The Pirates Own Book (51 page)

Meantime, a light breeze sprung up, and the fleet advanced into the bay,
and lay to, at about a mile off Algiers "It was now," says Mr. Salame,
in his entertaining narrative, "half-past two, and no answer coming out,
notwithstanding we had staid half an hour longer than our instructions,
and the fleet being almost opposite the town, with a fine breeze, we
thought proper, after having done our duty, to lose no more time, but to
go on board, and inform his lordship of what had happened.

"Mr. Burgess, the flag-lieutenant, having agreed with me, we hoisted the
signal,
that no answer had been given
, and began to row away towards
the Queen Charlotte. After I had given our report to the admiral, of our
meeting the captain of the port, and our waiting there, &c., I was quite
surprised to see how his lordship was altered from what I left him in
the morning; for I knew his manner was in general very mild, and now he
seemed to me
all-fightful,
as a fierce lion, which had been chained in
its cage, and was set at liberty. With all that, his lordship's answer
to me was, '
Never mind, we shall see now
;' and at the same time he
turned towards the officers, saying, '
Be ready
,' whereupon I saw every
one with the match or the string of the lock in his hand, most anxiously
expecting the word '
Fire
'!

"No sooner had Salame returned, than his lordship made the signal to know
whether all the ships were ready, which being answered in the
affirmative, he directly turned the head of the Queen Charlotte towards
shore, and, to the utter amazement of the Algerines, ran across all the
batteries without firing or receiving a single shot, until he brought up
within eighty yards of the south end of the mole, where he lashed her to
the mainmast of an Algerine brig, which he had taken as his direction,
and had then the pleasure of seeing all the rest of the fleet, including
the Dutch frigates, taking up their assigned stations with the same
precision and regularity. The position in which the Queen Charlotte was
laid was so admirable that she was only exposed to the fire of three or
four flanking guns, while her broadside swept the whole batteries, and
completely commanded the mole and marine, every part of which could be
seen distinctly from her quarter-deck. Up to this moment not a shot had
been fired, and the batteries were all crowded with spectators, gazing
in astonishment at the quiet and regularity which prevailed through all
the British ships, and the dangerous vicinity in which they placed
themselves to such formidable means of defence. Lord Exmouth, therefore,
began to conceive hopes that his demands would still be granted; but the
delay, it appeared, was caused by the Algerines being completely
unprepared for so very sudden an approach, insomuch that their guns were
not shotted at the moment when the Queen Charlotte swept past them, and
they were distinctly seen loading them as the other ships were coming
into line. Anxious, if possible, to spare unnecessary effusion of blood,
his lordship, standing on the quarter-deck, repeatedly waved his hat as
a warning to the multitudes assembled on the mole to retire, but his
signal was unheeded, and at a quarter before three in the afternoon the
first gun was fired at the Queen Charlotte from the eastern battery, and
two more at the Albion and Superb, which were following. Then Lord
Exmouth, having seen only
the smoke of the gun,
before the sound
reached him, said, with great alacrity, '
That will do; fire my fine
fellows!
' and I am sure that before his lordship had finished these
words, our broadside was given with great cheering, which was fired
three times within five or six minutes; and at the same time the other
ships did the same. This first fire was so terrible, that they say more
than five hundred persons were killed and wounded by it. And I believe
this, because there was a great crowd of people in every part, many of
whom, after the first discharge, I saw running away, under the walls,
like dogs, walking upon their feet and hands.

"After the attack took place on both sides in this horrible manner,
immediately the sky was darkened by the smoke, the sun completely
eclipsed, and the horizon became dreary. Being exhausted by the heat of
that powerful sun, to which I was exposed the whole day, and my ears
being deafened by the roar of the guns, and finding myself in the
dreadful danger of such a terrible engagement, in which I had never been
before, I was quite at a loss, and like an astonished or stupid man, and
did not know myself where I was. At last his lordship, having perceived
my situation, said, 'You have done your duty, now go below.' Upon which
I began to descend from the quarter-deck, quite confounded and
terrified, and not sure that I should reach the cock-pit alive; for it
was most tremendous to hear the crashing of the shot, to see the wounded
men brought from one part, and the killed from the other; and
especially, at such a time, to be found among the
English seamen
! and
to witness their manners, their activity, their courage, and their
cheerfulness during the battle!—it is really most overpowering and
beyond imagination."

The battle continued to rage furiously, and the havoc on both sides was
very great. There were some awful moments, particularly when Algerine
vessels so near our line were set on fire. The officers surrounding Lord
Exmouth had been anxious for permission to make an attempt upon the
outer frigate, distant about a hundred yards. He at length consented,
and Major Gossett, of the corps of marines, eagerly entreated and
obtained permission to accompany Lieutenant Richards in the ship's
barge. The frigate was instantly boarded, and, in ten minutes, in a
perfect blaze. A gallant young midshipman, although forbidden, was led
by his too ardent spirit to follow in support of the barge, in which
attempt he was desperately wounded, his brother officer killed, and nine
of the crew. The barge, by rowing more rapidly, escaped better, having
but one killed.

