302 No XII 1 69 141 213 525 669 611 Scenes from Politian, by Edgar A. Poe, 13 652 66 66 105 Sketch, by A. L. Beard........ 37 ................. 38 MSS. of Benjamin Franklin............ 293 March Court.... Memoirs of Mrs. Hemans... My First Attempt at Poetry.. MSS. of John Randolph............461, 568 Martin Luther Incognito, by J. W. Moses Pleading Before Pharaoh....... 673 | Sketches of Lake Superior..... Tributary Stanzas.. ་ To - N. P. Willis. To a Coquette... To by George Lunt.... To G. A. Perdicaris...... Το of Norfolk......... To a Lock of Hair...... 8 Tour to the Isthmus... To a Tortoise Shell Comb, by Mrs. E. Traits of a Summer Tourist. To My Wife, by Lindley Murray. 669 Conti............. 'Tis the Last Day of Summer........... 692 Colton's Religious State of the Coun- To a Nameless One........ Tragedies of Silvio Pellico, by Mrs. E. F. Ellet.... ......... 773 Cooper's Switzerland. Part II......... 720 Clinton Bradshaw 68 Christian Florist............... 676 Carey's Autobiography.... 203 401 714 try. Camperdown...... 513 VoL. II. T. W. WHITE, PROPRIETOR. RICHMOND, DECEMBER, 1835. PUBLISHER'S NOTICE. The gentleman, referred to in the ninth number of the Messenger, as filling its editorial chair, retired thence with the eleventh number; and the intellectual department of the paper is now under the conduct of the Proprietor, assisted by a gentleman of distinguished literary talents. Thus seconded, he is sanguine in the hope of rendering the second volume which the present number commences, at least as deserving of support as the former was: nay, if he reads aright the tokens which are given him of the future, it teems with even richer banquets for his readers, than they have hitherto enjoyed at his board. Some of the contributors, whose effusions have received the largest share of praise from critics, and (what is better still) have been read with most pleasure by that larger, unsophisticated class, whom Sterne loved for reading, and being pleased "they knew not why, and care not wherefore"-may be expected to continue their favors. Among these, we hope to be pardoned for singling out the name of Mr. EDGAR A. POɛ; not with design to make any invidious distinction, but because such a mention of him finds numberless precedents in the journals on every side, which have rung the praises of his uniquely original vein of imagination, and of humorous, delicate satire. We wish that decorum did not forbid our specifying other names also, which would afford ample guarantee for the fulfilment of larger promises than ours: but it may not be; and of our other contributors, all we can say is “ by their fruits ye shall know them." It is a part of our present plan, to insert all original communications as editorial; that is, simply to omit the words "For the Southern Literary Messenger" at the head of such articles :-unless the contributor shall es pecially desire to have that caption prefixed, or there be something which requires it in the nature of the article itself. Selected articles, of course, will bear some appropriate token of their origin. With this brief salutation to patrons and readers, we gird up ourselves for entering upon the work of another year, with zeal and energy increased, by the recollection of kindness, and by the hopes of still greater suc cess. SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY No. 1. FIVE DOLLARS PER ANNUM. of Algiers, large quantities of grain on credit, for the subsistence of its armies in Italy, and the supply of the Southern Department where a great scarcity then prevailed. The creditors endeavored to have their claims on this account satisfied by the Directory, but that incapable and rapacious Government had neither the principle to admit, nor the ability to discharge such demands; every species of chicanery was in consequence employed by it in evading them, until the rupture with Turkey produced by the expedition to Egypt placing the Barbary States either really or apparently at war with the French Republic, a pretext was thus afforded for deferring their settlement indefinitely. Under the cluded with Algiers on the 17th of December 1801, Consular regime however, a treaty of peace was conby the thirteenth article of which, the Government of each State engaged to cause payment to be made of all debts due by itself or its subjects to the Government or subjects of the other; the former political and commercial relations between the two countries were re-established, and the Dey restored to France the territories and privileges called the African Concessions, which had been seized by him on the breaking out of the war. This treaty was ratified by the Dey on the 5th of April 1802, and after examination of the claims on both sides, the French Government acknowledged itself debtor for a large amount to the Jewish mercantile house of Bacri and Busnach of Algiers, as representing the African creditors. Of the sum thus acknowledged to be due, only a very small portion was paid, and the Dey Hadji Ali seeing no other means of obtaining the remainder, in 1809 seized upon the Concessions; they were however of little value to France at that time, when her flag was never seen in the Mediterranean, and their confiscation. merely served as a pretext for withholding farther payment. In 1813, when the star of Napoleon began to wane, and he found it necessary to assume at least the appearance of honesty, he declared that measures would be taken for the adjustment of the Algerine claims; but he fell without redeeming his promise, and on the distribution of his spoils, the Jewish merchants had not interest enough to obtain their rightful portion, which amounted to fourteen millions of francs. Upon the return of the Bourbons to the throne of France, the government of that country became desirous to renew its former intercourse with the Barbary States, and to regain its ancient establishments and privileges AND PRESENT CONDITION OF TRIPOLI, WITH SOME AC-in their territories, which were considered important COUNTS OF THE OTHER BARBARY STATES. NO. IX. (Continued.) About this period commenced those differences between France and the Algerine Government, which led to the overthrow of the latter, and the establishment of the French in Northern Africa; the circumstances which occasioned the dispute were however of much older date. Between 1793 and 1798 the French Government on several occasions obtained from the Dey and merchants from political as well as commercial motives. For this purpose, M. Deval a person who was educated in the East and had been long attached to the French Embassy at Constantinople, was appointed Consul General of France in Barbary, and sent to Algiers with powers to negotiate. The first result of this mission, was a convention which has never been officially published; however in consequence of it the African Concessions were restored to France, together with the exclusive right of fishing for coral on the coasts in their vicinity VOL. II.