the ship when it reached the United States. Cons ul Johnson tried to support these men w ith his own fin ancial resources, but he hoped that Secretary Jefferson wo uld present these fac ts to Congress and that he would be reimbursed for his relief expenditures. As Johnson and Jefferson found out, it took the Congress some rime to consider the problem in a systematic m anner. Congress passed the first law governing the duties and powers of consuls on 14 April 1792. In cases of shipwreck, sickness, or captivity affec ting m ariners employed in ships belonging to citizens of the United States, it was the duty of consuls and vice consuls to prevent the men from suffering in foreign ports. They were to provide for them in the most reasonable fashion at the expense of the United Stares government, subj ect to the instructions of the secretary of state and not exceeding a per diem allowance of twelve cents per day. In addition, vessels owned by US citizens that were destined for an American port were obligated to carry home stranded m ariners and seamen free of charge if a consul or vice consul requested them to do so. A quota of two sailors or mariners for every 100 tons burden of a ship was established by law. Men being returned were required to work in the ship if they were able to do so. A ny master or captain who refused rhe order or request of the consul or vice consul to transport the designated mariners was to be fined $30 for each man refused. The 1792 law also stated that when a ship or vessel belonging to citizens of the United States was sold in a foreign port or place, and unless the crew were bound by contract or consent to be discharged there, the master must furnish them with sufficient means for them to return home. The amount necessary for the trip was to be ascertained by the consul or vice consul of the United States who had jurisdiction over the port or place. If the master refused to do so, the consul or vice consul could have him arrested and the ship and goods seized until he complied. Experience showed that the lat ter provision was not enforceable. Meanwhile, rhe Boston Marine Society, a long-established organization of sh ipmasters, determined that hospitals for sailors were needed in New England and elsewhere and that such institutions should be the
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responsibility of the federal government. A petition was drawn up and sent to Congress in 1791 with supporting letters. Members of the Society proposed that three marine hospitals be established, one for the northeastern, another for the mid-Atlantic, and a third for the southern states. When their petition reached the House of Representatives, that body already had a bill pending from the previo us session, therefore the petition was tabled. On 7 February 1792, it was referred to Secretary of the Treasury Alexander H a milton, who was to examine it a nd give his opinion at the next session of C ongress . Before H amilton could reply, the subject came up in a new context when rhe Virginia legislature offered to sell to the federal government the marine hospital it h ad established near Norfolk. This proposal was also forwarded to Hamilton for comment. With both these proposals in hand, H amilton replied that the establishment of one or more marine hospitals in the United Stares was desirable for several reasons. First, "the interests of humanity are concerned in it, from its tendency to protect from want and misery, a very useful, and for the most part, a very needy class of the community." Second, by affo rding protection and relief, it wo uld attract seam en to the country, and, as a result, navigation and trade would be improved. Ten cents a month could be collected from the wages of seamen to create a fund suggested by the petition from rhe marine society. "The benefit of the fund ought to extend not only to the disabled and decrepit seamen, bur also to the widows and children of those who may be ki lled or drowned, in the course of thei r service as seamen." Hamilton also had recommendations in regard to directors who would serve without compensation for this charitable purpose. The society's petition suggested rhe establishment of three hospitals, bur for a considerable time, one would probably do. More hospitals wo uld mean more expen se, bur the additional ones wo uld have some adva ntages in terms of local fee lings and considerations. In rhe end, H am ilton left to Congress the decision on whether the offer from Virginia should be accep ted . Congress postponed its decision. Deliberations became more compli-
cared when France declared war on Great Britain early in 1793 . This news did not reach the federal government under President George Washington in New York until 3 April. After con ferring with his advisors, Was hington issued a proclamation of ne utrality on 22 April. The French governm ent regarded this action as a repudiation of the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and subsequently ordered the seizure of neutral vessels carrying provisions to enemy ports. The British government followed suit by issuing orders for the seizure of neutral vessels carrying provisions to France. On 7 March 1794, Fulwar Skipwith , the US consul at Martinique, a French colony in rhe West Indies, informed Secretary of State Edmund Randolph that approximately 220 American ships h ad been seized and taken into various British ports in the Caribbean, and that, thus fa r, 150 had been condemned. Their crews were subsequently turned loose with no means of support. Many gathered on the Durch island of Sr. Eustarius seeking a passage to the United States. While they waited, Skipwirh supplied them with bread, beef, water, and housing. Skipwirh explai ned that he took these actions because if the men were not cared for, they might be forced to enter into the service of ano ther nation. Washington forwarded this information to Congress, along with a request that the consul be recompensed for his outlays . Congress did as the president recommended, and later that year Skipwith received $995 for his expenses. Secretary Randolph also wrote to Washington about the amount of "mercantile capital" that might be lost as the result of the large number of American sailors "who are now wandering on foreign shores, anxious, bur unable to return home. They would undoubtedly be swallowed up in the service of another nation that may be hostile to [the United States]." Congress responded to these new threats to American commerce by imposing duties on various items imported from France and Great Britain. Ir also placed a thirty-day embargo on ships in US ports that were bound fo r fo reign ports. The ships could sai l if they gave a bond to the collector of custom s based on doubling the value of the ship and its cargo. The president was 27