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1815. numerous friends, this brave and amiable young man (or what captain Warrington had left him) survived.

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Capt. Of course, the american captain, who had himself War- escaped unhurt, the moment he was informed of ton's the casualties on board his prize, either visited, or shame sent a condoling message to, her dreadfully manhavi- gled commander? Reader, he did neither. Captain Warrington, in the words of the poor sufferer, in him in his memorial to the court of directors, "proved himdread- self totally destitute of fellow-feeling and commisefully ration; for, during the time he retained possession of wound- the Nautilus," which was until 2 P. M. on the 1st of state. July, "he was not once moved to make a common

wards

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ed

place inquiry after the memorialist, in his then deplorable condition." No wonder, that, throughout civilized India, the perpetrator of this atrocious act is looked upon as a barbarian: let but the requisite publicity be given to the case of the Nautilus and Peacock, and the name of Warrington will be held in equal detestation throughout the civilized world,

569

STATE OF THE BRITISH NAVY.

THE totals, in the two "ordinary" columns of the 1816. present abstract, decisively show the peaceable state of the navy at the beginning of the year 1816 ;* and the totals, generally, differ but slightly from those of the abstract for the year in which the war had commenced.+ The number of commissioned officers and masters, belonging to the british navy of the at the beginning of the present year, was,

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And the number of seamen and marines, voted for the service of the same year, was 33000.‡

rican

Having brought to a close the wars of civilized Amenations, we have now to record the particulars of a expedishort but decisive war carried on against barbarians. tion to Algiers Partly to settle some differences with the regencies of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, and partly, no doubt, to astonish Europe with the extent of their naval force, the United States, the moment peace with England permitted them, sent forth, in separate divisions, as fast as the ships could be got ready, nearly the whole of their Atlantic or sea navy. On

* See Appendix, Annual Abstract No. 24.

For the lists of casualties usually introduced in this place, see Appendix Nos. 14, 15, 16, and 17.

See Appendix, No. 18.

1816. the 17th of June, off Cape de Gatte, the first division, consisting of three frigates and three smaller vessels, under commodore Decatur, in the new 32pounder 44-gun frigate Guerrière, after a running fight, by one account, of 25 minutes, and by another account, of nearly two hours, captured the algerine 18-pounder 40-gun frigate Mezoura. Mr. Madison, in his speech to congress delivered on the 5th of December, when referring to this "demonstration of american skill and prowess," says, "The high character of the american commander was brilliantly sustained on the occasion." With examples of this sort from the head of the government, no wonder that the people of the United States are such unconscionable braggarts.

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with

Algiers

&c.

The american squadron also drove on shore near treaty St.-Xavier a small frigate or corvette. On the 30th commodore Decatur concluded a treaty with the dey of Algiers; by which all prisoners made on either side were to be restored, and all property given up, and no more tribute was to be demanded from the United States. The algerine prisoners on board the squadron of commodore Decatur amounted to 500, and the natives of the United States in the hands of the dey did not exceed 10: consequently his highness did not, in that respect, make a bad bargain. The american commodore afterwards sailed for Tunis and Tripoli, and obtained from those regencies payment of the few thousand dollars in dispute between the latter and some american citizens. In the case of Tripoli, 10 danish and neapolitan captives were given up by the bey, in lieu of a portion of the stipulated sum. In his letter to the american secretary of state, commodore Decatur had the modesty to say, that the treaty he had concluded "placed the United States on higher ground than any other nation."* One of the officers of his squadron concludes a letter to a friend with the

* Naval Monument, p. 299.

following piece of pleasantry: "You have no idea 1816. of the respect which the american character has July gained by our late wars. The Spaniards, especially, think we are devils incarnate: as we beat the English who beat the French, who beat them, whom nobody ever beat before; and the Algerines, whom the devil himself could not beat."*

On the 23d of May, at Bona, near Algiers, the crews of between 300 and 400 small vessels engaged in the coral-fishery, while on their way to celebrate mass, (it being Ascension day,) were barbarously massacred by a band of 2000 turkish, levantine, and moorish troops. These atrocities committed on defenceless Christians having at length roused the vengeance of Britain, an expedition, of a British suitable magnitude, was prepared to act against the tion to forts and shipping of Algiers, and the command was Algiers intrusted to a most able officer, admiral lord Exmouth; who had already, a short time before, compelled the dey of Tunis to sign a treaty for the abolition of christian slavery, and to restore 1792 slaves to freedom.

On the 28th of July, at noon, a fleet, consisting of the following 19 men of war, also a naval transport, a sloop with ordnance stores, and a despatch-vessel, weighed from Plymouth Sound with a fine northerly wind:

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At 5 P. M., tain Paterson was ordered to hasten on to Gibraltar, to have every thing in readiness against the arrival of and the expedition. On the 9th of August, at 2 P. M., lord at Gib- Exmouth anchored with his fleet in Gibraltar bay, raltar. and found lying there, along with the Minden, which had arrived only on the preceding night at 11, the following dutch squadron:

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Immediately on being apprized of the object of ral the expedition, vice-admiral Van de Cappellen solijoins cited and obtained leave to cooperate in the attack expedi- with his frigate-squadron. No time was lost by

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lord Exmouth in sending on shore all articles of useless lumber and in getting on board fresh supplies of provisions and ordnance stores, it being the admiral's intention to sail on the 12th. On the 11th, however, a strong levanter set in; and, continuing over the 12th, kept the fleet from moving.

Lord Owing to the highly commendable regulations put mouth's in force by lord Exmouth, an unusual proportion of plan of powder and shot had been expended by the fleet ing his since its departure from England. Every Tuesday and Friday the signal was made for the fleet to prery, pare for action; when each ship, according to

men

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