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

conclusion of a peace treaty with Algiers. 123
On many occasions also, the
French government officials assured them of the support of France. 124 Two
documents addressed to the French consul de Kercy at Algiers by the French
Minister of the Marine Marshall de Castries, however, unveil a bare doubleplay.
The first document in plain text dated October 23, 1785 was a
recommendation delivered for Lamb which instructed de Kercy to do all that he
could to help the Americans negotiate a treaty with Algiers. The second was a
cryptogram dated October 30, 1785 containing instructions to de Kercy; the
clear text reads:
You will easily sense that there is no advantage to us in procuring for
them a tranquil navigation in the Mediterranean. You will therefore limit
yourself to giving them satisfaction to the extent that you can serve them
to acquit yourself outwardly of the king’s promise, but you will go no
further, and above all you will avoid démarches and demands
effectively pronounced in a negotiation in the success of which we have
no real interest. 125
That same perfidious de Castries wrote a letter to the French vice-consul at
New York on August 11, 1786 an extract of which was communicated to Jay.
In that letter, de Castries reiterated French good will deceitfully while imputing
the failure of the Lamb negotiations to Algiers and the Dey personally:
The United States must have seen our readiness to lend our good offices
to their agents sent to the Regencies of Barbary. But the present system
of Algiers, and the personal character of the Dey, give occasion to fear
that they have not the success that we have desired. 126
123 See for example USDC, 1:569, The Commissioners to the Count de Vergennes, March 28, 1786.
124 USDC, 1:234-35, From Monsieur De La Foret to John Jay, _____ 23, 1786, Enclosure: Extract of a
Letter from Marshal de Castries to M. De la Foret, January 22, 1786.
125 For both letters (original, translation, cryptogram) see Parker, Uncle Sam in Barbary, Appendix 5,
pp. 215-17.
126 USDC, 1:234, Extract of a Letter from the Marshal de Castries, of the 11 th August, 1786, to M. de la
Foret.
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