The National Register.
London, England, 1816-08-04 00:00:00

kt

No. 443.—V0i.. IX.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

EXPEDITION TO ALGIERS.

THE importance of the Expedition which has lately
sailed for Algiers will, we hope, be a sufficient excuse fin.
our indulging a few speculations closely connected with
that event. The wars of the present nations of Europe
are conducted in a manner much more conformed to
the dictates of humanity, than those whose records comp
ose the annals of Judea, Greece, and Rome.

Though there are instances among the Romans of mag-
nanimity towards their fallen enemies, which perhaps
were never equalled—and though they sometimes ap-
peared to glory in the character " lenis in jacentetn," yet
in general we cannot give them the praise of leaving their
ferocity in the field ; they looked upon their captive foes
rather as guilty than untiwtonate.
For the truth of this we need only to appeal to the
brutal horrors of their triumphal games, to the deaths of

Perses and Jugurtba.
These inhumanities were not the crimes of a few ; the
civil laws bear witness that they were the acts of the
whole nation. The doctrine of their lawyers was, that
the lives of the vanquished having been preserved by the
victor, he had an undoubt►d right to that ►which he had
spared, and that consequently the conquered were at the
absolute disposal of the conqueror. This fallacious rea-
soning condemned the captive to a perpetual and merci-
less slavery. But, owing to the mild influence of Chris.
tiunity, and the gradual extension of a well-directed phi-
losophy, this doctrine is exploded by all the States of the
civilized ►world. Certain writers of the most extended
views, Wilding on the foundations of common reason and
justice, have erected a system of jurisprudence relating to
the rifflits and antics and intercourse of individual States.
The intrinsic merits of these works have gained for them
the appellation of a The Laws of Nations." By these
it is ordaintd, that a proclamation of war should pre-
cede hostility : that prisoners should be treated ►with
kindness, and, at the end of the war, should be restored
to their country—if not previously ransomed, &c. Two
of the nations professing to observe these laws are as
much bound by them, as two individuals of the same
country are bound by its municipal constitutions : but
for one of these States to observe them, in its relations
with another which disclaims them, is as ridiculous, as for
an English snerehant to expect his insolvent creditor in
France to submit to the bankrupt Laws. This is the
relation in which we stand with the Algerines; and, if
we act towards theta in this way, our Expedition will be
of little use. To attempt to treat with them is absurd :
we should distingulFh between a civilized nation and a
horde of Pirates.
The Algerines, without any of the virtues, arc tainted
with all the vices of barbarians.
The American Indians, though no savages, arc more
unpitying and relentless. Though in war they have no
discrimination either of age or sex—yet they arc bound
by treaties; nay, they respect them with a punctuality
which may shame a people of f►r higher pretensions. But
the Algerines are both cruel and treacherous. They appear
to consider treaties merely in the light of pit-falls fur
those States who are so simple as to think they have
any obligation.
If, by a breach of the most solemn compacts, they Ire
able to take advantage of some unsuspecting nation which
observes them, they count the infringement not a viola-
tion of good faith, criminal in the highest degree ; but a
kind of ruse de guerre, not only justifiable but praise-
worthy. Such is the nation (if it deserve the name)
with which we are at war ; or rather, such are the rob-
bers whom we are to punish. We hope their punish-
ment will be such as absolutely to incapacitate them, for
some time at least, to do further mischia.f. No reason of
commercial policy should any longer induce us to permit
these daring corsairs to prowl along the shores of the
Mediterranean, to destroy or interrupt the intercourse of
nations. They should uo longer be permitted to °otitis