Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-10-30
RICHMOND. OCTOBER so.
1.-THE GREAT VICTORY"

What has Lord Exmouth then taken
A!eiers! Does the Red Cross fly over
her batteries and her forts s-Is this Den
of Pirates in his hands Does he intend
to dispense t.em, and to raise the Cross,
where the Crescent lately reigned
What not scatter the prates?-Does
he then intend to awe them into submission
by occupying their forts with English for
cesi
What not even this check upon them'
What then las he done /. Surely. he has
parNlysed their resources and d stroyed
sseir means ofdefe C Surely, ne his dis.
mantied their tortfcatiors blown up their
furts levelled their batteries and srpt
them of every gun, of every pound of lead
and OF every ounce Of powder.
What has he effected none of these OBJ
Jecss Where then is the decisive SUE
cess" the " rreat and glorious victory ~
"He has destroyed their jfeet'--'rhis is
good deed and we give him credit for it,
The Dey consentedto abolish the
slavery of Euroheans"- stipulation is
good it he will but observe it. But will he
observe it How much respect is tob paid
to the word of pirate, who keeps no faith
with Chritisns p We, the people OF Amer
lea, are excluded from the benefit of this
stipulation but we did not ask it. Deca-
tur had already eXacted the same terms
by the 17th Art. of his treaty-the first
time that these pirates were compelled to
bow themselves, even IN word, to the law
of nations.
They have consented to set at liberty
immediately, all Europeans in captivity"
We shall! add uery good, as soon as we
lind the stipulation complied with.-Deca-
tur, in the same manner, set all our coun-
tryrnen and eight Neapolitans at liberty.
Consular presents are abolished"-So
stipulated Dtca'ur's treaty, about I" tri-
butte under any form or name whatever"
The destruction of their fleet & the emanci-
patton of their captives, are therefore the
pr,nc palfru.ts of this famous expedition
They are certainly blessings conferred up
the world--but they are limited in their ma.
ture, & temporary in their duration. These
captives are re eassd but they may be re-
placed. This feet is destroyed (; but a
new one may be built out of the resources
OF guns. ammunition and money, which are
left in their hands.
But it is said, treaty is formed to pro-
tect the Ji4ture-sll Captivity is abolished
by its StitulationS. At treaty and was it
to conclude treaty that this magnfit ent
Armada was dispatched to Algierss Is it
by a treaty with perfi(,ious pirates, that
the rights Of Europe are to be secured p
Whit guarantee has Europe that they will
observe this treaty ? Scarcely had Deca-
tur awed them into the adoption of his
treaty, than he declared to his govern
ment. that The only safe guarantee We
can have Cor the maintenance of the peace
just concluded with these people, is the
presence, in the Mediterranean, of a res
pectable naval force"
And is it thus that the towering expec-.
tations of the world are realized? Is it
thus that Lord Exnouth avenges the
cause of humanity Is it thus that the
pirates are put down, and all aggression
eXtinguished TT he has obtained the
terms he sought, those terms are infinitely
short of what was expected in America,
or in Eng !and.-ln this country, we were
discussing the d. gree to which he might
proceed-whether he should destroy their
works. or occupy them. Little did we
dream, that he would be unable TO do the
one or the other In England, every thing
was expected, & the most arrogant terms
were to be imposed.-The Courier, the
mouth piece of the ministry, declared that
The Barbary Corsairs are said to have
made rich harvest IL is their last : The
British power is upon the sea Z" her arm
is upon the Deep" and will soon be felt
with vengeance, terrible, fatal, final"
FINAL !-No-Algiers is not sunk-We
rather dread the worst results as the cons
sequences of this "glorious victory" In
stead of being disgraced, we suspect that
the Algerines will assume more arrogant
tone. After having withstood, for hours,
the cannonade of the combined fleets, the
English equipped with every engine of de-.
struction which they could muster up
after the fleets lay in such situation as to
rake them within the reserves of their
works after he hal preserved his forts,
and his town, compelled the enemy to
retire out Of the reach of his cannon, woun-
ded the admiral, killed 200 of his own
crew, and from 800 to 1000 Of all his sea-
men, is it wonderful that the Dey should
pluck up new courage, and plume himself
upon his proves? What, he will say,
is this the ruin that was threatened me
this the fatal, final 6ko7V to be struck
may yet go upon the sea and make more
captives." He may build more ships. add
new works where the old ones are found
to be weak--and then we and the shores of
Italy and Spain, may feel the effects OF his
spirit.
We confess that the English have
| been brave, and skilful-but, with the force
| they had, we are persuaded that we should
| have done much more-that the blow
would have been far more terrible and fa-
tal-Loeking at it in this point of view,
| we must believe, that they have done much
| less with their means than we did with
ours that Decatur yet bears the palm of
| glory that the British are not entitled to
1 come xytft, ttat ,vetoaJ 6 L..