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

neglect of North African affairs and excuses were ready at hand. One of the
excuses used to justify arrearages was that the Hero, a ship bound for Algiers
with masts and timber, was lost at sea because of bad weather. 7 On another
occasion, the Americans pretended that dues were caused by “a pestilence
[yellow fever] raging in some of our cities, by causing the inhabitants to flee
into the country and suspending business, rendered delays unavoidable.” 8
O’Brien, while acting as a commercial agent and waiting for the agreed on
stores, could tell the Dey—on information he received from the USA—that
stores did not arrive because of hard winters and yellow fever. But probably he
could not explain why bad weather and yellow fever did not prevent American
merchant ships from coming to the Mediterranean. 9 Perhaps O’Brien realized
that intelligence services he rendered the United States while a prisoner won
him an appointment; nonetheless, he was probably convinced that after
appointment his government ignored him and by the same token ignored
relations with Algiers. Emphatically, he wrote Secretary of State Pickering
noting that the United States “should be more punctual” in payments of
annuities. 10 In his letters, O’Brien outlined two alternatives: “if it [USA] chose
not to honor its treaty, its only choices were war or withdrawal from the
Mediterranean; and on another occasion he warned explicitly: “depend Sir, we
shall have war.” 11 To Humphreys, U.S. minister to Portugal, O’Brien wrote
7 WJA, 8:652, fn 2, To T. Pickering, Secretary of State, 25 May, 1799.
8 NDBW, 1:351, Letter to Secretary of State, Mar. 17, 1800.
9 Allison, The Crescent Obscured, p. 160.
10 NDBW, 1:243, O’Brien to Secretary of State, March 6, 1798.
11 Ibid., 1:262, O’Brien to Secretary of State, October 14, 1798; also NDBW, 1:371, O’Brien to
Secretary of State Jan. 17, 1800.
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