A Sketch of the Life of Com. Robert F. Stockton; With An Appendix, Comprising His Correspondence With the Navy Departmen, (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: WAR WITH ALGIERS. 25 CHAPTER III. STOCKTON BAILS WITH COMMODORE D'EOATOR TO CHASTISE' THE ALGERINES?AFFAIR W)TH ALGERINK FRIGATE?CAPTURE OF ALGKRINE BRIG RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES?APPLIES FOR SERVICE IN MEDITERRANEAN SQUADRON?SAILS WITH COMMODORE CHAUNCEY TRANSFERRED TO SLOOP-OF-WAR ERIE?AFFAIR WITH A MIDSHIPMAN?INSOLENCE OF RRITISIJ OEFICERS?STOCKTON RESENTS IT?MEETING AT NAPLES?DIFFICULTIES AT GIRRALTAR?NARROW ESCAPE OF STOCKTON?RETURNS IN- CHAR8E OF-ARRXSTED CAPTAINS?ENCOUNTER WITH SPANISH FRIOATE?TREATMENT Of His Pa'ssesgirs. t . SooN after the restoration of peace with Great Britain, war was declared by the United States against the-Dey of Algiers. In conformity with the policy which governed the relations of the chief maritime nations of Europe with the Bai-bary powers, the United States had formed treaties with them providing for the annual payment of subsidies in consideration of their forbearing to prey on the commerce of American citizens. No sooner had war between the United States and Great Britain -commenced, than the Dey of Algiers, well knowing that our national ships would be fully employed wtth the British, violated the subsisting treaty, and pro- cedded to .capture American .vessels -and reduce to slavery those American captives who had been taken prisoners. The United States had discovered that.it was the policy of the larger maritime states of Europe, especially of England, to tolerate the Barbary powers, for the purpose of checking the growth of the commercial enterprise of the smaller European states. In Lord Sheffield's work entitled Observations on the Commerce of the American States, he reqommends this policy without disguise. He says, (p. 204, ) It is not probable the American States will have a very free trade in the Mediterranean;..