L 006 015 333 5 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. /K-ixrV^^'''''' /.' ;' /TV Jn^ 9' HANDBOOK FOR TRAVELLERS ALGERIA AND TUNIS t i • _^___^ Mi m. ALGIERS nw g IE H v a K o n a MUKRAY'S HANDBOOK. 8 y;^..- -1 . . . ^.'^" . . . J s NmomI So»1« - I : bo. OOO £.Eii|Umh.ai 29 , 81 33 , , 1 hectare = 2i acres. The sign 9 after the names of Roman remains indicates places always interesting to the archajologist, but in a less degree to the ordinary traveller. CONTENTS SECTION I INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION 1 Routes — London to Algeria 2 Climate of Algeria . 3 Season for Travelling — Choice of Residence 4 I'ailways .... 5 Population and Races G Native Languages . 7 General Description of Algeria and Tunis .... 8 Historical Notice of Algeria and Tunis .... PAGE SECT. !>AOE 1 9 Government of Algeria . 65 2 10 Sport 67 5 G 11 Zoology .... 70 12 Geology, Jlineralogy, Hot 6 Springs, etc. 75 12 13 Colonisation, Cereals, Fruit 12 and Vegetables, Flora, Agri- culture, Forests, etc. . 81 20 14 Archfeology ..." 89 SECTION II ALGERIA City of Algiers EXCUKSIONS IN THE EnVIIION.S OF AluIEKS A Fortnight's Tour in Algeria . 93 105 112 ROUTES UOUTE 1 Algiers to PlUUppevillc, BOne, and I'nnis by sea 2 Algiers to Uhci-chcl and Tipasa 3 Algiers to Culeah and the Tom- beau clc la Cliretiennr . 4 Algiers to Uqv'ujo and the baths of Hammam Mcluuan . 5 Algiers to Tcnid-d-Ahd . 6 Algiers to Tizi-Ouzou and Fort National .... 7 Algiers to El-Aijlioual, througli the Gorge of the Chiffa, JIc- deah, and Boghari 8 Algiers to Constantinc by rail . 113 133 13? 140 141 143 147 155 ROUTE 9 Algiers to AumoJc and Bou Sadda .... 10 Algiers to Oran by rail . 11 Pliilippeville to Constantinc by rail ..... City of Constantinc E.Kcursions in the Neighbour- hood ..... 12 Constantinc to Alijicrs, by the Chahcl cl-Akhira 13 Bougie to Bcni-Mansour and on to Ahjicrs by rail . 14 Constantinc to Batna and Biskra .... 163 165 184 185 19: 199 .i02 204 CONTENTtJ ROUTE 14 Excursions in the Neighbour- hooil of Batna . 15 Biskra to Tiigrfurt 16 To Tcbessa .... 17 Tebessa to Souk-Ahraa, by Khamisa .... 18 To Ain-Brida 19 Constaiitine to Bone by rail . 20 Excursion through the Kabylia of D jurJjura from Bordj hou- Arrcredj to the Oucd es-Sahel and Fort National 21 Algiers to Tenes by OrUansvilh 22 Mostaganem to Tiarct by rail 206 217 221 228 234 236 242 246 247 ROUTE 23 Oran to Tlein<;en . 24 A Tour through the centre of Oran to Mascara, Sidi hcl Alhts, Tlc7n(;en, Lalla Mar- nia, Kedroma, and Nemours 25 St. Barbe de Tlelat to Sidi hel Ahhts by rail [thence to Tlemren by diligence], on to Ras d-Ma 26 Arzeu to Mascara, Saida, Mc- chcria and A'in-Scfra by rail ..... 27 Oran to Bcni tiaf, Nemours, and the Frontier of Morocco PACE 254 265 268 272 279 SECTION III TUNIS ROUTE Regency of Tuxis The Goletta City of Tunis Carthage .... Excursion to the Bardo and the Roman Aqueduct be- yond Manouha . Excursion to Hammam el-Enf Best Route from Tunis to Algiers .... 28 Bone to Timis by rail . 29 Excursion in the Country of the Khomair PAGE 284 286 286 291 297 298 298 299 305 ROUTE PAGE 30 Tunis to EI -Kef via Souk el- Arbaa . . . .308 31 Excursion to Bizcrta and Utica . . . .309 32 Excursion to ZagJiouaii and Oudena . . . .312 33 Voyage along the Coast of Tunis from the Goletta to the Island of BJerba . .317 34 Susa to Kcrouan . . . 328 35 Excursion from Kerouan to Sbeitla .... 331 Glossary of Arabic Words ArPENDix — List of Consuls, and Bibliography Index and Directory XI 334 341 LIST OP' MAPS AND WOODCUTS Algiers and its Exvikons . To face Title Town of Algieiis 93 Haubouu of Philippeville 120 „ BuXE . 1-22 ,, La Calle 128 Oi:ax and its Exviroxs To face 179 Plan' of Constantine . ,, 185 The Djedaks .... . 252 Plan of Beni Saf . 280 Travelling Map of Algeria . . To face 283 Map of Tunis . ,, 284 Tunis and its Environs ,, 2S6 GLOSSARY OF ARABIC WORDS USED IX THIS BOOK. .16, Aboo, Abou, Bou, father, possessor of, Abd, slave. PI. Abid. Abiad, white. Fern. Baida. Abiar. PL of bir, welL Achour, tax. A(jfui (Tiirk.), lord. Ahel, peojile. Ahmer, red. Fern. Harnara. A in, eye, spring. PI. Ayoun. Diniiu. Aouuia. Ainah, grapes. Alt. Kabyle for Beni, children of. Akfial, black. Fem. Kahala. Akhdar, green. Fem. Khadara. Alfa, see Ualfa, Anuda, province. A min, head of a DjemoUi. Anchir, see Henchir. Annab, jujube, Zizai)hus. Aov.d, horse. Aradh, earth. Arbiia, four, Wednesday, 4th day. Arch, tribal land. Areg, sandhill ; Berr-el-Areg, country of sandhills, the desert. Asfel, low. Fem. Safala. Azel, Government land. Azib, encampment. B(d), gate. PI. Biban. Bach-Af/ka, governor of a certain number of tribes. Badia, country, ojiposed to town. Baghxd, mule. Bahr, sea ; Bahira, small sea or plain. Bedoui, bedouin. PI. Bedou. Beit, house ; beit-esh-shiiar, hair house = tent. Beled, town. PI. Biddan. Dimin. Be- lida. Ben, Ibn, son. PI. Beni, Berd, cold. Jier); countrj-, region. Beijlick, belonging to Government. Bir, well. PI. Abiar. Dimin. Bouir. Birkeh, lake, pond. Bl((d, more correctly Behul, countrj*. BvrdJ, castle ; Bordj-el-fanar, lighthouse. Boil, see Ab. Caftan, Turkish dress. Chaiha, ravine. Chaouch, attendant on Bureau Arab, cor- responding to Indian Pecm, C'hebaka, net. PI. Chebabik. Chott, salt lake. CoiiscousoT Couscousou, a farinaceous food used by the Arabs ; Kabyle, .Seksou. Bar, stone house ; Dar-es-Sanjir, lime. Djisr, bridge. hjizira, island. PI. Djezair; el-Djezair, the islands = Algiers. Dom, dwarf palm. Douar, grouji of Arab tents or families. Doula, state, government. El; The. Faros, mare. Fedj, pass, col. Ferka, section of a tribe. Fenian, cork tree. Fod/ui, silver. Fokani, upper. Fondouk, inn. GL088AUY OF AHAIilC WORDS Foum, iiiouUi, oi)eniiig. Foum, oven. Ghaha, forest. Clhar, cave. Ohurab, west. Oharsa, i)laiitatioii. Okazala, gazelle. PI. Ohozlan. Ohorfa, grotto. Goum, more correctly Koum, body of Arab soldiers. Gourbi, Arab luit. Guetar, small wells. ffabs, prison. Hculari, Aral) living in town. Haddad, blacksmith. Haddid, iron. Hadj or Iladji, pilgi-im to Mecca. Hadjara, stone. PL Iladjar. Ilafra, excavation. Hai, living. Jlahik, throat, canal. Haifa, esparto grass. Hamma, warm spring. Hammam, bath. Ilarah, quarter of a city. Hassi, little well. Ilenchir, farm, Roman ruins. Hezzam, girdle. Hold, fish. Ibn, see ben. Ighil, Kaliyle for ridge. Imam, leader of prayers in a mosque. J, see Dj, usual French orthography. Kadi, native judge. Kaffir, infidel. Kaid, head of a tribe. Kalaa, fort. Kantara, arch, bridge. Kasba, citadel. Kasi; palace. Kebila, tribe. PI. Kebail. Kebir, gi-eat. Kedim, old. Kef, hill, mount. Kelb, dog. Kcrma, fig. lihadem, slave, servant. Khames, lit. one-fifth ; tenants who are remunerated with one-fifth of the pro- duce of land for its cultivation. Khaukh, peach. Khazna., treasure. Khaznadar, treasurer. Kheit, thread, rope worn by Arabs as a head-dress. Kheneg, defile. Khcnian, more correctly Akhouan, pi. of Alh, brother ; member of a religious confraternity. Kihla, direction of Mecca in a mosque. Kibrit, sulphur. Korn, horn. Kotan, cotton. Koubba, a dome ; generally applied to tombs of Mohammedan saints. Koudia, small hill. Koum, mound. Kubr, tomb. PI. Kubour. Kidb, heart. Kusab, a reed. Kvsr, palace. Lela, lady. Ma., water. Mdaden, a mine. Mubrouk, blessed. Alafrag, bifurcation. Maghreb, sunset, west. Maiz, goat. Makam, place. Makbara, cemetery. Makhzen, magazine, civil Spahi. Man-oura, victorious. Marabout, more coiTcctly Marabet, a per- son devoted to religion. PI. Maraba- tiiu Miiaskara, camp. Mabnor, silos. Mechera, ford. Medina, city. Medjez, ferry, Medressa, college. Mehalla, camp. Meldh, mdleh, salt, adj. Melh, salt, subs. Melk, freehold property. Melouan, (coloured. Memleka, kingdom. Menara, minaret. Menzel, place. Merdj, meadow. Meridj, swamp. Mersa, anchorage. Me.fjid, mosque. Messaoud, happy. Mezrag, a lance. GLOSSARY OF ARABIC WORDS Mimhar, pulpit. Moghrelj, west ; the West country, namely, the Barbary coasts. Mokaddem, head-man ; generally used for the cliief of a religious body. Moula'i, my Lord. Nadour, observatoiy. Nahr, river. Nakhcda, date tree. Nemd, ant. Nouha, garrison. Omni, mother. Oil, the Berber equivalent of Beyi, son of. Oiced, river, valley. Oulad. PL of Walad, sou. Otimena. PL oi Amin, q. v. Oust, middle, waist ; central court in a house. Rnhim, merciful. Rahnmn, compassionate. Ra'is, cajitain. Rakhnm, marble. Rainla, sand. Rus, head, cape. Razzia, more correctly Ghazzia, plunder- ing expedition. Roumi, lit. Roman ; used to exj^ress Christian. Silada, happiness. Sabegha, tribal land. Safel, lower part. Saharklj, cisterns. Sdheh, owner, companion. Siikel, coast. Sakuc, canal for irrigation. Sehala, fountain. Sebkha, salt lake. Sebt, seventh, Saturday. Sedra, zizaphus or jujube tree. Seghir, small. Sell, torrent. Sekkin, knife. Seksou, Kabyle name for couscous. Skafucm, fat, grease. Shirk, east. Si or Sidi, my Lord. Silos, underground receptacles for corn. Skijfa, vestibule of a Moorish house. Snuila, small fort occupied by Spahis. So/, league, confraternity. Souk, market, Tiiam, food ; couscousou. Toioil, long. Fern. ToioHa. Zab. PL Zihan, an oasis watered by a river. Zan, an oak. Zaouia, college, convent, or place of refuge for poor scholars or religious mendicants. Zeitoun, olive, Zekka, tax on cattle. SECTION I NTRODUCTORY INFORMATION PAOE 1. Routes — Loxdox to Al- 8. OEUIA , . . . 1 2. Climate of Algeria . 2 9. 3. Season for Travelling- 10. Choice OF Residence 5 11. 4. Railways . . . . 6 12. 5. Population and Races 6 6. Native Languages 12 13. 7. General Description of Algeria and Tunis . 12 M. Historical Notice of Al- geria AND TUNLS . . 20 Government of Algeria . 65 Sport 67 Zoology . . . .70 Geology, Mineralogy, Hut Springs, etc. . . .75 Colonisation, Agricui-tuue, FoKEsTs, etc. . . .81 ARCHiEOLOGY . . .89 § 1. Routes — London to Algeria. The direct route from England to Algeria is through Paris and Mai-seilles. The traveller can either reach the latter place by the ordinary route, via Lyons, or by the more picturesque one passing through Clcrmont-FeiTand and Nimes. From Marseilles excellent steamers of the Transatlantiquc Companij (6 Rue Auber, Paris ; 12 Rue dc la Republiijue, Marseilles) run daily to Algiers, and to various other parts of the colony, as well as to Tunis. These departures are so numerous, and so much liable to change, that the traveller should con- sult the time-tables of the Company. The voyage to Algiers occupies from 24 to 36 hours, varying with the vessel and the state of the weather, and costs £4. Cheaper but less comfortable vessels of the Compcajnic Mixlc (9 Ruo Kougement, Paris ; 54 Rue Cannebiere, Marseilles), and of the SocieU G6niralc dc Tratisports Maritimcs a Vapeur (3 Rue des Templicrs, ^Marseilles), also run weekly between Marseilles and Algiers. Vessels of the Ilult or Ocean Line, of J. Moss and Compani/, and of Messrs. PajKiyanni, leave Liverpool frequently. Information regarding them may be obtained from Messrs. Gellatly, Hankey Sewell, and Co., Pall Mall, London, and 1 Fenchurch Street, Liverpool, who will also forward heavy luggage. Travellers will be saved much trouble and inconvenience if they procure all necessary tickets before leaving London. They are recommended to Messrs. T. Cook and Son (Ludgate Circus, Cliaring Cross, and 35 Piccadilly), who, besides supplying tickets, arc always ready to furnish the traveller with all informa- tion he may recpiire. Office in Algiers in Siiuaro Bresson. [AlijcrUi.] li 2 § 2. CIJMATE OF AUiKlUA Ahje'iia §2. Climatk OF Algeuia. The traveller coming to Algiers with the idea that he is to firnl a rainless and almost tropical winter, will certainly he disappointed. For this he must go to Egypt, where fertility is not dependent on rainfall. At Algiers he will rind the best winter climate on the western shores of the Mediterranean, but it will not be without a due proportion of rain and cold. June, July, August, September, are practically rainless, and the two last extremely hot. October and November give what would be counted the loveliest summer weather in England, with occasional, and probably very heavy, rains. December, January, February and March are not unlike an English autumn, with a double allowance of sunshine, and of rain also, and none of its dampness. April and May, again, give the most perfect English summer weather, with but very little rain, and are certainly the most enjoyable months in the year. The seasons are, however, extremely variable. During the many years which the writer has spent in Algiers, no two winters have been alike, and a high functionary once remarked to him that he had spent thirty years in Algeria and had seen thirty exceptional winters. Usually the rain falls heavily when it falls at all, and is seldom of long duration. The fine drizzling rain so common in the north of Europe is here of rare occurrence, and in the neighboiu'hood of Algiers itself the soil is of so absorbent a nature, and the ground so steeji, that the moment the rain ceases and the sun has reappeared, the roads dry, and delicate invalids can take their exercise in the open air. But once or twice in the course of the season a bout of rain and wind must be expected which will continue two or three days. Even in these cases the air is not damji, and wet objects not actually exposed to the rain will become dry when it is falling most heavily. Kain falls on the average on about SO days out of the 365 ; but not more than one quarter of these could with any propriety be termed "wet days." To ensure a fine harvest, at least 36 inches of rain are required ; and for visitors the rainier seasons are found the most enjoyable, dust being, in Algiers, even in winter, a far greater annoyance than rain. It may be added that about 60 per cent of the rain usually falls at night. The average in Algiers is about 29 inches. The first rains after the long summer drought, which are also the hea^aest downpours, occur, sometimes in September, generally about the middle of October, and produce an instantaneous change in the climate. December Ls usually the wettest mouth of the twelve on the coast of Algeria ; on the high ground in the interior the most abundant rains are expected in the spring ; but any month from October to March may be the wettest of some particular season. Frost and snow are in Algiers so lare as to be almost unknown, though hailstorms are frequent. But on the High Plateaux, and on the most elevated inhabited parts of the Tell, the frost is severe, the snow lies long and deep, while the highest mountains retain some snow patches as late as the beginning of June. Introd. § 2. climate of Algeria 3 The rain, the wind, and the cold generally come from the N.W. Tlie N.E. wind, so dreaded in Europe, is here almost unknown, and harmless when it docs come. There is absolutely nothing at Algiers answering to the terrible mistrale of the Riviera. The north winds, temiiered by 500 miles of sea, have had all mischief extracted from them in their passage ; and the cold which I'omes with or after the rain has none of that searching keenness so disagree- able in winds blowing directly from snowy mountains. The sirocco, or desert wind, is in winter merely a pleasantly warm, dry l)reeze ; in spring and autumn it can be disagreeably hot, but its terrors are reserved for the summer mouths. Fortunately it does not often last more than three days at a time, but during its continuance the thermometer will rise about 100° in the shade on the sea- beacli, and much higher a little distance inland ; the sky becomes dim ; the air is charged with hue sand, vegetable life seems to become extinguished, or at least suspended, and it is by no means an uncommon event to see a whole field of vines Avithered in a moment by a blast of this burning wind. When the sirocco is not blowing, the nights, even during the hottest season, are cool and refreshing, and dews are copious. There can be no doubt that Algiers is the best winter residence within easy range of England. It is not so warm and agreeable as Madeira or Egypt, but it is preferable to any place on the north shore of the ilediterraneau, and it has the great advantage of being within four days' easy journey of London. Whatever a climate can do for a sick person Algiers ought to accomplish, but it cannot work a miracle. Dr. Jackson, in his Medical Climaioloijy, justly remarks : — "As a resort from the inclement seasons of Northern Europe, for persons threatened with pulmonary consumption, Algiers is deservedly in good reputa- tion. The climate is far from being of a relaxing character; on tlie contrary, it combines with its usual mildness and equability a decidedly bracing and tonic intluence. Consumptive patients, in whom there is a well-marked deposit of crude tubercle, may pass one or more winters in Algiers with advantage, under circumstances which afford nature the most ample leisure for repairing the disorganised structure. The sooner the patient is placed under its influence the more likely is the result to be beneficial. But when the disease has gone beyond what I have mentioned, when the patient is obviously sinking under tlie malady, Algiers is not to be recommended." It is cruelty for the physician to recommend such to (juit the comforts of liis own home and the society of friends in the hope of restoring health, a hope which he well knows to be fallacious. For some heart diseases the climate of Algiers is remarkably eflBcacious, even more so than for pulmonary complaints. As a rule the patient should not prolong his sta}' after the first heats of summer have commenced, yet it ought to be known tliat some of the most remarkable cures that have been effected here have been in the case of those who have spent two winters and the intervening summer in Algiers. The following tables will give a more accurate idea of the climate of Algiera Ilian any mere description of it : — § 2. ClilMATE OP ALGERIA Alycria TAiiLE OF Tempeuatuue (Fahrenheit) compiled from Observations made, under the Algerian Government, at the Military Hospital of Algiers (Ilopital du Dey), during 13 years from 1865 to 1877. The thermometers are ])laced about 300 yards from the sea-beach, about 50 feet above the sea-level, and about 6 feet from the ground. <^s ^ a ^ «ia f: a 6C.2 g ""12 3 f2g *2 J- .2 * lis Og^ gs ^ PS>. zs >^ s2i S >» §0^ ^ 4J-U " "S-u " a) CO rt &« tC-i 53 ■5 2.2 ■5 .^H-- January V7 32 48 62 60J 48 54 February 75 m 48 63 62 48i 55i March . 82J 34 51 66 64 50 57 April . 95^ 37 60 70 68i 53i 61 May . S9J 45i 57 72| 73^ 58i 66 June . 101 53 66 75 78^ 63i 71 July . 102 57i 75J 77 84i 69 76i August . 111 50i 75 82i 86i 70 78 September 109 53i^ 68^ 79 83 68 75J October "J7 44 6U 79 75i 61 68J November 84 i 40 53^ 6Si 66i 54 60J December m 34 50 66 6U 48^ 55 N.B. — On the sides and top of the hills about Mustafa it would be necessary to add about 3 degrees to extremes of heat, and subtract about 4 degrees for extremes of cold. Table of Rainfall (reduced to English inches) compiled from Observations made, under the Algerian Government, at the Military Hospital of Algiers (Hopital du Dey), during 14 years from July 1864 to June 1878, The rain-gauge is about 300 yards from the sea-beach, about 50 feet above the sea-level, and about 15 feet from the ground. s 3 . 3 bcr ch a iitity len. ^ . 35 a p ^ >. ll C3 tS '3 i go nui on \vl blequ has fa 3S ^o «2l 1§^ rt ^ cs -J5 t4 s ■2 S .:d^-« fc.2 S c IS-S-i rt^ sS'^ '^ ;>— 2 ^ J = < a ^^ °i° o W.2 January 3-64 7-66 •28 10 17 2 3-30 February 2-40 5-49 -06 7 16 2 1-48 March . 3-97 9-17 •56 12 23 4 1-S9 April . I 2-02 4-20 ■04 12 1 1-46 May . 1-21 2-78 -04 5 11 1 2-05 June •91 3-43 -04 3 9 1 2^13 July . •09 •46 1 3 •32 August ■40 4-04 1 5 3-98 September ; f21 7-00 3 10 2-25 October 1 3-72 10-06 -35 8 13 3 2-84 November 4-01 7-00 1-16 10 19 4 1-77 December 5-42 S-38 •68 13 20 1 1-91 Total 29-00 79 Introd. § 3. reason for travelling, etc. 5 The average rainfall of Algiers iiiaj^ be estimated at 788 mil. =29 inches ; that of Oran at 510 mil. =19 inches ; at Constantine there is about 644 mil. = 24 inches, but Tiiucli less on the High Plateaux of that province. For instance, the average at Setif is only G44 mil. =24 inches ; Batna, 412 mil. = 15 inches ; whereas on the coast it is much greater, 1189 mil. = 44 inches at Bougie; 945 at Djedjehy = 35 inches ; 789 at rhilippeville = 29 inches ; and 842 at La Calle = 31 inches. Three meteorological departments have been established by Government, at Algiers, Oran, and Constantine, and 44 stations have been provided with instruments. These extend to the border of the Sahara on the one hand, and from Sfax to Mogador on the coast. The observations are centralised every day at Algiers, and puldislied in the evening. § 3. Season foii Travelling— Choick of Residence, The best season for visiting Algeria is from the beginning of November to the end of May. During January, February, March, and part of April, a good deal of rain may be expected, and many of the routes are then difficult, if not impossible. Still, short excursions may be made at any time when the weather apjiears settled. November and December are good months for travelling in the interior, but not nearly so much so as April and May, when all nature is briglit with the hues of spring and the most gorgeous wild flowers. Beyond all doubt May is the finest month in the year, but the days are some- what hot, and walking in the sun oppressive. The only recommendation which it is necessary to give regarding clothing is, that the traveller should bring and wear exactly the same garments as he would use in England at a corresi)onding season. The cold, of course, is much less in Algeria, but it is felt more. Visitors to Algeria may be divided into two categories, the tourist and the invalid ; the former will not care to remain very long in one place, and need only consult his own inclination as to a choice of residence. To the latter, liowever, this question is a very serious one. He generally conies abroad at great personal inconvenience, and he is willing to sacrifice every consideration to the vital one of health. He will almost certainly select Algiers itself as liis residence, and he will do well to avoid the town as much as pos.sible, and live in the country. In most cases the higher up he rises on the Mustafa hill, the better and purer is the air. The writer is almost inclined to say the icanncr is the climate, for though houses on the highest level are more exposed to the wind, they escape the damp vapour which fre(iuently clings to the valleys below, and they are more thoroughly exposed to the sun. The ascent is hardly an objection, as it is balanced by the advantage that, once on the summit, an invalid can walk for miles almost on level ground, amongst a never-ending variety of shady lanes, whereas lower down liis ramldes must bo entirely on the public road, and either up or down hill. There are numerous villas situated in beautiful gardens in the environs of Algiers, and several excellent hotels and pensions. The best locality for a winter residence is the slope of Mustafa Supericur, § 4. RAILWAYS. § 5. POPULATION AND RACES Ah/eria and along tlic road leading; thence, past the Colonne Voirol towards El-]]iar. Rents have risen considcrahly of late, and it is liardly possiljlc to obtain tlie smallest furnished villa witli a garden there under 3G00 f. for the season of six months, and they range from that sum up to 8000 or 10,000 f. In less desirable quarters, such as the village d'Isly, the Agha, Mustafa Inferieur, and St. Eugene, the prices are lower, but the houses are not so good, and those localities are far less healthy and enjoyable. English visitors reside generally in the country hotels in preference to those in the town ; the former are in every respect more healthy and enjoyable, though perhaps a little more expensive. For more precise informatiou regarding houses, servants, etc., visitors may apply to Mr. Dunlop, 13 Ruo d'Isly, house and general agent. He also keeps a butcher's and grocer's shop, where visitors are sure to find all they can possibly require. § 4. Railways. The railway system of Algeria has made rapid progress of late years. The aim of the administration is to have a central line from Tunis to Morocco, passing through the most important points in the interior, and various sub- sidiary lines joining this with the sea. The lines actually open are indicated in the body of the work. § 5. Population and Races. The population of Algeria, according to the census of 1881, was as follows : — 9 1 § c c ■§1 si Total. Algiers Oran . Constantine Totals . OS, 807 70,577 64,555 11,582 14,588 9,495 42,043 68,383 3,894 8,489 4,149 21,055 3,738 477 11,187 1,186 2,017 998 3,671 12,425 6,232 1,082,156 592,708 1,174,002 1,251,672 767,322 1,291,418 233,939 35,665 114,320 33,693 15,402 4,201 22,328 2,848,866 3,310,412 269,604 103,415 In comparing the census of 1881 with that of 1876, there appears an in- crease of 442,786 in favour of the former year ; an increase which is apparent in every class of the population, except Germans, in which there is a decrease of 2312. The two principal divisions into which the Mohammedan races inhabiting Algeria may be divided are the Berbers and Arabs. The former is a branch of the great aboriginal people which inhabited the north of Africa as far south as the Soudan, Eg3'pt, Nubia, and as far as the west shore of the Red Sea. 1 Incliules Maltese and natives of Gibraltar. Introd. § 