of American citizens on the ocean and land were fully provided for, and the dey and regency of Algiers, in their intercourse with the United States, compelled to abandon their piratical system, and adopt the principles of civilized society.

Immediately on the signature of the treaty, Mr. Shaler went on shore, and received a quantity of cotton which had been left by the late Consul when he was driven from Algiers in 1812, and ten thousand dollars as a compensation for property captured and destroyed.*

General results of the treaty. The Algerine war was terminated in twelve days from the commencement of hostilities, by this treaty, so highly honorable and advantageous to the United States, without the loss of a man on their part. Its very favorable result, owing as well to the bravery of Decatur and his men, as to the fortunate circumstance of the dey's fleet being at sea on the arrival of the American squadron, and his anxiety to prevent their loss, was of the more consequence, as it led to the abolition of the disgraceful practice of paying tribute to the piratical states; and induced a treatment of them more according to their deserts. It was the first instance of a fair and honorable treaty's being made with Algiers without the intervention of tribute or presents, and furnished a noble example to other powers. The rencontre with the frigate and brig, and the subsequent negotiations, clearly developed the character of this enemy; severe and cruel to a prostrate foe, but a coward in the face of manly resistance, haughty and insulting with the advantage on his side, but abject and submissive to a conquering force.

The Algerine vessels restored. After the conclusion of the treaty, the American commissioners, as a gratuitous act on the part of the United States, agreed to give up the captured vessels. They were induced to this by a consideration of the great expense it would require to put them in a condition to reach an American port, the impossibility of disposing of them in the Mediterranean, and the pressing importunity of the dey, who represented that this would be the best method of satisfying his people with the treaty, and. consequently the surest guaranty for its observance. The policy of the measure was the more obvious, as otherwise this dey would probably have fallen a victim to the indig

* Decatur and Shaler's letter to the Secretary of State, July 4th, 1815.

nation of his subjects, and his successor would have sought his safety in disavowing the acts of his predecessor.

Loss of the Epervier. Captain Lewis, in the brig Epervier, was immediately dispatched with the treaty to the United States; several of the unfortunate captives took passage with him. The brig was lost at sea with all her crew and passengers.

Decatur proceeds along the coast. The commodore, having dispatched two schooners to conduct the captured ships from Carthagena to Algiers, and having left Mr. Shaler there as consul general to the Barbary powers, proceeded with the rest of the squadron to Tunis. Another object of this expedition, next in importance to a settlement with Algiers, was to make a display of American ships of war along the Barbary coast, to convince those powers, that the war with Great Britain, instead of annihilating, had greatly augmented the naval power of the United States, and that they possessed both the means and the determination to protect their commerce in that quarter.

The two heaviest ships of Decatur's squadron, and some of his smaller vessels, were prizes from the British navy. This circumstance added much to the general impression made by the appearance of the American fleet in the Mediterranean. Commodore Decatur was directed, after accomplishing the business at Algiers, to range along the Barbary coast, and touch in at the principal ports; and was to be followed by a relief squadron of heavier ships, under Commodore Bainbridge: both divisions contained seventeen ships of war, and nearly the whole strength of the American navy.

*

Demand on Tunis. At Tunis Decatur learned from the consul, that during the war with Great Britain, two British merchant vessels, prizes to the American privateer Abieleno, having been sent into that port, had been taken out, and carried off, by a British cruizer; and that a company of Tunissian merchants had been suffered to take the property of an American citizen, under pretence of purchase, at their own price, and much below its real value. He immediately addressed a note to the prime minister, demanding satisfac

*Decatur's squadron-Frigates Guerriere, Macedonian, Constellation; sloops Ontario, Épervier; schooners Spark, Spit-fire, Torch, Flambeau. Bainbridge's squadron-Independence, seventy-four; frigates United States and Congress; small vessels, Boxer, Saranac, Chippewa, Erie, and Lynx.

tion for these injuries, and a full restoration of the property. The bashaw acknowledged the justice of the demands, and required twelve months to procure the money. This was refused. Satisfactory assurances were then given, that payment should be immediately made; the commodore then landed, and received the visits of the different consuls. The bashaw's agent arrived with the money, amounting to forty-six thousand dollars, at a time when Decatur was holding a conversation with the British consul; throwing the bags down with indignation, and addressing himself to the Englishman, he said, "See what Tunis is obliged to pay for your insolence; you first violate our neutrality, and then leave us to be destroyed, or pay for your aggressions." The money was paid into the hands of Mr. Noah, the American consul, and agent for the owners of the privateer; and a messenger dispatched by the bashaw to England, to demand its repayment.

Demand on Tripoli. After this visit to Tunis, the commodore next proceeded to Tripoli, and made a demand for a similar violation of neutrality from that regency. The bashaw had permitted two American vessels to be taken from under the guns of his castle, and refused protection to an American cruizer within his jurisdiction. Satisfaction

to the full value of these vessels was obtained, and the mo ney, amounting to twenty-five thousand dollars, paid into the hands of the American consul. After the conclusion of this affair, the consular flag which Mr. Jones had struck in consequence of this violation of neutrality, was hoisted in presence of the foreign agents, and saluted from the bashaw's castle.

