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Doc. N o . 36. CLAIMS
To his Excellency
GENERALLY.
James Madison, Esq., President of America. DATED
of the United
IN B O S T O N , January
States
31, 1811.
T h e memorial of E z r a Davis, George Burroughs, jr., John W. Quincy, Samuel Cooper, and others, whose names are hereunto subscribed, mer chants and native citizens of the United States, engaged in a lawful commerce with ports and places in the West Indies, respectfully repre sent : T h a t a large amount of property, owned by themselves and other native citizens, has been forcibly seized and is still detained by H e n r y Chris tophe, the present military and civil chieftain of Cape H e n r y , in the island of Saint Domingo. T h e amount of property sequestered at Cape H e n r y and other ports u n der the control of Christophe, the names and residence of many of the owners, and the pretences under which it has been done, are fully set forth in the general order of Christophe of the third of January, eighteen hundred and eleven, which is annexed and transmitted with this memo rial, * as containing in itself the most plenary evidence of injustice and outrage sustained by your memoralists. It appears from this order itself that no justification is attempted for this plunder of private property ; on the contrary, it is admitted to be a gross infringement of personal right—a wanton exercise of power,with out the color of honor or justice. In considering, therefore, a case of this character, no question of doubtful rights present themselves for discus sion or compromise, no points of policy or expediency are connected with the claims of your memoralists, as the order under which they so severely suffer admits the injustice it sanctions and commits. In addition to the facts stated in the general order, your memoralists would respectfully represent, that, on the sixth day of October last, all the American vessels at Cape H e n r y , being eleven in number, with their respective officers and crews, w e r e arrested by order of Christophe, and not permitted to depart till the seventh day of January following. A number of vessels, destined to other islands in the West Indies, had p r e viously been brought into the cape by the armed vessels belonging to this chieftain, and their cargoes placed within his control. During this period of detention, many vessels w e r e greatly injured, and their crews arbitrari ly detained, in consequence of which great numbers sickened, and many of them died. This accumulation of suffering and injustice has been borne by native citizens of the United States at the hand of a lawless self-convicted plunderer ; it has been borne with patience and resolution, because they confidently relied upon their own Government, when du ly informed, to obtain indemnity as well as to offer protection. T o a Government enlightened in its policy and prompt to redress the wrongs of its subjects, it cannot be necessary to urge the importance of protecting the rights and interest of every class of men in the community against every infringement or outrage committed by any foreign P o w e r , whether civilized or barbarous. * See a copy, marked A , with the next memorial.