The reason for paying subsidies instead of fighting is most interesting. It was done to encourage the pirates to ravage the shipping belonging to the rivals of the subsidy payers. In 1793 England was at war with France. America was the leading neutral maritime nation. The British statesmen saw that the American shipping would secure much of the trade in the Mediterranean which English ships had been doing, unless checked promptly by some extraordinary means, and it was to administer this check that the pirates were loosed upon the Atlantic. The injury done to our shipping in the raid mentioned above was insignificant, save only as the story gives emphasis to the other facts given--facts which show the state of civilization among the most enlightened nations of Europe. The state of American civilization, at the time, is shown by the treaty made with the pirates, under which we agreed to pay them tribute; for it was tribute and not subsidy as in our case. We paid it in war material, too, as shown by the following extract from the _Life of General William Eaton_, who, in 1798, was American consul at Tunis:-- "On the 22d of December Mr. Eaton ... went on board the U. S. brig _Sophia_, Capt. Henry Geddes, commander, bound to Algiers; in company with the _Hero_, a ship of 350 tons burden, loaded with naval stores for the Dey of Algiers; the _Hassan Bashaw_, an armed brig of 275 tons, mounting eight 6-pounders, destined to Algiers; the _Skjoldabrand_, a schooner of 250 tons, 16 double fortified 4-pounders, destined to Algiers; and the _La Eisha_, of 150 tons, 14 4-pounders, also destined to Algiers. All these vessels excepting the _Sophia_ were to be delivered to the Dey of Algiers, for arrearages of stipulation and present dues." With these facts in mind we shall be able to comprehend why American shipping was subjected to ruthless spoliations during the entire period between the end of the War of the Revolution and our second war for liberty, which we began in 1812. The sole criterion of right in international affairs was might. [Illustration: An Early Type of Clipper Ship: _Maria_, of New Bedford, Built 1782]