520 Present Policy of Europe towards the Barbary States. [MAY, 



Hanse Towns to comply with his demands, his revenue will be thereby 

 considerably increased. This system, which is followed up with little 

 modification in all the piratical states of the Mediterranean, cannot fail to 

 inflate the pride of savage princes ; nor is the appearance of the repre- 

 sentative of Great Britain in these pageants, laying down her share of the 

 purchase money of the smiles and sunshine of their countenance, likely 

 to diminish their ideas of potency and greatness. The almost literal 

 fact, that here 



" As in the east, exhausted slaves 

 Lay down their far-brought gifts and die," 



must for ever destroy the notion, that the basis of all intercourse between 

 states ought to be reciprocal advantage. Muley Abderachman is by far 

 too sagacious to arouse Europe from its lethargy ; as long as we are 

 willing to pay, he will extend his hand to receive. This prince was 

 called to the throne by the late emperor, his uncle Muley Soleyman, on 

 account of his abilities, to the exclusion of his own sons, who are yet 

 living, and whom the present emperor has so far conciliated as to keep 

 in his train, one as his aide-de-camp, and another he has made governor 

 of an interior province. The manner in which he has long soothed 

 many of the governments of Europe into a compliance with his policy, 

 and frightened others without a shadow of offensive force, is no insigni- 

 ficant proof of his talent. He has besides counteracted all the plots of 

 opposition to his government (which during his reign have been 

 numerous), either in seizing by stratagem or open force all the refractory 

 scherifs and bashaws who, under pretence of his not being rightful 

 heir to the throne, have often rebelled. A specimen of his cunning he 

 lately afforded by the mode in which he dislodged an inimical bashaw 

 from his government. This man had often refused to appear when cited 

 at court : not wishing to proceed to open hostilities, the emperor, by 

 means of agents, stirred up an insurrectionary mountain warfare in the 

 bashaw's neighbourhood, under pretext of quelling which he took the 

 field himself, and ordered all his chiefs to join him. The unsuspicious 

 governor abandoning the safety of his bashalick entered the emperor's 

 tent, when he was immediately laden with chains and conducted to 

 prison, from which he was not released till he had disgorged what the 

 emperor considered a fair share of the profits of his government, the 

 division of which had been the cause of their quarrel. 



