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congress passed an act, a little while before the death of PERCEVAL, as a sort of prelude to the war, still hoping, however, to avoid war. This act explains clearly, and in few words, the grounds of this memorable war; and it is of vast importance that the English people should always have it to refer to as a ground of accusation against the ministry and the parliament that involved them in this war, and thereby not only added seventy millions to the enormous debt, but actually created that American navy with which we shall one day have to cope, and which we must finally overcome, or surrender that sove reignty of the seas without which our country is England only in mere name. The reading of this law explains the whole matter: here are the grounds of complaint, here is the remedy, short of war: the remedy did not succeed, and war was the consequence.

A Bill for the Protection, Recovery, and Indemnification of

American Seamen.

The preamble states, that His Britannic Majesty has caused to be impressed out of the ships of the United States, sailing on the high seas, under the American flag, divers liege citizens of said States, and hath compelled them to serve on board the ships of war of Great Britain, and to fight against the United States, and that numbers of them are yet detained. It is therefore enacted, that from and after the 4th day of June next, any person or persons who shall impress any native seaman of the United States, sailing on the high seas, or in any port, river, haven, basin, or bay, under pretence or colour

ission from any foreign power, shall, for every such adjudged a pirate and felon, and on conviction, h; and the trial in such case shall be had where the apprehended or may be first brought.-That it shall for any seaman, sailing under the flag of the United any person or persons attempting to impress him, y force; and if any person so attempting to impress an shall be killed, maimed, or wounded, such seane general issue, may give the special matter in eviich is hereby declared a perfect justification. That Lation being given to the President of the United oving satisfactorily to him that any citizen of the ates shall have been impressed, and shall be yet deI shall hereafter be impressed, to cause the most etaliation on any of the subjects of said Government the high seas, or within the British territories, is hereby authorised to cause to be taken and seized urpose, any treaty to the contrary notwithstanding. y seaman, heretofore or hereafter impressed, may the hands of any British subject, or in the hands of or of any British subject, a sum equal to thirty dolaonth for the whole time he shall have been detained any British vessel or vessels.-That the President ited States may capture, by way of reprisal, as many ubjects, on the high seas or within the British terri→ may be equal to the impressed American seamen in ssion of Great Britain, and by a cartel to exchange -That the President, whenever sufficient testimony produced that the commander of any public armed any foreign nation shall have taken or impressed board any ship or other vessel of the United States, any port or place not within the jurisdiction of such ation, or while on her passage to or from any port or y seaman, mariner, or other person not being in the service of an enemy of such foreign nation, may proproclamation, every person residing within the United its territory, from affording aid, succour, or provi whatever kind, to such ship or vessel; and any pilot

or other person residing within the United States, who shall, after such prohibition shall have been made known, and before the same shall be revoked, afford aid, succour, or provisions, as aforesaid, to such ship or vessel, and be thereof convicted, shall be sentenced to be imprisoned not exceeding one year, and fined not exceeding one thousand dollars.-That from and after the 4th of June next, whenever full and sufficient testimony shall be produced, that the commanders of public armed vessels of any foreign nation have impressed or taken from on board any ship or vessel within the jurisdiction of the

United States, or while on her passage to or from any port or

place, any seaman, mariner, or other person, the President may prohibit, by proclamation, the landing from on board any ship or other vessel of the foreign nation (whose com mander or commanders have offended as aforesaid) any goods, ware, or merchandise within any of the ports of the United States or the territories of the United States.

149. This act of the congress was absolutely forced upon them by the people. All the mercantile part of the congress appeared to be dead to every sentiment of public spirit; and the members of the Eastern States, as the Americans call them, but which lie in the northern part of the country, were almost all hostile to the act, and hostile to every measure of resistance against the acts of our ministry. They had been plotting for years for the purpose of counteracting the federal, or general, government in every step which it had taken for the defence of the citizens of America against the arbitrary acts sanctioned by the English ministry. The great cities in America are all great places of external commerce; the merchants are all connected with merchants and manufacturers

nd by ties of interest. The commerce of - was, and is, more than half of the whole, on to and from the English dominions; lish merchants are the creditors of those ica, generally their lenders, and very frean apparently great merchant there is ore than an agent carrying on trade, and tly owning ships, in virtue of the money, great part, for the benefit of the English nt, who is the real owner of the money the ships. Therefore, the merchants in a, particularly in the north, whence come ps to carry on the greater part of the exommerce, were all decidedly against a war gland, and against all resistance of the acts ministry, committed against American ; for, in fact, they looked upon England ir country much more than they did a: but not so with the people at large; was a curious thing to behold that it was mers and labourers and country-people ly, that demanded vengeance on those who pressed and tyranuised over the maritime 3. It was on them, too, that even the comI cities had to rely for defence after the oke out; thus verifying the prediction of [FFERSON; namely, that if ever the country be placed in a state of peril, it must rely safety on the arms of the tillers of the 1...

150. The act of the Americans, which act we have just seen, and which was passed in May 1812, was, as was evident to all but the stupid and arrogant men who ruled England, a mere preamble to a declaration of war; and, accordingly, this declaration very speedily followed it. In America so important an affair as that of making war is not left to the decision of the executive magistrate and his ministers. It is not left to those who have commissions in the army and the navy to bestow; it is not left to those whose relations and dependants may fatten upon con tracts arising out of the war: it is a power, exercise of which is retained by the people themselves; and the act is performed by the whole body of the representatives of the people. War is, in short, enacted in the same manner as any other thing is enacted; and this war was enacted by the Congress in the following act:

"Act of Congress, declaring war against England. "An Act, declaring war between the United Kingdom of Great "Britain and Ireland, and the Dependencies thereof, and the "United States of America, and their Territories.

"Be it enacted, by the senate and house of representatives "of the United States of America, in congress assembled, "That war be and the same is hereby declared to exist be "tween the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,

and the Dependencies thereof, and the United States of "America, and their Territories; and that the President of "the United States be and he is hereby authorised to use the "whole land and naval forces of the United States to carry "the same into effect; and to issue to private armed vessels

the

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