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The Effects of a Long Peace
consul and retaliation against British subjects. This compared very ill with American successes the year before and Exmouth was sent back with a fleet of five ships of the line, frigates and a few smaller ships. On the way he joined forces with a Dutch squadron on a similar mission and the combined force had a total of 632 cannon, half of which would be on the wrong side of the ships during an engagement. This compared rather poorly with the 1,000 shore-mounted guns of Algiers. When the Algerians refused Exmouth’s demands, he began a bombardment as described by the American consul. The cannonade endures with a fury which can only be comprehended from practical experience; shells and rockets fly over and by my house like hail. The fire is returned with constancy from several batteries situated at the north-west corner of the town and from four heavy guns directly below my windows … At half past seven, the shipping in the port is on fire … The upper part of my house appears to be destroyed, several shells having fallen into it, whole rooms are knocked to atoms.2 The Algerians gave up and agreed to release 1,642 slaves, 18 of whom were British and 28 Dutch. According to Lieutenant James Hall, On being put on board the Transport they ascended the rigging and yards and seemed to be in a delirium of joy. The transition from slavery to liberty was so sudden a thing, so unexpected, that it seemed to these poor men as a dream. … They all looked healthy, were very clean and well clothed.
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