From his conversation and manner I understood that they were very glad to make an end of the business. He went in, and we stopped outside the mole, waiting for the Dey's answer. " During this time, I was indeed quite surprised to see the horrible state of the batteries and the mole since the preceding day. I could not now distinguish how it was erected, nor where the batteries had stood, as well as many fine bouses which I had seen in the city the day previous; and I observed too, that they had not more than four or five guns mounted on the carriages. Besides, the bay was full of hulks of their navy, smoking in every direction, and the water inside and out of the mole was black, and covered with charcoal and half burnt pieces of wood.
But the most shocking and dreadful sight was the number of dead bodies which were floating on the surface of the water. Among the bodies we saw a white one, which afterwards, on finding it was one of our seamen, we took it with us on board, and waited therefor about one hour and a half. And at half past one we saw three guns tired from the shore, and at the same time a boat coming; out of the mole. Then I understood that the Dey was prepared for his own and for the Algerines happiness, to accept our demands; and I began to thank Almighty God for this glorious success. " When the boat came near to ours I saw the captain of the port, with the Swedish Consul on board.
The former paid his compliments, and asked to go on board with us to meet his Lordship, with the Swedish Consul, who was sent by the Dey to speak with him. Meantime the consul said: " I am authorized by the Dey to have a consultation with Lord Exmouth, relative to the arrangement of the treaty. There were many points in the treaty which the Dey demurred at most bitterly; — such as giving up the three hundred thousand dollars which he had recently received for the ransom of the Sardinian prisoners; the relinquishing his annual tribute of powder, and of being forced to sign a treaty dictated under such humiliating circumstances. " He knew there was no alternative — he must either accept the treaty or his destruction was sure; and not only must he receive the English treaty, but that of the Dutch also, who, by the way, were solely indebted to Lord Exmouth for the termination of their war, which had already lasted nearly three years, and in all probability would have continued until the destruction of Algiers by the French, in 1827.
" At length matters were so far advanced, that officers from both the English and Dutch fleets visited the shore for the purpose of consummating this important business. The narrator goes on to say: ' When we entered the consul's house, it was full of rubbish, and we counted thirty shots of various sizes, collected there by the servants. We walked through the house, and < Served one small room of ten fret square. In this room, Mr. Mc. Donnell, our consul, wished to remain when the Dey arrested him, but it was too good a room for their malicious disposition, so they refused to let him stay there, and confined him in a dark room below, which, fortunately, was the cause of his safety, as will soon appear.
" We ascertained that nine shots had passed through the very room where the consul had wished to remain. We went on to the top of the house to observe the whole city, although it is ordered that no Christian shall appear there, as throughout the whole coast of Barbary it is prohibited for a Christian to appear on the top of his house, and if any one should violate this order, he would be immediately shot, because they believe that the Christians come there to see their women. " The next business to be attended to after the ratification of the treaty and re-establishing the consul in his diplomatic position, was to see that the prisoners were all brought in from the country, ready to embark when the appointed ship should be ready to receive them.
The cruel treatment of these poor slaves being in an excessive degree barbarous, my feelings do not permit me to describe it in detail. I only wish to present a small idea of it by mentioning the following points. When the Algerines or any of the Barbary pirates capture an European or an American vessel, they seize their goods, and every species of property they can get hold of ( they do not touch the money the prisoners have in their pockets) and put them immediately in chains. There are three classes of chains, viz: of one hundred, of sixty, and of thirty pounds weight. The one hundred pounds are for strong men; the sixty for old men, and the thirty for young persons.^ These heavy chains are placed around the body as a sash, with a long piece of chain hung on the right leg, and joined by a heavy ring, to be placed upon the foot.