5, population and races 7 But tlie word Berber is an inaccurate one ; it was quite unknown to the ancients, wlio always designated the aboriginal races by specific names, such as Lyhians, Nuinidiuas, Massijlians, etc. It was the Arab conquerors who first united them all by using the term Berber, meaning to imply people whose language they could not understand ; they themselves never recognised the appellation, and do not use it now. Distinct bodies of this race still exist, especially in the more inaccessible parts of the country ; but, for the most part, they have become amalgamated with the Arabs, and have lost both their distinctive character and language. This blending of the native races with their conquerors took place at two dis- tinct epochs, the first after the brilliant conquest of North Africa by the Arab warriors in the 7tli century (see p. 31), and the second after the more serious invasion of an immense Arab population in the 11th centur}' (see p. 32). The most important branches of this people still retaining anything like purity of origin or distinctive language, are the Kabylcs and the Chaivia — the latter are described farther on ; the former, who inhabit the mountainous districts nearer Algiers, and with whom the traveller comes more frequently in contact, deserve a separate description. The Kabyles. (Arab. Kahail, pi. of Kabila, a tribe.) This name is given to the people of Berber origin who inhabit the mountains of the littoral ; the Bcni-Maiuoisir, to the south of Cherchel, and various tribes bordering tlic Metidja, are as much Kabyles as the mountaineers of Djurdjura. Kaliylia jiroper, however (see p. 14), has a population of about 200,000, less than a tenth of the whole native inhabitants of Algeria. It is certain that this race has at various epochs been much mixed with other elements, and the debris of the Greek and Roman colonies must have constituted a considerable portion of this mixture. The religious persecutions of the Arians and Donatists, which so effectually prepared the way for Islamism, no doubt drove many of the poorer members of these colonies for safety to the mountains, where they soon became mixed up with the aboriginal inhabitants. There can still be traced among their customs the traditions of Itoman law and nuinicij)al institutions, and one frequently meets amongst them types, easily recognisable, of the Latin and Germanic races. Some liave supposed that the crosses which Kabyle girls are in tlie habit of tattooing on their faces and arms are remnants of the Cliristian faith ; as also the very ditlerent ])osition occupied by the women to that usual in Mohammedan countries. Many of their families no doubt had European ancestors, dating from long after the extinction of the Romans ; their own traditions assert this fact, and the beauty of the women of AU Ouagucnnoun, which is proverbial in the country, is regarded as a proof of their foreign origin. The Arab element ajuongst them was introduced later, less by actual conquest than by the moral infiuence of Islamism, and the institution of slavery lias had the cllect here, as in all Mohammedan countries, of introducing black blood into the mixture. Kabylia, having preserved its independence for centuries, has always afforded a safe retreat to political and criminal refugees ; they were rcccivctl 8 § 5. POPULATION AND RACES Alr/eria witli an niiqnostioiiinj^ hospitality, and ended a career of adventure in tlicse |ieaccful retreats. The secret of their origin lias died with tiiein, l)Ut their traces remain in the fair complexion, hlne eyes, and red hair, everywhere found in the country, which certainly do not helong to African or Asiatic races. In almost all their essential characteristics tlic Kahyles are the very oppo- site of th(' Arabs. They never mount on horseback ; they arc not nomailes or pastoral ; but they are strong and industrious, excellent farmers, cultivating their land with the care usually bestowed on market-gardens. They are indus- trious mechanics, and manufacture several articles, such as f)ottery and jewellery, with great taste and elegance. One of their most distinguishing characteristics is intense patriotism. This is manifest in all their institutions, but especially by a custom which prevailed amongst them in times of danger, or invasion by a foreign enemy. A number of the youth enrolled themselves in a sort of forlorn hope called Imcssehelcn (pi. of Mcssehel), wdiose duty it was to sacrifice their lives for the protection of their country. The prayers for the dead were read over them before going into action, from which they could only return victorious. If they were killed their bodies were buried in a cemetery apart, which was ever after used as a place of pra}'er, and considered as peculiarly deserving of vener- ation. Were one of them to escape with the loss of honour from the field, he and all his kindred wovild for ever be held in contempt as outcasts. Moreover, the Kabyle character lends itself more readily to social progi-ess than that of the Arab : he is less distrustful, more industrious, and less dis- posed to that life of lazy indifference which is characteristic of the latter. He is surrounded on all sides by European colonisation, and willingly frequents the farms of colonists in search of work ; while the greater part of the Arabs live in isolated tribes, and have rarely an opportunity of seriously appreciating the advantages of civilisation. The Kabyles all belong to the Mohammedan religion, and to the orthodox Maleki rite — that is, they have adopted the doctrine of the Imam Malek as their interpretation of religious civil law. (See also p. 15.) Their dress is of a whitish hue, sometimes black and white, and consists of the Jiaik over the chelouka or woollen shirt which extends below the knee. They wear a small skull-cap on the head, generally a complicated mass of rags fastened with cord on their feet, and usually the burnous when travelling. Numerically the most important class of the native population are the Arabs, who are, as their name implies, of Arabian origin, and date back from the Arab occupation of the country in the 12th century. They took possession of the most accessible portions, and drove the original owners, the Berbers, into their mountain fastnesses. At the present day they are far less advanced than the Kabyles ; they retain the habits, ideas, and nomadic life of the most primitive times, and if they have emerged from barbarism, they have certainly not attained civilisation. They are divided into tribes, some of which are of ancient origin, but many are of a much more recent date, and some are simply aggregations of groups, Tntrod. § 5. population and races 9 as natural as possilile, niadc l)y tlic Frencli to facilitate the operations of the Bureau Arctic. Each tribe is comniandcil l)y a Kaid, wiiose duty is to exercise surveillance over it, carry out the orders of the French authorities, arrest malefactors, and collect taxes, for which he receives a certain percentage ; he listens to all com- plaints, and either himself redresses the aggrieved or submits the case to the administrator of his circle. He is responsible for the good order and loyal conduct of his tribe. These Kaids are always nominated by the Frencli, and are usually chosen from the most influential families. Thus, in time of ])eace, they greatly aid the French authorities, though tliey arc dangerous to a corresponding degree in time of war or insurrection. Attempts have been made to place men of inferior birth, but of approved fidelity, in these posts, but tlie experiment has never succeeded ; the moment an insurrection breaks out, their power is defied, and whether the great families are in office or not, if they rebel, the tribe is sure to follow them. The tribes are divided into a greater or less number of Ferkats or sections, according to their importance, each of wliich is administered by a Shcikli. These are all under the orders of the Kaid, who has a lieutenant or Khalifa to aid him. The Ferkat, again, is composed of several Dollars, composed of the tents of a certain number of persons more or less nearly related to each other. The Ferkat is a political or artificial group, the Doiiar is essentially a family one. The union of several tribes is called a Baeh Afihalil; the Bach AgJia being the highest native dignity conferred by the French. These, however, are being suppressed as vacancies occur. Justice is administered among the Arabs by Cadis, who have districts con- taining two to four tribes, and who perform their functions under the surveil- lance of the Bureaux Arahes in military territory, or of the Administrator where civil jurisdiction prevails. The Arabs are essentially a nomade race, living in tents, wliiili they change from place to place as the pasturage around them is consumed. They are not fond of hard work, and tlie men at least do not engage in industrial jiursuits ; agriculture is the labour they prefer to all other. Tlie theft of a plough is sacrilege, the manufacture of one a pious work. Tlie nomade existence is not without its advantages among a people so primitive and so filthy in their habits. The moving about their flocks from place to place serves to manure the ground, and prevent its utter exhaustion ; and where men and animals all live together, the constant striking and pitch- ing of their tents conduces to cleanliness and to the destruction of a portion at least of the vermin with which they are infested. The land tenure in Algeria has hitherto been such as to prevent the pur- chase of it by intending colonists. It was divided into four categories : — Beylick ; the undoubteers. Their heads and faces are covered, the eyes only being visible. The Turks and Koulouglis. — The latter is the name by which the children of Turkish fathers and iloorish or slave mothers were known. The greater number of the Turks were sent back by the French on taking pos- session of Algeria, and their descendants have got mixed up in the general population, so that these races no longer exist in Algeria. The Jews are said to have established themselves on these shores after the destruction of Jerusalem, but it is more probable that they did so on their lianishment from Italy in 1342, and from various other countries during the following thirty years. Under the Turkish government they were permitted the free exercise of their religion, but were exposed to every species of in- dignity, and arbitrarily condemned to torture and death on the slightest provocation. They are here much the same as in other parts of the world, the apparent aim of their existence being money-getting. The females, when young, are remarkable for their beauty ; but the men, although possessing handsome features, have not a prepossessing expression of countenance. The elder members of the community still retain the native dress, the women wearing a straight silk gown and silk handkerchief bound tightly round the head, but the rising generation have adojited European costume, since a decree of the Government of the National Defence in 1871 declared them French citizens. I'csiiles the above other races may be seen in Algiers — amongst them the Beni M'zab, a dark-skinned peojjle from the Sahara, south of El-Aghouat. They belong to the Ibadhi sect, the most distinguished member of which is the Sultan of Zanzibar. Their women never leave their native oases. They wear an easily -distinguished, sleeveless garment of many colours, and arc generally employed as butchers, sellers of fruit, vegetaldes, charcoal, etc. The Negroes are descendants of former slaves ; they whitewash houses, and tlnir women are sellers of bread ; they are generally dressed in checked blue and 12 § 7. fllONKRAI, DE.SCRirTTON OF AT/iERTA AND TUNIS AUjeria white (lu.stcr-inalcrial, aiid are eoiisiiicuous for their ugliness. Tiie Biskris conic from the nciglil)oui'liood of IJiskra, and are einploj-ed as water-carriers, swee[)s, etc. § 6. Native Lan«uages. The native languages of Algeria are a corrupt form of Arabic, spoken by the Arabs, Mooi's and Jews ; and a dialect of the Berber used by the Kabylcs and Cliawia. Written Arabic is the same everywhere, but the vulgar Arabic of Algeria is a patois contaminated by words and hybrid expressions borrowed from all the languages of Europe, a relic of the now extinct lingua Franca, mixed with others of Turkish and Berber origin, and simplified by the elimination of certain of the more complex grammatical rules, such as the dual number, the feminine of verbs and pronouns, etc. Tlie Kabyle language, though undoubtedly a dialect of Berber, is by no means a pure one ; it is greatly mixed with Arabic, and already many French words have been introduced. It has no written character, and all the litera- ture it possesses is transmitted orally. The Kabyles have also the peculiar habit of employing conventional languages, similar to thieves' slang in England, for the purpose of disguising their conversation in the presence of strangers. Nearly every profession has one peculiar to itself. § 7. General Description of Algeria and Tunis. This portion of North Africa, though still supposed to consist of two sepa- rate countries, one a French colony and the other a protected state, may now be treated as a whole, and the time is not f;ir distant when even the nominal frontier will disappear, or at most exist as the limit between two departments of the mother country. Algeria is bounded on the W. by the Empire of Morocco : it is comprised between long. T 20' AY. and 8° 35' E. ; and between 37° 5' and 32° 0' N. lat. Its greatest length is about 620 miles ; its greatest breadth, 250 miles ; and its area is calculated to be about 150,000 square miles. This area, however, is merely a rough approximation to the truth, as the Southern limit of the country has never been defined with any degree of accuracy. The "Western boundary was fixed by the treaty with the Emperor of Morocco of the 18th March 1845. The Oxied Kiss, opposite the Zaffarine Islands, was accepted as a starting-point, instead of the Molouia, the ancient Malua or Molocath, which from the remotest antiquity had been considered as the boundary between Mauritania Casaricnsis and Tingitana, the present Empire of Moi-occo, and which is only .separated from it by 12 kil. of sandy beach. An opportunity was also lost of securing the Zaffarine Islands, which were unoccupied at the time of the conquest, and which were taken possession of by Spain only a few hours before a French expedition sent from Oran with a similar object arrived at the spot. The actual French boundary runs from the Kiss in a south-easterly direction as far as Ain Sfissifa, a little south of the 33d parallel of latitude — a purely imaginary line. The scientific frontier, Intvod. § 7. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS 13 which the French hope one day to attain, would start from the mouth of the Molouia, follow the course of that river to the watershed of the country about 33° N. lat., and then continue along the course of the Oucd Ghcir, an import- ant river, till its junction with the Zuuzfana, a little north of Ljli, between the 30th and 31st parallels of latitude. The district thus gained would con- tain the valuable strategic positions of Oujda and FUjuiij, and would be within easy distance of the great oasis of Tajilalet. The French Sahara contains the oases of the Oulctd Sidi Chcikh, the Ksmifs, the Sou/, and lately the oases of the Bciii M'zah have been annexed. Provinces. — Politically Algeria is divided into three provinces or depart- ments — Algiers, Oran and Constantine. The first has 5 arrondissements — Algiers, Jlilianah, Medea, Orleansville and Tiziouzou. Oran also has 5 — Oran, Mostaganeni, Tlemcen, Sidi Bel Abbes, and Mascara. Constantine has 6 — Constantine, BGue, Philippeville, Bougie, Guelma and Setif. The Province of Constantine forms the eastern part of the colony, from the border of Tunis on the east to the Province of Algiers on the west : it is sepa- rated from the latter by a line from Cape Corbelin (Ras Bezerka) between Dellys and Bougie, running southwards, by no means very straight or well defined. This province contains the scantiest population of the three, but its soil is the most fertile, its minerals the most abundant, its forests the most extensive, and its climate the most varied. In extent it occ-upies more than half the surface of Algeria, and its native population is much less nomade than that of the two other [)rovinces. The Berbers of the Aures and Grand Kabylia occupy permanent villages, comi)osed of stone houses, and are extremely attached to tlieir native soils. The Province of Oran occupies the western part of Algeria, and is con- tiguous to the empire of Morocco. The area of such portions of it as are capable of colonisation, including the Tell and part of the High Plateaux, i.s about 38,200 S(piare kilometres, or nearly 9A millions of acres. The distinguishing feature of the province is the very narrow extent of the Tell, not exceeding on the average 80 kilometres. The liills which run along the coast are not as a rule high. These are the Ddhra, between Tenes and the Chelif ; Karkar, or the Mountain of Lions, Ijetween Oran and Arzcu ; Mediouna, between Oran and the Tafna. The most iniiiortant mountain in the interior is Djcbcl Ammcr, in tlie Sahara. The principal rivers are the TdJ'iui, the Macla, the Si'j, the Ilabra, the Mina, and the Chelif. The country is rich, but much drier than the two other provinces ; con- scfiucntly good harvests are rarer. It is full of mineral wealth and valuable marbles, and is the chief place whence Alfa fibre is exported. Tlie natural divisions of the country also are three, viz. the Tell, a strip of undulating cultivated land extending from the sea-shore to a distance varying from 50 to 100 miles inland ; the High Plateaux ; and the Desert of Sahara. The course of the Atlas Mountains, wliich api>roacli within 30 miles of the city of Algiers, is from S. E. to N.W'., their ridges sloping towards the Mediterranean, and enclosing several ])lains, such as the Metidja, lying between Algiers and Blitlali, that of the Chelif, etc. Tliey have a course 14 § 7. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS Alfjerin of about 1500 miles, from Cai)C Nun, on tlio Atlantic Ocean, to wliicli tliey give its name, to Cape ]5on, in Tunis. In Morocco they rise in some places above tlio line of perpetual snow, the highest of them being estimated at from 11,000 to 12,000 feet. The Atlas range is not conspicuous for lofty lieaks like the Alps, most of their summits being rounded.^ The following are the highest points throughout the colony of Algeria : — Chellia, in the Aures range .... 7,611 ft. Tamghout Lalla Khadidja, Djurdj lira range . 7,542 ,, Djebel Ksel, in the Sahara .... 6,594 ,, Djebel Touilet Makna, in Djebel Amour . 6,561 ,, Kef Sidi Omar, in Ouarseusis . . . 6,500 ,, Babor, in the Kabylia of Bougie . . . 6,447 ,, Ta Babort, contiguous to it .... 6,465 ,, Toumzait, near Tlem^en .... 6,018 ,, Dira, near Aumale ..... 5,934 ,, Zakkar, near Milianah 5,184 ,, Edough, near Bone 3,294 ,, The hydrographical system of Algeria is by no means so simple as in other countries, where a system of rivers restores to the sea the water which the sun has taken from it. Here a very small portion of the country is subject to the ordinary laws ; in the rest the waters either return to the clouds without passing through the sea, or circulate in vast subterrauean lakes. The watershed of the Tell is perfectly regular ; the sources of the principal streams are situated high up, either on its southern border or on the first terraces of the High Plateaux, and, in spite of the meauderiugs, often necessi- tated by the nature of the ground, they are generally short. The Chelif alone has a length of 244 miles, the next most considerable are the Mafrag and Seybouse, the Oued el-Kebir, the Makta and the Kammel, which during flood -time discolour the water for several miles at sea, and have not tho strength in summer to force themselves a passage through the banks of sand accumulated in their estuaries by the currents along the coast. Alluvial plains of any considerable extent are rare in Algeria ; they do not form, as elsewhere, in the estuary of a large river. Parallel to the sea, they stretch between the foot of the mountains and the isolated groups of hills, once probably islands, such as those at La Calle to the north of the plain of Tarf, Edough iu the plain of Bone, the Sahel at Algiers, and the mountain of Lions in the plain of Oran. Rivers traverse these without draining them, and any depressions in their surface are occupied by marshes and shallow lakes, either fresh or salt. The lakes of Oubeira and Tonegue near La Calle are sheets of fresh water, as were those of Oued el-Maiz in. the l)lain of Bone, and Lake Halloula iu the Metidja, now drj*. The most interesting part of the Tell is the great mountain range inhabited by the Kabyles ; this may be divided into two very distinct portions, the first comprising the lower part of the Oued es-Sahel, and which may be called the Kabylia of Bougie ; the second, the Kabylia of Djurdjura, which bounds the 1 For altitudes in Algeria see MacCarthy, " L'Annee Geograpliique," 1872, p. 76. Inlri)d. § 7. GENKUAf. DESCUU'TK^N OV ALOEIUA AND TUNIS 15 fuimer on the west, and which is separated from it by tiie ran|^e wliose majestic peaks, covered witli snow during six montlis in the year, form such conspicuous objects in tlie landscape seen from Algiers. It extends as far west as the Col des Beni-Aicha, or Menerville, 34 miles from Algiers. Both speak the same language, a dialect of Berber, build villages, cultivate the olive and fig trees, and have many customs in common ; nevertheless they have a totally different administration. The Kabylia of Bougie, like all the other valleys, has been subject to frequent invasions. The Turks, who suli- stituted their rule for the ancient government of the country, introduced the system of great commandments, and imposed upon the vanfjuished, hitherto governed by their own customs, the orthodox jurisdiction of the Kadis. The Kabylia of Djurdjura, bristling with savage and rugged mountains, liad never before 1857 abdicated its independence. Entreiiclied in their villages, perched on the crests of almost inaccessible mountains, its in- liabitants saw every attempt at invasion arrested at their feet, in the valleys of the Sebaou and Issers, unable to penetrate their country. The French conquest respected their institutions, which were of a democratic nature ; each village, though attached to its tribe by the bonds of a common origin, preserved its entire liberty of action, and formed a sort of political and administrative microcosm. In the village the power lay in the hands of all ; tlic Djciiuia (asseml)ly) met once a week, and was composed of all men capalile of bearing arms. It deliberated under the presidency of an Amin, elected every year by itself; it took cognisance of all (piestions, was sovereign judge, and enforced its own decisions. Here, as amongst all P>erl)er nations, were developed the institutions of Sofs (leagues), which divided each village, each tribe, and even each con- federation. The Sofs do not represent any political party, like the majority and minority in a European nation. They do not originate in any theoretic ideas, and have not for their object the maintenance or overthrow of any particular form of government. They had their origin in the necessity for protection, and constituted before the conquest a mutual association, destined to cause the rights of an oppressed majority to be respected by a powerful and overbearing minoiity. The Suf lent its aid to such of its members as found themselves the victims of injustice ; and if it could not obtain reparation or a peaceful settlement of the disimtc, had recourse to force. Civil war broke out, and spread from village to village, and from tribe to tribe, and did not ordinarily stop without the intervention of one of the Marabouts. These arc descendants of rcjiuted saints, and owed to their origin and their neutrality an iiilluence which they employed in re-establishing peace. The French concpiest, in substituting a regular power for the irregular action of these parties, and in repressing the api)eal to arms, destroyed at a single blow the power of the Sofs and the influence of the JIarabouts, already discredited by the very fact of the conquest. They had preached the Holy War, and promised victory in the name of the saints interred in their mount- ains, whose inlluence was to a great extent the cause of their own prestige. In the day of battle the most ardent of these Marabouts were compelled to llee the infidel invaded with sacrilegious foot their most venerated shrines, IG § 7. