The writer of the enclosed letter was evidently William O. Callis on behalf of his son Cleon Callis, to whom Smith addressed a midshipman’s appointment and oath of allegiance on 21 Sep. (Cleon Callis to Smith, 5 Oct., in DNA: RG 45, MLR).

Smith may have enclosed dispatches from Edward Preble of 30 May and of 14 June to 5 July. In the former, written at Syracuse, Preble reported the progress of repairs to the U.S. schooner Nautilus, the acquisition of six gunboats and two bomb ketches, and the loan by Ferdinand IV, the King of Naples, of six cannons to be mounted on a vessel “as a floating battery.” He expected some of the vessels to be ready to sail in about two weeks, and although hoping for reinforcements, he would attack Tripoli regardless, for the “season for Action will soon pass away.” He also reported intelligence of a squadron of cruisers sailing from Tunis and that he would sail immediately for that port to investigate. In the second set of dispatches, written in several sittings at different places, Preble reported first his failed attempt to ransom the American prisoners in Tripoli, news of which TJ also received in a letter of 3 Aug. from Stephen Cathalan. Preble expected that without a U.S. bombardment of Tripoli, his standing offer of $50,000 would almost certainly be rejected, and he added that an offer proposed by Tobias Lear through Richard O’Brien of allocating $600 ransom for each prisoner “would stimulate the avarice of the other Barbary Powers.” Writing from Tunis Bay on 20 June, Preble reported the discontent of Hammuda and the need to “shew a force” there, but he doubted that the bey would initiate hostilities “if we succeed in punishing Tripoly, or if more force arrives.” In several subsequent sittings, Preble reported completion of repairs to the Nautilus and the readiness for action of the gunboats and bomb vessels. Writing from Messina on 5 July, he expected to sail for Tripoli the following morning and hoped that his “next letter will announce to you our success” and the “restoration of our unfortunate countrymen to the Sweets of Liberty” (NDBW description begins Dudley W. Knox, ed., Naval Documents Related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers, Washington, D.C., 1939-44, 6 vols. and Register of Officer Personnel and Ships’ Data, 1801-1807, Washington, D.C., 1945 description ends , 4:130, 185-90). Preble may have also enclosed in his dispatches a letter of 11 May from George Davis to Madison, in which Davis recounted an audience between Hammuda and O’Brien. Davis enclosed correspondence between himself and O’Brien, who advised Davis to offer up to $10,000 a year to ensure peace with Tunis (Madison, Papers, Sec. of State Ser., 7:207-9).