetute the impress service, there
/ are, others worthy the serious attention of
! this House. That the petty officers and sea-
| men on board Of His Majesty's ships and
| vessels ot war, though absent OH foreign sta
/ tons for many years, receive no wages unit.
their return home, are of course deprived Of
! the comforts which those wages pad at
short intervals, would procure them that
/ This IS now more severely felt, owing to the
! re cent practice OF postpoBing declaration of
war until long after the war has been actu
ally begun by which means the Navy is de-
I priYed uhdyr the name of Detroits, of the
first fruits and greatest proportion Of the
! prize money TO which they have heretofore
been entitled (; and thus, and by the exami-
nations Of the Courts Of Admiralty, the pro
| portion of captures which at last devolves
to the Navy is much too small to produce
those Effects which formerly were SO bene
fetal 10 the country that while their wa
ges are withheld from them abroad, when
| paid at home, which, to prevent desertion,
usually takes place on the day before they
sail ont again, having 40 opportunity to go
| on shore, they are compelled TO buy Stops
! ofjews % board, or receive them from Go
vernment is per Cent higher than their acn
! knowledsed value and being paid in Bank
notes, they are naturally induced to ex
| change them for money current iu other
countries, and which it is notorious that
| they do at an enormous loss that the re.
covery Of the pay and prize money by the
| widows, children, or relatives Of seameu, is
| rendered as difficult as possible and finally,
| the regulations with regard TO Dassing of