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS Ahjeria tlioir powerlessncss was evident, and their influence disappeared. The reh'gious confraternities, and especially that of Sidi Jlohammed ben Abd-er-Rahnian 15ou-Koberain (he who has two tombs), began to exercise the power which the Marabouts had lost. The partisans of Kabyle independence, and the dis- contented of all classes, habituated to the strife oi Sofs, and searching a new opening for their energy, rallied round an institution which flattered their jiride by making them the equals of the Marabouts, and permitted them to ris« to the highest grades despite their ignorance and obscure birth. The Marabouts constituted a caste, an aristocracy, based on the prestige of an e.xtinct power. The order of Sidi -Mohammed, essentially of a levelling character, was admirably adapted to suit the democratic spirit of the Kabyles ; it was, moreover, a national order, as the founder was born a century ago in their own mountains. The statutes of the order are cleverly framed to impose upon the brethren {khouan) the most absolute obedience, to surround them with mysticism, and to make them the devoted instruments of their chief. Soon the affiliated began to be counted by thousands in both sections of Kabylia, especially in the Oued es-Sahel, where, previous to the insurrec- tion of 1871, dwelt the Sheikh el-Haddad, an old man, eighty-five years of age, almost paralysed, but possessing an unbounded influence over his followers. This society was the more dangerous to the French, as its members, blindly obedient, could be excited to rebellion in a moment, without allowing the slightest precursory sign to reveal the danger, a result which actually happened during the insurrection of 1871. That insurrection induced considerable modification in the ancient organi- sation of the Kabyle tribes, and freed the French from the engagements which they had contracted at the conquest of Kabylia to respect the laws and customs of the people. The base of that organisation was the village, or cluster of villages, which had a sovereign djemaa, under the presidency of an amm, elected by themselves ; the union of several such communes formed the tribe, at the head of which was an Amin-el-Oumena, elected by the a))ii7is. The new organisation destroys the power of the djemaa and substitutes an amin ajipointed by the French for one elected by the djemaa. It replaces the tribe by the Section, composed of several tribes, and places the whole under the civil authorities and the common law. The region of the High Plateaux extends longitudinally from E. to "NV., and is formed by vast plains separated by parallel ranges of mountains. These terraces increase in height as they recede from the Tell, and again decrease as they approach the Sahara, thus forming a double series of gradients, of whicli the highest is 3000 or 3300 ft. above the level of the sea, much higher indeed than the summit of the hills which bound it. The spurs or projections from the mountains cut up each of these stages into a series of basins like the Hodna, in which the dej^ressions are occupied by lakes, generally salt, known by the name of Chotts or Scbkas. This region is subject to alternations of intense cold and extreme heat ; rain-water is less copious than in the Tell ; instead of sea-breezes, it receives the hot blast of the desert, and it is entirely devoid of trees save on the south side of the high mountain Introd. §7. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS 17 ranges. During seasons of copious rain, however, anil in places capable of irrigation, it produces abundant crops of cereals, but otherwise it presents to the weary eye of the traveller an unbroken stretch of stunted scrub and salsolaceous plants, on which browse the sheep and the camel, the wealth of tlie wandering Arab. Tlie disposition of the soil, and the existence of veins of permeable rock of a concave form, gave rise to the sujtposition that there existed subterranean sheets of water in several parts of the High Plateaux. Acting on this theory, artesian wells were sunk ; and in many instances those brought to the surface copious supplies of water, which here is verdure and life. Regular as is the general character of the High Plateaux, they still ])rc- sent several anomalies. On the southern border, the lower^teiTacc, instead of forming a basin, presents here and there slopes, down which the water flows to the north, and thus becomes the source of several rivers in the Tell. Towards the centre the basin of Sersou, filled of old by a vast lake, the traces of which are plainly visible, is now drained by the river Ouassel, which has forced itself a passage near Bokhari, between the excavated plateau of Sersou and the foot of the last mountains of the Tell. On quitting the High Plateaux this river becomes the Chelif, the most important in Algeria. Towards the south-east the basin which might have been expected to exist is replaced by the immense mountain of Aurcs, of which the central peak attains an altitude of 7611 ft. This protuberance takes the place of a depres- sion ; and, instead of a salt lake, we find a mountain covered with cedars and alpine vegetation. On the north the Aurcs has only moderate slopes, which convey its waters into the Chotts of the neighbouring plateau. Towards the south it is prolonged almost in a straight line, and descends like a precipitous wall to the Sahara, which stretches at an immense distance below it. In the west of Algeria the centre of the country bristles with mountains, which adjoin the great snowy range of Deren. The southern slopes give rise to immense rivers, amongst them the Oued Gheir, which the French expedi- tion under General Wimptfen reached in the spring of 1870, and which, in their admiration, the soldiers compared to the Meuse. The Sahara. — Popular belief pictures the Sahara as an immense plain of moving sand, dotted here and there with fertile oases ; and the old simile of the panther's skin is still with many an article of faith. A few details are necessary to dispel this poetical but false idea. The desert in Algeria consists of two very distinct regions, which wc shall call the Lower and the Upper Sahara : this a vast enetrates into the Regency of Tunis ; on the south it rises in a slight and almost insensible slope towards the country of the Touarcgs ; and on the west [/4 lijeHa.'\ C 18 § 7. GENERAL DESCRirTION OP ALfJERIA AND TUNIS Algeria it stretches in a point along the Ouc.d Mia as far as Golea, after which it turns towards the north along tlic jilateau of the ]5eni M'zab. The Oufid Ghoir, the Souf, N'goui;a, and the greater part of the Ziban, liave a less elevation than 360 feet ; liiskra and Ouargla are hardly higher, while the Chott Melghigh and part of the Oued Gheir are below the level of the sea. The Chott Melghigh, which occupies the bottom of the depression, is sunk in the gypseous soil, and forms a sheet of water Salter than the sea. It is of no great depth, and in summer, owing to evaporation, it is partly covered with a thick and brilliant coating of crystals ; so that the eye can scarcely distin- guish where the salt terminates and the water begins. The bottom is an aby.ss of black and viscous mud, emitting an odour of garlic, due possibly to the presence of bromides. Nevertheless it is not without veins of more solid ground, forming natural causeways, on which the people of the country do not hesitate to trust themselves. The rivers of the Auresic system, essentially torrential in the mountains when confined within steep and narrow gorges, serve to irrigate the oases, where their waters are retained and absorbed by means of dams. That which percolates through these and forms streams lower down their courses is again absorbed by the SaJdas or canals of irrigation. It is only after the copious rains of winter, and the melting of the snow in the mountains, that their beds are filled, and their waters reach the Chott. The smaller springs and streams which have their origin at the foot of the mountains are always absorbed by the oases or by the cereals which the inhabitants of the Ziban cultivate wherever a thread of the precious liquid is found. On the west the Oued Djedi joins the Chott ; it rises on the southern slopes of Jebel Amour, fertilises the oases of El-Aghouat, and, skirting the plateaux of the higher Sahara, traverses the lower Sahara from west to east. It is only in the upper part of its course that this Oued is a permanent stream ; lower down its water is to a great extent dried up by the solar ra3's or absorbed by barrages ; the rest disappears in the permeable strata, or filters through the sand and flows along the clayey bottom which underlies it. Like the rivers of the Aures, but even more rarely than these, its course is only filled by the melting of the snows, or during the heavy rains on the High Plateaux. The foregoing remarks apply equally to the other rivers which, rising in the eastern part of the higher Sahara, flow towards the region of N'gou^a. In the south the Oued Mia presents always the appearance of a dry water- course, below the sand of which water flows along an impermeable bed. The same may be said of the Oued Gghaghar, whose source, never yet visited by Europeans, is in the Touareg country. From time immemorial artesian wells have existed here, and have every- where spread with their waters life and wealth. The water, which in the lowest part of the depression is found at a depth of 20 metres, is, at the edges of the basin, 50, (30, or 100 metres from the surface of the soil. Its existence, however, is not only indicated by artesian wells ; through- Introd. § 7. general description op Algeria and tunis 19 ont the whole extent of the Oiied Gheir, and even to the south of it, depres- sions are found full of water, which appear to be, as it were, the spiracles of the subterranean lake ; they are styled by the natives bahr (sea) ; the French call them cfouffrcs. In the Souf the water circulates close to the surface of the soil, enclosed in a sandy substratum, which is concealed by a bed, more or less thick, of sulphate of lime, crystallised on tlie upper surface and amorphous in the lower part. One has only to iieuetratc tliis layer of gypsum to create a well. When it is intended to plant a date-grove, the industrious Sonafn remove the entire crust of gypsum, and plant their palms in the aquiferous sand beneath. Their green summits rise above the plain around, thus forming orchards excavated like ants' nests, sometimes 8 metres below the level of the ground. This complicated distribution of water in the lower Sahara gives rise to the different kinds of oases. Running streams, dammed by barrages and distributed in canals, make the river oases (Ziban). Wat(^r absorbed by ]>ermeable strata constitutes (1) the oases with ordinary wells (Oulad Djellal, etc.) ; (2) oases with artesian wells (Tuggourt, N'gouea, Ouargla, etc.) ; (3) the excavated oases (Souf). Sometimes two systems are found united in the same place. The higher Sahara extends from the western limits of the lower one to within the frontiers of Morocco ; to the south it reaches beyond Goleah, and on the north it is bounded by the last chains of the High Plateaux. It is principally composed of rocky stepi)es, only the depressions between which are filled with sand. Towards the east descends almost perpendicularly from north to south a large promontory which rises below El-Aghouat to nearly 2900 ft., and sinks gradually towards Goleah, separated from the jdateau of Tademait by a sort of isthmus 1200 ft. high. It is in this plateau that the Oued Mia and its afiluents arise, which, in French territory at least, contain only slight infil- trations of water under a sandy bed. In the centre the rocky plateaux fall rather abruptlj'-, as far as the zone of the Are(j, or country of sand-hills, occupying a depression, the bottom of which is about 1200 ft. above the sea. Finally, towards the extreme west, where the chains of the High Plateaux descend lower, the Saharan plateaux also descend farther soutli, leaving between them numerous valleys. In each of these three divisions the water -.system is different. Tlie eastern promontory, the crests of which are directed towards the west, sends out no spurs towards the zone of the Airg ; but it is furrowed towards the cast by immense ravines, of which the principal bear the naiues of Oued Ensa and Oued M'zab. Rain seldom falls in the lower part ; and the .southern cirvrisftrs are almost always deep ravines, without water or vegetjition. P'ven in tlu! u|)per jiart it is only during severe storms, ami when more than usually abundant snow has melted on the High Plateaux, that the waters 20 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS Alfjeria pouring on the Sahara unite in the deep defiles, forming a mighty wave, vvliich during twenty-four or forty -eight hours precipitates itself into the estuaries of the lower Sahara. When this torrent has passed, nothing remains in its dry bed save a few pools where the gazelle drinks, and a slight subter- ranean percolation which serves to supply the few wells at which the caravans draw water. These periodical inundations are quite inadequate to .supply the Beni M'zab, who have established gardens in the very beds of the great ravines which dominate their seven cities. In vain they treasure up a store in their reservoirs ; they are obliged to have recourse to deep wells cut in the rock, which collect the infiltration of water in the calcareous strata. Above the promontory it is only El-Aghouat and Ain Madhi, situated in a depression at the foot of the mountains, that can utilise almost at all seasons of the year, by means of barrages or dams, the upper waters of the Oued Djedi, which flow from east to west. In the middle, Brezina and several oases placed at the very foot of the mountain-range can also irrigate their date-groves with running water ; but farther south the water flowing along the rocky plateaux encounters the moving sands of the Areg, which arrest its course and cause pools or marshes {Dhmja), neither usually very large nor very deep. These little Chotts present the same phenomena as the greater depressions in the lower Sahara ; their ancient banks, now quite dry, attesting a very marked decrease in the volume of their waters. Towards the east, on the other hand, where the mountains in the plateaux rise to a greater height than 2900 ft., and present a vast surface, the ravines are the beds of veritable rivers, which render abundant irrigation possible, and, uniting in two principal streams, form the Oued Messaoud, which descends southwards to an unknown distance. Such is the upper Algerian Sahara, of which the greatest depression does not descend to within 1300 ft. of the sea, while in the lower one there is not a single point attaining that altitude. In the one the plateau is the prevail- ing feature, in the other the depression ; here rocks abound, there they are entirely absent. As to moving sand, which the Arabs compare to a net, it occupies a sufficiently extensive zone in both regions ; but still it does not cover one-third part of the Algerian Sahara. § 8. HisTOEiCAL Notice of Algeria and Tunis. The ancient territorial distribution of the native races in North Africa cannot be traced to a period much anterior to the Romans, as they were for the most part nomades ; ancient geographers indeed divide them into certain great masses, such as Lybians, Kumidians, Mauri, etc., but the limits of these were very indeterminate, though roughly approximating to the more modern divisions of the country. The Phcenicians established on the sea -coast numerous cities, some of which were commercial entrepots, others principalities founded by exiled IntiOil. § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS 21 members of their community, all, however, fiiKliiig in commerce au iucx- liaustible source of riches and prosperity. The word Africa was at first apiilied by tlie Romans to that portion of it with which they were best acquainted, the Jfriai. Propria, or Afriai Provinciu, corresponding roughly to the Carthaginian territory erected into a Roman province after the third Punic war, B.C. 146. It was subsequently extended to the whole continent. The territorial subdivision of North Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic varied considerably at different epochs. The most eastern portion, the Cyreuaica, had its limits so clearly defined by nature that it varied little except in its form of government. It remained a kingdom till n.c. 74, when it became a Roman province. Then came tlic proconsular province of Africa, which included the Syrtica Regio, or that part of the coast from the Syrtis Major {Gulf of Sidra) and Syrtis Minor {Gulf of Gabcs) or Tripolitana and Byzacena, the former representing the modern Tripoli, and the latter, with Zeugitana and the territory of Carthage, corresponding to the modern Regency of Tunis. Then followed Numidia, corresponding to part of the French province of Constautine contained between the Tusca or Oucd cz-zan and the Ampsaga or Oucd cl-Kcbir. From Numidia to the Atlantic the country was known generally as Mauri- tania. About B.C. 46 it was divided into Mauritania Orientalis and Mauritania Occidentalis, separated by the river Molochath (the modern Moidouia near the frontier of Morocco). Subsequently, about A.D. 297, into Mauritania Setifensis, from Numidia to Icosium [Ahjicrs) ; Mauritania Ca>sariensis, thence to the Molochath, and JIauritania Tingitana ; corresponding roughly to the French provinces of Algiers ami Oran, and the Empire of Morocco. The interior region was divided into — 1. Lybia Deserta, comprising Phazania, tlie country south of the Cyrenaica and Syrtica Regio. 2. Getulia to the south of Numidia and ]\Iauritania. 3. yEthopia and the Troglodyte south of all these. The word Mauritania was derived from its inhabitants, the Maurusii or Mauri, a branch of the great Berber nation, which extended from the Atlantic Ocean to beyond the banks of the Nile. Many conjectures have been made as to their origin. Sallust records that a great horde of Asiatics, led by Hercules, crossed over from Spain, and, on landing, inverted their boats and used them for houses, thus supplying the original model of the Numidian dwelling. Procopius asserts that in his time two pillars existed at Tangiers containing the record, "We fly from the robber Joshua, the son of Nun." The modem word Zenata, applied to the jieople of Berber origin who occupy the region between the desert and the High Plateaux, is merely the Arabic form of the radical from which Canaanite is derived. Tlie Arabian geographers arc unanimous in ascribing an Eastern origin to this people ; but one thing is certain, that at a very early period tlie Phccniciaus fonned a number of colonies along the coast, the most important of whicli was Carthage, which created itself an imperishable name, and long disputed with Rome tho government of the world. 22 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS Algeria Its oii<,'iii is very oljscurc, Init all tlic world knows' the beautil'ul fable of Yirj^il, how Dido or Elissa, diiii<,dit('r of IJclus, kinj; of Tyre, escaped from tlie power of her brother Pygimilioii with the treasures for which lie liad murdered her husband ; and, with a band of noble Tyrians who sliared her flij,dit, liow she touched at Cy^irus and carried off eighty maidens to be the wives of her followers, and then landed at a spot on the coast of Africa, near wliich Tunis and Utica [the ancient) were already built, marked out by nature as the site of a mighty city ; how she entered into treaty with the natives, and purchased from them as much land as could be covered by a bull's hide, but craftily cut the hide into the thinnest of strips, and so enclosed a space of 22 stadia, on which she built her city, which retained its name of Byrsa {Bull's hide) ; how the city grew by the influx of people from the neighbouring country and by the adhesion of older Phrenician colonies, especially Utica ; how its prosperity excited the envy of Hiarbus, king of the Lybians, who offered Dido the choice of war or marriage, and how to avoid both alternatives she stabbed herself ou a funeral pyre which she had erected, to the honour of her husband's memory. The introduction of ^neas into the story is a poetic license on the part of Virgil, unwarranted by any authority in the original legend from which he derived his information. The real derivation of the word Byrsa is from the Phceuician word Bozra, a fortress ; and Carthage was merely one, though the jiriucipal one, of many colonies founded by the Phoenicians, which itself subsequently sent out other colonies westwards, and spread in every direction the influence of its own high civilisation and commercial enterprise. It is hopeless in such a work as this to attempt a detailed history of Carthage and the Carthaginians, to follow Hanno (b.c. 446) in his voyage to the Gulf of Guinea, Hamilcar (b.c. 481) in his disastrous expedition to Sicily, or the invasion of Africa by Agathocles (b.c. 310-306). The First Punic War was a contest between Carthage and Rome for the possession of Sicily, and though virtually decided by the fall of Agrigentum (B.C. 262), the great resources of Carthage prolonged it twenty-three years later. It cost Carthage not only Sicily itself, but the dominion of the sea, and placed Rome more on an equality with her as a naval power. The Second Punic "War lasted from b.c. 218 to 201, and resulted in the utter prostration of Carthage, the loss of her fleets and of her possessions out of Africa. A new and important State sprang up on the western confines of Carthage under Roman auspices, governed by llasinissa, ever ready to pick a quarrel with her, and give Rome a pretext for her destruction. Masinissa was son of Gala, king of the Massyliaus, the easternmost of the two great tribes into which the Numidia of that day was divided. At the instigation of Carthage, liis father had declared war on Syphax, king of the neighbouring tribe of Masa>ssylians, who had lately entered into an alliance with Rome. Masinissa was appointed by his father to command the invading 1 As the travrfUer does not generally carry with him a library of reference, the writer has not hesitated in this conn)ilation to borrow largely from Gibbon, Smith, and other standard authorities. Introd. § 8. historical noticI': of algkuia and tunis 23 force, witli wliicli lie totally defeated Sypliax. In n.c. 212 Masiiiissa was in Spain supiioitinf; the Caitliaf,'inians with a body of Niunidian horse, and he shared in the defeat of Hasdrubal liy Scipio at Silpia in n.c. 209. After that battle he went over to the Romans, actnated, it is said, by resentment against Hasdrubal, who having hrst betrothed to him liis beautiful daughter Sophonisba, subsequently bestowed her hand upon Syphax, who henceforth became a staunch ally of the Carthaginians. After the death of Gala, and during the absence of Masinissa, the Massylian kingdom had become a prey to civil dissensions, in which, however, Syphax at first took little part ; he was even disposed to acijuiesce in the elevation of his old rival Masinissa to the tlu'one, had not Hasdrubal warned him of the danger of such a course. But he yielded to the suggestion of the Carthaginian general, and asseml)led a large army, with which he invaded the territories of Masinissa, defeated him in a pitched battle, m.'