GENERAL HISTORY. 



[99 



tian slavery ; and impressing him 

 with the importance of remitting 

 as soon as possible, the money to 

 be paid for the release of the 

 slaves. 



Before Lord Exmouth had 

 quitted the Barbary coast, a tra- 

 gical incident occurred, (which, 

 however, did not come to his 

 knowledge) resulting from the 

 savage and perfidious disposition 

 of a people tiained to piracy, and 

 rendered furious by the appre- 

 hension of being compelled to 

 renounce their most profitable 

 branch of traffic. At Bona, on 

 the coast of Algiers, is an establish- 

 ment for carrying on a coral 

 fishery, under the protection of 

 the British flag, which, at the 

 proper season, is frequented by a 

 great number of boats from the 

 Corsican, Neapolitan, and other 

 Italian ports. On the 23d of May, 

 the festival of Ascension, at one 

 in the morning, as the crews of 

 all tlie boats were preparing to 

 hear mass, a gun was fired from 

 the Castle, and at the same time 

 appeared about 2000 infantry and 

 cavalry, cor.sisting of Turks, Le- 

 vanters, and Moors. A part of 

 these troops proceedad towards 

 the country, whilst another band 

 advanced towards the river, where 

 the fishing boats were lying at 

 different distances from the sea; 

 and firing, as did also the forts, 

 ui)on the unfortunate fishers, who 

 were partly on board and partly 

 on land, massacred almost the 

 whole of them. They seized the 

 English flags, tore them in pieces, 

 and trampling them under foot, 

 dragged them on the ground in 

 triumph. The men who hap- 

 pened to be in the country, saved 

 themselves by flight, and declared 



that they saw the soldiers pillage 

 the house of the British vice- 

 consul, the magazines containing 

 the provisions, and the coral 

 which had been fished up. By 

 the boats which escaped, intelli- 

 gence was brought, that on the 

 arrival of a courier, hostilities 

 were suspended ; that the Vice- 

 consid was set at liberty, but not 

 suffered to quit the town ; and 

 that several masters of boats, and 

 seamen, who had taken refuge in 

 a magazine during the massacre, 

 were also liberated, and were ad- 

 vised by the Vice-consul to put to 

 sea, with the boats which were 

 destitute of crews. A Turk, who 

 was asked the reason of this vio- 

 lence, rejjlied, that the Dey had 

 declared war against the Eng- 

 lish, because the Admiral had de- 

 manded the burning of the Alge- 

 rine fleet. On the whole, it ap- 

 pears probable, that this horrid 

 act was perpetrated, rather in 

 consequence of the blind and un- 

 governable rage of a licentious 

 soldiery, than of orders from the 

 Dey and his Divan ; for although 

 the firing from the forts might be 

 construed as an authorised hosti- 

 lity, there is no reason to suppose, 

 that it would have been com- 

 manded by a regular government 

 for the mere purpose of useless 

 destruction. 



Whatever was the direct cause 

 of this atrocity, it cannot be 

 doubted, that the intelligence in- 

 vigorated the determination of 

 the British cabinet to employ ef- 

 fectual measures for obtaining by 

 force from these barbarians, that 

 security for their future peaceful 

 conduct which would be in vain 

 expected from their regard to 

 justice or humanity. Immedi- 



[H 2] ately. 



