MR. H A M E R. 287 



chart now in existence ; whilst many of those which are marked, 

 are so incorrectly placed, that they mislead the sailor, who suddenly 

 finds himself shipwrecked in an unknown sea, far from the haunts 

 of civilized man, and destined to become a prey to the cruel and 

 remorseless savages who inhabit the islands ; or to endure all the 

 horrors of starvation upon some steril rock which lifts its head 

 above the surface of a boundless sea. 



" Such catastrophes were of frequent occurrence. The loss of 

 property and life in those regions had been immense. Still it did 

 not deter our people from their employments; they met every 

 danger and encountered every peril, in pursuit of the monsters of 

 the deep ; and it was hard, that whilst every other class of our 

 population were protected by the government, such men as these 

 should be neglected. He trusted it would no longer be so. There 

 was one point of view in which this subject deserved our most 

 serious consideration. The fisheries were the great nurseries of 

 American seamen ; and when war overtakes us, these were the 

 very men upon whom we must rely to fight our battles upon the 

 ocean. They were as ready to brave the roar and carnage of 

 an enemy's broadside, or to wield the boarding pike under the 

 star-spangled banner, as they were to pursue their mighty game 

 amidst the dangers and perils of the great Pacific Ocean. Whether 

 we considered their condition in peace or in war, they were a 

 most useful and meritorious part of our citizens, and deserved the 

 favour and protection of the government. Our seamen, who were 

 engaged in the cod fisheries, had long been protected by the boun- 

 ties allowed them upon the exportation of the produce of their 

 labours ; but no such provision had ever been extended to these 

 men. He saw no reason for such a distinction ; but it was to be 

 hoped they would at least be aided by an improved chart of the 

 theatre of their operations, and a demonstration of our power in 

 those seas, which would make an impression upon the savages 

 favourable to the future security of our manners. 



