STATE OF Algiers.

BY A RECENT VISITOR TO THAT COUNTRY.

Geographical Description-Population-Character of the Inhabitants-Government-History-Military Force-State of the Christian Captives before and since the Expedition of Lord Exmouth.

THE States of Algiers, situated between the kingdom of Tunis and the empire of Morocco, occupy six hundred miles upon the side of the Mediterranean. Their greatest extent, from the capital to Beled-uljereed, or the country of dates, does not exceed one hundred and eighty miles. Some learned men believed they had found, in Algiers, Julia Cæsarea, and others the ancient Icosium. The natives give to this town the name of Djézaïr, or Al Djézaïr, which signifies, in Arabic, island, or the islands; because following them, to the right of where Algiers is situated, was formerly an island, which was joined to the continent. The Turks and the Moors often call it Al-Ghazi, those who fight for the faith; for the Musulmans regard piracy as an act of religion, which they have exercised against us for many centuries. The regency of Algiers forms four provinces, those of Constantina, Algiers, Mascara, and Titeri. Some geographers join to these provinces the countries of Zâb, and those of Barbary, inhabited by tribes who pay a tax when the army of the Dey makes its annual excursion.

The country of Algiers is subject to frequent tremblings of the earth, but the shocks are generally slight. The climate of this part of Africa is in general mild and salubrious; the excessive heats of autumn are softened by the north winds, and the particular diseases of the country are small in number. We agree with some travellers, that the plague is not in the least endemic; it is, above all, to the carelessness and to the fatalism of the inhabitants, that one ought to attribute its ravages.

The territory of the regency is mountainous, and watered by rivers, which greatly contribute to its fertility. It produces wheat, equal and perhaps superior to that of Spain and Portugal, exquisite fruits, a great number of trees, shrubs, and plants, of all descriptions. This extreme fertility is balanced by many causes of destruction, and among others by the ravages of the locusts, who destroy in an instant the crops of a whole district. If we except the camel, so useful in the countries where, as in Africa, you must sometimes traverse burning plains, covered with moving sands, the domestic animals are the same as in Europe. Some parts of the regency are inhabited by ferocious beasts and venomous rep

tiles, which the want of cultivation and of inhabitants multiply in a frightful manner. The negligence of the Government, and the suspicious character of the Moors, have hindered, until now, the exact population of the Algerine states from being known. Some travellers say it is five millions of inhabitants, at the same time that others agree that it is only half that number. If we ought to believe persons who have been there, this last estimation seems much too small. It must be confessed, however, that it is impossible to say any thing positive with regard to this, in a country where the enumerations and the records which state the births and the deaths are unknown. The Europeans can only establish the number of deaths from the bodies which they see going to the churchyard, and every one must know how liable this method is to errors.

The states of the regency are peopled by Moors, Turks, Barbaresques, Negroes, Jews, and Christians.

The Turks, who inhabit Algiers, are almost all enrolled as soldiers. It is thus that they form a corps separated by interests and affections, always ready to treat the natives shamefully; and the Government places restraints to their alliances with the Moorish women. These precautions, however, are not always sufficient; and although many natives have lost their lives for having given their daughters to the Turks, the passions, excited by the sun of Africa, and the hope of finding in these alliances a support against the Ottoman despotism, sometimes surmounts all these obstacles.

The Negroes are almost all slaves. At the same time that the Barbaresque pirates attack the Christians on the sea, parties sent into the interior surprise the black population, and carry away the inhabitants in slavery.

The number of Jews scattered throughout the regency is very considerable. The town of Algiers, being eight miles in circumference, has a population of from eighty to ninety thousand of these. The troubles to which they are subject would be intolerable to any but the descendants of Abraham. They are prohibited from sitting down before a Mohammedan; they carry the Moors on their shoulders when they disembark into shallow water; they are commissioned to execute the criminals, and to bury their bodies; under the most frivolous pretext, they are condemned to lose their power, or to be hung; they are oppressed with taxes; they pay a general tax of 2000 dollars per week, besides many other contributions. In spite of all these drainings, some Jews find the means of amassing immense riches. The stupid indolence of the Moors renders them unskilful in affairs; all the transactions, even of the least importance, are directed by the Jews, who know how to pay themselves for their pains, and this sort of indemnification enables them to support with patience the oppressions of the Turks and Moors.

With the exception of the ambassadors of the Christian Powers, and the slaves, there are hardly any Christians in Algiers; the vexations to which they must submit, and the defiance of the Government, prevent them from establishing themselves there. The renegados are few in number. Although their condition is less unfortunate than that of the captives, and some of them are at the head of the Government, the general contempt which inspires them, the hatred which the slaves bear towards the religion of their oppressors, and, more than all, the jealousy of the Mohammedans, who sacrifice them even on suspicion, almost always retain in Christianity those who were originally of that faith. Otherwise, the Moors, little worked upon by the spirit of proselytism, do not encourage these sort of changes opposed to their interests; although the captives who renounce their religion are not always made free, yet they enjoy certain privileges which they cannot refuse them from the moment when they embrace Islamism.

Cruelty, perfidy, and a sordid avarice, forms, with a very few exceptions, almost the whole character of the Algerines, and of all the Barbaresques. When a Moor is summoned to pay the poll-tax, nothing is more common than for him to invent a story to exempt himself. The collector, very familiar with these sort of excuses, then applies the bastinado to the refractory person, who often pays to avoid the execution of it. A European being present at one of these scenes, demanded of the sufferer, if he would not rather pay the value than receive these rude stripes without any profit for his pains. 'What!' cried the Moor, 'I pay my tax without having received a beating!'

This singularity, which traces, without doubt, its origin to the attachment of the Moors to their money, also shows the danger of appearing rich under Governments which respect nothing.