\de himself master of the whole country, and established himself at the cajiital of Numidia, Cirta, the modern Constantine. Masinissa now commenced a predatory warfare against his rival, in which lie gained occasional advantages, and was still able to maintain himself in t lie field until the landing of Scipio in Africa, li.c. 204. Syjihax supported Hasdrubal with an army of 50,000 foot and 10,000 hoi-se, with which he assisted at the siege of Utica. The whole of the Nuniidian and Carthaginian armies, however, were overthrown and destroyed by the Koman general, and Syphax himself and a few followers barely succeeded in escaping to Numidia, where, shortly afterwards, he full into the hands of the Komans, and subse- i[uently graced the triumph of his conqueror previous to ending his days in prison. ilasinissa, who had allied himself to Scipio, and had been instrumental in defeating his rival, obtained possession both of Cirta and Sophonisba. Scipio, however, demanded her as a prisoner of the Roman senate, whereujion Masinissa sent her a cup of poison, which she at once drank, merely remark- ing that she would have died with more honour had she not wedded at her funeral. To console Masinissa for his loss, and to recompense him for his services, Scipio conferred on him the title and insignia of royalty, and the possession of his hereditary dominions, which honours were immediately ratified by the senate. About B.C. 203 Hannibal returned to Africa after his extraordinary cam- ]iaign of fifteen years in Italy. He landed at Leptis, whence lie proceeded to lladrumetum (Sicsa). Masinissa hastened to the support of his benefactor Scifiio, and a decisive action was fought at a jilace called Naragara, not far from the city of Zama. Hannibal dis[)layed all the qualities of a consummate general, but his elephants, of which he had great numbers, were rendered use- less by the skilful management of Scipio, and the battle ended in his com- pk'le di'feat ; lie himself with iliMiciiUy cscajied tin; pursuit of Masinissa, and retired to Hadrumetum. All hoiie of resistance was now at an end, and he was one of the first to urge the necessity for peace. A treaty was concluded by which ho saw the 24 § 8. iriSTOUICAL NOTICE OF ALGKIUA AND TUNIS Ahj'iricl whole imrposc of his life frustrated, and Carthage effectually liuiiilil<-il before licr irresistible "rival. Even his wise administration could not save her ; lie was deiiouuced by the opposite faction, proscribed by Rome, and forced to fly to the court of Antiochus the Great, in Armenia, in B.C. 195, whereupon his party became extinct, and the influence of Rome supreme, even within the State. Third Punic War. — Half a century passed without any further rupture between the two republics, but the elder Cato never ceased to denounce Car- thage, and to represent her destruction as necessaiy to the permanence of the Roman power. His inveterate hatred proved triumphant, and war was declared. The Carthaginians were divided by factions and intestine strife, and in no condition to withstand the invaders. Still, for a time, Carthage held out. But when (B.C. 146) Emelianus Scipio, the second Africanus, came to direct the siege, operations were conducted with renewed vigour. Little by little the vast city fell into his hands, till at last only the great temple of Esculapius remained to be taken. It was defended by Asdrubal, with whom were about 900 followers. Asdrubal in the basest manner purchased personal safety by deserting his post and surrendering himself to Scipio. But his wife and children, and the greater number of the defenders, scornfully refused to follow his example, and preferred setting fire to the building and perishing in the flames. Scipio destroyed the ports and the fortifications of Carthage ; some of the public buildings were burned by the inhabitants themselves ; but it is probable that the destruction of the city was more apparent than real, and that, despite of the heavy curses pronounced on any who might attempt to rebuild it, it began to rise, to a certain extent, from its ruins, even before the time of the Gracchi (b.c. 116). The whole coast of Africa, however, from Egypt to the Atlantic, became subject to the Romans. Carthage was stripped of her glory, and many of her inhabitants were driven elsewhere. The country generally fell back under the rule of its native governors, and Masinissa made Cirta his royal residence. He died in B.C. 148, leaving his throne to his son Micipsa. In B.C. 116 a Roman Colony was established at Carthage by Caius Gracchus. It continued in a languishing condition till the time of Julius Cajsar and Augustus, when the city was rebuilt under the name of Colonia Carthago, and it continued the first city in Africa till a comparatively modern period. As the senate abstained from all endeavours to extend its conquests in Africa, the country enjoyed uninterrupted peace till the death of Micipsa in B.C. 118. He divided the kingdoni between his two sons, Adherbal and Hiempsal, and his nephew Jugurtha. The last had already distinguished himself in Spain, under Scipio Africanus Minor, and was an ally of Rome ; but on his having deposed and assassinated both his cousins contrary to the orders of the Senate, they declared war against him, B.C. 111. Albinus was first sent over to Africa, but he was probably bribed, and certainly defeated, by Jugurtha, at Suthul, and compelled to evacuate Numidia. Q. Cajcilius Metellus was sent to succeed him as proconsul, B.C. 109. He was a man of stainless integrity and high talents ; but though he compelled lidivil. § 8. HI.STUlUCAL NOTICE OF ALGERIxV AND TUNIS 25 Jugiutlia to deliver up a considerablu sar himself came to Africa for the purpose of finally subduing the rompeian faction. His talents and good fortune produced their wonted ellect. He landed at Hadrumetum {Sum) with a force of only 3000 foot and 150 horse. There he was joined by P. Sittius, a former accomplice of Catalinc, who was well acquainted with the country and the native tribes. Having failed to take this city, he marclied to Ruspina {Monmtir), and .shortly after (i?.c. 47) ensued the great and decisive battle of Thapsus {lias Dimas), in which the Tompcian i>arty was utterly defeated, with a loss of 10,000 men. Ciesar then took Utica, wliere Cato, who commanded it, committed suicide. Scipio also killed himself. Afranius was killed by Ca'sar'.s soldiers. Labienus, Varus, and the two sons of I'ompey escaped into Si)ain. King Juba set out for Zama with his friend Petreius. There he had collected all his household and treasures, and hoped to perish with them ; but, being refused admittance, ho and Petreius agreed to fight together, so tliat one at least might fall with honour. Petreius was (piickly killed, ami Juba, having in vain essayed to make away with himself, got a slave to despatch him. Bocchus and Bogud, kings of Mauritania, who had alternatively fought under the banner of the two great rivals, also lost their lives, and their domin- ions, and tlius the whole of North Africa fell into the power, and became an integral portion, of the Roman empire. Numidia was i)laced (u.c. 46) under the government of Sallust, who plun- dered tlie country in a merciless manner to enrich both himself and his jiatron, but who did good work for posterity by collecting materials for his celebratcil history of the Jugurtliine wars. Cirta, the capital, was made a colony to recompense the partisans of I'ublins Sittius, who had rendered Ca'sar such important services, ami it was named Cirta Sittianorum or Cirta Julia, which names it retained until the beginning of the 4th century. But though Africa was thus reduced to the condition of a Roman jiroviiue. the emperor knew better than to confide the government of these turbulent countries entirely to Roman oflicers. 2G §8. HISTOIUCAI> NOTICE OP ALGERIA AND TUNIS Alfjeria The yoiiiij^ Julia had hceii carcrully eilncated at Jioiiic, wlicrc Ik; attained a liiyh literary reputation. He is freiiuc^iitly cited by Pliny, wlio desci'ibes iiini as more nicmoraljle for liis erudition than for the crown he wore. Plu- tarch also calls him the greatest histoiian amongst kings. In the year b.c. 26 Augustus, wishing to give to the j)eoi)le of the late monarch a sovereign of their own race, fixed ujwn this son of Juba. He mar- ried him to Selene, daughter of Anthony and Cleo])atra, and restored to him the western portion of his father's dominions, tnisting to his thorough Roman education to .secure his submission, and on the prestige of his race and name to win the affections of the Numidian races, and to hasten their fusion with tlie conquering nation. He removed his cajiital to the ancient Phcenician city of lol, to which he gave the name of Julia Ca;sarea. He died in a.d. 19, leaving a son, Ptolemy, the last independent prince of Mauritania, who was far from sharing the high qualities of his father. His reign was characterised by debauchery and misgovernment, and the Mauritanians were not slow to rise in revolt under the leadership of Tacfarinus. This war lasted for seven years, shortly after which Tiberius died, and was succeeded by Caligula, who summoned Ptolemy to Rome, and, after having received him with great honour, caused him to be killed, as he thought that the splendour of his attire excited unduly the attention of the spectators. It is more likely that he desired to appropriate the wealth that Ptolemy was known to have accumulated. This murder was followed by a serious revolu- tion in Mauritania, which lasted several years. The whole country, which heretofore had comprised sundry kingdoms, states, and principalities, henceforth became provinces of the Roman Empire governed by prtetors and proconsuls, who seemed to have farmed it very much for their own benefit, and to have submitted the inhabitants to the utmost amount of exaction which they were able to bear. Sometimes their complaints reached the senate, as in the case of the pro- consul Marius Priscus and his lieutenant Hostilius Firmiiius, in the reign of Trajan, who were prosecuted before the Emperor himself by Tacitus and Pliny the younger, and condemned to exile. The next 300 years were the most prosperous in the history of Xorth Africa, and it is to this epoch that most of the splendid remains still existing in Algeria and Tunis belong. The African provinces were most important to the empire, which drew from them its richest stores, and had little to pay for defence. The details, however, which have reached us of this epoch are of tlie most meagre description. Insurrections were of frequent occurrence, and the peace of the countr}'' was only the more troubled by the Introduction of Christianity, the lawless and hot-blooded natives ranging themselves on the side of the various sects, and constantly resorting to violence to maintain their views. Thus, though they contributed some shining names to the army of martyrs, they helped far more to swell the bauds of the persecutors. One of the insurrections amongst the native tribes was suppressed by Hadrian in person (122) when he came to visit this portion of his dominions. He made a second visit to Africa three years later (125), when he bestowed Introd. § 8. HI8T01UCAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS 27 many iiiiiiortaut bunelits on tlie ]>roviucf, such as tliu aiiuuiluct of Caitliaj;p, and the great road thence to Thevcste. The Moors continued to trouble the public peace in the rei<;n of Antoninus, who drove them into the Atlas, and compelled them to sue for peace (13s). 15ut they broke out once more under Marcus Aurelius, and actually pushed their incursions across the Mediterranean into Spain (170). On the accession of Septimius Sevcrus (173), himself an African, a native of Leptis, he sent troops over to prevent his rival Pesceniiius Niger from taking possession of the proconsular i)rovince. Macrinus, who attained the purple by the murder of Caracalla (217), was a native of Mauritania Qusariensis. Elagabalus, who succeeded him (221), was a son of Sextus Varius Marcellus, formerly governor of Numidia, and commandant of tlie Third Legion, Augusta, at Lambessa. It appears as if Africa had the privilege at this time of confer- ring the puiple, if not on its actual children, at least on those who made it the country of their adoption. The case of the Gordians offered a striking example of this. Gordian the elder, who in 229 had been the colleague of Alexander Severus in his third consulate, was sent in the following year (230) by the Senate as proconsul to Africa, and his son was subseiiuently appointed, by the same body, bis lieutenant. Several years passed in peace under his government, when the murder of Alexamler Severus (235) and the accession of the brutal Maximinus completely changed tlie aspect of the country. A more rigorous procurator sent by him was killed by tlie Africans, who compelled Gordianus to accept the pi:rple, which he did at Thysdrus in Feb- ruary 238, he being then more than 80 years of age. His son was also declared emperor conjointly with him, and as soon as they had appeased the first tumult of election, they removed their court to Carthage, and sent a deputa- tion to Rome to solicit the approbation of the senate. This body warmly espoused their cause, but before their confirmation was known in Africa the Gordians were no more. Ca{telianus, governor of Mauritania, with a small force of veterans, and a great host of barbarians, marched upon Carthage. The younger Gordian sallied out to meet him ; but his forces were ijuite undisciplined, and his valour only served to obtain for him an honourable death on the field of battle. His aged father, whose reign had not exceeded 36 days, put himself to death on the first news of the defeat (March 238), whereuj)on Carthage opened its gates to the conijueror. The death of Maximin took place in the same year. Maximus and Iklbinus wore very soon after slain by the soldiery, and the grandson of the aged Gordian was carried to the camp, and saluted as Emperor. He in his turn was assassinated by his army in Jlesopotaniia before he had attained the age of 19 years, in March 214. Gibbon observes : " While the Roman Empire was invaded by open violence or undermined by slow decay, a pure and humble religion gently insinuated itself into the minds of men ; grew up in silence and obscurity, derived new vigour from oi)position, and finally erected the triumi)haiit bauner of the Cross on the ruins of the Cajiitol." Nothing is certainly known of the African Church till the end of the lid 28 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGIORIA AND TUNIS Alfjuria ceutuiy. Tliu oA cculury, however, was its time of greatest trial and glory. Its lueuibers seemed endowed with the greatest fervour and devotion, and I lie most extravagant honour was attached to the outward acts of martyrdom and confessoi'sliip. The names of 580 sees between Cyrene and the Atlantic have been handed down to us by ecclesiastical historians, liut its greatest glory is to have liroduced three men, Tertullian in the 2d century, Cyi)rian in the 3d, and Augustine in the 4th. The most celebrated martyr of the African Church was Cyprian, Ijishoj) of Carthage, who was beheaded by order of the proconsul Galerius in 257. In the year 296, under the government of Diocletian, Maxiniian, Galeriu.s, and Constantius, the whole of Africa from the Nile to the Atlas was in arms. A confederacy of five Moorish nations issued from their deserts to invade the peaceful provinces. Maxiniian, in whose special charge Africa was, hastened to the scene of insurrection, and the progress of his arms was rapid and decisive. He vanquished the fiercest barbarians of Mauritania, and removed them from their mountains, the reputed strength of which had inspired them with a lawless confidence. In the early part of the reign of Constantine arose the schism of the Donatists, wdiich, though springing from small beginnings, grievously afflicted both Church and State for upwards of a century. Mensurius, Bishop of Carthage, dying in 311, the greater part of the clergy and people chose in his place the Archdeacon Cpecilianus, who, with- out waiting for the Numidian bishops, was at once consecrated by those of Africa alone. The Numidian bishojis, who had always been present at the consecration of a bishop of Carthage, were highly offended at being excluded from the ceremony, and summoned Cmcilianus to appear before them to answer for his conduct. On his refusal, they held a council, declared him unworthy of the episcopal dignity, and chose Majorinus, his deacon, as his successor in office. The most violent of these Numidian bishops was Donatus, of Casre NigiK, from whom some have supposed that the whole faction was named ; but there was another prelate of the same name, who succeeded Majorinus at Carthage, and received from his sect the name of Donatus the Great : hence it has been a question from which of these the name was derived. The controversy spread rapidly through all the provinces of North Africa, which entered so zealously into the ecclesiastical w-ar that in most cities there were two bishops, one at the head of Ca3cilianus's party, and the other acknowledged by the followers of Majorinus. The Donatists brought this controversy before the Emperor Constantine in 313. After three separate inquiries, the case was given against them, and the emperor deprived the Donatists of their churches, and sent their seditious bishops into banishment. They, however, resisted his decree, and retired in large numbers to the Atlas Mountains. In 348 they defeated an army sent for their forcible conversion, and remained for a century the scourge of the neighbouring provinces, being urged by frantic fanaticism to constant revolts and ravages. Introd. § 8. historical notice of aloeria and tunis 29 In 326, when the wliole empire was united under the sceptre of Constantino, that monarch constituted four pra-torial prefectures, and Africa was compriseil, with Italy and tlie intermediate islands, as one of these great territorial divisions. In the distribution which he made of his empire in 335, Africa was given to Constans, together with Italy and lUyria. Vakntinian succeeded to the empire in 364, and apportioned the East to his brother Valens, reserving the West to himself. Africa was at this time in a deplorable condition of anarchy, aggravated l)y the feebleness and rapacity of its governor, the Count Komanus. Leptis and Tripoli were sacked by tho Asturians, and Ruricius, the governor of the latter city, was executed on a false charge at Setifis. The insurrection of Firmus, chief of one of the most influential tribes of the Mauri, caused the emperor to despatch Count Theodosius for its repression in 369. Komanus was sent in disgrace to Rome, but it was not till after a long and harassing series of campaigns that Firmus, driven to extremity, committed suicide, and Theodosius returned in triumph to Setifis. On the death of Valentinian, on the 17th Xovember 375, the sceptre of the West remained in tlie hands of his son Gratian, with whom his brother Valentinian II. was associated as colleague. Africa was apportioned to the latter, a child of four years of age. l^Iaximus obtained the throne by putting (Jratian to death in 383, and in 388 was recognised in Africa, which he exhausted by his exactions. Theodosius, who had succeeded Valens in the East, put him to death, and eventually reunited the whole empire under his sceptre, in which condition it remained till his death in 395, when it was divided between his two sons, of whom the younger one, Honorius, became the Emperor of the West, and of Africa, under the tutelage of the celebrated Vandal captain, Stilicho. At this time Gildon was militarj' governor of Africa, which had groaned under his yoke for twelve years ; not daring to declare himself actually independent, he attempted to ell'ect the same result by placing himself undir the protection of the Empire of the East (397) ; but Stilicho was not of a character to suller this disguised defection, and having in his employ an irreconcilable enemy of Gildon in his brother Mascezel, whose children the former had reccntl}^ put to death, he entrusted to him the command of a body of troops, which landed in Africa, attacked Gildon between Theveste (Tcicssa) and Ammaedara (Hydra), and utterly defeated him. Gildon, abandoned by his followers, embarked on board a vessel to seek a refuge in the East, but being driven l)y contrary winds into the harbour of Tabarca, he was taken jirisoner, and put an end to his life by hanging himself in 398. Africa returned to its allegiance to Honorius, and the post which Gildon had occupied of Magiskr ulriitxqttc militia; per Africam was suppressed, and a new system of separate civil and military government was organised. Hut the period was passed when administrative reforms could have any effect, and the country, weakened by so many disturbances between op]iosing sects and races, became an easy prey to the enemies now pressing the Koman Empire on every side. The o))]iortunity for invasion was given during the minority of Valentinian III. through the jealousy of the two great pillars 30 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALOERIA AND TUNIS Ahjeria of tho state, j^tius and lioniface. Tlie former, enrafjed at liis rival Lcing appoiiitiHl j^overnor of Africa, l>rought false charges of disloyalty against him, wliich at last drove Boniface into the veiy acts of treason of which he had at first been unjustly accused. He called to his assistance Genseric, king of the Vandals in Spain, who landed in Africa a.d. 429, and was speedily joined l)y troops of native Moors and the wild bands of the Donatists. With these formidable allies he marched through the country, devastating it on every side. In spite of the late repentance of Boniface, he seized the six Roman provinces one after another, and in 439 Carthage, which had been again restored to the position of the second city of the West, fell into his hands. Genseric now commenced to consolidate his power in Africa. In order to prevent the Romans from attaining any footing in the country he destroyed nearly all the fortresses which they had built. Born a Catholic, he embraced the Arian heresy, and persecuted his former brethren with all the malignant zeal of an apostate, and he gave, by his maritime expeditions, a new turn to the wild spirit of his people, who were the earliest predecessors of those pirates and corsairs that were the scourge of the Alediterranean before the French conquest. Procopius, the historian of Justinian's wars against the Vandals, relates of Genseric that his orders to his steersmen were : " Turn your sail to the wind, and it will lead us against the objects of God's anger." He ravaged the coasts of Sicily and Italy, and in A.D. 455 enjoyed a fourteen days' sack of Rome, bringing back immense treasures and 60,000 prisoners. Amongst these treasures were the golden candlesticks and the holy table of the temple, brought to Rome by Titus ; these were afterwards rescued by Belisarius, taken to Constantinople, and sent by Justinian to the Christian Church at Jerusalem, after which there is no record of their fate. In 476, after a vain attempt to re-conquer the African provinces, the Eastern Empire was obliged also to humble itself before the Vandals, by securing to them in a treaty Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands and Sicily. Genseric died A.D. 477 ; and under his successors the rough Northmen fell into the luxurious habits of the Romans they had conquered, and the Byzantine Empire took advantage of the first pretext for a fresh invasion. This was offered in the reign of Justinian, when Gilimer, having deposed his relative Hilderik, assumed the crown of Africa. A large fleet and army were sent from Constantinople under command of Belisarius, who landed at Carthage in a.d. 533. He completely routed the Vandal forces on the first encounter, and compelled their sovereign to flee for refuge to Numidia. For a time Gilimer retrenched himself in Mons Papua (Edough), near Bone, but he was soon compelled to surrender, and was carried by his conqueror to Con- stantinople, near which he remained in honourable retirement for the re- mainder of his life. Belisarius was succeeded in Africa by the most illustrious of his generals, the eunuch Solomon, who restored all the most important strongholds, and after a short and brilliant career was killed before the walls of Tebessa in a fruitless endeavour to repress an insurrection of the warlike Berber hordes of that neighbourhood. The A'andal power was destroyed, but Introd. § 8. historical notice of Algeria and tunik 31 that of the Byzantines was never thoroughly established ; it rested not on its own strength but on the weakness of its enemies. The soldiers of the lower empire heUl, it is true, the towns on the coast and many important fortresses, but the fertile plains were in the hands of t\u- native races, and in many places became desert in conseijuence of the tremendous decrease in the jiojiulation caused by successive wars. In the next century the country suffered invasion from a new iiuarter. In the twenty-seventh year of the Hedjira (a.d. 647) the Klialif Othman determined to effect the conquest of Africa, and on the arrival of the Arab army in Eg}'pt a detachment was sent on to Tripoli. The Patrician Gregorius was at this time governor of Africa. He had been originally appointed by Heraclius, Emperor of the East, whose father had held the same oflice, and who himself had started from Africa on the expedition which resulted in the overthrow of the Emperor I'hocas and his own elevation to the purple. Gregorius subsequently revolted from the Byzantine Empire, and by the aid of the native Africans made himself independent sovereign of the province. Ibn Khaldoun says that his authority extended from Tripoli to Tangiers, and that he made Suftctula {Sbeitla) his capital. The command of the expedition was given to the brother of the Khalifa, Abdulla Ibn Siiad, under whose ordere were placed the elite of the Arab troops, to whom were added 20,000 Egyptians. The number of the whole force did not certainly exceed 40,000 men. On entering the country occujiied by the Romans, the Arab general sent on a detachment to Tripoli commanded by Ez-ZohrL On their arrival before the city they found it too strong to be carried by assault, and they continued their march to Gabes. A message was sent to Gregorius offering him the usual conditions — to embrace Islamism or to accept the payment of tribute, both of which he indignantly refused. The invaders continued their march till they met the Byzantine army on the plain of Acouba, situated about a day and a night's march from Sbeitla. The army of Gregorius is said to have numbered 120,000 men, but this immense multitude was probably composed of naked and disorderly Moors or Africans, amongst whom the regular bands of the empire must have been nearly lost. For several days the two armies were engaged from dawn of day till the hour of noon, when fatigue and the excessive heat obliged them to seek shelter in their respective camps. The daughter of Gregorius, a maiden of incomparable beauty, fought by her father's side ; and her hand, with 100,000 dinars, was offered to whom- soever should slay Abdulla Ibn S;iad. The latter retaliated by offering the daughter of Gregorius and 100,000 dinars to any one who would slay the Ciiristian prince, her father. The combatants had been in the habit of iliscon- tinuing the battle every day at noon, but on one occasion the Mohammedan leader, having kept a considerable portion of his troops concealed and in reserve, recommenced the action with these at mid -day, and utterly defeated the Christian force. Gregorius alid a vast number of his followers were killed, 32 § 8. TTISTORICAL NOTICK OF ALfiERIA AND TUNIS Alfjcria tlie ciimp was pillagoil, and the btvautiful dau^'htfr