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CHAPTER VIII.

Causes of the British Expedition to Algiers.-Nature of the Barbary Govern ments, and of the Piratical Expeditions which they authorise.-Sir Sidney Smith's Proposal to the Congress of Vienna.-Negociations of Sir Thomas Maitland and Lord Exmouth in the early part of this year.-Massacre of Bona.-Expedition under Lord Exmouth and Admiral Van de Capellen. Bombardment of Algiers.-Terms of Treaty with the Dey.-Reflections.

W HEN the representatives of the European nations were assembled together at Vienna, after the first effectual humiliation of the power of France, it will be in the recollection of our readers, that their attention was speedily and naturally directed towards the situation of Barbary, from the coasts of which three separate armaments of half savage banditti still continued to infest the Mediterranean sea, and so to keep awake, in a meaner and more cruel shape, the energies of war, else where happily asleep for a season throughout the civilized portion of the world. Sir Sidney Smith, whose long and glorious successes in the Mediterranean had introduced him to a perfect know ledge of the atrocious system thus persisted in by the Moorish pirates, took the lead in exciting among the assembled Princes of Christendom, a sense of the necessity for taking some effectual step towards putting an end to a spectacle so disgraceful, renewed so audaciously in the very heart of Euгоре. The sudden manner in which

VOL. IX. PART I.

the Congress of Vienna broke up prevented any definite arrangement from being agreed upon at the mo ment; but the impression produced upon the public mind had been too deep to be speedily erased, and after the events of 1815 had once again restored tranquillity to the continent, a very general expectation prevailed, that the outrages of these barbarian enemies would at last draw down upon their heads some signal and effectual chastisement. Nor was this expectation altogether disappointed.

The very existence of such powers as the pirate states, so near to the finest countries of Europe, and on a soil which still bears so many splendid vestiges of ancient civilization and refinement, has long been a reproach to the princes of Europe; but their attempts to remove it have hitherto been illconducted, undecisive, or unfortunate. In the older time, indeed, while the coast of Barbary was truly an appendage of the Ottoman throne, there might have been some excuse for the

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slow and wavering character of the measures adopted in regard to its inhabitants. But now, for about two centuries, scarcely a vestige of connec⚫ tion has been visible between the Porte and these its former vassals; and the power of the Barbary States has been so divided and disposed, as to leave no pretence, either of fear or of prudence, to justify those who have been so long submitting to their outrages. A very large extent of the Moorish coast has been formed into three separate and in dependent states, Tunis, Tripoli, and Algiers. Each of these was converted from its allegiance to the Porte by the audacity of the Turkish Janizaries employed in keeping the original Moor. ish and Arab inhabitants in subjection. In the two former, however, this foreign soldiery has by degrees become well nigh melted into the general population, and the chiefs of either go vernment have for a considerable period been natives of the soil, and in consequence, the whole character of their administration has become comparatively gentle. In Algiers alone, the detestable system still survives in all its vigour a whole population o more than five millions is still entirely oppressed by a corps of soldiery, recruited principally from abroad, whose numbers do not exceed ten or twelve thousand. The officers of this corps form the divan or regency of Algiers, but the executive government is in truth deposited in the hands of the Dey, who exercises while in office the most cruel privileges of a despot, but is nevertheless himself the slave of the most lawless of all democracies being chosen by the voices of the Janizaries alone, and by the same voices conducted from the throne to the scaf

fold, whenever it pleases their caprice to be weary of his dominion. Some measure of friendly understanding has been maintained for some time past between the greater part of the European governments, and those of Tunis and Tripoli; but in general, the Algerines have resisted every attempt towards establishing any amicable relations with those, in whose plunder their chief finds the best means of conciliating and confirming the attachment of his uncertain subjects. At home, the Algerine Janizaries exert over the native population the most cruel of ty rannies, and abroad their black flag carries with it fear and desolation into the bays, and along the coasts of Spain, Italy, Sicily, and more lately of Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt. The only flag which carried with it the assurance of protection from the violence of these barbarians, was that of England; for although various other powers of Europe have commonly kept consuls at Algiers, these, more particularly of late years, have been treated with comparative contempt, in consequence of the comparative weak-, ness of the states they represented, in regard to marine armament. Even Eng. lish subjects, however, have occasionally been subjected to hardships, and insults altogether intolerable, by these mean and ferocious allies. The inhabitants of the Ionian Isles, although placed under the special protection of Great Britain, still suffered all the accustomed insolences of the Algerine corsairs. The English government, however, did not require the stimulus of these particular injuries, to induce them to take an active part in humbling the power of the barbarians.

