■sif INTRODUCTION. 



fingle language had never been with me either an object of 

 time or difficulty. 



At this inflant, inftead of obtaining the liberty I had fo- 

 liated to depart, orders arrived from the king to expect his 

 further commands at Algiers, and not to think of ftirring 

 from thence, till a difpute about pafTports was fettled, in 

 which I certainly had no concern, further than as it regard- 

 ed me as his Majefly's actual fervant, for it had originated 

 entirely from the neglect of the former conful's letters di- 

 rected to the fecretary of flate at home, before my coming to 

 Algiers. 



The ifland of Minorca had been taken by the French; and 

 when the fort of St Philip furrendered by an article common 

 to all capitulations, it was ftipulated, that all papers found 

 in the fort were to be delivered to the captors. It happened 

 that among thefe was a number of blank Mediterranean 

 paiTes, which fell therefore into the hands of the French, 

 and the blanks were filled up by the French governor and 

 fecretary, who very naturally wifhed to embroil us with the 

 Barbary Hates, it being then the time of war with France. 

 They were fold to Spaniards, Neapolitans, and other ene- 

 mies of the Barbary regencies. The check* (the only proof 

 that thefe pirates have of the veffels being a friend) agreed 

 perfectly with the paffport filled up by the French gover- 

 nor, but the captor feeing that the crew of thefe veffels 

 were dark-coloured, wore muflachoes, and fpoke no Englifh, 

 carried the veflel to Algiers, where the Britifli conful detect- 

 ed 



* This is a running figure cut through the middle like the check of a bank note. 