of tlie prince was ca))tured and allotted to Ibn oz-Zobeir, who had slain her father. Shortly afterwards Ibn Silad and his followers returned to the East laden with spoil ; their invasion had been a jjurely military one, and they were unencumbered either with women or cattle. In 665 Moaouia ben el-Hodaidj brought another army from the East, and on this occasion the IVIohammedans retained what they again conquered, and the province of IfriJcia was formed and placed under the command of Okba bin Nafa. The Moors and the Berbers adopted without trouble the name and religion of the Arabs ; and fifty years afterwards a JIussulman governor reported that there was no longer cause to raise the tax imposed on Christian subjects. Thus was swept away the African Church, which had been adorned by the names of Augustine, TertuUian, and Cyprian. In the reign of the caliph Walid, A.D. 711, on the invitation of Count . Julian, governor of Ceuta, and the small part of the country held by the Visigoths of Spain, the Arabs advanced farther west, and the valiant General Tarick, landing at Gibraltar {Djcbcl Tarick), carried the Crescent into Europe. Multitudes of the Moors followed the Arabs into Spain, and the Europeans gave the African name to their Asiatic conquerors. During the next century the provinces of Africa were under the rule of Emirs appointed by the caliphs. They made their capital at Kairouan in Tunis, and were constantly employed in struggles with the Arab gover- nors and Berber chieftains who ruled under them. In 800 hereditary power was conferred by Haroun er-Rashid on Ibrahim, son of Aghlab, and eleven of his descendants reigned after him, till in 910 a powerful rival rose among the Berbers who inhabited the province of Constantine. This was Abou Mohammed Obeid-Allah, who claimed to be a descendant of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet, and, surrounded by mystery and marvellous legends, he soon overthrew the Aghlabites ; and his successors, pushing their con- quests farther east, established the dynasty of the Fatimite caliphs at Cairo. In 944 Ziri, governor of Aschir, one of the provinces of Central Mogreb, built the town of Algiers ; and the Fatimite caliph assisted him to establish an hereditary throne for his race, which ruled until Rodger, king of Sicily, took Tripoli from Hassan Ben Ali, and the dynasty of the Zirites came to an end. The Hammadites, a branch of the same family, held the province of Constan- tine ; and the Moravides, or Marahatin, a tribe of military saints from the south, seized Oran and invaded Spain, 1055. About this time occurred the great Arab Immigration. It was no brilliant and ephemeral conquest, like that of Sidi Okba : the land was overrun by a foreign people, who speedily absorbed the Berber nation or drove the remains of it into the mountains. The tribes of Hillal and Soleim had inhabited the deserts of the Hedjaz, where they existed as much hy brigandage as by the produce of their flocks. When the Fatimites undertook the conquest of Syria, they encountered the most determined resistance from these tribes. Subsequently El-Aziz had them banished to Upper Egypt, whence they soon found their way into, and overspread the whole country between Egypt and the Atlantic. Ibn Khaldoun, speaking of these nomades, likens them to a hitrod. § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF AI/;f,RIA and TUNIS 33 r'loud of locusts, destroying cvciything over which they passed. Their law- less character soon caused them to be expelled from all the great centres of habitation, whereupon they took to the country, where their descendants exist in the same nomade condition at the present day. The Moravides of the west were displaced by the Almoahades {El- Moahidin, those who attest the unity of God), another sect of warriors who arose in the mountains of Morocco, conquered the Hammadites in 1153, and drove the Sicilians from Tripoli in 1160. The Almoahades remained in power till 1270, their capital being Tlem9en ; they were then overthrown by tlic Beni-Zian, a desert tribe, who in a short time obtained possession of the whole of Central Moghreb, with the excejition of the larger coast towns, which succeeded in maintaining themselves as independent powers. One of the most important of these was Algiers, built on the site of the ancient town of Icosium. This name does not often occur in history. Pliny, liowever, mentions that the Emperor Vespasian created it a Latin city, — a title somewhat higher than Italian and less than Roman. During the Christian epoch mention is made of a Donatist Bishop of Icosium, Crescens, in 411, and of another, Laurentius, in 419, the latter of whom was one of the three legates from Mauritania Ciesariensis sent to the Council of Carthage. Nevertheless, it was a city of no great importance, probably a mere station between the more considerable cities of lol and Kusgunia. In the tenth century of the Christian era Bologguin, son of Ziri, was authorised by his father to found three towns, viz. Milianah, Lemdia (now l^Iedeah), and El-Djczair Beni-Mczghanna (meaning "The Islands of the Children of Mezghanna"), abbreviated \,q El-Djezair (Algiers), which last was founded in the year 944. In 1067 El-Bekri mentions it as then containing many splendid monu- ments of antiquity, some of which were brought to light in digging the foundations of the modern city ; but scarcely anything, with the exception of a few inscribed stones, has been preserved : one of these, however, bears the important word Icositanorum. Almost since the foundation of Algiers an uneasy feeling existed regard- ing the part she was destined to play in the world's history. The Spaniards were seriously occupied in attemitting to drive the Moors from their own country, but as soon as they became aware of the rising importance of this city (in 1302), they despatched four vessels to reconnoitre it; finding it simply a fortified enclo-sure, without any commerce, they contented themselves with taking possession of a small island in front of the harbour, subsequently called the J'n'toi or Bordj cl-fanal. During the next eighteen years commerce began to spring up, and the Spaniards thom.selvcs were well content to find a market at their doors whence they could draw their supplies. In 1342 the Jews were expelleil from Italy, in 13S0 from Holland, and from many other countries about the same period ; it is possible that they contributed to increase the population, and to extend the trade of the infant city. After thecximlsion of the Moors from Spain (1505), they sought an asylum 34 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS Alijerin Oil the coast of Afii(M, l)ut they could not long remain there in peace, and very soon adopted the profession of pirates, seeking thus to harass their hereditary enemies and ruin their commerce. To stop their depredations Ferdinand V. prepared a descent on the coast of Africa. On the ICAh of September 1505 Don Diego of Cordova took possession of Mersa el-Kehir, and four years later, on the 18th of I\Iay 1509, the Cardinal Ximenes, who had instigated Ferdinand to undertake the war, came in person to direct the siege, and take possession of the town of Oran. The king himself lacked funds for the enterprise ; but these were supplied by the Cardinal ; and the expedition, in consequence, gained the name of the " Crusade of Ximenes de Cisneros," and was regarded as a holy war, all who fought in it having in- dulgence from certain fast days for the remainder of their lives. After the capture of Oran, Cardinal Ximenes charged Don Pedro Navarro, who liad rendered important services during the expedition, to take possession of several ports on the littoral which had been in the habit of welcoming and protecting the Moorish pirates. On the 1st of January 1510 he set sail for Bougie, which he took without much difficulty. Dellys, Mostaganem, and Tlem^en, not being in a condition to offer any serious resistance, became tributary to Spain. Algiers also consented to pay an annual tribute, and to promise that corsairs would not be permitted to enter the harbour or dispose of their plunder in the town. To ensure these conditions he built a fort on the PeRon, part of which still exists, and serves as base to the lighthouse. About this time (1510) commenced the remarkable career of the brothers Barbarossa, as they are usually styled by Europeans, but not, as is supposed, from the red colour of their beard ; the word is merely a corruption of the Turkish name of the elder brother Baba-Aroudj, who with Kheir-ed-din, were sons of Yakoot Reis, captain of a galley belonging to the island of Mytelene ; according to others of a potter there. They associated them- selves with a number of other restless spirits, and soon found themselves at the head of a piratical fleet, consisting of twelve galleys and many other smaller vessels, with which they came to seek their fortune on the coast of Barbary. On entering Tunis with a cargo of plunder and slaves, they made magni- ficent presents to the reigning prince Mulai Mohammed, of the dj'nasty of Beni Hafes, and obtained permission to establish their headquarters in his dominions. As we have said, the town of Bougie was at this time occupied by the Spaniards, and one of their first exploits was to try to recover it for the ]\Iohammedans ; they attacked it, but Avithout success, in 1512, on which occasion Aroudj lost an arm. Two years later (1514) they took Djedjeli from the Genoese, capturing 600 slaves and an immense amount of booty. The renown which the brothers had acquired in fighting against the Christians induced the Emir Salem ben Teumi of Algiers (1516) to implore their assistance to dislodge the Sjianiards from their position on the Penon. Aroudj gladly accepted the invitation, and, leaving his brother with the I II (ml. § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OP ALGERIA AND TUNIS 35 licet, niaichcd on Algiers with a force of 5000 men. lie was hailed as a de- liverer, but he soon made himself master of the town, put Salem ben Teumi to death, and proclaimenle to secure safely to their mariners. 40 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICK OF ALGKHIA AND TUNIS Al'inia Amongst otlier captives, in the 3'ear 1555, was Cervantes, who iemaineeared before Algiers ; but he had not much reason to be satisfied at the success he there met with, and in return for the civility of his visit, his back was scarce turned but those corsairs picked up near forty good sail belonging to the subjects of his master, and infested the Spanish coasts with greater fury than ever. " The narrator of this expedition, who was on board one of the vessels, men- tions that while they were still in the harbour conducting their fruitless negotiations, two liritish vessels were brought in as prizes by the "Turkes I'yrates," and there is no mention made of any demand for their restitution. The admiral had sent the King's letters to the Dey in charge of Captain John Roper, who was detained until a consul should be appointed. The nomina- tion of this consular oflicer is more curious than flattering to our national dignity. The historian of the expedition says : "The 6th (December 1620) after long debating, finding the Turkes perfidious and fickle, as well as de- taining our messenger who delivered His Maiestie's letters, notwithstanding we had suflicient hostages for him, as in breaking all other promises, in the end it was agreed thus : upon leaving a consuU with them they would let our 7nessenger come aboord againe. \V hereupon the admirall sent a conunon man ^ well cloatlied, by the name of a consull, whom they received with good respect, and sending our messenger aboord, received their ounc pledges and delivered us some 40 poor captives, which they pretended was all they had in the towne. This was all we couKl draw from them." 1628. The Dutch Admiral Lambert arrived in 1624 with six vessels to ilemand the restitution of certain captured slaves and ships, which was at first refused by the Divan ; but after Landxrt had hanged at the yard arms of his vessels the pirates in his power, his demands were granted. In 1C2S Sanson 1 Mr. Uicliaril Fur.l. 42 § 8. HISTORICAL XOTICIO OF ALOEUIA. AND TUNIS AVjeria Napollon coiidiukd a jioacc witli tlic I'aclia IIusseiti-Klioilja on belialf of llie Fiencli, in wliicli slaves w(;re exclianged ; this peace cost them £270,000. In the same year tlie Koulouglis revolted, and were nearly all massacred. The audacity of the Algcrine pirates at this time was unparalleled, their prizes amounting to, it was said, about 20,000,000 francs. The Christian powers of Europe having constantly endeavoured to exterminate them without success, had now nearly all adopted the expedient of paying tribute to the Pacha to escape their depredations, which they carried as far as the North Sea. Even the shores of England were not respected. An incident which oc- curred a few years earlier deserves to be recorded, in the words of the principal actor in it, the Rev. Devereux Spratt ^ : — " October 23d, 1640. — The horrid rebellion of Ireland brake forth, and in it God's severe judgements upon the English Protestants, there being not less than 150,000 murdered as by public records appears. ... I returned to Ballybegg, where I remained in the discharge of my calling until the English ariL^y came to carry us off. . . . Then at Corke I petitioned the Lord Inchaquin, who gave me a pass for England ; and coming to Youghole in a boate I embarked in i>ne John Filmer's vessell, which set sayle with about six score passengers ; but before wee were out of sight of land wee were all taken by an Algire piratt, who putt the men in chaines and storkes. This thing was so greivious that I began to question Providence, and accused Him of injustice in His dealings with me, untill ye Lord made it appear otherwise by ensueing mercye. Upon my arrivall in Algires I found pious Christians, M'liich changed my former thoughts of God, which was that He dealt more hard with me than with other of His servants. God was pleased to guide for me, and those relations of mine taken with me, in a providential ordering of civil patrons for us, who gave me more liberty than ordinary, especially to me, who preached the Gospel to my poor countrymen, amongst whom it pleased God to make me an instrument of much good. I had not stayed there long, but I was like to be freed by one Captain Wilde, a pious Christian ; but on a sudden I was sould and delivered to a ]\Iusslemau dwelling with his family in ye towne, upon which change and sudden dissappoiutment I was very sad. My patron asked me the reason, and withall uttered these comfortable words, ' God is great,' which took such impression as strengthened my faith in God, considering thus with myself, shall this Turkish Mahumetin teach me, who ame a Christian, my duty of faith and dependence upon God ? "After this God stirred up ye heart of Captaine Wilde to be an active instrument for me at Leagourno in Italy, amongst the merchants there, to contribute liberally towards my randsome, especially a Mr. John Collier. After the captaine returned to Algires he paid my randsome, which amounted to 200 cobs. Upon this a petition was presented by the English captives for my staying amongst them ; yt he showed me, and asked what I would do in ye case. I tould him he was an instrument under God of my liberty, and I would be at his disposeing. He answered, Noe. I was a free man, and should be at my own disposeing. 'Then,' I replyed, 'I will stay,' consider- 1 Tlie MS. of this diary is in the possession of his descendant, Admiral Spratt, B.N. Iittrod. § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS 43 ing that 1 might be more scrvisahle to my country by my contimiiiig in en- during alllictions with tlie [leople of Goil than to enjoy liberty at liome." Shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War an Act of Parliament was passed by both Houses "whereby they did manifest unto the world their resolution of undertaking that Christian work of the Redemption of the Cap- tives from the cruel thraldome that they lay under." For some time, how- ever, all action in this respect was necessarily intern)itted. In the year 1(545 the rarlianieut sent out "a ship of strength called the Ilonuiir, laden with a Gargasoon of money and goods to a great value," in charge of their special agent, Edmond Casson, who was authorised to treat for the liberation of the English captives at Algiers. Unfortunately this vessel was destroyed by lire in the harbour of Gibraltar, but in the following year (1646) another similar vessel, called the (JIuirles, was despatched. The parliamentary report of the mission thus relates the result : — " In prosecution of which orders the said agent, ship, and goods procietled on the voyage, and God hath so blessed the work that they arrived in safety at Algeir, where after a long and diilicult treaty, the register of the captives was taken, wherein are enrolled the names of all that are upon that place, and tlie price for their ransome agreed on, as tiiey iirst cost in the market. That Gargasoon of money and goods hath by the agent been so well managed, that 244 persons, men, women, and children arc redeemed and sent home in the said shi}), the Charles. The agent is constrained to stay there until such time as the remainder are likewise redeemed, in preparation to the desi)atch whereof two shii)S arc now preparing to be sent thither with a greater Gargasoon than before." Casson died at Algiers in 1654. In 1637 some French vessels took possession of two Algcrine pirate ships, on board of one of which was the new I'acha, Ali, coming from Constant- inople. In return, Youssef seized JI. Tion, the French consul, and an agent named Mussey, both of whom narrowly escaped being burnt alive. At this time Algiers possessed 3U0 pirate vessels, and in the same reign the town was nearly destroyed by an eartlii|uake. In 1655 took place Blake's celebrated action at Tunis, one of the grandest feats in English naval history. There were long accounts to settle with that regency for its piratical conduct towards British vessels, and there was a strong susi)icion that many unhai)py cajitives languished there in slavery. He first made his appearance at the Goletta, but, failing to obtain any satisfaction for his just demands, ho broke olf negotiations, proceeded to Cagliari for pro- visions, and on the 3d of April again appeared off Torto Farina, the winter iiarbour and principal arsenal of the Bay of Tunis, where his fleet was anchored inshore under the guns of the batteries ; these were strengthened lor the occasion, and further protected by a camp of several thousand horse and foot. At daybreak on the llh of April, Pdakc, with his whulc si[\iadriin, consist- ing of the >il. Oconje, his own flag-ship, the St. Andrnr, carrying the flag of \'ice-Admiral Badly, the riijmouUi, NcwMsllc, I'aunluii, Fvn~siij/U, Amilij, Meniuiid, and^Mcrlin, rodo into the bay, and, divine service having been per- formed, coolly proceeded to anchor as close to the great batteries on shore as 44 § 8. TITSTORICAI, NOTICh) OF AI.OKHFA AND TUNIS Ah/eriu tlii^y could II(jat. In a slioit liiiic tlic whole artilleiy of rorto Farina, not less than 120 guns of large calibre, opened fire upon the fleet, which fiercely M'lilied against its solid masonry. The conflict was still undecided \ylien lilake sent his boats under cover of the smoke to burn the corsair vessels. The whole of the nine large ships of war were speedily in flames. In four hours from the first broadside the work was done, the pirate vessels were utterly destroyed, the batteries on shore were silenced, and the walls of Porto Farina were so much injured that the works could easily have been carried by assault, had Blake deemed it advisable to do so. But his aims were accom- plished, and the lesson then read to the Tunisians made his subsef[uent nego- tiations with other Barbary States a matter of little difficulty. "When the English squadron anchored off Algiers to demand restitution of property and the liberation of English slaves it met with little opposition, and a bargain was made for the ransom of all the captives at a fixed price. 1661. Disj)utes between the Governments of Algiers and Great Britain became very frequent about this time, as the fear of our power had been so much lessened by Blake's death that the corsairs had again begim to commit depredation on our shipping. Mr. Pepys tells us how he went to the Fleece tavern to drink, and remained till four o'clock, telling stories of Algiers and the manner of life of slaves there, and how Captain Mootham and Mr. Danes (father of the Archbishop of York), who had been both slaves there, did make him fully acquainted with their condition, how they did eat nothing but bread and water, and how they were beat upon the soles of their feet and their bellies at the liberty of their patron. In that year the Earl of Sandwich was sent by Charles II. to bring over the Queen from Portugal, and at the same time to settle the matters in dis- pute at Algiers. In the latter mission he was quite unsuccessful. Pepys observes, " The business of Algiers hath of late troubled me, because My Lord hath not done what he went for, though he did as much as any man in the world could have done." And later, that early in 1662 letters came from " My Lord " that "by a great storm and tempest the whole of Algiers is broken down and many of their ships sunk into the Mole, so that God Almighty hath ended that unlucky business for us, which is very good news." This no doubt disposed the Pacha to conclude a peace with England, which was done by Admiral Sir John Lawson on the 23d April 1662. In 1663 Lawson again proclaimed war on Algiers, in consequence of some English vessels having been captured, and the refusal of the Dey to make restitution for the goods which had been taken out of them, together with tlie imjirisonment of the consul. Peace was concluded by Admiral Sir Thomas Allen, on 30th August 1664, on the basis of the last one. A treaty of peace between France and Algiers was signed in 1666, by which all Algerine l)rivuteers were furnished with a free pass by the French consul ; but it was broken in 1667 by Ismail sending some ships against the French to the siege of Candia. He was finally beaten by the Marquis dc Martel, and peace re-established. In 1669 an officer named Khelil proposed to the Janissaries or Turkish militia that the power should no longer be solely in the hands of the Pachas, Introil. § 8. HISTORICAL notice of AIG1:RIA and TUNIS 45 who were becoming unbearable through their tyranny, but that tlieir interests sliould be represented by an Agha, elected by themselves. The Pacha was retained out of respect to tlie Sultan, but he was not per- mitted to interfere in State alfairs, though allowed an appanage suitable to his rank. This plan was adopted, and the reigning Pacha, Ibrahim, thrown into prison, ami Ismail appointed in his stead. The originator of the plan, Khelil, was made Agha, and shortly after assassinated in 1G70. In 1G69 war was again declared between England and Algiers, and Sir Thomas Allen was once more charged with its conduct. This expedition was no more successful tlian the previous one, if we except the brilliant ei>isoile of Sir Edwaxd Spragg's action at Bougie, where tiie principal fleet of the pirates was assembled, protected by a strong l)Oom thrown across the entrance of the harbour. Sir Edward broke the boom, silenced the batteries, and captured or burnt the whole of their shipping. The Algerians rose in revolt against their Government on receiving news of this disaster, and put the reigning Dey, Ali Agha, to death, making at the same time ample submission.to the Englisli admiral. In 1675 the Dutch offered large sums for the purchase of peace, but tlieir terms were not accepted by the Divan at Algiers. Even as regards England they seemed not to have had a sufficiently severe lesson, for in 1677 it was found necessary to send Admiral Herbert against them with another squadron, liut the mere sight of his force recalled to their minds so lively a recollection of the chastisement they had received from Sir Edward Spragg that they at once submitted, and, though they plundered every one else, it was some time before they ventured to insult the British flag. But the mere fact of keeping Englishmen in bondage did not seem to have been considered "an insult to the British flag" in those days. The piratical search for slaves was in fact an organised system. The Turks considered it lawful to keep all Christian prisoners in bondage, and entirely at the mercy of their respective masters. The answer of the Dey to the remonstrances of an English consul was, " Know you not that my people are a company of rogues, and I ain their captain ?" Not only were all prisoners of war so treated, but it was the constant habit of the Dey, on any European State attempting reprisals, to send to the galleys the consul of that country, and all merchants and crews of vessels who were bold enough to have visited his ports for the purpose of commerce. On many occasions hundreds of these peaceful traders were killed, and the consuls also treated with great barbarity, being burnt alive, or blown from the mouths of cannon ; while, in one instance, on the approach of a French fleet, their representative wa.s thrown towards them from a mortar. The number of whites kept in slavery is as- tonishing. In 1646 it was reckoned that there were not less than 20,000 ; in 1768, 1500 Christians were redeemeil by Spain alone ; and when Lord Ex- mouth finally destroyed the pirate navy in 1816, he obtained the liberty of 3000. These are some of the most striking instances ; but hundreds of caj)- tives were annually ransomed by their respective nations, or by societies formed for the puri»ose. Many priests nobly devoted themselves to ministering to the slaves, even voluntarily going to the galleys for the sake of being with 40 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF AI/IERIA AND TT?N'IS Ah/nia tlieni. Several of tlieso, wlio were killed amoiif; the other vietims of the Turks, have been canonised. War again Ijrokn out with Algiers, and lasted for five years. It is stated on excellent authority that between the years 1674 and 1681 five or six thousand English slaves were brought into Algiers, and about 350 vessels cai)tured, aiid at the peace of 10th April 1682 the Dey refused to surrender a single English slave, leaving the general to liargain with their several masters as best he could for their ransom. The treaty then signed between Charles II. and the Government of Algiers contained a clause to the following effect : " The King of Great Britain shall not be obliged by virtue of this treaty to redeem any of his subjects now in slavery, but it shall depend absolutely upon His Majesty or the friends or relations of the said persons in slavery to redeem such as shall be thought fit, agreeing to as reasonable a price as may be with their patrons or masters for their redemption, without obliging the said patrons against their will to set any at liberty." This treaty, which may be seen in vol. i. of Hertslet's Com- pilation, page__58, is probably the most degrading one ever concluded betAveen Great Britain and a foreign power ; nevertheless this provision was renewed by James II. on 5th April 1686, and by George II. on 18th March 1729. The condition of the slaves was most pitiable. Such as belonged to the Dey were imprisoned in the Bagnio. They had a ration of black bread and a little soup once a day ; they were compelled to labour incessantly, some at the quarries outside the town ; others were harnessed to stone carts like mules ; many had to labour at the ovens where bread was made for the Janissaries, and their lot was even more miserable than the others ; the least wretched were the skilled artisans, but these found it almost impossible to obtain their freedom, so use- ful were they to the State. Such as were owned by private individuals were even more unfortunate than the others, being treated worse than beasts of burden, and liable to every species of cruelty and torture that their pitiless masters could devise. The only consolation left to them was the ministration of the Catholic missionaries, who spent their tilue, and often sacrificed life itself, in solacing their misfortunes. In August and September 1682, and again in 1683, the French Admiral Duquesne appeared before Algiers with a strong fleet, and commenced to bombard the town ; it was the first occasion of shells being used for such a purpose, and they not only committed great ravages in the town, but so terrified the Dey that he consented to deliver up 546 French slaves. This enraged the Turks beyond endurance. The Dey, Baba Hassan, was murdered, and Mezzo-Morto elected in his stead. His first act was to threaten Duquesne to blow away every Frenchman from guns if the attack was renewed — a threat which he carried into execution by thus disposing of M. Le Yacher, the French consul and Vicar- Apostolic, together with twenty other Frenchmen.