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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

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i'RUJ.r AN (jRl alKAL DRAWING AFTER TtATURE BY K ROZETTI .

ALGERIA IN 1845.

VISIT

THE FEENCH POSSESSIONS
IN AFEICA.

COUNT ST. MARIE,
t ¦ *
FORMERLY IN THE FRENCH MILITARY SERVICE.

LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
Pufilts-ocr in ©rtinarg to tyex J-Slajc8t*j.
1846.

VALf J

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L OND on :
Printed by Schulze & Co., 13, Poland Street.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
Arrival in Algiers — Aspect of the city— The Bab-Azoun
Street— The Fort— The Tomb of Barbarossa— Museum-
College — Library — Moorish houses — Market-place — A
tame hyena — Moorish coffee-house — Pilgrims on their
way to Mecca — The Casbah — Circumstances which led
to the French Expedition — The camp of the Tagarim —
The Dey's Hospital— Hospital of the Salpe'triere— The
mystified naturalist — Cemeteries— The Christian burial-
place — The Confessor of Don John of Austria— Fort
Vingt-quatre Heures— Military culprits— Their occupa
tion—The Marengo Garden— The Gate and Street of
Bab-el-Oued— The Marine Gate— The Admiral— The
Light-house— Ruins of the Powder Magazine — The Jetty
— The Hotel ofthe Regency — Colonel Pelissier — System
of promotion in the French Army — Evening walk in the
city of Algiers — Coffee-house scenes — Music and dancing
— The Casbah Street at night — Visit to a Moorish lady
— Her costume . . . . 1— 41

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER II.

The Bishop of Algiers— An Arab Bazaar— Arab and Turk
ish embroidery — A barber's shop — Sales by Auction —
Market on the Place de la Chartre — New Protestant
Churches — The Berthezene road — The Emperor's Fort,
and its surrounding prospect — Upper Mustapha — The
sister of Mademoiselle Dejazet — Country residences ofthe
Governor and of General Yussuf — Cavalry Camp at Lower
Mustapha — The Plane Tree Coffee House — Experimental
garden — Silk worms — Hussein Dey's Mills — Hunting —
Various species of game in Algeria — Lion hunting — The
Maison Carree — Projected railway — The Water Fort —
The Rasauta— The Model Farm— Cabaret of the 43rd
Regiment — Infantry on a march — Regulations — Tlie Vil
lage of Berkadem — Madame Berthier — A dejeftner cham-
petre — Carrousel given by the 1st Regiment of Chasseurs,
in honour of the Duke de Montpensier — The Legion of
Honour — Decorations — Other military orders of knight
hood .... 42—77
CHAPTER III.
Bouffarik — The camp of Erlon — The village of Beni-
Mered— Sergeant Blandan — Blidah — The new Damas
cus — The Zouaves — The Spahis — Military anecdotes —
General Yussuf — His romantic history — The orange
groves of Blidah— The River Oued-Kebir— Denies
of the Shiffa — Convoy of sick and wounded — Effect of
wounds— The camp of Nador— The town of Medeah—
Evening prayers— Arab proverbs— A prisoner of the

CONTENTS. V
Emir Abd-el-Kader— Mysteries of the Mosque of Taga-
dem — Psylles — Storks — General Marrey's lion — A.n
Arab school— The shops of Medeah— Corn mills-
Country residence of the Dey of Titterie — The Iron gates
— A night with an Arab tribe — Coleah — Forts of Point
Pescade — Druidical tombs . . 78—125
CHAPTER IV.
Different races of the Inhabitants of Algeria — Kabyles —
Moors — Arabs — Jews — Turks and Koulouglis — Habita
tions — Costumes — Industry — Manners — Cruelty — Reli
gion — Superstition — Amulets — Marriages — Funerals —
The Plague — Opthalmia — Cutaneous diseases — Amputa
tions. .... 126—154
CHAPTER V.
The Tartare war-steamer — The Cadi of Oran — His visit
to France — Panorama of the Deluge — The Bishop of
Algiers — Communication with an Arab tribe — Mir-el-
Kebir — The Fort — Morocco prisoners — The Queen's
Baths — City of Oran — Casbahs and forts — Review of
the Arab cavalry of the Oran division — Arab horses
and horsemen — Mode of riding — The Plain of Telamina
— The Foreign Legion — Comparison between the En
glish and Arab horses — Anecdote — A negro festival —
Baptism, confirmation, communion, and marriage of
a Moorish female — Journey to Arzen — Missionaries in
Africa — Kurguenta — Medorsa — Temple of Neptune —
Powers of Europe formerly tributary to the Deys of
Algiers — Mostaganem — A storm — Maritime powers on
. the coast .... 155—195

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

Passage to Bona— Cape Carbon— Bougia— The Marabout
of Lidi Bosgri — The Doriac Blockhouse — Gigelly — The
Mountain of the Seven Capes — Philippeville — Anchorage
of the Cassarin — Bona — The Casbah — Mount Edough —
Pet Lions — Ruins of Hippon — Ancient Reservoir — The
Monument of St. Augustin — The Camp of the Draan —
The great Oasis — Ancient legislature of the Arabs — Bar
barity of their criminal punishments — Burning trees —
Colonization — Comparative numbers of the French, Ger
man, Italian, Spanish, and Maltese Colonists. 196 — 229
CHAPTER VII.
Journey to Constantina — Thermal Springs of Hamman
Berda — Ruins of Ghelma — Mount Ras-el-Akba — Ruins
of an ancient City — Constantina — Position and Aspect of
the City— The Casbah— The Coral Fishery at La Calle —
Slavery in Africa — An Arab Duar — Breakfast — The Arab
Women — Mock Conflicts — Complimentary Manoeuvre —
Tobacco Plantations — Philippeville — A Cantiniere — The
Titan Steamer — Return to Algiers — The Statue of the
Duke of Orleans — Passports. . . 230 — 254
CHAPTER VIII.
General remarks on the French occupation of Algeria 
Sacrifices of men and money annually made by France 
— Marshal Bugeaud — Colonel Pelissier and the caves of
Dahra — Staff officers of Marshal Bugeaud  Military
bulletins, French and English— Anecdotes— Persons in

CONTENTS. Vll
government employments prohibited from purchasing
landed property — Evasions of this prohibition — Trade
with Europe — Government supphes — Agriculture — Cattle
— Coasting steamers — Transmission of dispatches — The
Jesuits — Proselytism — Enrolment of Arabs in the French
army — Recollections of the Duke of Orleans — The Duke
de Nemours — Anecdotes — General Bourgon — Distinc
tions of rank in the French army — Discipline, tempe
rance, and endurance of French soldiers — The Emir Abd-
el-Kader — His military resources — Concluding remarks.
255— 2S4

VISIT TO ALGERIA.

CHAPTER I.

Arrival in Algiers — Aspect of the city — The Bab-Azoun
Street — The Fort — The Tomb of Barbarossa — Museum —
College — Library — Moorish houses — Market-place — A
tame hyena — Moorish coffee-house — Pilgrims on their
way to Mecca — The Casbah — Circumstances which led
to the French Expedition — The camp of the Tagarim —
The Dey's Hospital— Hospital of the Salpe'triere— The
mystified naturalist — Cemeteries — The Christian burial-
place — The Confessor of Don John of Austria— Fort
Vingt-quatre Heures— Military culprits — Their occupa
tion — The Marengo Garden — The Gate and Street of
Bab-el-Oued— The Marine Gate— The Admiral— The
Light-house— Ruins of the Powder Magazine— The Jetty
— The Hotel of the Regency— Colonel Pelissier — System
of promotion in the French Army— Evening walk in the
city of Algiers — Coffee-house scenes — Music and dancing
—The Casbah Street at night— Visit to a Moorish lady
— Her costume.
The following observations on the French
possessions in Algeria, comprise but little of

2 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
military detail. They are chiefly confined to
a description of the excursions I made in com
pany with a friend well acquainted with the coun
try. To these descriptions I have added some par
ticulars relating to the French army, and sketches
of the country and its people. In conclusion, I
have impartially noted down the reflections sug
gested to me by all I saw or heard, in the three
provinces of Algiers, Oran, and Bona.
It was five o'clock, on a fine June morning in the
year 1845, when the vessel in which I sailed from
Toulon arrived within about three leagues of
Algiers. I was standing on the poop, in com
pany with the surgeon of the ship, who kindly
explained to me the most interesting points in
the panoramic scene, which was gradually un
folding itself around us, and becoming more
and more distinctly defined as we advanced.
At the first glimpse, the site occupied by the
city looks like a quarry of white marble ; but,
on nearing the middle of the vast roadstead,
(larger and more beautiful than the Bay of
Naples), a fortress appears on the left, in the
extreme distance, called the Maison Carree,
the white walls of which stand out in relief

ASPECT OF ALGIERS. 3
against the black mountains of Kabylia. Along
the curved line of the coast are some charming
country houses, scattered here and there on a
verdant acclivity of considerable height. At the
foot of this eminence, and close on the margin of
the sea, there are some little villages, and a
fort called Bab-Azoun. The aspect of the city
is hke a large pyramid. In its front a jetty,
which is in the course of construction, masks
the view of the port. On the right stands a
lighthouse, and further along the coast, in the
same direction, are seen the Hdpital de la
Salpetriere, and the Dey's Hospital ; both build
ings are surrounded by verdure, and appear of
considerable magnitude. Further on are some
cemeteries, and beyond them the coast takes a
sudden turn southward, in the direction of Cape
Sidi Ferrugi, where the French landed on the
14th of June, 1830.
No sooner had the vessel entered the port, than
my friend, M. R — , came on board to meet me, with
the kind intention of sparing me all those an
noyances which a stranger necessarily encounters
in a country with which he is unacquainted.
But, passing over these details, I will proceed
b 2

4 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
to describe the scene, visible from the balcony
of the Hotel de la Regence, situated in the Place
du Gouvernement, in the centre of the city of
Algiers. The morning was beautifully fine, and
the heat was already beginning to be oppressive.
I was almost bewildered by the novelty of the
picture : the movement, the tumult, the language,
the costumes, the uniforms — all so different from
any thing in Europe, at once amazed and inte
rested me.
The Place du Gouvernement is a large, oblong
space, planted with orange trees. Along two
of its sides — on one of which our hotel was
situated— are ranges of houses, built in the Euro
pean style, four stories high, fronted with arcades
and balconies. To the right, wooden barracks
have been erected, on the site of some Moorish
houses, recently burned down, and of which
the only remaining vestige is a tower, called
the Janina, surmounted by a dial. Beneath
this tower there is a thoroughfare, formed by
two arcades. On the left, the Place du Gou
vernement is closed by a balustrade, breast
high, behind which is a battery of eight guns.
Further down are seen the quay, the port,

PLACE DU GOUVERNEMENT. 5
the vessels lying at anchor, the jetty, and the
ocean. All persons going from one extremity of the
city to the other, on any kind of business or
occupation, are under the necessity of passing
along the Place ; consequently the incessant din
and bustle may easily be imagined. Whilst
I was taking a survey of the busy scene, a regi
ment of infantry, returning from exercise, was
marching beneath our balcony ; through the
arcades, beneath the tower, four hundred mules,
with soldiers and waggons, were proceeding to
a provision magazine to procure boxes of bis
cuits for an expedition then in preparation ; and
along the opposite side of the Place a funeral
procession was passing, attended by a numerous
retinue of relations and friends, and followed
by a vast crowd of idlers. Amidst all these
objects, were thickly interspersed Arabs, Moors,
Jews, Frenchmen, Spaniards, Maltese, Germans,
and Italians ; some on foot, some on horseback ;
others carrying heavy loads of wares for sale,
and each vender uttering deafening cries, in
his own particular language. In short, the heat,
the dust, and the noise, seemed altogether enough

6 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
to drive a stranger mad. I doubted whether I
could venture into the streets, and mingle in
the fearful turmoil. I could eat no breakfast,
for I found it impossible to keep away from
the window, and to avert my gaze from the
strange masses of men and animals, passing and
repassing: I stood looking over the balcony,
till I became almost dizzy with the noise and
confusion. But I had not come to Algiers to remain
immured in a hotel ; and I therefore resolved
to accept the escort of M. R — , and to venture
out. We had no sooner got into the Place, than
an Arab stepped up to us, and offered us some
natural roses, with gilded stalks and leaves. He had
fixed one of them in his dirty turban ; and this
strange ornament, together with his white beard
and dingy complexion, gave him a very grotesque
appearance. Advancing a little further, we en
countered a troop of boys driving asses. Each
boy had under his guidance four asses, and the
animals were laden with small bags of sand.
At the same moment a sort of fiacre came
driving along, recklessly dashing through the
busy throng. This fiacre resembled a basket made

BAB-AZOUN GATE. 7
of wood, and was hung round with curtains
of various colours. The driver wore a small
Spanish hat, adorned with streamers of velvet.
He was a Spaniard, and as he whisked past us,
I could hear that he had not forgotten a favourite
Peninsular oath.
Having, though not without some difficulty,
worked our way through the Place du Gouverne
ment, we entered what is called the Bab-Azoun
Street. It consists of two rows of houses, built
on the same plan as those on the Place. In
about a quarter of an hour, we reached the
boundary of the city, which, at this point, is
terminated by the Bab-Azoun Gate. This gate
consists of double arches, those on one side
being allotted to ingress, and those on the other
to egress. These double arches are connected one
with the other by a sort of bridge crossing a
ditch, which runs along the foot of the city
wall. On the right of the Gate of Bab-Azoun,
and within the city, stands a small Marabout,*
the grated door of which is kept constantly
* The Bedouin priests are called Marabouts, but the
term is also used to designate the temples and mausoleums
in wliich those priests officiate.

8 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
closed. This is said to be the burial place of
the Emperor Barbarossa. The Arabs hold this
Marabout in great veneration. On passing
through the grated door, I could perceive flowers
and tapers, and on the ground were scattered
pieces of money, which had been thrown in
through the gratings, in honour of the de
ceased. Barbarossa's real name was Horom, and he was
killed atTlemsen, in the year 1518. It is related,
that at the age of thirteen, he captured two galleys
belonging to the Pope. Eight years afterwards
he obtained the command of a squadron, con
sisting of forty galleys, manned by Turks and
Moors, who Were gathered round him by the
fame of his exploits. The King of Bougia,
which city still exists near Algiers, having
been driven from his dominions, summoned
Horom to aid him in regaining possession of
his throne. In this enterprize the bold corsair
failed, notwithstanding the many brilliant feats
he performed, and he had the misfortune to
lose one of his arms, which was carried away
by a cannon ball. Nevertheless, his repu
tation continued to augment among the Arabs,

BARBAROSSA. 9
who, at length, conferred on him the title of
Sultan. In 1516, Selim Eutomy, Dey of Algiers, ap
pealed to Horom for his assistance in driving the
Spaniards from the African coast. On his ar
rival in Algiers, Horom was borne in triumph
to the palace, where he put Selim to death,
and possessed himself of the sovereign au
thority. This increasing power created in the mind
of the Emperor Charles V. serious apprehen
sions for the future safety of Oran, then occupied
by the Spaniards. He sent a force of ten
thousand Spaniards, commanded by the Mar
quis de Gomares, the Governor of Oran, to
attack Horom, who fled and took refuge in the
Castle of Tlemsen. There he defended himself
as long as his provisions lasted ; but when they
were exhausted he fled, accompanied by his
Turkish followers, effecting his escape through
a cavern, and carrying with him all his treasure.
He was followed by the Spaniards, and to divert
them from the pursuit, he scattered behind him
his gold and silver. But he was overtaken at
about eight leagues from Tlemsen, and he and
b 3

10 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
his troops were massacred. He was forty-four
years of age at the period of his death.
Pursuing our walk, M. R — and I proceeded
along the Bab-Azoun Street, where we entered
a well built Moorish house. Having ascended
a few steps, we found ourselves in a spacious
court-yard, paved with flags of white marble.
In the centre was a basin of clear water, and
around were planted clusters of orange trees, now
in bloom. Along the four sides of the court
yard ran two galleries, one above the other,
fronted with beautiful carved wood, and sup
ported on marble columns. The most refreshing
coolness prevailed. One side of this house was
occupied by the city library, and a small mu
seum, containing animals stuffed, or preserved
in spirits of wine ; specimens of the products
of the mines discovered in the country ; a few
Roman and Carthagenian tumular stones; and
some ancient arms found in tombs in the course
of excavations. The library contains drafts of
ordinances, a collection of the Moniteur, some
classical works, and a good many military books.
The other portion of the house is devoted to a col
lege, bearing the pompous title of Royal College.

THE HOUSES IN ALGIERS. 11
M. R— informed me that the houses of the
wealthier inhabitants of Algiers are all con
structed on the plan of the one I have just
described. They are massive square buildings,
and have no windows looking towards the street.
They differ one from another only in reference
to their dimensions, and the beauty and costli
ness of their adornments. The entrance doors
are generally small and low ; but the apartments
are spacious, of an oblong form, and remarkably
lofty. The ceilings are of carved wood, painted
and gilt ; and small, long shaped dormar windows,
admit a free circulation of air. The walls are
hung with flags and draperies, and faced with
Dutch tiles, or varnished bricks, on which are
traced passages from the Koran, and various
other inscriptions interwoven with gilt, or richly
coloured ornaments. The floors are spread with
costly carpets, and instead of chairs, cushions are
used covered with cloth of gold or silk. Occasion
ally the galleries are supported by marble columns,
finely sculptured by Italian artists ; and some have
hexagonal pavements, also of marble. The clois
tered court-yards are most frequently refreshed by
fountains of limpid water. Low grated windows,

12 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
opening on the inner court-yards, admit but a
feeble light into the apartments. The ground floors
are usually allotted to the slaves. A narrow winding
marble staircase leads to the first story of the
house, on which are the apartments occupied
by the family. Above the first story there is
a flat terrace, serving at once for a roof and
a promenade. On this terrace, there is frequently
a tent or pavilion, beneath the shade of which
the women and children enjoy the evening
breezes. The houses in the country are con
structed like those in the towns, and are white
washed twice every year. Almost all are well
supplied with water, having wells externally.
They are surrounded by walls two feet high,
and by plantations of the thorny fig, and the
aloe. Through this almost impenetrable hedge,
it is necessary to work a passage before the
house can be entered.
On quitting the Royal College, we proceeded
to the left, and passing through the Bab-Azoun
Gate, we soon reached a small esplanade,
refreshed by a cool fountain. On this place
there was an Arab— or more correctly speaking—
a Moorish market. It must be borne in mind

MOORISH MARKET-PLACE. 13
that the Arabs and the Moors are two totally
distinct races of people. The Arabs are Asiatics ;
among them the Mahometan religion first took
birth, and they were the first who spread it
in Asia, Africa, and even into Europe. The
Moors, on the contrary, are an African race,
converted to Mahometanism by the Arab Mus
sulmans. In this Moorish market then, some negresses,
scantily covered by garments composed of pieces
of blue cloth, were selling cakes, flowers, and fruit.
An Arab was vending sour milk, contained in wild
boar skins, preserving the form of the animal,
with the exception of the head and paws. Further
on, a Kabyle, descended from the mountainous
districts, was carrying on his traffic in coals,
and roots of the dwarf palm. The poor creature
was almost in a state of nudity, having only some
fragments of cloth round his waist, and over his
shoulders; his left leg bore the mark of a
recent shot. I was informed that this market
is the place for the execution of criminals
sentenced to suffer capital punishment: a cir
cumstance which rendered me by no means
desirous of lingering longer than was necessary

14 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
for taking a hasty glance around. Accordingly
we passed quickly on, and soon reached a
Moorish house, occupied by officers detached
from all the French regiments in Africa. They
there study the Arab language ; and, conjointly
with the interpreters, they may be said to per
form all the duties of the office for the manage
ment of Arab affairs, under the superinten
dence of Colonel Daumas. The establishment
possesses a most splendid collection of horses,
for which it is indebted to the opportunities
enjoyed by the officers of knowing where the
finest animals are to be obtained. Opposite
to this place there is a sort of arsenal, in
which the artillery carriages are kept. Here
I was shewn a young hyena of two years of
age, which had been tamed. At the call of
its master, the animal came to us, accompanied
by a little dog, its playmate. Its aspect was
fierce and repulsive, and notwithstanding all the
proofs of gentleness and good behaviour, which
I received in return for a piece of sugar, I felt
more disposed to cut short the interview than to
prolong it.
I was now beginning to feel very fatigued,

MOORISH COFFEE-HOUSE. 15
and M. R — proposed that we should step into
a Moorish coffee-house, which was hard by,
and refresh ourselves with a cup of coffee. It
was thick with sediment, and exceedingly bitter,
as it is taken without sugar. It was served
in small porcelain cups, without handles, and
they were so hot, that it was impossible to
hold them without burning one's hands ; for the
Moors do not adopt the precaution of placing
the cup on a little metal stand or salver, which
is the practice in Turkey. However, I found
the beverage refreshing and invigorating ; and
truly we required something to recruit our
strength, for on leaving the coffee-house, we
had to ascend a steep acclivity. Here we
observed numerous Arab huts, composed of
straw and reed, and roofed with mud and earth ;
the smoke issuing from the same aperture, which
served both for door and window. We entered
a sort of yard or stable, in which there were some
camels. These animals are not permitted to
enter the crowded city, where they would add
not a little to the prevailing confusion : they
are, therefore, conducted to the yard I have
just mentioned, and there unloaded. Con-

16 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
tinuing to ascend, we approached some canvas
tents, occupied by pilgrims, who had come
from the Desert, and were waiting for a vessel
to convey them to Alexandria, from whence they
intended to proceed to Mecca. We had now
nearly reached the summit of the acclivity, and
my kind cicerone proposed that we should re
enter the city, by what is termed the Gate of
Victory. On one side of this gate, there is a
fountain of white marble, constructed amidst the
ruins of an ancient Roman aqueduct.
The interior of the city, in this quarter, retains
its old aspect. The narrow streets are almost
roofed over by the projecting houses, the fronts
of which, on either side of the street, nearly
touch each other from the first story to the
terrace on the top. The streets are paved with
round, uneven stones. We soon reached an
open space before the walls of the Casbah, the
ancient residence of the Dey of Algiers, but now
scarcely recognisable even by the Arabs them
selves, on account of the changes made in it by
the French. One thing, however, remains unal
tered, and that is the little kiosk in which the
late Dey saluted the French Consul with a coup

THE CASBAH. 17
d'eventail. The walls of this celebrated kiosk
are lined with porcelain. I expected to have
found in it the old furniture, together with some
curiosities ; but I was disappointed. In a side
apartment, I heard a musician belonging to the
band of one of the regiments of the Zouaves,
practising a polka on the cornet a piston. This
was quite a disenchantment. From the court
yard we descended into some vast caverns divided
into chambers. In these caverns the French
found the numerous treasures which had been
amassed by the Dey and his predecessors.
Prior to the French occupation, any furtive
attempt to penetrate into these caves was imprac
ticable, the approach to them being guarded by
lions, tigers, and hyenas chained up at short dis
tances from each other. All the other parts of
the citadel are totally transformed. The women's
apartments in the harem are converted into
quarters for the artillery. In a delicious little
kiosk, shaded by plane trees, and the windows
of which command a view of the city, the sea,
and the surrounding country, an ambulance is
installed. Around this kiosk are to be seen
fountains of fresh and limpid water, and marble

18 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
reservoirs in which the soldiers wash their linen.
A small mosque at a little distance has been con
verted into a Catholic chapel, and is surmounted
by a cross. The French have guaranteed to the
Arabs the free exercise of their religion, of their
national customs, and their rights of property;
but they have taken possession of the mosques,
and converted them into Catholic churches. The
Protestants have purchased pieces of ground on
which they have erected places of worship for
themselves, and the Jews have hired houses for
their synagogues.
M. R  related to me the circumstances
of the affront offered to our Consul by the Dey,
which is said to have led to the occupation of
Algiers. As they are interesting, and not gene
rally known, I may briefly repeat them here.
During the reign of Napoleon, the Bey of
Tunis had in his harem a favourite female slave,
to whom he wished to make a present of a mag
nificent sarmah. This sarmah is a sort of
head-dress, not dissimilar in form to that for
merly worn in France, and still kept up by the
Cauchoises of Normandy, with this difference, that
it is composed of richly wrought gold or silver.

THE BEY OF TUNIS AND THE JEW. 19
To get this ornament made, the Bey applied to a
Jew, who, however, not feeling himself competent
to produce the chef-d'oeuvre, applied to one of his
own tribe in Paris. The latter recommended that
the commission should be given to a goldsmith
at Versailles, who undertook to make it for twelve
thousand francs. The sarmah was completed ;
it was of the purest gold, artistically wrought in
open work, and set with precious stones. It was
sent to Algiers, whence it was despatched to
Tunis, where the price charged for it was thirty
thousand francs. The Bey, who was delighted
with it, made no demur about the price ; but
being at that time straightened in his finances,
he entered into an arrangement with the Jew at
Algiers, giving him in part payment a certain
quantity of corn, with the permission to export a
portion of it from Tunis duty free. It happened
at that time that there was a want of corn in
France for the supply ofthe troops stationed in the
provinces. The Jew sold his stock to the army
contractors, and he profited so well by the trans
action, that he became a creditor of the French
Government to the amount of above a million.
After the fall of Napoleon, the Government of

20 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the restoration disavowed the JeVs claim ; but,
like all the Israelites, he was active and perse
vering, and by dint of repeated supplications, he
succeeded in interesting the Dey of Algiers in
his behalf. Through the medium of the Dey,
energetic remonstrances were addressed to M.
Deval, the French Consul at Algiers, who pro
mised to submit the matter to the consideration
of his Government.
In 1 829, on the occasion of the festival of the
Ramadan, all the foreign Consuls resident in
Algiers were admitted to present their respects
to the Dey. His Highness asked M. Deval for
the answer relative to the case of the Jew, and
made some complaint of the tardiness observed
by the ministers of Charles X. in the manage
ment of public business. The Consul commu
nicated the decision of the French ministry, who
rejected the Jew's demand with some expressions
of disapproval touching the impropriety of similar
claims. The Dey became angry, and vented his
irritation by giving M. Deval a rap with a fan
which he held in his hand for the purpose of
driving away the flies.
Leaving the Casbah by a back gate, we had

CAMP OF THE TAGARIM. 21
before us, on a little eminence, the entrenched
camp of the Tagarim. After some little discussion
at the gate we were admitted. This camp consists
of a large square, enclosed by wooden palisades,
and containing eight parallel rows of barracks, suf
ficient space being left between each row to ad
mit of the free movement of the troops. On
entering these barracks, I was astonished to ob
serve the wretched bedding of the soldiers. They
repose on miserable hammocks of canvass, with
out mattrasses or bed covering. These hammocks
are slung by ropes, fastened at one end to the
wall, and at the other to wooden poles. I
abstain from all comment; but if troops are
thus lodged at the port of Algiers, what must be
their condition further up the country. The
men quartered in this camp were infantry be
longing to the Orleans Chasseurs. These were so
named after the Duke of Orleans, who organized
the corps at Vincennes, near Paris, under the name
of the Tirailleurs de Vincennes; but on the
death of the Prince they were, by a royal
ordinance, denominated the Orleans Chasseurs.
In a space of ground in front of the camp, we
saw a number of cacolets, that is to say, a species

22 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
of pack saddles, composed of wood and iron, for
placing on the backs of mules. These cacolets
have on each side, chairs of iron, made to fold
up within a very small compass, so that a mule
may depart with an expeditional column, carry
ing boxes of biscuits, flour, and other provisions,
and may bring back sick or wounded soldiers,
to whom these chairs afford a safe and commo
dious conveyance. The cacolets have always two
chairs on each side, and it is necessary that the
men should be seated, so that they may, as nearly
as possible, counter-balance each other's weight.
Some of these iron chairs are made to spread out
at sufficient length, to enable a wounded soldier to
he down as on a bed. This is a very ingenious
and well contrived sort of ambulance.
Beside these cacolets, there was a mountain
battery, with guns, caissons, and carriages, all
folded up in the most compact form, and ready to
be fastened on the backs of mules. It was a
perfect model of its kind ; and nothing could be
better devised, for the artillery service in moun
tainous districts.
On quitting the Tagarim, we descended the
other side of the hill. There I had the opportu-

HOSPITALS. 23
nity of observing, that the city of Algiers is built
in the form of an amphitheatre, and is commanded
by the Casbah ; that the moats or ditches which
run along the walls of the city, on the right and
left, do not extend to the walls and bastions of
the old abode of the Deys. Pursuing our course,
we came in sight of four tolerably large buildings,
destined for hospitals. They are so situated that
they are exposed to every wind that blows ; so
that the simoom and the north wind, bid fair to
create no less mortality than wounds and hard
service. Workmen are actively engaged in the
completion of these buildings, and after they have
been finished, and occupied for two or three
years, the injudicious choice of their situation will
be manifest in the mortality of the troops. Com
parative statistical calculations will unfold the
cause, when the unfortunate men, who may form
the bases of those calculations, will all be consigned
to the grave.
On the opposite side of a picturesque ravine,
which lay open before us, we saw the buildings,
comprising the Hospitals of the Dey and la
Salpe"triere. It is difficult to embrace, from a
single point of view, the whole of the Dey's hos-

24 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
pital, which is situated nearer to the sea than the
Salpe"triere. The principal room is arched, and
contains two thousand beds. In the time of the
Deys, this room was used as a magazine for mer
chandize captured on the seas by pirates. On
the roof are plantations of aloes and acacias,
growing in the open air. We had an opportunity
of going over this hospital, as M. R  was
acquainted with one of the surgeons of the
establishment. The apartments are very clean.
Each patient has an iron bedstead, with bedding
in good condition; and the whole establishment
is admirably well arranged. A propos of the
progress which the sciences of medicine and sur
gery are making in Algeria, I am reminded of
a droll anecdote. M. de St. Vincent, the
president of one of the learned societies of
France, visited Africa, with a view to the prose
cution of researches in natural history. He was
very active in inquiring after curious specimens,
and paid largely for all that were brought to him.
One day, a subaltern officer presented to him two
rare phenomena, in the shape of a couple of rats,
each of which had a long excrescence issuing from
the top of the nose, and resembling the trunk of

CEMETERIES. 25
an elephant. Our naturalist eagerly made himself
master of the valuable prizes, assigned to them
their appropriate scientific classification, under
the name of the rat trompe, and transmitted
intelligence of the important discovery to the
Jardin des Plantes in Paris. But lo ! after the
lapse of a few days, the excrescence became dry
and dropped off; and on examination, it was
discovered that the interesting phenomenon was
a mere imposition ! Incisions had been made
above the noses of the animals, and the tails of
two other rats inserted into them. The mysti
fication was complete.
On quitting the hospital we visited two burial-
places. One of them, called the new ceme
tery, is as thickly crowded with funeral monu
ments as any burying ground of thirty years'
standing, in a city four times as large as Algiers.
The old burial place is called the Consuls' Ceme
tery, because in the time of the Regency, the
foreign Consuls and other Europeans who died
in Algiers were interred there.
This little piece of ground, measuring about
sixty-four metres in length and thirty-five in
breadth, was dearly purchased three hundred years

26 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
ago. A capuchin confessor of Don John of
Austria was captured by the Moors of Barbary.
The Arch- Duke offered a vast sum of money for
his ransom ; but the monk, with pious magnani
mity, suggested that the price offered for his liberty
should be appropriated to purchasing the ground
now forming the cemetery. It was consecrated,
and destined to be for ever the burial-place of all
Christians, slaves, or others, who die in Algiers.
The remains of the monk were buried there,
though his grave is not marked by any monu
ment. The place has been sacredly respected by
the Algerines. In this cemetery repose, amidst
the ashes of Christian captives of more remote
times, the remains of the French officers killed in
1830. On a small stone I read the name of
Amedde de Bourmont.
As we approached the city, we observed a fort
washed by the sea. It is called Fort Vingt-quatre
heures. It is now being put into a state of de
fence. The live rock on which it is constructed
gains in elevation by the extensive mining works.
The fort will be impregnable by land, but is quite
within range ofthe guns of a ship of war from the
sea. It appears to be small internally, and possibly

THE JARDIN MARENGO. 27
would contain only a garrison of one thousand
men at most. Nearly facing the fort we entered
a garden, called the Jardin Marengo. It is a
pretty place, belonging to Colonel Marengo, the
Commander of the Citadel of Algiers. The gar
den is cultivated by condemned soldiers, to whom
this sort of labour must be a severe punishment,
owing to the excessive heat. Indeed scarcely a
day elapses in which some of the unfortunate men
are not conveyed to the hospital on account of
illness, caused by exposure to the sun; and
in many instances they never recover. The
scorching rays of the sun destroy the freshness of
the vegetation; and, consequently, in spite of the
laboured cultivation bestowed on the plantations
in the Jardin Marengo, they are not so fine as they
would be in a different situation. One object in
it particularly attracted my attention ; it was an
ancient Marabout, the walls of which were faced
externally with white, blue, and green porcelain.
The little temple was surrounded by flags, which
gave it a very pretty effect. Colonel Marengo's
real name is Capon. His father distinguished
himself by his gallant conduct at ,the battle of
Marengo; and Bonaparte jestingly conferred on
c 2

28 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
him the name which his son retains, though it is
said he does not possess sufficient military talent
to justify the honour.
We passed along the Bab-el-Oued Street, which
is built exactly like the Bab-Azoun Street. Both
are nearly of one length, and they run parallel with
the sea shore. We soon found ourselves once
more in the Place du Gouvernement where tumult
and bustle still prevailed. The scene was the
same, only the actors had changed. In the Marine
Street, which runs to the right, we saw the old
baths of the Dey of Algiers. The fagade is the
only part of the building remaining in good pre
servation. The walls, the columns, and the arches
are of beautiful white marble. The capitals of
the columns cannot be classed in any order of
architecture ; but they are beautifully ornamented
by pendant bunches of grapes. Within the walls
there may yet be seen the remains of a garden,
but it is so filled with rubbish that it is impossible
to form any idea of what it originally was.
As we descended towards the port, after having
passed through the Marine Gate, we found the
throng and confusion subsiding. The quays did
not bear evidence of any very active trade. The

THE ADMIRAL. 29
merchandize which had been landed consisted
chiefly of wines from the south of France. We pas
sed the balustrade of a spacious terrace adjoining
the Admiralty. The Admiral was at that moment
on the terrace, engaged in examining some plants
which were growing in boxes. My friend directed
my attention to him ; for next to the Governor, the
Admiral is the greatest personage in Algiers. He
was a man of small stature, and wore a red wig ;
and it is said that his mental qualifications are like
his personal appearance — of no very distinguished
character.* Having passed under the arches of the Admi
ralty, we found ourselves in the rear ofthe Light
house. Here I saw the damage occasioned by the
explosion of the powder magazine, which is re
duced to a total ruin. The cause of the catastrophe
has never been ascertained; but, judging from
the situation of the building, it would appear that
such a calamity could only have resulted from ex
treme negligence. The more recent conflagration
of the Morillon, at Toulon, was caused by the
* Since the above was written, this individual has been
superseded by Admiral Duqu&ne.

