g upon her, might exhaust her power to continue the war. In
consequence of this policy, British military achievement on the grand
scale was confined to the army in the Spanish peninsula; and in the
bestowal of rewards, after Napoleon's first abdication, but one peerage
was given to the navy. The great claims of Sir James Saumarez, who was
the senior of the two, were disregarded on the ground that his flag was
not flying at the moment, and Pellew was created Baron Exmouth.

During the process of settlement which succeeded the final fall of
Napoleon at Waterloo, Lord Exmouth remained in the Mediterranean. In the
early part of 1816 he was ordered to visit with his fleet the Barbary
ports, and to compel the unconditional release of all slaves who were
natives of the Ionian Islands; they having become subjects of Great
Britain by the terms of the peace. For many years, while the powers of
Europe were engrossed in the tremendous strife of the French Revolution,
these piratical states, under pretence of regular hostilities, had
preyed upon the coasts as well as upon the commerce of the weak
Mediterranean countries, and captives taken by them were kept in bitter
slavery. Nelson in his correspondence, in 1796, mentions a curious
incident which sufficiently characterizes the general motives and
policy of these barbarian Courts. He asked an Algerine official visiting
his ship, why the Dey would not make peace with Genoa and Naples, for
they would pay well for immunity, as the United States also at that time
did. The reply was, "If we make peace with every one, what is the Dey to
do with his ships?" In his later experience with the Mediterranean the
great admiral realized yet more forcibly the crying shame of Great
Britain's acquiescence. "My blood boils that I cannot chastise these
pirates. They could not show themselves in this sea did not our country
permit. Never let us talk of the cruelty of the African slave trade,
while we permit such a horrid war." The United States alone, although
then among the least of naval powers, had taken arms before 1805 to
repress outrages that were the common reproach of all civilized
nations,--a measure the success of which went far to establish the
character of her navy and prepare it for 1812. Lord Exmouth was also
directed to demand peace for Sardinia, as well as for any other state
that should authorize him to act for it. Only Naples availed itself of
this opportunity.

As far as his instruc