^ In 1684 a humiliating peace was concluded, nominally for 100 years. In 1688, in consequence of some raids made npon French, English, and 1 The immense cannon from which these unfortunates and many others were blown away was called by the Turks Baba Mcnouk (Father Fortunate), and V)y the French La Consulaire, It is now preserved as a trophy on the Place d'Armes at Brest. Introd. § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TCNI.S 47 Dutch ships, and the imprisonment of the French consul, M. Piolle, the town was bombarded by the Duke d'Estr6es. Mezzo-Morto was wounded, and il. Piolle and forty Frenchmen wore blown from the mouths of cannon. From this period to the end of the century the country was in a state of anarchy, many Deys being appointed, and immediately afterwards assassinated. The city was constantly ravaged by the plague, it being said that in 1698, 24,000, and in 1702, 45,000 persons died of this malady. The successive attempts of various European nations to suppress this nest of rudiaus having thus proved completely futile, they were all in turn obliged to buy peace, and even to submit to the additional disgrace of paying part of their tribute in cannon, bombs, and other munitions of war. The conditions imposed on the Danes may be cited as an instance in proof. Peace was accorded to them only on condition of immediately delivering to the Dey twenty 24-pounder guns, twenty I'i-pounders, four iron mortars, 6600 shells, 20,000 cannon balls, 20,000 lbs. of powder, 50 masts, 100 yards, 20,000 lbs. of tar, 10,000 lbs. of resin, 2000 planks, 40 cables, and further paying him annually, 10,000 lbs. of powder, 4000 balls, 25 masts, 50 yards,. 12 cables and 24 hawsers. One can understand how, receiving such presents every year, frequently augmented at the caprice of the Dey, the State of Algiers was able to strengthen itself, so as to become the scourge of Europe. In 1710 a new revolution gave to the Algerian Government the constitu- tion which it continued to hold until the French conquest. The Janissaries obtained the Sultan's consent that the Dey elected by themselves should be named Pacha, and that the Sublime Porte should have no other representative in Algiers. From this moment it became in reality an independent State, and in connection with Constantinople was restricted to the despatch of a present, its exchange for the Caftan of Investiture on the accession of a new Dey. In the same year the Dey of Oran made an expedition against Algiers, but was defeated on the banks of the Harrach, and beheaded. 1716. The town ])artially destroyed by an earthquake. 1719. Mohammed, Pacha Dey, renewed the treaty of peace with France. The year 1726 was celebrated for the unusual cold, Algiers being in that winter covered with snow. 1732 to 1748. Ibrahim ben Ramdan, Pacha, during which period frequent struggles with Tunis took place. On the 1st of February 1748 Ibrahim ben Ramdan, Pacha of Algiers, died, not without suspicion of poison. 1748 to 1754. To him succeeded Mohammcil Kodja, surnamcd the one eyed, who had the reputation of being just, humane, and sujierior to all the other aspirants to the throne. In 1752 and 1753 there was a serious outbreak of plague at Algiers. In April of the latter year 400 died in the city, in June 1700, and as many in July, but it was much more at many other cities of the regency, especially Djidjclly, La Callc, and Constantino. In 1754 and 1755 there were only a few isolated cases at Algiers, but in 1756 this .scourge seemed inclined to make 48 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF AI/IKIUA AXI> TfXIS AJfJcHa up for its inaction duriiif; tlic two previous years, aud liy the end of August 10,000 had died in the city alone. 1754 to 1706. On the 11th. of December 1754 the Dey and his Kliaznadar were both assassinated, and Baba Ali was elected in the place of the former. He was a man entirely wanting in good sense and capacity. He at once recommenced the war with the Dutch, who were fain to conclude an onerous and humiliating peace. He rendered himself popular by encouraging piracy and other crimes. He took Tunis, which was given up to pillage. The French consul was sent to the Bagnio, as many of his predecessors had been, and only released on payment of a large sum of money. One of his successors was similarly treated. The Bey required some of the European States to renew their consuls every three years, on account of the presents which he was accustomed to exact on such occasions ; and others, like Venice, he actually compelled to pay him an annual tribute. From 1762 to 1765 James Bruce of Kinnaird, the well-known African traveller, held the office of British Consul-General at Algiers. After resigning office he made extensive explorations in Algeria, Tunis, Tripoli, and the Pentapolis, where he made accurate drawings of all the Roman remains of any consequence in those countries. A selection of these was published, after the lapse of more than a century.^ 1766 to 1791. Baba Ali Dey died on the 2d February 1766, and was quietly succeeded by Mohammed ben Osman, who had occupied the place ot treasurer to his predecessor. He governed his people sagely and well during twenty-five years, and did what a Dey of Algiers could to restrain the piratical tendencies of his subjects within due limits. In no former reign had there been so many conspiracies against the Dey's life, but none of them were successful. He was exceedingly exacting in his negotiations with European States, and managed under one pretext or another to lay them all under contribution to him. In 1775 took place the unfortunate Spanish expedition against Algiers, commanded by the Count O'Reillj'. It consisted of 51 vessels and about 24,000 troops. They left Carthagena on the 23d June, and arrived before Algiers on the 31st June and 1st August. They landed to the east of the river Harrach, and the first division at once commenced its march towards the town. They were so harassed, however, by the enemy, who had taken up advantageous positions all along their route, that they became thoroughly discouraged, and when subsequently they were charged by a troop of camels, they retreated in the utmost confusion to their vessels. The loss acknow- ledf'ed by the Spaniards was 218 officers and 2589 men killed and wounded, besides which the army abandoned 18 pieces of artillery and a great number of arms and munitions of war. Another naval expedition was sent against Algiers in 1783, which bombarded the town, killing about 300 persons and destroying about as many houses. A third and even more futile attempt was made in the following year. Subsequently, in 1785, they concluded a peace with the Dey, for which they were content to pay a million piastres and a vast amount of military stores. 1 " Travels in the Footsteps of Bruce in Algeria and Tunis." By the Author. Introd. § 8, historical notice of Algeria and tunis 4t) 111 April 17SG the plague aj,'ain lirokc out ; it lasted eifrlitecn months, and carried off more than a third of the population. It was calculated that during the first fifteen months 35,60U Mohammedans, 2300 Jews, and G20 Christian slaves, in all 38,520, perished. In 1789 the French entered into a new treaty with the Dcy at the price of most humiliating concessions, the negotiators consoling themselves with the fact that Louis XIV., after three expeditions against Algiers, had been com- pelled to purchase an equally inglorious peace. 1791 to 1799. In July 1791 Mohammed ben Osman died, and Baba Hassan was proclaimed Dey. His first act was to demand a frigate from the French to convey his ambassador to Constantinople, and to inform the consuls that in future the annual presents or tribute should be doubled. It never seemed to occur to any European power to dispute the orders of this despot, although compliance with them only made him the more exacting. Whenever he was ill want of money he declared war on some European power, and forced it to piiichasc peace TUNIS AhjClio, Tlic United States liad at this time (1800) a coiisiduiable trade with the Mediterranean, and the Algcrines were not backward in falling upon the unsus2)ecting and unarmed Americans, cai)turing their ships and casting the crews into bondage. Immediately after tlie peace of 1783, when the United States became an independent nation, Algiers declared war upon them. In 1785 two American vessels were captured in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1793 eleven more prizes were made, and then the number of American citizens in slavery at Algiers exceeded a hundred. Colonel Humphreys, American minister at Lisbon, was charged by the President to negotiate with the Barbary States, and he despatched Mr. Joseph Donaldson for that purpose to Algiers. He then nego- tiated a treaty of peace, by which the Americans bound themselves to pay to the Dcy the sum of 721,000 dollars, partly as ransom for American captives, and partly as gratification, presents, etc., to the Government of the regency. It was further agreed that the American Government should pay an annual tribute of 22,000 dollars in munitions of war and marine stores, which sum, in consequence of the arbitrary value fixed on the various articles, was almost doubled in reality. In the month of October 1800 the United States 32-gun frigate George Washington, commanded by Captain Bainbridge, was lying at anchor in the roads of Algiers. The Dey considered this a fine opportunity to get the presents which he, as well as the heads of the other regencies, annually paid to the Sultan, conveyed to Constantinople. He made a requisition for the services of the frigate for this purpose, and the commandant, though most unwillingly, thought that he could not avoid performing the duty. This conduct deeply wounded the susceptibility of the Americans, but the President thought it more prudent to follow the example of older and richer States in Europe, and make the best terms he could with the Algerines. The influence of France now began to wane in Algiers. The defeat of Trafalgar destroyed its marine and its commerce, and made England undis- puted mistress of the seas. The French were expelled from La Calle, and the exclusive privilege of coral fishing conceded to the English for a period of ten years at a rent of 267,000 I. per annum. ISOo to 1808. On the 12th of September 1805 Mustafa was murdered by the Janissaries and replaced by Ahmed Khodja. The first thirty days of his reign were marked by the spoliation of the Jews, and the most frightful massacres ; the usual presents from the consuls were exacted with the utmost rigour, and in one week he extorted from Spain 12,000 piastres, Holland 40,000, America 100,000, Austria 50,000, and England 10,000. 1808 to 1809. Ahmed Dey was killed on the 7th of November 1808 by the relations of those whom he had massacred on his accession, just as he was on the point of escaping to France with his ministei-s and treasures ; his successor, Ali ben IMohammed, only lived a few months, being in his turn assassinated on the 7th of February 1809. 1809 to 1815. Hadji Ali, his successor, commenced his reign with an act tantamount to a declaration of war with France. He demanded an exorbitant sum from the consul, and not only imprisoned him, but also M. de Bcrthcmy, Introd. §8. historical notice OF Algeria and tun is 51 aide-de-camp to Napoleon, and M. Arago, the celebrated astrouomer, then on a purely scientific niis.sion to Algiers. Tliey only purchased their release after three months' captivity by the payment of a large sum of money. 1812. In 1812 the Government of Algiers again declared war on the United States. It is believed that the Regency adopted this step on the advice of certain Jews, who, seeing the increasing importance of the American mercantile marine, thought that Algiers might as well obtain a share of this commercial i)rosperity by the simi)le expedient of plunder. The moment chosen for this step was the 17th July 1812, when the Allcg/ian;/, an Ameri- can vessel, arrived at Algiers with the annual tribute. The Dey showed the greatest dissatisfaction at the articles of which it was comi)osed. He •ordered the consul to pay the tribute in money for the future ; and, together with his family and all American citizens, to (|uit the regency by the 25th of the same month. The consul did all he could to ])ersuade the Dey to recon- sider this decision, but without effect ; he was actually compelled to leave. In the month of September following an American vessel was captured, and the President endeavoured in vain to obtain the release of the captives by paying their ransom. The Dey refused to enter into any negotiation on the subject, declaring that he considered American slaves as beyond [trice. The Congress of the United States could no longer tolerate such behaviour or support tlie idea of rem;iiiiii]g trihutaiy to Algiers. Accordingly, in J\lay 1815 Captains Bainbridge and Decatur and Mr. William Shaler were chosen ]iy the President to proceed to Algiers with a S(^uadron, and on their arrival there they at once made a demand for a modification of all existing treaties. The Algerines were confounded at this step, and, as it happened that all their vessels were then out cruising, they accepted almost without discussion the conditions dictated to them, and the treaty was signed on the 30th of June. On the same day Mv. Shaler landed as Consul-General of the United States at Algiers. Commodore Decatur then proceeded towards Tripoli and Tunis, and com- pelled the governments of those regencies to comjtly Avith his demands. 1815 to 1817. In the middle of March 1815 Hadji Ali was nmrdereu by iiis soldiery, and his successor Mohammed only survived him a fortnight, he having been arrested and strangled in prison. Omar ben Mohammed, Agha ology to the consul. Tlie total number of slaves liberated, including those freed a few weeks before, were — At Algiers 1612 Tunis ......... 781 Tripoli 580 Total . 3003 Tiie battle of Algiers forms a class by itself amongst naval victories ; it was a new thing to place a fleet in a position surrounded by formidable batteries. Nor was it less happy in its results : it broke the chains of thou- sands, it gave security to millions, and it delivered Christendom from a scourge and a disgrace. 1817 to 1818. On the 3d of September 1817 Omar Dey was murdered, and succeeded by Ali Khodja, who, to save himself from sharing the fate of so many of his predecessors, left his palace in tlic city and took up his resi- dence in the Casba, at the summit of the town, whither, on the previous Tiight, 350 mules had transported his treasure, estimated at 300 millions of francs. In the spring of 1818 the jilague again made its ai>pearanee, and amongst its victims was tlio Dey, who died on the 1st of March. 54 §'8. TirsTouicAL NOTicK OF ALOKitrA AND Ti'Nis Alr/eria 1818 to 1830. No sooner was the breath out of liis body tlian tlio Divan proclaimed Jlus.sc^iii-Kliodja, minister of the iiiterioi', Dey in his place, and he was the last who ever sat on the throne. lie speedily turned his attention to the reconstruction of the fleet burnt by Lord Exmouth, and in 1820 ho had 44 vessels, manned by 1560 sailors. Since the treaty made Ijy Lord Kxmouth the Dey found it impcssible to obtain Christian slaves for his public works ; he was therefore driven to fill his Bagnio with Kabyles, and even the private servants of the consuls were not spared. The British consulate was violated in the search for certain Kabyles ; this brought about a rupture between Great Britain and Algiers, and the consul, Mr. McDonell, was forced to embark and leave the place. In July 1824 a naval division of 6 sails appeared before the place, while 10 more remained out at sea. There was a slight engagement which lasted three hours, but the Dey persisted in his refusal to receive Mr. McDonell. Algiers was blockaded till the 24th, when there was a second engagement. Eventually the affair was patched up, and Admiral Sir H. Neale, who commanded the squadron, made two concessions to the Dey, the weaker that they were secret, — namely, that the British flag should not be hoisted on the English consulate in Algiers, and that Mr. McDonell should not return as consul. When Mr. St. John succeeded him all the disgraceful ceremonies in the intercourse between the representative of Great Britain and the Turkish authorities were continued. The consul was obliged, the moment he came in sight of the Dey's palace, to walk bareheaded in the hottest sun ; in waiting for an audience he had to sit on a stone bench in the public passage ; he could not wear a sword in the Dey's presence, nor ride to the palace, though his own servants, if Mohammedans, might do so. In spite of the chastisement inflicted by Lord Exmouth, and the daily threat made by the representatives of European nations at Algiers, their corsairs continued to infest the seas till the very last ; and after the abortive attempt of the English to secure the return of their consul, the audacity and perfidy of the Algerian Government knew no bounds, and the most solemn treaties were regarded as so much waste paper. The subject of the dispute which eventually accomplished its downfall was the claim of a Jew named Bacri, on account of stores supplied to the French Government during Napoleon's wars. This had been regulated by common accord at 7 millions of francs ; and, at one of the interviews which the consul had with the Dey on the subject, the latter is said to have struck him on the face with his fan. This conduct, for which he refused to make any reparation, served as an excuse to the French Government to send an expedition against Algiers ; and the town was blockaded during three years in so inefficient a manner as to excite the ridicule of the Turkish officials. On the 14th of June 1830 a French army, commanded by General de Bourmont and Admiral Duperre, consisting of 34,000 men, landed, with little opposition, at Sidi Ferruch. It is worthy of remark that all previous attack.s on Algiers had been made from the east ; and that the suggestion to effect a IilfrofJ. § 8. IITSTORICAI; NOTICE OF ALfiKIUA AND TUNIS r)5 laiidiufj at tliis point was lirst made in the work of Mr. Slialer, Consul- General of tlie United States at Algieis,' a suf,'gestion whicli was followed exactly by tlie invading force. On the lOtii of the same month the battle of Staoueli was fought, and on the 24th that of Sidi Kiialcf. On the 4th of July the French ariived in front of the town, and opened (ire on Fort TEmpereur, which was abandoned at 10 a.m. by its garri.son, wlio set lire to tiie powder magazine. The Dey now sent for tlie I'ritish Consul- General, and requested lum to go to the French camp and ascertain tlie commander-in-chiefs conditions. These were that the town should be surrendered at 10 o'clock the next morning, whereupon the Dey's person and property should be respected. On the following day, 6tli July, the Dey signed this convention, and at 1 i'. M. the French troops entered the town and took possession of the forts. Hussein Pacha embarked at Algiers on the 10th, with a suite of 110 persons, of whom 55 were women. He first fixed his residence at Naples, and subsequently at Leghorn, and eventually in Egypt. Mohammed All Pacha received him with the consideration due to his rank and misfortunes, when one day, after a private audience, Hussein retired to his private apart- ments, and died, it is said, a few hours afterwards, in violent convulsions. At the conquest the Regency was considered in a flourishing condition, and nearly 2 millions sterling were found in the Turkish treasury, a sum more than sufficient to defray the expenses of the war ; nevertheless the united value of the imports and exports at Algiers did not then exceed £175,000 iier annum. Algiers, Blidah, Cherchel, and BOne, were the only really nourishing towns of the Deylick ; all the rest of the Tell, with the exception of Kabylia, was occupied by the petty clients of a limited number of rich families, who thought much more of defending their crops against the attacks of their neighbours than of advancing the public prosperity. Each tribe lived apart on its own resources, ever on the alert to repel assailants ; there was no such thing as a commonwealth, no means of communication, and hardly anj' commercial transactions. The French army, being firmly established at Algiers, began at once to extend its operations. General de Bourmont sent in the same month an expedition to Blidah, and took temporary possession of Mersa el-Kebir to the west, and Bune to the east. Upon the revolution of July, and Louis Pliilippe's acceptance of the crown, it became doubtful whether the conquest of Algeria would be carried on, and the generals withdrew their troojis from all the towns excepting Algiers. In September, however. Marshal Clauzel, under the orders of the new authority in France, replaced General de Bour- mont. The policy of Marshal Clauzel was to place tributary Beys in the different towns ; but the natives, who had at first received the French without .susjiicion, now made a vigorous resistance. The most serious opponent whom the French had to encounter was the well-known Abd-el-Kader, a man described by Marslial Sonlt as one of the only three great men tiicn living, all Mohammedans, tlie other two being Mohammed Ali, Pacha of Egypt, and Schamyl. I "Skctclicsof AlRicra." nii, lS2fi, 56 § 8. irisTOiaoAT, notick op alokrta and tunis Ahjerm Ah(l-(;]-Kailer was Itoni in 1808, in tho plains of Gliris, near Waskara. His I'atlicr, Malu-ed-Deen, belonged to a family of Cher/a, or descendants of tlio I'ropliet, and was liiniself renowned throughout Nortliern Africa for the piety of his life and his active charity. When Abd-el-Kader