30 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
carelessness of a Polish refugee, who, from motives
of kindness, but in violation of the rules, had been
permitted to take up his abode in the interior of
the building. He was in the habit of secreting,
during the night, the companions who were per
mitted to visit him during the day ; and the con
sequence was, that in one of their nocturnal
carouses the Morillon was set on fire.
But to return to the port of Algiers. Having
proceeded along the quay within the port, we
arrived at the naval arsenal, and the docks for
ship-building and repairs. Behind these buildings
there are mounted batteries, commanding the sea,
and further on an arch, forming one of the city
gates. The jetty is about two thousand paces in
length, and six feet above the level of the sea. It is
wholly constructed of enormous artificial blocks,
composed of hydraulic lime and gravel, a compo
sition which is said to unite the desirable quali
ties of strength and solidity.
In the middle, the jetty is regularly built ; but
on either side, the blocks are laid in such ways
as most effectually to break the waves. The
works are not yet entirely finished. It would

THE FISHERMAN'S QUAY. 31
have been a very fine structure had the plan been
more judiciously designed. It forms an inward
curve, and thereby has the effect of contracting
the mouth of the port ; whereas, had the curve
taken an outward direction, the entrance of the
port would have been widened. The port of
Algiers, it is true, will never be a place of very
extensive commercial traffic ; but even the few
ships that are there render it difficult for the
steamers from France, and other places, to enter
and get out without accidents.
To avoid retracing our course over the ground
we had already traversed, we engaged at the
end of the jetty, a small boat to convey us to
the Fisherman's Quay, at the foot of the Go
vernment Terrace, which is ascended by a few
steps, and a gently sloping path. I observed
that all the men engaged here in the sale of
fish were Maltese. The finest fish caught on
the coast is the tunny. Oysters are rare, and
are different in form and colour from those
of Europe.
The day was now closing in, and we were
beginning to feel fatigued and ready for dinner.
On arriving at our hotel, we took our seats at a

32 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
table close to the window. The busy Place now
presented a more tranquil aspect. Business hours
being over, men were seen moving about leisurely.
A military band belonging to one of the French
regiments was playing favourite waltzes, and ele
gantly dressed women were driving by in carriages.
A fresh evening breeze had succeeded the sultry
heat of the day ; the sun was setting gloriously,
and his retiring beams were reflected from the
rippling waves in the harbour. The air was
fragrant with the perfume of orange flowers.
In short, it was a most delicious evening.
Our dinnerwas very pleasant, and whilst partak
ing of it, we talked over all that we had seen in our
day's ramble. The room in which we were seated
had also a picturesque aspect of its own. Ranged
round the different tables were officers of every
rank and of various nations. Among them were
a Belgian Major, a Bavarian Captain, and several
Russian officers. All appeared to be on a very
friendly footing with the French. My friend
pointed out to me Colonel Pelissier, since then
rendered notorious by the catastrophe at the caves
of Dahra. Officers of all ranks were mingled
together. Next to the elegant uniform of a Lieu-

PROMOTION. 33
tenant of African Chasseurs, glittered the rich
epaulets of a Colonel of Artillery. All grades
were confounded. All seemed like brothers —
children of the same family.
In the course of our dinner conversation, M. R—
gave me some information on the subject of pro
motion in the French army. Their system differs
materially from that of the British service, espe
cially in all that relates to emulation. In the French
army a private soldier has a noble career before
him, and may by possibility become a Marshal of
France. Of this, Marshal Bugeaud is an example.
He served four years in the ranks, and then was
made an officer. Instances of even more rapid ad
vancement are not unfrequent. In time of war, in
Africa for example, similar promotion may take
place after only three months' service : a feat of
gallantry may also shorten the period of service
in the ranks. After a private is made a corporal
or a brigadier, he may immediately obtain the rank
of sergeant, or quarter-master, and then without
further delay, he may rise to sergeant-major, and
chief quarter-master, or adjutant sub-officer. All
these ranks are at the nomination ofthe Colonel of
a regiment, who may also break them at his plea-
c 3

34 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
sure, except where they have been obtained in
reward for an act of courage on the field of battle.
In that case, they can be broken only by the sen
tence of a court-martial. A man must pass through
the ranks of corporal and sergeant, or of brigadier
or quarter-master, before he can become an officer.
The rank of sergeant-major, or chief quarter
master, are official rather than military. In each
company, there is one sergeant-major to keep the
accounts, and one quarter- master to act as his
secretary. When it is proposed to create a sub-officer
from any one of the above ranks, the Colonel
proposes the individual to the minister of war.
The nomination belongs to the King.
Excepting these favourable opportunities for
promotion, the French army holds out no other
favours than the Cross of the Legion of Honour,
which in every rank up to that of adjutant sub-
officer, is accompanied by a pension of three
hundred francs. When the decoration is conferred
on an officer, it is purely honorary.
There is another way by which the commission
of an officer in the French army may be obtained:
it demands some exertion and some fortune, but

FRENCH MILITARY SCHOOLS. 35
it is infallible. If a young man on quitting
college, determines on devoting himself to the
military profession, he passes an examination, and
if the result be satisfactory, he is admitted to the
School of St. Cyr, near Versailles. There, after
two years of barrack life, he is subjected to
another examination, (the examen de sortie,) and if
found duly qualified, he enters a regiment with the
rank of sub-lieutenant. If he wish to serve in
the Corps of Engineers, or Artillery, instead of
going to St. Cyr, he must enter the Polytechnic
School. Previously to being admitted there, he
must undergo a very rigid examination. After
remaining there two years, should he pass his
examen de sortie successfully, he will be sent
in the rank of sub-lieutenant of Engineers or
Artillery, at the School of Metz, where he will
continue his studies for two years longer, and then
enter a regiment.
This system of advancement is attended by the
happiest results. It inspires in men of every
rank, a spirit of emulation, and a desire to distin
guish themselves by good conduct. The soldier
marches forward with the cheering confidence of
having an object to gain. There is not a man in

3'6 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the ranks of the French army who does not
proudly repeat the saying: " Tout soldat a son
baton de marechal dans sa giberne." The only
difficulty is to get it out.
Whilst I was listening to these details, night
set in, and M. R  proposed that we should
take a little walk and smoke our cigars. He
wished to take me to the finest coffee-house in
Algiers, and to show me the Casbah Street by
night. We set out, and after walking for about
ten minutes through some narrow, dirty, and ill-
lighted streets, we reached a low door, from within
which some strange noises saluted my ear. On
ascending a few steps, we entered a coffee
house, and found ourselves in a dimly-lighted
room, rather large, but very low in the ceiling.
The divans ranged along the walls were merely
wooden benches, covered with mats or sheep
skins. In a yard adjoining the house, there was
a stove where the Cavadji, as he is called in Ara
bic, was preparing and serving out coffee, with or
without sugar, according to the taste of the cus
tomers. Coffee and fresh water are the only
refreshments supplied in the establishment. In a
corner, facing the stove, three Moorish musicians

COFFEE-HOUSE SCENES. 3?
were seated & la turque, on a divan. One was
playing a sort of mandoline, which he sounded by
merely tapping the strings with the tips of his
fingers. Another was blowing a clarionet made
of reed, and the third was belabouring with all his
might, a sort of tambourine, called a tarn tarn, and
singing in a nasal tone of voice, some Arabic
verses, in which the rhythm was very strongly
marked. The company assembled in the coffee-room
paid but little attention to these musical perform
ances. They were engaged in conversation,
some stretched at full length, and others seated
on the divans, smoking the long pipe or the
chrystal narguilli, and sipping coffee. I saw
two Arabs engaged in a game at chess, others
were playing at cards, and I observed that they
used Spanish cards. No one took any notice of
us, though we were the only Europeans present.
Seating ourselves oon ne of the divans, we
scanned, with no little interest, the swarthy coun
tenances grouped around us. Some of these
Arabs had but little clothing, beyond a pair of
small red trowsers. Others wore white burnouses,
fastened at the crown of the head by strings of

38 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
camel's hair. All had long pointed beards.
They conversed in a low tone of voice, without
gesticulation, and there was a certain grace and
dignity in their manners. But for the hideous
music, which jarred painfully on the ear, the scene
would have been interesting and pleasant. We
were just preparing to take our departure, when a
boy, dressed in female attire, began to dance to a
slow measure played by the musicians. He held
in his hands two handkerchiefs, which he waved
over his head, and threw himself into a variety of
attitudes, which to our taste, were neither very
decorous nor very pleasing, though they elicited
loud bursts of laughter and approbation from the
Arabs. After leaving the coffee-house we wended our
way through some narrow crooked lanes, which at
length brought us into a long and very steep
street, in which, here and there, the acclivity was
ascended by steps. The shops were all open and
well lighted. On all sides the strains of music,
Moorish, French, Spanish, &c, created a deafen
ing din, amidst which the voices of men and
women were heard singing, shouting, laughing,
and making all sorts of noises. Drunken soldiers

A MOORISH LADY. 39
and females of the lower class were rioting in the
streets, and sailors were diverting themselves by
tempting the Arabs to take intoxicating drinks.
In short, the extraordinary tumult and confusion
that prevailed baffle all description. In almost
every shop we passed, groups of men and women
were collected, drinking wines and liquors.
Weary of the jostling and crowding through
which we had to work our way, we made our escape
from this scene of disorder, which I was informed
was the well known Casbah Street. After passing
through a narrow sort of lane, we stopped at the
door of a house, at which M. R  knocked
twice. On gaining admittance we entered an inner
court, prettily ornamented and well lighted. From
thence we were ushered into an apartment roofed
with ogive arches, and tapestried with draperies
of coloured silk. This room was lighted by a lamp
placed on a table, and encircled by bouquets of
flowers. A Moorish lady was reclining on a
divan, on the ground, before which was spread
an enormous tiger-skin.
On our entrance the lady arose from her re
cumbent posture, and offering her hand to M.
R  , she greeted him with a bonjour in French.

40 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
She then saluted me by a slight inclination of the
head. She was exceedingly beautiful, and was
exquisitely attired. Her features were delicate
and regular, and her countenance was of a perfect
oval form. Her complexion was fair and brilliant ;
and her hair as black as jet. Finely arched
dark eyebrows surmounted a pair of sweetly ex
pressive and most animated eyes. A light and
graceful head-dress, composed of crimson silk
figured with gold, did not entirely conceal her
braided hair, which was bound by bands of pearl.
From her ears were suspended magnificent dia
mond drops ; and her necklace was composed of
coral and diamonds. In the centre of her bosom
a beautiful gold broach confined the folds of a
sort of chemisette of clear muslin, spangled with
gold. A loose pelisse, without sleeves, composed
of rich blue brocade, figured in gold, only partially
concealed her slender waist, which was encircled by
a broad girdle of silk, ornamented with gold. Loose
trousers of muslin, confined round the ancles,
completed this graceful oriental costume, which
had a light and elegant effect, notwithstanding the
abundance of ornament. The small, slender hands
of this fair Moor presented the distinctive mark of

STAMP OF GENEALOGY. 41
the primitive races in the red colouring of the
finger nails. On one of her cheeks I observed a
blue star tattooed. This was the stamp of her
genealogy, and indicated the tribe to which she
belonged. Pipes, and the eternal beverage, coffee,
were brought in and presented to us by a young
negress, who wore on her head a white muslin
turban, decorated with one of those roses with
gilded leaves and stalks, which had attracted my
attention in the morning. The dress of this ne
gress consisted of a sort of loose wrapper of white
silk, striped with blue. The conversation between
M. R  and the lady being maintained in the
Arabic language, I could neither understand it nor
take part in it. My friend therefore cut short his
visit, and we took our leave. When we got out,
he begged pardon for the introduction he had given
me, observing that it was only by visiting a female
of that class that a stranger could get sight of a
Moorish woman ; none but those of the very low
est order are allowed to go out, or even to be seen
bv visitors in their dwellings.

42 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.

CHAPTER II.
The Bishop of Algiers — An Arab Bazaar — Arab and Turk
ish embroidery — A barber's shop — Sales by Auction —
Market on the Place de la Chartre — New Protestant
Churches — The Berthezene road — The Emperor's Fort,
and its surrounding prospect — Upper Mustapha — The
sister of Mademoiselle Dejazet — Country residences ofthe
Governor and of General Yussuf — Cavalry Camp at Lower
Mustapha — The Plane Tree Coffee House — Experimental
garden — Silk worms — Hussein Dey's Mills — Hunting —
Various species of game in Algeria — Lion hunting — The
Maison Carree — Projected railway — The Water Fort —
The Rasauta— The Model Farm— Cabaret of the 43rd
Regiment — Infantry on a march — Regulations — The Vil
lage of Berkadem — Madame Berthier — A dejeuner cham-
pStre — Carrousel given by the 1st Regiment of Chasseurs,
in honour of the Duke de Montpensier — The Legion of
Honour— Decorations — Other military orders of knight
hood. Early on the following morning M. R 
called, and proposed that we should go on an ex
cursion into the country. On leaving the hotel

MARSHAL BUGEAUD'S RESIDENCE. 43
we passed through the Janina Arch, and saw the
Governor's Palace. It is an old Moorish house,
faced with marble, and adorned with marble
columns. The floating standard and the sentinels
denoted that Marshal Bugeaud was in town. In
front of the palace is the bishoprick, a miserable
looking house externally ; but its interior is better
than its outward aspect. M. Dupuch, the Bishop
of Algiers, is said to have been originally an avocat
in Paris, who left the profession of the law to
become a Carthusian monk.
Proceeding a little further, we came to the
Arab bazaar, which is held in a spacious gallery
recently constructed, and is an exceedingly curious
place. It consists of ranges of arches, each arch
forming a separate shop for the sale of various mer
chandize. In one of these shops I observed, as
in the bazaars of Constantinople, attar of roses,
fragrant pastilles, silken fillets of various hues, or
namented with gold and silver, bracelets and neck
laces of plaited silk, intermingled with coral beads,
loose red trousers, girdles or scarfs of gold, and
little pots of colour : blue for the eyebrows, red for
the cheeks, and yellow for the nails.
In another shop my interest was excited by

44 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
seeing an Arab engaged in embroidering a little
purse of red morocco like a pocket-book. The
Arabs, like the Turks, do not draw patterns for
their embroidery. They double up a piece of
paper into eight or sixteen folds, and then
with the point of a sharp pen-knife they cut
out little bits in various forms round the edges.
The paper being unfolded, the cuttings present a
beautiful and original design. This paper pattern
is laid over the material to be embroidered,
on which the sinuous interstices are traced by a
needle with gold and silver thread. In this man
ner the Arabs and Turks embroider those charm
ing arabesques so much admired in Europe. The
only disadvantage of this plan is that some little
fragments of the paper pattern are sometimes
caught by the stitches and remain under the em
broidery. Of course these patterns may be made
without any great deal of trouble or ingenuity ;
and it scarcely ever happens that two figures are
produced exactly alike. I saw a proof of this in
an embroidered pistol case for wearing in the
girdle. It was of green morocco, embroidered
with silver thread. The figures were intended to
be of a unfiorm design, and yet all differed one

BURNOUSES. 45
from the other. I noticed another example ofthe
same kind, on the two sides of an Arab saddle
which was lying on the embroiderer's stall. This
saddle was of yellow morocco, and was embroidered
in gold.
One of the stalls, or shops of the bazaar, was
kept by a Tunis merchant, who dealt in turbans,
girdles,bathing- linen, shawls, burnouses, &c- Some
of the burnouses were made of white wool, so fine
and soft that they might be drawn through a ring ;
and yet when spread out they are large enough to
cover both a man and his horse. They are all
woven in one piece, with the hood, and have no
seam. There were other burnouses of the same
size, made of brown camel skin. They were
water-proof, and about the thickness of one's
finger, but terribly heavy.
Next to the stall just described, was one kept
by a barber, in which several customers were wait
ing their turns, and employing themselves in the
meanwhile in smoking and drinking coffee. The
whole establishment was remarkable for its clean
liness. When we entered the shop, the barber
was engaged in shaving the head of a criminal
under sentence of death. During the operation

46 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the culprit frequently looked into a little mir
ror set in a mother-o'-pearl frame, which he held
in his hand, apparently for the purpose of ascer
taining the accurate measurement of the tuft of
hair which in such cases is left on the crown of
the head, and is called the Mahomed. By this tuft
of hair, the criminal beheves he is to be drawn
up to heaven by the angel of death. The barbers
in Algiers are for the most part Kolouglis, or sons
of Turks. The profession cannot be lucrative;
but under the regime of the Deys, it led to the
highest posts in the state ; barbers then frequently
became ministers and ambassadors.
The last shop we entered was that of a braider,
that is to say, one whose business is sewing braid
ing on various articles of dress. This occupation
demands more taste than that of an embroiderer,
as the patterns depend on the skill and ingenuity
of the workman, and are less the result of chance
than the cuttings of paper above described. The
braider, whom we saw at work in the bazaar, was
ornamenting a vest of crimson cloth with black
silk braiding. He was sewing it on with great
rapidity and in a very tasteful pattern.
I cannot attempt to mention in detail all the

A MARKET SCENE. 47
secondary shops, in some of which were sold slip
pers, utensils of copper or iron, pipes, tobacco, &c.
The principal ones were those I have enume
rated. In the centre of the bazaar there is a little ro
tunda, in which sales by auction are carried on.
There travelling dealers traffic in clothes, trinkets,
watches, swords, and fire-arms. They call out the
prices that are offered for their merchandize, and
go about seeking to get higher biddings.
On leaving the Arab bazaar we entered the
street of la Chartre, which was thronged with
passengers and dealers in all kinds of merchandize.
The market of the Place de la Chartre was just
about to open. In the middle of the square
there wa'S a fountain, surrounded by orange trees."
The scene was most busy and animated. The
country people, seated on the ground, in several
rows, were exhibiting for sale the produce of their
cultivation. Fruits which can with difficulty
be obtained in Europe at this season, were here
displayed in the most profuse abundance. A ne-
gress was selling her little Arab cakes; beside
her was a pretty Marseillaise flower girl, tying up
nosegays ; a Maltese was crying vegetables, in a

48 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
most vociferous tone of voice; and an Arab,
squatted on the ground was patiently awaiting a
purchaser for some live hens, which he exhibited
before him with their legs tied together. Mingled '
with these groups, were soldiers purchasing pro
visions for the mess, and officers lounging about
and staring at the ladies who were buying bouquets
to replenish their flower-stands.
At a short distance from the market place
we passed a Protestant Church, then in pro
gress of erection, and nearly finished. It has a
handsome portico, supported by four stone
columns. The edifice does not seem very large,
but probably it is sufficiently spacious for that
portion of the population for whom it is des
tined. We now made the best of our way to the Bab-
Azoun gate, on the outside of which we had in
structed an Arab to wait for us with two horses.
The one destined for me, which was saddled in
the European manner, was a beautiful animal,
most elegantly shaped, with a brilliant eye, ex
panded nostrils, a black mane, and a tail touching
nearly to the ground. He was, moreover, remark
ably gentle. We mounted, and rapidly rode along

THE EMPEROR'S FORT. 49
an ascending road on our right. About mid-way
up this ascent, we saw a stone with an inscription
stating that the road was made, or rather traced
out by General Berthezene in 1831.
We directed our course towards the Emperor's
Fort, built in the time of Charles V., by his
command. It forms a large square on the summit
of an eminence, and completely commands the
city of Algiers. It is not fortified, and is gar
risoned only by one company of Disciplinaires.
From the platforms, the eye embraces an immense
extent of prospect. Between the fort and the sea
shore, there is a large ravine, thickly studded with
houses, surrounded by gardens. Farther to the
right a heap of ruins is the only remaining trace
of our Consul's villa. Looking backwards, the
spectator discerns the commencement of the
Sahel, a vast plain, stretching as far as the
Lesser Atlas, and Delhy Ibrahim, a small Euro
pean village on the road to Douera.
After leaving the Fort, we directed our course
along a httle road, accessible only to pedestri
ans and horsemen. It is called the Girdle road,
and is bordered on either side by hedges of
myrtle, hawthorn, and lilac. A limpid little

50 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
stream runs on one side. This with the pros
pect of the roadstead on the left, and clusters
of shady trees on the right, renders the road
truly delightful either for walking or riding. A
pathway, running down a somewhat deep decli
vity, brought us to the village of Upper Mus
tapha; and we dismounted at a very pleasantly
situated restaurant to obtain some refreshment.
A terrace in front of the house commanded a
beautiful and extensive prospect. On the left
was Algiers, with a view of the fort which we
had that day visited. Further down were the
village of Lower Mustapha, and its cavalry camp.
On the right was the village of Kouba, and nearer
the sea shore, the Experimental Garden, the Mills
of Hussein Dey, and nearly at the extremity of
the curve, the white walls of the Maison Car-
ree. All these prominent points are connected
by broad roads, and the picture is enlivened by
numerous country-houses surrounded by verdant
pleasure-grounds. Nevertheless, the bland repose
of European scenery is wanting here. The fines
of the landscape are all rigid and strongly de
fined, nothing seems to be softened off in the
distant space. The restaurant at which we halted

MLLE. DEJAZETS SISTER. 51
is exceedingly clean and neat, and the attendance
excellent. I was not a little surprised on dis
covering that it is kept by the sister of Mademoi
selle Dejazet, the celebrated French actress.
On the opposite side of the road, running at
the foot of the terrace on which we were stand
ing, is the country residence of the Governor,
formerly belonging to the Dey. It is situated
near an old Moorish house, occupied by the
Colonel of the 1st regiment of Chasseurs. Fur
ther back is the country residence of General
Yussuf. These villas are of spacious dimensions,
and their surrounding gardens are refreshed by
fountains and perfumed by orange trees. How
delightful to dream away the evening hours on
the terraces of these country houses ; — the pic
turesque panorama spreading as far as the eye
can reach ; — the air filled with balmy fragrance,
and the surrounding stillness broken only by the
distant roar ofthe sea !
We had a long journey before us, and much
that we wished to see ; therefore, having finished
our dejeuner, we again mounted our horses, and
directed our course towards the cavalry camp of
Lower Mustapha, occupied by the 1st regiment
d 2

52 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
of African Chasseurs. This regiment was com
manded by General Bourgon, a man who has
honourably distinguished himself, and rendered
most important service to the French interests in
Africa. It would appear, however, that he was
not fortunate enough to please those who had
the direction of affairs in Algiers, and the conse
quence was, he returned to France. M. R 
communicated to me some facts relating to the
successful exertions of General Bourgon, when
surrounded by difficulties of every kind.
Having passed the infantry barracks, and the
quarters allotted to the men employed in military
works, we soon reached the cavalry camp, situ
ated about midway between the villages of Upper
and Lower Mustapha. It is surrounded by
wooden palisades. The stables, which are
constructed of wood, occupy one of the four
sides of the upper quadrangle. Four rows of
mulberry trees, planted so as to form intervening
avenues, intersect the camp in its whole length.
In the lower quadrangle, the left side is occupied
by a small hospital, built partly of wood and
partly of stone. On the right are the quarters of
the officers and men, the depdts of arms, saddlery,

THE INFANTRY BARRACKS. 53
&c. In another part of the quadrangle are the
veterinary hospital, and the surgeon's quarters.
Beyond the boundary of the camp, on the side
next the sea, a pretty avenue of trees leads into
the high road to Algiers. On the left of this
avenue, is a kitchen garden, cultivated and kept
in very excellent order by the soldiers, and on
the right are extensive magazines of forage.
Within the camp, near the stables, are some
large stone troughs for watering the horses.
These troughs are supplied with water from a
neighbouring stream ; but like all the water of
Algeria, it has proved injurious to horses. The
water of the stream just mentioned is filled
with leeches, so small in size as to be nearly in
visible, though on a minute examination their
presence was ascertained. This caused great
mortality among the horses; for the leeches which
the animals swallowed in drinking, introduced
themselves into the bronchia, and thereby caused
death. Attempts were made to extract them by
surgical operations, but without success. The
calamity is now averted by the employment of
filtering stones, through which the water issues
in a state of perfect purity.

54 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
The cavalry camp of Lower Mustapha is re
markable for cleanliness and order ; indeed it may
be said to present an aspect of extreme elegance.
Under the windows of the officers' quarters there
are little parterres of flowers ; and every requi
site can be obtained within the boundaries of the
camp, where even a cafe and a restaurant are
established. The soldiers sleep on iron bedsteads, a regula
tion similar to that observed at Tagarim. During
the night, each man has at the head of his bed
his clothes, his arms, and his horse's bridle. At the
foot of the bed hangs his saddle, all in readiness,
so that in the event of any sudden emergency the
whole regiment may be mounted in the space of
eight minutes.
Animals of various kinds were wandering
about in the streets and avenues of the cavalry
camp. I observed jackals running at liberty,
small wild boars, eagles, storks, and numbers of
greyhounds; for the officers quartered in the
camp are fond of the amusement of the chase.
We left the camp by the gate nearest to the
sea shore. On the right there is an extensive
field, used for exercising the troops. In this

THE PLANE TREE COFFEE-HOUSE. 55
field a grand carrousel was given by the 1st
Chasseurs, in honour of the Duke de Mont
pensier, when that Prince was in Algiers.
Our way lay through a very wide road. From
time to time we met groups of Arabs driving asses
and camels, the former laden with vegetables, and
the latter bearing planks of wood. Omnibuses
from the city were conveying parties of Jews and
Jewesses into the country to spend their sabbath.
These were all dressed in their best habiliments,
and the women, especially those not veiled, were
attired in the most costly and splendid style.
After a ride of about half an hour, we reached
a Moorish coffee-house of very beautiful ex
terior, called the Plane Tree. On one side
were a marble fountain, and a small marabout,
shaded by stately old plane trees. Beneath one
of the trees was seated an old Moor, wrapped in
a white burnouse, and tranquilly smoking his
pipe. Before him lay a youth reclining on the
ground, passing a chaplet through his fingers *
* It is the custom of many Mahometans to wear a
chaplet or string of beads : and whilst repeating passages
from the Koran they count these beads as a monk would
his rosary.

56 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
This group, with the surrounding objects and
brilliant colouring, was like a Bible scene.
Nothing was wanting ; — the large mountain dog,
the curved shepherd's staff, the camel crouched
in the foreground, ruminating with upraised
head, and gazing at his master — all combined to
perfect the picture.
In front of the Plane Tree coffee-house is the
railing of the experimental garden (Jardin
d'Essais). It is of vast extent, and is appropriated
to scientific experiments in all kinds of plantations
applicable to the climate and soil of Africa, and
in all the different systems of grafting, slipping,
and manuring. This garden is superintended
with admirable skill and judgment. Great at
tention is directed to the breed and management
of silk^worms, and, consequently, to the cultiva
tion of the mulberry tree. Every colonist is
allowed to bring to the Jardin d'Essais the
cocoons of his silk- worms, where they are worked
so as to produce the utmost possible quantity of
silk. The operation is performed gratis, with the
view of encouraging this branch of industry
among the farming colonists. By this means
they are enabled to take their silk ready spun to

HUSSEIN DEY'S MILLS. 57
town, where they arrange it in hanks, or skeins,
with all the care requisite for ensuring a profitable
sale. The road on which we now entered followed
the curved line of the sea-shore. After riding a
little distance, we arrived at some water-mills,
which are set in motion by a little pleasantly
shaded stream. These mills, together with some
houses near them, and a bridge which crosses
the rivulet, all bear the name of Hussein Dey.
The bridge is of Roman structure, and has but
one arch. The banks of the rivulet are thickly
covered with luxuriant vegetation. The acanthus,
with its broad, glossy, and dentated leaves,
looked at a little distance like large Corinthian
capitals level with the ground. The road was
overshadowed by enormous fig-trees. The wild
vine and the ivy seemed to vie with each
other to gain possession of the branches of
acacia, orange, and lemon trees, all in full
flower. A party of officers galloped past us, armed
with Cossack lances, and followed by large lion
dogs. They were on their way to the Sahel, to
enjoy, on the banks of the Shelif, the sport of
D 3

58 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
hunting the wild boar, an amusement very com
mon in these regions.
The sight of this hunting party naturally
turned our conversation on the subject of field
sports. M. R  informed me that next to the
wolf, the jackal is the most general and most
favourite object of the chase. This animal is
hunted for its skin, which in the winter season is
rather pretty, but its flesh is not eatable. The
lynx is rarely seen. The hyena is common
enough, and not so fierce as is usually supposed.
The panther is less frequently met with. As to
the lion and the tiger, they must be sought on
the confines of the Desert. The wild boar, the
hare, the rabbit, the red partridge, and in some
places the black swan, are all very common. The
porcupine is not properly speaking an object
of the chase ; but that animal is sometimes
hunted because it injures dogs by wounding
them with its quills. The porcupine is very
destructive to kitchen gardens, especially to
potatoe plantations, and, therefore, whenever the
animal is found in those places it is usually de
stroyed. Some of the richer colonists hunt for their

JACKAL AND LION HUNTING. 59
diversion in the country adjacent to Algiers. Two
gentlemen, M.M. de Haultheu and Belleroche,
have fine packs of hounds and studs of horses.
The former was described to me as a perfect
Nimrod, and is said to excel in boar hunting.
The jackal is exceedingly cunning ; and if he
is to be caught by bait, the utmost precaution
and the most unbroken stillness are required to
draw him from his lair. These animals usually
prowl about in bands of seven or eight, but
towards nightfall it is no unfrequent occurrence
for a troop of one or two hundred to sally forth
in search of prey. They serve as guides to the
hyenas, who have not so keen a scent, though
their sense of hearing is exquisitely delicate. On
the path over which the jackals have passed
during the evening, the hyena is almost sure to
appear. When the jackal is hunted by hounds,
the method observed in the chase is the same as
in fox-hunting.
Lion hunting is very rare; those animals
are not very common, and there is, more
over, much danger attending their pursuit.
When a lion shows himself near the dwell
ings of any of the native tribes, the Arabs

60 ' A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
are filled with alarm. They send to inform the
French authorities, who take measures to kill
the fearful intruder ; or they order out some com
panies of troops, and the animal is hunted in a
regular bat*fcue. The amateur hunters go within
the confines of the battue ; but if the animal
should stand fiercely on the defensive, woe to the
amateurs ! Indeed a lion hunt never takes place
without the sacrifice of three or four lives, to say
nothing of wounds and other serious injuries.
The lion, when excited to his utmost fury, darts
on the hunters with a degree of rapidity and fero
city which nothing can avert. At a hunt which
recently took place in the environs of Oran,
twenty hunters, who were in the centre of the
battue, suddenly stopped short. They had reached
a clump of trees, on the stems of which the lion
had inserted his claws, as cats sometimes do on
articles of furniture. The traces thus left bv the
ferocious animal so completely checked the
ardour of the hunters, that they allowed the lion
to walk away very leisurely at the distance of
about a thousand paces from them, without
making any attempt to cut off his retreat.
The road, still continuing to descend, brought

THE MAISON CARREE. 61
us to the Bridge of the Shelif, at the foot
of the hill on which stands the Maiqon Carrie.
This bridge, which is of Moorish structure, is
very curious, and has ten arches. It is of no
real utility, except in the rainy season. At the
time I am now describing there was merely a
narrow stream of water flowing through one of
the arches ; the bed ofthe river beneath the other
arches, being perfectly dry. At the extremity of
the bridge, there is a post of native tirailleurs,
and further on a few European houses used as
inns. It is a curious fact that all the houses in
the villages of Algeria are places of public accom
modation, that is to say, drink and other refresh
ments are sold in them.
Having passed these hovels, we soon reached,
by a zig-zag road, the summit of the hill, and
found ourselves before the door of the Maison
Carree, which ought to be called barracks,
rather than a fortress. The walls are about
twelve feet high, and on every side they have
meurtrieres, or embrasures for cannon. The four
sides of the interior are occupied by buildings
used for the service of the barracks. A little
square building in the centre of the court con-

62 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
tains the officers' apartments, the powder maga
zine, and the stables. The Maison Carree may
possibly be capable of containing a garrison of
twelve hundred men. It would be the key to the
road to Algiers, if gained possession of by any
force coming from Foudoulk or Kabylia. This
fortress is of Moorish structure ; but respecting
its origin I was unable to gain any particulars.
The building seems to be contemporary with the
Emperor's Fort.
Leaving the Maison Carre'e, and turning one's
back to the sea, the eye commands a remote view
of the Foudoulk, the Metidja, and the beginning
of the chain of the Lesser Atlas. A few white
points rising on the distant horizon, indicate the
walls of Blidah. But the whole surrounding
scene presents an aspect of barrenness, and the
stunted vegetation is burnt by the sun. M.
R  assured me that there were persons in
Algiers, accounted men of sense, who spoke
seriously of making along the margin of the
sea-shore, which is of quicksand, a jetty, and
over that to construct a railroad, leading from
Algiers to Blidah, passing the Maison Carree, and
affording communication with some new villages

THE WATER FORT. 63
to be built at the foot of the mountains of
Kabylia. What if the Bourse of Algiers should one day
or other become the scene of speculation for
shares in railway schemes of this kind ?
After leaving the Maison Carree, we entered
upon a plain of sand which runs along the sea
shore. It was very fatiguing to our horses, and
moreover the rays of the sun, shining on the
sand and the sea, reflected an intolerable glare
and heat. We halted at a sequestered build
ing called the Water Fort. It is not a military
post, though it has the appearance of being such.
It is the property of a colonist, by whom it is let
to an Arab, who, with his wife, resides there.
Whilst our horses were baiting we strolled about
near the house. I perceived on the sand, at
about two hundred paces from us, an undulat
ing furrow. M. R  informed me that it
was the trace of a serpent, and probably one of
a very venemous species. The furrow was up
wards of four inches wide.
Remounting our horses we pursued our course.
We extricated ourselves from the sand by diverg
ing a little to the right, where we found a path

64 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
traced amidst thickets of jujube, and dwarf palm
trees. This path ran in the direction of the Rasau-
ta, a secluded farm-house, round which are several
little encampments of Arabs. The Rasauta belongs
to a wealthy Spaniard, who resides at the farm and
superintends its whole management. The main
building is surmounted by a steeple, with a
dial, which gives it the appearance of a convent.
When we passed the Rasauta, the chiefs of
some Arab tribes had assembled there to enter
into arrangements respecting disputed bound
aries of ground. The costume of these chiefs
was in no way different from that of other
Arabs, except that they wore enormous hats of
plaited rush, ornamented with black ostrich fea
thers, and pieces of cloth of various colours. The
encampments of some of the tribes which we
passed on our road were so screened by planta
tions of fig-trees and lofty aloes, that it was
scarcely possible to obtain a glimpse of them.
The tents appeared to be high, and were covered
with the skins of animals. As we rode past we
were greeted by the furious barking and howling
of dogs. It is a remarkable fact that the Arab'
dog cannot endure the sight of a European, and

