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THE FRIEND AND MONITOR.
Volume I.]
Miscellany.
Washington City, Nov. 15.
Copy of a letter from Commodore De
catur to the Secretary of the Na
’ vy t dated U. S. ship Guerriere t
Bay of Tunis , July 31, 1815.
Sir — l have the honor to inform
you, that upon my arrival at this
anchorage, I was made acquainted
with the following tranfa&ions,
which had taken place here during
our late war with Great Britain.
Two prizes, which had been ta
ken by the Abaellino privateer, and
sent into this port, were taken pos
session of by a Britilh vessel ot war,
1 while lying within the prote&ion
‘of the Bey of Tunis. Ihe consul
having communicated to me infor
mation of this violation of our
treaty with Tunis, I demanded fat
isfaction of the Bey. After
hesitation and proposing a deiay of
payment for one year, my demand
was acceded to, and the money,
amounting to forty-fix thousand
dollars, was paid into the hands of
the consul, Mr. Noah, agent for
the privateer.
I shall proceed immediately for
Tripoli, and will give you early in
formation of the further proceed
ings of this squadron. l’he Bey
of Tunis has now lying in this har
bor, nearly ready for sea, three fri
gates and several fmail vessels of
war.
I have the honor to be, with
great refpe&, fir, your obedient
lervant,
STEPHEN DECATUR.
Hon B tV Crownmihield,
Secretary of t e Navy.
Extract of a letter from Commodore
Decatur to the Secretary of the
Navy , dated U. S. Ship Cuerri
ere, Messina , August 3lx/, 1815.
“ 1 have the honor to inform
you, that immediately after the
date of my last communication, I
[proceeded to Tripoli. Upon tny
‘arrival off that place, l received
from onr Consul a letter; in conse
quence of the information contain
ed in this letter, I deemed it ne
ceffiry to demand justice from the
Balhaw. On the next day the ‘Go
vernor of the city of Tripoli came
on board the Guerriere, to treat in
behalf of the Balhaw. He object
ed to the amount claimed by us,
but finally agreed to our demands
The money, amounting to the sum
ot twenty five thousand dollars,
has been paid into the hands of the
Consul, who is Agent for the Pri
vateer.
The Balhaw also delivered up
to me ten captives, two of them
Danes, and the others Neapolitans.
During the progress of our Ne
gociations with the Hates of Barba
ry, now brought to a conclusion,
there has appeared a disposition on
the part of each of them, to g.ant
as far as we were disposed to de
mand.
I trull that the fuccefsful result
of our fmail expedition, so honora
ble to our country, will induce o
ther nations to follow the example;
in which case the Barbary Hates
will be compelled to abandon their
piratical fyitem.
I shall now proceed with the
WASHINGTON, (Geo.) FRIDAY, DECEMBERS, 1815.
Squadron to Carthagena, at which
place I hope to find the relief squa
dron from America.**
Extract of a letter from. com. Bain
bridge to the secretary of the Navy,
dated U. S. ship Independence , off
Bay of Tunis , Sept 6th 181,5.
“ I hao the honor ot making
communications to you from Car
thagena on the 10th ultimo, from
which nlace I failed with the Inde
pendence, Congress, Erie, Chippe
wa and Spark, destined for Tripoli,
having learned that a iniluader
ftanding existed between the Ba
lhaw of that place, and our cun
ful residing there. On my way 1
called at Algiers to exhibit tins ad
ditional force off there, presuming
it would have l'oine weight in pre
serving the peace which had jult
been made ; tor, the only mode of
convincing these people is by occu
lar deoioriltration.
On my arrival off Tripoli, 1
learned that commodore Decatur
had been there with the lirlt squad
ron, and had adjusted our differen
ces which exitted at that place. —
Our consul at Trip >ii informed me
that exhibiting of our naval force
before Tripoli, hal produced a moll
favorable change in the diipolition
of the Balhaw tor prel’erviifg the
peace with us.
At Tripoli, learning that the
Bey of Tunis was restless towards
the United States. I t nmediateiy
proceeded with the veffcis with me
for that place.
On my arrival at Tunis, I learn
ed by a letter from our confui
there, that the Bey and his officers
were friendly disposed towards us.
Having, agreeaoly to your in
ftrutlions, exhibited the force un
der my command to all the Barba
ry powers, (and which I believe
will have a tendency to prolong
our treaties with them,) 1 have
only now, in further obedience to
those inftru&ions, to return with
the squadron to the U. States.
Copy of a Utter from com Decatur to his
excellency the marquis Cercello, secreta
ry of fate and minijier of foreign af
fairs to his majejly the king of Naples .
U S ship Guerriere, Naples,
Sept. Bth, 1815
SIR—I have the honor to inform
your excellency, that in my late nego
ciation with the Bafhaw of Tripoli, I
demanded and obtained the release of
eight Neapolitan captives, fubjedb of
his majesty the king of the Two Sicilies.
Theie 1 have landed at Meffiaa Itaf
fords me great pleasure to have had it
in my power, by this small service, to
evince to his majesty the grateful sense
entertained by my government of the
aid formerly rendered to us by his ma
jefty, during our war with Tripoli.
With great refpeft and conlidera
tion, I have the honor to be, your ex
cellency’s molt obedient servant.
STEPHEN DECATUR,
His Excellency the Marquis Cercello,
Secretary of State, &c. die.
Naples , 1 2th Sept. 1815.
