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

Madison, his Secretary of State, agreeing to send some of the stores to Algiers:
“I think with you we had better send to Algiers some of the losing articles in
order to secure peace there while it is uncertain elsewhere” and explained that
since war with England was probable “everything leading to it with every other
nation should be avoided.” 56 This piece of writing is indicative of a deliberate
policy of non-compliance with the treaty of 1795, which Algiers’ new Dey
Ahmad Khodja (1805-1808) had probably understood since long.
At Algiers, Dey Ahmad Khodja could no more stand American bad
faith. 57 Angered at American government’s delays in sending maritime stores,
he resorted to a method that was generally used in corsairing diplomacy to
pressurize the United States for respect of the treaty. 58 In October 1807, the
Dey requested from Lear delivery of the naval materials in compliance with the
treaty of 1795 which were then two years overdue. 59 When Lear failed to act in
accordance with the Dey’s demand, the latter sent out corsairs which captured
two American merchantmen, with a third one escaping. 60 In his circular to the
American consul at Malaga, Spain, Lear informed about the captures and
explained that they were operated “in consequence of the annuities for two
years past not having been paid from the United States in naval and military
56 WTJ1, 5:181, To the Secretary of State, September 1, 1807. Emphasis added by this researcher.
57 SPPD, 7:74, Colonel Lear to the Secretary of State, Mar. 28, 1808.
58 It should be specified here that in corsairing diplomacy, when the signatories estimated that the treaty
was not respected or they simply wanted to alter it, they recur to the use of the usual methods: gunboat
expeditions for the Christian countries and repudiation of the treaty in question and seizure of vessels
for Algiers. In this particular case, seizure was prompted by American non-respect of the treaty.
59 Parker, Uncle Sam in Barbary, p. 127; Irwin, Diplomatic Relations, p. 168.
60 ASP/FA, 3:32, Message from the President of the United States to Congress, Feb. 9, 1808, Enclosure
1, G. B. Ducoster, American Consul at Naples to Stephen Cathalan, American Consul at Marseilles,
November 9, 1807 and Enclosure: Stephen Cathalan to secretary of State, November 21, 1807.
352