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Starkweather, George Anson : Speech of Hon. G. A. Starkweather, of N. Y., on the Bill for the Relief of the Heirs of John Paul Jones. Delivered in House of Representatives, February 11, 1848

Printed at the Congressional Globe Office, Washington, D.C., 1848

Original publisher's beige paper wrappers. Text printed in black ink. 5 3/4" x 9." Seven pages, complete. Pages are clean and intact except for light age toning throughout, slight offsetting, occasional spots of foxing or discoloration, and slight chipping and splitting along spine. A Very Good copy. A speech that was originally delivered before the United States House of Representatives on February 11, 1848 by George Anson Starkweather (1794-1879), an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1847-1849. He was a Democrat but opposed the expansion of slavery outside of the states in which it already existed. In this speech, Starkweather discusses a bill under consideration that would award money to the heirs of John Paul Jones (1747-1792), a Scottish-American naval captain and naval commander of the American Revolutionary War, for the capture of the Bergen Prizes. The Bergen Prizes were three British merchant ships, the Betsey (also, Betsy), Union, and Charming Polly, that had been captured in 1779 off the coast of France by Jones who commanded the USS Bonhomme Richard at the time and Pierre Landais (c. 1731-1820), a French-American naval captain who commanded the USS Alliance. Landais and Jones had disagreements over the command of the squadron, and Landais subsequently sent the captured ships to Bergen, Norway. In Bergen, the Danish government obtained the ships and surrendered them to Britain under a 1660 treaty that had formed an alliance between Denmark and Britain. The same treaty also guaranteed that Denmark would not reward the U.S. for the captured ships as indemnity. However, U.S. Congress eventually awarded monetary reimbursement for the Bergen Prizes to Landais in 1806. Congress eventually reimbursed Jones and his heirs as well in 1848, the subject of Starkweather's speech. Starkweather discusses several of the nuances and complexities of the bill that would reward Jones and his heirs. He also considers whether Jones and his squadron or the U.S. government should be awarded for the capture of the Bergen Prizes. France was also involved with the Bergen Prizes and Starkweather cites stipulations made between the governments of the U.S. and France. For example, the laws of both countries were expected to be followed in terms of potential reimbursements for the Bergen Prizes' capture, but if the laws were conflicting, the U.S. Minister or diplomat was expected to consult with the French Marine. Also included are reprinted correspondence from some of the original parties involved.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Soft cover

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