-1 and various commercial privileges; in return for which | in June, 1820, submitted by the French Ministry to the the French were to pay annually to Algiers, the sum Legislative Chambers, in both of which its adoption of sixty thousand francs. It appears also to have was resisted by the small minority then opposed to the been understood between the parties, that no fortifi- Government. The debates on this occasion are worthy cations were to be erected within the ceded territories of notice, as many of the arguments advanced against in addition to those already standing, and that ar- the appropriation, have been since employed to defeat rangements should be speedily made for the examina- the bill for executing the treaty of 1831 by which the tion and settlement of all their claims on both sides, United States were to be indemnified for the injuries not only of those for which provision was made in the inflicted on their commerce by Napoleon. The claims treaty of 1801, but also of such as were founded on against France were in both cases pronounced antiquated subsequent occurrences; after this mutual adjustment and obsolete [vieilles reclamations, créances dechues] and the treaty of 1801 confirming all former treaties was to the fact that they had long remained unsettled, was be in force. thus deemed sufficient to authorize their indefinite post tors had assented, was considered as affording strong presumption that their demands were destitute of foundation; and the probability that many of the claims, had been purchased at a low price by the actual holders, from the persons with whom the contracts were originally made, was gravely alleged as a reason for not satisfying them. The advantages secured to France by each Convention were examined in detail, and compared with the sums required for extinguishing the debts; and the Ministry were in both cases censured for not having obtained more in return for their payment. It is not surprising to hear such sentiments avowed by men educated in the service of Napoleon, but it is painful to find them supported by others distinguished for their literary merits, and for their exertions in the cause of liberty. The annual sum required by Omar for the Conces-ponement. The great diminution to which the credisions, was much greater than any which had been previously paid for them by France; Hussein however immediately on his elevation to the throne, raised it to two hundred thousand francs, and he moreover declared, that the debt acknowledged to be due to his subjects must be paid, before any notice were taken of claims which were still liable to be contested. In opposition to these demands, the French endeavored to prove their right to the territories of Calle and Bastion de France by reference to ancient treaties both with Algiers and the Porte, in which no mention is made of payment for them; with regard to the claims, they insisted that the only just mode of settlement, was by admitting into one statement all the demands which could be established on either side, and then balancing the account. The Dey however remained firm in his resolution, and exhibited signs of preparation to expel the French from the Concessions, when their government yielded the point concerning the amount to be annnually paid. The bill for the appropriation of the seven millions of francs, was passed by a large majority in both Chambers, the influence of the Crown being at that period A compromise was made respecting the claims be- overwhelming. Four millions and a half were in contween the French Government and the Agents of the sequence paid within the ensuing three years to the Algerines, on the 28th of October, 1819; as the ar- Jewish merchants, who having thus received the whole ticles of this agreement have never been published, amount of their own demands retired to Italy; the its terms are only to be gathered from the decla- remaining two and a half millions were retained by the rations of the French Ministers in the Legislative Government of France in order to secure the discharge Chambers, and the semi-official communications in the of the claims of its subjects, under the treaty of 1801, Moniteur the organ of the Government. From these it which were yet pending in the Courts of the Kingappears that the French Government acknowledged it- dom. At the retention of this sum, the Dey was, or self indebted for the sum of seven millions of francs, to affected to be at first much surprised, and he insisted Messrs. Bacri and Busnach, which was to be received that the Government should hasten the decisions of the by them in full discharge of claims on the part of Al- Courts; however as years passed by without any signs giers, under the thirteenth article of the treaty of 1801; of approach to a definitive settlement, his impatience from this sum however was to be retained a sufficiency became uncontrollable. Moreover in addition to the to cover the demands of French subjects against Algiers annoyance occasioned by this constant postponement, under the same article, which demands were to be sub- he was much dissatisfied, on account of the fortifications stantiated by the Courts of Law of France; finally, which the French were erecting at Calle, contrary as each party was to settle the claims of its own subjects he insisted to the understanding between the parties against the other, founded on occurrences subsequent at the time of its cession. To his observations and to the conclusion of the said treaty. The French his- inquiries on both these subjects he received answers torical writers affect to consider this arrangement en- from the French Consul which were generally evasive tirely as a private affair between their Government and and often insulting, until at length wearied by delays the Jewish merchants, and indeed the Ministry endea- and having strong reason to believe that M. Deval had a vored at first to represent it in that light to the Legis- personal interest in creating obstacles to an adjustment lature; but they were forced to abandon this ground of the difficulties, he determined to address the French when they communicated its stipulations, and the Min-Government directly. Accordingly in 1826 he wrote ister of Foreign Affairs declared in the Chamber of a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of that counDeputies, that the Dey had formally accepted it on the 12th of April 1820, and had admitted that the treaty of 1801 was thereby fully executed. In order to comply with this arrangement, a bill requiring an appropriation of seven millions of francs was try, in which after indignantly expressing his sense of the conduct of the French Government, in the retention of this large sum and the erection of fortresses in the Concessions, he required that the remainder of the seven millions should be immediately paid into his own hands, |