capturing only one vessel from the American navy, while 84 armed French
ships, mostly privateers, mounting more than 500 guns, were captured by
our vessels. In February, 1801, a treaty of peace was signed with
France, which brought our troubles with her to an end.

Now, if you will examine your map of Africa, you will notice a group of
countries along the southern coast of the Mediterranean that are known
as the Barbary States. Their names are Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and
Tripoli. I remember when I was a boy how easy it was to learn the names
of the capitals of those countries, for each one was the same as the
country itself.

The people of the Barbary States are only half civilized or barbarous,
but they have always had a mighty high opinion of themselves, though it
can hardly be as high to-day as it was a hundred years ago. They looked
upon the "dogs of Christians" as heathen nations, only fitted to be
their slaves, and it must be admitted that it was quite natural they
should hold the leading maritime nations of Europe as well as ourselves
in contempt, for all deserved it.

The favorite business of those barbarians was playing pirate. Their
corsairs roamed up and down the Mediterranean, eagerly hunting for
Christian merchant vessels, that they might kill the crews and divide
the plunder among themselves. Sometimes, by way of variety, they would
throw their captives into dungeons and then notify the governments to
which they belonged that they would be set free upon the payment of a
large sum of money to their captors. If the government did not choose to
pay the ransom, why their captors would give themselves the pleasure of
putting the prisoners to death.