About sunset the admiral received a message from rear-admiral Milne,
stating his severe loss in killed and wounded, amounting to one hundred
and fifty, and requesting that, if possible, a frigate might be sent him
to take off some of the enemy's fire. The Glasgow accordingly was
ordered to get under weigh, but the wind having been laid by the
cannonade, she was obliged again to anchor, having obtained a rather
more favorable position. The flotilla of mortar, gun, and rocket boats,
under the direction of their respective artillery officers, shared to
the full extent of their powers the honors and toils of this glorious
day. It was by their fire that all the ships in the port (with the
exception of the outer frigate already mentioned) were in flames, which,
extending rapidly over the whole arsenal, gun-boats, and storehouses,
exhibited a spectacle of awful grandeur and interest which no pen can
describe. The sloops of war which had been appropriated to aid and
assist the ships of the line, and prepare for their retreat, performed
not only that duty well, but embraced every opportunity of firing
through the intervals, and were constantly in motion. The shells from
the bombs were admirably well thrown by the royal marine artillery, and,
though directed over and across our own men-of-war, did not produce a
single accident. To complete the confusion of the enemy, the admiral now
ordered the explosion ship, which had been charged for the occasion, to
be brought within the mole; but upon the representation of Sir David
Milne that it would do him essential service, if made to act on the
battery in his front, it was towed to that spot, and blown up with
tremendous effect.

This was almost the final blow;—the enemy's fire had for some time been
very slack, and now almost wholly ceased, except that occasionally a few
shots and shells were discharged from the higher citadel, upon which the
guns of the fleet could not be brought to bear. The admiral, who from
the commencement had been in the hottest of the engagement, and had
fired until his guns were so hot that they could, some of them, not be
used again; now seeing that he had executed the most important part of
his instructions, issued orders for drawing off the fleet. This was
commenced in excellent order about ten at night, and the usual breeze
having set off from shore favored their manoeuvre, so that, all hands
being employed in warping and towing, the vessels were got safely into
the bay, and anchored, beyond reach of shot, about two o'clock the next
morning.

So signal and well contested a victory could not have been gained
without a considerable loss and suffering. It amounted in the English
fleet, to one hundred and twenty-eight men killed, and six hundred and
ninety wounded; in the Dutch squadron, to thirteen killed, and fifty-two
wounded; grand total, eight hundred and eighty-three. But the enemy
suffered much more severly; they are computed to have lost, in killed
and wounded, not less than between six and seven thousand men. The loss
sustained by the Algerines by the destruction in the mole was four large
frigates, of forty-four guns. Five large corvettes, from twenty-four to
thirty guns. All the gun and mortar-boats, except seven; thirty
destroyed. Several merchant brigs and schooners. A great number of small
vessels of various descriptions. All the pontoons, lighters, &c.,
Store-houses and arsenal, with all the timber, and various marine
articles destroyed in part. A great many gun-carriages, mortar-beds,
casks, and ships' stores of all descriptions.

Negociations were immediately opened in form; and on the 30th August the
admiral published a notification to the fleet, that all demands had been
complied with, the British consul had been indemnified for his losses,
and the Dey, in presence of all his officers, had made him a public
apology for the insults offered him. On the 1st of September, Lord
Exmouth had the pleasure of informing the secretary of the Admiralty,
that all the slaves in the city of Algiers, and its immediate vicinity
were embarked; as also 357,000 dollars for Naples, and 25,000 dollars
for Sardinia.

The number of slaves thus released amounted to one thousand and
eighty-three, of whom four hundred and seventy-one were Neapolitans,
two hundred and thirty-six Sicilians, one hundred and seventy-three
Romans, six Tuscans, one hundred and sixty-one Spaniards, one
Portuguese, seven Greeks, twenty-eight Dutch, and not
one Englishman
.
Were there an action more than another on which an Englishman would
willingly risk the fame and honor of his nation, it would be this attack
on Algiers, which, undertaken solely at her own risk, and earned solely
by the expenditure of her own blood and her own resources, rescued not a
single subject of her own from the tyrant's grasp, while it freed more
than a thousand belonging to other European powers.

In August, 1816, the strength of Algiers seemed annihilated; her walls
were in ruins, her haughty flag was humbled to the dust; her gates lay
open to a hostile power, and terms were dictated in the palace of her
princes. A year passed, the hostile squadron had left her ports, the
clang of the workman's hammer, the hum of busy men resounded through her
streets, fresh walls had risen, new and more formidable batteries had
been added; again she resumed her attitude as of yore, bid defiance to
her foes, and declared war on civilization:—again her blood-stained
corsairs swept the seas, eager for plunder, ready for combat;—Christian
commerce once more became shackled by her enterprise, and Christian
captives once more sent up their cry for deliverance. In 1819, her
piracies had become so numerous that the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle
caused it to be notified to the Dey, that their cessation was required,
and would be enforced, by a combined French and English squadron. His
reply was brief and arrogant, and the admirals were obliged to leave
without obtaining the least satisfaction. By menaces, however,
accompanied by the presence of some cruisers, England, France, and the
United States caused their flags to be respected.

