POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL 85 



they were when thus captured promptly 

 impressed into the British service. 



In an ordinary case of impressment by 

 an English man-of-war the name of the 

 vessel so impressing was brought back to 

 the United States, and thus the relatives or 

 friends of the impressed man had some clue 

 to his fate ; but in the case above described 

 the man*s fate was a hopeless one. He had 

 been robbed by the French of his papers, 

 and was powerless to prove his citizenship. 

 If he accepted the bounty and signed pa- 

 pers on the English vessel, he cut himself off 

 from all hope of returning to his native 

 land. If he pleaded his nationality and re- 

 fused to work, he was flogged at the tri- 

 angle. If he worked but refused to sign, 

 he probably got no pay; and after three 

 years' service on an English man-of-war, 

 he became by law an English subject, and 

 liable, should he escape, to all the penalties 

 of a deserter. 



The number of impressments into the 

 British service between May, 1803, and 



