Herald Of The United States

From the Weekly Wanderer.

INTERESTING LETTER
FROM TRIPOLI.

Tripoli, (in Barbary) Nov. 7th, 1804.

MY DEAR FATHER,

No doubt, you have often heard of the loss of the frigate Philadelphia, and the capture of its whole crew (by the barbarians) among whom is your unfortunate son. We were taken on the 31st of October, 1803, and entirely robbed of property, even the greatest part of the clothes on our backs were taken from us. Our seamen were immediately put to hard labour, without mercy; and they have suffered much for the necessaries of life. Five have paid their last debts to nature, and five have turned Turks. Myself and fellow-officers were permitted to occupy the house, where our Consul, Mr. Cathcart resided, while in Tripoli. On our first arrival, we signed a Parole of honour, but have not been allowed to enjoy it.—The Bashaw (or head of the regency) compels me to exercise my profession in his palace, and among his slaves; to relieve the distress of the latter, is a pleasure to me. About the last of February, we were removed to the castle, and placed in close confinement, under a powerful guard of Turks, who examined every paper and letter, with the utmost scrutiny, to prevent our having any communication with our squadron off the town, which they much feared; what few letters we receive from our friends, are opened before we get them; no doubt many have been suppressed. Mr. Nielsen, the Danish Consul, has done us many favors, and is entitled to our utmost gratitude.

We live in hopes of being liberated, in due time, and in a manner that will do honor to our country; whose service we were in, and whose wrongs we were avenging, when, by a sad misfortune, we fell into the hands of a monster foe who divested us of liberty and property and plunged us into a prison; from thence we were removed to a more gloomy one, the dreary cells of a castle, the gloomy walls of which bespeak the miseries of christian slaves who erected them under the lash of tyrants; the glimmering light of which is admitted through the iron grating in the top; the doors are secured by large locks, bars of iron, and guarded by infamous Turkish soldiers, who are ready to plunge their daggers into our hearts, at the nod of a tyrant, who preserves us only for the ransom which he expects from our country. We hope, and expect, that the free sons of Columbia will soon relieve us, their oppressed countrymen, and restore us to our native shore, that we may join them in the protection of its rights, "and the enjoyment of its blessings. May the day soon arrive, when we shall have the pleasure of joining our countrymen hand in hand, to create dungeons for vice, and temples for virtue. May we teach the haughty tyrant, and the barbarous, that our rights, the common rights of man, are sacred, and not to be infringed: that we will establish and maintain them in spite of its enemies. Ever since our captivity, the Bashaw has been pre-possessed in favour of me; I have had two fits of sickness out of the Dispensary, and the other Ophthalmia, both very severe, during which the Bashaw paid me every attention that could be expected from a Turkish man. On the 20th of July, he took me from the prison of my brother Officers, and gave me a pleasant and well furnished apartment in his palace. I now have liberty to walk about the town, where I please; and to take a short ride into the country, on a mule, occasionally; a Turk, who speaks the English language, is appointed to walk and ride with me to prevent my running away, or meeting with insults, and to act as interpreter; he is very polite, and pays me every attention. I can speak Arabic, (the language of the place) tolerably well, I have received some of the books which were taken from me when we ran on the rock, these I make use of as my best companions; I spend the best of my time in perusing them, and in attending the sick slaves, particularly my countrymen. I am not allowed to hold any conversation with our Officers, who are still in close confinement, and our letters to each other are examined with the utmost scrutiny.

Our worthy Capt. Bainbridge has established a credit with Dr. Davis, our Consul at Tunis, and with the French and Danish Consuls, in this place, so that we draw a little money when we are in want; by this, our seamen are often supplied with bread, or perhaps they would perish with hunger: the harbor is closely blockaded by the American squadron, under Commodore Barron, who lately relieved Commodore Preble; in consequence of which, there is a great scarcity of provisions in this place; and I fear it will be worse among us before we get from hence. Our squadron made five vigorous attacks upon this place, last summer, in which much blood was shed. Terms of peace have been offered, without effect: the Bashaw demands, for us and for peace, 1,000,000 of dollars; our government has offered, through Commodore Preble, one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, & very wide difference. An additional armament is expected from our country, in the spring; I suppose you know more of this than I do; we expect warm work next summer. I assure you it is not very pleasant to be a prisoner in a besieged city, but God is our protector. The present Bashaw has been on the throne about eleven years: on the death of his father, the former Bashaw, he usurped the throne, by killing one of his elder brothers, and driving the other out of the dominions, into Egypt; he is very cruel to his subjects, when he finds them guilty of crimes; for murder, treason, &c. he beheads them; for theft, house-breaking, &c. he takes off the left hand, and right foot at the joint, and dips the stumps into boiling tar; for less crimes, he gives them from five hundred to a thousand bastinadoes, as the Turks call it; this is done by tying up the feet with a rope, and beating upon the breech and the soles of the feet with a large stick. They often perish under the operation. Yet, this cruel Prince is remarkably fond of his children, and kind to the poor. He is about thirty-five years of age, has two wives, one white, and one black; by the former, he has five, by the latter, four children. A plurality of wives, is allowed, in this country. He is a white man, of middling size, rather portly, and tolerably handsome; he has a bomb proof room, which he occupied, during the thundering of bells and shot, and the sounding of Columbian Thunder.

The laws of our Country allow us full pay and rations, during our captivity; this is some consolation to us, in this savage land. How long we are to remain here, God only knows; I am in hopes of once more seeing my Parents; I wrote you a letter directly after our captivity.

I have an opportunity of sending this letter to the Island of Malta, by a particular friend; from thence, it will be sent to America, by our Consul, who resides in that place; it will therefore escape the scrutiny of my new masters.

I am in good health and spirits, thank God, and hope for better times soon.

I am, with the greatest respect,

your affectionate son,

JONATHAN COWDERY.