y enhanced, by the
circumstances under which many of those unfortunate men became
prisoners, and finally were offered up as victims to gratify the
cruel and insatiate feeling of the British agent. They were
American Citizens, who had been impressed into the service and
bondage of Great Britain, in time of peace. They had served that
government from a necessity, arising from the assumed principle of
a right to search neutral vessels for British seamen, and the
practice of taking Americans and compelling them to service. We
cannot, however, too much applaud the magnanimity of those men, in
refusing to fight against and slaughter their countrymen; nor can
we too much detest the conduct of Great Britain, in confining them
as prisoners of war.

This practice assumed as a right in the first moments of our
existence as an independent and commercial nation, has "grown with
our growth," and the evil thereof has increased in proportion as
our commercial rivalship has become more alarming to the pride and
injustice of Great Britain. It is a practice which cannot be
traced to any principle of justification; and yet we have seen
the legislators of Massachusetts, clothed with a garb of official
sanctity, send to the world a report, amounting almost to a
denial, that such a practice was in existence! We pretend not to
judge of their motives: but we remark, how soon they are
confounded by the report of Shortland and Magrath. By that
instrument it appears, that of thirty-eight who were killed or
wounded, twelve were of the number of Impressed Americans, who had
given themselves up as prisoners of war, upon the commencement of
hostilities. If this be the correct proportion of their prisoners,
who have been impressed from American vessels, and as it is an
official document of British authority, we cannot believe the
ratio to be less, we see the advocates of British magnanimity
confounded and put to shame, by the testimony of those same
British agents, whose justification they have so eagerly, though
unsuccessfully attempted. It might, indeed, have been supposed,
that after having so frequently been treated with the same
contempt, they might have learned sufficient caution, at least, to
stay their measures until the pleasure of their transatlantic
friends should be known. But their overweening