e be interposed as strongly as possible with Tunis, whenever we
shall proceed to treat with the latter; which cannot be till information
of the event of your negotiation, and another session of Congress.

As to the articles and form of the treaty in general, our treaty with
Morocco was so well digested that I enclose you a copy of that, to be
the model with Algiers, as nearly as it can be obtained, only inserting
the clause with respect to Tunis.

The ransom of the captives is next to be considered. They are now
thirteen in number; to wit, Richard O'Bryan and Isaac Stevens, captains,
Andrew Montgomery and Alexander Forsyth, mates, Jacob Tessanier, a
French passenger, William Patterson, Philip Sloan, Peleg Lorin, James
Hall, James Cathcart, George Smith, John Gregory, James Hermit, seamen.
It has been a fixed principle with Congress, to establish the rate of
ransom of American captives in the Barbary States at as low a point as
possible, that it may not be the interest of those States to go in quest
of our citizens in preference to those of other countries. Had it not
been for the danger it would have brought on the residue of our seamen,
by exciting the cupidity of those rovers against them, our citizens now
in Algiers would have been long ago redeemed, without regard to price.
The mere money for this particular redemption neither has been, nor is,
an object with any body here. It is from the same regard to the safety
of our seamen at large, that they have now restrained us from any ransom
unaccompanied with peace. This being secured, we are led to consent to
terms of ransom, to which, otherwise, our government never would have
consented; that is to say, to the terms stated by Captain O'Bryan in
the following passage of the same letter. 'By giving the minister of the
marine (the present Dey's favorite) the sum of one thousand sequins,
I would stake my life that we would be ransomed for thirteen thousand
sequins, and all expenses included.' Extravagant as this sum is, we
will, under the security of peace in future, go so far; not doubting,
at the same time, that you will obtain It as much lower as possible, and
not indeed without a hope that a lower ransom will be practicable, from
the assurances given us in other letters from Captain O'Bryan, that
prices are likely to be abated by the present Dey, and particularly
with us, towards whom he has been represented as well disposed. You will
consider this sum, therefore, say