On October 14th the "Schuylkill" arrived at Gashayes Bluff, on the island of St. Simon, where he found Mr. John T. Morgan, superintendent of cutting the timber, but not "a stick of wood cut." Barry sent him "into the country to try and get hands." He got six. Barry succeeded in getting ten more. So that on the 20th Morgan set the sixteen at work. On the 22d eighty-one woodcutters arrived from New London. They were set to work. Barry after "doing all in his power at St. Simon's" went to Savannah to charter a vessel--returned to St. Simon's and thence to Philadelphia, wherefrom, he, on November 10th, reported to Commissioner Coxe.
On December 12th he presented his bill of expenses for "Voyage to Georgia on Public Account." He had been given $200. His expenses amounted to $124.24. So he returned $75.76.
His salary as Captain of the Navy was $75 a month.
Captains Barry, Dale and Truxtun on December 18, 1794, wrote the Secretary of War that the frigates could be built and equipped next year, adding, "It would be highly gratifying to us who have thrown aside our former occupations and the prospects that were fair for increasing our fortunes, with a view of serving our country, and who have no desire of being mere sinecure officers if we could at this moment embark and obey the commands of our country, in going in pursuit of a barbarous enemy, who now holds in chains and slavery so many of our unfortunate fellow-citizens; the relieving and restoring of which to the bosom of their families and friends are, with that of having an opportunity to chastise their cruel oppressors, objects of our greatest ambition and which we anticipate with all the ardor of officers, of seamen and of citizens."
But no haste was made in building the frigates. Temporary diplomatic arrangements with France quieted or averted action. Our country paid tribute to the Barbary State and sent barrels of silver to purchase tolerance on the sea from these pirates as a cheaper method of peace than the cost and maintenance of armed vessels of war would be.
By the Act of March 27, 1794, work on the frigates was to cease in the event of peace being signed with Algiers. So when on December 21, 1795, Washington informed the Senate that the Emperor of Morocco had signed a treaty of peace and friendship with the United States, work on the frigates was suspended. Washington called the attention of Congress to the loss that would come if the work ceased, whereupon on April 20, 1796, Congress ordered the unexpended balance to be used, but ordered the work to be discontinued. Yet President Washington in his message had declared: "To secure respect for a neutral flag requires a naval force organized and ready to vindicate it from insult or aggression.... Our trade to the Mediterranean, without a protecting force, will always be insecure. Will it not then be advisable to begin without delay to provide and lay up materials for the building and equipping of ships of war and to proceed with the work by degrees, in proportion as our resources shall render it practicable, without inconvenience so that a future war of Europe may not find our commerce in the unprotected state in which it was found by the present."