Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-04-21
1MpREssMENT OF sEAMEN.

IMPREssMENT OF sEAMEN.
The debate whichtook place in the British
House of Commons on the 18th ultimo, relative
to Impressment of Seamen, has particular in
terest for an American reader. Mr. Bucking-
ham, the mover made this statement
Zone of the late causes Of the dispute which
had occurred between this country and the Uni
ted States. was that we impressed Americans un-
der pretence that they were English counterfeit
ing to be so. 1t was well known that during the
last war there We're on board our ships many 6o-
ma fde American citizens, who were compelled
to fight against their own country, because the
British officers ether did not believe, or would
not believe, that they really W ere Americans.
On the other hand many OF our best sailors went
to other coutries-to France-to Russia-to
America-and helped to discipline the Naves of
those Powers. 1t was well known that in the last
war Commodore Decatur declared that he
had not the Captain of gun who was not an
Englishman The bargemen OF his shlps-the
picked men of the crew-were also generally
Englishmen; and thus in time of war was the
strength of our enemies increased by Brl-
fish seamen chased from our own shores by
the practice against which his motion was di-
rected."
We doubt that Commodore Decatur ever de-
clared what is thus ascribed TO him. The speech
of the distinguished Admiral Sir Edward Cod
rington, on this occasion, is one of the most re-
markable and characteristic. We subjon part
of it--Nat. Gaz
at was his decided opinion that if seamen
were fairly treated they would enter the royal
navy in preference to engagingin the merchant
service and it would not happen that they would
refuse the royal service they were well treated,
and received proper indulgencies. The bad
treatment they had received was in great
measure the consequences of the system OF i'm
pressment In the merchant service seamen
underwent double the labor they did in the ma
Wv, but then they were more kindly treated
they were allowed TO go on shore, and to COM
municate with their families whilst in the royal
navy those indulgencies were not extended to
them He remembered that at the battle of
Trafalgar he had in.his ship an excellent sailor,
an American, who was pressed man. This
man had been pressed into the Terrible;i in order
to get home to his country, he went to the West
Indies in an English ship as an Englishman; he
was there pressed again, came back to England,
and was eventually sent to him. This man said
that he would be glad to remain ia the English
navy, but that he had wife and family in
America with whom he could not communicate
because he had been impressed. The truth was,
that in consequence of the odium attendant on
igners, it was difficult to get them to have any
thing to do with the service.
"There was another evil attendant on this
system, namely, that bad set OF fellows were
often picked up and sent among the fleet He
would mention an instance in which II fellows
picked up in London had been forced upon him.
He would rather not have had anything to do
with them, for he was sure they would democrat
ize his men, and he was very glad to find way
of getting rid of them. They were only look
ing for an opportunity, and the very first one
they had, they profited by. One fine day-they
manned the boats, and every one of them ran
away, Qaughter). The House might believe
that he was not sorry for their desertion. With
respect to the way sailors used to be paid, he
always objected to the power of paying them in
paper money. In consequence OF their being
paid with paper money, they received 6s. in the
pound less than their due, and whenever that
particular question should come fully before the
House, he should claim for the whole navy IS.
in the pound as being still due to them on the
whole amount oftheir wagesQ daughter and hear)
He begged TO mention what occurred to him on
this subject once when he was stationed off Glib
raltar, where the men received in dollars four
teen shillings for their pound of paper money
The men came upon the quarter deck, and ask
ed him what was to be done? His answer was,
that the thing could not be helped. So the men
went away contented But if he had told the
men that paying them in this way--with paper
money--was robbery on the part of the Co
vernment, it would have caused mutiny in the
fleet (hear! and laughter.) Though he had
men that had been pressed in his ship he had
never, himself pressed men in his life; and he
knew several instances of men returning on
board ship from foreign countries, allow them
selves TO be headed up in casks, and undergo
other hard privations, rather than submit to i'm
pressment. 1t was a well known fact that dur