The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-12-13
SQUADRON OFF TRIPOLI.

SQUADRON OFF TRPOLI.
The States Of 8arbary will exhibit TO the eve
OF Tome future hitorian 4 curious and difruiting
icene. An anembly of itates fhail arifc before
him detfitute of much utcful OF honourahie in
duttry, though poieiiing the mott favourable
means OF Displaying its refources. Their foil,
though in fome places barren, is in Others ex-
tremcly productive ; and yet he will fee their
Landscape rude and uncuitvated waite. Their
geographical petition will not ecape him tho
inhablting the co7tts of the argeft maritime in
LET on the globe the earlieft ieats of civilization
and wealth, and the fnet repositories of the
carrying trade Of the rich nations that live a.
round its borders he will fee them deAitute of
|tiouriihlng towns, merchants and fhpDing. He
will diicover poor, ignorant, and inactive race,
|trampling without ihame upon the Wondering
ruins of ancient Carthage, conducted by her
commercial fpirit to wealth, to political power,
and TO dubious rivalry with nation, who was
once proud to call hericlf the mitrefs of til.
earth. Unaffected by the fplendid example
which is before them, and regardless of the
mighty reiources which nature has placed with
in their power, he win perceive them maintan
ing a languid and limited commerce By their
caravans with the tribes of the continent, OF
trading in their rude and inactive veiltIs with
the oppclite COATS of the Medite,rane fea. A
angular and horrible feature in tine policy OF
the:e tates, viii! preient itfelf TO his notice
He win 6Gd them 10 be hordes of pirates, ami
the Arabs OF the ocean. That induayy which
might have been 70 fuccefsfully employed in the
cultivation ofther lands, or in the operations of
commerce, is made to difplay it's greateR ener-
gy, IN the mott unlicenfed robbery. There ex-
IFS not nation whole merchant vstIels are not
liable every moment TO become the victims of
this universal rapacity.
Such a view of the Rates of Barbary is well
calculated to excite our contempt and indgna-
ton. But enlightened writers have not heiita-
ted to extend this indignation even to the civil
liZcd governments of Europe. They have ak
ed them how they could for moment endure
TO be periecuted and plundered by collection
OF ftates, clofe combination of which would
be in every rtfPect inferior to their own indvi-
dual itrength. They have invited them for a
moment to fufpend their wars againit each other
often irrational and always runous, and TO turn
their collective force upon thefe uniyerfal foes to
commerce and civilized nations. They have
reprefentcd their defcncrefs harbours, their in
judciouS ornaments, their Ignorance in tine arts
of fertilization and defence, and they have con-
cluded with undeniabie proofs ofthefacili.y with
which thefe pirates might be utterly extirpated,
or at leaft eternaiy awed into An obedience to
the laws Of civilized nations. They have calcu-
lated the expence which all the commercial ma
tons fuitan in loiics of captive veiicls and their
cargoes, on in periodical tributes, which they
contribute to purchale precarious and inglo-
rious immunity; and they have then compared
this accumulated expence with the entire colt
Of Jingle armament, contributed or paid by all
the nationsrof the Chritian world. The iaving
of expence and the fuperiorty of glory, would
feem to fnrniih An Indictment TO cXeltiOns which
TIE policy of civilized nations would find ire
iiftible.
The hiftory of Europe has however difap-
pointed thsfc rational expectations. When a
ridiculous fuper'ftition had erected her banners
when the pope of Rome had invited all the
Chritian cavaliers ofEuropc TO undertake long
and dangerous pilgrimage to the walls of Jeru-
filem, and to refcue the cradle Of the church
from the rude and prophare contamination of
iDhdels !; his voice was heard with reverence
and the cnthufafin of an impoHor was obeyed
as the infpiration of minifter of Cod. 1t was
then thatthe crufddesarofe; thofe diigraceful but
fpendid monuments, ola zeal powerful, but
perverted Of a combination active, yet difap-
pointed. But when rcafon aanunciates her
divine decree, when ihe commands all CIVILIZED
nations to collect their forces, and root out or
awe the pirates of the Mediterranean no Pc
ter appears to preach her doctrines; no cavaliers
take up the helmet and the lance ; no collective
aTmaments7re tOrned,t 10 fave civIlfZednatlonsb by
one great effort from the luiies of piracy, or
from the difhonor and expence of tipulated tri-
butes. They have done no more in the purfuit
of this admirable policy than they have done to
execute the romantic project of the poet OF
Joining their fleets and navigating the polar ices
TO the equator, that thefe frozen feas may once
more be open to the indulry Of the feaineu, and
the beams Of the fun. So far from executing flch
"a lcheme as this, aid 10 far from uniting tbeu
forces TO remedy Il common e'i,, they have even
been mean enough TO profit 10y It's exitence
They have even attempted 10 enIif fome o.
three freebootcrs on their hde and to play
them of againf each other
All the exertions which have been really
made have been produced without combination
and by individual powers. Tn expeditions OF
the emperor Charles s. in l5f1, OF the En-.
glifh in Gs5 aud ] $40, Of the French in 1853
of the Spaniardsin 1775 and 1894, sgaiuit The
Algerires, and accompanied with various fuc.
sefo, have been the mott i,iuHricus example u
this fpecies of warfare.
Like the natious of Europe, rte Uuter
States have felt the contemplate powel
oftheie piraticsI oates. Like then, il has ieer
J hcf vefleis ieized and h< Inhabitants dragged