lan; which was, to avoid the
appearance of any purpose on our part ever to ransom our captives, and
by that semblance of neglect, to reduce the demands of the Algerines to
such a price, as might make it hereafter less their interest to pursue
our citizens than any others. On the contrary, they have supposed all
these propositions directly or indirectly came from us; they inferred
from thence the greatest anxiety on our part, where we had been
endeavoring to make them suppose there was none; kept up their demands
for our captives at the highest prices ever paid by any nation; and
thus these charitable, though unauthorized interpositions, have had the
double effect of strengthening the chains they were meant to break, and
making us at last set a much higher rate of ransom for our citizens,
present and future, than we probably should have obtained, if we had
been left alone to do our own work in our own way. Thus stands this
business then at present. A formal bargain, as I am informed, being
registered in the books of the former Dey, on the part of the Bulkeleys
of Lisbon, which they suppose to be obligatory on us, but which is to be
utterly disavowed, as having never been authorized by us, nor its source
even known to us.

In 1790, this subject was laid before Congress fully, and at the late
session, monies have been provided, and authority given to proceed to
the ransom of our captive citizens at Algiers, provided it shall not
exceed a given sum, and provided also, a peace shall be previously
negotiated within certain limits of expense. And in consequence of these
proceedings, your mission has been decided on by the President.

Since, then, no ransom is to take place without a peace, you will of
course take up first the negotiation of peace; or, if you find it better
that peace and ransom should be treated of together, you will take care
that no agreement for the latter be concluded, unless the former be
established before or in the same instant.

As to the conditions, it is understood that no peace can be made with
that government, but for a larger sum of money to be paid at once for
the whole time of its duration, or for a smaller one to be annually
paid. The former plan we entirely refuse, and adopt the latter. We have
also understood that peace might be bought cheaper with naval stores
than with money: but we will not furnish them naval stores, because we
think it not right to furnish them means which we know they