Sketches of the History and Present Conditions of Tripoli, No. X [pp. 69-71]

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SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
VOL. 11. RICHMOND, JANUARY, 1836. No. I.
T. W. WHITE, PROPRIETOR. FIVE DOLLARS PER ANNUM.
SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY
AND PRESENT CONDITION OF TRIPOLII, WITH SOME AC COUNTS OF THE OTHER BARBARY STATES.
NO. X.-(Continued.)
L_ The writer of these Sketches endeavors to give
entire in each number, some distinct portion of the history of the Barbary States; this however is in some
cases impracticable, either froin want of time on his
part, or from wvant of place in the sheets of the Messenger. The present number will contain merely the conclusion of the portion, commenced in the last, so that
the next, may embrace the whole of the war between
France and Algiers.
In a country where the establishment of innocence or
guilt depends much less on the weight and character of
evidence, than on the interests or influence of those
possessing power, and where punishment is entirely
disproportioned to offence, no unfavorable inference
could be fairly drawn from the flight of the accused.
The D'Ghies family had been uniformly the friends of
the Americans, and Hassuna although suspected of too
much devotion to the interests of France, upon the whole
bore a fair character, and was on terms of social inti mnacy with the family of Mr. Coxe. The charge against
him was of a strange nature, and one not likely to
be substantiated; he protested that he was innocent of
all improper conduct with regard to the unfortunate
traveller, that the British Consul was anxious to procure his destruction from motives of personal enmity,
and that his only desire wras to go to England where
he could easily clear himself from all imputations.
Nor could any feelings of peculiar delicacy towards
the British Consul be expected to influence Mr. Coxe
on this occasion. The efforts made by Warrington in
I S1S to rescue Morat Rais, after the attack on the
American Consul, have been already noticed; he had
also in 1828 endeavored, though ineffectually, to protect
Dr. Sherry an Englishman who had circulated a story
that the frigate Philadelllphia was burnt by Maltese
hired for the purpose by the Americans; and hlie had on
various other occasions advanced pretensions to superiority over the Consul of the United States, which
were unfounded and insulting.
Under these circumstances, Mr. Coxe resolved to protect the fiugitive minister, and he therefore immediately
wrote a letter to the Pasha, in which he requeste a
Teskera or written assurance under the seal of the State,
that no attempt would he made to molest Hassuna;
stating at the same time, that he only required what was
frequently granted to the otler Consuls. No answer
having been made to this request, it was repeated on
the 7th of August. On the 9th the Pasha replied by
letter that he could not grant the warrant for Hass,ma's
safety, as the affair was one of great importance between
himself and the British Government, and in which the
American Consul was in no wise concerned; he added
that if Mr. Coxe could obtain WVarrigton's permission
in writing to interfere in the case and deposite it with
hinm, he would make no farther objection, and that the
American Consul "might however keep Hassuna in his
house until the affair should be decided."
Mr. Coxe was naturally indignant at the terms of
this letter, by which his exercise of a right allowed to
other Consuls, was made to depenid upon the will
of the representative of Great Britain; and the more
so as he had reason to suspect, that it had been
dictated by Warrington himself. To keep Hassu na in his house until the affair was decided, would be
merely to act as his jailer until the hour of his execu tion; for the Pasha it was well known would not scru ple to declare himn guilty of theft or murder if the British
Consul should require it, and it would be scarcely re concileable either with principle or usage, to continue to
protect a man, after his conviction of such crimes accord ing to the forms of law of the country..
Fortunately at this moment the American sloop of war
Fairfield had just entered the harbor of Tripoli, and her
commander Captain Parker, after examining the circum stances of the case as far as known, agreed to receive
Hassuna on board his ship, and to conduct him to some
place from which he could with safety proceed to Eng land. Being anxious however to secure themselves from
charges of improper conduct on the part of the Govern ment, the plan was privately intimated to Yusuf, and
they were not disappointed in their expectations, that he
would rejoice at being thus delivered from the difficulty.
The guards were indeed doubled on that night, and they
patroled the streets leading from the American Consul ate to the harbor, but this was only intended to deceive
Warrirgton; for Hassutna was safely conducted on
board the Fairfield, in the dress of a Christian, without
any interruption from the numerous parties of soldiers
whom they met on the way.
When Hassuna's evasion was known in Tripoli, the
utmost joy was manifested by the inhabitants, and lie
received on board the Fairfield the visits of - Hadji
Massen and of nimany other principal persons of the city,
who congratulated him openly on his escape from the
vengeance of the Britislh Consul. The Fairfield remained in Tripoli until the 14th of August, during which
period every attention was received by her officers from
the Pasha and his Court; she then sailed for Tunis,
and from that place to Port Mahon, where Hassuna left
her; but instead of proceeding to England as he had
declared to be his intention, he went by way of Spain
to France in which country he has since resided.
On the 10th of August Mr. Warrington addressed a
most angry epistle to the American Consul, in which
after asserting that D'Ghies had been "proved guilty
of fraud and theft and suspected of murder," and taking
it "for granted that the Commander of the Fairfield
must be perfectly well acquainted with the delinquency
of the fugitive," he requested that his letter should be
s;,,;wn to Captain Parker; declaring in conclusion that
should the criminal escape from justice the whole responsibility would rest upon Mr. Coxe, and the case
VOL. II. —10
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