ALS signed “J. Marshall,” one page both sides, 8 x 9.75, September 26, 1800. Marshall, then secretary of state, writes to Israel Wheeler in Philadelphia. In part: “Your remarks are certainly perfectly just respecting the loading a frigate with timber. If the mere expense of carriage was to be calculated & was the sole inducement to this measure, I believe it would be a very unwise one. But it is believed that it might be useful for us to show a frigate or two in the Mediterranean, & it is on this account that I would put the time remaining on hand on board the Genl. Green. I have attended to your observation respecting shipments from Portsmouth in consequence of them & of a letter from Colo. Thompson have requested him not to send the oars to Philadelphia, & unless that step has already been taken, to ship them from Portsmouth for Algiers.” In very good condition, with light intersecting folds, show-through of ink (visible behind signature; reduced legibility of several lines of text elsewhere), small edge tear, and a subtle hint of toning. The writing is dark and the sheet is otherwise bright and clean. In the Mediterranean in 1800, tributes (bribes, in effect ) were paid to the Dey of Algiers to safeguard US merchant fleets from the Barbary pirates who operated off the coast of North Africa. These Barbary corsairs were close to major shipping lanes, had many places to hide and presented few good targets for retaliation. When Jefferson became president he was loath to launch an expensive, large-scale military operation against these rogue states, but also understood that the system of bribes and tributes was unworkable. In 1801, Jefferson sent a squadron to protect American shipping, authorizing the forces to bludgeon Tripoli and its pirates into submission. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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