Slß—Having laid before the king
my mailer the paper which you have
dire£led me, dated the Bth inst. in
which you were pleased to acquaint me,
that, in your last negociation with the
Bey of Tripoli, you had freed from the
llavery of that Regency, eight fubjeds
of his Majesty, whom you had alio fe:
on shore at Meffina ; his Majesty ha.,
orflered me to acknowledge this pecu
liar favor, as the ad of vour gencrofuy,
which you have been pleased to call a
retara for the trifling affiltance which
the squadron of your nation formerly
received from his royal government
du.-iu*; the wjtf with Tripoli
Iu doing myfeif the pleasure of ma
mfelting this lentiment of my Kmg,
and ol affuung you in his name, tiiat
the brave smencan nation will always
find in his Majeltj's ports the belt re
ception. I beg you will receive the
aflujrances of my molt diltinguilhed
consideration.
Ma.quis CJRCLLLO,
Secretary ot State & Mimlter of
Foreign Affajrs.
Com Decatur, commander of the
Squadron of (he U. Sos America.
From the N Y. Gazette, Nov. 18.
with Algiers.
We learn from the officers that
the treaty concluded by corarao
dore Decatur with the dey ol Al
giers, was luch as commodore De
catur thought proper to didate.
The tollowing we learn are iome
of tl?e principal articles ot the
treaty : the dey agrees to reltore
the American pril'oners in
session without ranlom —to pay
10,000 dollars lor the brig Ed
win and cargo, ot Salem, captain
Smith, which he had captured three
years iinc.e—to reltore a cargo of
cotton which he had confifcated,
belonging to the hon. William
Grayol Bolton—to allow the A
inericans to fend into their” ports
and dispose of them, any prizes
which they lhould capture, from
any power which the United States
lhould, in luture be at war with,
and they further agree that m case
any power lhould be at war with
the United States, that pow’er lhali
only have liberty to lena m their
prizes for supplies, and to remain
only 24 hours to procure them,
and not upon any conlideration to
have p. i million to diipoie ot the
veffets or cargoes—the dey further
agrees, that in case an American
citizen should be taken under the
flag of any other nation with whom
they may be at war, he lhali be
irhmediately liberated, and given
up to the confui—in cale ot the
Ihipwreck of an American vessel,
the captain lhali have permiflion to
land his cargo without paying any
duties, and may remain there un
til he has an opportunity of re-
Ihipping it; or the cargo may be
dilpofed ot upon paying the culto
mary duties. No prelents or tri
bute, are in future, to be paid by
the United States to the dey.
The frigate and brig captured by
commodore Decatur, was not re
flored by virtue of any article of
the treaty, but given up by com
modore Decatur as a prelent, and
at the earliest entreaties of the dey,
who represented the danger he was
exposed to from his lubjeds, in
consequence of having ligned a
treaty with Such favorable terms to
the United States, particularly the
reltoring of Captain Smith and
crew, without ranlom, and paying
10,000 dollars for his vetieis ana
cargo, a condition which the dey
said, they had never before sub
mitted to, in the case of any Chris
tian nation whatever. The brig
was however detained at Cartha
gena by the Spaniards, on the
ground that the was captured with
in their territory, they being then
at war with Algiers.
The treaty with Algiers was
signed on the 4th of July, and 00.
the 6th the Epervier captain Shu
brick was dispatched to the United
States with a copy of the treaty ;
her not having yet arrived, scarce
a doubt remains but that Ihe muff
have foundered in the severe gales
of Augull last. —Newport Mercury
11 th inst.
. l^askaskia , September 29.
We understand that the Com.
miflioners appointed to treat with
the Indians of the Mifliffippi river
and its waters, are about to close
their negotiations, and terminate
their business without effecting
any pacification whatever with the
Rock river Indians. Those delud
ed wretches, as well as many others
have received very large presents
from the Britilh government, and
have been led by the traders to be
lieve that war between the United
States and Great Britain would be
lenew'ed in a Ihort time-
1 hey fay the British have advis
ed them not to meet our Commis
sioners.—They have refufed to do
so—and mod pofitiveiy obje£t to
tl*e eftabliffirnent of military polls
on the Mississippi river ; added to
circumftances, their continu
ed hostilities and depredations ever
since they were notified of the
peace, render it nectflary for the
lake of example, and to command
a proper refped for the American
government, that it should take the
mod vigorous mealures for punish
ing them. If peace ffiould be
made with them hereafter, without
requiring loine atonement for their
multiplied tranfgreflions, from fee
ing the facility with which impuni
ty is obtained for the molt outrage
ous cond£t.
The machinations of British tra
ders have doubtless prevented the
Indians generally, frr meeting the
overtures of our p’ nment with
the promptitude mat was expe&ed.
Several of the tribes attempted to
temporize and intrigue by promis
ing, and yet delaying to fend for
ward deputations, which circum
stances have greatly contributed tc
protraft the treaty. 4
Many British traders, with goods
to avast amount, on which no du
ties have been paid, are arrived in
the Mississippi, & are now trading
with the Indians within our ac
knowledged limits, and in the
country which we have purchased
from the Indians, without any li
cence whatever. Is it poflible
that those traders can be permitted
to adl in this way with impunity,
whilst even our citizens are prohib*
ted under severe penalties from
carrying on any trade with the In
dians without givingbond with fuf
ficient security to conduft them
selves properly, and obtaining a li
cence from the fuperintendant of
Indian affairs ? Are the vile Bri
tish traders who have disgraced.
themselves by stimulating the rav
ages to murder women and children
on our frontier, to be permitted to
enjoy greater privileges in our own
country than our rnoft meritorious
citizens ? Justice and policy both
forbid it.
Illinois Herald.
It is said that the Banks of the
£No. 48.