The Barbary The Reason Why CHAPTER XVII THE WAR WITH T TRI POLI F NOR centuries, the little states lying between the Mediterranean and the Sahara and extending from the Atlantic to Egypt had habitually levied tribute even upon the most powerful European nations and, when payment was refused, had captured vessels of the offending power in the English Channel and the North Sea, had landed on the Sword of the Tripoli Campaign shores of Italy, France, Spain, and England, and dragged away European captives to Af rican slavery. From time to time, efforts had been made to stamp out the practice with merely temporary effect at best and often with no effect at all. In fact, the great maritime powers had a criminal interest in the continuance of the evil, the nature of which interest was bluntly set forth in a pamphlet published by Lord Sheffield in 1783. "It is not probable the American States will have a very free trade in the Mediterranean," wrote Sheffield. "It will not be the interest of any of the great maritime powers to protect them there from the Barbary States. If they know their interests, they will not encourage the Americans to be carriers-that the Barbary States are advan tageous to the maritime powers is obvious. If they were 18 o I suppressed, the little States of Italy, &c. would have much more of the carrying trade. The French The worse politicians than in en- Map of the Mediterranean and Northern Africa, to Cage Whether Franklin's suspicion was correct or not, the Opening the corsairs soon learned to recognize the American flag as that of a weak power. In October, 1784, the brig "Betsy," bound to Teneriffe, was captured and carried into Tangier, but was finally released by the emperor of Morocco who hoped to negotiate a favorable peace with the United States. In the following year, two other vessels were seized by Algerine corsairs and their crews reduced to slavery. A war between Algiers and Portugal had, for some time, kept the Straits of Gibraltar closed against Algerine cruisers, but, in 1793, a year's truce was I 8 I concluded "through the influence of the English consul at Algiers, for the express purpose, as it is alleged, of allowing the Algerines to cruise against Americans." Eight corsair vessels at once hastened through the straits and, in two months, captured eleven American vessels. OctoberNovember, 1793 Prison Life Ransom Upon capture, a prisoner was usually stripped of his own clothing and given filthy rags to wear. Upon arrival at the pirate port, an iron ring was put on one of his legs as a badge of slavery and he was fortunate if he was not loaded with heavy chains. Sometimes the prisoners were parcelled out among private individuals, but frequently they were taken into government employ and used upon government works. The food given them was scanty and, at night, the government prisoners and some of the private ones also were confined in the bagnio or prison. James L. Cathcart, one of the seamen taken on the Boston schooner, "Maria," has given us a description of the 'Bagnio Belique," one of these prisons, which, he says, must resemble the infernal regions more than any other place in the known world. The second and third story of this dungeon is surrounded by a small corridor or gallery from whence are entrances into long, narrow rooms where the slaves repose as well as miserable wretches can be supposed to do who are swarming with myriads of vermin of all sorts, many nearly naked, and few with anything more than an old tattered blanket to cover them with in the depth of winter." This captivity, with its accompaniment of Moslem insults and the bastinado, continued until the "dog of an unbeliever" died or was ransomed; the plague and other contagious diseases carried off many. Every prisoner hoped to be ransomed, but the families of most of them were unable to obtain the large sums demanded, while the government was usually indifferent or dilatory. It was no unusual occurrence, especially in New England, for the minister to read in church pathetic letters written by American prisoners among the corsairs, praying that money might in some way be raised to release them from their torments. Negotiations with the Barbary powers were early 178 5 entered into by the United States. The experience of 18 o o John Adams with the representative of Tripoli and the Diplomacy subsequent treaty with Morocco were noted in the preceding volume. In 1786, an American agent named John Lamb went to Algiers and vainly negotiated for the ransom of the prisoners taken the year before. In February, 1792, the senate voted in favor of paying an annual tribute of one hundred thousand dollars for peace with Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, and forty thousand dollars for the ransom of the captives. John Paul Jones was appointed consul at Algiers and envoy to treat for peace, but he died before his instructions reached him. Thomas Barclay, who had negotiated the treaty with Morocco was then intrusted with the mission, but he also died before he January 19, could reach his post. Then came the truce between 1793 Algiers and Tunis, and the Algerine dey refused to receive an American representative. The numerous captures of the following fall roused the American government to action and, aided by the threatening state of our relations with England, resulted in the creation of an American navy as already described. Before the new vessels were completed, however, treaties had been negotiated with Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis, as related in the tenth chapter of this volume. as an The dey was so elated over his diplomatic success that The "George he not unnaturally regarded the United States as a sub- Washington" ject power. When the 24-gun frigate, "George Wash- Algerine ington," arrived at Algiers, with the annual tribute, he Packet forced Captain William Bainbridge, under threat of September, instant war, to make a voyage to Constantinople. Sorely 1800 against his will, Bainbridge went as he was sent carrying an "ambassador and suite, one hundred in number; also a hundred negro women and children, four horses, one hundred and fifty sheep, twenty-five horned cattle, four lions, four tigers, four antelopes, twelve parrots, and funds and regalia amounting to nearly a million dollars." Five times a day the Mussulman passengers prayed with their faces toward Mecca, and, as the ship tacked |