To George Washington from Achmed Ben Aly, 12 March 1795
From Achmed Ben Aly
Philadelphia March 12th 1795
May it Please to Your Excellency—
I have been these four Months in this city without having the Honor of addressing you, about five weeks ago I delivered to the Minister of State a Letter containing a true statement of my Misfortunes & present Situation to be Laid before You.1 The Spanish ambassador having been kind enough to provide for my Passage to Spain &a, I must in complyance with his orders Set out to Morrow Morning for Baltimore which I can not effect without Satisfying Several Small debts which I am unable to do without assistance I take the Liberty to Submit to Your Excellency’s consideration the inclosed Papers2 and Remain most Respectfully Your Excellency’s Most obedient & Humble Servant
Achmed Ben Aly
LS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters. The name beneath the Arabic signature is an Anglicization of the Arabic by the scribe who wrote out the letter. Ben Aly probably was the second of the two purported Algerine officers who arrived at Newburyport, Mass., in late August or early September and made their way to Philadelphia by mid-December 1794 (see Edmund Randolph to GW, 13 Dec.).
1. The letter to Randolph has not been identified.
2. The enclosures have not been identified.