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VOL. II )
ATHENS, GEORGIA: PRINTED BY ALEXANDER M‘DONNELL, SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 1809.
TER M S
CF THE
GEORGIA EXPRESS.
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fcn r n -B T- - r -r mi umia 11, 1 1 nil I WIT— in 1 T
IMPORTANT* COMMUNICATION.
INADMISSIBLE PRINCIPLES.
OF Till
KING OP ENGLAND 5 !
PROCLAMATION.
cf Cd. ii J 1807 — Covfidered.
The f’uree from where ewe derive this
bigb‘y important difchffvn of a fuh .
JVf involving Jo deep y the rights ,
the honor , and the inierefi of Amer
ica, wilt render it neccffury for us to
invite the careful attention of our
Pa.riot.
Lf’ttcy January <7, ICC 9.
?IR,
I t my letter of (hr :6:h of D?-
tembrr it was remarked that thu
prodam tion for prrfting teamen
from our merchant ih : ps had roc
Bern fufn iertly re pro bared. Some
* f the r. a funs for that opinion will be
iour.d in the follow!; g comment*-
GEORGIA EXPRESS.
MANY SHALL RVN T# AND FRO, AND KNOWLEDGE SHALL BE INCREASED.
ries, which were written for private
amufemen*, vGthin a few da* s after
the appearance in public of ih s.
Tixr.
tf The pre cl am at ion of the king cf
Great Britain, requiting the return cf
bisjuljttfs , thefeamen efpectally , from
foreign countries , to aid in this hour
of ptcular danger, in defence of tbxir
own.” :
j 1 * B tit it being an etcknowle Igedprin
cfp/e that every nation hat a right to the
Jerviceof itsJnbjefts in time of war ,
that proclamation could not furnifit the
Jl ghteft grftsnd for an embargo' 1
T his ptriiai description has 9 r en*
dency to*deceiv mtny, ano roo übc
has deceived thoufandx. It )s con -
ceding tbs afp in a bafict #/ figs. Ihe
dangerous, aiarm.ngand fatal part of
the proclamation is kept caiefully
out cf light. Proclamations of ore
kind arc of immcmorablc utegr j
but the prefent one is the fir ft of the
kind. Proclamations of the. firft
kind, ifTued ufualJv in the beginning
of a war, are in eff-dt but fimple in
vitatiom to fnbjedb, who bapi en to
be abroad, to return home. * To de
ny the right of the king to iffue therr 8
would be a i unreaforubie ,?i to tteny
Ms rght to lend a ca and of u'lvitati'm
to one of h;s fubjrdls to dine with
him on St. George** day. But in
n uher czfc is the fubjrdt bound by
law to a cept the invitation. A* it if?
natural to every human ni\< and to
sympathize with its native county
when tn diftrefs or danger, it is well
known chat cor.fiJerable numbers t
Britilh commonly return home from
various foreign countries, in conle
quencc of invitations pro
clamation. Tr.e Sntifh ambalTid >rs r
confuls, agents, governors and oth
er offi.ers give the proclamations a
general circulation, ftimuiate the
people to return, and contrive many
means to encourage and facilitate
their palTages. All this is very wtlij
all this is v> ichin the rules tf modi (h,
dtcency, law ard juftice j no
fonable man will object to P. But
none tf ih'fe proclamations, fill this
laft ever afp-ned a right to take Bri
t fh fubjeds by fjrcc, from the Ihips
cf foreign na‘icn f , any more than
Lorn the ciiici and provinces of for
eign nations. Gt the other it
is * q ally clear, that Brittfh fubjrdts
in orrign couniries are under no in
difperTabte obligation of religion,
moralitv, lav/ or policy, to return in
compliance withfuch proclamations.
No penality is annexed by Englifh
laws to any negleft j no, nor to any
direct or formal disobedience. Hun
dreds in fad, do negledt and and sobey
the proclamations to one who com
pl;es with them. Thoufands who
have formed eftablifhments, and fet
tkd families, cr become naturalised,
or made contrafts, or enl.fted on
board merchant (hips, or enren fhipa
of wr in foreign countries, pay no
regard to theie orders or invitationL
of their former lovereign. lideed,
al! who have becomie naturalized in
foreign countries, or entered into
conrrads of any kind, public or pri
vate, with governments or mer
riirnts, or f4rmers cr manufactures,
have no right to return until they
ha-'e fulfilled their ccnvenants and
obligations^—-The Pufidcnt of the
Un:fed States has as Ega! ruthorify
to ilfie fnnilar proclamation", and
would be it much refpeedted by
American citizens, ail ovtr the
globe. But every American would
fay h s compliance was voluntary,
and none, whole engagements a
broed were incompatible, would
obey. But fC it is an atknowlrcgcd
principle, that every nation has a
right to the fervi e of its furj-cls in
time of war.** By whom in this prin
ciple a knowledge ? By no man,
I believe, in the unlimited frnle in
w hich it is here afll rted. With cer
tain qualificanor-s and reftrictlons it
nuy be admitted. Within the realm
and hi; own dominir rs the king has
1 r : ghr to fervice of h s fu s j its, at
fra and on land, by voluntary enldh
mrnts, and ro fend them abtoad on
foreign voyages, expeduiors and en
terpnles— but it would bed ffi !c
to prove the right of any executive
authority of a free people ro com
pel free fubjects into fervice by con
fcripti< ns or impn-fftnents, like gal-
Ly (laves at the point of the bayo
ner, t before rhe mourhs of
tillery. Extreme cafes and impe
rious nactfli y, it is ("aid, have no
lav/;but extremities and nectflky
muft be very obvious to the whole
nation, or freemen will net complv.
