to wait a proper opportunity to communicate to him your intimation. The Bashaw sent me a very polite message, expressing his concern for our loss, and requesting to know if the President had received his letter, which was forwarded by the Sophia. I answered in the affirmative, and ordered the drogoman to inform his excellency that I would wait on him when he was at leisure.

"In the evening he sent Farfara to inform me that he was indisposed or would have been glad to see me, and requested if I had any thing to impart that I would communicate it to Farfara. I accordingly requested him to express to the Bashaw his excellency the President's satisfaction with the arrangements that took place last year, and to assure him that he had never considered him as dependent upon either of the other regencies, that he had always treated him as an independent prince, and the government of the United States would always consider him with as much respect, and treat him with the same friendship that they did the heads of the other regencies. Farfara returned with the following answer. 'His excellency the Bashaw has desired me to request you to acquaint the President of the United States, that he is exceedingly pleased with his proffers of friendship; that the respect which he has shewn to his communication is really flattering; that had his protestations been accompanied with a frigate or brig of war, such as we had given the Algerines, he would be still more inclined to believe them genuine; that compliments, although acceptable, were of very little value, and that the heads of the Barbary states knew their friends by the value of the presents that they received from them.'

"It being too late for any answer that evening, I made such comments on the Bashaw's message as might serve to eradicate from the mind of the Jew the most distant expectation that the President would ever make so great a sacrifice, which I informed him was entirely incompatible with the interests of the United States.

"Considering it highly improper to delay giving a direct,

explicit, and categorical answer to the Bashaw's insinuation, I sent my drogoman to the castle to request an audience; I having previously formed a resolution never to employ a third person whenever the honour or the interest of my country was concerned. The drogoman informed me that his excellency had seen Farfara, and if I had any further communication to make, to employ him, as he was very much indisposed. Thus was I disappointed.

"Farfara waited upon me in the afternoon, when I requested him to inform the Bashaw, that if he supposed that the cruisers which were sent by our government to Algiers were given gratuitously he had been misinformed; that during our negotiation last year I had acquainted him that the frigate was given to that regency in lieu of cash, for the ransom of our citizens, which had been redeemed on credit more than a year before her arrival; that the cruisers were built on commission, and paid for in cash out of the publick treasury, and were not the property of the Dey, as he supposed; that I had copies of their accounts by me which he should peruse if he thought proper, whereby he would be informed of the magnitude of his expectation, and the improbability of the United States having given them gratuitously; that I was sensible how disagreeable it would be to disappoint expectations when once formed; I therefore found it my duty to prevent any taking place, in order to avoid the chagrin attending a positive refusal, which, from the nature of the request, mast naturally be expected from the President of the United States.

"The Bashaw returned in answer, that he had concluded peace with the United States for much less than he had received from other nations, and that he knew his friends by what he received from them.

"I shall by no means broach this subject to the Bashaw again, as I have hindered him from having any ground for expectation, and shall continue to act in the same manner, should he ever make it a topick of conversation, as he can have no pretext to make a demand, and only insinuates that he expects some mark of the President's friendship,

more substantial than compliments. I imagine it will be best to take no further notice of it. The appearance of our frigates in the Mediterranean will, I hope, eradicate any expectation that he may have flattered himself with, if any really exists; and until that perjod, believe me, Sir, our commerce will never be upon a respectable footing in these seas."

Extract of a Letter from the same to the same, dated

MAY 12, 1800.

"GIVE me leave to inform you, in addition to mine of the 18th of April, a copy of which is enclosed with this despatch, that on the twenty-first of said month a board of consuls were called by the Bashaw, relative to the affairs: of Sweden, in order to facilitate as much as possible, his depredations and unjust demands upon that nation. As I have already forwarded to you the particulars of their last arrangement, I at present refer you to the copy of the certificate herewith enclosed for the result. During the course of conversation the Bashaw observed that he never made reprisals on any nation, or declared war, but in consequence of their promises not being fulfilled, or for a want of due respect being shewn him; that he conceived himself entitled to the same respect that was shewn to the Bashaws of Algiers and Tunis, but that some nations gave more to the officers in each of those regencies than they had given to him for their peace.' The last remark was evidently pointed at the United States, but as it was made in general terms, I thought proper not to seem to understand it, especially as I could say very little more on the subject than what I had already communicated to him through the agency of Signior Farfara.

"On the 2d of May a courier arrived from Tunis, which brought me the copies of your letters of the 15th of Janu→ ary, which arrived in the ship Hero. Before I had time to read them, Farfara came and informed me that the Bashaw wanted to see me immediately. I asked him if he

knew what his excellency wanted; he said he did not, that he had received letters from Tunis, and seemed very much irritated. It being late in the evening, I waited on him in dishabille, when the following conversation took place, which I have endeavoured to render verbatim.

You have received letters from America: how were they brought to Tunis ?

6 In a vessel direct from America.

• What is her business at Tunis ?

She has brought the stores stipulated by treaty with that regency.

What do they consist of?

I do not know the particular articles which compose her cargo, but it chiefly consists of lumber and articles, such as were promised to your excellency when our peace took place.

What do your letters from your government contain? They are merely copies of what I had already received, the contents of which your excellency was informed by Farfara.

"This being a favourable opportunity to know whether our broker had acted with candour, I repeated what was contained in mine of the 18th of April, and found by the Bashaw's answers (which were exactly what Farfara had before informed me) that he had acted honestly.

"The Bashaw observed that the United States had made liberal presents to Algiers and Tunis, that he was informed of the particulars of all our negotiations, that he even had a list of the cargo which had arrived at Tunis, that it is worth a treasure. Why do not the United States send me a voluntary present? They have acted with me as if they had done every thing against their will. First, they solicited the interference of the Dey of Algiers, in consequence of which I concluded a peace with them for almost nothing in comparison to what I have received from other nations, I having received many favours from Hassan Bashaw, during the continuance of the revolution in this kingdom. They next made me wait more than two years

before they sent their consul, and then he came without the stipulated stores. Nevertheless, in order to convince them of my good and friendly intentions, I accepted of the small sum of eighteen thousand dollars in lieu thereof, not doubting but they would be grateful enough to make me some return for my civility; but I have the mortification to be informed that they have now sent a ship load of stores to Tunis, besides promising a present of jewels, and to me they have sent compliments. But I have cruisers as well as Tunis, and as good Raizes and sailors. I am an independent prince as well as the Bashaw of Tunis, and I can hurt the commerce of any nation, as much as the Tunisians. Why then should so great a difference be made?'

"From the tenour of the Bashaw's harangue I perceived that his aim was to intimidate me, to say something that might hereafter be interpreted into a promise of a present, the value of which he would probably dictate himself. I therefore answered him as follows:

Whatever information your excellency has received relative to the value of the presents or stores which have been given to Tunis, it has been amazingly exaggerated, We have never made any but what were stipulated by treaty, nor can we ever make voluntary presents, it being incompatible with our form of government, the funds of the United States not being at the disposal of the President until an appropriation is made by an act of the legis lature. The funds for carrying our treaty with Tripoli into effect are exhausted; and last year your excellency wrote to the President of the United States that you were contented with what you had already received. You, therefore, in justice, could not expect any thing at present from the United States, but a reciprocal tender of friendship. Had your excellency preferred the stores to cash, and waited with patience until they were forwarded, as the Bey of Tunis has done, I am convinced they would have arrived long ere now. But at present, as the United States have fulfilled the stipulations of the treaty, they are not in arrears to this regency, and any demands upon them must