by John Marshall

“ I have read their new treaty with the Americans: it is certainly, in all respects as good as America could wish, save and except the emancipation of all the Christian slaves. The captured Algerine frigate and brig were restored, not by that treaty, but at the humble request of the Dey, to save his head. ”

“ Sir,– I have the honor to inform you of the capture of the French national xebec la Conception, with two long 9-pounders, mounted and pierced for twelve guns, by the boats of H.M. ship under the command of Lieutenant Walter Croker (1st) and Lieutenant Williams Random (2d) of this ship. Nothing could surpass the undaunted and determined spirit with which she was boarded and hove off the shore, and towed out from under a most galling fire of musketry, and from a battery of eleven 24-pounders, which she had run under. ”

“ They were landed at Bona, whence they were driven to Algiers like a herd of cattle. Those who were no longer able to walk were tied on mules, and if they became still more enfeebled, they were murdered. On their journey, fifty-nine expired, and one youth fell dead at the very moment they brought him to the feel of the Dey. Since their arrival, an interval of only six days, near seventy more have died!
“I was, on a subsequent day, at the public quarries, and saw the Christian slaves and the mules driven promiscuously to the same labor, by their infidel masters. ”

“ I am sure they could not fail to feel, like me, the degradation to which the Christian name is exposed, and to endeavour, on their return home, to exert their abilities and influence in a cause which no one doubts to be meritorious; but which actual inspection would make every man feel to be a solemn, religions, and moral duty.
“I should add, that on the arrival of these new slaves, our consul sent his interpreter to the bani and hospital, to find out if any of them had claims on the English protection. The infidels would not permit him to enter either place. ”

“ Upon the above occasion, the crew of the Centaur afforded a striking proof of their high state of discipline; one man only was guilty of resorting to liquor, – either to drown his apprehensions of approaching death, or to gratify with impunity a strong propensity to drunkenness. When prayers and thanksgivings were offered up to the Almighty for their signal deliverance from the waves, the officers, seamen, and marines, almost to a man, were dissolved in tears. ”

“ I naturally wished to know the particulars of the capture of those wretched persons. the Christians in Algiers, who are not slaves, are very far from numerous, being only the consuls of the Christian states, at peace with Algiers, and their families, with a very few dependents on their different protection: on the authority of them all, I learnt, that these last Christian slaves, three hundred and fifty-seven in number, were taken by two Algerine pirates, which presumed to carry the English colours, and, by so doing, decoyed those unhappy beings within their reach. ”

“ The entire population of all these places, as well as the adjacent parts of the country, and the eighty thousand Moors, Arabs, and Jews, which are the population of the city of Algiers, are kept in subjection by, at the utmost, four thousand Janizaries: indeed, no other armed force is allowed, except in cases of the greatest emergency, when the Arabs and Moors are called to their support. From among the Janizaries, the Dey is chosen, or rather put on the throne by the strongest party of them: and, so far from the office being hereditary, the sons of the Dey are no more than common soldiers. ”

“ The subject and descriptions I now would treat of, deserve, indeed, a more able pen, and, though I must here fall short, yet, when I remember the few opportunities likely to offer to men of greater talent, to witness and describe the scenes of horror which I have lately seen, I humbly hope that my faithful relation of these facts will not be considered presumptuous, nor proceeding from any other motive than the fulfilment of a duty, which I feel that I owe to my poor suffering fellow-creatures, and to the honor of my country. ”

“ On inquiry into the purport of a paper which I saw in the hands of the vice-consul, I found it to be a subscription for the relief of nearly three hundred Christian slaves, just arrived from Bona, after a journey of many days; and who, after the usual ceremony of bringing them to the Dey’s feet, were ordered to their different destinations: such as were able to go to their bani, or prison, were sent there; but the far greater number were found objects for the hospital, which Spain, in her better days, humanely established for the relief of Christian slaves at Algiers ”

“ On the 29th July, 1805, the Centaur, then commanded by Captain Henry Whitby, and in company with a squadron under Captain De Courcy, sent from Jamaica to join Lord Nelson in his pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain, encountered one of the tremendous hurricanes which commence so suddenly, and increase to such dreadful violence, in those seas. Of the squadron, the Centaur suffered most from its destructive rage, in consequence of her having recently run on shore in the West Indies. ”