Ali, the successor of Amar, had died in 1818, and was succeeded by
Hassein Pasha, who, from the commencement of his reign, evinced the
strongest antipathy to the French power. In 1824, he imposed an
arbitrary tax through all his provinces on French goods and
manufactures; the consul's house was frequently entered and searched in
a vexatious manner, contrary to the express stipulations of treaties;
and, finally, April, 1827, the consul himself, having gone at the feast
of Bayram to pay his respects, was, upon a slight difference of opinion
arising during their conversation, struck across the mouth with a
fly-flap which the Dey held in his hand, and in consequence soon after
left Algiers, while the Dey ordered the destruction of all the French
establishments along the coast towards Bona, and oppressed in every
manner the French residents within his dominions. A blockade was
instantly commenced by the French, and maintained for nearly three
years, until it was found that they suffered much more by it than the
Dey, the expense having reached nearly 800,000
l
sterling, while he
appeared no way inconvenienced by their efforts, and even treated them
with such contempt as to order his forts to fire on the vessel of
Admiral Le da Bretonniere, who, in 1829, had gone there under a flag of
truce to make a final proposal of terms of accommodation. So signal a
violation of the laws of nations could not be overlooked, even by the
imbecile administrations of Charles X. All France was in an uproar; the
national flag had been dishonored, and her ambassador insulted; the cry
for war became loud and universal; conferences on the subject were held;
the oldest and most experienced mariners were invited by the minister at
war to assist in his deliberations; and an expedition was finally
determined on in the month of February, 1830, to consist of about
thirty-seven thousand men, a number which it was calculated would not
only be sufficient to overcome all opposition which might be
encountered, but to enable the French to reduce the kingdom to a
province, and retain it in subjection for any length of time that might
be considered advisable. No sooner was this decision promulgated, than
all the necessary preparations were commenced with the utmost diligence.
It was now February, and the expedition was to embark by the end of
April, so that no time could be lost. The arsenals, the naval and
military workships, were all in full employment. Field and breaching
batteries were mounted on a new principle lately adopted; gabions,
earth-bags,
chevaux-de-frise,
and projectiles were made in the
greatest abundance maps, notes, and all the information that could be
procured respecting Barbary were transmitted to the war office, where
their contents were compared and digested, and a plan of operations was
drawn out. The commissariat were busied in collecting provisions,
waggons, and fitting out an efficient hospital train; a
deputy-commissary was despatched to reconnoitre the coasts of Spain and
the Balearic Islands, to ascertain what resources could be drawn from
them, and negociate with the king for leave to establish military
hospitals at Port Mahon. Eighteen regiments of the line, three squadrons
of cavalry, and different corps of artillery and engineers were ordered
to hold themselves in readiness; four hundred transports were assembled,
and chartered by government in the port of Marseilles, while the vessels
of war, which were to form the convoy, were appointed their rendezvous
in the neighborhood of Toulon. After some hesitation as to who should
command this important expedition, the Count de Bourmont, then minister
at war, thought fit to appoint himself; and his etat-major was soon
complete, Desprez acting as chief, and Tholoze as second in command.
Maubert de Neuilly was chosen provost-marshal, De Bartillat (who
afterwards wrote an entertaining account of the expedition)
quarter-master general, and De Carne commissary-general to the forces.
In addition to these, there were about twenty aid-de-camps, orderlies,
and young men of rank attached to the staff, together with a Spanish
general, an English colonel, a Russian colonel and lieutenant, and two
Saxon officers, deputed by their respective governments. There were also
a section of engineer-geographers, whose business was to survey and map
the country as it was conquered, "and," says M. Roget, who was himself
employed in the service we have just mentioned, and to whose excellent
work, written in that capacity, we are so much indebted, "twenty-four
interpreters, the half of whom knew neither French nor Arabic, were
attached-to the different corps of the army, in order to facilitate
their intercourse with the inhabitants." As the minister had determined
on risking his own reputation on the expedition, the supplies were all,
of course, of the completest kind, and in the greatest abundance.
Provisions for three months were ordered; an equal quantity was to be
forwarded as soon as the army had landed in Africa; and, amongst the
other materials furnished we observe, in looking over the returns,
thirty wooden legs, and two hundred crutches, for the relief of the
unfortunate heroes, a boring apparatus to sink pumps, if water should
run short, and a balloon, with two aeronauts, to reconnoitre the enemy's
position, in case, as was represented to be their wont, they should
entrench themselves under the shelter of hedges and brushwood.