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

Appendix 8
Hassan Dey of Algiers to George III (1794)
Your late Consul having announced to us that the Queen of Portugal had
interceded with Your Majesty to become a mediator in order to obtain a Peace
or a truce with us the Algerines and he the Consul was commanded by You to
notify us that it would give your Majesty pleasure if we consented to make a
Peace with the Portuguese or a Truce for one year, that during that time a Peace
might be Negotiated between us and them. To this we answered that to oblige
our good Friend the King of England we consented to make a peace upon those
terms, through the mediation of England. After we had agreed to this a
Portugese vessel arrives some days past from Portugal and notifies us that all
the articles agreed upon between us, and your consul, the Court of Portugal will
not accept of, as the English made them to please themselves, that they have no
idea of such proposals, are not contented with or will admit them. If your
consul had not announced to us, that You was mediator, and requested it of us
in Your Name, we never should have thought of give [sic] any answer
respecting a peace with Portugal.
The object that led us to resolve on this peace was to Revenge ourselves on
yours and our Enemies the Americans in the open seas by harassing and
destroying them in such a manner as to reduce them to the necessity of
submitting to be your subjects again. The utility of this was more for your
convenience than ours.
If Portugal according to the report of your Consul is not contented with and
will not accept a Peace, Henceforward according to ancient custom, we do not
permit the Portuguese ship to enter the Port of Gibraltar or block up the Strait.
But if you should say that the Portuguese are your Friend and that you will not
[sic] their entrance into Gibraltar and being supplied with the necessities they
want, are we not your Old Friend and have an equal right to impartiality, the
Friends ought not to wish for or promote injury to their Friends, those that do
so are not to be named Friends, as they act contrary to Friendship.
The Portuguese some Years past Burnt and Destroyed One of Our Cruisers, at
another time One of Your Cruisers fired Shott into one of Our Vessels and
damaged her, and not long ago One of Your Ships with English Colours having
fired Shott into one of Our Vessels, upon being asked why they did so,
answered for their pleasure.
All this we have suffered from Our friendship toward you being immutable.
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