“ In the beginning of 1808, Lieutenant Croker joined the Thames frigate, commanded by his most revered and deeply lamented friend, the late Captain Bridges Watkinson Taylor, a truly amiable and noble-minded officer, with whom he had before served on board the Galatea. ”

“ This is the very greatest indulgence which consular influence is able to obtain at Algiers. With great satisfaction I bear witness that the English, Danish, and Swedish consuls, treat Christian slaves with the utmost humanity, I might almost say, politeness. ”

“ The very many other cases I could state of insult to the English nation, by treating the passports of her governors with contempt, &c. I will reserve for your farther information, should you require it; but one recent and flagrant insult I must here mention. There are at this moment, in irons and in slavery at Algiers, the captain and crew of a Gibraltar trader. Their little vessel was taken and confiscated, and our consul has been many times refused their release, although proofs of their being English subjects have been as many times offered by him. ”

“ The food of the slaves consists of two black loaves, of half a pound each, which are their daily bread: neither meat nor vegetables do they ever taste, those excepted who work at the Marina, who get ten olives per day with their bread; and others in the Spanish hospital, which the Spanish government to this day supports, as well perhaps as it is able. In visiting this hospital, the floors of which were covered with unhappy beings of every age and either sex, I saw some men who looked almost sixty, and some children, who could not be more than eight years old ”

“ The Turkish frigate here spoken of was a fine noble ship of 56 guns, and had on board at least 450 men. She formed part of the squadron attacked and destroyed by the rear division of the force under Sir John T. Duckworth, at the forcing of the passage of the Dardanelles, Feb. 19th, 1807. Having cut her cables and run over from Point Pesquies to the European side, she was instantly followed and soon driven on shore by the Active; but still she would not strike her colours, and persisted in occasionally firing a gun. ”

“ The storm being very violent, Captain Taylor, suggested thereto by Lieutenant Croker, resolved to seek shelter at the mouth of the harbour of Cephalonia, the only anchorage which he could possibly obtain without altogether abandoning his station. There the Thames and Minstrel brought up under French colours, within range of the enemy’s batteries, and succeeded in outwitting the garrison, by making pretended signals with some new flags recently found on board a prize. ”

“ His Royal Highness the Dauphin formerly authorized you to recommend Captain Walter Croker to Lord Melville, and also directed me to request you to exert your best efforts with his lordship in favor of the captain, he having evinced much zeal in our King’s cause, whilst His Royal Highness was at Barcelona, and also released, at the request of the Dauphin, seven vessels, which he had detained and sent into Port Mahon, before the battle of Waterloo. ”

“ The other trabaccolo broke her rudder, had her bow and quarter stove in, and was sinking; the sea being tremendous: under these circumstances, we tried to get her alongside to save the people (as we doubted our boats living) , but without effect. Then Lieutenant Croker, with six good men, volunteered attempting it in the cutter, and it is with the most heartfelt gratitude I acquaint you, that all were saved by their exertions, – a woman, child, six of the Thames’s, and four Romans; the vessels drifted so fast whilst this was performing, that we had to wear six times under fore stay-sails only ”

“ In order to obtain possession of and destroy her. Captain Moubray at length sent all his boats under Lieutenants Willes and Croker the latter of whom was the first person who boarded, and had the honor of cutting down the Ottoman colours with his own hand. The Turkish crew resisted until the last moment, and even pelted the boats with shot by hand. Two days after this event, Lieutenant Croker commanded a party of the Active’s seamen employed in completing the demolition of the formidable battery on Point Pesquies, under the orders of Lieutenant Carroll, of the Pompée 74. ”

“ In accomplishing the above we got so far to leeward, that, on the following morning, it was only by the great mercy of Providence we escaped being wrecked near Ancona; we weathered it by carrying a press of sail without topsails, and were driven along a lee shore as far as Manfredonia, off which place we anchored to gammon the bowsprit, which had given way in the gale. ”

“ Glen, master of the America, and Mr. Breary, mate of the Edinburgh, who had the direction of the guns in the batteries, much credit is due: the condition of the fort on its surrender plainly evinced the etTect of their fire.”
Lieutenant Croker also assisted at the reduction of Genoa and its dependencies, in the month of April following [7] . His promotion to the rank of commander took place Nov. ”