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

immunity by Algerian–French peace treaties. The other chebeck escaped to
Algiers and reported about the French treachery. Dey Ibrahim (r. 1732-45)
made France responsible for the seizure and claimed the restitution of the
cruiser and compensations. 147 The claim was settled on May 18, 1742 when
Massiac himself brought back the captured chebeck to Algiers and paid
compensations for its seized freight; he was also accompanied by a new consul
who brought with him presents defying in value all that was presented to the
Dey so far! 148 But Jefferson invented a fictitious blockade and imputed the
Algerian-French diplomatic broil to an infraction of the treaty by
‘Algerines.’ 149 Obviously, the two allegations were absolutely unfounded.
c) A failed Coalition: Repelled and outplayed by French professionals
in diplomatic shrewdness, the Americans moved next to consider a plan which
they had already been nurturing for a while. The plan consisted of forming a
league with the smaller European countries with the aim of constituting a naval
force to attack Algiers. Jefferson even went so far as to draft a proposal for an
American-European military alliance against Algiers and submitted it to
Congress. The idea emerged late in 1785 when Jefferson thought about a
147 For details see Grammont, Histoire d’Alger, pp. 297-300.
148 For the claim and payment of compensations see the different correspondence relating to the crisis
including letters: Ibrahim, Dey d’Alger à Louis XV, 31 mai 1742 and Ibrahim, Dey d’Alger au Comte
de Maurepas, Secrétaire d’Etat de la Marine, 31 mai 1742 in Eugène Plantet, ed., Correspondance des
deys d’Alger avec la cour de France, 1579-1833, recueillie dans les dépôts d’archives des affaires
étrangères, de la marine, des colonies et de la chambre de commerce de Marseille, vol. 2 (Paris: 1889),
pp. 193-95 and 195-94 respectively; also, Henri-D. de Grammont, Correspondance des consuls
d’Alger, 1690-1742 (Alger/Paris: Adolphe Jourdan, Ernest Leroux, 1890), pp. 222-24.
149 USDC, 1:751, From Jefferson to John Jay, May 23, 1786. Even Adams, 20 days after Jefferson
wrote him, doubted this version of the story: “I believe not, and fancy you will find that even Massac
[sic] himself made the presents.” For Adams reply see WJA, 8:410-12, To T. Jefferson, 31 July, 1786.
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