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

Congress (Art. 2). More, the delegates from states were annually appointed and
could be recalled or replaced at any time (Art. V); therefore they were not
steady and their vote was needed for making policy and taking decisions. More,
“All charges of war and all other expenses” were to be “defrayed out of a
common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states” (Art. VIII);
yet, while prohibiting to Congress to levy taxes, the states refused to provide it
with the agreed on financial quotas. Finally, Congress obtained “the sole and
exclusive right” of making treaties and alliances (Art. VIX); but it was
subjected to the assent of nine out thirteen states at a time the quorum could
barely be reached. 120 All those weaknesses were not of a nature to facilitate
negotiations or ransom American captives at Algiers at a time prices of treaties
and redemption of prisoners were fixed and regulated by treaties, conventions,
and custom.
What certainly added to the difficulties that surrounded early Algerian-
American relations were communications. 121
In addition to the chaos and
inefficiency of Congress and whims and authoritative diplomatic style of the
Deys, relations were affected by the physical distance separating the two
countries, mode of transportation, and caprices of the sea. In an age of sailing
wooden ships, “even under the most favorable circumstances, the transit-time
for correspondence between Philadelphia and Paris averaged two months;” 122
and that without counting the necessary time needed for relaying
120 SJ, 1:449-464, Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, March 1, 1781.
121 For problems of communications in general see Thomas A. Bailey, A Diplomatic History of the
American People, 10 th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1980), pp. 28-29.
122 Barnes, Foreign Service, p. 9.
198