In 1811 some special
instructions were sent out,[94] and the President was authorized to
seize Amelia Island.[95] Then came the war; and as late as November 15,
1818, in spite of the complaints of collectors, we find no revenue
cutter on the Gulf coast.[96] During the years 1817 and 1818[97] some
cruisers went there irregularly, but they were too large to be
effective; and the partial suppression of the Amelia Island pirates was
all that was accomplished. On the whole, the efforts of the government
lacked plan, energy, and often sincerity. Some captures of slavers were
made;[98] but, as the collector at Mobile wrote, anent certain cases,
"this was owing rather to accident, than any well-timed arrangement." He
adds: "from the Chandalier Islands to the Perdido river, including the
coast, and numerous other islands, we have only a small boat, with four
men and an inspector, to oppose to the whole confederacy of smugglers
and pirates."[99]
To cap the climax, the government officials were so negligent that
Secretary Crawford, in 1820, confessed to Congress that "it appears,
from an examination of the records of this office, that no particular
instructions have ever been given, by the Secretary of the Treasury,
under the original or supplementary acts prohibiting the introduction of
slaves into the United States."[100] Beside this inactivity, the
government was criminally negligent in not prosecuting and punishing
offenders when captured.
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