Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1814-10-22

,he crew, in the case Of . private Ship
must be taken certified and recofdea oy
me collector, and the eonsuls Or com
merciaI agents Of G. Britain may object
70 anv seamen, and atsend the invcstlga-
ton. The commander Of = public shiP
receiving . person not duly qualiheo
shalI forfeit . thousand dollars, and tho
commander or owner Of private ship,
knowing thereof, Ave hundred dol got
to be recovered in an action ehalf to
one half to the informsr and made pc
the United States. II, iny bv impri.on
nal, punishable ..6;n three to Eve years
.ment and is9eRe Eve hundred to one
or ~ ,PSollar., for any person to Jorge
neeSunterfeil, or to pass, or use any
forged or counterfeited certificate OF ci'
tizenship. or to sell or dispose of one.
1t may fairly be presumed that 1t this
law should be carried into effect 1t
would exclude all British seamen FROM
our service.
By requiring Eve years continued re-
sdencs in the United States, as the
condition of citizenship, few, il any sri-
fish sesmen would ever take advantage
of it. Such as had left Great Britain,
and had resided FIVE wears in this coun'
try, would b likely to abandon the sea
forever. And by making it the duty OF
the commanders Of cur public, and OF
the collectors, in the case OF private
.hipe, to require an authenticated copy
frb,n the clerk Of the cour, before which
a British subject, who offered his SER
vice, had been natnrali1ed, as lndisPen.
sable 10 his admission, and highly penal
N either to take person not duly qua
ii6es, and bv allowing also British a
gents to object to any one offering his
service and to prosecste by suit the
commander or collector, az the case
might be, for receiving an improper
person, il seems 10 be impossible that
such should be received
If the second alternative is adopted !;
that is, If all n:tive British subjects are
to be here.fter excluded from our SER
vice, it is important tina, the stipulation
providing for it should operate S" as not
to effect those who have been already
Daturalized. BY cur law ell the rights
IF natives ars given 10 natoraiized cit-
gems. 1t is contended BY sosne that
theses omplete rights do not extend be
yond the limits OF the United States
that in n,turalizing foreigner, no state
can absolve him from the obligation
which he owes to his former gavern-
mcnt, and that he becomes citizen IN
qualified sense EMILY. This doctrine, 1t
true in any case, is less applicable to
the United States than to any other pow
er. Expatriation seems 10 be . natural
right, and BY the original character OF
our insti u,ions, founded by compact on
principe, and particularly by the un-
qualified investment Of the adopted citi'
zen with the foil rights Of the native. all
that the United States could do to slace
him IN the same footing, has been done.
In point Of interest, the object is otliitle
i'm por,ance 70 either party. The num-
Der 70 be affected by the stipulation Is
uncomfortable nor cen that be cause
of surprise, when the character OF that
class of men is considered. 1t rarely
bs ,neps that a seaman who settles on a
farm, or engages in trade, and pursues
it for aay length of time, returns to sea
His youthful days arc exhausted IN his
first occupa'isn. He leaves 1t with re-
gre,, and adopts another, either In con
sequence of marriage, Of disease, or as
an asylum for age.
Toa stipulation which shall! operate
prospeetivelY only, the same objection
doc.no, spp,y. In nsturoliziog foreign.
ers, the United States may prescribe
the limit to which their privileges shall
extend. Iii, is made a condition that
no nativ. British subject, who may
hereafter become citizen. shall be en-
ploYcd in our public or private ships,
their exclusion will violate 30 right
Those who might become citizens at
terwards would acquire the right; SUBJ
iect to that condition, and would be
bound by it,, To such stipulation the
President 10 willing to assent, aitho' he
would much prefer the alternative OF
restraints on naturalization and to pre-
vent frauds and to carry the same fully
into effect, y.u are authorised to apply
all the restraints and checks, with the
necessary notifications, to suit the
case, that are provided in the act above
reeited, relotive to semen, tor the pur.
poses of that act.
In requiring that the stipulation to ex-
clude British seamen from cur service,
with the regulations for carrying IT into
effect, be made reciprocal /; the Presl'
dent desires that you make aprovlsioh,
au,ho,ising the United States, it they
should be so disposed, to dispense with
the obligations imposed BY it on Ameri-