THE MODEL FARM. 65
that a European dog is no less hostile to the
Arabs. The animals seem instinctively to share
the antipathy existing between the different
races to which their masters respectively be
long. After passing on our left the little Freneh vil
lage called Foudoulk, we arrived at a place where
we had to ford the Shelif, an undertaking not always
practicable. The river in this part is exceedingly
narrow, and the banks very high and steep; but at
two good leaps our horses cleared every obstacle.
We now came to a road, running through an
immense ditch or moat. It was formerly in
tended to carry this moat round the city of Al
giers in a circuit of ten miles ; but the plan was
discovered to be absurd, and was renounced after
a great sacrifice of labour and money. A
little on we reached what is called the Model
Farm. This place has several times been pillaged
by the Arabs, and therefore presents a some
what dilapidated aspect. For a considerable
period endeavours were made at the Model Farm
to improve the breed of horned cattle, which
in Africa are very small and lean ; but the Arabs
constantly killed or carried off the animals. At-

66 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
tention was next directed to the cultivation of
wheat, barley, oats, &c. ; but the standing crops
were destroyed. The fields round the model farm are
now appropriated solely to the growth of fodder ;
as soon as the grass is mowed it is delivered over
to government, for if stacks were formed the Arabs
would burn them. The farm is now in a very
ruinous condition. The wisest plan that could be
adopted would be to abandon it altogether; it
is in a very unhealthy situation, and is too far out
of the reach of assistance if attacked.
Passing a little Moorish fountain, in a secluded
part of the road, I observed inscribed on it in
large characters, the words, " Cabaret du 43me.*"
I was informed that the 43rd regiment had
passed that way when suffering under severe
privation. There was evidently one merry spirit
among them, who, in spite of misery, could cheer
his comrades by a jest.
Alluding to the sufferings of the soldiery, my
friend informed me that the French infantry
are laden with enormous burthens during their
marches. An Arab, who served as a sapper in
the corps of Zouaves, complaining of the load
he had to carry, said in his broken French : Moi

FRENCH INFANTRY ON A MARCH. 67
pas Zouave, moi chameau." Each company is
subdivided into brigades of eight or ten men, who
all mess together. When marching on an expedi
tion, every man carries for his own use, a week's
supply of biscuits, (three biscuits being the daily
ration) forty ball cartridges, his clothes, a blanket,
and his musket. In addition to this, each man
carries for the general use of the brigade, one or
more of the following articles as may be found
convenient, viz. a bucket for water, an iron pot
for preparing soup, white bread for sopping in the
soup, coffee, sugar, bacon, salt, and rice ; of each
article a supply sufficient for eight or ten men,
during a week. The fatigue of carrying these
loads during the long days of an African summer
may be easily imagined ; and the difficulties of
the march are not a little augmented by the ne
cessity of frequently working a passage through
thickets where there is no beaten track. Should
a river intervene, it must be forded; then, after
plunging into the cold water, the men have
to march over a plain of burning sand. Amidst
all the hardships the soldiers have to endure
feverish thirst is not the least ; yet it must be
borne, for he, who slakes his thirst by drinking

68 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
water, is doomed to destruction. His limbs tot
ter beneath him, and an unconquerable drowsiness
subdues his senses. He can no longer keep up
with his comrades and the column marches on.
He knows that sleep is death, for the Arabs are
sure to find him. Unable, however, longer to
contend against the overpowering sensation, he
throws himself on the ground beneath the shade
of a bush, and should he have sufficient strength
remaining, he probably uses it to terminate his
existence. In general a column on a long march encamps
only in places where water and wood can be found.
But sometimes the troops are misled by the direc
tions of perfidious or ignorant guides. In those
cases each man is obliged to carry during the day,
in addition to his regular burthen, a small faggot
of wood, for the purpose of cooking his soup at
night. When a column is marching on an expedition,
the men receive every morning an allowance of
coffee and sugar, when quartered in a town or
village : in encampments a glass of red wine is
dealt out to each man instead of coffee and sugar.
The regulations for a day's march are as follows :

MARCHING REGULATIONS. 69
at three o'clock in the morning, the Diane (that is
to say, the reveil) is sounded. The men then par
take of the soup which has been prepared over
night, reserving for the evening repast, a small
morsel of the allowance of bacon. At four o'clock
the column begins to move, and continues march
ing until eleven. There is then a halt ; fires
are kindled for preparing the coffee, and the men
rest till one o'clock. At that hour the excessive
heat of the day is somewhat abated. The march
is resumed, and is continued till four, five, or six
o'clock in the evening, according as a spot may be
met with suitable for encamping. The camp is
speedily formed. The tents are thickets of brush
wood, surmounted by the canopy of heaven.
Large fires are kept up for the purpose of coun
teracting the nocturnal damp ; for the dews are
deadly in their effects, and it has often happened
that men who have lain down to sleep in perfect
health, have been blind on awakening.
The above is the ordinary arrangement of a
day's march ; but all regulations are at the option
of the Commander of a column. It has sometimes
happened that a General, ambitious of the glory of
reaching a given point before another, has caused

70 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the troops to march for thirty hours without in
termission, leaving on the road numbers of
dead and dying. Thus General Chaugarnier, who,
it cannot be denied, is a brave and humane man,
lost numbers of men in his repeated forced
marches. Our road now became somewhat monotonous.
The vegetation of the Sahel is stunted and scanty,
interspersed here and there with thickets of brush
wood and brambles. We hastened on to reach
the foot of a hill which we saw before us, and
which presented a verdant aspect, compared with
the rest ofthe adjacent country. We soon found
ourselves near some enclosures formed of quick
set hedges, and we passed some mills belonging
to a Maltese. In a ravine at our feet lay the
little village of Birkadem. This village contains
some colonists* houses, built in the European
style, a Moorish coffee-house, very handsomely
fitted up, and a white marble fountain, taste
fully ornamented in the Byzantine style. Behind
each house were pretty gardens well planted
and cultivated, and all were watered by a
httle winding stream. The last house on
the left of this village was a restaurant of

LA GENERALE. 71
very good appearance ; here we dismounted,
and ordered dinner. The repast was laid in a
room on the first floor, the windows of which
opened on a balcony. The view extended over
another ravine, bordered by lofty and picturesque
hills, covered with trees of various kinds. The
overhanging branches of these trees formed, as
it were, a range of arches, and the spreading
tops of some enormous acanthus trees produced
the effect of columns. Here and there the
mouths of caves were perceptible in the recesses
of the hills. The landscape was animated by
groups of Arabs driving home their cattle from
pasture. The slanting rays of the sun, which was
setting behind us, elongated the objects and
shadows, and imparted to the whole scene a most
unique and varied aspect.
During dinner, M. R  informed me that the
ravine, which presented so romantic a prospect
from our window, had a short time since been the
scene of a grand fete given by Madame B  , a
lady who is travelling through Algeria en amazone.
She is distinguished by the title of La Generate,
and she is really the wife of a French General, who,
as he holds an appointment in France, cannot

72 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
travel about with his wife. The lady, however,
journeys from place to place, escorted first by one
relative and then by another, for it would appear
she has a numerous train of cousins who are en
gaged in every branch of the military service. This
lady, with some others of her acquaintance, ar
ranged a f£te in the dehghtful ravine I have just
described. Accordingly, one fine morning, the
uniform stillness of the romantic solitude was
broken by flourishes of bugles and trumpets,
together with marches and waltzes played by the
splendid band of the 1st Chasseurs. Groups of
elegantly dressed ladies were seen wending their
way along the rugged paths, escorted by gay offi
cers, and preceded by the Queen ofthe fdte attired
en costume de cheval. The dejeuner was pronounced
to be excellent ; and the only circumstance that
caused the least dissatisfaction was, that the in
habitants of the neighbouring villages, (Arabs as
well as Europeans,) lured by the attractions ofthe
scene, honoured the entertainment with their pre
sence without being invited.
I observed to my friend that the 1 st Chasseurs
appeared to figure in all the fetes given in this part
of the world ; for on leaving Algiers that morning,

THE DUKE DE MONTPENSIER. *J3
he pointed out to me the place in which a carrousel
had been given by that regiment in honour of the
Duke de Montpensier. " The 1st Chasseurs,"
replied he, " has always been a favourite regiment ;
brave and triumphant on the field. It is sta
tioned at Lower Mustapha, near the gate of
Algiers. The Colonels who have had the com
mand of the 1st Chasseurs have always been men
of fortune, family, and polished education. The
consequence is, that the officers are received into
the best society, wherever they go.
The fdte of the carrousel must have been admi
rably arranged. Round a large oblong space, en
closed by palisades, rows of seats were fitted up
for the accommodation of the ladies, and for the
band ofthe regiment. At the appointed hour Mar
shal Bugeaud entered the enclosure on horseback,
accompanied by the Duke de Montpensier, and
attended by all the officers of his staff. The Prince
having been conducted to his place, the Capitaine
Instructeur entered, followed by sixteen officers
and sixteen sub- officers, all wearing sky-blue
jackets, white trousers, and the kepi d'ordon-
nance, without any distinction of rank. All the
finest horses of the regiment were assembled in
E

74 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the area. The horsemen carried lances with
coloured banderolles ; and as they rode past the
Prince, they saluted him by lowering their lances.
The exercises then commenced. Some feats of
equitation, admirably performed, were succeeded
by running at the ring. Next came thejeu dejave-
lot, which consisted in striking a given point with a
dart or a short lance, the horse being at full gallop.
The whole concluded with the exercice des te'tes.
Little mounds of earth ranged at equal intervals
were surmounted by heads, made on a framework
of osier, covered with cloth, and painted so as to
present a perfect imitation of Arabs' heads. Dart
ing round the area at full gallop, and sword in
hand, the horseman, bending forward on the neck
of his horse, passed his sword rapidly under the
head as if cutting it off, and raised it from
the earth on the point of his sword. Then
elevating his weapon with the head on the top of
it, and riding up to the Duke de Montpensier, he
saluted the Prince by laying the trophy at his feet.
All these exercises were performed with wonderful
skill and precision, and notwithstanding the ra
pidity of the movements, no accident occurred.
After hearing the description of the exercice

MONUMENT TO GENERAL VOIROL. 75
des testes, I could not refrain from expressing my
astonishment that, in the presence of ladies and of
a Prince, anything calculated to excite disgusting
associations should have been introduced. M.
R  assured me, that far from being offensive,
such diversions were in great favour in Algiers.
Night was approaching when we finished our
dinner. We therefore ordered our horses and
pursued our journey homeward. After riding for
some distance along a broad and well made road,
we reached another village called Birmandreis,
very similar to that which we had recently left.
After ascending a gentle acclivity, we found our
selves on the summit of a level height, on which a
column has been erected to the memory of Gene
ral Voirol, who planned and directed the construc
tion of the road we had just passed through.
Descending the other side of the hill we beheld
before us the sea — the waves glimmering with
phosphorescence, and the ships in the harbour
illumined by the beaming rays of the light-house.
To prolong as much as possible our enjoyment
of this dehcious evening, we proceeded at a gentle
pace in the direction of Algiers. In the course of
e 2

76 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
conversation, I requested my companion to give
me some information respecting the military deco
rations worn in the French army. He told me, that
since the revolution of 1830, no cross is permitted
to be worn in the army, save that of the Legion
of Honour, founded by Napoleon. The ribbon is
red and watered. The grand decoration consists
of a red ribbon, passed over the right shoulder,
and under the left arm. At the end of the ribbon,
and at the hilt of the sword, is attached the grand
cross of the legion. The plaque which has ten
rays, is edged with silver, and is worn on the left
side of the coat. Commanders wear the gold
cross en sautoir, like the cross of St. Andrew.
The officers and Legionnaires wear it fastened to
the button hole ; the cross being of gold for the
officers, and of silver for others.
The daughters of Legionnaires enjoy the privi
lege of receiving an accomplished education in
the Maisons Royales of St. Denis, and St. Germain
in Paris. Before the accession of Louis Philippe,
when the elder Bourbon branch occupied the
throne, there existed in France, four other
military orders, now abolished ; viz :

MILITARY ORDERS. 77
The Order of St. Michel, founded in 709, by
Childebert III.
The Order of le Saint-Esprit, founded in 1578,
by Henry III.
The Order of St. Louis, founded in 1693, by
Louis XIV., for officers only.
The Order of Military Merit, also founded by
Louis XIV. in 1759, for private soldiers.
Whilst M. R  was communicating to me
these particulars, we arrived at our hotel, weary
with our day's excursion ; but, nevertheless, pro
jecting another for the following day.

78 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.

CHAPTER III.
Bouffarik— The camp of Erlon— The village of Beni-
Mered— Sergeant Blandan— Blidah— The new Damas
cus — The Zouaves— The Spahis — Military anecdotes —
General Yussuf— His romantic history — The orange
groves of Blidah— The River Oued-Kebir— Defiles
of the Shiffa — Convoy of sick and wounded — Effect of
wounds — The camp of Nador — The town of Medeah—
Evening prayers — Arab proverbs — A prisoner of the
Emir Abd-el-Kader— Mysteries of the Mosque of Taga-
dem — Psylles — Storks — General Marrey's lion — .\n
Arab school — The shops of Medeah — Corn mills-
Country residence of the Dey of Titterie — The Iron gates
— A night with an Arab tribe — Coleah — Forts of Point
Pescade — Druidical tombs.
Next day we made an excursion of greater
extent, than any we had previously undertaken,
and M. R  called for me as early as three
in the morning. We found our horses as before,
at the Bab-Azoun Gate. We proceeded by the
way of Lower Mustapha, and passing through

BOUFFARIK. 79
Birmandreis and Birkadem, we arrived at the
plateau which commands the Sahel. Turning to
the right from the Model Farm, we proceeded
along a narrow road, to the distance of about eight
leagues, and we then beheld the chain of the
Lesser Atlas stretching out before us. The heat
was suffocating; the simoom blowing from the
Desert seemed to send out puffs of fire; so
that we might have imagined ourselves at the
entrance of an open furnace. Our horses felt
the oppressive influence, and paced wearily with
drooping heads, whilst my friend's two dogs
sought the shade of some small bushes, beneath
which they crept to shelter themselves. We were
now proceeding direct to Bouffarik, a little town
surrounded by verdant poplars; but on the
immense plain along which we were riding, we saw
only one solitary palm tree, and that scorched by
the sun. After a very wearisome journey of four
hours, we reached Bouffarik. This place is
delightfully situated, and is well supplied with
water : perhaps, indeed, the water is too abundant
for the health of the inhabitants. The streets are
wide and straight, and shaded by rows of poplars
and willows. Houses built of stone are beginning

80 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
to take place of the wretched wooden barns,
which served for the camp of Erlon, and a part of
which, at the extremity of the town, still contains
troops. After breakfasting in a very commodious
hotel, we took some hours' rest. The heat had
now subsided, and the simoom having ceased to
blow, we remounted our horses, proposing to dine
at Blidah. A short while before we reached the
latter place, we passed through a little village
called Beni-Mered. In the midst of the principal
street, we saw an excavation, intended for the
foundation of a monument to be raised to the
memory of a sergeant of grenadiers, named
Blandan. This brave fellow, and twenty-two
comrades, after performing prodigies of valour,
were killed by two thousand Arabs. M.
R  observed, that he could not understand
why this monument was to be raised to poor Blan
dan in preference to others who had equally dis
tinguished themselves. France is paying dearly
for her conquest, and there is not a spot unsig-
nalized by some act of courage and heroism.
French blood has deluged all the possessions in
Algeria. At length we arrived at Blidah, which is

BLIDAH. 81
situated at the foot of the Lesser Atlas. This
place appears to have been, at all periods, subject
to changes : at present it has the aspect of a
little European town, in which two minarets
only serve to denote its Arab origin. It is,
without exception, the most agreeable and healthy
town in Algeria. In a large square, houses are
already beginning to be built with arcades, as
in the city of Algiers ; and plantations of plane-
trees, in the centre of this square will soon form
a beautiful shade. Looking along the straight
and wide streets, the spectator sees, at one ex
tremity of the town, the Bab-el-Sets Gate, and
at the other, the Gate of Bab-el-Rahba. The
town is walled around. An old mosque, the
ruins of which have been repaired, is converted
into a Catholic Church; and two other mosques
serve for barracks. Some defensive works have
been constructed in that part of the town called
the Citadel, and there the engineers have healthy
and elevated quarters. This end of the town
is occupied by the Zouaves Infantry. At the
other extremity stands the hospital, which is
spacious, but entirely built of wood. It is
e 3

82 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
occupied almost entirely as cavalry quarters for
the 1st Spahis. Outside of the town, on a
detached eminence, stands the Mimiche Fort,
with barbette batteries, protecting the approaches
to the town.
We alighted at a hotel, with a balcony in
front, looking into the great square. The town
was very tranquil : there were few Arabs, nearly
the whole population being French. We had
a very good dinner; and notwithstanding his
fatigue, M. R — related to me how Bhdah had
been taken three different times, after very
obstinate and sanguinary contests. The Arabs
and the Moors were very fond of this town,
which they call the New Damascus. Its Maho
metan occupants were a very dissolute race, and
their orgies so alarmed an old Marabout, named
Mohamed-el-Blidah, that he predicted the destruc
tion of the town, and, strange to say, in 1825
an earthquake really occurred which destroyed
nearly the whole of it. The terrified inhabitants
wished to rebuild the town at some distance,
in a spot where the commencement of the works
may still be seen. But the recollection of the

THE ZOUAVES. 83
gardens surrounding the old town, soon drew
them back to its ruins, out of which they recon
structed a new Blidah.
The wind of the Desert in the morning had
so overpowered me, that I suggested we should
pass the evening sitting in the balcony. Night
was now approaching, and at this time there was
nothing to engage attention in the town except
some coffee-houses where wretched music was
performed; and the newly established Club for
the officers afforded us no interest.
The band of the Zouaves had entered the
square for the purpose of sounding the tattoo,
previously to which they played some pretty
waltzes very well. The uniform of the Zouaves
is much the same as the Turkish costume. M.
R — informed me that this regiment, which was
organized by M. de Lamoriciere, (now a General),
is the bravest regiment in the army of Africa.
It is divided into three battalions, one being
in each of the three provinces. On all occasions,
whenever this regiment has been engaged, it
has been invariably triumphant, even where other
troops have failed. Lately, a regiment, just
arrived from France, lost its colours in a battle,

84 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the name of which I forget ; the Colonel, in de
spair, directed the Zouaves to rush on the enemy :
the standard was re-taken, and brought to the
Colonel, who embraced it with tears in his
eyes. It would appear that this corps has been
oftener decimated than any other. It has existed
only five years, and already the officers and men, so
frequently under the fire of the enemy, have been
seven times recruited. The Zouaves have always
had the honour of being engaged in the most
perilous actions. When the Duke of Orleans
wished to reward a private Zouave with the
Cross of the Legion of Honour, M. Cavaignac,
then the Colonel in command, observed to him,
" If your Royal Highness wishes to recompense
acts of bravery, you must provide decorations for
every man in the regiment."
But the Zouaves, like many other good soldiers,
are very mauvais syjets. This fact was exemplified
in two anecdotes, of the truth of which M. R —
has assured me. On the first occupation of
Blidah by the French, some colonists followed
the expeditionary columns, hoping to profit by
some of' those chances which always occur on

A BARGAIN. 85
the taking of a town, after an assault, or a battle.
The Zouaves had occupied the place two days,
when a man, a shoemaker by trade, driving before
him an ass, loaded with pieces of leather, lasts,
and tools, made his appearance. At the corner
of one of the streets, two soldiers, who were
in a Moorish house, called to him, and asked him
who he was, and where he was going. He
answered that he was a shoemaker, and that he
had come to Blidah to settle. The soldiers
proposed to sell him the house in which they
were, " My comrade and I," said one of them,
" got possession of this ruinous place, when the
town was taken : you know that on such occasions
what soldiers take, becomes their own property.
If you wish to have the house, we will sell it
to you." The shoemaker was well pleased with
the proposal. He agreed to buy the house,
thinking himself very lucky in getting so good
a bargain. He agreed to give the price de
manded, viz : fifty francs, twenty-five down, and
the remainder in a year. He did not hesitate
a moment, being fearful of letting so good a
chance escape. The money was paid, the Zouaves

86 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
withdrew, and the shoemaker installed himself in
his new premises.
Next morning, a corporal presented himself
at the door of the house, and after looking about
for a few moments, entered. He asked the
shoemaker what business he had in a station
belonging to the police of the battalion; and
what had become of the two soldiers he had
lodged there the day before. After a very brief
explanation, the shoemaker and his ass were
turned off without ceremony. The poor man
applied to the Colonel for redress; and on
inquiry it turned out, that the two soldiers, to
whom the money had been paid, had been
lodged in the house as prisoners, the night pre
viously, and as there were no doors to the house,
they were left there on parole. The poor shoe
maker had no alternative but to look out for
another shop.
The foUowing anecdote affords an instance of
their mercenary spirit. One day, after the French
were definitively installed in Blidah for the third
time, three Zouaves were idly strolling about,
in the hopes of falling on some scheme for

MERCENARY SPIRIT. 87
getting a little money, which they might spend
for their amusement. They carried their muskets
en bandouliere, which was the practice at that
time, as the environs of the town were not then
quite safe. Having come to a retired spot, where
some horses, belonging to the gendarmes, were
tied by the fore foot, they sat down, and lighted
their pipes. Suddenly one of the party started
up, and cut the strap by which one of the horses
was attached ; the animal took fright, and dashed
off like a shot into a neighbouring grove of orange
trees. Not wishing to attract attention by any
hurried movement, the soldiers walked very
leisurely in the direction taken by the horse.
They soon overtook him, for the poor animal,
satisfied with a few moments' liberty, was now
tranquilly grazing. A shot from one of the
Zouaves soon laid him dead. They then cut
off the two legs, and carrying them to the shop
of a butcher, they told him that being stationed
on guard in some fields where bullocks were
kept, they had killed one, and wished to sell
him a part of it. The butcher, finding it suited
his interest to affect to believe this story, paid
one hundred sous for the horse's legs. The

88 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
animal they had thus destroyed, was an Arab
stallion of matchless beauty.
" But," observed M. R  , " I should weary
you were I to repeat one half the anecdotes that
are told of the Zouaves, their courage and their
conquests. A stand of colours, wrought for this
regiment by the Queen of the French, was per
forated by fifteen balls in the first engagement
in which it appeared, and made four Lieutenants
on the field of battle, three Ensigns having been
killed. The assault of the breach at Constantine,
and many other exploits redounding to the honour
and glory of the Zouaves, amply atone for the
faults of some individuals of the regiment. As
to those who were guilty of any serious offences,
the Colonel always managed to save them from
the sentence of a court-martial, by placing them
in a position in which they were enabled to rush
on the ranks of the enemy. A Zouave so placed
never survived an engagement."
The Spahis comprise four regiments of cavalry,
all under the command of General Yussuf, who
has recently attained that rank under certain
restrictions, which prevent him from competing
with other Generals for promotion in the French

THE SPAHIS. 89
army. He is a man of talent and courage, and
full of enthusiasm. His presence of mind secured
the victory of Isly, which was for a time com
promised by the retreat of the Spahis when
charging the Arab cannon.
In general, the natives, who form the majority
of the privates in the Spahi regiments, are defi
cient in courage ; and their example sometimes
has an injurious influence on the European
soldiers. The Spahi uniform is very elegant, and
when the men are mounted they make a fine
appearance. At first there was only one regi
ment of the Spahis, and that was commanded by
Yussuf, who thus held the rank of Colonel. His
uniform was richly adorned with gold embroidery
a la Turque, and his appearance was altogether
exceedingly elegant. When he visited Paris,
he was said to be a most prodigious favourite of
the ladies. He is rather small in stature, slender,
and well formed. His dark eyes are full of intel
ligence and animation, and his long black beard
is glossy and well arranged. He speaks French
with a slight oriental accent. In connexion with
the history of his life, so many romantic inci
dents are related, that it is scarcely possible to

90 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
credit them. I have been informed that he is a
native of the Isle of Elba, and that at the age of
seven, when he was proceeding to Leghorn, the
ship in which he sailed was captured by a corsair.
Yussuf was conveyed to Tunis and sold to the Bey.
The boy was placed as a slave in the seraglio,
and by his amiable disposition and graceful
manners, gained the affection of his master.
He made himself perfectly familiar with the
Arab language, and as he advanced in years, his
skill in all military exercises advanced him more
and more in the favour of the Bey. Having
become engaged in an intrigue with one of the
daughters of the Bey, a slave one day surprised
the lovers in an interview. Yussuf determined to
prevent a disclosure, pursued the audacious in
truder through the garden, and killed him on the
spot. He cast the lifeless body into a fish pond,
having first cut off the head, which he carried
away with him. At his next interview with the
Princess, she expressed her alarm for the conse
quences of the discovery that had been made.
The only reply made by Yussuf was to conduct
her to an alcove, and opening a cabinet, he
shewed her the head of the luckless slave. But

TAKING OF BONA. 91
the secresy thus secured was not sufficient to
avert the danger of YussuPs position, and he set
about devising some scheme by which he might
be enabled to leave Tunis.
Under the pretence of illness, he obtained per
mission to go out of the seraglio ; and eluding the
vigilance of his guards, he succeeded in effecting
his escape, by getting on board the French brig,
Adonis, then under orders to join the fleet
destined to attack Algiers. This was in the
month of May, 1830, and Yussuf served in the
first campaign, in quality of interpreter to the
General-in-Chief. After various perilous missions among the
tribes, in all of which he acquitted himself
most successfully, the Duke de Rovigo, then
Governor-General of Algiers, gave him a com
mission to accompany the expedition to Bona.
To the intrepidity of Yussuf, France is in
debted for the capture and preservation of that
city. Marshal Clausel, who succeeded the Duke de
Rovigo, in recompense for the services of Yussuf,
appointed him Bey of Constantina; but since
that time, he has been naturalized in France, and

92 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
has gained rank in the French army by his con
duct on the field of battle, where he has uniformly
distinguished himself by courage, evinced in the
most perilous circumstances.
Whilst my friend was amusing me with these
details, the shades of night were closing in, and
the descending dew warned us that it was time
to retire from the balcony.
On the following morning, before sunrise, we
left Blidah by the Citadel Gate to walk to the
place where our horses were put up. By the
faint light of the dawn, we could perceive on
our left, one of the gorges of the Lesser Atlas ;
and nearer to us was a water-mill on the banks of
the River Oued-Kebir, breaking the surround
ing stillness by the measured beating of its
clapper. Straight before us the white tomb
stones of a little European cemetery were discerni
ble. On the right, the Plain of the Sahel, feebly
lighted by the rays of the rising sun, was covered
by a cloud of white vapour. Directing our course
to the right along the walls of Blidah, we soon
entered a perfect forest of orange and lemon
trees laden with fruit. Our walk was indescrib
ably delightful. The margins of little streams,

GROVES OF ORANGE TREES. 93
formed by outlets from the river, were bordered
by thick bushes of the laurel rose in full flower ;
and the shady trees, beneath which we were
slowly sauntering, shed around us an almost
intoxicating perfume. So powerful is the fra
grance of these trees, that in the day time when
the heat of the sun is excessive, men who have
incautiously lain down and fallen asleep in this
Paradise have been found dead from suffocation.
Since the French occupation of Blidah great
havoc has been made in these groves of orange
trees. To clear the approaches to the town it
has been found necessary to cut down vast
numbers of trees, behind which the Arabs used
to lie in ambush and fire on the sentinels
stationed at the gates of the town. But from the
existing remains of these orangeries, it is easy
to imagine what must have been their former
luxuriance. They are even superior to those of
the Governor of Malta, and those near Toulon
which are highly celebrated.
There is a legendary story relating to the river
Oued-Kebir, which calls to mind an incident of
the Bible. The true believers affirm that once
upon a time, water having become scarce in

94 A VISIT TO ALGERIA. .
Blidah, Mahomed, the Marabout, whom I have
already mentioned, struck with his stick one of
the mountains of the Atlas range, and a spring
gushed forth which has never dried up. This
spring is the source of the river Oued-Kebir.
But to return to our morning walk. The
orange groves round Blidah form vast gardens,
separated from each other by little fosses, and en
closed on the side next the road by impenetrable
hedge-rows of the aloe and the Barbary fig-tree.
The pale green of these hedges is beautifully con
trasted with the dark rich hues of the foliage and
fruit of the orange-trees. In the centre of one of
these gardens we saw the ruins of a Moorish house.
which, judging from the broken fragments of mar
ble columns, scattered on the ground, appeared to
have been the residence of some rich landowner
who had been either killed or banished. The di
lapidated walls, indented with 'bullets, formed,
with the help of some planks of wood, a sort of
inn, where a party of soldiers were, even at that
early hour, drinking wine. Here we found our
horses in readiness, and having mounted, we took
a westerly direction, proceeding to some distance
along the banks of Oued-Kebir in order to gain

THE SHIFFA. 95
the gigantic precipices which form the gorges of
the Shiffa.
We descended a sloping road, running at the
foot of the Atlas ; and on our right was a gently
declining plain, bounded by the entrance of the
gorges. A winding streamlet which crossed this
valley, flowed over a bed of pebbles, intersected
here and there by bushes ofthe laurel rose. After
advancing a little further, still in a sloping direction,
we found ourselves on the banks of the Shiffa
river which takes its source in the mountains.
We now crossed this river for the first time by a
bridge of deal planks, constructed by the soldiers
of the engineer corps. I say for the first time,
because M. R  directed my attention to
our repeated crossings over the Shiffa during our
journey to Medeah, by the road we had taken.
After a very careful computation, I found we
crossed it no less than sixty-two times.
The engineers are a special corps, and have
rendered incalculable service to the French pos
sessions in Africa, by the admirable works they
have executed. They are commanded by Colonel
Lemercier, and the corps, consisting of a very
intelligent body of men, has rivalled in energy and

96 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
courage, the finest regiments in the French ser
vice. The engineers have surmounted obstacles
which appeared almost invincible, and have made
a most favourable impression on the minds of the
Arab people by the promptitude and vigour of
their operations. The works they have executed
in the mountain passes, through which we were
now travelling, are truly amazing. The river
Shiffa has in its course traced out the road which
it is most natural to follow, in threading the mazes
of the Lower Atlas to proceed from Blidah to
Medeah. It flows over a bed of pebbles and
rock ; and in some places the rocks approximate
so closely on either side, that they scarcely
afford sufficient space for a man to pass walk
ing erect. Here and there, where the rocks are
wider apart, the river overflows and the water
descends into a gulph, from whence it again
escapes in greater depth and with a stronger cur
rent. During the rainy season it is impassable, and
it presents a fearful aspect, being bordered on
both sides along a distance of eight leagues by
wild and steep mountains, the lowest summit of
which is one hundred feet high. To open a road

ROAD TO MEDEAH. 97
through these narrow defiles — to confine the ca
pricious river within the boundaries of its bed, —
to stem the torrents which rushed down the
steep declivities — and to break up huge masses of
silicious rock, by help of the pick-axe and the
mine — such have been the gigantic labours succes-
fully performed by the French engineers. The
road now constructed rests, throughout its entire
length, on a strong dyke which confines the
waters. It is carried alternately along the left
and the right bank ofthe river, according as it was
found most easy to break through the masses of
rock, or according as the engineers could avail
themselves of open spaces for the free course
of the numerous cascades descending from the
heights, or escaping from the recesses of the moun
tains, between the entrance of the defiles, and
the top of the plateau commanding Medeah. A
gentle slope facilitates the ascent to the summit of
the Lesser Atlas, on which the town of Medeah
is built. The road is so well made, and kept in
such excellent repair, that even during the rainy
season, it is as good for travelling as the best
English roads. On the brows of the pointed
rocks the creeping vine and the wild ivy form
F

98 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
festoons of verdant foliage, and their summits
are crowned with thick forest trees.
The newly made road is broad, and here and
there certain spaces are allotted for the erection
of tents.
At intervals of about six leagues distant from
one another, there are little camps, each consisting
of six tents occupied by disciplinaires whose duty
it is to guard the safety of the road, and to keep it
in repair. In the rear of these tents wooden crosses
mark the resting places of numerous soldiers who
have been killed in these defiles, either during the
progress of the works, or by being shot from the
Arab ambuscades.
Before we entered the defiles, we felt somewhat
incommoded by the heat, which at that time of
the day was becoming oppressive ; but during our
passage through the new road, which may be
compared to a long winding corridor, we felt a
pleasant coolness accompanied by a continual
breeze. It is only through a few interstices, and
those distant from each other, that the rays ofthe
sun can penetrate ; the intervening parts of the
road, like the bed of the river, being constantly
shaded. Nevertheless our horses were tormented

A SOLDIER'S HOSPITALITY. 99
by swarms of flies. We cut down branches of
trees and made them into whisks to protect the
poor animals, on whose necks the flies left bleed
ing traces of their stings.
About mid-way along the road we stopped at a
little wooden house, occupied by an engineer's
guard, his wife, and pretty daughter. Though the
interior of the house was remarkably neat and
very clean, yet we preferred our dejeuner in front
of the door, whence we could enjoy the grand
aspect of the mountain scenery. I was somewhat
surprised at the fare that was set before us.
Being more humble in my tastes than certain
European tourists who visit the Egyptian Pyra
mids, carrying with them a complete service de
table, I was far from expecting cutlets and an ome
let in so remote and wild a district. Our dejeuner
was followed by coffee. The whole was served in
such excellent style, and we were waited on with
so much attention, that we expected, in fairness, a
liberal charge would be made. On inquiring what
we had to pay, the old soldier bluntly told us he was
not an inn-keeper, that he had shown us hospita
lity, but could not consent to accept remuneration
for it. It was with considerable difficulty, that we
f 2

100 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
prevailed on his wife to accept a little sum in
payment for the refreshment we had partaken of.
We resumed our journey in the direction
of Medeah, and had not proceeded far, when
we were met by an advanced guard of soldiers,
preceding a convoy of sick and wounded men,
carried on prolonges, a sort of long waggon, used
for the conveyance of forage. We counted ten
waggons, each of which contained about thirty
men, who were transferred from the hospital of
Medeah to that of Blidah. The waggons were
followed by a train of mules, laden with cacolets,
in which were sick officers proceeding on the
same destination, availing themselves of the escort
of the convoy.
What a sad spectacle was this ! Three hundred
brave men, mutilated, and worn out by fatigue and
suffering, not even permitted to die tranquilly in an
hospital bed. I was assured, that every day fresh
convoys were pursuing the same route; and if the
men do not speedily recover or die, they are re
moved to make room for others; thus encountering
the fatigues of another long journey, to be trans
ferred to another hospital. The consequence is,
that these invalids frequently perish on the road.