was about 19 years of age his father took him to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and to visit the tomb of Sidi Abd-el-Kader El-Djilani, at Baghdad. Tln-y performed a second pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, and returned to their native country after an aVj.sence of two years. After the fall of Algiers, the order which the Turks had managed to preserve by terror amongst the Arab tribes gave place to anarchy ; one tribe rose against another, private vengeance or a thirst for plunder filled the country with marauders, the markets were abandoned, well-disposed persons withheld their produce, and fainine threatened to succeed plenty. The inhabitants of Tlem^en implored the Sultan of Morocco to send a prince of his family to become their Sultan, but the diplomatic efforts of the French prevented the realisation of this project. Si Mahi-ed-Deen was next proposed, but he excused himself on account of his great age, and all he would consent to do was to take command of the Arab tribes sent to disturb the French in their new possession, Oran. Here it was that Abd-el-Kader began to be distinguished, and before he had attained his twenty-fourth year he was hailed by the warlike tribes of Hachems and Beni Anier as their Sultan, and immediately proceeded to Maskara to proclaim and preach the Djchdd — holy war against the intidel. Thence he despatched his emissaries to invite all the tribes around to send contingents to his forces, and appointed January 1833, before the walls of Oran, as the time and place for opening the campaign. He expected that few save his own followers would accept the invitation, but he made his attack nevertheless, and though he was repulsed he proved his own earnestness, and sealed, as it were, the covenant with the blood of his family, his nephew having been killed by the French. The next few months were occupied by him in attempting to bring about a spirit of unity amongst his tribes ; and his absence from the neighbourhood of Oran induced the commandant of that place, General Desmiehels, to commence the offensive, which he did by the occupation of Arzeu and Mostaganem. Abd-el- Kader tried in vain to prevent it, and spent the rest of 1833 in consolidating his own power by the occupation of the important city of Tlem(;en. A series of engagements followed, and prisoners were captured on both sides ; the first overtures of peace, however, came from the French ; and on the 4th of Feb- ruary 1834 a treaty was concluded between General Desmiehels and Abd-el- Kader, in which the position of the Emir was distinctly recognised, but no recognition on his part of the sovereignty of France was even implied. The form of the treaty displayed the most culpable negligence ; each of the con- tracting parties drew uj) a paper of conditions, which was signed by the opposite party ; and it was only the French paper, signed by the Emir, which received the ratification of Louis Philippe. This was, however, unknown to Abd-el-Kader, who believed that his terms were as binding on the French as their terms were on him. Introd. § 8. historical xotick of Algeria and tcxis 57 The Emir liad now time to tuni liis undivided attention to the oif^an isation of his own government ; he received considerable presents of arms and ammu- nition from the Frencli, and began to raise a standing army, and to crush one by one the rivals who had hitherto refused to recognise his supremacy ; and in a short time he was undisputed master of the entire province of Oran, which he held not so much by his sword as by the love and admiration of all those wise enough to prefer order to anarchy. The tribes in the other provinces began to turn their eyes towards so j)rudent and powerful a chief. A deputation from Medeah implored him to undertake the government of Titeri, which he did, and installed Khalifas of his own as governors of Slilianah and Medeah. To tlie latter place the Governor-General d'Erlon sent a mission under Captain St. Hippolyte, with piesents, olfering to substitute another treaty for that concluded by General Dcsmichels. The Emir suddenly resolved to return to Maskara, and induced the French mission to return in his suite, which produced an immense eflect in his favour amongst the Arab tribes. Immediately on his arrival there he dismissed the mission with a statement of the conditions on which he would consent to treat with the Governor-General, which were in effect a mere revival of those in the Desnuchels treaty. It was not long after tliis ere hostilities again broke out between Al)d-el- Kader and the French ; the pretext was alforded by two important tribes placing themselves under the protection of the French at Oran, which was considered by the Emir as a breach of existing conventions. nien came the disastrous expedition against Constantino (q.v.), and shortly afterwards the celebrated treaty of the Tafna (30th May 1837), by which France abandoned to the Emir nearly the whole of the province of Oran and two-thirds of that of Algiers, reserving only to themselves Oran, Mostaganem, and Arzeu, with their territories in the former ; and in the latter Algiers, the Sahel, and the Metidja, including Koleah and Blidali. This state of things could not last long, and when the French had taken Constantine, a dispute regarding the limits of the Metidja and the advance of the army under Marshal Val6e and the Due d'Orlcans through the Fortes de Fer, were considered by the Emir as a breach of the treaty. The French were nothing loth to extricate themselves from a position which had become exceedingly inconvenient, and on their part commenced olfensive operations. Once more Abd-el-Kader raised the standard of a holy war, and massacres of Europeans took place throughout Algeria. In return the French generals extended their conquests on every side. Cherchcl fell, Medeah and Milianah were once more occupied, and a desultory warfare was carried on till 1841, when General Bugeaud became governor. He commenced a campaign in which tlie Prince de .Joinville and the Dues d'Aumale and de Nemours served under him. In July Tekedemt, Bokhari, Ta/.a, and Saida, towns on which Abd-el-Kader depended, were destroyed, and he was hunted through the country, till, his camp being taken, he was driven to take refuge in Morocco at tlie end of 1843. The Sultan of that country made him caliph of one of his border provinces, and his attacks upon the French while in this jwsition involved his protector in a war. This war terminated in a great victory 58 § 8. HISTORFCAL NOTICE OF ALOKRIA AND Tt'NlS Alrjeria of tlie Ficucli, 1 ILli Aii;^iist 1844, wliere General Jjiigeaud won fur liiniself llic title of Due (I'lsly, and, by a treaty in March 1845, Ahd-el-Kader lost his asylum in Morocco. He did not on this aecount relinquish liis endeavours to harass the invaders of his native fountry, hut took advaiitaf^e of the discontent which was fomented in Algeria by Bou-Maza (the man with the goat) to join forces with him ; and when his partisans were crushed at the combat of Ain-Kebira, 13th October 1845, he sought the support of a new Sultan of Morocco. This ally was defeated, 24th March 1846, by General Cavaignac, and Abd-el-Kuder, deserted by his adherents, who began to lose their superstitious reverence for him and to tire of his imposts, was driven from mountain to mountain, showing to the last an indomitable courage. Surrounded on every side by enemies, and with numbers reduced to his mere personal following, he gave himself up, on 21st December 1847, to General de Lamoriciure, at Sidi Brahim, His submission was received by the Due d'Aumale, then governor of Algeria, on the 23d ; and two days later he was despatched to Toulon with his family and servants. He remained there till 2d November 1848, when he was removed to the castle of Amboise, near Tours, and was released by Louis Napoleon, 16th October 1852, after swearing on the Koran never again to disturb Algeria. He went at first to Broussa, and being driven thence by an earthquake, went to Constantinople, and subsequently settled at Damascus, where he died. The struggles of the natives did not cease with the subjection of Abd-el- Kader, though previously Si Hamed-ben-Salem, his caliph, and Bel-Kassem, second in command, had given themselves up ; and in the same year Bou- Maza and Mulai Mohammed, an agitator of Kabylia, surrendered, and promised to use their influence on the side of peace. The troubles in France during 1848 encouraged the Arabs to make fresh efforts in all the three provinces, but they were put down by timely severities. The hardy natives of Kabylia continued to give the most trouble, and the successive expeditions against them might be illustrated by as many tales of daring and devotion as of cruelty. It was not till the end of 1857 that the French spoke of the mountainous region as entirely subject to them. Among the generals who rendered themselves celebrated in these campaigns are the names of Chan- garnier, Cavaignac, Pelissier, Canrobert, Saint- Arnaud and MacMahon. The resistance each year grew less and less, and the colonists were established on a firmer footing. The years 1866 and 1867 were the most disastrous since the French con- quest. A prolonged and excessive drought produced a failure of crops all over the country ; dried up the sources of the springs ; whole tribes were deprived of their means of subsistence, while the stagnant and polluted water, which alone they could procure for drinking purposes, induced a visitation of cholera which carried off tens of thousands. One of the severest invasions of locusts ever known, which occurred in 1866, caused the destruction of much of what the drought had spared, and in January 1867 an earthquake destroyed several villages in the Jletidja, and seriously injured many more. Not less than 200,000 perished during these two years from the effects of pestilence and famine, Jitfrod. § 8. HISTORICAL XOTICR OF ALGERIA AXD TUXLS 59 In 1871 a serious insurrection broke out, but before commencing a narra- tive of it, it is necessary to glance at the state of Algeria and the events which transi>ircd there after the declaration of war between France and Germany. At that iieriod the colony was perfectly tranquil, and even the defeats sustained by French arms in the opening battles of the campaign did not materially alter the aspect of affairs, but rather created a desire amongst the native races to avenge their brethren who had fallen fighting side by side with their conquerors. But after Sedan a ver}' marked change began to appear. The fall of the Emperor was sincerely regretted bj' the great Arab chiefs, who had been his honoured guests at Compiegne ; while the excited condition of the public press, and the impolitic measures of the government of Tom's and Bordeaux, especially the naturalisation en masse of the Jewish inhabitants, inspired them with serious fears for their own position. On the other hand the colony was entirely denuded of troops, and the old and experienced officers of the Bureau Arabe had almost all quitted their posts for active service in France. The first act of the insurrection took place in January 1871, at Souk Ahras, where a Smala of Spahis mutinied, and being joined by the adjacent tribes, more or less connected with them by family ties, devastated the farms around, murdered some of the colonists, and endeavoured ineffectually to obtain possession of the town. The insurgents were speedily repulsed by a column from BOne, and obliged to seek refuge in Tunis. About the same time the wandering tribes occupying the Oued-el-Kebir l)etween Philijipeville and the sea broke out and attacked the little town of El-Mila; a detachment from Collo soon suppressed the disturbance. No sooner was it put down than it broke out again iu the south and south-east, where Mahi-ed-Deen, son of the Emir Abd-el-Kader, and Ben Chohra, an old Algerian insurgent who had taken refuge in Tunis, had circulated letters amongst the tribes exciting them to revolt. The column which had lestored order at El-Mila marched to the frontier, overthrew the rebels before Tcbessa, and drove their leaders to the south. This insurrection could not fail to produce a corresponding effect in the ilesert ; old family feuds and rivalries broke out under the pretext of com- bating the insurrection, one chief waged war .against another; numerous razzias were made, and very soon the whole Sahara was iu flames. Tuggurt was besieged by the Cherif Bou Choucha, as was also Ouargla ; the garrison of the former place was massacred, the property of the State was plundered, and order was not perfectly restored there till quite the end of the year, when all the rest of the country had been pacified. Bou Choucha remained at liberty in the oases of Ain Salah till April 187-1, when he was taken prisoner by Said, brother of the Aglia of Ouargla. This insurrection was embarrassing to the French, but it was not of ex- treme gravity, as the events of the south, dependent as it is for supidies on the Tell, can never exercise a serious influence on the general condition of Algeria. The situation of tlic colony therefore was critical, but not seriously com])romised, when the preliminaries of jieacc with Genuany were signed. Already some troops had arrived, and the return of the prisoners of war would 60 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTICE OF AI.GKIUA ANT) TUNIS Alf/cria soon iilact! ;iii aimy of .sua.souud voteiaiis at tlie di.sitosal of France. This was the time selected for the outbreak of a violent a;;gression, wliich might have lieun serious some months before, but of wliicli tlie issue could never be doubtful from the moment that France was able to dispose of all her resources. Tlie all'airs of the Commune at Paris might have insjured some hope of suc- cess, but this could not have been foreseen when the events about to be related occurred. The village of Bordj-bou-Arreredj, the scene of the first serious devasta- tion of the insurgents, is situated about 72 kilometres from Setif, ■, in the middle of the tribe of the Hachems, and is the European centre nearest to the territory in which Si Mohammed ben El-Hadj Ahmed El-Mokraui exercLsed his authority. He had been for many years Kaid of his tribe, but to augment his prestige, and in the hope of making him a faithful vassal of France, he was promoted to the dignity of Bach-Agha of the iledjana. His influence was very great : he was an intimate personal friend of some of the most distinguished French generals, and had been a frequent guest at the imperial fetes at Compiegne. He, like many others, took great umbrage at the changes which had taken place in the government of Algeria, especially at the substitution of a civil commissaire of the republic for a governor -general such as Marshal de ftfacMahon ; and when a decree was signed by M. Cremieux cii'cumscribing his command, and constituting part of his territory civil, he is said to have exclaimed: " H' my position is to depend on a Jew I renounce it, though I am willing to support anything from one who wears a sword, even if he iise it on me." Another cause which probably led this great chief into rebellion was the embarrassed condition of his alfairs. Treated like a prince in Paris, he had spent large sums of money in the most lavish manner ; loan succeeded loan ; ruin ajipeared inevitable ; and he not improbably hoped in some manner, hardly defined to himself, to retrieve his position by force of arms. , Another great chief was Si Mohammed Said ben Ali Cherif, Bach-Agha of Chellata, possessing almost as much influence in Kabj'lia as Mokrani did in the Medjana, and far more venerated than he, being the lineal descendant of a celebrated saint. He had, however, of late years lost a considerable amount of his prestige, and with it the ofi"erings which the faithful used to bring to the shrine of Chellata, owing to the correspondingly increased power obtained by the superior of the order of Klwuans, the chief of the religdous confraternity of Sidi Mohammed bou Koberain, the Sheikh Mohammed Amzian ben Ali el-Haddad, or the blacksmith. The sons of this Sheikh, M'ahmed and Azziz, enjoyed nearly as great power as their father : the former, a religious fanatic, had already played a part in a previous insurrection ; the latter — younger, dis- sipated, and ambitious — was ready to join in any scheme likely to gratify his vanity or increase his importance. It was necessary, however, for the common cause that the old rivalry l>etween these two houses should disappear, and through the mediation of Mokrani a reconciliation took place between Ben Ali Cherif and Ben el- Haddad. It was then arranged that Mokrani should be chief of the plain, Si Introd. § 8. historical notice of Algeria and tunis 61 Azziz of the insurgents, and that Ben AH Clierif should remain witli the Frcncli authorities at Algiers, to communicate all that transpired there. On the 18th February five Europeans were murdered at the Fortes de Fer, where some roadmaking was going on, and a month later Mokrani sent in his resignation as Bach-Agha, and followed this up by a fonnal declaration of war. He then laid siege to the town of Bordj-bou-Arrerudj, pillaged all the outlying farms and buildings, and even drove the garrison into the fort, whereupon the town was occupied by the enemy, plundered, and set on fire. Tlie insurgents adopted every means, some of them, such as mining, hitherto unheard of in Arab warfare, to reduce the place, but in vain. After a siege of twelve days, during which time there was much bloodshed and suffering, and the town reduced to a heap of ruins, the fort was relieved by a column from Setif. It would be tedious to follow all the operations which ensued. Mokrani succeeded in destroying isolated posts and houses, burning villages, and massacring colonists surprised in the ojicn country or on the roads ; but all his efforts to take fortified places failed, and everywliere in the field his men were defeated with great slaughter. The French, at one time reduced to the de- fensive, had begun to assume the offensive — it was at this moment, when the insurrection appeared almost overcome, that, like a train of gunpowder, it spread over Kabylia at the voice of the Sheikh el-IIaddad. This remarkable man was held in the utmost veneration from Jlorocco to Tunis : his limbs were completely paralysed ; he had passed the last twenty years of liis career in a small, dark, filthy cell, where the pious came in crowds to see him through a small window in the side, happy if they were permitted to kiss the hem of his garment. His sons placed themselves at the head of vast hordes of Kabyles. Bougie, the seaport of the district, was besieged and entirely cut off from all com- munication with the interior, from the ISth April to the 30th June. The farms, oil mills, public buildings, and everything belonging to Christians throughout Kabylia, were destroyed. Dellys and Djidjelly were in like manner invested, and all the outlying farms ruined. Fort National (then called Fort Napoleon), tlie French stronghold in Western Kabylia, supported a siege of sixty-three days with great courage and endurance. The garrison of Tiziouzou was likewise blockaded in the fort, and the village destroyed. The village of Palaestro was attacked and burnt after a short but heroic resistance ; nearly all the males, fifty-four in number, were massacred, and forty individuals, of whom thirty-two were women and children, were carried off, and only released at the termination of the campaign, after twenty-two days' captivity. But now the affairs of the Commune at Paris being over, reinforcements began to arrive from France, the beleaguered towns were relieved, the prin- cipal leaders were taken prisoners, and such as escaj)ed were pursued as far as the desert, when they were forced to surrender. The decisive battle of Mokrani's campaign took i)lace at Souflat, thirty miles from Palaestro, where his forces were routed and lie hinisflf killed. G2 § 8. HISTORICAL NOTiCK OF ALoiiUiA AND TUNIS Algeria, His death was as noble as his life had heen ; he had promised General Dnrrieu, the acting; Governor-General, that he would remain faithful to France so long us she should be at war, and it was not till peace had been signed that lie sent a formal declaration of war, resigned his functions, gave up his cross of the Legion of Honour, and permitted forty-eight hours to elapse before com- mencing hostilities. Now that he had staked and lost Ids all, pursued in every direction by French columns, seeing that the whole colony was being covered with troops, nothing remained for him but an honourable death. He descended from his horse at the battle of Soufiat, and on foot at tlie head of his men he fell pierced with a ball in the forehead. One more outbreak took place to the west of Algiers, in the mountain district inhabited by the Beni Manassir, between ililianah and the sea. Cherchel was blockaded for a month. The inland village of Zurich, which had been hurriedly protected by a stockade, was gallantly defended during many days by thirty militia and forty military prisoners, most of whom were enfeebled by fever ; but, despite the vast dispaiity of combatants, every village, however slightly fortified, held out successfully, though all the inter- vening farms, about eighty in number, were sacked and destroyed, and the guardians murdered. By the middle of August 1871 the insurrection was thoroughlj^ extin- guished, and such of the principal leaders as were not killed in action Avere reserved for future trial, and those who had not participated in any actual massacres were treated with great leniency. The submission of the revolted tribes, however, was only accepted on the condition that they should consent to disarmament and to the imposition of a war contribution, which was fixed at 30 millions of francs. A general seques- tration of landed property was also ordered, but the owners were permitted to resume possession of it in many instances on comparatively easy terms. From this a liberal allowance was made to those who had lost either property or near relatives in the insurrection. The farms and villages were rebuilt on a better scale, the population was increased by the arrival of numerous immigrants, principally from Alsace and Lorraine, and numerous centres were created even in the heart of Kabylia. An insurrection broke out in the Aur^s mountains in May 1879, in the territory of the Touaba, or Oulad Daood ; it was headed by an obscm-e Mara- bout named Mohammed bin Abdulla, imam of the Mosque of Hammama, who succeeded in collecting round him a band of discontented Chaouia and vagabonds of all sorts. The commandant of Batna sent two native horsemen to apprehend him, which they actually did, but they were cut to jneces by his followers, and the Marabout was rescued. This was the commencement of hostilities. The insurgents then attacked the Smala of Si el-Hachemi, son of the Kaid Bou-Dhiaf, at Medina ; he was not strong enough to resist them, and retired to Batna. They then proceeded to the village of T'Kout, in the Bordj of which resided the Kaid Bachtarzi, him also they killed, but they spared his followers, on condition that they recognised the divine mission of the Mara- bout. On this becoming known at Batna, the commandant ordered Si Bou- Uhiaf, Kaid of the Oulad Daood, to proceed against the insurgents. He had Jntrotf. § 8, HI.STORICAL NOTICE OF ALGERIA AND TUNIS 03 no force save twenty or thirty followers, to whom were adJed an officer of the IJiireau Arabe, and a few Spahis. On the night following their arrival at their lirst halt, near Hannnania, they were attacked by the Marabout's forces, and although Bou-Dhiaf defended himself with the traditionary courage of his race, killing four enemies with his own hands, he was slain, and his troops had to retreat, leaving their dead, wounded, and baggage in the hands of the insurgents. Emljoldened by success, they proceeded to attack the Bordj of Si Bel Abbas, Kaid of the Oulad Abdi ; he himself was absent, but it was occuiiied by his son Si Lahsen and a few retainers. It was speedily taken, and the young chief aiul his retainers were massacred. Recruits now began to join the standard of the Marabout from every direction, but the authorities were alive to the importance of the movement, and columns began to advance towards the Aures from Constautine, Batna, and Biskra. An action took [ilace at El-Arbaa, between an advance guard of the Batna column and 1500 insurgents ; the latter were comjdetely routed, leaving 400 of their number dead on the field. The French penetrated to the very heart of the mountains, pacified the country, and compelled its inhabitants to agree to the terms ])ro- posed by the Governor-General, namely, the delivery of hostages, the pay- ment of an indemuit}', and the surrender of the principal instigators. The insurgents fled before the French troops to the south, till at last in an attempt to reach Negrine the remainder of these unfortunates, to the number of three or four hundred, perished of thirst and fatigue in the Sahara. The .Marabout succeeded in reaching the Djereed of Tunis, but he was subse- ([uently delivered up to the French, and, with his princijial accomplices, was tried by a court-martial at Constautine. He and twelve others were con- demned to death, twenty-si.x to various periods of imprisonment, and