Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-04-15
AN OLD DOCUMENT.


friend has put in our hands q curious old
document being nothing more nor less than
pass signed, In old times, by the President and
Secretary of State, to vessels trading in the
Mediterranean. 1t reads as follows
By the President of Ms United States of
America:
Suffer the schooner Rover, Henry LOrcom,
master or commander, of the burthen or eighty
three tons or thereabouts, mounted with =
guns, navigated with seven men, to pass with
her company, passengers, goods and merchan-
disc, without any hindrance, seizure, or mo-
lestatiOn, the said schooner appearing by good
testimony to belong to one or more of the citi-
zens of the United States. and to him or them
only.
''Given under my hand and the seal of the
United States Of America, the twenty sixth DAY
of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and twentyOne.
JAMES MoSROK
By the President:
"JOHN QUISCT ADAMS,
No. 1887 Secretary of State"
STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS,
District of Boston and Charlestown,
Countersigned by
J. H. DEARBoRSE, Collector.
To all persons Thom these may concern"
At the head of this peculiar document is
picture of Algers, and above that an engraving
of ship, the top of which was cut in a curved
shape, the other part being in the possession of
the persons whom these may concern that
is, the ALgeTIHes, to whom all Christendom bad
paid tribute for centuries, until this young
country, under the motto, sMllIOns for defence,
not cent for tribute, compelled Algiers to
let go Its hold, and permit American vessels to
pass free of tribute. Under the provisions of
the treaty, 1t was agreed that every American
vessel should be furnished with pas, like the
ahnra t0 hnr
still exacted of all other countries and any
vessel not provided as above could be seized.
and its crew sold into slavery. 1t was custom
ary for vessels trading in the Mediterranean to
carry these documents until the French seized
Alglers whose people having blown the French
consul from a cannon, succeeded at last in en-
hau.tlng the patience of Christendom and bring
ing upon themselves vengeance which rem
dered them forever powerless for mischief
An old New England sea-captain informs us
that In the days when the seamen were seized
by the Algerines, and made slaves of, Yankees
always brought higher price in the Algerine
market than the slaves of any other nation
he says that they were so ingenius and indus
trious that the Algerine. were greatly delight
ed 10 get hold of them. Our nautical friend
tells yarn of Yankee passenger in a vessel,
the son of the owner, who, being taken by the
Algerines, expected to get clear on the ground
that he had never been trained to any Occupa-
tiOn, and would, therefore be useless TO any
body. When the prisoners wsre brought to
the market, each one was asked what was his
trade, and was disposed of accordingly When
the young mans turn came, he replied that he
had no trade, and did not know how to do any,
thlng-that he was gentleman. ''Gentleman,
gentleman, what's that" exclaimed his inter
rogators- lie undertook TO explain by stating
that gentleman was person who sat still ali
the time. Unfortunately, the Algerines, it
seems, can make some use even of n pentle
man" The aristocratic captain was immedi-
ately purchased by an aristocratic old Algerine
at high price, who provided him with a pair
of breeches lined with feathers and set him to
Matching hens eggs. He is said to have turn
ed out more chickens than all the old hens in
Algiers, and demonstrated that even a gen.
tleman" is not without his capabilities II
seems to US that civilized nations might take a
hint from the Algerines and employ genteel
lOafers in a similar vocation