MELANCHOLY SPECTACLE. 101
The last waggon of the convoy we passed con
tained the dead bodies of two unfortunate men,
who had perished by being exposed to the chill
air of the defiles, and their fevered and shivering
comrades seemed to envy their fate. I was deeply
moved at the sight of these poor fellows as the
waggons drove slowly past us. Their features were
drawn, their eyes wild, their clothes tattered ; but,
in spite of all this misery and suffering, each one
grasped his musket.
The condition of these convoys of sick and
wounded must be dreadful indeed, when they are
detached from an expedition on a march. In such
cases, before they can reach an hospital they may
possibly have to traverse tracts of country occu
pied by unsubjugated or rebellious Arab tribes.
So that, when not protected by sufficiently strong
escorts, these convoys encounter the most dreadful
disasters. A column cannot always protect its
sick and wounded, who naturally trammel its
movements and impede the rapidity of its
march. It then becomes necessary to send the
invalids to the nearest hospital. A com
mander has not always a sufficient force to
enable him to detach a number of men to form

102 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
an adequate escort for one of these convoys. To
avoid a surprise the invalids are carried on the backs
of mules, and are obliged to travel day and night ;
it thus usually happens that half of them perish
on the road. An instance of these convoys being
attacked by the Arabs occurred shortly after the
first occupation of Blidah. At a little distance be
yond the village of Beni Mered, twenty prolonges
laden with sick and wounded were surrounded by
a multitude of Arabs, and the helpless sufferers
were mercilessly butchered.
The diseases incidental to the climate are of the
most virulent kind, and can be subdued only by
violent remedies. Intermitting fever, which yields
only to potent doses of quinine, and dysentery
checked only by opium, are disorders of constant
recurrence in all parts of the French possessions
here. Brain fever is also very frequent. Wounds
caused by fire arms always present a very serious
character. When limbs are thus wounded, it is
generally necessary to resort to amputation.
There is always great difficulty in stopping the ef
fusion of blood from wounds received in the very
hot season, and during the excitement of battle,
and this cannot be adequately done on the field.

FRENCH ARMY SURGEONS. 103
The men are, therefore, placed on cacolets ; and
after a journey of some days, they at length reach
an hospital. The treatment of the patients then
becomes a matter of great difficulty. It not un
frequently happens that a second amputation is
necessary ; and it is fortunate if, even by this ex
treme remedy, the frightfully rapid progress of
gangrene can be arrested. M. R  assured
me that the medical service of the army was
admirably maintained. The military surgeons are
men eminent for their professional skill, and have
distinguished themselves by their zeal and courage
under the most difficult and trying circumstances.
Some of them have resolutely remained in attend
ance on their patients, even at the risk of being
captured and murdered by the Arabs.
The convoy having passed us, we continued our
way. We soon left the banks of the Shiffa, and
ascending a hill, by a winding road, we reached
the outlet of these majestic mountain passes. As
we advanced, we found a greater abundance of
vegetation — the oak, the cork-tree, and the wild
olive adorned the adjacent hills. On the opposite
side of a plain we saw the camp of the Nador,
which we proposed to visit. It is occupied by an

104 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
Arab tribe. This is said to have been the first
camp in which the regular regiments of the Emir,
Abd-el-Kader, were formed. Here and there some
rude huts, built of stone, are inhabited by Arab
families. The men, who came running out to us,
had all a very sickly appearance. My friend in
formed me that a neighbouring fountain was the
cause of this general unhealthiness. After the
camp was taken by the French, they kept a force
stationed there for some time. It was then found
that fifteen or twenty men were daily seized with
violent cholic. This epidemic of course became the
object of medical investigation, and post mortem
examinations disclosed traces of copper in the
stomachs of the patients to whom the disease had
proved fatal. On analyzing the water of the foun
tain, there appeared reason to conclude that the
spring passed over some veins of a copper mine.
It was at first supposed that the Arabs, on evacu
ating the position, had poisoned the water ; but
this suspicion proved to be unfounded, for now,
after the lapse of three years, the water still retains
its noxious qualities. It may be mentioned, as a
remarkable fact, that in no instance have the
Arabs been known to poison springs, or to turn

THE APPROACH TO MEDEAH. 105
the course of currents, though possessing frequent
opportunities of so doing.
On turning the hill, we found ourselves sur
rounded by vines, whose thickly curling tendrils
denoted a prodigious luxuriance of vegetation. The
surrounding country too was richly clothed with
verdure. Here and there groves of palm, fig, and
orange trees resembled the scenery of a vast theatre.
Amidst all this richly coloured foliage, and in the
depth of a valley, we discerned the dark walls of
the town of Medeah, and a few white minarets
raising their pointed summits. On the right, an
immense aqueduct of Roman construction, wind
ing like a serpent on the plain, conveys to the
town the water of the mountain springs. The
arches of this aqueduct are completely lined inter
nally with creeping plants.
We soon arrived at the gate of Medeah, where,
near a little fountain, there was a caravan which
had stopped there at sunset. Camels were
feeding on the grass and shrubs on the road sides.
A group of Arabs were at prayers with their faces
turned to the East, in the direction of Mecca, and
some children were imitating the pious example of
their parents. No one stirred on our approach.
f 3

106 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
A burnouse spread on the ground served as a car
pet, on which, bare-footed, they alternately lay
down prostrate, and stood erect. There was
something very imposing in the calm dignity
of manner with which those men invoked the
Deity. When the prayer was ended, they turned
to the eldest man of their party and embraced him.
Then resuming their slippers, and driving their
camels before them, they penetrated into the
sinuosities of a ravine, and were soon out of
sight. The gate by which we entered was an ogive
arch, formed of masonry, consisting of small
pebbles fixed in cement. It opened into a tole
rably large square, planted with young orange trees.
A fine mosque on the left is converted into an hos
pital, and on the right are some old ruinous houses.
At the farther extremity a white marble fountain
is backed by low moresque arcades, beneath which
some Moors and Arabs had assembled to smoke
and drink coffee. On the opposite side of the
square there was another small gate, through which
it was necessary to pass to go into the town.
Here we met with some French officers, who were
very civil to my companion and me, and invited

ARAB PROVERBS. 107
us to partake of their dinner. Having dismounted
from our horses, we were introduced into a well
lighted saloon, and took our places at the table.
The gentleman seated next me was a young in
terpreter, who spoke English remarkably well, and
who had collected a vast deal of information in the
course of extensive travels. During dinner he
amused us by repeating a number of Arab pro
verbs, among which were the following : —
" If your friend is made of honey, do not eat
him all up."
" If you travel through the country of the blind,
be bhnd yourself.
"When you are the anvil, have patience :
when you are the hammer, strike straight and
well." " He who cannot take a hint will not compre
hend a long explanation."
" The mother of the murdered man may
sleep ; but the mother ofthe murderer cannot."
" I like the head of a dog, better than the tail
of a lion."
" Take counsel of one greater, and of one less
than yourself; and afterwards form your own
opinion."

10S A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
There is great simplicity in all these quaint pro
verbs. If, as it is said, proverbs are the wisdom of
the nation, they may also be called the wisdom of
individuals. In all the Eastern proverbs there is
great depth of thought, and they express opinions
which are the result of long experience and re
flection. This young interpreter was, during three
months, detained as a prisoner of war by the
Emir, Abd-el Kader, by whom he was very well
treated. As he spoke the Arabic language per
fectly, and signified his willingness to become
a Mussulman, he was initiated into the mysteries
of the Mosque. While he was at Tagadem, two
Marabouts endeavoured to get possession of him.
One belonged to the sect of Abou Beker, the
other to the sect of Ali Mahomed, cousin of the
Prophet, and husband of his daughter Fatima.
One day, the intended convert was taken to a
grand festival of the Beiram, which was attended
by all the Sheiks of the tribes subject to the Emir.
But I will tell the story in his own words :
" I accompanied the two Marabouts," said he,
" to the Grand Mosque of Tagadem, along with all
the Sheiks and Cadis. With the prayer com-

MYSTERIES OF THE MOSQUE. 109
menced my torture, for nothing could be more
harassing than the kneeling, the prostrations with
the face on the ground, the rising up only for
another prostration, then the same ceremony over
again, and so on, just as it pleases the priest who
directs the prayer. My attention was soon fixed
by the thundering noise ofthe band of music which
preceded the Emir in person. He was followed by
the Psylles, a troop of men wearing high pointed
hats of felt, from which hung the tails of jackals.
To their natural beards were added artificial ones
of flax. Each held in his hand a large adder, and
the reptiles twisting about, tried to fasten on every
person within their reach. Occasionally a Psylle
would take one of these adders in his mouth,
and bite it with so much violence, that the reptile
becoming furious, hissed with pain, and made
frightful contortions. Sometimes rolling itself
round the arms which confined it, return
ing bite for bite. Then the Arabs getting
alarmed, would fall back ; but they seemed to be
more awed by the Psylles, than afraid of the
serpents which struggled in their grasp.
" The instruments of the band consisted of large
kettle drums, shrill hautbois, and tam-tams, beat
with leather thongs. The band was followed by

110 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the standards of the Emir and the other Sheiks.
A throng of women and children testified their joy
by loud shoutings, with which they made the
edifice resound.
" Having advanced near the altar, the Psylles de
scribed a large circle, in the midst of which the
Emir placed himself, and behind him were ranged
the standard-bearers and the musicians. At a
given signal, the devotees, young and old, rushed
within the circle, ranging themselves one behind
the other. Each laid his two hands on the
shoulders of the person nearest him, and thus,
holding together, they commenced the rehgious
dance. Balancing first on one foot, then on
another, they made their heads follow the move
ments ofthe body. These movements were at first
like the music, rather slow ; but they soon acquired
vast rapidity. The circles moved with a velocity, of
which no idea can be formed but by seeing them.
The Emir chaunted the profession of faith, the
" Allah ilia Allah !" (There is no other God but
God.) Every individual repeated it at first, clearly
and distinctly, then in a sort of hoarse tone ; and
presently in a stifled manner, until at last it became
a death-like convulsive rattle in the throat. The
features became distorted, the mouth convulsed

FANATICAL RITES. Ill
and foaming, the eyes glared, the throat swelled,
the breathing became short and difficult ; and at
length the devotees fell down in fits. The circle
gradually diminishing, some of the youngest and
most vigorous of the dancers still tried to support
themselves, but in the end their fall was only the
more terrible.
"I saw one of them fall as if struck by a thun
der-bolt, and his gushing blood stained the vest
ments of the Emir. His hands and feet were then
eagerly kissed. He was a saint. The people
rushed forward, that they might have the happi
ness of saying they had beheld him. His clothes
were torn to rags, each little fragment being
taken away as a relic. At night, the same scene
was acted over again; and then the glare of the
coloured lamps gave to all who took part in it, a
diabolical aspect. It was altogether like an infer
nal rite."
This description not a little amused and sur
prized me. I asked the narrator how he had been
able to get out of the Emir's power. He told me,
that in consequence of his apparent inclination to
Mahometism, he was allowed much liberty, and
that he often made excursions on horseback, in

112 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
company with the Sheiks. One day, finding
himself better mounted than his companions, he
set his horse to a gallop, and was lucky enough
to escape, though several balls came whizzing
past his ears.
Our new friends, the Artillery officers, now
invited us to pass the night in the house they
occupied, where some beds of their absent com
rades were at our service. We gladly accepted
the offer, for we should have preferred staying
even in the open air, to taking up our quarters in
a dirty looking hotel, which was the only place of
public accommodation in the town.
Early next morning, we went out to take a
stroll, and observed storks with their nests on the
roofs of some houses. The stork is regarded by the
Arabs as a sacred bird, the emblem of tranquil
lity and innocence, bringing blessings to all the
dwellings on which it perches. M. R  wish
ing to send a couple of these birds to a friend in
Algiers, was obliged to apply to the Commandant
of the fortress, from whom he received a written
order, and the attendance of a soldier to assist
him. We found a nest well supplied with young.
and by the help of a ladder, the soldier approached

A TAME LION. 113
so near it, as to be able to take out two newly
fledged birds. During the operation, the inhabitants
of the town were greatly scandalized, and seemed
disposed to deal roughly with us. Had it not been
for the Commandant's order, which was shown to
them with a translation, I do not think we should
have got away unmolested. The storks are also
valued for their usefulness, as they destroy great
numbers of the rats, mice, and serpents, with
which the country is infested.
The garrison of Medeah is commanded by
General Marrey, who at this time was absent on
an expedition. Nevertheless, we called at his
house, where, in a saloon, we saw his magnificent
lion Bello, which is so singularly docile, that it
goes about the house quite at liberty, without
collar or chain. On the servant whistling, the
animal raised his head majestically ; and after
looking at us for a few moments very fixedly, he
lay down again, without taking any further notice
of us. The servant observed that the lion was low
spirited, and out of humour, in consequence of the
absence of his master, to whom he is much
attached. Medeah has also its Casbah, situated in the

114 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
most elevated point of the town. When taken by
the French, the Casbah contained two pieces of
cannon, which had doubtless once belonged to
the Spaniards. The town does not contain more
than six hundred houses. The garrison is strong,
and the soldiers are encamped without the town in
tents. An immense plain surrounds Medeah. The
sinuosities of the streams may be discerned by
the reeds, and the fresh vegetation along their
margins. Game is abundant here ; wild boars, in
particular, are very numerous; and the soldiers,
when on watch for them, can shoot them without
going far from their tents.
Our friend, the young interpreter, took us to see
an Arab school. It was in a building adjoining the
principal mosque. We saw about twenty children
seated confusedly on mats, studying and repeat
ing aloud the. lessons they had been set to learn.
They repeated these lessons in a sort of singing
tone, accompanied by a continued movement of
the body. In the midst of all this stunning
noise, the Arab schoolmaster communicated his
instructions. He was a poor Marabout, whose
only source of subsistence was the emolument he

MAXIMS OF THE KORAN. 115
derived from his little class, together with the
payment he received from some Sheiks, for
chaunting the Koran. No regular method of
teaching was observed in this Arab school. Each
scholar was furnished with a little piece of var
nished wood, on which the master traced a few
letters of the alphabet. When the lesson was
learned, the master rubbed the piece of board with
a wet rag, and having obliterated the old lesson,
he traced a new one. The instruction was not
collective : the master successively called up each
pupil, showed him his lesson, and then sent him
back to his place to study it.
In front of the little building, in which the
Marabout had established his school, there was
inscribed a passage from the Koran, which our
friend the interpreter construed as follows :
"During the first seven years of life let the
child play ; during the next seven years, instruct
and correct him ; during the seven following years,
send him forth into the world, so that he may
acquire and adopt its usages ; the man will then
be perfect."
After leaving the school, we visited some little
shops. They were very shallow, and did not

116 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
communicate with the houses to which they
belonged. They were, in fact, little more than
niches made in the walls, and were scarcely three
or four feet in depth. They all had a sort of
portico, projecting into the street, and beneath
which the shopkeeper sits cross-legged the greater
part of the day smoking his pipe, sipping coffee,
or gossiping with his customers. At the
threshold of one of the doors, I saw a woman
engaged in grinding corn between two stones.
The upper stone was turned rapidly with the
hand over the lower stone, which was fixed. This
is called an arm-mill. When passing through the
outskirts of the town, we saw another mill less
primitive in its construction. It was so con
trived as to separate the bran from the flour.
The latter, the Arabs sort into several quali
ties. After breakfast we mounted our horses, and
rode to the distance of about half a league from
the town, to view the old country residence ofthe
Dey of Titterie. It is situated in the midst of
well cultivated gardens, and hke all the Moorish
houses, it has a very pretty appearance. It com
mands an extensive view of the open country,

ROMAN RUINS. 117
over hills, either barren or only covered vvith
brushwood. Looking towards the south, some
httle huts, and patches of cultivated ground are
discernible. At the distance of about two leagues
from the town, on a plateau called Aouarah, we
saw the ruins of a Roman citadel. The eye readily
traces a large square space, at one angle of which
some huge blocks of stone showed the remains of
the perimeter of a round tower. Two Roman
roads, paved with large flag stones, led from this
point; but their tracts were soon lost beneath
thickly overspreading brambles.
Our itinerary for returning to Algiers was
through the Bibans, (Iron Gates,) and Coleah. An
officer of Spahis, who was proceeding in the
same direction, proposed that we should accom
pany him and his escort. We set out, directing
our course to the north-west, passing through
forests of old olive trees, and threading our way
through tortuous paths, amidst thick brush-wood.
We crossed several deep ravines, which, in the
rainy season, form the beds of rivers. Having
reached the summit of a rapid declivity, the path
way along which merely afforded space sufficient
for a horse's hoof, we saw at the depth of twenty-

118 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
four feet beneath us, a ravine so narrow and close,
that it appeared almost like a tunnel, and within
it we could perceive a quantity of bones. Our
companion informed us, that in the rainy season,
the sloping path along which we were then passing
was exceedingly slippery, and that a convoy of
provisions proceeding to Medeah had lost twenty
camels in those dangerous defiles. The bones we
observed, were the skeletons of those animals,
which, with their loads, fell one after the other into
the ravine in the middle of the night. The fore
most having lost his footing and shpped down,
the others ah fell over him. On the following
day, men were dispatched from the town with
ropes, to draw up the loads which the camels had
on their backs. They found only the bones
of the poor animals : every particle of their flesh
having been devoured by the jackals and hyenas.
The officer who related to us these particulars
observed, that he should never forget the piteous
roaring ofthe animals, which were out of sight,
though their struggles to extricate themselves
were audible. This officer commanded the escort
which accompanied the convoy, and he lost ten
men in the fearful catastrophe.

ARAB ENCAMPENT. 119
In the evening we reached a large valley situ
ated on the northern declivity of the Lesser Atlas,
and before us was the passage of the Bibans, or
the Iron Gates. On a large stone I saw inscribed
the words — " French Army, October 28th, 1839."
Here we halted at the encampment of a Sheik
of Duars. He was a friend of the officer
with whom we were travelhng, and had served in
his regiment. We threw ourselves on his hos
pitality, trusting that he would afford us shelter
for the night. The encampment comprised about
ten tents, covered with bull's hides. Some of the
Arabs, warned of our approach by the barking of
their dogs, came out and gazed at us with astonish
ment. The Sheik himself soon made his appear
ance. He cordially embraced his old officer, and
welcomed us by touching our hands. We dis
mounted, and the people of the tribe led away our
horses, to put them up for the night ; the soldiers
of our escort giving themselves no concern about
the matter. It was evident that they knew they
were among friends, and felt themselves quite at
home. We were soon introduced into the Sheik's tent,
which differed from the rest, being covered with

120 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
some kind of stout brown cloth. The ground was
spread with mats and some neat carpeting. Pre
sently supper was brought in. It consisted of
hard-boiled eggs, honey cakes, boiled fowl, and
kuskussu, all served in little wooden cups and
plates. The fowls, which were disjointed without
the help of either knives or forks, were very good,
though highly spiced. The kuskussu came last of
all. It is at once bread and soup, dinner and de
sert, and is prepared as follows : The Arab
women, after bruising the wheat in the arm mills
I have already described, throw the flour into a
sort of tub, where they mix it with oil. They
then turn it about rapidly with their fingers until
the whole is formed into a sort of granulated
paste, which is cooked over steam, and eaten with
milk or melted butter. From time to time a bowl
of milk was passed round, and each of the party
took a draught of it by turns. The repast being
ended, soap and water were brought in for
washing the hands and the beard, an operation
very necessary, where every one eats with his
fingers. Last of all came pipes and coffee, and
then darkness gradually drawing in, the tents were
closed, and conversation ceased.

TERROR IN THE CAMP. 121
The night was delicious ; the clear moon shed
her light over the valley, and from the high sur
rounding hills was reflected the red glare of burn
ing brushwood, to which the Arabs had set fire,
with the view of cultivating the ground it covered.
The stillness of the night was broken by the crack
ling of these mountain fires, and the barking of dogs,
which, with the shrill squeaking of troops of jack
als, formed an alternating chorus. Nevertheless I
could easily have slept, but for the numerous in
sects that swarmed about the tent. The stings of
the musquitos were intolerable. After a little time
the dogs and jackals ceased their noise, and silence
prevailed. For the space of an hour, not a sound
had been heard, when suddenly the dead stillness
was broken by a noise which appeared to me like
a distant peal of thunder, repeated and prolonged
by the mountain echoes. GraduaUy the noise
became louder. The animals sprang from their
resting places, and the men, armed with muskets,
rushed out of the tents. The oxen grouped them
selves together and turned their horns to the
enemy ; and the dogs were afraid even to bark. Pre
sently the roaring became less frequent and more
distant: and we found that we had been saved

122 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
from the unwelcome visit of a lion, by the light of
the burning brushwood on the neighbouring hills.
I should have been glad to have had an opportunity
of seeing the King of the Desert at large in his
natural wildness ; but on the other hand there was
perhaps nothing to be regretted, for with the ex
ception of five or six men, on whom alone we
could have relied, all the other Arabs were seized
with a panic, which rendered them incapable of
making any defence. In a short time, the Duars
was restored to perfect tranquillity, and overcome
with fatigue, I fell asleep.
The voice of the Sheik roused the Arabs from
their slumber. With the first rays of the sun they
arose to perform their morning's devotions. This
duty being ended, coffee was served. By this
time our horses were saddled and ready for our
departure, and we took leave of our venerable
host, who had sheltered and entertained us with a
hospitality worthy of the patriarchal ages. There
was a singular degree of nobleness and dignity in
the manners of this old Sheik, and his conver
sation was marked by solemn and figurative turns
of speech, which sometimes called to mind the
poetic language of the Bible. For example, my

FIRST VIEW OF C0LEAH. 123
friend asked him how he could account for the
Arab tribes so perseveringly following the Emir
in his expeditions against the French, when it was
obvious that sooner or later the latter must ob
tain a triumphant ascendancy. His answer was —
" If you have before you a bowl of water, and you
dip your hand into it, the water will rise ; but
when you draw forth your hand, the water will
fall again, and find its natural level."
The day was oppressively hot, and the paths
difficult. Here and there we perceived some
desolate huts, but not a single inhabitant. At
length, about four in the afternoon, we issued from
a long winding road, bordered with rows of thick
trees. Here we beheld Coleah, which is seated in
the depth of a valley, and surrounded by orchards
and groves of palm trees. The wall which sur
rounds the town is almost in a state of ruin ; and
on the outside of it, running in a direction from
west to east, there is a cemetery with two Mara
bouts. The streets are regularly built, and in the
centre of the town there is a square, planted with
orange trees. The houses in this square are built
with arcades, like those of Algiers. In one corner
of the square stands a mosque, transformed into a
g 2

124 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
church, and facing it, a small, clean-looking hotel,
in which we established our quarters for the
night. On the following morning we set out for Algiers,
visiting on our way the forts of Point Pescade,
situated on the sea shore, about two leagues from
Algiers. The adjacent country is exceedingly
picturesque. On every side the eye rests on
pretty country houses, surrounded by blooming
gardens and well cultivated orchards. The forts,
three in number, are built on a point of land which
advances into the sea. They comprise a large tower
and two low batteries of a rectangular form. A
pretty wild looking valley, surrounded by pointed
rocks, completes the landscape. The mountains
commanding the point are very steep, and descend
abruptly in the direction of the shore, which is
covered with brushwood as far as Cape Sidi-Fer-
ruch, where a pyramid has been erected to com
memorate the landing of the French in 1830.
Near Point Pescade I saw two groups of drui-
dical tombs, each consisting of four blocks of
brown free-stone, forming a rectangle, sur
mounted by a fifth stone. One of these groups
comprised six tombs, the other twelve. Leaving

RETURN TO ALGIERS. 125
those picturesque regions, we took the main road
to Algiers, and about noon we arrived at the Babr
el-Oued Gate. I had caught cold during my
night's lodging in the Arab tent, and I felt ill, with
symptoms of intermittent fever.

126 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.

CHAPTER IV.
Different races of the Inhabitants of Algeria — Kabyles —
Moors — Arabs— Jews — Turks and Koulouglis — Habita
tions — Costumes — Industry — Manners — Cruelty — Reli
gion — Superstition — Amulets — Marriages — Funerals —
The Plague — Ophthalmia — Cutaneous diseases — Amputa
tions. I set about collecting correct information re
specting the various races of people who inhabit
Algeria; and this amusing occupation favoured
my recovery from the illness with which I was
attacked during my recent journey. For a great
part of the information which I here communicate
I am indebted to the kind attention of my friend
M. R  , a source which is the best possible
guarantee of correctness.
The small portion of Africa through which I

DIFFERENT RACES. 127
travelled, is inhabited by seven races of people,
each race differing the one from the other, in its
more prominent characters, manners, and habits.
Though all races professing Islamism preserve
much affinity in their laws and religion, yet they
are nevertheless perfectly distinct in physical
character, habits, and manners, differing in origin
as well as in the names by which they are
known — viz., Kabyles, Moors, Negroes, Arabs,
Jews, Turks, and Koulouglis. These, as far as I
am aware, are all the names by which they are
distinguished. The Kabyles inhabit the mountain chains ofthe
Lesser Atlas, from the kingdom of Tunis to the
empire of Morocco. The name of each tribe is
preceded by the word Beni, signifying children.
Thus they have Beni-Menassers, Beni-Sala, Beni-
Song-Song, that is to say, children of Menassers,
of Sala, or of Song-Song.
The Kabyles are of middle stature and swarthy
complexion. Their hair is black and smooth.
Their bodies and limbs are robust and nervous.
They have more rotundity of head than the
Arabs, and the face is shorter ; but the features
are well marked. The expression of the counte-

128 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
nance is savage and cruel. They are an active
and intelligent race : and their tribes are spread
over the northern declivity of the Lesser Atlas.
They speak and understand the common Arabic,
but they use an idiom called the Shilla.
The dwellings of the Kabyles are formed of
pieces of wood fixed in the ground, to which are
affixed reeds and branches of trees intertwined
together. To this fabric a certain firmness is
given by filling up the interstices with a kind of
shmy earth, mixed with chopped straw. All these
habitations are square in form, and have triangular
roofs composed of thatch or reeds. They are sel
dom more than two feet high. They are entered
by low and narrow doors, which close firmly,
small holes made in the walls serving for win
dows ; these huts are ranged in small groups in
the valleys or on the sides ofthe mountains.
These rude habitations are not altogether
devoid of conveniences. On the outside of the
doors there were large conical holes (called silos)
dug in the ground, in which are preserved grain,
fruits, and vegetables. The bee-hives are made
of the bark of the cork tree and reeds plaited to
gether. The Kabyles have also pots and vases made

COSTUME. 129
of clay and wood. In the interior of the houses
straw mats, of loose texture, and sheep skins are
spread over the floor. At night these mats and
skins serve for beds.
The usual dress of the Kabyles consists of a
kind of woollen shirt, with short sleeves, which is
confined round the waist by a leather strap. On
the head they wear a small cap of white felt, and
their feet and legs are uncovered. The chiefs, how
ever, wear yellow or red morocco boots, with a
kind of loose shpper drawn over the foot. The
shirt, which very much resembles the Roman
tunic, is partially covered by a haick. This con
sists of a piece of fine white woollen cloth, about
a yard wide, and five or six yards long, fixed round
the head by a broad band of camel hair, forming
a bandeau of five or six circles, one above the
other. A very fine white burnouse, forming as it
were a lining to another burnouse of a thick
brown material, envelopes the whole person in
its ample folds.
The dress of the women very much resembles
that ofthe men ; but they do not wear the burnouse,
and allow the haick to flow like a veil, though they
do not cover the face with it. G 3

130 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
The Kabyles are an industrious race of people.
They work the mines of their mountains, not by
galleries but by open trenches. The products of
these mines are lead, iron, and copper. The lead
is converted into shot for hunting and for warfare ;
the iron is made into edged weapons, and even
musket barrels ; and the copper is employed for
female ornaments.
Though brave, the Kabyles are barbarously
cruel in war. In one of the campaigns they cap
tured an unfortunate French woman, and the poor
creature was found hung by her feet to the trunk
of a palm tree. Her bowels were torn out, and
her breasts, nose, and ears cut off. There is no
quarter given to any enemy who may fall livino*
into their hands. They not only chop off the
heads of their enemies, but they accompany the
act with all kinds of horrors.
It may easily be conceived, that a people
addicted to such atrocities, can be but slightly
imbued with religious principle. Though they
render a kind of worship to their Marabouts, yet
they have no mosques. They read the Koran, of
which some of the tribes have a manuscript copy,
for they all reject the printed Koran. The Mara-

THE MOORS. 131
bouts devote themselves to the laborious task of
copying the sacred book. The Kabyles are
doubtless descended from the ancient Numi
dians. The Moors, who came from Asia, settled on
the coast, and consequently have had far more
intercourse than the Kabyles with Europeans.
The conquerors who have overrun Africa, have at
once modified their manners, and degenerated their
race. Conquered by the Arabs, and governed by
the Turks, they have adopted the manners of the
latter. Most of the European invaders who have
settled in Africa, married Moorish women, and
the people degenerated from the primitive stock
by the mixture of blood, constitute the race now
called Moors.
In stature, the Moors are somewhat above the
middle height. Their hair is black, but their
skin fair ; the nose is aquiline, the mouth is of
moderate size, and the eyes large. Their bodies
are muscular, and in general they have a tendency
to become corpulent. They dwell chiefly in
the towns, in the three provinces of Algeria. Like
the Turks, they wear the turban. Their wide
trousers are fastened round the waist, by a run-

132 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
ning string, and were confined in the same way
under the knee. They have a vest, with the
sleeves slit up at the lower part, and embroidered
with silk or gold. They seldom have stockings,
but they wear slippers. A broad girdle, silken
or woollen, embroidered in different colours, or
in gold, serves to support the yatagan and
pistols. They wear the white burnouse, by way
of a cloak. Those only who have made a pilgri
mage to Mecca are entitled to wear a green
turban. All the Moors have the head shaved and
the beard entire ; and they punctually perform the
ablutions enjoined by the Koran.
The women usually go bare-footed ; but some
times they wear slippers. They have white trousers,
gathered above the ankles, and fastened at
the waist by a string. The lower part of the
chemise passes into the trousers, and over it
the Moorish females wear two vests like those
worn by the men, but longer and made of silk,
embroidered witfh gold. Over the trousers is a
sort of petticoat, fixed by a girdle, consisting of a
long scarf of silk or cashmere. The plaited hair
is fastened by a bandage round the head. A small
white handkerchief fixed at the back behind the

MOORISH WOMEN. 133
head, veils the lower part of the face, from the
eyes downward. Over all these vestments they
wear another garment, composed of a thin texture
of white wool, which, passing over the head,
gracefully falls over the arms and shoulders.
Most Moorish females wear as a head-dress the sar
mah ; but it is always concealed under the woollen
covering I have just described. From the sarmah
there is suspended a long band of gold tissue,
which hangs down to the ground. These females,
who are generally corpulent, and always thus
muffled up, walk out in parties of four or five,
followed by black slaves or domestics. Creeping
slowly along the streets, they appear at a distance
hke huge phantoms. They tinge with red their
nails, the palm of the hand, and soles of the
feet. Nearly aU the trades of Europe are followed by
the Moors ; but they are indolent and phlegmatic to
an excess. My friend's window happened to look
direct into an apartment of a neighbouring house,
where a young Moor used to work as a watch
maker. We often saw him examining a piece of
copper for a long time ; then fighting his pipe, he
would, whilst smoking, make a few touches with

134 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
his file, or strokes with his hammer. These tasks
being performed, he would pass a considerable
time in gazing with admiration on his work. This
was his whole occupation from day to day, with
the addition of drinking a great many cups of
coffee. The Moors do not excel in agriculture, for they
despise the labours of the field. Any occupation
which demands exertion they dislike. Probably
they would never mount a horse, were it not that
they are too indolent to walk. Yet they are not to
tally uneducated, being all taught to read and write.
The Mahometan religion is strictly adhered to
by the Moors. They perform their devotions
wherever they happen to be, without regard to the
appropriateness of time or place. The form of
prayer is announced from the minarets, by the
Muezzin, who, waving a small white flag calls out
with all his might : " There is only one God !
God is great, and Mahomet is his prophet ! I
greet you ! Come to the mosque, and worship
God ! Let those in the plains, or on the high
ways, pray where they are!" This appeal is
repeated five times each day. At sun-rise it is
called the Emleber Denor ; at noon it is the Dor ;

FUNERALS. 135
at four in the afternoon, El Hasser; at sun set, El
Magruh; and at an hour after sunset, El hatmet.
In the course of the year, the Moors observe
several religious festivals, the most important of
which are, the Ramadan, which lasts a whole month,
and the Beyram, which continues four days.
When a Moor dies, his relations first wash the
body, and then put cotton soaked in camphor,
into the mouth, the nostrils, the ears, the eyes,
and under the arm-pits. They dress the corpse
in holiday garments, then wrap it in a white
cloth, and lay it on a bed, around which the friends
and domestics of the deceased are allowed to
assemble, during the twenty-four hours of exposi
tion. The body is carried to the grave on a litter.
Over this litter is spread a silken covering, which,
when intended for a young girl, is embroidered
with gold; for a married woman it is white; for
a man red. The body is laid in the grave, with the
head to the south. After the grave is closed, the
friends return to the house of the deceased, where
they partake of kuskussu, and some of the slaves
are usually set at liberty.
Superstition is prevalent among the Moors.
They recognize two supernatural powers ; one

136

A VISIT TO ALGERIA.

celestial, the other satanic. They attach great
importance to amulets, which they make even
their camels wear. Among others, they have
one which they term a magical square, thus
formed :

| 40

10

20

8

7

21

9

41

12

42

6

18

19

5

43

11

the addition of the numbers, whether made per
pendicularly, transversely or diagonally has the
same result : the total being always seventy-eight.
The table is composed of the sum of the four
letters of the word Hkim (wise). To the letters
respectively the following values are assigned h 8,
k 20, i 10, m 40. The number, seventy-eight,
is by the Mussulmans supposed to possess the
mystic power which some Christians assign to the
number thirteen.