The superstitious notions on the malignant influence of sight, (cattivo occhio,) and many others besides, probably imported into Europe by the Arabs, are found at present among the Moors.

Hereditary succession to the throne is unknown in Algiers. The Dey of Algiers is taken from among the ranks of the Turkish soldiers, who, under the most trivial pretext, and often in the hope of advancement, assassinate him who is on the throne.

The accession of a new sovereign is generally followed by the displacement and the condemnation of his predecessor. This measure gives to the chief of the regency the means of making room for his favourites, and to gain, by these gifts, the good-will of the soldiery; for in Algiers, as in Turkey, the pain of death for political crimes includes the confiscation of all property. As soon as the new Dey is elevated into power, the Turkish soldiery salute him in these terms: Let it be so-we consent-we hope that God may

give him prosperity!" He no sooner becomes absolute master of the regency, than some catastrophe happens to precipitate him from the throne. If his death is a natural one, a thing which happens very rarely, he is accounted a saint. Many of these despots reign only for a very short period, and lose their power in the same way that they acquired it-by assassination. The members of the Divan, and all the public functionaries, are named by the Dey, who is sure to find in them an obedience without limit.

If the least suspicion arises with regard to their servility, they answer it with their heads. To the Dey alone belongs the right of imposing tributes, of declaring war, and of making peace; he is the supreme judge in all civil and criminal causes, and nobody can appeal against his judgments. The exercise of justice is one of his chief occupations; he consecrates to it a part of the day. As he can never decide all the cases himself, he has established two Judges, one for the Turks, and the other for the Moors. These Judges are only acquainted with civil affairs, and it is under them that agents render justice in the villages. When conflicting testimony embarrasses the Judges, the cause terminates by a general bastinado, distributed to the plaintiff, the defendant, the counsel, and the witnesses! Homicide is punished with death in Algiers, and they cut off the right hand of robbers. Independently of the usual fixed presents, which one is obliged to make when they treat with the officers of the Dey, there are other voluntary ones, the amount of which serve to establish the validity of the pretensions of the plaintiff. No one is ever exposed to a refusal in offering presents to an Algerine; they commonly say, ' vinegar given, is better than honey bought.' The secret police of Algiers, the spies, in particular, can equal in slyness and baseness those of more civilized nations.

The title of Dey, which we give to the sovereign of Algiers, is no more in use among the Musulmans. It will be shown hereafter what caused the change of this denomination.

At present he bears the name of Pasha, which answers, in a slight degree, to that of viceroy. At present it never happens that a Pasha has two tails. It was after the unfortunate expedition of the Spaniards against Algiers, in 1784, that the Grand Signor elevated Baba Mahmed to the rank of Pasha, with three tails. The Dey still takes the titles of Ouali, governor; Beglerbeg, prince of princes; and Seraskier, generalissimo. With regard to the word Dey, which the Turks pronounce Daï, it signifies, in the Turkish language, Maternal Uncle. This is the manner in which the Chevalier d'Arvieux has explained this singular denomination. 'The reason,' says he, for their giving this name to the chief of the republic, is, that they regard the Grand Signor as the father, and the republic as the mother of the soldiers, because they nourish

and maintain them; the Dey is the brother of the republic, and, in consequence, a maternal uncle to all who come under that denomination.' This etymology is, perhaps, far better than any other; it reminds us of the anecdote of a learned Spaniard, who said the name of Seneca was derived from se necans.

The piratical system of the Barbaresques commenced at the expulsion of the Moors from Spain, about twenty-four years before Barbarossa seized the sovereign power in Algiers. This is the way in which this despot mounted the throne.

The Spaniards having become masters of Oran, and many other places in Africa, and having rendered the town of Algiers tributary to them, Selim Eutemi, an Arabian prince, who then commanded them, afraid of seeing his states invaded, sent ambassadors to Barbarossa, who was cruising with his fleet, to ask his assistance against his less commodious neighbours. Barbarossa having sent fifteen galleys and thirty small vessels under the care of his brother, Khair-Eddin, he himself marched by land, and entered Algiers with a small army of Turks and Moors. Certain of their devotedness, he easily conceived the project of taking possession of the town; 'and after having assassinated or pursued others, and strangled Selim Eutemi himself whilst he was in the bath, he mounted the throne. Immediately acknowledged sovereign of Algiers, he occupied himself in repairing the fortifications, and replenishing the troops. His cruelty and his exactions rendered him odious to his new subjects, and they conspired against his life. But he baffled all their plots, caused twenty of the principal inhabitants of Algiers to be put to death, and their bodies to be thrown into the streets. The unfortunate efforts of the Spaniards to replace the son of Selim Eutemi upon the throne, the conquest of Tenez, and that of Tremecen, having rendered the name of this pirate very formidable, Charles V. formed a project to attack him. The Marquis of Comarez, governor of Oran, charged with this expedition, marched to Tremecen, at the head of 10,000 Spaniards, and all the Arabs which he could collect. Barbarossa first shut himself up in this place; but fearing conspiracies on the part of the inhabitants, he escaped during the night with his troops. The Spanish General, informed of his followers, intercepted him in his road, and came up with him near the river Heuxda, eight miles from Tremecen. They fought at first with equal fury, but at last the Spaniards were obliged to give in. Barbarossa was killed, with a large party of his men, in 1518, after a reign which had lasted only two years.

At his death, the Turkish soldiers and the cruising captains chose his brother, Khair-Eddin, better known under the name of Ariadan Barbarossa, to succeed him. He reigned at first very peaceably; but in 1519, menaced with a general revolt by his subjects, who were driven to extremities by the despotism of the Turks, he sent