GENERAL HISTORY. 



[97 



CHAPTER IX. 



British Expedition to Algiers. 



'T^'HE general peace on the Eu- 

 \ ropean continent has hap- 

 pily, dui-ing the present year, left 

 no other employment to the Bri- 

 tish land forces in this part of the 

 world, than that of assisting in 

 the preservation of tlie external 

 tranquillity so dearly purchased ; 

 bat an unexpected circimistance 

 has procured to the British navy 

 the opportunity of acquiring fresh 

 laurels of no common splendor. 



It has long been a topic of re- 

 proach, which foreigners have 

 brought against the boasted ma- 

 ritime supremacy of England, 

 that the piratical states of Bar- 

 bary have been suffered to exer- 

 cise their ferocious ravages vipon 

 all the inferior powers navigating 

 the ]Mediterianean sea, without 

 any attempt on the part of the 

 mistress of the ocean to control 

 them, and reduce them within the 

 limits prescribed liy the laws of 

 civilized nations. The spirited 

 exertions of the United States of 

 America in the last year, to en- 

 force )eclress of the iiijuiies they 

 had sustained from these pirates, 

 were calculated to excite invidious 

 comparisons with respect to this 

 country ; and either a feeling of 

 national glory, or some other un- 

 explained motives, at length in- 

 spired a resolution in the British 

 government, to engage in earnest 

 in that task, which the general 

 expectation seemed to assign it. 

 Vol. LVIll. 



Of the original plan of opera- 

 tions, and the first proceedings 

 towards putting it into execution, 

 we are furnished with no docu- 

 ments from authority ; but the 

 following concise narrative is re- 

 garded as in some degree official. 



Eaily in this spring. Lord Ex- 

 mouth, the naval commander-in- 

 chief in the Mediterranean, re- 

 ceived instructions to negociate 

 with the Barbary powers, for 

 treating the Ionian isles as Bri- 

 tish possessions ; and also to me- 

 diate a peace between these powers 

 and the kingdoms of Sardinia 

 and Naples ; and further, if pos- 

 sible, to procure a general aboli- 

 tion of Christian slavery in Bar- 

 bary. The Dey of Algiers was 

 first applied to, and he readily 

 consented to consider the Ionian 

 isles as entitled to the privileges 

 of the British flag, and to make 

 peace with Naples and Sardinia ; 

 but declined any overtures for 

 the abolition of the slavery of 

 captives. Lord Exmouth then 

 proceeded to Tunis and Tripolj", 

 with the Beys of which he con- 

 cluded an arrangement similar to 

 that made witl) Algiers, rela- 

 tive to the two firit objects ; but 

 with the addition of a declaration 

 on their part, promising in future 

 not to n)ake slaves of prisoners 

 of war, but to conform to the 

 practice of civilized Eiuopean 

 nations. Lord Exmouth then nt- 

 [H] turned 



