Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

legally, they did not hesitate to counterfeit such documents. This practice
spread widely after 1776 especially after the British government suspended
issuance of Mediterranean passports to the rebellious colonies. 19
Right from the very beginning of colonization, Britain’s economic
policy favored colonial commerce. Mercantilist policies permitted colonial
shipping and overseas trade to operate under the same favorable regulatory
laws as those applied for the British subjects at home. When restricted, the
colonials merely bypassed existing laws and engaged in illegal trade. In
general, Britain’s economic policies as outlined above affected American
commerce positively, which led to the growth of shipping and other related
economic activities and consequently expanded colonial commerce to foreign
markets which were opened to British trade—including Mediterranean
markets.
1. 2. The American Colonies in Algerian-British Diplomatic Relations
The same mercantilist principles which regulated economic activities in
the New World were also operational in the Mediterranean Basin. The major
European powers expanded their commercial activity to the region and sought
to protect it not only against economic rivals but also against other regional
powers that were not necessarily motivated by mercantilist considerations. The
Regency of Algiers was one of those regional powers that were suspicious
about the presence of Christian vessels in the vicinity even though for other
19 Emile Dupuy, Américains & Barbaresques: 1776-1824 (Paris: R. Roger & F. Chernoviz, 1910), p. 6.
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