MOORISH CUSTOMS. 13 7
The Moors do not manifest much hospitality
even to their fellow-countrymen. On the first
evacuation of Blidah by the French, all the Moor
ish inhabitants of that town, dreading terrible
reprisals from the Kabyles, repaired to Algiers
with the troops. Some Jews, who also took refuge
under the protection of the French soldiers, were
perfectly well received by the people of their
religion who afforded them all the assistance in
their power. On the contrary, the unfortunate
Moorish families were repulsed by the Moors, and
thus thrown on the charity of the Europeans.
The Moors beheve that a woman has no soul,
and that when a Moresco female dies no future
state is reserved for her ; the houris, with whom
Mahomet has peopled his paradise, being supposed
to have nothing in common with the females of this
world. When beauty is gone, the women are little
cared for; but while they are young they are objects
of much jealousy, for though their husbands do
not go out with them in towns, they require that
they should be veiled and always attended by a
companion of their own sex. In this country,
however, the husband and wife not unfrequently

138 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
go out together, and the husband then arms him
self as he would on setting out on some perilous
expedition. The marriage contract is ratified by a deed,
which is drawn up by the Cadi, and marriages are
celebrated by feasting and dancing. The women
remain together in an apartment separated from
the men. A Moor may have four legitimate wives
and as many concubines as he can maintain. The
offspring of the latter are brought up in the same
manner as the legitimate children, and enjoy the
same rights.
From time immemorial the Arabs and the
Moors have employed, as their slaves, negroes
and negresses, brought from the interior of Africa
by caravans. These slaves may obtain liberty
by length of service, by the payment of money,
or by the death of their master. This is the origin
of the negro race in Algiers. There are negresses
whose colour is jet black, and who have woolly
hair, whilst their features have all the regularity
of a Roman bust. I did not see any regular
Mulattos. In general the negroes have the
character of those we see in Europe. They

NEGROES. 139
have the same peculiarities of form in the lower
part of the leg, together with the projecting heel.
Most of the negroes live in the towns, and
dress like the Moors. The women wear a white
cotton under garment, with short sleeves, trousers
of brown cloth, drawn in gathers round the waist.
They have a piece of blue striped cloth, in which
they wrap themselves, covering the head and
face, so that nothing is seen but the eyes.
They are extremely fond of trinkets, and glass
ornaments. When they cannot afford to pur
chase earrings and necklaces, they supply the
want of them by wearing teeth and fish bones.
Nearly all the butchers in Algiers, and the
other towns, are negroes. Many of them fre
quent the coffee-houses to perform music, if that
name may be given to the hideous charivari
they produce with iron castanets, skins stretched
on wooden cyhnders, and enormous pipes made
of reeds.
In other respects, the manners of the negroes
are similar to those of the Moors, with whom they
constantly live, and from whom they only differ
in the colour of the skin.
The Arabs are the ancient Vandals, who, in

140 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
6975 drove the Romans out of Africa, and took
possession of the whole of Mauritania. The
Numidians remained in their mountains, and
would not form alhance with them; though, in
manners, the two races approximated. The Arabs
are divided into two classes : the tribes, who in
habit the towns ; and the Nomades, or Bedouins,
who hve in tents, without confining themselves
to a fixed residence in any place. They are,
for the most part, tall, and their hair is black and
smooth. Their heads are of a somewhat elongated
form; their features large, and strongly marked;
and their complexions, are nearly of an olive
tint. They are brave and daring in battle ; and
though they do not hesitate to cut off an enemy's
head, yet they do not torture him by any wanton
cruelties. Their huts are not more elegant than
those of the Kabyles. They build them together
in large numbers, forming villages, which they
call Douars. The tents are made either of bul
locks' hides, or of a strong tissue of camel hair.
In the centre of the Douar, there is always a
tent, which serves for a mosque, and is occupied
by a Marabout.
The dress of the Arabs scarcely differs from

DRESS AND FOOD. 141
that of the Kabyles. Like them, they have the
haick, and the burnouse; but they have light
cloth pantaloons, fastened at the knee ; and they
wear no shirt, making the haick supersede that
garment. Very few wear slippers : the greater
number envelope their feet in pieces of bullock's
hide, keeping the hair outward. They lace these
hides on the feet, and round the legs, with strings
made of the bark of trees.
The women's dress consists of a sort of che
mise, confined by a string round the waist. They
wear their hair hanging down. When in the
douars, they do not cover their faces. They
always go bare-footed, and are very fond of
necklaces and bracelets ; the latter they sometimes
even wear on their ancjes.
Of all the races who inhabit the coast of
Africa, the Arabs are the most temperate. Their
usual food consists of milk, fruits, a kind of
cake of flour, which they make with great rapi
dity, baking it on a metal plate, and spreading
some drops of oil over it. They take snuff;
for they know how to reduce their tobacco to
powder, as fine as Spanish snuff. For a snuff
box, they carry a reed, fastened to the waist,

142 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
and with a piece of wood fixed in it, by way
of a cork.
Though naturally indolent, yet each Arab
family provides for its own wants, with the ex
ception of arms and ammunition, which they
always purchase from the Kabyles. Camels
are their beasts of burthen, and on his migratory
journey, the Arab packs all his moveable property
on the animal's back. However poor, an Arab
is never without a good horse, and he will
often take pleasure in looking at it for an hour
together. The horse is washed, but never cur
ried. As soon as a colt is a year old, his mane
and tail are shaved, to make the hair grow again
as thickly as possible.
The Nomade Arabs do not cultivate the ground
round their encampments ; when their cattle have
not sufficient food in the place they occupy, they
remove their tents to another quarter. The only
branch of traffic they carry on consists in the
disposal of their cattle, the milk of their cows, and
the wool of their sheep. They are divided into
tribes, in each of which there are a certain number
of families descended from the Prophet, the mem
bers of which are distinguished by brilliant actions,

THE SHEIKS. 143
or proofs of superior wisdom. These families form
the nobility, and all their male branches bear the
title of Sheik, or lord. The tribe always choose
one among these for its principal Sheik. This dig
nity is generaUy hereditary, but sometimes elec
tive. A Sheik is sometimes broken by the lords
of the tribe and replaced by another. A certain
importance attaches to this power, and in some
tribes there are a thousand such dignitaries.
The Arab never grants hospitality to another,
except when he is the feebler of the two ; and
rarely grants it readily, even to his own coun
trymen. However, the stranger whom he does
receive into his tent, is under his safe keeping,
and protected until he is out of the tribe. This is
all that can be reckoned on.
When a marriage takes place, the bridegroom
brings to the tent of the bride's father the cattle
and the presents which are to form the dowry. He
who is appointed to receive them says, " How
much does she you are going to have for a wife
cost you ?" To which the reply is : "A prudent
and industrious woman can never be too dear."
The young women of the Douars, when they
have dressed the bride, place her on a horse,

144 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
which the bridegroom brings with him. They
then accompany her to her new residence,
singing and uttering cries of joy. When the
bride arrives at the husband's tent, the relations
come out to receive her, and present to her a cup
of milk and honey to drink. A soon as she dis
mounts from her horse one of her friends hand
her a stick, which she plants in the earth, forcing
it down as deeply as possible, and saying : —
" As this stick will remain here until somebody
comes and takes it away, so will I stay with him
until I am compelled to leave him." Some
cattle are then brought to her, and she takes
them into the fields to show that she is ready to
co-operate in rural labours. She then returns to
the tent with her companions, who remain there a
part of the night. After marriage the Arab
women wear the veil for a month ; they then re
sume their usual occupations, and go with their
faces uncovered.'
The Israelites who are met with in every town
of Algeria, are precisely the same as those of Eu
rope. They describe their first arrival in that
country as a miraculous event. It was, they al
ledge, in 1390, that Simon-ben-Sinia, Chief Rabbi

ALGERINE JEWS. 145
of Seville, was thrown into prison with sixty indi
viduals of the principal Jewish families in Spain,
who were to be put to death to obtain possession
of their wealth. On the eve of the day fixed for
their execution, Simon drew the figure of a ship
on the wall of his prison. The drawing was
miraculously changed into a real ship, on board
of which all the prisoners immediately em
barked for Algiers, where, on their arrival,
they were kindly received by the Marabout
Sidi Ben Yusef. I wished to know what well
educated Jews thought of this absurd story ; and
I asked M. Narboni, an intelligent and much es
teemed Israelite in Algiers. He answered me
very gravely — " It is an article of our faith !"
The physical characteristics of the Algerine
Jews do not differ from those of France and Ger
many. Their air is always humble and crafty ;
and in dress they so closely resemble one another
that it is almost impossible to recognize them in
dividually. The women are pretty ; they generally
have round faces, and expanded foreheads. Their
eyes are fine, their eyebrows black, and well
arched ; the nose well formed and somewhat pro
minent, the mouth small and the teeth white.
The houses of the Jews are similar to those of
H

146 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the Moors, but the Jews of the poorer class are
the most filthy people that can be met with any
where. The men always wear clothes of a dark colour.
A red cap is fixed on the head tied on with
a black silk handkerchief. The beard is un
shaven. The vest, the jacket, and tbe pantaloons,
are of brown cloth embroidered with- blue silk.
They wear a red sash and a white burnouse, and
are seldom seen with gold embroidery or rich
ornaments. Black and brown are the colours
they usually wear ; indeed they seldom wear any
others. The costume of the women on week days is a
black or white woollen robe, very wide, and reach
ing to the ground, with short sleeves. Beneath
this robe they wear a white chemisette and trou
sers which reach to the knee, and are confined
in fulness round the waist. They never wear
stockings, and may be said to go almost bare
footed, for their shoes are merely a kind of small
sandals made of morocco or other leather, which
scarcely cover the toes, and do not come above
the heel. Their long hair is turned up and tied
by a ribbon, or confined by a silk handkerchief.

JEWESSES. 147
They often wear the sarmah, to the top of which
is fastened a long gauze veil, the latter being drawn
under the arm, but without covering the face.
On festival days the Jewesses wear robes of
silk, embroidered in gold or silver. Above these
robes, which fit tightly to the figure, is worn a
short pelisse, embroidered in the front with gold,
and fastened with buttons ofthe same metal. The
sarmah is then adorned with pearls and precious
stones. They have bracelets too on their arms; and
pearl or coral necklaces and gold chains set off
the whiteness of the neck, of which a great part
is uncovered.
The food of the Jews of the better class is simi
lar to that of the Moors. They drink wine, and
eat a kind of unleavened bread ; the men and
women generally take their meals together, and
they use knives and forks.
It would be difficult to say exactly to what sort
of commerce the Jews of Algiers specially devote
themselves. They engage in every sort of business,
and their activity forms a striking contrast to the
indolence and apathy of the Moors.
The present position of the Jews in Algiers
is very different from that which it was under
H 2

148 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the Deys. At that period, when a poor Israelite
presented himself at a fountain, he was obliged to
wait until all the Arabs, even those who had
arrived after him, had procured their water. When
all had helped themselves and withdrawn, he
was suffered to approach the fountain. If, in
passing a mosque, the door of which happened to
be open, a Jew turned his head to look in, he ran
the risk of being murdered by the populace. Their
condition is now vastly ameliorated, and I have
even heard complaints of their insolence ; a very
extraordinary charge against a race so tamed and
broken in spirit. The French, I fear, can place
but little reliance on their courage in occasions
of danger.
The Jews pray night and morning in their own
houses. Opposite to my windows, in Algiers, I
used to see an Israelite regularly on his terrace at
sun rise. He had a white woollen veil on his head,
fixed on the forehead by a leather band. After
turning to the east he would wind another leather
strap round his left arm, holding the extremity
in his hand. He used then to recite his prayers
with the usual movements of the body.
The Jews have six great festivals in the year,

JEWISH FESTIVALS. 149
each of which lasts several days. About the mid
dle of September, they celebrate the Feast of the
Tabernacle, which day is the commencement of
their year. In the third month they have an eight
day festival, instituted in expiation of the profa
nation of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes.
The third festival lasts two days ; it is held in
commemoration of the revocation obtained by
Esther of the edict of death issued by Ahasuerus
against the Jews. The fourth which is the Paschal
festival lasts eight days. A month after it, comes
a solemnity in commemoration of the law given
to Moses on Mount Sinai. Finally, the sixth reli
gious ceremony cannot, indeed, be called a festival.
Every one, young and old, then appears to be
plunged in a state of affliction in memory of the
taking of Jerusalem by Titus.
In Algiers, the Jews now bury their dead with
out any apparent ceremony, and have no longer
recourse to sorcery as formerly, when they believed
that the devil took possession of the body, and
used to make dreadful movements to avert this.
The young Iraelites are educated by the Rabbis.
M. R — assures me that the instruction of some
is very complete ; and, by extensive travelling,

150 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
they are well prepared for the highest range
of commercial business.
The Jews make frequent excursions out of
town, with their wives and children; and, in
general, they have the reputation of being a
very well conducted class of people.
The origin of the appearance of the Turks in Al
giers takes its date from the arrival of Barbarossa.
Kheredin, his brother and successor, being con
stantly menaced by Spain, placed, in 1510, his
States under the protection of the Sultan at Con
stantinople, from whom he solicited assistance.
That Prince sent him some hundreds of Janissa
ries, who formed the nucleus of that militia which
afterwards became so redoutable to those whom
it was employed to defend. When the Deys
of Algiers became independent, on condition of
paying a tribute to the Porte, they were allowed
to have at Constantinople recruiting agents, who
enrolled volunteers, and sent them to Algiers ;
and every year the Dey sent to Smyrna one
of his vessels, in which the recruits were em
barked. When, after some years of service,
or on account of age, or wounds, it became
necessary for these men to retire, they married

JANISSARIES. 151
the daughters of Moors, and established them
selves in the Regency, or they received a small
pension for Janissary service, and some share
of prize money for captures by sea. By this
means, they were enabled to live at ease, without
having recourse to trade, or any kind of labour
whatever. These advantages they, of course, no
longer possess, and several have been pointed out
to me, who were reduced to sell tobacco pipes to
the Moors, and to keep coffee-houses. Most of
those whom I saw were wounded. I know not
whether my impression is correct, but I imagined
I could perceive in the countenances of these men
an expression of ferocity and cruelty, perfectly
in accordance with the horrible scenes in which
they have constantly figured.
The seventh race of people met with in Algiers,
are the Koulouglis, the children of Turks and
Moresco females. Their features and com
plexion denote their Asiatic origin. They are
tall, have fair skins, and appear to be of a
lymphatic temperament. Their costume is like
that of the Moors ; but they betray more vanity
in their mode of dressing. They are proud and
ostentatious, and having all some little fortune,

152 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
they can afford to live in the country with their
wives and children, without engaging in trade.
Their chief occupation is the cultivation of
the little gardens which surround their country
houses. I will close this chapter by a few remarks
on the indigenous maladies of Algeria. The
country is pretty healthy, with the exception
of some places situated on the banks of rivers,
in the plains, and more particularly in that of
Mitidja, where, during the months of July,
August, and September, mahgnant and intermit
tent fevers are occasioned by mephitic exhala
tions. The plague used to be frequently communicated
by the caravans from Mecca, which, after travers
ing part of Asia and Egypt, enter the Alge
rine territory without precaution. This scourge
no longer exists in Algiers ; and, in proceeding
from thence to France, no quarantine is ob
served. Some sort of travellers, indeed, such as
old ragmen, and persons of that class, are some
times detained for medical inspection on the
coast of Italy.
The influence of the sun on the eyes, and

HYDROPHOBIA. 153
the habit of shaving the head, joined to the
cool summer nights,, during which many of
the people sleep in the open air, are the oc
casion of frequent ophthalmia, and the number
of the blind is, therefore, very great.
The Arabs, Kabyles, and Negroes, are,
in consequence of their want of cleanliness,
liable to diseases of the skin, and they are
victims to ringworm. But these maladies
never prevent them from pursuing their avo
cations, and they go about as if nothing ailed
them. The Turks and Moors, who are more cleanly,
escape those disorders ; but they are subject
to an eruptive disease, called the Algiers pim
ple ; which, however, does not leave marks,
like the Aleppo pimple. It first appears under
the form of a large, red spot, and causes insuffe
rable irritation.
It is very remarkable that hydrophobia, .either
in men or brute animals, is unknown to the
natives of Algeria ; though, from the climate, sad
examples of that disorder might be expected.
Before the arrival of the French, the natives had
no idea of a regular physician, or a surgeon. All
H 3

154 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
diseases came under the treatment of the barber,
who did not confine himself merely to bleeding and
physicking, but he even amputated limbs. This
operation was performed by a dreadful method,
which is said to be still in practice in different
parts of Asia, and is always followed by the
Kabyles. When an arm is to be cut off, the pa
tient stands upright, with his arm resting on a flat
block of wood, and the barber, raising a yatagan,
with a single stroke, severs the member from
the body. Two assistants then convey the suf
ferer to a vessel filled with melted pitch, into
which they dip the arm, at the part where it
has been amputated, to stop the hemorrhage.
It is horrible to imagine the torture which must
attend this barbarous operation.

LA TARTARE. 155

CHAPTER V.
The Tartare war-steamer — The Cadi of Oran — His visit
to France — Panorama of the Deluge — The Bishop of
Algiers — Communication with an Arab tribe — Mirs-el-
Kebir — The Fort — Morocco prisoners — The Queen's
Baths — City of Oran — Casbahs and Forts — Review of
the Arab cavalry of the Oran division — Arab horses
and horsemen — Mode of riding — The Plain of Telamina
— The Foreign Legion — Comparison between the En
glish and Arab horses — Anecdote — A negro festival —
Baptism, confirmation, communion, and marriage of
a Moorish female — Journey to Arzen — Missionaries in
Africa — Kurguenta — Medersa — Temple of Neptune —
Powers of Europe formerly tributary to the Deys of
Algiers — Mostaganem — A storm — Maritime powers on
the coast.
After the lapse of a few days, I felt myself
perfectly restored to health ; and early one morn
ing M. R — called on me to propose an excur-

156 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
sion by sea. He had secured a passage for us
both in the war-steamer, La Tartare, which was
on the point of departure for Oran. There was
no time to be lost, and within the space of an
hour, we were on board the vessel. The day
was fine and clear, but the sea was agitated by
a sharp north-west breeze; nevertheless, as the
Captain had despatches of importance to deliver
in some of the intermediate towns on the coast,
he was compelled to start. We had no sooner
passed the jetty, in making our way out of the
port, than we encountered a violent swell of
the sea, and the vessel rolled violently. My
friend, feeling himself discomposed, retired to
his berth. I was well enough to keep up,
and I amused myself by trying to find out who
were our fellow passengers. The fore deck of
the vessel was occupied by some soldiers pro
ceeding to join their regiments, and by a party
of colonists, going to court the smiles of Fortune,
who, judging from appearances, had previously
dealt her favours to them with a sparing hand.
In the aft part of the vessel there were several
ladies and officers, and the Bishop of Algiers,
M. Dupuch, accompanied by his two vicars, and

THE CADI OF ORAN. 157
his interpreter. There was also an Arab, who
spoke French very well, and with him I entered
into conversation. The roughness of the sea
continued to increase, and the passengers gra
dually retired to their berths, until, at length,
I found myself alone with the Arab and the
Bishop, the latter having drawn near us to take
part in our discourse.
The worthy Arab, with whom I had thus
made acquaintance, proved to be no other than
the Cadi of Oran. He was returning to his
home, after having made a visit to France, at
the expense of the government, and in company
with several influential Sheiks. He spoke with
enthusiasm of the wonders he had seen on his
journey, which had made a most extraordinary
impression on him. The number of towns he
had passed through, the large buildings he had
been in, the vast flights of steps he had ascended
to reach the summits of the columns and domes,
all were remembered with admiration and amaze
ment. He was at a loss to understand how men
possessing so beautiful a country, and so much
wealth and grandeur, could persist in staying
in Africa, where there seemed to be nothing to

158 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
attract them. The vast multitudes of French
population were the more surprising to him,
inasmuch as the Arabs suppose that all the
youth of France are sent to the regiments to
Algeria. Nothing, therefore, astonished him
more, than to find that there were young men
and soldiers in France. The citadel of Lille, the
armories and cannon foundries of Strasbourg,
were, to him, miracles of which he never could
have formed any conception : in short, every thing
he saw had impressed him with the highest possible
idea of the national power and greatness of France.
The Cadi was a man of much natural intelli
gence, and he had a naive and pleasant manner
of narrating. He told me, that whilst in Paris,
M. Laroche, the interpreter, (to whom he seemed
greatly attached) took him and his companions,
the Sheiks, to see the panorama of the Deluge.
The illusion produced on them was so complete,
that on quitting the panorama, they wished to
return home, without delay, to change their
clothes, and strongly recommended M. Laroche
to do so hkewise.
The first place at which we were to touch was
Shershel, where despatches and passengers were

THE BISHOP OF ALGIERS. 159
to be landed. The sea was, however, so rough,
that as we were nearing the shore, the Captain
was warned by a signal that he must not
venture to approach. He accordingly put back,
with the view of gaining some safe anchorage,
where he might wait until a favourable change
of weather should enable him to reach the
shore. No anchoring place was marked on the
map, and the Captain was indebted to the Bishop
for directing his attention to a high cliff, called
the Shenouan, which rises almost perpendicu
larly from the sea. At the foot of this cliff the
Bishop affirmed that excellent anchorage was
to be found. The information proved correct.
The Bishop could not help laughing whilst he
remarked that, whenever he ventured on one of
those coasting voyages, he invariably embarked
with bright clear weather, though with an adverse
wind and a rough sea. He added, that his fre
quent passages along the coast had made him ac
quainted with every rock and sandbank, and that
when a captain was at a loss for an anchorage,
he could usually direct him to one. We accord
ingly cast anchor at the foot of the Shenouan.
We had now been two days at sea, and yet we had

160 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
not proceeded further than twenty leagues from
Algiers. The weather continued clear and fine;
but the wind still blew furiously. We were suf
ficiently near to the shore to discern with the
naked eye some Arabs, who were attentively
gazing at the vessel.
In the morning, the captain sent the cook
ashore accompanied by the Bishop's interpreter,
to purchase some eggs and milk. They were
met by some armed men, who refused to let
them purchase anything. In the course of the day,
the Cadi himself proposed to go ashore and re
new the application for provisions, and gave
me permission to accompany him. As soon as
we landed, two men approached us, evidently with
the intention of opposing our further advance.
But after some discussion, they conducted us to
a little distance from the beach, where amidst some
thick brush-wood, we found a number of Arabs
collected. After proceeding a little further, we
arrived within gun-shot of a tribe, who had estab
lished themselves on an esplanade shaded by a
large fig-tree. Among them were several Sheiks.
The Cadi informed them of his mission, and held
a long conversation with them, during which I

PURCHASE OF PROVISIONS. 161
had an opportunity of observing that all these
Arabs had yatagans and pistols slung at their
girdles, and several had, hanging at their backs,
muskets with square butt ends. In the course of
their conversation with the Cadi, they exhibited
some small tubes made of reed, containing gun
powder. Each of these tubes formed a cartridge.
At length after about an hour's delay, some old
women, belonging to the tribe, brought the eggs
and milk which the Cadi wished to buy. A most
exorbitant price was charged for the articles ;
there was no alternative but to pay it. The
Arabs balanced each piece of money on their
thumb-nails to satisfy themselves of its weight,
and then struck it to ascertain the purity of
the metal.
As we were rowing back to the steamer, I asked
the Cadi what was the subject of his long
conversation with the Arabs ; and he assured me
that we owed our safety to the circumstance of
their having mistaken us for English. I observed
that the Tartare no longer displayed her flag, and
that the captain had hoisted a red pennant to
summon us on board. He had been alarmed by
the busy movements of the Arabs on the shore ;

162 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
especially as they had asked permission to come
on board the vessel to purchase some finer gun
powder than that which they possessed. On our
arrival at Oran, we were informed that the Emir
himself was among some of the tribes near that
part of the coast which we had visited. He was
probably expected by the tribe with whom we
communicated. As it is very difficult to obtain any correct intelli
gence respecting the Emir Abd-el-Kader, the
following particulars may be found interesting.
They were communicated to me by M. Rozetti,
an interpreter in the French service, who was a
prisoner for some time in the Emir's camp.
Abd-el-Kader is of the tribe of Oulad Nail,
of the West. At the age of twelve, he ac
companied his father on a pilgrimage to Mecca,
where he remained for the space of ten years,
devoting himself to religious study. After that
time he visited Cairo and Alexandria, where he
saw and admired the great reforms wrought by
Mehemet-Ali. It is now about twelve years ago since Abd-el-
Kader returned to his tribe, who raised him to the
dignity of Sheik General. Since then he has been

ABD-EL-KADER. 163
enabled to render the military position of France
in Algeria more and more hazardous by useless
combats and insurrections, the extent of which
has, as far as possible, been suppressed in Eu
rope. Official reports have described the Emir as
sometimes surrounded by numerous partizans,
and at other times followed only by a few
horsemen ; — this contradiction plainly denotes
the insurmountable difficulties which oppose the
columns engaged in pursuing him. The French
Generals are well aware that their actual, though
unavowed object, is not to subdue, but to spare
Abd-el-Kader. Marshal Bugeaud, when applied
to by a Colonel for the command of a column,
with the view of pursuing and capturing the Emir,
replied : " Do not forget, Sir, that to Abd-el-
Kader most of your brother officers are indebted
for their chances of promotion."
The Emir is scarcely ever with his regular
troops. His Lieutenant, Bou Maza, directs the
mihtary movements. The head-quarters are fre
quently two leagues in advance of the Emir's
tents : thus it happens, that though the French

164 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
troops frequently overtake and surprise his regi
ments, yet they have never fallen in with the
supreme chief.
Some persons have pretended to be in posses
sion of autograph letters of Abd-el-Kader. This
cannot be true, for he never writes. In his tent,
which is very spacious, he dictates to his secre
taries all the orders he issues, and the impres
sion of an iron seal fixed to a ring which he wears
on his finger serves for his signature.
His manner of life is strictly conformable with
the laws of the Koran, and very simple. Horses
are the only luxuries in which he indulges. In
1 839 one of my friends saw him at the time when
he entered into an arrangement with the Bishop
of Algiers, for the interchange of some French and
Arab prisoners. He was mounted on a m'ogt
superb black horse, and he rode with singular grace
and elegance.
His suite consists only of his four secretaries,
three wives and two slaves. This group is
always in the rear of the Emir's troops.
His costume is very simple. He wears the
Arab haick, fixed on the top of his head by a

HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 165
string of camel hair. Over his woollen shirt he
has a white burnouse, and over that another
burnouse, striped white and brown, and he wears
yellow morocco boots. His beard is black,
and it is always unshaven, like all the Arabs
who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca. He
is deeply marked with the small-pox. His
features are large and decided, and his full black
eye is expressive of extraordinary firmness of
character. I am further indebted to M. Rozetti for the
excellent portrait of the Emir, which he sketched
from life, that accompanies this volume. A few
days before my departure, a singular accident,
which I will here relate, afforded me an oppor
tunity of certifying to the accurate resemblance
of that portrait.
On the 14th of last November, I went to break
fast with a young Belgian with whom I had be
come acquainted. He resided in the upper part
of the city of Algiers. On entering my friend's
apartment, I found him conversing with an Arab,
who was seated smoking his pipe. I could not
distinctly see the stranger's features, for his haick
fell very much over his forehead. Rice, citrons,

166 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
and water were served to him, and whilst he was
partaking of these refreshments, I had an oppor
tunity of observing his countenance. My friend did
not ask him to take wine, which I had known him
to offer to Arabs, who would frequently partake
of it. The stranger spoke but little, and the few
observations he made were delivered in a slow and
sententious manner. There was something about
him which denoted intellectual superiority. I was
then given to understand that he was the Sheik of
Djebel Amon, a tribe which has long been sub
jected and remained faithful to France.
I made no inquiries about this person, though
I could not fail to be struck by the dignity of
his manner and deportment.
After breakfast he took his leave and departed
alone. Two days after this occurrence I again
saw my Belgian friend. " You were very for
tunate the other day," said he. " The Arab
whom you saw, when you breakfasted with me,
was no other than the Emir himself. He came
the night before as far as Bouffarik. In the
morning he rode on an ass from Bouffarik to
Algiers, and he entered the city along with a
party of country people. To prevent detection

THE EMIR SELLING POULTRY. 167
he carried four hens which he sold in the mar
ket-place." I thought my friend was jesting;
but he pledged his word of honour that what he
had told me was true.

But to return to the Tartare and our passage
to Oran, the wind still continuing to render
the shore unapproachable, the captain was
obliged to relinquish all thoughts of touching
either at Shershell or any other of the towns
along the coast. We accordingly weighed anchor
and directed our course towards Mirs-el-Kebir,
where we arrived on the sixth day after our de
parture from Algiers; though the voyage is
usually performed in thirty hours, touching at
Shershell, Tenez, Mostaganem, and Arzen. No
sooner had the Bishop and his Vicars left the ves
sel, than the wind dropped, and the troubled sea
began to wear a smoother surface ! The supersti
tion connected with the presence of an ecclesiastic
on board ship appears to be universal among
seamen of all nations ; and some of the
French sailors on board the Tartare failed
not to repeat the proverb : — " Les prdtres
ont le vent dans les plis de leurs soutanes." We

168 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
now bade farewell to the Tartare and her com
mander Captain Plagniol, an exceedingly agreeable
and intelligent man. He had previously com
manded the Phare, and with that steamer ren
dered important assistance to one of our ships
which was wrecked on the coast of Spain.
On landing at Mirs-el-Kebir, we proceeded to
view the most remarkable object it contains, viz.
the Fort. In the year 1505, when the troops of
Ferdinand, the Catholic, took possession of this
Fort, it was considered to be the key of Africa.
It is of considerable extent, and the fire of its
batteries is capable of sweeping the vast cir
cular bay, at the furthest end of which is situated
the city of Oran, unapproachable by ships on
account of reefs and shallow water along the
shore. On being admitted into the interior of the
citadel, we saw in the middle of the esplanade
some wooden barracks occupied by Morocco
prisoners. Several of them advanced to us, and
asked whether they were soon to be sent home to
their country, as France was sami sami, (that is to
say friendly) with their Emperor. We little thought
that the answer to this inquiry was so near at

MOROCCO PRISONERS. 169
hand. In a few moments the esplanade was
filled with soldiers. Some gendarmes proceeded
to chain the poor prisoners two and two together,
and an interpreter informed them that they were
to depart for France. They were immediately
marched off to the port, some venerable old men,
with white beards, being placed foremost. We
watched the melancholy procession till it was out
of sight. The poor fellows were hurried into the
boats which were to convey them to the Acheron
war-steamer. They all bowed down their heads
in despair, except the oldest man of the party,
who standing erect, with his chained hands raised
to Heaven, and looking towards the shore, bade
adieu, in the name of his companions, to their
country. One of the principal advantages of the Bay of
Mirs-el-Kebir is that it affords a refuge for vessels
overtaken, by storms. It is situated at the eastern
entrance of the channel which separates Africa
and Spain; and the currents ofthe shore seconded
by the western winds, which in those regions pre
vail during two-thirds of the year, drive into the
bay vessels coming out of the Straits of Gibraltar,
and check the course of those seeking to enter
i

170 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the Atlantic. This point might consequently
intercept the communication between the Medi
terranean and the Atlantic, if it were connected
by a cruiser with Cartagena, which from Mirs-
el-Kebir, may easily be reached in less than thir
teen hours. Cartagena, being situated at an
angle formed by the southern and eastern coasts
of Spain, the correspondence of the Peninsula
with Algeria might pass through that city. The
line from Perpignan to Cartagena is the
continuation of that from Paris to Perpignan ;
and by a regular line of post-office communi
cations, the daily correspondence between France
and Oran would pass through that direct line
traversing the richest and most industrious dis
tricts of Spain.
We went over the Fort, the most prominent
part of which, in the direction of the sea, is sur
mounted by a lighthouse. After seeing all that
appeared worthy of attention here, we stepped
into a public vehicle, and set off for Oran. We
entered the town by a broad and well made road,
which runs round the bay. When about mid-way
on our journey, we alighted, to visit a cave, within
which there are some tepid springs called the
Queen's Baths. Descending from the sea-beach

THE QUEEN'S BATHS. 171
by a very difficult path, we came to the mouth of
a cavern which is divided so as to form two sepa
rate grottos. These grottos are nearly circular ;
and their walls are lined with white sea salt. In
the centre of each there is a basin with three
steps leading down to the water, which at its sur
face is about three feet below the level ofthe
ground. This water has a brown tint and a brack
ish taste. Its temperature is forty degrees of the
centigradal thermometer. It is said to be very
efficacious in some cutaneous disorders.
On approaching the city of Oran, a stranger is
struck with its delightful position. It forms an
amphitheatre along the two banks of a shady
ravine, and is commanded by the lofty and solid
walls of a Casbah. Its appearance is altogether
indicative of its former importance. The inhabi
tants are not in the poor and miserable condition
of those ofthe other towns of Algeria, and the men
look strong and vigorous. The adjacent country is
rich and fertile. The Arabs do not forget that the
Spaniards, weary of occupying a territory which
cost them great sacrifices and yielded them no
advantages, abandoned their conquest after two
centuries of possession. They foresee that one
i 2

172 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
day or other they will be rid of the French, who
have made as great a mistake as the Spaniards.
The Arabs are animated by an innate feeling of
pride and independence which nothing can subdue.
Having crossed the ravine, we entered a broad
well built street, planted with old trees, and lead
ing by a gently winding acclivity to the highest
point ofthe city. Here we found ourselves before
the gates of a barracked camp, occupied by infantry
and cavalry troops, and here is also quartered a regi
ment called the Foreign Legion. On an extensive
plain, beyond the walls ofthe city, we descried an
enormous compact moving mass, which baffled all
our endeavours to conjecture what it could possibly
be. We applied for information to a sentinel at
the gate, who informed us that it was the Arab
Gooms of the division of Oran, who were about
to be reviewed by General Thierry.
We proceeded to an hotel, the only one in
Oran, and whilst we breakfasted we ordered horses
to be saddled for us. In an hour afterwards we
were on horseback on the plain, where we saw
six thousand seven hundred Arabs, all equipped,
armed, and mounted, defiling two by two before
the General, who was beneath the shade of his

REVIEW OF ARAB TROOPS. 173
tent, surrounded by the officers of his staff, his
interpreters, &c. Every principal Sheik of all the
tribes had furnished six men, and was paid fifteen
francs per month for each of them. This ani
mated scene afforded me an excellent opportunity
of observing the singular customs of these Arab
troops. Whilst preparing to defile, they were
occupied in giving a finishing touch to the polishing
of their arms ; and those who had passed in defile
dismounted from their horses, and regaled them
selves with pipes and coffee, supplied from a
neighbouring tent by an Arab to whom this review
was a source of profitable traffic.
The equipment of an Arab horse consists of a
mameluke saddle, without a crupper. This saddle
is elevated to a considerable height by several
blankets or pieces of cloth of different colours,
folded up, and laid one above the other. The
bridle has small eyeflaps and a swivel bit. The
stirrup is very short, and is hung much more
backward than ours. The rider does not let his
leg fall perpendicularly, but bends his knee very
considerably. The foot is thus thrust much be
hind the knee. The heels are armed with long
points of iron, by way of spurs. The position in

174 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
which the Arabs sit on horseback is found to be
very fatiguing to those who are not accustomed
to it. It can only be maintained at speed ; at a
trot it would be impossible ; but the Arabs never
trot. When at a gallop the rider raises himself in
the saddle, resting lightly on the edge of the
wooden back. All the Arabs of the lower class
go bare-legged, but the chiefs wear long boots of
red and yellow morocco.
The light and spirited African horse is suited
only for hunting and war ; he has none of the
qualities desirable in a draught horse. The Arabs
destroy their horses by over working them when
young. If France could succeed in effecting a ju
dicious reform in the management of horses in
Algeria, she would speedily produce important
social results, and thus gain an ascendancy over
the people as will never be attained by warlike
expeditions. In fact the condition of the
Arab is that of his horse. Both are so per
fectly identified, that whatever affects the
one has an immediate reaction on the other.
To improve the condition of the animal would
be to work a reform in the manners of the
man ; so inseparably are both connected together.

