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James Madison, The Committee of Claims, et al : [10] Message of the President of the United States Relative to the Act to Authorize the Payment for Property Lost, Captured, or destroyed by the enemy while in the military service of the United States. December 6, 1816. Referred to the committee of Claims. December 17, 1816. Report made, accompanied with a Bill to amend the said Act

Printed by William A. Davis, Washington, D.C., 1816

Original publisher's beige paper wrappers. Text printed in black ink. Some pages are unopened. 5" x 8 1/2." Twelve pages, complete. Pages are very clean and intact overall but have moderate foxing and light age toning throughout and slight chipping along spine. Binding is fragile; first page is almost loose from the rest. A Very Good copy. A report presented by President James Madison to the United States Senate and House of Representatives about an act authorizing the reimbursement of property belonging to American citizens that was lost, captured, or destroyed by enemy forces while in service to the U.S. government during the War of 1812. President Madison introduces the report by stating that he has ordered all claims covered under said reimbursement act to be suspended until revisions are added to it that limit the scope of what property is covered by the act. In their report, the Committee of Claims acknowledges that several reimbursement claims had been improperly granted because the properties in those claims were not supposed to covered by the reimbursement act. The Committee cites three of these errant claims. The first was about the reimbursement of a hotel. The Committee says the money was not supposed to be awarded to the hotel owner because there was insufficient proof that it was destroyed by British forces. The next claim was about destroyed "rope-walks" and nearby property. The Committee appears to state that the rope-walks and nearby property should not have been paid for because they were not officially part of American military service. The Committee deems the third case to be "much more erroneous and improper, than either of the other two." In the third case, the petitioners of the claim were reimbursed for their sunk vessel, the schooner Islet. The Committee states that the money should not have been awarded to the petitioners because they had breached a formal contract with the U.S. government in which they agreed to charter the Islet under certain terms. The terms of the contract stated that the owners of the Islet assumed the risk of chartering their ship to the U.S. government and that the government would offset that risk by paying the owners $10 each day the Islet was in government service. Commodore Barney, an American, later ordered for the Islet to be sunk in the Patuxent River to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. In brief, the Committee argues that the owners of the Islet should not have been reimbursed for their ship because they assumed the risk of losing their vessel through their contract and the Islet was not sunk by enemy forces. Part of the Committee's findings also appear to state that one of the petitioners complied with Barney's command and sank the ship himself. Appended to the report of the third case is reprinted correspondence by B. W. Crowninshield, W. Jones, the petitioners, Richard Bland Lee, and Benjamin Homans.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Soft cover

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