POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL 79 



were least felt. One third of the shipping, 1 

 and presumably one third of the sailors of 

 the United States, belonged to Massachu- 

 setts, and yet a large minority of the citizens 

 of that state were inclined to condone, if 

 not justify, England's course. One reason 

 for this was, undoubtedly, the desire to 

 avoid friction with England and disturb- 

 ance of trade. Many, too, believed that 

 England was really right in her contention, 

 and that, as a matter of policy, it was better 

 for the United States that her ships should 

 be manned by American seamen and that 

 English sailors should not be encouraged 

 to sail under our flag. That there were 

 thousands of such native-born Englishmen 

 serving on American vessels was acknow- 

 ledged by every one. 



Mr. Gray of Salem, at a time when he 

 was not in sympathy with the Federal 

 party, in evidence before a committee of 



1 "Tonnage of the United States for the year 1807 

 amounted to 1,200,000 tons, of which one third belonged 

 to Massachusetts." Boston Gazette, Jan. 11, 1808. 



