The New Hampshire Gazette

ENGLAND AND AMERICA
Have both tried their fortunes against
Algiers—One as the representative of the
"Mistress of the Ocean," and the other
that of an infant republic, till lately unknown
and unheeded. Exmouth's squadron consisted
of THIRTY-TWO sail, of
which one ship carried 93 and several 74
guns. Decatur had only about half a dozen
"Yankee Cock Boats," of which only
one was a ship of the line. Such was the
disparity of force: and fear was the only
argument that in either case could prove efficacious.
Now mark the results. Decatur
demanded the abrogation of tribute, of
consular presents, of the practice of treating
prisoners as slaves, and the release of all
Americans without ransom—these demands
which were never before granted to a Christian
nation in whole, were promptly complied
with, and guaranteed by a definitive
treaty. Exmouth's demands were almost a
transcript of Decatur's; yet they were rejected;
and it was not until a thousand lives
had been sacrificed on each side, that the
pirates would promise to England, as the
condition of an armistice, the terms which
they had peaceably guaranteed to America
by treaty. Decatur enforced his terms by
the potency of the American name (a potency
which that name acquired by the late
war with England): Exmouth enforced
his by the sacrifice of the lives of a thousand
of his countrymen. We do not make
this comparison to fault Lord Exmouth,
but to convince our Hartford Convention
folks, that in despite of their endeavors,
our country has acquired a name for daring
courage more formidable to crime than the
boasted power of the "bulwark of their religion."
Exmouth has done well: but
Decatur did better.—Albany Argus.