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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Statement on behalf of Consuls to Algiers re: securing the safety of the Consuls

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02794.151 Author/Creator: Place Written: [s.l.] Type: Manuscript document Date: 1808/03/29 Pagination: 1 p. 10 x 20.6 cm Order a Copy

"Whereas, in the treaties between the Dey and Regency of Algiers, and our respective Governments, there exists an Article, which declares that personal security shall be given to the Consul and his family;--and as this Article has been lately violated . . . We the subscribers, Consuls . . . hereby declare . . . in case of the violation of the aforesaid Article . . . we will cease to exercise our official functions with this Regency . . . ."

Whereas, in the treaties between the Dey and Regency of Algiers, and our respective Governments, there exists an Article, which declares that personal security shall be given to the Consul and his family;--and as this Article has been lately violated in the person of a Consul, duly accredited;--We the subscribers, Consuls and [illegible] with the affairs of the Nations affined to our respective names, hereby declare, and bind ourselves to each other, that in case of the violation of the aforesaid Article in the person of the consul, or of his family for any cause or pretext which may arise from the discharge of his official duty, we will consider the violation as done to all and each of us;--and that we will cease to exercise our official functions with this Regency until redress shall be had for said violation, and satisfactory security that it shall not be repeated;--and that well will communicate this agreement to our respective governments as soon as possible, and request their sanction to the same.-
It is, how ever, understood that the foregoing agreement shall not extend to an interference in the public or private affairs of this Regency, and any individual consul, where the persons of the consul and his family shall be secure from violence as before mentioned.-
March 29th: 1808.

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