THE PLAIN OF TELAMINA. 175
Fine Barbary horses are very rare in Algeria,
and are possessed only by the most powerful of
the Sheiks. The common people use a degenerate
breed of horses, and they prefer mares to stallions,
because the former do not, by neighing, betray
them in their secret movements.
As we were riding back to the town, I learned
from M. R  that the French possessions in the
province of Oran cover a superfices of about two
hundred square leagues, the produce of which
does not suffice even for the supply of the city.
At the distance of about five leagues to the north
east, there is a barren tract of land the soil of which
is mixed with salt. To this the Spaniards gave the
name of the Plain of Telamina. To the south
ward, masses of ruins mark the sites of ancient
Roman settlements, which were probably aban
doned on account of the insalubrity of the waters.
In this direction I observed some plantations of
cotton and madder. Prior to 1833, the period
when the French took possession of this part of
Algeria, the surrounding country presented a
flourishing aspect. Now there is scarcely anything
to be seen but ruins. The tribes of Bethova, of
Nokaha, of Shurfa, and of Bougia, have been re-

176 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
moved by the Emir Abd-el-Kader, and they now
people his city of Tagadempt.
On our return to Oran, we dismounted from
our horses, as we could more conveniently make
our survey of the city on foot. Oran is built
on two long plateaus, separated one from
another by a deep ravine, through which runs a
river, whose current is strong enough to turn
several mills. This river also supphes the city
with water. Oran was long possessed by the
Spaniards, by whom it was ceded to the Dey of
Algiers in 1791, after an earthquake had de
stroyed every thing but the forts.
Mount Rammra, which rises to the height of
five hundred metres above the level of the sea,
commands the city on the west, and is surmounted
by a fort called the Bastion of Santa Cruz. At
the outlet of the road from Mirs-el-Kebir stands
fort St. Gregory. To the south, on the sea-shore
is the fort of Moume Point. My attention was
there directed to a pointed iron spike fixed into the
stone parapet. This spike was, in former times,
used for empaling victims.
The western part of the city is terminated on
the inland side by the old Casbah, whose forti-

HOUSES OF ORAN. 177
fications, though in ruins, are used for infantry
barracks. In the opposite part of the town, on
an eminence overlooking the sea, rise the fine
ramparts of the new Casbah. The building was
commenced by the Spaniards, and finished by the
Dey, who made it his place of residence. At the
southern extremity of this part of the city stands
Fort St. Andrew.
The houses of Oran are all built in the Moresco
style, with flat terraced roofs. The streets are
broad and straight. I was particularly struck with
the beauty ofthe principal mosque, which is or
namented with exquisite open-work sculpture.
The ravine or valley, which divides the city into
two parts, is chiefly occupied by gardens and or
chards, in which the pale green of the banana
blends beautifully with the rich tints of the citron
and pomegranate trees. European houses are al
ready beginning to be built in this valley, so that
these blooming gardens will, doubtless, disappear
by degrees.
I have already mentioned that the Foreign
Legion has barracks in Oran. This corps is
composed of deserters, on whom little reliance
can be placed ; whole companies of them have
i 3

178 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
been known to go over to the Arabs, taking
with them their arms and baggage. The Legion
is composed of men of every country, but princi
pally Belgians. Colonel Senilhe, by whom
it is commanded, is obliged to resort to the most
rigorous measures to maintain discipline among
the men, who can hardly be trusted in the
presence of the enemy.
Whilst we were at dinner, my friend received
a note from the Bishop who had so abruptly
parted from us at Mirs-el-Kebir. The note in
formed us that he was going by land to Mosta-
ganem, and he invited us to accompany him. He
added that he had two horses at our service, and
an escort sufficient to ensure the safety of the
journey. This invitation was too gratifying to be
declined, and we called on the Bishop to acquaint
him that we would accept it, and to ascertain the
day of his departure. He told us that on the fol
lowing day he had to officiate at an interesting
ceremony, connected with his spiritual duties, at
which he recommended us to be present, and im
mediately after the termination of this he had in
tended to depart. On going back to our hotel, M.
R  met; an officer of his acquaintance belonging

ARAB AND ENGLISH HORSES. 179
to the third regiment of African Chasseurs. He had
come to Oran to purchase horses for remounting
his regiment. After the usual introductory forms,
we entered into conversation, and our discourse
naturaUy turned on the subject of horses. This
officer maintained that the Arab horses are
preferable to the English, and he said that
in the only instance in which both races had
been brought into fair competition, the superiority
had been on the side ofthe Arabs. This instance,
he said, occurred during the French expedition to
Egypt in the time of the Republic. On the
seventh Nivose, year IX. (I tell the story as I heard
it related), an English squadron belonging to the
12th Light Dragoons encountered in the environs
of Bedah in Egypt, a party of the 7th regiment
of French Hussars, who had been detached with
a company of the 29th Grenadiers, to reconnoitre
a position. The Dragoons charged the Hussars,
who at the same time rushed on them and routed
the squadron; then suddenly turning their fine
Arab chargers, the Hussars attacked the En
glish in the rear; the latter, unable to check
their horses, were driven on the fire of the
Grenadiers, by which they suffered severely.

180 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
I here relate literally what I heard, and offer no
comment on the story. As far as my own
observation warrants me in forming an opinion,
I should say that the Arab horse has more
suppleness of movement ; that the sensibility
of his mouth, and the peculiar form of the bit,
give the rider great command over him in action.
But for alertness and agility, the English breed
must always have the preference.
The officer, with whom we had the above
conversation, proposed to take us to see a
Djelep (a negro festival) which was to be held
that evening in a house at the back of the
new Casbah. We readily accompanied him, and
after a short walk, we entered a Moorish house.
In the spacious court, which was clean and well
lighted, were assembled about three hundred
negroes. Beneath the gallery, on one side, were
ranged about twenty musicians, and before them
was spread a smaU carpet to receive any
pieces of money that might be thrown to them.
In a short time, three negresses made their ap
pearance. One was dressed in a robe of green
silk, striped with yellow, and her girdle and cap
were adorned with shells and small bells. Her

A NEGRO FESTIVAL. 181
two companions, who were very young girls, had
only loose white robes, without any ornament.
The negresses having advanced to the centre
of the court, the musicians commenced making
a horribly discordant noise, to which the three
black graces kept time, by throwing themselves
into all sorts of clumsy and grotesque attitudes.
Gradually becoming more and more animated,
they began to utter deafening shrieks, and drew
forth blunt poignards, with which they pretended
to stab themselves. Then, falling on the ground,
they rolled about, apparently in violent convul
sions, all the while making frightful gesticulations,
, and uttering cries which drowned even the din
of the castanets and the tam-tams. At length,
the oldest of the three negresses, overcome by
her exertions, arose; but she was so exhausted
as to be unable to support herself. Leaning
on a stick, she walked round the courtyard, and
was then ushered into an apartment of the house,
followed by those of the assembled company,
who were desirous of having their fortunes told :
for the negroes believed that this sybil was
possessed by Satan, and that she was gifted with
the power of prescience. We returned home,

182 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
having had enough of these orgies, which we
were assured would be kept up all night, and
probably throughout the following day.
Next morning, the sun bad risen gloriously
before I opened my eyes. Looking out at my
chamber window, I saw the morning mist dis
persing over the sea, thus affording a clear
view of the beautiful bay, in which several vessels
were riding at anchor. My friend and I walked
to the church, which was an old mosque, now
fitted up with an altar, benches, and chairs, and
hung with pictures of saints, miserable daubings,
displaying the worst possible taste.
In the church we found the Bishop, assisted
by some priests, and surrounded by a vast num
ber of the European inhabitants, all attired as
for a holiday. A Frenchman who had formerly
served in the army, but who had been long esta
blished as a shoemaker at Oran, was standing in
the centre of the church. He came to conduct to
the baptismal font a Moorish female, with whom he
had lived some years. After baptism and the mass,
the woman was confirmed ; and then, after receiv
ing the sacrament, she was lawfully married. The
ceremonies attending this curious spectacle, oc-

ROAD TO ARZEN. 183
cupied about three hours. When it was all
ended, we repaired to the house of the Cure,
where breakfast was prepared. At the door, our
horses, together with a strong escort, were wait
ing for us. And, in front of the house, there
was collected a vast concourse of the Moorish
population, who are always idle, and ready to
gape at anything.
Breakfast being finished, we mounted our
horses. The Bishop wore a violet coloured robe,
with a gold cross on his bosom, and a three-
cornered hat, with two gold tassels. His white
burnouse was merely fixed round the neck. The
two vicars who accompanied him were dressed
in black. Two men of the escort rode on before
us, to act as guides ; and M. R — and I, were
invited by the prelate to ride on either side of
him. We took the road to Arzen, which is about
ten leagues distant from Oran, and we crossed a
plain intersected with difficult ravines. The
soil was a mixture of clay and sand. Its ferti
lity was obvious from the healthiness and vigour
of the vegetation, which here and there grew
in patches. We observed some thistles, and
other large plants, nearly six feet high. But

184 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
it looks uncultivated and desolate. Some fine
olive trees, which we passed, still bore traces of
bivouac fires.
The journey would have been dreary and mo
notonous, had not the Bishop enlivened it by
some very interesting conversation. He in
formed us, that in the year 1646, St. Vincent
de Paul founded the Catholic mission in Africa.
He entered upon the pious labour, at the urgent
solicitation of the Duchess d'Aiguillon, niece of
Cardinal Richelieu, who defrayed a great portion
of the expense of the enterprize. A priest of
the papal congregation, named Jean Barreau,
was the first who filled the functions of French
Consul at Algiers. He was succeeded by Philip
Levadier, who, in 1683, was killed by the Alge-
rines, having been fastened to the mouth of one
of the cannons, which they fired on the French
fleet. The object of the mission was to spread and
maintain the Catholic faith in that part of the
world, and to afford spiritual and temporal aid
to the galley slaves. For a considerable time,
France was the only European power which had
a Consul at Algiers. This French Consul pro-

THE MEDERSA. 185
tected the interests of Europeans generally. The
missionaries rendered important services to com
merce ; many of them acquired great influence
with the Deys, who often appealed to them for
counsel in questions of difficulty. This influence
enabled them to protect the Christians from
much misery.
We passed through a village, called by the
Arabs, Kerguenta. It contains nothing remark
able, except the ruins of a monument, called the
Medersa, constructed by the first Dey who occu
pied Oran after the retirement of the Spaniards.
Within the building, there was a small mosque,
containing two beautiful tombs of white marble.
This mosque was surrounded by pillars, and
surmounted by a dome, open at top. In the
centre of the mosque, there was a large palm
tree, which reared its stately head above the
ruins, and overshadowed them with its massive
foliage. After we had passed through the vil
lage, we saw the ruins of an aqueduct, almost hid
den beneath thickly crowded acanthus plants. The
water was issuing, in several little streams, from
amidst the ruins. We soon found ourselves once
more in the plain, where all vegetation, except

186 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the dwarf palm, became more and more rare
as we advanced.
At length, about four in the afternoon, we
reached Arzen, and we proceeded straight to the
abode of the Cure ; but his house was not suffi
ciently large to afford us accommodation, and
we were obliged to take refuge in a miserable
looking inn on the sea shore.
The little port of Arzen is much better shel
tered than that of Mirs-el-Kebir; and the adja
cent ground seems, as it were, laid out by nature
for buildings suitable for commerce and ship
ping. Unfortunately, the water in the port is
only deep enough to admit third class ships of
war. The indolence of the Arabs has left
before Arzen a curious evidence of the enor
mous quantity of grain exported from the place,
at the time when the natives were prohibited
by the Spaniards from trafficking in the port
of Oran. The vessels which arrived at Arzen
to receive cargoes of grain, threw their ballast
into the sea, and the accumulation of this deposit,
an immense quantity of stones obstructs the
anchorage nearest to the coast.
The town is commanded by a fort, garrisoned

ROMAN RUINS. 187
by veteran troops. A little islet, situated in
front of the port, serves the purpose of a jetty,
at the extremity of which a large lantern is
fixed up by way of a lighthouse.
Numerous heaps of ruins, comprising vestiges
of temples, mosaics, aqueducts, &c, extending
along the shore, indicate that it must, anciently,
have been the site of a great city ; and that the
port of Arzen, so advantageously situated, must
have been a place of vast importance. Some
Roman medals, which have been discovered at
a little depth below the surface of the earth,
seem to warrant the supposition, that the ruins
to which I have just alluded, are those of
Portus Magnus.
The Spaniards erected at Arzen vast maga
zines for containing corn, barley, and salt;
and these buildings were sufficiently strong to
resist the attacks of the Arabs. They also con
structed an extensive quay of freestone, close to
which vessels might approach to take in their
cargoes. But after the abandonment of the
province by the Spaniards, it once more fell
into the possession of the Arabs ; and the latter,
with their habitual listlessness and indolence,

188 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
have not only suffered all these structures to
fall to decay, but have also lost the port. At
the end of the quay there is an ancient Roman
road, which extends as far as Mascara. In the
town of Arzen, nothing is more common than
to see the most miserable Arab huts adorned,
externally, with fragments of ancient columns of
different orders. On the outside of the town
are the remains of a circus, and at the mouth
of the Macta, there is a temple, in tolerably good
preservation, which appears to have been dedi
cated to the worship of Neptune.
The country round Arzen is rich in salt mines,
which might be made an important source of traf
fic. They are better than those of Spain and
Portugal, and require only that sort of labour,
for which the Arabs are well fitted, viz: that
of collecting and transporting their produce.
Arzen was formerly the port of the kingdom of
Tlemsen, which comprised all the valleys of the
Sheliff, another river bearing the same name as
one I mentioned in a former chapter. Its capital,
of which the ruins now form a little European
town, was renowned for the greatness of its
public establishments, and the wealth of its in-

TRIBUTES TO THE DEY. 189
habitants. It was the final halting point of the
caravans, after their journeys through the De
serts. The Genoese and Venetians resorted
thither, after Oran fell into the hands of the
Spaniards. Only half a century ago, the territo
ries of Arzen, Mostaganem, Mortamora, and
Mazagran, contained a population of about twenty
five thousand souls. Now all this prosperity has
vanished, and Mortamora consists merely of for
tified barracks, occupied by a French garrison.
We passed the evening in company with the
Bishop, who shewed us a very curious document
relative to the Arab tribes. It had been drawn
up by the Regency of Algiers, previously to the
French occupation.
From this document I perceived, that accord
ing to arrangements concluded by Lord Exmouth
in 1816, England presented to the Dey, the sum
of six hundred pounds, whenever a Consul was
recalled, and a new one sent out in his place.
France paid a tribute for the privilege of the
coral fishery, and in 1815 the nomination of a
new Consul was accompanied by a present of
one hundred thousand francs.
Spain, Sardinia, Hanover, and Bremen, were

190 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
taxed in a similar sum, on the instaUation of
every new Consul.
The Porte, owing to the nature of her relations
with Russia and Austria, interdicted the Regency
from offering any insult to the flags of those
two powers.
The kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark paid,
each in naval munitions, an annual tribute, equi
valent to twenty one thousand francs, on every
renewal of their decennial treaties. They were,
moreover, subject to a tribute of one hundred
and sixty thousand francs, and on the change
of their Consul, to the payment, by way of present,
of a sum not fixed.
Portugal, and the kingdom of Naples, were
subject to an annual tribute of one hundred and
twenty eight thousand francs, and to the payment
of seven thousand francs in consulary presents.
Tuscany was exempt from tribute, by virtue
of a treaty concluded in 1816; but on the occa
sion of every consular nomination, she was re
quired to make a present of thirty four thousand
francs. I was not astonished to observe that M. Du-
puch felt a certain degree of national pride in

RELIGIOUS SECTS OF ARABS. 191
shewing a foreigner this document, the correct
ness of which was beyond question.
Next day we departed from Arzen, taking
the road to Mostaganem, which place is about
fifteen leagues distant. It is astonishing that
in this undisturbed region the French have not
constructed good lines of road communicating
between Mostaganem, Mazagran, Arzen, and
Oran. The works would be easy of accom
plishment, and they would vastly improve the
condition of the inhabitants of the above towns.
The Arabs in these parts are industrious, and
the women of Mostaganem make themost approved
haicks, and burnouses. The markets are well
frequented. A Spanish merchant, M. Canapa,
has established a house of business at Mostaga
nem, which it appears is hkely to answer.
As we rode along I learned from M. Dupuch,
that the Arabs are divided into two religious sects,
corresponding with the division of the provinces,
into east and west. Those of the east profess the
Hanefi rite, and those of the west follow the
Maleki rite. The former recognize the Grand
Seignior as their spiritual chief, the latter the Em
peror of Morocco. The Bishop informed us how the

192 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
central Mosque of Algiers was converted into a
church. This change took place at Christmas
1832, when the Ulemas were presented to the
General-in-Chief, Count d'Erlon. The Mufti
Ben Ekbati then delivered a remarkable speech to
the General. In this speech he made the follow
ing observation : " Our Mosque will change its
worship without changing its master, for the God
of the Christians is also our God, and we only
differ in the manner of worshipping him."
Just as we entered Mostaganem, we were over
taken by a most violent storm. I never before
heard such loud peals of thunder, or saw such
vivid lightning. A vast quantity of electricity
was diffused through the air. The sky seemed
one mass of flame. WhUst walking, without my
hat, on the terrace of the house at which we put
up, I felt my hair stand on end, and I was stiU
more astonished to observe smaU luminous sparks
issuing from the ends of the hair of my two
friends. They observed similar sparks on my hair.
When we raised our hands in the air, the same
phenomena were visible on the points of our
fingers ; the sparks disappearing when we put
down our hands. To enjoy the freshness of the

SHERSHELL. 193
evening we took a walk on the beach ; the night
was clear, and the sky was spangled with brilliant
stars. We perceived the lights of the steamer
which was to convey us back to Algiers, and two
hours after we were on board.
By sun-rise we had made a good way, and I
learned with regret that we had passed Tenez,
though the town is said to present nothing re
markable except a strong military position. We
speedily touched at Shershell, which on our
passage from Algiers, we could not reach. The
passengers who wished to land there having been
obliged to go to Oran, happy to land anywhere,
for it often happens on the passage from Algiers
that there is no opportunity of touching at any
intermediate points of the coast where persons
may wish to go on shore.
We had little time for visiting the town, never
theless we landed, though not without getting
wet up to the knees, so awkwardly is the landing-
place constructed.
I remarked here that the old Moorish houses
were beginning to disappear, and are being super
seded by elegant European buildings. On the beach
we observed two little white Marabouts, studded
K

194 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
with palm and date trees. On the east, the ruins of
a Roman aqueduct formed a picturesque point in
the scene. The country is flat and covered with
brushwood. The garrison, which is pretty strong,
is composed entirely of infantry. We soon heard
a gun fired from the steamer, as a signal for the
passengers to assemble ; we consequently hurried
on board. The steamer was the Tartare, which
had returned from Oran. Captain Plagniol was
much gratified to find that we had made so inte
resting a journey. A httle skiff, navigated by
Arabs, bringing passengers and luggage on board
the steamer, turned our conversation to the sub
ject of the Algerine navy.
In 1825 the port of Algiers possessed fourteen
vessels of war, of different rates, carrying altogether
three hundred and thirty-six guns. In 1568, it had
eighty pirate vessels. In 1581, it fitted out thirty-
five galleys, with from eighteen to twenty benches
of rowers, and thirty brigantines. In 1588, indepen
dent of some frigates, the number of galleys was
twenty-five. In 1659, the Algerines cruised with
twenty-three vessels, each mounting fifty guns, and
manned by four hundred men. In 1 662, Admiral
Ruyter blew up twenty-two Algerine frigates ; but

FISHING BOATS. 195
until the time of the expeditions ofthe French Ad
mirals, Duquesne and d'Estrdes, the naval power of
the Algerines was maintained on a menacing foot
ing. Now all is changed along the coast, nothing
is seen but small vessels called sandales, with
which the natives carry on a little fishing, and
convey passengers to the passing vessels.
The morning was beautiful ; and after having
rounded Point Pescade, and doubledthe light bouse
and the jetty, we entered the port of Algiers. We
immediately got on shore, first taking a cordial
leave of the Captain, and of our kind friend the
Bishop who made us promise to come to see him
if we should prolong our stay in Algiers.

k 2

196 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.

CHAPTER VI.
Passage to Bona — Cape Carbon — Bougia — The Marabout
of Sidi-Bosgri — The Doriac Blockhouse — Gigelly — The
Mountain of the Seven Capes — Philippeville — Anchorage
of the Cassarin — Bona — The Casbah — Mount Edough —
Pet Lions — Ruins of Hippon — Ancient Reservoir — The
Monument of St. Augustin — The Camp of the Draan —
The great Oasis — Ancient legislature of the Arabs — Bar
barity of their criminal punishments — Burning trees —
Colonization — Comparative numbers of French, German,
Italian, Spanish, and Maltese Colonists.
Next day at five in the afternoon we got on
board the Sphynx, war-steamer, to proceed to
Bona. The Sphynx was the vessel which, in
1830, carried to Bona the inteUigence of the tak
ing of Algiers. This steamer, I afterwards learned,
was lost on the coast off Cape Matfioux, near
the Rasauta. Night set in as we neared Cape

197
Djinet. From Cape Matfioux to Cape Bengut,
there is little remarkable in the aspect of the coast.
Here, however, was situated the port of Tamagut,
where, about the year 1600, the tribes of Cooco
carried on an extensive traffic in leather and wax
with MarseUles. Dellys, the Rusuccurum of the
Romans, is the first well inhabited place within a
distance of about twenty leagues from Algiers.
The surrounding hillocks bear evidence of active
and careful cultivation, and a succession of de
lightful gardens indicate among the inhabitants a
certain love of order and repose not to be met
with in other parts of Africa.
Leaving behind us Cape Sigli, we saw at sun rise
the islet of the Pisans, a wild rock, on which in
numerable sea-birds alight. The coast is rough
and mountainous, and its forms indicate the cal
careous nature of the soil. Here and there, large
black spaces mark the spots where the Kabyles
have burned the dwarf palms and other wild vege
tation to clear the uncultivated ground for the
purpose of sowing.
On the south-east, the rocky mass of the
Gouraya seems detached from the shore, and the
deeD gorge intervening between it and the main-

198 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
land, indicates at once the position of the city
of Bougia and the course of the Roman road
which led from Rusgunia and Rusuccurum, and
descended to Salda on the southern reverse of
the mountain.
On approaching Cape Carbon we looked at its
base for the famous inlet, which, according to
some geographers, may be entered by vessels
under sail ; but in truth it would be difficult for
an ordinary boat to work its way in.
After doubling Bouac point, we came in sight of
the Monkey Valley and the Marine Garden. The
verdure ofthe latter formed an agreeable contrast
to the gloomy aspect of the adjacent rocks. Then
passing Fort Abd-el-Kader, after having nearly
doubled the gigantic jetty formed in the sea by the
Gouraya, we descried Bougia, situated on the rapid
declivities fronting the south. Notwithstanding its
forts, and the extent of its circuit, it is a mere mass
of huts, surrounded as it were by a vast orchard.
It does not merit the name of a town. The streets
are merely rough open foot paths, running, with
out any order between rows of irregularly built
houses. But the stranger who visits Bougia cannot
expect much after passing the ruined debarcadere,

BOUGIA. 199
the fragments of which seem left only to put
French negligence to shame.
Of the ancient Salda, one of the principal towns
of Cesarean Mauritania, there remain only a few
vestiges of Roman roads. In the year 911, under
the Beni Hamad dynasty, Bougia became the
capital of a considerable kingdom, rich in ships
and caravans, and a flourishing entrepot for all
kinds of merchandize. It possessed establish
ments for ship building and excellent iron works.
At that period were constructed the great walls
surrounding the town on the eastern and western
sides. In 1151 Abd-el-Moumen, Emperor of Morocco,
conquered Bougia, which he reduced to the con
dition of a provincial capital. The Pisans, who
came next, formed mercantile establishments, and
appropriated to themselves the coral fishery, of
which the principal station was at Tabarque. By
numerous attacks on the coast of Spain, the inhabi
tants of Bougia drew on themselves the vengeance
of Peter of Navarre, who took possession of the
city on the 6th of January, 1510, without firing
a shot. Forty years afterwards the Governor,

200 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
Don Alonzo de Peralta, being closely pressed by
Khaireddin, surrendered to Salha Rais Pasha, and
was massacred by the Janissaries. Finally, in
1833, the French landed at Bougia, but did not
make themselves masters of the city until after a
vigorous resistance-
About two thousand men now occupy a bar
racked camp on a point suited for the defence of
the place, but where water is wanting. The stream
whence the town was formerly supplied is lost
amongthe ruinswhich choke up the ravines through
which it used to flow. But the French might easily
recover it if they would undertake the task with
the zeal and intelhgence of the Romans or the
ancient Arabs. From the camp to the summit of
the Gouraya there is a road opened under
the direction of Colonel Duvivier, in the rear ofthe
great wall. This road extends to the length of
four thousand metres over a calcareous rock
covered by a stratum of argillaceous earth. The
lentisk, the mastick, the vine, and the wild olive
grow here, and would flourish vigorously if
cattle were not aUowed to range among them.
The summit of the Gouraya is six hundred and
eighty-two metres above the level ofthe sea; on

MARABOUT OF SIDI-BOSGRI. 20 I
the north side the height is seven hundred metres ;
and on the south it is two thousand metres. The
effect of this prodigious mountain pile is quite
magical. In the midst of this chaos a deep hoUow opens
which becomes bifurcated at three leagues from
Bougia. This is the vaUey of Soumah. Beyond
it lie the beautiful plains of Zamoura and Setif.
The valleys in this part shew traces of cultivation,
but the viUages of Dharmassar and Sumnia have
been burned.
On the summit of the Gouraya may be seen
the ruins of the Marabout of Sidi-Bosgri. This
temple was held in great veneration by the Arabs,
who make pilgrimages to it, as they stfil do to
Mecca. In 1833 these ruins were heroically de
fended by the Kabyles against the French. A
small fort, well guarded by a good garrison, has
since been erected near them. Colonel Larochette
during his command at Bougia greatly improved
the defences of the place. The road from the fort
to the summit of the Gouraya now unites with
another road descending to the plain, and pass
ing the precipice of the Dent. The course of this
road is so well planned that the movements of
k 3

202 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
assailants may always be watched, whilst the ad
vantages of any position gained by an enemy may
be rendered valueless by taking possession of ano
ther which commands it. These ably planned works
have contributed not a httle to drive the Arabs
from the walls of the town, beyond which it is
stiU unsafe for a solitary traveUer to venture. We
were, therefore, accompanied by an escort of
twenty soldiers when we visited the Doriac
block-house. In this place, a smaU garrison of ten
men sustained for three days a vigorous conflict
with a whole tribe of Kabyles. On the waUs of
the block-house, on the wester nand southern sides,
there is not sufficient space to lay one's hand
between themarks of baUs. The Arabs had brought
with them the widow of a Sheik who had been
killed some time before at the same spot. Not
withstanding the murderous discharges of the
French guns, this woman remained alone on the
pinnacle of a rock about thirty paces from the
block-house, where she waved a red burnouse, and
by her cries and daring movements, encouraged the
Arabs in the attack. This scene lasted eight hours,
and though it would have been easy to have put
an end to it, yet the French soldiers, almost all

POPULATION OF BOUGIA. 203
of whom were wounded, disdained to fire on a
woman. In the direction of the plain, the defence of the
block-house is completed by five advanced posts,
beyond which the cattle belonging to the garrison,
and the soldiers who guarded them cannot venture.
The cattle when sent out to graze are accompanied
by dogs to beat about the bushes as in hunting,
and thus drive off the Kabyles who lie in wait and
surprise them.
Nearly the whole of the Arab population has
retired from Bougia. The European inhabitants,
that is to say the civilians, once amounted to seven
hundred and forty individuals. At present there
are not more than one hundred. During thirteen
years, therefore, little progress has been made.
Bougia is merely a military hospital. The blind
ness and imbecility of the French in Africa is
more perceptible there than anywhere else.
It is reaUy impossible to conceive what the
French could have had in view when they took
possession of this place ; where almost insur
mountable difficulties oppose the movement of
troops. If, considering that the roadstead is
the best along the coast, it was wished to

204 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
make a maritime debouche for the vast basin
of the Soumah, why delay the improve
ment of the port ? If it was wished to make
Bougia a point d'appui for military movements
in the country, could anything else than disap
pointment attend such a scheme ? France might
have covered this city by her protection had not
the Duke of Rovigo, the former Governor of the
French possessions, committed a fault in 1832.
He rejected the petition of the inhabitants to have
a French commercial commissioner in the town,
and two ships of war in the roads. To a quiet
occupation, which must have proved advanta
geous, the shew of a conquest was preferred.
Here also the military system had no other result
than that of excluding pacific improvement and by
throwing the subdued inhabitants into the moun
tains among the discontented Arabs, proving
its complete inability to forward colonization.
Leaving Bougia, we once more embarked, and
about eleven at night we were under weigh. Next
morning at sun-rise we were off Gigelly. The
fort is defended on the west by a peninsula
stretching towards the north, on which the
fort is built. Towards the offing it is imperfectly

ADMIRAL DUQUESNE. 205
covered by a chain of rocky islets, between which
the sea rushes with great violence in stormy wea
ther. This chain which joins the extremity of
the peninsula runs eastward parallel with the
coast, and is more than two hundred metres
long. M. R — informed me that an interest
ing document exists in the archives of the De
partment of the French Marine, drawn up by
Admiral Duquesne. It is a plan for uniting these
islets, one with another, by strong masonry, and
then prolonging the work by a mole of two hundred
metres in length, inflected towards the south-east,
leaving a passage of about a hundred metres open
at the east, between the mole and the Marabout
rock, on which, in 1664, the Duke de Beaufort
effected his landing. By this improvement the
extent of the port would be nearly six hectares,
thus affording a safe shelter for about fifteen
vessels. The ancient Igilgilis was intersected by some
Roman roads leading to Bougia, Setif, Constantina,
and Hippon. Here and there the traces of those
stupendous works may still be recognised. The
French, the Genoese, the Venetians, and the
Flemings had commercial establishments here,

206 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
trading chiefly in leather and wax. On the 23rd
of July, 1664, the Duke de Beaufort took pos
session of the place. In a small fort, command
ing the town, which still exists, he left a garri
son of four hundred men, who, becoming dis
persed, were massacred by the Arabs three
months after. At present a few Maltese carry on
the coral fishery, but they have no fixed estab
lishment. The French garrison is of no import
ance. We soon arrived on the north of Mers-el-Zeitoun
with Cape Bougaroni on the east. The mountains,
the bases of which are washed by the sea, are
like those to the west of Bougia, rude, but not
picturesque. They have a grandeur of effect,
owing to their stupendous masses ; but though ver
dant, they do not present any of those pleasing
spots on which the eye of the traveUer loves to
dwell. These shores are said to abound in coral,
but unfortunately the ferocity of the neighbouring
tribes does not permit fishers to come to the coast
in safety.
Beyond Cape Bougaroni the coast is deeply
indented. To this configuration it is indebted
for its name, Djebel-Saba-rous, (mountain of the

PHILIPPEVILLE. 207
seven capes). This mountain which is calcareous,
is crowned with pines and carob trees. The
brightness and freshness of the verdure denote
the vicinity of springs. Near each spring, a
few huts, as rude as the Mapals of the ancient
Numedians, seem buried under the trees.
The Ras-el-Kebir consists of pale grey basaltic
prisms, which recur again beyond Philippeville.
Some of the like prisms are discernible on the
elevated peak of Candia.
At length, on turning a rock, we entered a plea
sant little hollow, at the extremity of which was
seated the European town of PhilippeviUe, dis
tant a two days' journey from Constantina. It
serves as the port and the point of communica
tion with that interesting part of the province.
AU the houses of Philippeville are new and well
built, and the European inhabitants seem happy
in having estabhshed themselves on a fertile soil,
surrounded by a pure atmosphere and plenty of
water. A small river, the Oued-Zeamah, is navi
gable to the distance of two leagues inland. On
the east, the coast is wooded, and susceptible of
cultivation. The valley of the Oued-el-Kebir is

208 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
very open, and is intersected by the road leading
to Constantina.
We had scarcely set foot on shore when we
were required to be on board again, and we
had to leave this new European town, which
has arisen on a soil where no vestiges of ancient
habitations can be traced.
When we rose next morning, the vessel was at
anchor off Bona, in the mooring grounds of the
Cassarin, to the south-east of a rock, which has
the form of a lion crouching at the foot of the
Casbah. On the left, beyond the town, the ground
is low, but well wooded. At the distance of a
league we perceived the mouth of the Seybouse,
which is navigable as far as the entrance of the
valleys of the Atlas. This part of Algeria, which
borders the Regency of Tunis, is more fertile than
any other portion of the French possessions,
nevertheless here European population has made
the least progress. The port is shaUow, and
the anchorage is not good. It is poorly pro
tected towards the offing by the Lion's Point, and
lower down by the Stork's Point, which runs out
sixty metres into the sea. No other anchorage

SITUATION OF THE TOWN. 209
than a bed of sand spreading over the rocks ;
and in stormy weather this sand is set in motion
by the surge. Every year the inhabitants look
forward to some fearful catastrophe, for they
well remember the loss, in 1833, of fourteen
vessels, one of which was a ship of war.
On our arrival at the quay, we saw a great
number of barques preparing to depart for the
coral fishery. On landing, we saw before us a
large Moresco gate, which reminded us of that
of Medeah. On one side was a pretty broad
street, which, after some turnings, led to a square
surrounded by houses in the European style,
as at Algiers. The town, which stands on
a flat space of ground forms a pentagon of
fourteen hectares in extent, surrounded with
wretched walls. The population is not numerous,
and there is no trade. There is a scarcity
of water in the town, the aqueducts by which
it was formerly supplied having been des
troyed when the place was taken by Achmet
Bey in 1832. The French, who have now oc
cupied it for fourteen years have been so negli
gent as not to obviate this inconvenience. The
fact may appear incredible, but in some streets

210 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the accumulations of dirt have been so great,
as to raise the level of the ground ; indeed
many of the houses are buried in ruins, to the
height of two metres.
The air of Bona is very unhealthy. It is there
fore necessary to have three strong garrison corps,
for two thirds of the soldiers are always in the
hospitals, suffering from fever. This insalubrity
is caused by the exhalations from the marshy
grounds surrounding the town, and principaUy
from a tract of ground adjoining the Gate on
the Constantina Road, and called the Herbeyra
Marsh. The north-east angle ofthe plain, which
stretches out on the left of the Seybouse, is
closed between the head of Mount Edough
and the sea, by a hillock one hundred and eight
metres high, which is separated from the moun
tain by a narrow valley.
Bona is situated low down on the south side
of the coast. On a summit which can only be
reached by a rapid ascent stands the Casbah, whose
guns command the anchorage of the Cassarin.
Open on all sides, the surrounding ground affords
no shelter for the advance of an enemy, who
would find it impossible to mask himself by en-

MINES OF MOUNT EDOUGH. 211
trenchments. Throughout nearly the whole fine of
approach, the pick-axe, at the first stroke, comes
in contact with the solid rock. The Casbah,
constructed by Peter de Navarre, is inferior to
nothing in modern art, and if the garrison had
not rashly surrendered in 1832, Yussuf, as it
has been well observed, would not have taken
so important a place with a hundred sailors. He
would have found it necessary to carry on a
regular siege, and the conquest would have cost
the French dearly.
The natural fertility of the plain of Bona is
extraordinary. The clay-beds are almost every
where well suited for the manufacture of bricks ;
and, in several places, also for pottery. There
is reason to believe, that Mount Edough contains
coal; and in the twelfth century the mines of
iron and ores found there, were actively worked.
Among them is the carbonated iron lithoid.
Notwithstanding this valuable discovery, which
would give immense advantage to the port of
Bona, for the supply of coal to the steamers,
no works with that object have yet been com
menced. A few geologists, sent by the French
government, have, indeed, given some raps with

212 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
their hammers on Mount Edough ; but, whatever
specimens they may have obtained have produced
no other results, than their exhibition in the
Jardin des Plantes.
The trifling trade of the town is carried on
by the Jews. The sixty-three Arab tribes, who
live within a radius of twenty leagues, no longer
bring for sale, as they formerly did, their wool,
leather, and wax. They prefer going to the more
distant markets of Tunis. France is far from
having derived every possible advantage from
this position; and, if she be not prudent, she wiU
have to retire from this part of the coast, leaving
behind only the bones of her sons : for the traces
of her passage wiU not endure longer than those
of the Arab Douars on the sofi where they plant
their tents. The Romans and the ancient Arabs
knew how to vivify this fertile land. The French
have destroyed, but they have created nothing for
the future.
My friend had a visit to pay to M. L — , a
French gentleman, and I accompanied him. The
house was open, and on entering the inner court,
we knocked at the door of a saloon; we were
requested, by a female voice, to "come in."