ImprtfTmenr?, of seamen from Bri
tifh merchantmen in pert or it
are no better than the confcriptions
of foldier* by Nap ‘Von or Lewis
XIV. who frt Mm the example. S >
much for that part of the proGama
which the rext produces to public
Now for the oihei parr, which
h has a r tfully concealed.
The k ; ng not enly command h*s
fubjrifts to rerurn, but he con'.mand*
the officer, of his navy to fearch the
merchants ihips of neutrals, (mean
ing Americans, for it is not tpp!.ca
ble to any others ncr intended to be
ipplied to any others,) and imprtf*
all Britiih feamen ih'") find on board,
vitheut any regard to any allegation
of naturalization j without any regard
to any certificate* of citizei.fipp;
withour regard toany ccntrafls, con
venanta or connections they have
formed with captains or owners j and
without regard to any tuatr:3ges,
families cr children they have in
America. And in what, principle
or law is this founded ? Is there any
cf law of God to fupport it ? Is
there any law of England to author
ifeit ? certain!y nor. The laws of
England have no binding force on
board American fhips, more chars
the laws of China or Japan. The
laws of the United Statea alone, of
which the law of naciois 13 a parr,
bavt dominion over cur merchant
fh'ps. In what law then Is it ground
ed ? In the law of nations ? it is a
counterfeit foisant into law, by this’
arbitary fraudulent proclamation, for
the firft time. Such a title, as /?-
pressment of S earns*, was never found
in any code of law?, fince the fiift
canoe was launched into the ft a ; not
evtn that of England. Whoever
claim* right muft produce a law to
support it.—-Bur this proclamation
attempts to transfer a preiendrd
right of impreffing feamen from
their own fhips, which in truth : s on
ly enormous abufc, to the imprtff-
(No. r 4.
mentof feamen from foreign path
foreign fhips and foreign fi:bj*wi>.
The honor of this grois
this affront to our underftan -
well as feelings; this comei
our natural and national re lei., me h 4
of injuries, as well as our fymparhies
with fellow-citlzerts and
tures, lufforing the vileft ten auff \
tinder ini umanicy anti
never have appeared in the eof
had nor the fpuics of Lord Bute ana
Lord George Gcrcname rifen again
st St. Jamt‘s.
* *
It is in vain for theßritnnsro
fav, ihcfe men are the kwgfo lub
j How are they the king’*
lubjtAi ? By Britilh laws. And
a r< * - ’ Brit'fh laws to us. on the
I ‘gb
of OtaheivC. We Ameri a s mult
fay they are our fcl; .vr cidzets by
our laws. They have fworn alle
g:ance to the U. S. Wt 1 ave ad
mitted them to all the rghrs an !
privileges of American citizens, a <l
by this admiftion have
with rhm to fupport and def-nd
them in the enjoyment of a)’ lueh
rights. Our laws acknowlei ge no
divine fight of kings, greater thnrj
thofe of fuhjeifls, or any indcfeafi
ble duty of fubjf£ts more tha tf ad
of king*, to obedience. Theifo
re mnents of feudal tyranny and ec
clcliafttcal fuprfftirion, have been
long fine* expli ded in America.—
The k ng claims them to make
them flaves. The Prtfidenr cf the
U. S. claims them, as it is h : s duty
to do, by his r ffi e and his oa h,
to ei Have them bur to pretrdt them
rnd preferve them free. Our laws
ire as good as Brbifb Ifwa. Our
c itizens have as gi od a right to pro
ttdlion as Briufii fubjeds, and our
government ?s as rr.urh bound tu
iff/rd ir. What is the Impr ff nene
cf fesmt-n ? Ic is no been dan
what the civilian* < all Plagiat, a
crime punifhable with Oy all
civifized nation*, as one 1 f t.he rnf It
audacious and puniftiable < ff-nci s
agair.ft fociety. I: was lo coi.li ier
cd among the Hebrew*. •He
that ftealetfi a man and fellerh
or if he be found in h ; s hand* h
fhall furely be put to drathd* ; Ex
odus 31. 17. “If a mao be found
fhaling any of his brethern, then
that thief fhall die.” Deuteronomy
24. 7. The law of Athens, like
thefe of the Hebrew*, condemned
the plagiary orman dealer to death
and the Jaws of Rome pronounced
the fame judgement againfl: the
fame outrage. But to delccnd front
the Hebrews, Greek* and Reman
to the Brftifh. What is the im
preffment of feamen in England, by
their own Jaws, in their own port?;
from their own (hips within the four
feai, or any where on the h'gh Teas i 1
It is lard to be an ufage. So were
Ihipmoney loans and benevolences
in the rtign r f Charles ?h fiTr, and
arguments were by his cour
tiers, to prove t, fir legality, ss
plifib!e and conclufive as any that
have been produced bv judge Fof
ter, in favour of impreffment. It s
at beft but aa abele, lubfiftirg on?y
by toleration ad connivann, l;k
the praftice in l loliand of kidnapping
0 tn for feeders or Icrvaats in bau-