2nd. Congress 1st Session 1791 Christian captives being held as slaves in Algiers

[Tender Thomas Co- Administrator]

   In 1786, there were three thousand Christian slaves in Algiers; but the Spaniards, Neapolitians, and other nations redeeming their people, that great storm of mortality, which happened in this city in 1787-8, which carried off nine hundred Christian captives---Amongst this number were six Americans---our redemption is but trifling higher than the terms on which the Spaniards and other nations redeemed their people; and, since those redemptions and the pest, the price of slaves is continually rising.

  Those lads that are pages to the Dey, were solicited to turn Mahametans, but they would not, which makes their price somewhat exorbitant.

 

 

[Fred De Werth III]

Thanks for posting, I was uninformed about this.  Very interesting.

[Tender Thomas Co- Administrator]