‘
[399]
same practices prevail.
Representations have been made to the United States Government respecting the cases of particular persons, who have been kidnapped into the service, and I feel bound to say that those representations have not met with that prompt and satisfactory attention we might have expected,’ &c.
The reader thus perceives, that if the
Alabama enlisted some foreigners to complete her crew, she was only following the example set her, by
Mr. Seward himself; but there was this difference between the
honorable Secretary of State and the writer.
The former resorted to deceit, trickery, and fraud, whilst no man can say of the latter, that he inveigled him on board the
Alabama.
I will now produce the precedent I spoke of, from those musty old records.
It is drawn from the career of that remarkable sea-captain, to whom I have before referred, and with whose history every American is acquainted—I mean,
John Paul Jones.
The naval engagement, which conferred most honor upon
Jones, was that between the
Bon homme Richard, (named after
Dr. Franklin's ‘Poor Richard,’ in the almanac, of which this
Chief of the
Naval Bureau in
Paris was the author,) and the British ships
Serapis and
Countess of Scarborough.
Mr.
Cooper thus describes the crew of
Jones' ship, picked up at
Dunkirk, or
Nantes, or some of the other French ports:—
To manage a vessel of this singular armament and doubtful construction, Commodore Jones was compelled to receive on board a crew of still more equivocal composition.
A few Americans were found to fill the stations of sea officers, on the quarter deck, and forward, but the remainder of the people were a mixture of English, Irish, Scotch, Portuguese, Norwegians, Germans, Spaniards, Swedes, Italians, and Malays, with occasionally a man from one of the islands [meaning Sandwich Islands]. To keep this motley crew in order, 135 soldiers were put on board, under the command of some officers of inferior rank.
These soldiers, or marines, were recruited at random, and were not much less singularly mixed as to countries, than the regular crew.
I had something of a mixture on board the
Alabama, but I think
Jones decidedly beat me, in the number of nationalities he had the honor to command.
