POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL 81 



ant was usually sent to represent him. The 

 subordinate was probably told to take only 

 native-born Englishmen; but, if the ship 

 was short of hands, he was also told not to 

 come back empty-handed. The result of 

 such an examination was inevitable. The 

 lieutenant found the desired Englishman; 

 some poor American sailor was tied for an 

 indefinite period to a life he dreaded and 

 despised, and the American vessel sailed 

 away with a crippled crew, perhaps to lose 

 her spars in the next gale, because she had 

 not sufficient men to handle them. 



The attack of the "Leopard" on the 

 "Chesapeake," June 22, 1807, intensified 

 the feeling of resentment against the Eng- 

 lish, though, strictly speaking, it had no- 

 thing to do with impressment, but was 

 rather a search for deserters on an Ameri- 

 can man-of-war. The British government 

 finally made partial reparation, and pro- 

 vided against its repetition by a Royal 

 Proclamation issued Oct. 16, 1807, which 

 directed British officers to restrict them- 



