Fortunately for the country, young Oliver was retained as midshipman.
V.—The War with the Barbary States.
On the northern coast of Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea, are four countries known as the Barbary States. These are Tunis, Algiers, Tripoli, and Morocco.
For more than four hundred years, these countries had been making a business of sea-robbery. Their pirate vessels had seized and plundered the ships of other nations, and the captured officers and men were sold into slavery.
Instead of resisting these robbers, most of the nations had found it easier to pay vast sums of money to the Barbary rulers to obtain protection for their commerce.
The Americans had begun in this way, and had made presents of money and goods to Algiers and Tunis.
Then the ruler of Tripoli, called the Bashaw, informed our government that he would wait six months for a handsome present from us. If it did not come then, he would declare war against the United States.
COMMODORE CHARLES MORRIS.
This did not frighten the Americans at all. Their only reply was to send a fleet of four ships to the Mediterranean. The intention was to force the Bashaw to make a treaty which should insure safety for our ships.