PET LIONS. 213
M. R — opened the door, then, with an air of
consternation, shut it immediately, and told me
there were two lions going about at liberty in
the saloon. He had scarcely told me this, when
Madame L — herself opened the door, and beg
ged of us to enter, observing that we need be
under no alarm, as the lions were perfectly tame.
We followed the lady, and as soon as I sat down,
the male lion came and laid his head on my
knee. As for the lioness, she leaped on the
divan beside Madame L— , looking at us from
time to time, and sometimes giving a growl
like an angry cat. These two animals were about
seven years old, and were very great pets. Ma
dame L — called away that one who seemed
to have taken a liking to me, and I was not
sorry to see him withdraw peaceably. We took
our departure, carefully avoiding any hasty move
ments. When I was out of the house, I felt
that I could breathe more at my ease. I was
amazed to find that a lady could muster courage
to trust herself with two such companions.
About two o'clock, the master of the hotel
at which we had alighted, procured two horses,

214 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
to enable us to visit the ruins of Hippon, which
are delightfully situated about a league from
Bona. Judging from the fragments which cover the
soil, it appears that the ancient city stood at the
foot of two elevated hills, now called by the
Arabs, Boonah and Gharf-el-Clutro. On the
banks of the Seybouse there are visible, along
an extent of three hundred metres, the ruins
of ancient quays, which mark the position of
the Roman port.
On the north there are the remains of one of
the city gates, built in alternate layers of bricks
and stones of large dimensions. We were shewn
what were called the ruins of the convent erected
by St. Augustine, and the foundation of the
church : but that must be a mistake. Those
gigantic and majestic ruins are so well preserved,
that the whole plan can be traced out. They are
evidently the remains of an ancient hydraulic
establishment, consisting of an aqueduct, which
conveyed the water from the foot of Mount
Edough to the city. Its length must have been
twenty-six hundred metres ; and it was carried

ANCIENT AQUEDUCT. 215
over arches only in crossing the Laurel valley,
and the valley of Boubgimah. In the inter
mediate space, it was supported by the flank
ofthe little hiU, Salul. This aqueduct must have
been fed by supplies from the Gold stream, and
the Laurel stream. It terminated, after several
changes of direction, at the hill of Boonah. The
fine arches nearest to the Edough, are still stand
ing. The sub-basements are in masonry. The
interior is constructed of rough stones, or rub
bish ; but the arches are of brick. The canal
is two feet broad. We may yet count, almost
with certainty, the height of the piles of the
aqueduct. Near the city it must have been
more than twenty metres high. The reservoir,
at the outlet of which the waters divide to the
north-west, is about mid-way up the acclivity.
It is divided into two principal compartments,
each being seventeen metres in breadth, and
forty in length : this, allowing a metre for
depth, gives a capaciousness of one thousand
three hundred and sixty metres. This reservoir
must have contained from ten to twelve thousand
cubic metres of water. The walls are of rough
unhewn stone, lined internally with brick. The

216 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
eastern basin is still crossed by two bridges.
The skirt of one of these bridges, the pillars
of which no longer exist, is self- supported to
the length of seventeen metres, solely by the
strength of cohesion in the mortar.
Between Bona and Hippon, there are vestiges
of Roman roads, which formed junctions with the
great road along the coast, from Carthage to
the Straits of Gibraltar.
St. Augustine was ordained at Hippon, by
Bishop Valerius, in 390. There he wrote his
Confessions, together with a very remarkable
letter, on the duty of Pastors whose towns
become the prey of an enemy. In this letter,
he displays the courage and devotion of the
saint and of the patriot. Soon after this letter
was written, the Vandals besieged Hippon by
land and by sea. The city defended itself four
teen months ; but in the year 430 it was reduced
to ashes, nothing escaping the flames, but the
Bishoprick and the Library, which had belonged
to St. Augustine. He died Bishop of Hip
pon. On one side of the ruined aqueduct, on the
summit of the hill of Boonah, and surrounded

THE GREAT OASIS. 217
with lilacs and honeysuckles, stands a white
marble altar, recently constructed. This altar
is surmounted by a bronze statue, one metre
high, representing Saint Augustine, in his pon
tifical robes. A small iron grating surrounds
the monument. The view from the esplanade
on the top of the hill is extensive. On looking
down to the sea, the spectator discerns, almost
at his feet, the mouth of the Seybouse ; and, on
the opposite side, is the town of Bona, sur
mounted with its Casbah. On the other bank
of the Seybouse, and further to the right along
the flat shore, are some shady thickets, in
tersected by a broad road leading to the
last French post on the east, caUed the Draan,
about five leagues from the town. It stands
on a height, which rises by gentle acclivities,
like an island in the midst of an immense plain,
on which nothing is to be seen but thistles,
parched by the sun.
Passing along this road, to the distance of about
two leagues, we came to a mass of trees, called
the Great Oasis: for in these unwatered and
unsheltered plains, there are two fertile spots,
L

218 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the more considerable of which is that we
had just reached. It was truly a virgin forest,
in which trees and plants of every species were
grouped together, and where it was impossible
to hear ourselves speak, owing to the chirping
of innumerable birds over our heads. The
noise was so deafening, that we were at last
obliged to moderate it by firing some shots.
The victims wliich feU were some linnets and
tit-mice; these birds had nothing remarkable in
the colour of the plumage. Whilst we were
reposing in the shade, on a bank covered with
moss, we perceived some motion in a bush,
about forty paces from us, and presently a fine
hyena made its appearance. Without noticing
us, the animal advanced direct to our horses.
To take up our muskets and to fire at him was
but the work of a few moments ; but as we
both fired together, the honour of killing him
could only be decided by lot. I gained the skin,
which my friend stripped off with wonderful
dexterity. It was with considerable difficulty
I could get my horse to let it he across his
croup : at last, bon ore, mal gre, he was obhged
to take it.

ARAB LAWS. 219
Soon after, we retraced our way back to Bona,
where a good dinner was awaiting us. We
passed the evening in the oriental style, with
pipes and coffee ; and M. R — related to me
some curious particulars relative to the legislature
of the Arabs, and the barbarity of their criminal
punishments. Since the occupation of Algeria, the Arabs have
been subject to French laws ; but for trivial of
fences they are flogged instead of being sentenced
to fines, which they could never be made to pay.
Before the arrival of the French they had no other
code than the Koran, to which any addition
thought necessary was supplied at the will of the
sovereign. The judge of all affairs, civil and
criminal, was the Cadi. Under him was the
Anatel Kaik, a kind of justice of peace, before
whom were brought in the first instance all kinds
of questions of trifling importance. He en
deavoured, as far as possible, to induce the liti
gants to come to an amicable settlement. When
he could not conciliate the parties he sent
them before the Cadi, who finally decided in
the case. l 2

20 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
In complicated questions, especially those relat
ing to religion, the Cadi applied for the assistance
of the Mufti, a superior magistrate, empowered
to judge without appeal, whether with respect to
lay individuals or to Marabouts.
The country people brought their disputes
before the Aga, whose sentences were immediately
executed. The Jews, in reference to questions
between themselves, resorted to a tribunal com
posed of Rabbis, but in other cases they went
before the Arab judges, who treated them with
the greatest rigour. They were hanged for the
offence of lifting their hand against a Mahometan ;
impaled for speaking disrespectfully of the Ma-
homedan religion; and burned alive for talking
against the authorities of towns in which they were
resident. At Algiers, when any one had to complain of
the Cadi's judgment, or when the adverse party
would not submit to the decision, the complain
ant went up to the Casbah, seized with both
hands a bell-chain hanging at the gate, and rang
with all his might. An officer then appeared to
whom he related his case. A message was sent

ARAB PUNISHMENTS. 221
to the Cadi, inquiring into the correctness of
the statement made by the plaintiff, to whom
was rendered accordingly whatever justice ap
peared due to him.
On the contrary, if the plaintiff was found to be
in the wrong, he was bastinadoed with some hun
dred blows on the soles of his feet, and was besides
compelled to undergo aU the consequences of the
judgment of which he complained. When the
question related to a criminal affair, the Dey sent
the culprit to the Aga, who caused the sentence
to be executed forthwith.
The punishments inflicted on criminals were bar
barously severe. The slightest offence against
the government was punished by the bastinado,
which was administered not only on the soles of
the feet, but also on the belly and the back. From
thirty to twelve hundred blows were given, ac
cording to the nature of the offence. Two men,
each armed with a piece of flexible wood, as thick
as an ordinary cane, alternately struck the culprit,
who was laid on a sort of bench, with his legs, and
arms tied. Even when it happened that the
criminal expired under this punishment, the
executioners still continued to strike, until they

222 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
had completed the number of blows specified by
the sentence.
Person condemned to death were usually
decapitated with the axe or the yatagan; others
were either hanged, impaled, or burned alive ;
or thrown upon great iron hooks at the gate
of Bab-Azoun, on which they remained impaled
for several days, until they died of hunger in
the most horrible sufferings. M. R  told
me that having once visited Algiers before its
occupation by the French, he saw a man who had
remained alive three days on these hooks, and that
he certainly would have lived longer, had not a
Janissary, either from humanity or to show his
dexterity to the assembled multitude, blown out
his brains with a pistol.
Sometimes the relatives of the persons con
demned to this horrid punishment gave a sum of
money to the executioner to strangle the victim
before he threw him over the wall.
Whilst I was listening to this account of the
barbarous laws of the people, we perceived an
immense fire on the mountains. I asked why the
Arabs had set fire to the coppice wood. My friend
told me that by this practice the herbage became

FIRE-WOOD FOR THE ARMY. 223
more thick and more acceptable to the cattle.
Besides, it was the means of destroying nox
ious animals, whose retreats could not otherwise
be easily reached. In the neighbourhood of towns,
where the great consumption of wood gives it a
saleable value, other motives prompt this practice
of burning. The inhabitants, having no means
of felling with the axe or the saw, and not know
ing how to remove the wood except by combus
tion, often set a great mass on fire to get a dozen
bundles of charcoal.
The negligence of the French government is
apparent even in this branch of colonization : the
management of the woods. Will it be credited
that last year, 1845, the fire-wood for the army
cost 374,000 francs, and was brought almost en
tirely from other countries ? Under a more con
servative system, the lentisk, the carob, the wild
olive, the myrtle, and the cork tree, as well as
many others, now mere brush-wood, would spread
their refreshing foliage over the Algerian soil.
All the trees of the south of Europe would thrive
there perfectly well. The larches of Corsica, the
cedars of Mount Lebanon, and even the firs of the

224 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
Alps would find on the heights of Jurjura the
temperature congenial to their growth.
In one of my excursions I observed Aleppo
pines of great beauty, and at Bouffarik some mag
nificent poplars; also in the gorges ofthe moun
tains near Blidah the cork oak, and that bearing
sweet acorns, which fruit the Moors eat either raw
or roasted. In the neighbourhood of Mostaganem,
they make from these acorns an oil as sweet and
agreeable as olive oil.
Before the French occupation, the Turks pro
hibited the burning of trees; and when fires broke
out in woods which would produce timber for
ship building, the tribes of the territory were
obliged to produce a head, which was held to be that
of the incendiary. The foresters now employed
are not so severe. They often go out shooting,
which they call a circuit of inspection, and, in
order to raise the game, they set fire themselves
to the brushwood. These fires spread, and some
times last a week ; masses of ashes shewing the
extensive destruction of the trees.
At the period when the Romans began their
intercourse with Numidia, the Kabyles, who are

AGRICULTURE. 225
its most ancient inhabitants, were in a worse con
dition than that in which France found them.
Their fertile country was then overrun with wild
beasts. Massinissa succeeded during his reign in
correcting to some extent the predatory habits of
his subjects. He converted them into soldiers
and labourers. His work survived him, and
afterwards when the army of Metellus marched
against Jugurtha, the very spots where the French
are now deficient in supplies, presented the most
unequivocal signs of agricultural prosperity. Flocks
and labourers occupied the fields. The magis
trates of towns and of country districts came to
the Romans, offering them corn, provisions, and
means of transport. In proof of this it is only
necessary to refer to what Sallust says respecting
Jugurtha — Ipse intento atque infesto exercitu in
Numidiamprocedit .* ubi, contra bellifaciem, tuguria
plena hominum, pecora cultores que in agris .* ex
oppidis et mapalibus prcefecti regis obviamproce-
debant,paratifrumentum dare, commeatum portare,
postremo omnia, qua imperarentur facer e.
The Arabs have proved their aptitude for agri
cultural labour ; whenever interest has prompted
them, they practice it successfully. l 3

226 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
It is unfortunate for France, that the French
people, being little accustomed to sea voyages,
commonly regard a colony in Africa to be very
remote from their native land. If India were
only forty-eight hours sail from England, what
Englishman would faU to visit it ? But in Algeria,
the male French population consists almost
wholly of adventurers. Properly speaking, they
are only individual colonists, for there are few or
no families. It is estimated that there are not
more than a hundred women to a thousand men,
the army not being taken into account.
The French do not exceed two-fifths of the
colonists. According to estimates drawn up in
1843, 1844 and 1845, among a thousand men,
there were four hundred and fifteen French, three
hundred and twenty Spaniards, one hundred and
sixteen Maltese, one hundred and three Italians,
and forty-six Germans.
The French population is drawn to Africa by
no special interest. The illusions spread in
France respecting the wealth of the colony have
been the only attractions ; and had Algeria been
conquered by any other country, French immi
gration thither would be scarcely perceptible.

EUROPEAN COLONISTS. 227
Germany overflows with agricultural labourers,
and the smaU number of German emigrants in
Algeria proves better than any reasoning that it
is not a country for agricultural colonization.
The Germans prefer, notwithstanding the enor
mous expense of the voyage, to transport their
labour and their industry to the savannahs of
America. It might have been expected, from the
activity of her shipping, as weU as from the
oppressions of her gloomy and pusfilanimous
governments, that Italy would have been before
Spain in emigration to the coast of Africa.
However, there are three Spaniards to one
Italian ; and all Italy does not furnish a contin
gent equal to the Island of Malta, the inhabitants
of which, being African in their origin and their
language, accord readily with the Arabs.
The Spaniards there are more numerous than
they were in the time of Charles V. Though
proverbial for inactivity at home, they have,
nevertheless, devoted themselves to the labour
of cultivation, with an industry and intelligence
which deserves the highest praise.

228 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
In the Royal Library of Paris, there is a
manuscript on vellum paper in the Arabic
language, entitled a " Treatise on Agricul
ture." It was written in the sixth century of
the Hegira, which corresponds with the twelfth
of the Christian era, by Abou Zacharia Zahia
Abou Mohamed. In the reign of Charles IV, in
1802, a Spanish translation of this Treatise was
made for distribution among the farmers of Spain.
This would be a useful book for the colonists of
Algiers. They would find in it lessons of old ex
perience, for which in seeking by themselves,
they must pay dearly. False ideas of colonization,
however, reject all the slow processes of honest
and certain gain.
Behold that large trench : it is the common
grave for the soldiers who have perished in the
hospitals, from being confined in the pestilential
quarters of the Mitidja, suppfied by the Model
Farm, or some other farm, worked out by a
company of shareholders ! Under the present
defective system, agriculture can hold out but
little interest to the colonist. To the army,
Africa is a vast field of battle. The soldier

DISHONEST SPECULATION. 229
marches through it and returns to France. For
the speculator it is an open field for swin
dling. No person in the colony thinks seriously
of the real interests or future prospects of
France.

230 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.

CHAPTER VII.
Journey to Constantina — Thermal Springs of Hamman
Berda — Ruins of Ghelma — Mount Bas-el-Akba — Ruins
of an ancient City — Constantina — Position and Aspect of
the City— The Casbah— The Coral Fishery at La Calle—
Slavery in Africa — An Arab Duar — Breakfast — The Arab
Women — Mock Conflicts — Complimentary Manoeuvre —
Tobacco Plantations — Philippeville — A Cantiniere — The
Titan Steamer — Return to Algiers — The Statue of the
Duke of Orleans — Passports.
After a sleepless night caused by the mos
quitoes, against which I had not adopted due
precautions, we arose at day-break, and mounted
our horses to proceed to Constantina. The
weather was magnificent. It had been arranged
that we should travel in company with two
squadrons of the African Chasseurs, who were
stationed in the camp of the Draan. We speedily
reached the latter place by the roads, which we

CAMP OF THE DRAAN. 231
had traversed in our excursion of the preceding
day. On our arrival at Draan, we found the
little column drawn up in marching order. The
chefcTescadron, M. de C  , who had the com
mand, gave us a friendly reception, and stationed
me and my friend beside him at the head of the
column. Some Arabs rode on before us, to act
as pioneers, and we soon found ourselves in the
road along which the Duke de Nemours and
Marshal Clausel passed in November, 1836, during
the first expedition to Constantina, which proved
so disastrous to the French army.
After leaving the camp of the Draan, we found
the country before us scattered over with little
hillocks, as if they were masses detached from
the chain of the Atlas. These hillocks look
hke the basements of volcanic piles, and are
scattered, like islets, over the plain. At one
part of the journey, we found the soil poor and
light; but as we approached the rivulet called
the Bouinfra, it became excellent. After fording
this little stream, we beheld before us a branch
of the Atlas, which encloses the valley of the
Seybouse. A detached perpendicular hill ad
vances, like a spur, on the plain. The road runs

232 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
along the foot of this hill, and passes near the
ruins of Ascarus, where the son of Pompey was
defeated, when, by the advice of Cato, he en
deavoured to revolutionize Mauritania against
Caesar. Here and there, we discerned traces
of the ancient Roman road, leading from Hip
pon to Cirta. Descending the brow of a hill
we came to a very picturesque httle valley. Here
are situated the thermal springs of Hamman
Berda, probably the Aquae Tibilitanee men
tioned in the itinerary of Anthony. These
springs, which flow into a basin of free stone, are
clear and abundant. They are devoid of taste or
smell, and their temperature is about thirty de
grees. In this valley we halted to rest and shelter
ourselves during the mid-day heat; and the
soldiers having kindled their fires, prepared coffee.
It was an agreeable spot : the soil was fertile, and
the flowers and foliage of the laurel rose marked
the course of the streams, denoting to that they
were seldom dry. The Roman settlement here,
of which only scanty vestiges remain, must have
been considerable.
About one o'clock we remounted our horses,

RAS-EL-AKBA. 233
and with trumpets sounding, we debouched
into the valley of the Seybouse. We were now
opposite Ghelma, the ancient Roman Calama
which was destroyed by the Vandals. The
ruins of a theatre, of a temple, and of some
other public edifices, still exist. The beauty of
the site, commanding as it does a magnificent
view over the valley of the Seybouse, must have
rendered the ancient city a remarkable place.
The Seybouse is in this part very broad, and
not easily forded ; some of the cavalry posted
themselves across the stream, so as to bar the
force of the current, and thus the others were
enabled to pass in safety. Thanks to this pre
caution, we soon found ourselves at the foot of
the Ras-el-Akba, a steep and barren group of
mountains. The country, in this part, presented
a wUd and dreary aspect. As far as the eye
could reach, nothing was visible but huge masses
of mountain and rock, and the intervening gorges
offered no tract to guide our course. All was
barrenness and desolation, and amidst the vast
expanse not a tree or a shrub was to be seen.
About midway up the ascent of the Ras-el-
Akba, we came to the ruins of Anouna. They

234 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
are situated on a natural terrace, bordered by
precipices, and overhung by vertical rocks,
accessible only on one side. This singular town,
with the ancient name of which I am unac
quainted, seems to have been built in a spot
out of the reach of aU communication, for no
other purpose than to enable its inhabitants to
enjoy the delicious prospect of the valley of the
Seybouse. The ruins are of free stone. Among
them is a triumphal arch, of simple and tasteful
structure, and in a good state of preservation.
Opposite to it, there is a facade with a mutilated
inscription on the exterior, and a cross which appa
rently warrants the supposition of its having
been a pagan temple converted into a Christian
church. Several arches of a fine aqueduct are
also remaining. The ground on every side is
planted with ruins, and among them are the
remains of a vast edifice, the plan of which may
stfil be traced by the basements of the columns.
Judging from the aspect of the ruins, it appears
more probable that the city has been overthrown
by an earthquake than destroyed by the effect of
time. On the northern side, and beyond the
walls, there is a group of tombs covered with

NIGHT ENCAMPMENT. 235
plain stones, on one of which I could decypher
the inscription : Cornelia vixit annos xix.
Some ragged Arabs came to us, offering to
sell eggs and poultry, some of which we pur
chased for our evening repast. About six o'clock
we halted in a httle hollow, about a league from
the Ras-el-Akba. During the day, each soldier
had collected and tied to his knapsack, a faggot
of wood, for the purpose of cooking the evening
soup. The wisdom of this precaution was evident
when we arrived at our halting station, as there
were only a few blades of dry grass to be, found
there. The night-guard being posted, the fires
were kindled, and our little camp presented an
animated appearance. Next morning, before sun
rise, the trumpets sounded the Diane, and half
an hour afterwards, our column was in motion.
We passed the Marabout of Sidi-Tamtam,
and soon reached a well cultivated plateau.
Here we met a party of Arabs, who passed by
without appearing to notice us. Passing on
the south a group of barren mountains, we
crossed the vaUey of the Oued-Berda, and de
scended into the valley of Bou-Merzoug, a river
which falls into the Rummel above Constan-

236 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
tina. A little further on, we found ourselves
on the plateau of Soumah, and at the distance
of about three leagues in the direction of the
north-west, we could discern Constantina, par
tially masked by the plateau of Mansourah. On
the plateau of Soumah, there is a Roman monu
ment, elevated on a cylindrical base, and sur
mounted by four shattered pilasters, between
which there appears to have been a statue. This
monument was in the centre of a colonnaded
rotunda, the remains of which are stfil on the
ground. We now approached Constantina, which re
sembles no other city in the world. It stands
on the level height of a promontory, whose
calcareous formation is rent on every side by
large chasms. Its form is that of a rectan
gular trapezium, with a base of from six to nine
hundred metres. This level height, which is
surrounded by precipices, is connected on the
southern side, by the isthmus of Coudiat-Aty, with
the hills on the left bank of the Rummel. At
its north-eastern angle, a gigantic bridge crosses
the ravine. This bridge, which is of Roman
structure, was repaired by the Spaniards. On

CONSTANTINA. 237
the east and north of the city, the Rummel
is concealed amidst the recesses of the rocky
chasms ; sometimes losing itself in caverns,
formed by eruptive convulsions, and sometimes
rolling in cascades into the deep abyss. The
depth of this gulph, from the summit of the
height, is at least one hundred metres. From
the line traced by the river along the foot of the
city, the descent is seventy-five metres ; and
in aU parts the water rolls over pointed and
perpendicular rocks.
M. de C — , who commanded the column, in
formed me, that at the taking of Constantina,
he had been stationed with his regiment at
the spot where we then were ; and that he and
his men remained there for fifty hours, without
rest or sustenance, exposed to a pelting
storm of snow and rain. At four o'clock we
entered Constantina, which is encircled by the
river Rummel, and commanded by the heights
of Mausourah, and Sidi Mecid. The latter is
the burial-place of the Israelites, and its summit
is three hundred and fifty metres above the city.
On the south-west, the heights of Coudiat-Aty,
fronted by a little hUl, covered with Mussulman

238 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
tombs, also command the approaches to the city.
The table land on which Constantina is built, over
looks extensive and fertile plains. The Oued
Rummel washes the city at Sidi Rachet, where
it forms a cascade, falling into a great ravine,
which extends along the south-east and north
east sides. At the northern extremity of the
city stands the Casbah. Here the Rummel
forms a new cascade, called the Tortoise-fall,
and then leaves Constantina, continuing its course
to the north. At Point El-Kautara, the river
to a little distance takes a subterraneous course,
then re-appears, and after flowing to a little
distance, is again hidden underground. In
this manner the Rummel is lost sight of four
times, being each time concealed beneath a
natural bridge of from fifty to a hundred metres
in width.
The city of Constantina has four gates : 1. Bab-
el-Jedid (the New Gate), which opens on the
road to Algiers. 2. Bab-el-Oued (the Water
Gate), or, as it is sometimes caUed, Bab-el-Bach-
bab (the Market Gate), which is on the south
side of the town. 3. Bab-el-Ghabia (the Arrival
Gate), communicating with the Rummel; and

STREETS AND BUILDINGS. 239
4. Bab-el- Kautara (the Bridge Gate), which is si
tuated at an angle fronting the valley lying between
Mount Mausourah and Mount Mecid. The three
first mentioned gates are united by an ancient
wall, thirty feet high; but there are no moats.
Without the Bab-el-Oued Gate, there is a little
suburb, inhabited by artizans. There likewise
are situated the leather, wax, and wool markets.
A mosque, in good preservation, stands next to
the old building which was formerly appropriated
to the stables of the Dey, and which was capa
ble of containing eight hundred horses. The
walls are not very solid, and have no proper
foundation. On the outside of the Kautara
Gate, is the bridge from which it derives its
name. It is broad, and rests on three tiers of
arches, the lower part of which is of Roman
structure. It crosses the river at the great
chasm intervening between the city and the
mountain. At the most elevated point of the
city rises the Casbah, which is now nothing but
barracks, fortified and mounted with some guns.
Lower down are some corn-mills, set in motion
by the winding waters of the Rummel. Gardens
and orchards line the banks of the river on the

240 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
northern side of the city, in the quarter called
El Gemma.
The form ofthe city of Constantina is compared
by the Arabs to that of a burnouse, spread out at
full width, the Casbah representing the hood. It
contains three squares, to which the French have
imparted an aspect of regularity, by pulling down
numbers of old buildings ; the trees which are
planted in these squares render them very agree
able promenades. Most of the houses are built
of raw bricks ; but for the houses of the richer
inhabitants baked bricks are employed, combined
with stones gathered from the Roman ruins. The
palace of the late Bey Ahmed is remarkable for
the fine columns of marble which adorn its front.
In passing through the town I observed a great
number of small mosques.
The chief branches of industry are the manufac
ture of saddles, boots, shoes, and a sort of gaiters,
worn by some of the Arabs. There are some
forges, in which iron, brought from Tunis, is
wrought into agricultural implements, bridle-bits,
spurs, and horse shoes. The burnouses and
haicks made by the women of Constantina are
considered the best in all Algeria.

FRENCH CORAL FISHERY. 241
After taking leave of M. de C  and our
travelling escort, we retired to an hotel of tolerably
clean appearance, where a good dinner was set
before us. The repast being ended, we seated
ourselves quietly in the balcony where M.
R  amused us with some particulars relat
ing to the French coral fishery. Its principal
establishment is at La CaUe, about a day's journey
from the camp of Draan. Beyond the camp, in
the direction of the coast, immense forests of
palm trees, oaks, and agaves cover a superficies of
twenty thousand hectares, intersected by little
fertile vaUeys. Along the sea-shore, on the north
of these great forests, there is a bank of rock four
hundred and twenty metres long, and twenty-four
wide, running in the direction of west-north-west,
and parallel with the shore, to which, at its
eastern extremity, it is joined by an isthmus of
sand. It thus protects, on the offing, a sheet
of water, communicating with the sea by an
opening a hundred metres wide. Such is the
port which nature has formed at La Calle. On
the peninsula of rock, three hectares in extent,
the town was formerly seated, and some vestiges
of its vaulted magazines are still visible. M

242 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
The settlement of the French on this point of
the coast of Africa, is cotemporary with that of the
Turks. Francis I. and Henry II. became the
allies of Khaireddin, and of his son Hassan,
against Charles V. and Philip II. In the year
1624, after various changes, Amurath II. ceded
to France the dominion of all that part of the
coast comprised between La CaUe and Cape
Negro, on the outermost point of which stands the
city of Bona. The coral fishery, which is very
productive on these shores, was for a considerable
period carried on by a French African Company,
whose chief establishment was at MarseUles. The
establishment at La CaUe not only superintended
the transactions of the coral fishery, but also
maintained commercial relations with the Arabs
of the interior, who brought to the coast leather,
wax, corn, and wool.
This company no longer exists, and the coral
fishery may be carried on by any one who chooses
to engage in it. Most of the fishing-boats are
manned by Maltese, who fish by a very simple
process, in spite of the depth of the water, which
is sometimes three-hundred metres. At the head
of the boat there is fixed a roulette, over which
passes a rope. At the floating extremity of this

SLAVERY. 243
rope, a bar of wood is fixed transversely, and from
it are suspended the nets. In the centre of the
bar of wood there is a heavy block of iron which
forces the wood to sink, and in its faU it breaks
the beds of coral, the fragments of which become
entangled in the nets. After the lapse of about an
hour, the nets are pulled up, and they are generaUy
found to contain an abundant draught.
Whilst we were sitting in the balcony, we saw
a party of about twenty negroes passing along
the square. They were slaves, male and female,
and were under the safeguard of a single Arab.
The slave-trade is still carried on in this country.
France, on taking possession of the Regency, pro
mised to respect the laws, the customs, and the
property of the inhabitants, consequently their
right to trade in slaves, if in such a traffic
there can be any question of right, is guaran
teed by this engagement. On the other hand
the privfiege enjoyed by the soU of France of
liberating the slave as soon as he sets foot on it,
cannot be fully extended to this country. Such a
law would not be understood or appreciated either
by the master or the slave, and the consequence
would be a revolution operating to the injury of
m 2

244 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
aU. The slaves of natives are suffered therefore to
remain the property of their owners, and those pur
chased by Europeans are, on crossing the threshold
of a Christian house, admitted to the fuU benefit of
the French law of enfranchisement. In Africa
the condition of the negro slave is far less miser
able than in European colonies elsewhere ; and the
slaves themselves prefer subjection to the control
of a master to living at hberty. In Algeria the
slave is the companion of his master, and is asso
ciated with aU his habits and customs. A male
slave may obtain his freedom, and may even rise
to the highest dignities ; and a female slave may
become the mother of future chiefs. In Constan
tinople, since the time of Bajazet II., the Sultan
has invariably been the son of a slave. The law
of Mahomet traces out a multitude of paths by
which a slave may gain civil hberty ; and the Ko
ran says that the believer who frees the slave,
frees himself at once from the miseries of human
life, and the agonies of eternal torment.
In negro families, the sale of a relative is not
considered to be a crime. It is the regular
practice of fathers, elder brothers, and even
mothers, to sell children, on whose hves but

NEGROES OF THE NIGER. 245
little value is set ; and the children, judging from
their imperturbable indifference in the bazaars in
which they are exposed for sale, seem to think
that the condition of a slave entails no sacrifice.
Indeed, among the Mussulmans, slavery is not
associated with any idea of degradation. To in
terdict the traffic of negro slaves in the Regency,
would be to plunge the country into a state of
barbarism, and to fall back, after the first step in
advance towards liberty. Between slavery on the
banks of the Niger, and slavery on the shores
of the Mediterranean, there is as wide a distance
as between Negro society and Mussulman society
— or between Fetechism and Islamism, — between
perpetuity and transition.
In the valley of the Niger, the ordinary price
of a negro is four camels' loads of dates. The
chiefs there dispose of the existence of their
serfs with a degree of indifference in which stu
pidity seems almost to counterbalance barbarity.
It is no rare thing for fifteen or even twenty men
to be given in exchange for a horse; amongst
such people caprices of gross superstition can
be satisfied only with blood.
The admission of these unfortunate beings, in a

246 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
servile state to the society of the whites seems,
therefore, to be a necessary intermediate tran
sition to fit them for the attainment of liberty.
We returned early to rest, for we had to start
from Constantina at three o'clock in the morning,
as we wished, on the following night, to reach
PhilippeviUe, which is twenty-two leagues dis
tant. M. R  had made every necessary
arrangements for rendering my last excursion in
Africa as interesting and agreeable as possible.
At the appointed hour we were on horseback,
and we set off accompanied by some natives, who
were to serve as our escort. We soon got into
the defiles of the Lesser Atlas. The scene was
indescribably strange ; for now there was no
object around us that bore any connection with
Europe, except the mousqueton of a French
chasseur carried by one of the Arabs, and
which formed a curious contrast to their own
rude fire-locks. About nine in the morning,
whilst we were proceeding along the brow of a
small hill, two of our escort set off at full gaUop
to a neighbouring vaUey, in which a Duar was
established. The chiefs who came forward to meet us,

AN ARAB DOUAR. 247
kissed the hand of M. R  , and saluted
me by placing their right hands on their hearts.
They then conducted us to their tents. We were
expected, and the breakfast was in readiness. Our
host without touching any food himself, stood
opposite to us, attending upon us, and endeavour
ing to anticipate our slightest wishes. The repast
consisted, as usual, of boiled poultry and kus
kussu. To see an Arab on horseback, bounding over
his native plains, and yielding with childish
gaiety to the impulse of his capricious activity,
one is tempted to believe, that the freedom he
enjoys is the only true liberty, and we feel in
clined to despise the conventional liberty of
Europe, which hardly allows us to stir a foot
without being jostled. But on a closer examina
tion, we soon discover that pastoral life is not,
more than any other, free from annoyance. The
aspect of an Arab Douar excites in the mind a pro
found feeling of melancholy. The women are
doomed to undergo the most fatiguing labour.
Several times every day, either amidst pelting
rain, or under a burning sun, they go laden with
a heavy bucket to get water from the spring.

