Letter by John Pickering, November 20, 1813

Abstract

A letter by John Pickering dated at Salem, November 20, 1813. The recipient of the letter is unknown. The letter is two pages and concerns a libel suit in Massachusetts against Pickering, regarding the impressment of American soldiers by the British. Pickering served as the chairman of a committee that published a report on the subject of impressed seaman. He is asking the letter’s recipient to provide favourable testimony for him in the libel suit, which was brought forward by John Kneeland.

Pickering writes “I sometime ago commenced an action, in my own name, against Jno. Kneeland (the Andover Representative) for libeling me as one of the Committee on Impressments. The libel was contained in an ‘address of the Republican Convention of Essex South District’ to the people, published last month & signed by Jno. Kneeland, a moderator of the convention. The paragraph charged us with attempting in a most reprehensible manner to impose upon the people that there were only 157 cases of impressment from the whole State, when in the town to which one of the Committee belonged, that number was greatly exceeded; these are nearly the words of the libel. The defendant you will be astonished at the effrontery / meant to justify! How he expects to maintain his answer I cannot conceive. The action stands for trial at our present court which has adjourned till Monday after next; and it has occurred to me that the defendant may possibly make use of our colleague, W. Breed, as a witness. You recollect Breed’s feelings well, & if he testifies as he felt in the Committee, it will be necessary for me to have some evidence to meet his. The object therefore of this letter is to request you to go before some Magistrate to give your deposition, without delay, & forward it to me immediately. I wish you to testify as to the conduct of the Committee generally during the whole of their sittings and of my conduct particularly, so far as you can with a clear conscience. State particularly how much pains we took to obtain the names of well-informed witnesses in different towns & that we desired every member of the Committee to name such witnesses…The essence of the libel is that we conducted the business unfairly, partially & with a design to impose upon the public. The testimony on our part will of course go to negative these changes in the most explicit & positive manner, and you will direct your deposition, so far as you recollect the facts, to those points. State among other facts that we faithfully reported to all the cases that came to our knowledge & occupied ourselves with the utmost diligence during the Session in prosecuting the enquiry—perhaps you might also state that the Report itself is true, impartial & c…”