The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-01-19
Rights. of Scuuen Sailing under the III
STATES Flag.

Rights OF Scuuen Smiling under the United
States Flag.
Mr.. EprroR viii you allow me the privilege
of making a brief s~tatement respecting the claims
of a most meritorious class of seamen sailing I'M
der the United States flag? My attention has again
been called to this subject. by the following note
from DIR. Hillebrand. Physician of the Queens
Hospital
Mn. DAMON. Dear Sir:-Will you be good
enough to interest yourself in behalf of this poor
fellow. He is far gone with consumption arrived
sick here two months ago in an American whale
ship. and was refused admittance into the American
Seamen's Hospital. because he was a foreigner
and had only shipped Tor the season. Our lltile
Hawaiian Government would not cast the man on,
if be had arrived i'll an Hawaiian vessel under thest
circumstances. 1t would be Il Shame IL IN S.c"'
American Government should cast him OF! Asa
change has taken place in the management OF the
American Hospital. perhaps You VIII ma IL posi-
BILE TO procure the mans adnittance. and thereby
much obliCe Yours. &c, W. HuIEBRAND.'
/ had hoped, Mr.. Editor, that this old point, about
the relief and protection of foreign seamen sailing
under the American flag. had been settled, never
more to be opened for discussion. As long ago as
1853. the ladies of Honolulu, through the American
Minister, Mr.. Severance, forwarded TO Washington,
the following petition:
" To the Honorable the Senate and House OF rep
reseHtatiUes Of the United States Your memorial
. ISIS. american lstlttS anu utlibt va a
Society. organized for the purpose of providing Tor
sick aud destitute strangers. having become prac-
tically acquainted with the protection extended 10
sramen. sailing under the United States nag. aud
being convinced that Il large number oil foreign
seamen are not suitably provided and cared for by
United States Consuls. humbly pray that you will
foreign seamcn. when discharged. sick and destitute
from merchant vessels and whaleships of the United
States. to enjoy the same protection as native
American scamen. or foreign seamen, VINO nave
] I.-.-. ,rar- ~ naturalization
As in duty bound, your memorialists will ever
pray
TThis petition was signed by about fifty American
Ladies.l
During the past thirteen years, or since this petit
ton went forward. the practice of United States
Consuls has been almost invariably to admit sick
foreign seamen to the relief of the Consulate, I'M
TIL within the last few weeks. or since the arrival OF
the present Acting Consul, Mr.. Wilson. Now ]
maintain that this gentleman has not only adopted
an Interpretation of the laws of the United States
at variance with the traditional usages of this Con
sulate. but utterly opposed to the spirit OF the
American Government. l claim TO know some
: thing respecting the honest intentions OF our gov
f eminent towards foreign seamen who have shipped
on board American whaleships. 1t has been my
privilege to have had more or less official inter
course with all the United States COnsuls at this
t port. from the days of i. \. Brinsmade. Esq, dowT
to the present time, with Messrs. Hooper. Abel
= Turrill, Allen, Angel. Ogden, Lathrop, Pratt
Parker and Caldwell. | do not claim that all o
these men have uniformly persued the same polio!
, relating TO foreign scamen as, for example, al
D have not exacted the S3G, or three months pay
when even native born American seamen have
been discharged at this port, neither have all beer
willing to grant relief to foreign seamcn sailing
under our flag. but a majority have done so. and
have yet to learn that any Secretary OF State la
ever censured them for so doing, or that any bill
for such men have been rejected by the auditor a
the State Department.
The Consuls profess to be guided by what is de
nominated the United States Consuls' Manual,
which l have carefully examined, and do not fn'
the word whaleman or whaleship in that book hence
lam led to infer that our Consuls endeavOrto regu
late their official conduct towards whaleships h.
the law relating to the Merchant Marine. In s.
n doing they must exercise a sound discretion. or tn
e whaleman will not get his rights. For argumen
a saks-I admit that the Consul may demand the thre
t months wages. or $50. of the master of a whale
4 ship when he discharges a (Amerlcan) seaman
Now what is the result ? and what was the resul
e during the quarter ending Dec. 81. 1866? Thi
5 was the fact-the Consul collected $50 apiece from
about two hundred seamen q do not pretend t
h state the exact number. but have the impression i
e was one hundred and ninety-six) This woult
e amount to over 81. 900. He refunded probabl.
e about one third part of this amount to seamen
n r~ightfully claiming the drawback hence there wa
. left in the Consulate three or four thousand dol
e lars. for hospital purposes. to the credit of the poo
sailor! Under these circumstances should reall,
think a liberal Interpretation might be given L
n the laws of the United States relating to foreigl
:. seamtn.
. So long. however. as the United States Govern
ment. through its official and Consular Agents. re
/ fuses to provide for all seamen sailing under on
a flag. an appeal must be made ~ the benevoten
: people OF Honolulu. but especially to the ladies
. Be patient ladies. and in due time hope you vii
he relieved from the burthen of supporting thos
poor sailors who may justly claim the relief an'
- protection of the Government of my country.
. Much more might be written setting forth th
Just claims of those sailing under the United state
flag. and spending their lives to enrich America
q citizens. Yours. truly. SAN q DAMON.
american Seamen's Chaplain.