After the conclusion of the general

* A late traveller (Pananti) mentions a touching circumstance illustrative of the internal state of the Algerine Moors. The Dey on one occasion ordered a great well to be locked up; a native passing by shortly after, wrote on the edge of the cistern, "Like you we are chained, but, unlike you, we dare not murmur.'

peace in 1814, the States of Tunis
and Algiers were induced to increase
their establishment of corsair vessels, in
consequence of the favourable change
which had occurred in regard to free-
dom of commerce; and the ravages
committed by them in the course of
that year, were more than sufficient to
confirm our government, in the opinion
already entertained, respecting the ne-
cessity of checking them by some just
infliction of punishment. Sensible,
however, that thechief part of any inju-
ries, intended for the guilty Janizaríes,
would infallibly fall to the share of
the comparatively innocent Moorish
population, our ministers were willing,
if possible, to accomplish their pur-
pose without having recourse to hosti-
lities. Lord Exmouth accordingly
was sent to Algiers, and Sir Thomas
Maitland to Tunis, early in the season,
with a view to procure some amicable
arrangement with the respective go-
vernments of these states. These dis-
tinguished officers obtained without
difficulty many important concessions;
a great number of slaves were imme-
diately set at liberty; and, although
the demand of entirely abolishing
Christian slavery for the future was
not immediately complied with, the
most solemn assurances were given that
an immediate communication should
be made on that subject with the Ot-
toman Porte, (whose authority the
Moorish governors were now ambi-
tious of recognising,) and that if the
Grand Seignior chose to express his
disapprobation, the practice should be
put an end to for ever. To this our
commanders agreed, and Lord Ex-
mouth immediately returned with his
fleet to England, supposing that the
object of his voyage had been ac-
complished. At Algiers, however,
the shew of submission had been
merely assumed for the purposes of
the moment, and no sooner were the

English squadrons out of sight, than
the banditti began to scour the seas
as of old; while the Dey sought the
means of confirming his power, by
opening negociations with the Porte,
the Emperor of Morocco, and the
Pasha of Egypt. It is even said,
that while the English negociator was
still at Algiers, the Janizaries held a
consultation respecting the propriety
of cutting him to pieces while passing
to his ship from the Paschalick. The
cup of their iniquity, however, was
not full till the 31st of May, on which
day a massacre of Christians took place
at Bona, scarcely exceeded in horror
by any that is on record in history.
Whether, as it is asserted by the in-
telligent Italian traveller Pananti, this
scene of cruelty occurred in conse-
quence of positive command from the
government of Algiers, or whether it
was but the unbidden ebullition of the
ferocious passions of the Algerine Ja-
nizaries, it is not easy to ascertain
nor is perhaps the distinction of much
importance. In the neighbourhood of
that city, once the scene of a signal
triumph over the Moors by the forces
of Spain, there are annually assembled,
under the protection of the Dey, a
great number of small boats from all
the coasts of the Mediterranean, for
the purposes of coral fishing On
the day above mentioned, some hun-
dreds of the poor fishermen employed
in this traffick were on shore at pray-
ers at noon tide, when of a sudden they
were alarmed by the wild cries, with
which African soldiers are wont to
rush into battle, and, before they could
escape to their boats, they found them-
selves surrounded by a large body of
Janizaries and Moors. These barba-
rians, animated with a blind and bes
tial rage, massacred the whole of this
unoffending multitude in cold blood,
and withdrew in triumph, as if they
had, by this cowardly atrocity, vindis

cated the honour of their country, which they had supposed to be much injured by the late negociations." It is doubtful," says the traveller we have already quoted, "whether the cele brated Crusades, in the course of which so many hundred thousand human lives were sacrificed, had any cause so legitimate, as that which was furnished to Europe for subjugating the piratical states, by the fearful massacre of Bona." We share the indignation of Mr Pananti, but cannot by any means par ticipate in his doubts.

The news of this outrage reached England very shortly after the return of Lord Exmouth, and convinced both him and the government, that the conciliating manner of the preceding negociations, however benevolently intended, had in fact, led only to the most cruel of results. It was immediately determined that Lord Exmouth should return to Algiers with a formidable armament, and take vengeance for the infraction of the treaty he had so recently concluded. He set sail accordingly with the following force :-the Queen Charlotte, (his own flag ship) 110 guns; Impregnable, 98; Superb, 74; Minden, 74; Albion, 74; Lean. der, 50; Severn, 40; Glasgow, 40; Granicus, 36; Hebrus, 36; Heron, 18; Mutine, 18; Prometheus, 18; besides several smaller vessels, provided with Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells. This armament was assembled in safety at Gibraltar by the beginning of August, where they were joined by a Dutch squadron of five ships, under the command of Admiral Van de Capellen, who were desirous of aiding in the purpose of the expedition, and whose aid was very gladly accepted by the British admiral.

