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

concluded rapidly. The treaty granted enormous privileges to the United States
in terms of navigation and markets but a number of financial elements that
were agreed on during negotiations, and which were of paramount importance
to Algiers, were not written in it. Although the American negotiators promised
payments in fixed limits of time, those were never respected, a fact which
caused uneasiness and distrust of Americans at Algiers.
On his side, the Dey knew that he was dealing with untrustworthy
partners but he had given his word and that was sacred. He was of the old
school which his ancestors the jihadist Turk corsairs had founded about three
hundred years before and which had not evolved since. Cathcart wrote proudly
about the accomplishments his compatriot made with hollow words but the
words of the Dey were as solid as bullion as Barnby wrote: “at this period in
Europe a bond or promise that was considered to be certain and reliable was
said to be as good as the word of a Turk.” 133
Dey Hassan Pasha died in 1798 and four other Deys succeeded to him
and died without having the satisfaction of even sensing an honorable conduct
on the side of the United States. The latter had never respected its
engagements; consequently, it put Algiers in a position of repudiating the treaty
and expelling the American consul in 1812. The Americans decried Algiers’
move as aggression against the United States and sent their fleet threatening at
the very gates of Algiers: that was the beginning of American gunboat
diplomacy.
133 Barnby, Prisoners of Algiers, p. 193.
334