Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/97

 extract the following amusing account of an interview between two French Redemptionists and the dey. The fathers had redeemed their contemplated number of captives with the exception of ten belonging to the dey, but he,  piqued that his slaves had not been purchased first, demanded so high a price  for each, that they were unwillingly compelled to ransom only three — a French  gentleman, his son, and a surgeon. "These slaves being brought in, we offered the price demanded (3,000 dollars) for them. The dey said he would give us another into the bargain. This was a tall, well-made young Hollander, one  of the dey's household, who was also present. We remonstrated with the dey,  that this fourth would not do for us, he being a Lutheran, and also not of our  country. The dey's officers laughed, and said, he is a good Catholic. The  dey said, he neither knew nor cared about that. The man was a Christian, and  that he should go along with the other three for 5,000 dollars."

After a good deal of fencing, and the dey having reduced his demand by 500 dollars, the father continues : "We yet held firm to have only the three  we had offered 3,000 dollars for. 'All this is to no purpose,' said the dey; 'I  am going to send all four to you, and, willing or not willing, you shall have  them at the price I specified, nor shall you leave Algiers until you have paid  it.' But we still held out, spite of all his threats, telling him that he was  master of his own dominions, but that our money falling short, we could not  purchase slaves at such a price. We then took leave of him, and that very day  he sent us the three slaves we had cheapened, and let us know we should have  the other on the day of our departure." The reader will not be sorry to learn that the fathers were ultimately compelled to purchase and take away with  them the "young Lutheran Hollander"

The primary object of the Redemptionists being to raise money for the ransom of captives,' every advantage was taken to appeal successfully to the sympathies of the Christian world, and no method was more remunerative than the grand processions which they made with the liberated slaves on their return  to Europe. Father Comelin gives us full particulars of these proceedings. The ransomed captives, dressed in red Moorish caps arid white bornouses, and wearing cliains — they never wore them in Algiers — were met at the entrance  of each town they passed through by all the clerical, civil, municipal, and military dignitaries of the place. Banners, wax-candles, music, and "angels covered with gold, silver, and precious stones," accompanied them in grand procession through the town ; the chief men of the district carrying silver  salvers, on which they collected money from the populace, to be applied to  future redemptions.

The first general ransom of British captives was made by money apportioned by parliament for the purpose, during the exciting events of the civil war. The first vessel dispatched was unfortunately burned in the Bay of Gibraltar, and the treasure lost. A fresh sum of money was again granted ; and in 1646, Mr. Cason, the parliamentary agent, arrived at Algiers. In his official dispatch to the "Committee of the Navy," the agent states that, counting renegades, there were then 750 English captives in Algiers; and proceeds to