Before proceeding to Algiers, Lord Exmouth dispatched the Prometheus (Captain Dashwood) for the purpose of bringing away, if possible, the English consul and his family. Captain

Dashwood found, on his arrival, that the suspicions of the Dey had already been excited, in respect to the destination of the British armament, and that vigorous measures of defence had been adopted by him and his council of regency. It even appeared, that some private intelligence had reached Algiers respecting the particular plan of attack which his lordship had agreed upon; for the point against which he had resolved to bring his principal force, was found to be receiving every additional strength which could in so short a time be thrown around it. The British captain, however, waited immediately upon the Dey, who informed him, that he was well aware of Lord Exmouth's designs, and well prepared to make a proper defence against whatever armament might be brought to Algiers. Captain Dashwood disguised his knowledge of the truth; and being permitted to visit the consul's house, succeeded in conveying that gentleman's wife and daughter out of the city, in the disguise of naval uniforms. An infant child of the consul was to follow in a basket, but happening to cry out in passing the gate, was discovered and carried back to the city. "The child," said Lord Exmouth," was sent off next morning by the Dey-a solitary instance of humanity, which ought not to pass unrecorded." The consul himself was already in confinement, nor would the Dey listen to any proposal for releasing him. There could now be no longer any concealment of the admiral's designs, and accordingly, as soon as the winds permitted, the whole combined force broke up from Gibraltar; they were tossed about for some time, however, and did not arrive in sight of Algiers till the morning of the 27th of August.

Being becalmed at some distance off the bay, Lord Exmouth dispatched a boat with a flag of truce to the Dey,

carrying a statement of the demands which his government had instructed him to make. These were in substance, 1. The immediate delivery up of all Christian slaves without ransom. II. The restitution of all the money which had been received from Sardinian and Neapolitan captives, since the beginning of the year. III. A solemu declaration from the Dey, that he would respect in future the rights of humanity, and treat all prisoners taken in war according to the usage of the European nations. IV. Peace with the King of the Netherlands, on the like terms as with England. The officer who carried these proposals was directed to wait two or three hours for the answer, at which time, if no reply was sent, he was to return to his lordship's flag ship. He was met near the Mole by the captain of the port, who agreed upon two hours as the period within which the answer should be ready. In the meantime, the wind springing up, the fleet took advantage of it to reach the bay, and the boats and flotilla were prepared for service as speedily as possible. About two o'clock, Lord Exmouth observing his boat returning with the signal that no answer had been received, the order was immediately given that the ships should proceed to occupy the stations assigned to them. The Queen Charlotte led the way, and was anchored in the entrance of the Mole, at the distance of about fifty yards; the other great ships were arranged immediately around the admiral; and in the rear were stationed the smaller vessels destined to throw bombs and rockets at the enemy's fortifications, over the heads of our own ships. At the moment when the Queen Charlotte took her station at the mouth of the harbour, the whole of the piers were crowded with a multitude of spectators, who seemed to be standing in

perfect unconcern, as if unconscious that any fire was to ensue ; Lord Exmouth, stationed at the prow of his ship, motioned with his hat for them to retire, but in vain; at length, one or two shots were discharged from the Mole, upon which the Queen Charloite, being by this time lashed to an Algerine brig immediately without the harbour, opened a most destructive fire, the first round of which carried off many hundreds of the idle crowd upon the Mole. "Thus commenced," says Lord Exmouth, "a fire as animated and well supported, as I believe was ever witnessed which lasted without intermission from a quarter before three until nine, and which did not entirely cease until half past eleven." During the whole of this firing, nothing could exceed the coolness and precision with which the British kept up their destructive attack. Nor did the enemy evince any symptoms of irresolution in their defence. A fire

was maintained from innumerable bat. teries on the Mole itself, and from the higher parts of the city, which occasioned to us a loss of 800 men, and which could not have failed to produce a far more extensive carnage, had the obstinacy of the Algerines been aided by any skill in the management and direction of their artillery.

About sunset the enemy's batteries on the Mole being considerably weakened, Lieutenant Pilchard was sent in the barge of the admiral's ship, to board the nearest of the vessels within the harbour. A few rockets thrown into this vessel set it instantly into a blaze, and the crew of the barge themselves with difficulty escaped from suffering by the effects of the explosion. A gallant young midshipman, who, contrary to orders, followed the barge in a rocket boat, was not so fortunate, because his boat could not be rowed so quickly as the barge. He himself was desperately wounded, his brother

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