The cruise of the Americans against Tripoli differed little, except in the inferiority of their force, from numerous attacks made by European nations upon the Regencies.  Venice, England, France, had repeatedly chastised the pirates in times past.  In 1799, the Portuguese, with one seventy-four-gun ship, took two Tripolitan cruisers, and forced the Pacha to pay them eleven thousand dollars.  In 1801, not long before our expedition, the French Admiral Gaunthomme over-hauled two Tunisian corsairs in chase of some Neapolitan vessels.  He threw all their guns overboard, and bade them beware how they provoked the wrath of the First Consul by plundering his allies.  But all of them left, as we did, the principle of piracy or payments as they found it.  At last this evil was treated in a manner more creditable to civilization.  In 1812, the Algerines captured an American vessel, and made slaves of the crew.  After the peace with England, in 1815, Decatur, in the Guerriere, sailed into the Mediterranean, and captured off Cape de Gat, in twenty-five minutes, an Algerine frigate of forty-six guns and four hundred men.  On board the Guerriere, four were wounded, and no one killed.  Two days later, off Cape Palos, he took a brig of twenty-two guns and one hundred and eighty men.  He then sailed into the harbor of Algiers with his prizes, and offered peace, which was accepted.  The Dey released the American prisoners, relinquished all claims to tribute in future, and promised never again to enslave an American.  Decatur, on our part, surrendered his prizes, and agreed to consular presents,—­a mitigated form of tribute, similar in principle, but, at least, with another name.  From Algiers he went to Tunis, and demanded satisfaction of that Regency for having permitted a British man-of-war to retake in their port two prizes to Americans in the late war with England.  The Bey submitted, and paid forty-six thousand dollars.  He next appeared before Tripoli, where he compelled the Pacha to pay twenty-six thousand dollars, and to surrender ten captives, as an indemnity for some breaches of international law.  In fifty-four days he brought all Barbary to submission.  It is true, that, the next spring, the Dey of Algiers declared this treaty null, and fell back upon the time-honored system of annual tribute.  But it was too late.  Before it became necessary for Decatur to pay him another visit, Lord Exmouth avenged the massacre of the Neapolitan fishermen at Bona by completely destroying the fleet and forts of Algiers, in a bombardment of seven hours.  Christian prisoners of every nation were liberated in all the Regencies, and the slave-system, as applied to white men, finally abolished.

Preble, Eaton, and Decatur are our three distinguished African officers.  As Barron’s squadron did not fire a shot into Tripoli, indeed never showed itself before that port, to Eaton alone belongs the credit of bringing the Pacha to terms which the American Commissioner was willing to accept.  The attack upon Derne was the feat of arms of the fourth year, and finished the war.