Discharge of Danish and Neapolitan seamen. The commodore found here two Danish, and eight Neapolitan seamen, confined in slavery; and obtained their release without ransom. On leaving Tripoli, he touched at Messina, and landed the Neapolitans; and then proceeded to the city of Naples: here he addressed a note to the minister of his Sicilian majesty, informing him of the liberation and return of his subjects, and received a highly complimentary reply, and the offer of any accommodation for his squadron that he wished. On the 31st of August he sailed for Carthagena, expecting to meet the relief squadron under Commodore Bainbridge; but not finding him there, he proceeded to Gibraltar, where he was joined by that officer; and having reported to him his proceedings, sailed in the Guer

riere for the United States, and arrived the 12th of November.

Proceedings of Commodore Bainbridge. The second division of the Mediterranean fleet sailed from Boston on the 12th of June; made a demonstration along the Barbary coast, stopping several days before Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli: finding that every thing which the honor and interest of the United States required from these powers, had been accomplished by Commodore Decatur, he proceeded to Gibraltar, and reached that port on the 3d of October; and from thence, leaving the frigate United States and several small vessels to winter in the Mediterranean, he sailed for Boston, and arrived on the 15th of November. The timely exhibition of this force, and the prompt and effectual manner in which justice was demanded and enforced from the Barbary states, and their insults chastised, were productive of highly beneficial consequences. The commerce of the United States, which before was exposed to imminent hazard in that region, was rendered secure; the American flag has since been so much feared and respected by those powers, that they have never dared to molest a single ship sailing under its protection; and the national character elevated in the view of Europe. The infant navy of the United States, which had acquired great eclt in the late war, was now cherished with enthusiastic ardor by the citi

zens.

Ratifications exchanged. The original treaty which had been transmitted to the United States by the Epervier, was lost in that vessel. In the summer of 1816, a ratified copy was sent to Mr. Shaler, and presented to the dey for his acceptance; who affected not to understand why another treaty should be offered him; complained that it was variant from the original, and insisted that it should be accompanied with presents; the appearance of Commodore Shaw in the bay of Algiers with a respectable squadron removed the dey's scruples, and induced him to accept the treaty without any further stipulations.

Lord Exmouth's expedition. Notwithstanding the ill success of the regency of Algiers in their hostility against the United States, they ventured in the following year to adopt a similar course in relation to Great Britain. On a slight pretext, the dey seized and confiscated the goods and imprisoned the persons of a number of British subjects residing at Bona, an Algerine sea-port on the Mediterranean; massacred some of them; and confined the British consul

at Algiers in a dungeon. In August Admiral Sir Edward Pelew, then bearing the title of Lord Exmouth, was sent with five ships of the line and five heavy frigates, to demand satisfaction. Captain Dashwood was dispatched in the Prometheus from Gibraltar, with a flag to obtain the release of the consul. The dey refused to give him up, or suffer his family to be taken away, determining to hold them responsible with their lives for any hostility committed by the English. The British captain succeeded in getting off the consul's wife and daughter disguised in midshipmen's uniform, leaving a boat to bring off their infant child. The surgeon gave it a composing draught, put it in a covered basket, and was proceeding to the boat; in passing the gateway, the little infant, unconscious of danger, made a noise by which they were discovered, in consequence of which the surgeon, three midshipmen, and the whole company were seized, and thrown into a dungeon. The next morning, however, the dey sent off the child to its mother on board the Prometheus. On the 25th of August, Lord Exmouth, with his fleet, in conjunction with a Dutch squadron of five large sail, under the command of Admiral Capellon, appeared before Algiers.

The British admiral immediately sent in a summons, demanding the cautionary surrender of the Algerine fleet; the release of the consul, the delivery to the admiral of all who had been concerned in the massacre at Bona; the renewal of the former treaty, and the release of all European captives in his dominions without ransom. The dey, having obtained previous information of this armament, had taken every precaution to place himself in an attitude of defence. The clamor which the American treaty had excited among his subjects, had determined the dey to hazard a battle with the English and Dutch forces. His fleet was in harbor, and drawn up under the guns of the fortresses; he had collected an army of forty thousand Janizaries, and thrown up large additional works on both flanks of the city, and about the entrance of the mole. Relying on these preparations, he sent an insolent denial to the requisitions of Lord Exmouth. On the reception of this answer, the admiral immediately bore up and anchored his flag ship, the Queen Charlotte, of one hundred guns, within fifty yards of the mole; the other ships, with a gentle breeze, taking their appointed stations in line of battle. The firing commenced at three in the afternoon, and lasted, without intermission, until half past eleven. Four large Algerine frigates, five