the one enclosed to Leon Farfara and the other to Siddi Mohammed Daguize.

It being Saturday the letters were not brought to my house until nine P. M. and after Siddi Mohammed Daguize and Farfara had been at the castle the letters were dated at Algiers, December the 31st, 1800.

:

Sunday 8th. Waited upon Siddi Mohammed Daguize requested him to inform the Bashaw that I had a present to deliver to his Excellency, and would be glad to know when I was permitted to wait upon him with it.

Siddi Daguze answered, that the Bashaw knew there was a present arrived from Algiers, and that his Excellency had ordered him to inform me that he would neither receive me nor the present; that he was determined to let the whole world see that he respected not the interferance of the Dey of Algiers, and that he would declare war in form against the United States of America in forty days from the date of the arrival of the presents. I made use of every argument to dissuade the Bashaw from putting his menace into execution, knowing that Daguize would report the whole conversation to the Bashaw. Da guize answered, that he knew the Bashaw had no reason to declare war against us, and that he had informed him several times that, in the present state of his affairs, it was not his interest to displease the Dey of Algiers; that he advised the Bashaw to respect the request of the Dey, from a conviction that it was his master's interest so to do, and not with any intention to befriend the United States; but that he was sorry to find the Bashaw paid but very little respect to his advice, being surrounded by a set of mer cenaries, who had hardly common sense, and who where continually persuading him to declare war against the United States, and assuring him that the Dey of Algiers would only be angry for a few days: that by capturing the ships and enslaving the citizens of the United States, the government would be

obliged to come, cap in hand, and sue for peace, upon the same terms Sweden has: and that America was at too great a distance to send a considerble force into this sea.

I combated these ideas but with little success, and Siddi Mohammed Daguize informed me that I might depend the Bashaw would put his scheme into execution; was it only to try the experiment; that the only service he could do me was to procure me an audience next day, when I would hear from the Bashaw himself his determination.

On the 9th inst. at 3 P. M. I procured an audience, which lasted for about three hours, the Bashaw broke silence in a blunt manner and asked me what I wanted. I have come to ask permission to present your Excellency with some Regalia, as a token of the friendly intention of the President of the United States, and to know when you will be at leisure to receive it. "Never, by God, never!" said he. For what reason?

"Because it was not intended for me." It never can be supposed that the Bashaw of Tripoli has occasion for such trifles. Tripoli is different from what it was some years ago.

I observed that probably his Excellency did not know what the Regalia consisted of. "Yes I do," said he, “better than you do ; and if it was ten times as valuable I would not receive it. You may send it from whence it came.

I now swear by God, my religion, the head of my Son Siddi Aly, (who was sitting by him,) and, by this right hand, that I will never be at peace with your nation until your President appoints a person to negociate a treaty with me without the interference of Algiers or any other nation. I now declare your treaty no longer binding, and that I will declare war against America immediately if you do not give me assurance that your President will alter the said treaty to my liking, and give me 250,000 dollars as the price of the said new treaty: and that

your nation will annually pay me the sum of twenty thousand, to continue the said new peace after it is made."

I made use of every argument in my power, which produced no effect whatever. These terms the Bashaw said were the only ones he had to propose, that the alteration in the treaty he insisted on above every thing else, and swore he would never enter into any negociation with an agent of the United States upon any other terms, even was he sure to lose his kingdom, and with it his head. With this he drew his hand horizontally across his gullet. After three hours litigation, he said he would give us time, if we would pay him well for it, and demanded 100,000 dollars for six months. At last, the result was, that he would wait eighteen months, if I would give him eighteen thousand dollars, and assurance that the President of the United States would comply with the rest of his unjust demands. I negatived the whole, as you may well suppose.

TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

Tunis, June 28th, 1801.

ON the night of the eighteenth, a fire broke out in the Bey's palace, which in its progress, consumed fifty thousand stands of arms, The second day following I received a message to wait on the Bey; but was at that moment confined to my bed with a billious fever, so that it was not till this morning that I have been able to go to the palace in my carriage. The Bey's object in calling me was, to demand of the United States ten thousand stands of arms. I refused to state his demand. "I have apportioned my loss," said he, " among my friends; and this quota falls to you to furnish: tell your gov. ernment to send them without delay." It is impossible, said I, to state this claim to my government. We have no magazines of small arms. The organization of our national strength is different from that

of every other nation on earth. Each citizen carries his own arms, always ready for battle. When threatened with invasion, or actually invaded, detachments from the whole national body are sent by rotation to serve in the field so that we have no need of standing armies nor depositories of arms. It would be an affront to my government, and an imposition on the Bey, to state to them this demand, or to flatter him with a prospect of receiving it. "Send for them from France or England," said the Minister. You, said I, are in a much more eligible position to make this commission from Europe than we are. "If the Bey had any intentions of purchasing the arms from Europe," said the Minister, "he could do it without your agency. He did not send for you to ask your advice, but to order you to communicate his demands to your government.' But I come here, said I, to assure you that I will make no such communication to my government. "The Bey will write himself," said he. If so, it will become my duty to forward his letter: but, at the same time, it is equally obligatory on me, to let the Bey be beforehand apprized, that he will nev er receive a single musket from the United States. I should suppose a respect to decency, if not a sense of gratitude, would dissuade the Bey from this new and extraordinary claim. Has he not, within eighteen months, received two large ships' cargoes in regalia? Have we not now another ship laden for him on its passage; and has he not, within sixty days, demanded cannon extraordinary of the United States? At this rate, when are our payments to have an end? Never!" said the Minister. "As to the ships, you talk of, they are but the past payment of regalia you have long since owed us as the condition of peace. The other claims we make are such as we receive from all friendly nations once every two or three years: it is an established custom; and you, like other Christians, will be obliged to conform to it." When we shall have completed the

payment of our peace stipulations you may never calculate on further donations. It is by treaty stipulated, as the condition of a perpetual peace, and any new claims on your part will be an infraction of that treaty, and will be so considered by us. You may therefore, at once, and forever, abandon the idea of future regalia; for I again assure you, in the name of my government and country, that the discharge of our treaty obligations will put an end to our contributions here.

"Your contributions here, as you think proper to call them," repeated the Minister, "will never have an end if this be the language you think of holding at this court you may prepare yourself to leave the kingdom, and that very soon." If change of stile on my part, said I, be the condition of residence here, 1 will leave the Bey's kingdom tomorrow morning. "We will give you a month," said the Minister. I ask but six hours, I replied. "But you will write?"No! "It is your duty to write !" For delinquency in duty, this is not the place where I am to be questioned. "I tell you again," continued he," your peace depends on your compliance with this demand of my master." If so, said I, on me be the responsibility of breaking the peace. I wish you a good morning!

Leaving the palace, I heard the Minister say to one of his colleagues," By God, that man is mad! But we shall bring him to terms; never fear !”

I do not know how this affair will end. I shall not change my position.

EXTRACTS: MR. MADISON (SECRETARY OF STATE) TO EATON.

Department of State:

Washington, May 20th, 1801.

THE proofs which have been given by

the Bashaw of Tripoli, of hostile designs against the United States, have, as you will learn from Commo,