442 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



often take from the merchant ves- 

 sels of the United States American 

 citizens. If the United States pro- 

 hibit the employment of British 

 subjects in their service, and en- 

 force the prohibition by suitable 

 regulations and penalties, the mo- 

 tive for the practice is taken away. 

 It is in this mode that the Presi- 

 dent is willing to accommodate 

 this important controversy with the 

 British government, and it cannot 

 be conceived on what ground the 

 arrangement can be refused. 



A suspension of the practice of 

 impressment, pending the armis- 

 tice, seems to be a necessary con- 

 sequence. It cannot be presumed, 

 while the parties are engaged in 

 a negociation to adjust amicably 

 this important difference, that the 

 United States would admit the 

 right, or acquiesce in the practice 

 ot the opposite party ; or that 

 Great Britain would be unwilling 

 to restrain her cruizers from a 

 practice which would have the 

 strongest tendency to defeat the 

 negociation. It is presumable that 

 both parties would enter into a ne- 

 gociation with a sincere desire to 

 give it effect. For this purpose, it 

 is necessary that a clear and dis- 

 tinct understanding be first ob- 

 tained between them, of the ac- 

 commodation which each is pre- 

 pared to make. If the British go- 

 vernment is willing to suspend the 

 practice of impressirent from A- 

 merican vessels, on consideration 

 that the United States will exclude 

 British seamen from their service, 

 the regulation by which this com- 

 promise should be carried into ef- 

 fect would be solely the object of 

 this negociation. The armistice 

 would be of short duration. If the 

 parties agree, peace would be the 



result. If the negociation failed, 

 each would be restored to its former 

 state, and to all its pretensions, by 

 recurring to war. 



Lord Castlereagh, in his note to 

 Mr. Russel, seems to have sup- 

 posed, that, had the British govern- 

 ment accepted the propositions 

 made to it. Great Britain would 

 have suspended immediately the 

 exercise of a right on the mere 

 assurance of this government, that 

 a law would be afterwards passed 

 to prohibit the employment of 

 British seamen in the service of the 

 United States, and that Great Bri- 

 tain would have no agency in the 

 regulation to give effect to that 

 proposition. Such an idea was not 

 in the contemplation of this go- 

 vernment, nor is it to be reason- 

 ably inferred from Mr. Russel's 

 note: lest, however, by possibi- 

 lity such an inference might be 

 drawn from the instructions to 

 Mr. Russel, and anxious that there 

 should be no misunderstanding in 

 the case, subsequent instructions 

 were given to Mr. Russel, with a 

 view to obviate every objection of 

 the kind alluded to. As they bear 

 date on the 27th of July, and 

 were forwarded by the British 

 packet Alphea, it is more than 

 probable that they may have been 

 received and acted on. 



I am happy to explain to you 

 thus fully the views of my govern- 

 ment on this important subject. 

 The President desires that the war 

 which exists between our coun- 

 tries should be terminated on such 

 conditions as may secure a solid 

 and durable peace. To accomplish 

 this great object, it is necessary 

 that the interest of impressment 

 be satisfactorily arranged. He is 

 willing that Great Britain should 



be 