248 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
They cut down wood in the distant forests, bring
home a load, beneath which they are almost
crushed ; and on their return home, break it up,
and prepare it for sale. An Arab seems to have
no affection for mother, sister, wife, or daughter,
and the female sex maintain a permanent conspi
racy against the other. The graceful dignity
which marks the deportment of the Arab women
in their youth, the noble and gentle expression
which even excessive suffering only tardily obli
terates from their features, are far from confirm
ing the declaration of the Prophet, respecting the
spiritual deficiency of the sex. The Arabs are a
polite and ceremonious people : their epistolary
style affords a fair idea that this is their general
habit. Their chiefs and men of the higher class
are obliged to live under the continual restraints
of formal etiquette.
Our breakfast being ended, the Arabs of the
Douar divested themselves of their garments ; and
on the carpet which was spread beneath the tent,
they amused us with the spectacle of some mock
combats, which called to mind the athletic games
of antiquity.
About one o'clock, we set out accompanied by

CEREMONIES. 249
all the men of the tribe on horseback. They ranged
themselves in order, and in this manner they rode
for some time before us. We soon entered upon
an open plain, and then the Arabs raising them
selves in their saddles, and, with a sort of wild
grace throwing back the folds of their long bur
nouses, at the same time brandishing their fire
locks, galloped forward as if to a charge. After
dashing on in this manner to some distance, they
turned round, and bounded towards us. When
they came within the distance of ten paces from
us, they suddenly pulled up their horses, and
fired their guns in the air ; when, after describing
a circle around us, they took their departure. All
these strange ceremonies occupied in their per
formance about the space of an hour.
We now pursued our route to Philippeville.
As we approached the town we noticed some fine
tobacco plantations. The stalks of the plants
were about a metre in heighth, and crowned with
beautiful red flowers. Only those who have seen
the tobacco growing can believe that so pretty a
plant emits so disagreeable an odour. To me, at
least, it is very unpleasant ; and whenever I
smoke, it is in compliance with the wish of those
M 3

250 A VISIT TO ALGBRIA.
with whom I may happen to be in company,
rather than to gratify myself. On this head I am
more tolerant than Pope Urban VIII, who hurled
the thunder bolts of the Vatican against aU who
took snuff in a church.
Five o'clock struck as we entered PhilippevUle.
After dismounting at the door of our hotel, we
dismissed our horses, and walked down to the
sea-side, where we found with regret that the port
was entirely empty. On our return to the hotel,
we were informed that the steamer from Bona
had not yet passed, but that we should be sure
of catching it on the foUowing day. After dinner,
we took a walk through the town, every thing
remarkable in which I noticed in my last
chapter. A cantiniere, the wife of a suttler of one of the
regiments, rode past us. My attention was
attracted by her dress. She wore on her head a
saUor's old straw hat, beneath which was seen the
lace border of a white cap. A blue jacket, fitting
tightly to her form, and a petticoat of some kind
of red wooUen stuff completed her costume.
There was a sort of coquettish smartness in every
thing about this woman, even down to the httle

USEFUL SERVICE TO THE ARMY. 251
cask of brandy, painted in tri-coloured stripes,
which was slung across her shoulder. M.
R  observed to me that these cantinieres are
invaluable in the army. They are for the most
part the wives of sub-officers. When her hus
band's battalion is in garrison, the cantiniere
officiates as a laundress 5 when the battalion is on
a march, she puts on her costume and marches
along with it. In the event of a charge, she sta
tions herself behind the second platoon ; if a square
is formed, she takes her place in the centre ; and
during the action she goes from one wounded man
to another, tendering assistance, and distributing
glasses of wine or brandy. In Africa, where the
French troops have suffered so severely, these
women have rendered signal service to humanity,
and have frequently performed acts of extraor
dinary courage. There is not an officer, or private,
who does not respect the cantiniere of the batta
lion. At night, when I retired to rest, I could not
help turning over in my thoughts all that I had
seen in the country I was now about to quit ; — a
vast arena, in which France has done but little
with the most powerful means. It appeared to

252 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
me that Algeria is destined to share the fate of all
other French colonies. States may be overthrown
by armies, but people can be subjugated only by
politic management. Their sympathies are only to
be won, by understanding and making them under
stand their interests and their wants. A peculiar
system of warfare should in all cases be adapted to
the nation and the enemy against whom hostili
ties are waged ; for after all, the object is to sub
jugate nations, and not to destroy armies.
I slept soundly, and at sunrise was awakened
by the announcement, that a steamer had
arrived from Bona on her passage to Algiers.
We had no time to lose, and M. R 
and I hurried into a miserable boat, which a
poor Arab rowed with great difficulty. After
considerable efforts we got alongside the steamer
(the Titan). The weather was fine, and we imme
diately got under weigh for Algiers.
The steamer was crowded with Arabs who
were on their return from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
On the fore deck, there were four horses in
shackles, sent as presents to the King of the
French ; two large cages barred with iron,

STATUE OF THE DUKE OF ORLEANS. 253
contained a magnificent lion and lioness for the
same destination.
On arriving at Algiers we found the whole city
in movement. In the Grand Square, a vast con
course was assembled. The mUitary were drawn
up and bands were playing ; it was the day fixed
for the ceremony of uncovering the bronze statue
of the Duke of Orleans. The horse is well exe
cuted, but it is too large to be in due proportion
with the rider. The posture ofthe Duke is dignified
and 'graceful, but unfortunately the head of the
horse entirely masks that of the Prince. I was
astonished at this, for in all such commemorative
monuments, the French usually evince good
taste. The statue moreover is placed obscurely
in one corner of the Square, whereas it ought to
have been in the centre.
My intention was to have departed for France
by a steamer which was to have left Algiers that
evening. But I was obliged to wait three
days longer, for the observance of an absurd
form, which serves to indicate the morality of
the colony. Before I could obtain the w of my
passport, and a permission to embark, it was

254 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
necessary that my intended departure should be
announced in the journals, at leas't two days
beforehand ; so that my creditors, if I happened
to have any, should receive timely notice. I,
therefore, had no alternative but to wait for a
commercial steamer, which in forty-eight hours
conveyed me to MarseiUes. I expected to undergo
quarantine, or at least to be subject to some
short interval of observation ; but no such thing.
The Pharamond entered the harbour, and landed
me on the quay.

EXCURSIONS IN ALGERIA. 255

CHAPTER VIII.
General remarks on the French occupation of Algeria —
Sacrifices of men and money annually made by France —
— Marshal Bugeaud — Colonel Pelissier and the caves of
Dahra — Staff officers of Marshal Bugeaud — Military
bulletins, French and English — Anecdotes — Persons in
government employments prohibited from purchasing
landed property — Evasions of this prohibition — Trade
with Europe — Government supplies — Agriculture —
Cattle — Coasting steamers — Transmission of despatches
— The Jesuits — Proselytism — Enrolment of Arabs in
the French army — Recollections of the Duke of Or
leans — The Duke de Nemours — Anecdotes — General
Bourgon — Distinctions of rank in the French army — Dis
cipline, temperance, and endurance of French soldiers —
The Emir Abd-el-Kader — His military resources — Con
cluding remarks.
Having terminated the narrative of my excur
sions in Algeria, I will here note down some
general remarks, the result of my own observa
tions, and what I learned on the spot from persons

256 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
worthy of credit. The geographical position of that
part ofthe territory occupied by the French in Afri
ca, is too well known to render it necessary to enter
here into any details respecting it. Neither need
I call to recollection the situation in which France
was at the time of its occupation, or to the de
parture of Marshal Bourmont, who was obliged
to freight at his own expense, a merchant ship
to convey him from the land he has conquered
for his country, the soil of which was saturated by
the blood of his son kUled at his side. I will
endeavour to describe the colony of Algiers, such
as it now is, at the close of the year 1845 ; the
man who governs it ; those who surround him ; its
commerce, finance, agriculture, the navy, and the
army. I shall discard my antipathies and my sym
pathies, in order that I may unveU the whole
truth. The city of Algiers alone, by the new buildings
recently erected, the movement of its port, and
the accumulation of its French inhabitants, pre
sents the aspect of a rising colony. The traces
of the Arabs and the Moors are wearing away in
almost every quarter. The native merchants
inhabit houses built, or repaired, by Europeans.

STATISTICAL CALCULATIONS. 257
All the other towns which surround Algiers,
either eastward in the direction of Bona, or
westward towards Oran, preserve for the most
part their premature aspect, with the exception
of some large bmldings erected here and there by
the French for barracks and hospitals. In view
ing these towns it would never be supposed that
within sixteen years France has made immense
sacrifices in men and money for this country.
It is impossible to doubt for an instant that great
errors have been committed, which have im
peded an improvement commensurate with the
efforts hitherto made.
The sacrifice of men is proved by some very
correct statistical accounts which have been
kindly communicated to me. I find that the
average mortality during fifteen years is one
hundred men per day, in consequence of sickness
or the fire of the enemy ; making an annual loss
of 36,500 individuals; consequently during these
fifteen years since the occupation, France must
have lost 547,500 men.
The sacrifice of money is thus calculated. Every
year five millions of francs for the army, over and
above the ordinary pay which the soldiers would

258 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
receive if they were in France ; two millions for
the navy ; two millions for persons employed in
the different departments of civil service, viz:
the administration of the Interior, of Finance, of
the Police, of Rivers and Forests, and of the
Clergy ; and finaUy one million for the secret fund,
for presents and losses. All these items form a
total of ten milhons of francs annually, which
multiplied by fifteen for the years of occupation,
gives the sum of one hundred and fifty miUions.
This appears enormous, but is nevertheless
below the mark, for the 547,500 deaths must
be taken into account. Each of the men
who have perished in Algeria, cannot have
cost less than two hundred and seventy-
four francs. It must have been necessary
to prepare stations, with allowances to sup
port them on their march from the interior to
the place of embarcation; to convey them and
provide for them in vessels often hired from
commercial companies ; to clothe, and arm them ;
to nurse them in the hospitals, and leave them their
shirts to be buried in. Thus the whole amount
is absorbed in a minimum sum assigned to each
of the dead, without taking account of the living ;

TAXATION. 259
from which it may be inferred that the enormous
figure of one hundred and fifty miUions does not
represent one fourth of the real amount.
It seems inconceivable that in a country like
France, where men of high capacity control the
measures of government ; — where the Chambers of
Peers and Deputies carefuUy investigate aU
questions submitted to them, and vote the sums
necessary for the budgets of different ministerial
departments, only after long debates and ample
information — it was not felt to be a question worth
entertaining, whether Algeria should be retained
or not. Why has it not been perceived that that
colony is a bottomless gulf which is daily en
larging, and that after all kinds of sacrifices it will
be necessary to abandon a conquest, which brings
in nothing save some custom-house duties not
amounting to four hundred thousand francs per
annum. Out of that sum the salaries of the
persons employed in the customs' service must
be paid. There is no tax on fixed property or on
persons, and the contributions of cattle levied
by the troops on the Arab tribes cannot be con
sidered as receipts, for the sale of the cattle

260 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
produces very httle, and the money thus raised
is usually distributed among the soldiers who
obtain very little benefit from it. I have been
informed that in the case of a payment made on
the banks of the Sheliff for the sale of 80,000
animals procured by contributions, the sum given
to each man was only thirty-five sols for seven
asses. It is easy to judge what the produce of
such sales must be.
Marshal Bugeaud, the Governor of Algiers is
a man of great military abihty, and of the most
perfect integrity. He is out and out a soldier,
and is jealous of his authority. He wishes to do
too much by himself in the colony ; and he stops
at nothing, overthrowing every obstacle that
stands in his way. M. Blandel, an able man,
who held a high civU appointment in France, was
sent to Algiers ; but he was obliged to return.
The Minister of War in Paris is himself often
embarrassed with the Marshal, whose manners are
rough and blunt, and who, it is said, has been heard
to say : " VAfrique, c'est moi /" He is the terror of
the Arabs, and his cordial reception of Colonel Pe-
lissier, when he returned from his Dahra expedi-

REPORTS AND BULLETINS. 261
tion, showed that he himself thought but light of
the sacrifice of 1,200 victims.
His reports savour of the Empire, for they
never disclose the real losses of the French, and
always exaggerate that of the Arabs. A great
nation may weU afford to state honestly the
number of men lost in a victory. In this re
spect, the English mUitary buUetins are admira
ble : — they always tell the real truth.
The Marshal fuUy understands the secret object
of the French Government. It is found desirable
to retain this colony, however burthensome,
because it is a ready outlet for troublesome and
dangerous men in France, who find in it a field for
their energies, and most frequently a premature
grave. It is, moreover, an object for the frequent
occupation of pubhc attention, and a constant
topic for the journalists. Finally, Africa affords
a manoeuvring field for an army of 100,000 men,
part of which must be recruited every year ; and
to such an extent has been the mortality, that
with the exception of some regiments of heavy
cavalry, every corps in the French service has
been decimated in Africa.

262 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
The staff officers who surround Marshal
Bugeaud imitate the unpolished manners of their
chief, and carry them to a degree of coarseness.
One of his aides-de-camp in full uniform, wearing a
colonel's epaulets, was dining one day at the
Regency Restaurant in Algiers. Impatient because
a waiter did not remove his plate as quickly as he
wished, he threw it at the man's head. The
waiter who was carrying a dish containing an
omelette, threw it in the Colonel's face. The
result was a scuffle, in which the Colonel did not
figure in the most dignified point of view.
On another occasion, a chef d'escadron lost at
play two thousand francs, in payment for which
he offered forged biUs, which were thrown back
in his face.
Another officer was commissioned to pay the
debts of a friend who had returned to France,
and who had left his horses to be sold. Long
after the officer had received the money for the
horses, he withheld what was due to an hotel-
keeper, who in consequence of the loss of
his money was thrown into prison by his credi
tors.

LANDED PROPERTY. 263
With the exception of some officers in regi
ments, which being under the inspection of their
colonels, must observe good order, there are few
examples of honourable conduct.'
The French government committed a great
mistake in prohibiting persons holding civil and
military appointments from becoming landed
proprietors in Algiers. The consequence is, that
these persons cannot attach themselves to the
country, even in idea. Some consider themselves
on a hostile soil from whence they are anxious to
derive every possible advantage as speedily as
may be. Others again are not deterred by this
prohibition from the purchase of landed pro
perty. In such cases, the transaction is managed
in the name of a friend, and there are persons in
Algiers who live by lending their names to the
employes of the government, who under this
cloak engage in the most irregular proceedings,
from which they derive the more advantage as
they know the views of the administration and
the wants of the service. Thus a certain officer
purchased from the government a house for
three hundred francs, which six months after he

264 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
again let for the government service at an annual
rent of four thousand francs.
If, on the contrary, persons in the employ of
government could purchase real property osten
sibly, there would be more regard to decorum.
They would not go boldly to pubhc notaries, and
sign deeds devoid of authentic forms, for lending
money at 20 or 25 per cent. The Jews manage
better. They make up the rate of usury by
biUs of exchange : this, at least, is more modest.
This usury destroys the trade of Algiers, by
banishing aU confidence. It ruins the unfortu
nate borrowers, who, being unable to pay the first
demands of interest, are obliged at once to give
up business. Consequently, not a day passes
in which five or six posting bills, stuck up on
the walls, do not confirm my observations, by
being headed with the word — Bankruptcy !
There is no export trade, for that part of
Africa occupied by the French, not only pro
duces nothing for commerce, but does not even
yield enough to supply the wants of the inha
bitants. There is no manufacture of any kind,
and all articles of the first necessity, must be

IMPORTATIONS. 265
brought from Europe. Belgium and France sup
ply iron, tools, shoes, and hosiery. Woollen cloth
and cotton stuffs are imported by merchant ves
sels, which take in return only some bags of
wool, rags, and broken glass. The tobacco produce
is only sufficient for the consumption of the
country. The coffee comes from Marseilles, whither
it is brought from Egypt. Fruits are frequently
brought from Normandy ; corn comes by the
Black Sea from Russia ; and vegetables are
brought from Spain. Some traces of iron and
copper mines have been discovered in the chain
of the Atlas ; but hitherto not in sufficient abun
dance to encourage working, which could not
be carried on except under the protection of a
camp. Other embarrassments tend to depress com
merce. For instance, whatever is required for
the army, the shipping, or the government has
to be accepted by a commission, to which
the merchants invariably offer a gratuity to
prevent articles of the best quality being rejected
as bad. Of this, the following fact affords an
illustration. Six vessels, laden with corn for

266 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
the army, were in the port. A commissioner
went on board to examine the cargoes, which
were of the first quality; but the consignee
not having paid the required fee, the six car
goes were rejected. The government, it was
understood, would have taken them at seven
teen francs per measure ; but on 'change, next
day, they were all purchased at thirty francs
per measure ; and, within a fortnight, the govern
ment was negociating for that same corn, at thirty
two francs : the new owner having taken care to
get it inspected by the right persons. In this
case the transaction was advantageous to trade,
because it proved to be an article of the first
necessity, with a certainty of sale; but in
cases in which the operation has reference to
some special article, the ruinous loss may be
readily imagined.
Agriculture in Algiers is at a very low ebb.
Only a few Maltese and Spaniards cultivate
gardens, the produce of which does not suffice
for the towns to which they belong. Neverthe
less, agriculture would be very profitable, if judi
ciously prosecuted. There are valuable lands in

AGRICULTURE. 267
the neighbourhood of Algiers, as, for instance,
those belonging to M. Martin Desplaces, which
are about eighteen hundred acres in extent,
and admirably watered : yet forage only is
grown on them, although it was found proper
to clear the ground as completely as if for
the cultivation of corn, with the same expense
for labour and for manure. The land would
have answered for both wheat and barley, of
which two harvests have been gathered in
the year. What excuse then is there for this
backwardness ? Should not the government force
landowners to cultivate, for the general good,
a part of those lands which are covered with
mere pasture? There is only one way of ex
plaining this apparent improvidence. The lands
have been purchased at a very low price, and,
in many instances, the proprietors are too poor
to pay for the cultivation, as labour is very dear.
In harvest time, the day's labour of a man varies
from ten to fifteen francs. Consequently, the
landowner is induced to wait for a favourable
opportunity, which, by some adroit manoeuvres,
he may himself bring about, when the govern-
N 2

268 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
ment shall set about founding real villages in
stead of villages on paper. Then the lands are
purchased, and the price accruing from the sale
may be a fortune. To mention an individual case,
a lady, Madame de Goyon, purchased some land
at one franc per hectare, and sold it again at
one thousand francs. This land is on the road
to El Achour, behind the Emperor's Fort, and
within a league of Algiers.
Not far from the property of M. Desplaces,
there is another estate, let to a Maltese, who has
planted some kitchen and fruit gardens. With the
money obtained by the sale of his oranges alone,
he pays the rent of his farm. This man, who
came to Africa penniless, has given to each of
his two daughters, a marriage dowry of ten
thousand francs. I mention this fact, to prove
that cultivation is profitable, that the climate
and sofi are good, and that if France wishes
to promote the cultivation of the immense plains
of the Sahel, of the Foudouck, and the Mitidja,
there would be abundance of store-houses in the
ports of Algiers, and that there would be no need
to purchase corn from any part of Europe. By

HORNED CATTLE. 269
this means, France might derive advantage from
her conquest, instead of suffering it to be a
burthen. Neither is the breed of cattle an object of
attention with the government. Horned cattle
are very smaU, and the cows give but httle milk,
which article is, therefore, scarce and dear. It
is chiefly to the goats, which are brought, as at
Malta, in the morning, and milked at the houses,
that families are indebted for a supply of this
useful article. Towards evening, however, it
is impossible to get a glass of milk, which is
a great privation in families with a number of
chUdren, as weU as in the hospitals, where mUk is
always wanted for the use of the sick. These
mfik-goats, when they belong to none of the
landed proprietors, are very troublesome. They
browse along the roads and grounds, and on the
tender shoots of young trees, which they destroy.
The sheep are very fine, but their wool is defec
tive. The Arab horses are divided into three classes.
Those originally from Tunis, those of Morocco,
and those of the old Regency of Algiers. The two

270 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
first classes are longer limbed than the third,
are higher, and stand more fatigue. I have known
a Morocco horse, mounted by a Spahi, to travel
in eleven hours a distance of fifty leagues without
a moist hair on his back, or any trace of the spur
on his flanks. The Algerine horse is shorter and
plumper; he does not trot, but he gaUops and
canters. The ordinary price of a four or six years
old horse of moderate height, is about two hundred
francs. When an expedition is in preparation,
the prices of horses rise. At Oran stallions brought
from Tunis have cost two thousand francs ; but
that is a government price which cannot serve as
the basis of an estimate.
The VictuaUing department for the army em
ploys for draught in towns, white oxen of a large
size brought from Italy. Taking a hint from this,
some landed proprietors attempted to import cows
from Switzerland and France ; and for their en
couragement, a premium of fifty francs per head was
granted ; but the scheme was not successful. The
milk dried up almost as soon as the cows arrived.
The change of climate and of food, and the dif
ferent language of the keepers have great influ-

TRANSPORT OF PROVISIONS. 27l
ence on all animals. These changes produce
melancholy, particularly among ruminating ani
mals. Provisions for victualling towns and camps,
and stores for expeditionary columns, are con
veyed on the backs of mules, which are pur
chased in France, in the neighbourhood of Perpi
gnan, on the frontier of Spain. They are the only
animals brought from Europe that have succeeded
well in this country, where their services are very
valuable. Even pointers lose their sense of smell
1n this climate, and European horses do not pre
serve their original qualities. I saw a fine Eng
lish horse, that had been two years in the
country, and had been taken the greatest care of,
which had lost all its mettle and energy.
Before the employment of steam, and prior to
the conquest of Algiers, the coast of Africa, which
was exceedingly dangerous and infested by pirates,
was the terror of navigators. Now being better
explored, this coast is always lined with numbers
of vessels, for which some useful works ought to
be constructed at the points proper for roads or
ports, where they might anchor, and land their
passengers or cargoes without danger.

272 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
The government dispatches between France
and Algeria are conveyed by war-steamers or
others. They saU every five days, alternately
from Marseilles and Toulon, directly for Algiers.
The war-steamers only touch once a month at
Mahon, where Spain formerly permitted the
provisional estabhshment of a French hospital;
it has been rumoured that France once enter
tained a sinister design of appropriating the
island. The service of the coast between Algiers,
Bona, and Oran, is also performed by ships of
war. Notwithstanding the weU-known zeal of
the officers of the French Navy, it often hap
pens that they cannot put the dispatches ashore
at the intermediate points. Except in a perfect
calm, there is a constant movement of the waves
produced by currents which drives a boat aground
in the sand where it must stick, until the retir
ing tide affords a favourable opportunity for
reaching the shore. The authorities pay little
attention to these important parts of the service.
At all the points for going on shore, the steps by
which a landing must be effected consist of logs
of wood badly joined, very low, and always flooded
with water, thus being rendered very slippery and

WANT OF LANDING PLACES. 273
dangerous. Most of the places which bear the
high-sounding titles of ports, are merely wretched
open roadsteads. Why not construct landing-
places for communication with the shipping at
all times and all weathers ? This would be of
the utmost importance, for in general those towns
have no means of correspondence through the
interior. Everything arrives by sea. Some
times during a whole month, four ships will be
lying off the coast, having on board pressing and
important despatches which they cannot put on
shore. There are not even any buoys to direct
vessels to those parts where they might anchor in
safety for a short time. Should a general rising
of the Arabs take place, the French on board
the vessels on the coast would have to look on at
the slaughter of their countrymen without being
able to assist them, or even to drag them out of
the sea, except at the risk of losing both the
vessels and themselves.
The services of the officers of the French Navy
on the coast of Africa are of the greatest impor
tance, and the folly of the government is over
looked amidst the heroic acts performed by

274 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
these officers, to whom the very highest praise is
due. The Arabs of Algeria are not so fanatical as
may be supposed. They respect the Catholic
priest as much as they do the Marabout; and
proselytism would be less difficult there than in
any other country, were it not for the adverse in
fluence of some Italian and Spanish priests, who
in imitation of a certain portion of the French
clergy, give themselves up to intemperance, and
profligacy. Yet religion would doubtless afford
the best means of civUizing the stern, savage, and
unsubmissive tribes. A trial has been made
in the neighbourhood of Algiers, at El Biar,
by some French Jesuits, who have congregated
on a large estate, with spacious buildings. There
a certain number of youths, Arabs and Moors,
after being baptized, are fed, clothed, lodged, and
instructed in some kind of business.
I have seen the Superior of the establishment,
Father Brumaud, after returning from an excursion
on horseback, and covered with dust, surrounded by
all the children who had ran out to meet him. This
spontaneous demonstration of affection is better

EDUCATION OF ARAB CHILDREN. 275
than any eulogy. The French government pays
little attention to this establishment, which, it may
be said, is supported entirely by charity. It is,
however, a great work of civilization. The young
pupils are hostages in the hands of the French.
It is pretty certain that their fathers, their
brothers, and relations will not join the rebels.
When they leave this establishment they will
carry with them indelible feelings of gratitude.
They wUl have an occupation, they will speak
the French language, and will be of the same
religion as their masters.
This mode of civilization is certainly preferable
to that on which the government has relied.
It has been intended that natives born since the
French occupation should, on attaining their
twentieth year, be made subject to the law of
recruiting, and put into regiments, in which they
must remain seven years. This is a kind of force
to which the Arab character, indolent by nature,
but obstinate when openly opposed, never can
be reconciled. Arabs enrolled in French regi
ments wUl learn the theory of arms, to the practice
of which they are so devoted, and when they
return to their homes, they will employ against

276 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
their conquerors the knowledge they have acquired
from them. Then nationality, hberty, and inde
pendence, wfil be to them no longer words void of
sense. It is but justice to the Jesuits to say that their
conduct in this land of misery and suffering is
admirable. Though not much liked by the su
perior officers, they go on horseback with the expe
ditionary columns, to administer the last consola
tions of religion to the dying soldiers. On fields of
blood they have rescued the wounded from the
Arabs, who respect them as French Marabouts.
During the disasters of the first expedition to
Constantina, one of the Jesuits, Father Regaux,
returned on foot, leading by the bridle, through
mud and snow, his horse, on which he had placed
two poor wounded soldiers. There is no misery
which they do not endeavour to aUeviate ; and the
French soldiery, though little inclined to bigotry,
respect these men for their uniform courage and
devotedness to the cause of humanity.
Amidst the quiet virtues of some, and the fla
grant turpitude of others, the army still stands
forth great iu its courage, and heroic amidst its
sufferings.

THE DUKE D'ORLEANS. 277
The cavalry strikes terror among the Arabs,
who are awed by the daring courage of their
assailants. The infantry crushes, by the fire of its
squares, legions of men and horses after they
have advanced proudly, uttering frightful cries and
yells. The engineers and the artillery have sur
passed their former deeds, and even astonish the
French by the miracles they achieve, the fatigues
they endure, and the dangers they boldly en
counter. In short, officers and soldiers all pay the
debt they owe to France, while she remains
ignorant of the misery her children suffer.
Princes of the blood have shared these perils
and labours. The recollection of the unfortunate
Duke of Orleans is still engraved on every heart.
His incontestible courage made him the idol of
the army. One day at sun rise, the rocks called
the Iron Gates in the Bibans were covered
with Arabs, defending the passage ofthe defile. The
Duke of Orleans, enveloped in a brown burnouse,
appeared on horseback at the head of the first
attacking column. In the midst of a shower of
grape shot, ordering the charge to be sounded, he
was the first to reach the guns of the Arabs, which
he compelled them to abandon, in disorder.

278 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
If the death of this Prince is now forgotten in
France, Algiers still feels how much she has lost
in him. His brother, the Duke de Nemours, has
not gathered around him such deep sympathies :
indeed one or two little mistakes have drawn upon
him some degree of disfavour. A single fact, very
trivial in itself, but known to all the army, produced
an unfortunate effect. When on one of the expedi
tions, he complained one evening in his tent that
the glass of his watch was broken. The sentinel
seeing him throw away the fragments, offered to
join them together. Almost as a matter of jest
his offer was accepted. The poor fellow went to
a serjeant-major, and borrowed a thirty-sous
piece, which he hammered with the end of his
ramrod on a stone to give it the form ofthe watch ;
thus making a concave mould, into which he fixed
the fragments of glass to reunite them. After two
hours' assiduous labour, he restored the watch-glass,
as he thought, in a very good condition. The Prince,
on looking at it, complimented the soldiervery high
ly on his perseverance and ingenuity, but forgot to
reward him. The poor soldier became of course an
object of derision to his comrades, and lost ten
days' pay to defray the debt he had contracted.

GENERAL BOURGON. 279
This slight oversight did not tend to make the
Duke popular among the soldiery.
General Bourgon, whom I mentioned in my first
chapter, was anxious to be noticed for a remark
able effort, which he executed with wonder
ful rapidity. Knowing the country well, having
come to Algiers in 1830, as aide-de-camp to
Marshal Bourmont, he was appointed to embody
the recruits from France, to organize them as the
4th regiment of African Chasseurs, and in three
months to rejoin Marshal Bourmont, who relied on
this cavalry for an important battle. On the day
appointed, General Bourgon arrived, at the head
of seven hundred men, charged the enemy, and
the regiment acquitted itself gloriously. The
creation of a regiment of cavalry in so short a
period, in a manner so perfect, was an achieve
ment almost miraculous ; yet so little was this
service appreciated, that General Bourgon left
Africa in disgust.
The distinction of grades in the French army is
very remarkable. A sub-lieutenant cannot pur
chase a colonelcy. The uniforms do not alone
serve to mark the difference of grades ; but it is at
once seen that they are very distinct, notwith-

280 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
standing the mixture of ranks, which I described
in my first chapter, as fraternizing so readily
together. The lieutenants and the sub-heutenants
sit at the same table. Captains and adjutant-
majors do not associate with chefs de bataillon
and the chefs d'escadron. The Colonel and lieu
tenant-colonel keep a part from the General, and
it is thus throughout, both in cantonments and
in camp. Each officer has not a regular domestic to
attend him. He selects from his own company a
man to take care of his things, who brushes his
clothes, and is called his brosseur. Neither officers
nor soldiers can, under any pretext, lay aside their
uniform and put on a civfiian's dress. This is
only allowed in Paris to officers not on duty.
The temperance of the French army is remark
able. The sub-lieutenant, the lieutenant, and
even the captain, do not spend generaUy more
than forty-five or fifty francs per month for
their mess. The good example set by the offi
cers is followed by the privates, who are
seldom intoxicated; but when they are, the
punishment is severe. Yet, notwithstanding
a very rigid discipline, the French soldier always
exhibits a happy gaiety, and in the most dangerous

SUFFERINGS OF THE ARMY. 281
situations he has always a joke ready to make
his comrades laugh.
The army has suffered enormously in Algiers,
and has endured unheard of privations. I am in
formed that after Medeah was taken, a detachment,
left there to guard the town, could receive none of
the provisions forwarded to it, as they were stop
ped by impassable torrents. The Arabs also
blockaded the whole of the environs, and not a
man Could get out. After some time the garrison
were obliged to eat up the horses, the dogs, and
the rats.
Viewing on the one hand this army of one
hundred thousand men, so brave and war
like, and on the other hand the Arab and
Moorish population, one cannot withhold from
the latter a sentiment of admiration. Enclosed
within a narrow circle, under an incessant and
active watch, almost destitute of arms, with
out resources, without means of concentra
tion, they, nevertheless, rise up bravely twice
every year. When the Barbary fig and the orange
are ripe, the war-cry resounds through the moun
tains, and the night-fires blaze on the heights of
the Atlas : these are the signals for the tribes in the
o

282 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
plain. The men mount their horses, fall upon
the advanced posts, and pillage and slaughter all
the French they can find. Then some of our
columns arrive, bury the dead, and, should some
of the unfortunate Arabs escape into their caves,
they are roasted, and this is called a victory.
One individual maintains the sacred fire among
the Arabs — the Emir, Abd-el-Kader ! When a
young Marabout of thirty-five, he threw aside
his staff, and girding on his yatagan, he
uttered the words, " My brethren, be free !" His
voice is powerful, and he is obeyed. At first
the French spoke of him derisively. When it
was known that he had appeared on any point,
they declared themselves happy to have a pal
pable enemy to deal with. They seemed to
sport with him, and to let him escape in their
encounters. It was said that the French troops
often had opportunities of capturing him, but
would not. However, his power grew up in
sensibly. As the head of religion, he has pro
claimed a Holy War. The standard which is
carried before him was brought from Mecca, and
probably if any power were to aid him in his
plans, France would soon be nothing in Africa. In

THE ARAB FORCES. 883
the brilliant reports of the Marshal, he is always
put to flight; but why is he not pursued? Is
it that his horses are more fleet than those of
the French ? It is pretended he has been de
feated, but no such thing. At the head of four
regiments of regulars, formed in the European
manner, commanded by a French Captain of ar
tillery, with the field-peices carried by camels,
and twenty-five thousand Arab horsemen, he is
encamped tranquiUy on the confines of the Desert,
on the other side of the Great Atlas. There his
troops repose, until he resolves to commence a
new campaign.
Those who have most reason to complain are
the unhappy tribes ; when the Emir presents
himself, they are compelled to enrol themselves
in his service ; when the French columns arrive,
they are shot for having aided the rebels. In
this sad alternative, their blood is sure to flow.
But let France beware ! The government of
the sword cannot last for ever. If the French
want the head of the Emir, they may soon have
it. That he knows. A treaty with him is still
perhaps an easy matter. To make this will be
the wisest course ; for after him three other

284 A VISIT TO ALGERIA.
Marabouts are ready to continue the war. But
if dangers are apprehended on the confines of
the territory, the mismanagement of the interior
needs more speedy repression. Men in office^
unfit for their posts, and scandalous in their
conduct, should be dismissed. Let a Prince
of the Blood come as a Viceroy, and implant laws
of justice and equity amidst a peaceful and labo
rious population. Let the profound ideas un
folded by M. Guizot in his work " La France en
Algerie" be promptly adopted. Unless all this
be speedily done, French dominion in Algeria
will cease to exist.

THE END.

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