Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

Third and last, passes and control of freight as stipulated by treaties
were another source of complications. In order to enforce the treaties, passes or
passports were carried aboard merchant ships as a safeguard against seizure but
also aboard corsairs to immunize them against pursuits of cruisers of other
countries. 44 According to the American historian Peter Earle, those passes were
nearly always honored by the Algerian corsairs; 45
but with Christian countries
they soon became problematical. The Dutch unscrupulously permitted other
states, enemies to Algiers, to use them which constituted violation of the
treaties and caused much trouble; 46 and “almost every British consul in the
Mediterranean area supplemented his income by selling them to foreign
ships.” 47 The history of Algerian diplomatic relations with European countries
is full of such abuses but in general, the system proved to be workable and
reasonably effective despite wholesale forgeries.
The clause on ‘enemy
freight’ was not better allotted. The Dutch argued that the flag protects both the
ship and its freight (goods and passengers); but Algiers objected and
considered it illegal protection of enemies under the Dutch flag. That was
another source of problems.
Free ports and commerce complemented by tribute, ransom or exchange
of captives, and passes and freight control provided the basis for diplomatic
44 Such documents carried the name, provenance, and description of the ship so that it could establish
its identity when encountered by a corsair or cruiser. Groot, “Ottoman North Africa and the Dutch
Republic,” p. 137; Earle, Pirate Wars, p. 62-63.
45 Earle, Pirate Wars, p. 64.
46 Seemingly, an Algerian corsair complained about Dutch counterfeiting in an equivalent of these
words: “they certainly play foul tricks upon us, in selling their passes to other infidels: For ever since
we made peace with them, we rarely light on either Swede, Dane, Hamburgher, &c. All have Dutch
complexions; all Dutch passes; all call each other Hans, Hans, and all say Yaw, Yaw!”, Lane-Poole,
Barbary Corsairs, p. 271.
47 Barnby, Prisoners of Algiers, p. 279.
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