sixteen were acquitted. In 1879 a commission was formed at Paris to study the question of railway communication between Algeria and Senegal by the Soudan ; several .scientific expeditions were organised ; amongst others, Colonel Flatters explored the country between Tuggurt and the '26th degree of X. latitude. In the following year he was again sent to complete the task which he had so successfully commenced. His mission left Ouargla on the 4th of December 1880, and consisted of 11 French, 47 native tirailleurs, 32 camel drivers, 8 Chamba guides, and a certain number of Touaregs, together with 100 riding camels and 180 camels of burden. It followed the Oued Mya, and thence directed its course towards the Sebkha of Amad-Ghor, passing by Hassi-ilesseguem and Aniguid ; up to that time everything went well, and the last news received from it was dated '29th January 1881. On the '28th of March following, four of the survivors reached Ouargla, and brought tlie intelligence that at four days' march from Hassiou, Colonel Flatters had been led into an ambush, that jiart of the mission had been mas.sacred, and that all the camels had been carried off. The survivor.s, fifty- six in number, of whom five were French, endeavoured to retreat to Ouargla, a distance of 1500 kilometres, without means of transport, and almost witli- out provisions. Hanussed by the Touaregs, and dying of hunger, they lost many of their number, but the debris of the mission still continued to (M § 8. IIISTORTCAL NOTrCIO OF ALGKRIA AND TUNIH Algeria advance, nndfr tlio noiniiiand of Mareclial-dcs-Lo;(is Pobcguin, the last sur- viving Frencliuian. Tlie Klialifa of Oiiargla liastened to send out an expedi- tion in search of these unfortunate people ; they were found in the month of April at Hassi-Mcsseguem ; tlje party then eonsisted only of twelve ; no Frenchman had survived. In addition to these twelve men and the Chamba guides, who had disappeared on the day of the massacre, seventeen men turned U]) afterwards. Shortly after this the assassination of Lieutenant Weinbrenner became the signal for assassination in the south of Oran. A clandestine emigration was observed in the direction of the Tunisian Djereed ; in May disturbances were signalled in Djebel Amour, and a small column was sent out from El-Aghouat in the direction of Aflou and Tadjerouna. It here received considerable rein- forcements, and inflicted a severe lesson on the El-Aghouat Ksel, which restored confidence amongst the tribes in the department of Algiers. Thi.s was followed by the despatch of a column to visit .successively M'zab, Metleli, Goleah, and Ouargla ; it returned to El-Aghouat on the 1st of February. Early in April the Bach-Agha of Frendah reported to the French authorities that disaffection existed amongst the tribes at Tiaret, Geryville, and Saida, and that it was being fomented by a Marabout named Bou-Amama Bel-Arbi, who belonged to the great religious family of the Oulad Sidi Clicikh. This fanatic gave himself out as the agent of God destined to drive the French out of the country of the Arabs : orders were given to arrest him, and it was in attempting to execute these that an officer of the Bureau Arabe at Geryville, M. Weinbrenner, was massacred, with nearly all his escort, on the 22d of April ; at the same time the telegraph between Geryville and Frendah was ■ cut. This was the signal for a general insurrection in the south ; fjoums, or columns of Arab horsemen, sent to attack the insurgents, deserted to or fled before them. On the 11th and 12th of June they made a rapid attack on the workmen, nearly all S]ianish, engaged in collecting Alfa grass to the south of Saida, and massacred great numbers of them. This created a panic amongst the Spanish colony, and in a few days 10,000 of them fled from Algeria to their native country, whence, however, they very soon returned. In July the welUknown Si Suleiman ben Kaddour appeared on the scene, and collected around him many tribes which had not joined Bou Amama, and thenceforth he became the veritable chief of the insurrection. Military operations against the Arabs at such a time and place were almost impossible. As soon as the weather began to get cool, expeditionary columns scoured the country in every direction, and did what was practicable towards restoring order, but the chiefs of the insurrection never were captured. In one of these expeditions Colonel Negrier committed an act which the Arabs will never pardon or forget ; he destroyed the tomb of Sidi Cheikh, the great saint of the Sahara, and transported his ashes to Geryville. This act gained him great popularity with the extreme party in Algeria, and it was never formally repudiated by Government ; but some time after the tomb was reconstructed, and the saint's bones once more deposited in it, at the expense of the State. In November 1SS2 the territory of the Beni M'Zab (see pp. 11, 19) was Introd. § 9. goveunmknt of algkria 65 annexed to Alf^cria, and taken possession of by a column under the command of General the Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne. The reason assigned was that sanguinary struggles were constantly taking pliice tlicre, and that it liad become a rallying point for all the disaffected tribes in the south. § 0. Government of Alceiua. Before the German war the military rule in Algeria had as an essential character the union of the command of the troops and the political and administrative authority in one person. This regime reached its culminating point under Marshal dc ilacMahon in the subordination of the prefects to the generals commanding the divisions or provinces, but its want of success ended iu predisposing the Curps LtgislatiJ against it, and in the session of 1870 it was decided to introduce to a certain extent civil government. The revolution of September 1870 hastened the fall of the military authoritj', and the Govern- ment of the National Defence fixed the basis of civil government, and removed Algeria from the control of the Minister of War. The office of sub-governor was entirely abolished, and a civil governor-general appointed, under whom tlu; government of the whole colony was centralised at Algiers. At first a separate general officer was appointed to command the entire military and naval forces, having under him generals commanding the three provinces. Subsequently, the first appointment was abolished, and each of the generals commanding provinces was made independent of any central authority and subject only to the Minister of War in Paris. The inconveniences of this system were so strongly felt during the administration of the first civil governor, that although the principle was not modified, a military oflicer. General Chanzy, was appointed to the office of civil governor-general, and invested witli the chief command of the military and naval forces. On the fall of Marshal de ilacMahon's government, M. Albert Gr^vy was sent as civil governor-general and commandant dcs forces dc Urrc tt dc mer. He was received with enthusiasm by the colony, not only on account of his relationship to the President of the Eepublic, but as the representative of an entirely new state of things, to introduce civil government and the common law in supersession of the arbitrary rule of the Bureau Arabe. On his departure, after two years and a half government, it was the universal opinion of the colony that his resignation was the only satisfactory act of his career. He was succeeded by M. Tirman, who was not invested with any military powers. The old institution of Bureaux Arabcs, now called the Service dcs Affaires Ltdigencs, was placed, by a decree dated 12tli May 1879, under his direct control, although a small and yearly decreasing extent of territory is still administered by the military authorities, represented by the commandant of the l!Hh Army Corps. This service consists of — 1. A Central Bureau at Algiers ; 2. Divisional lUueau.K at Algiers, Oran, and Constantine ; 3. Sub-divisional Bureaux ; 4. Bureaux of Circles ; and 5. Bureaux of Annexes. The departments of tlio Interior, .Justice, Public Worship, Finance, Postes, Public Instruction, Com- [Alycria.] P 66 I §9. GOVERNMENT OF ALGERIA AUjerui ineicc, Ayricultuii', ami Fublic Works, are each unilcr tlieir respective Ministers in Paris; but tlieso have conferred on the governor- general the power to dispose of the wliolc or part of the credits given to them Ijy the budget in order to proviile for tlie expenses of tlie government-general in Algeria. Each of the three provinces or departments is administered by a prefect, as in France, but always under the superior authority of the governor- general'. The governor-general is further assisted by a council of government com- posed of the principal civil and military authorities, which studies the various projects brought forward, and gives its advice to the Government ; a superior council, meeting once a year, to which delegates are sent by each of the pro- vincial general councils, is charged with the duty of discussing and voting the colonial budget. Algeria sends tliree senators and six representatives to the National Assembly — namely, one of the former and two of the latter for Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. Each department or province in Algeria has a general council composed exclusively of French and natives ; the foreign element permitted under the Empire is now excluded. The number of each council is fixed at 36 — namely, 30 ordinary members, French citizens, elected in Algeria, and 6 native asses- sors, named by the Minister of the Interior. In the growing necessity which is now felt for extending civil government in Algeria, the rule played by the army in times past should never be over- looked ; its results are written in the great works everywhere carried out by it. After the conquest it pacified the country, and gave its first administra- tion, such as it was, and such as circumstances permitted. Now that mission is to a certain extent accomplislied ; still purely civil government is only practicable in the districts entirely pacified, and containing a considerable European element. The military force in Algeria constitutes the 19th Corps d'Armee of France. In time of war it can be divided in two ; 8 regiments of infantry, 2 regiments of artillery, 2 of cavalry, 1 battalion of engineers, can be mobilised and used for active operations in Europe. It consists of 4 regiments of Zouaves, 3 regi- ments of Tirailleurs indighies, 6 battalions of Chasseurs a pied, 3 battalions of Infanteric legire d'A/rique, 1 Foreign Legion — in all 53 battalions of infantry ; 4 regiments of Chasseurs d'A/rique, 3 regiments of Spahis, 1 brigade of Hussars — in all 52 squadrons ; 16 batteries of Artillery, and a certain number of Companies of Discipline. In 1884 the effective of all these forces amounted to 53,647 men and 14,850 hoi'ses. Frenchmen born in the country, or elect- ing to reside in it for ten years, are only compelled to serve one year in the army instead of the longer period in force in France. Of this force the only strictly local and native forces are the Spahis and Tirailleurs indigenes, or Turcos. The latter approach veiy nearly to the Native Infantry in India, the former to the Irregular Cavahy. Of the Spahis a certain number are stationed iu advanced posts in mili- tary territory, where each man (with the exception of such Europeans as may Introd. §10. SPORT 67 join the corps and officers) has a piece of ground allotted to him, wliich he is permitted to cultivate for his own use, free of taxation ; the other squadrons are lodged in government barracks. TJie regiments are recruited liy volun- teers, who may be either married or single, but no difference is made in their duty on this account ; they must also eacdi have a good horse and j)roduee a certificate of unexceptionable conduct. The period of service is four years, which may subsequently be extended by periods of from two to four years. No squadron can be composed of natives belonging exclusively to one tribe. Before they can be admitted to squadrons located in Stmilas as above described, they must have served at least two years in barracks. Frenchmen may be admitted on the same conditions as natives, except that no concession iif land is made to them. Natives cannot rise above the rank of Captain- commandant. § 10. Sl'OllT. The shooting season opens about the middle of August, and closes in the l)eginning of February, except for birds of passage, which may be shot from tiie 15th of March till the 15th of April. No one is permitted to shoot with- out a license ; persons desiring to olitain one should apply at the consulates of their resjiective nations. This applies principally to civil territory ; in military districts the authorities are by no means particular : still the law is the same in both. Tlie shooting in the immediate neighbourhood of Algiers is not good, the country is becoming too settled ; still there are places within easy range of town where hares and partridges may be found in considerable abundance. Snipe and wild ducks are abundant in the eastern part of the Metidja ; wood- cock can usually be met with in the marshes between the Maison Carree and the Gue de Constantiue, in December, and wild boar almost everywhere. For larger game the traveller must go farther off, and ought to obtain the co-operation of the Arabs of the district. Hut travellers coming to Algeria with a sole view to sjjort will certainly be disaii[iointed. The Government allows the following sums for the destruction of wild animals : — Lions, 40 f. each ; panthers, 40 — culjs of each, 15 f. ; hyenas, 15 ; and jackals, 2 f. The following table is interesting, showing the numbers of each kind killed in Algeria from 1873 to 1884 :— Anininfs. 1873 1874 1875 1870 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 Totals. Lions 7 9 9 1(5 12 21 11 10 1 3 2 101 Lionesses . 3 14 12 11 '.) 7 11 5 1 1 1 81 Wheliis . 1 1 5 2 3 3 2 17 I'lmlllLTS . ill l»3 iO!l 111 12(i J21 135 100 7i 48 58 84 1,095 I)n. ycJIlllg s (1 S 3 17 30 15 12 4 8 119 UyiMiiis •J20 200 217 194 211 \M 114 141 04 132 102 101 1.882 Jackals Totals . 2028 2773 2UI0 3tMS 2919 271)0 2175 2900 601 14(kS 1013 1584 27,185 2808 3098 3272 3988 3320 3098 2404 3109 047 1050 ■w. 1728 S0,4S0 08 § ^^- .SPORT Algeria Lion and Panther Hunting. — Tlie presence of a Hon or panther is soon known by the numerous ravages comniitted amongst the flocks and herds in thfi district. The men of tlie tribe tlien assemble, and fix the day for hunting it. In the meantime eight or ten are appointed to watch its movements, and decide on the best metliod of attack. On the day appointed all come well armed. Five or six of the bravest and most agile are selected to undertake the dangerous task of forcing the beast to quit its lair. TJie tribe now divides itself into seven or eight groups, which surround the l)lace where it is known to be, each group being connected with the next one by skirmishers. Those selected to attack now advance, accompanied by dogs, carefully examining every bush, and keeping themselves ready for any eventuality. The outer circle is gradually contracted, the dogs com- mence to howl and bark, and very soon the exact spot where the animal is concealed becomes known. It generally remains stretched on its belly, its head resting on its fore paws, till the dogs are within a few paces ; it then makes a bound on the nearest dogs, who usually pay for their temerity with their lives. While occupied with them it is attacked by the Arabs from every direction, but at a respectful distance, and is soon riddled with balls. If it is killed outright the delight of the Arabs is boundless, but if only wounded the}^ have to look out for their own safety ; if there is a horseman amongst them, it is generally on him that the beast fixes his attention ; and he requires a good eye, and his horse a sure and rapid foot, to effect an escape, while those on foot finish him off". The lioness has her young ones about the end of January, and these remain with her, and, like her, make their voices heard at the first approach of danger. She defends them bravely, which the female panther does not always do. Ambuscades are also much used for shooting wild animals. A hole is dug, the bottom of which is an inclined plane of 45 degrees, jiist large enough to contain a man. The huntsman enters it, the top is covered over with boughs of trees and a thin layer of earth, leaving only a small hole for air and for the muzzle of his gun. In front of this is tied an animal, either living or just killed, care being taken that the ambuscade should be well to leeward of the direction in which the beast is expected to arrive. Pitfalls are also constructed for large animals in the shape of an inverted funnel, covered over like the ambuscades, and generally placed behind some natural obstacle which the lion would have to clear at a bound to reach the animal used as a decoy, generally a goat or sheep fastened to a picket. Wild Boar Hunting. — The Avild boar commits great destruction in culti- vated fields, which it grubs up in search of the roots of arums and other bulbous plants, and it equally devours the gi-aiu when it reaches maturity. It is as much to extirpate them as to obtain their flesh that the Arabs chase the wild boar, which they do either from ambuscades or in the open field. When they wish to have a grande battue they collect three or fom- hundred men, of whom fifteen or twenty are well armed. The beaters drive the boars towards them, and sometimes a considerable number are killed and young ones captured. Introd. § 10. SPOUT GO Gazelle Hunting. — Gazelles are hunted either IVoiu aiuhuscadcs or liy riding them down. In the former case a certain number of persons conceal themselves behind brushwood or natural incfiuaiities of ground, wliile otlicrs ou horseback go out in searcli of a herd of gazelles and try to drive tliem to where their companions are posted. In the latter case, two or three men on horseback follow the Hock at a gentle trot till the animals are tired, when, at a given signal, they gallop in amongst them, and when at forty or fifty paces distant fire at them with slugs ; each Arab frequently kills his two beasts. Bustard Shooting. — The bustard is found on all the plains of the south, and even in some parts of the Tell in the hot season ; its flight is heavy, though tolerably long sustained. As soon as it perceives a man it tries to conceal itself behind a tuft of alfa or tall grass, follows every movement of the sportsman, and rarely allows him to get within sliot except during the hottest part of the day, when it almost allows itself to be ridden over. Tlie bustard in its flight has always an inclination to go in a circular direction ; the Arab takes advantage of this peculiarity by getting beyond it, and, with- out appearing to follow it, endeavours to make it describe a gradually decreas- ing circle till he gets within range. He usually tries to hit it on tlie wing, in tlie hope of breaking a leg or a wing, as its plumage is so thick that it is exceedingly diflicult to kill wlicn rimning. The lesser bustard, or Pouh dc Carthage, is common, and aflbrds excellent sport. Falconry. — The best falcons arc found in Jebel Amour or the Sahara. Immediately a falcon is snared, its master covers its head with a leathern hood, and perches it on his shoulder, taking care to sew a thick pad of leatlier oil tliat part of his burnous. It is left two daj's without food, and then it is fed on fresli raw meat, with the head uncovered. Tliis is repeated twice eveiy day, and in the intervals its master does all he can by caresses to tame it, and accustom it to captivity. In two or three months he begins to accustom it to search for its own food while still attaclied to him by a tliiu string ; and even on the mornings of the days when it is subsei^uently to bo employed, he endeavours to let it see and almost attack a living iiuarry. The falcons principally used by tiie Arabs are the Saker {Fulco saccr), the Lanner {Falco lanurius), tlic Barbary Falcon {Falco barbarus), and the I'eregrine {Falco j'cregrinua), all of which species breed in tlio country. The trade of tamer of falcons is hereditary in certain families, and it is only the highest ranks of Arabs who can alford to indulge in this luxury. The falconers usually form part of their retinue. An expedition of this nature is usually a great fete in an Arab tribe ; it is i'requently arranged to celebrate a marriage, or the visit of a person of distinction. A day is selected when the atmosphere is perfectly clear. The falconers arc mounted on horseback, generally with three falcons, two on tlie shoulders and one on the head. Forty or fifty horsemen place themselves iu a single line, thirty or forty paces apart, while otliers ou foot beat the ground between them. It is usually in the great plateaux of the south, covcied witli alfa, tiiat To § !'• ZOOLOGY AUjc.ria this sport is practisdl. Tlu; iiioiiic7it a liarc is staiteil tlio falcons are un- liooduil, and allowed to see their [ircy. Tliey at once soar into tlie air out of sight ; the horsemen start ofi' at full gallop, with loud cries ; the birds poise themselves for a moment in the air, and then descend with deadly aim on their victim, which would soon be torn to jiieces did the falconers not rush forward and regain their birds. Not only hares, but partridges, bustards, flamingoes, and other large birds are thus hunted, and so precious are well-trained falcons that they are trans- mitted from father to son, and no money would temjjt an Arab to part with one. The casual visitor to Algiers must not count on being able to enjoy much of this sport, unless he is on terms of intimacy with some of the superior French officers in the south of the colony, who might perhaps be induced to organise a day's " Chassc aud:faucons" for his amusement. Partridge Shooting. — The Arabs have several strange methods of shooting or killing partridges. One is to take advantage of the propensity which these birds have to huddle together in case of danger. An Arab covers himself with the skin of a lion, panther, jackal, etc. ; and when he sees a covey frightened at his approach he fires into the middle of them, and not unfrequently kills eight or ten at one shot. They are also frequently able to attract them at night by means of a lantern, and kill them with sticks. § 11. Zoology. The Fauna of Algeria does not differ materially from that of the Mediter- ranean system in general. In the eastern portion it resembles that of Sicily and Sardinia, while in the west it approaches more nearly still to that of Spain. The presence of European birds in Algeria is of course easily explained ; but there are many mammalia, fish, reptiles and insects common to both countries. Some of these are no longer found in Southern Europe, such as the lion, panther, serval {Felis serral), h3'ena, jackal, golden fox ( VuliKS niloticus), genet {Genetta afro) ; but abundant evidence of the exist- ence of these in remote ages is found in the caverns of the south of France. One species of genet, however ( Vivcrra gcnelta), is very common in Spain, and the jackal [Canis aureus) is abundant in some provinces of Eurojiean Turke}-. The progress of civilisation in Europe has caused their disappearance, while Mohammedan barbarism has favoured their multiplication in Africa, a country little inhabited, and abounding in flocks and herds. The lion is hardly ever found in the mountains of Kabylia, except some- times in the Oued es-Sahel. Its favourite haunts are in the neighbourhood of Jemmapes, between PhUippeville and Bone, and the back of the Djurdjura range, between the Oued es-Sahel and Aumale ; it is now, however, rapidly approaching extinction. The panther is found more or less frequently all over the country, as are various other species of the cat and dog tribe, iloufflons or wild goat {Ammotragus tragelaphus) and gazelles are common in the south. The Algerian monkey {Initus ecaudatus) is found from the gorge of the Chitla as far as the eastern limit of Kabylia. Their depredations are sometimes ver)' serious, and the natives use every means in their power, short of shooting Introd. § 11. ZOOLOGY 71 tliein, to drive tliem away. They entertain a superstitious dread of killin;; these animals, as they believe them to be tlic deseendaiits of members of tin- human race, who, having incurred the Divine anger, were deprived of sjieech. In the forest of the Beni Saleh, in the province of Constantino, red deer {Cervus harharus) are still to be found, but they are becoming rarer every year, owing in a great measure to the destruction of the forest land by fire ; there is too much reason to fear that they will soon become extinct. They may be found in the forest of Beni Saleh, and in the vicinity of Ghardimaou on the Tunisian railway. One of the most important animals in Algeria is the camel, and the Arabs reckon their wealth by the number they i)ossess. These animals, which live thirty or forty years, are not usually worked before five years of age, nor after twenty-five. They are docile and domestic, and are of incalculable value as beasts of burden in the desert, where no other animal could live for so long without water — one supply of which, every live or si.x days, suilices for them. They have also been successfully employed by the French generals as a means of transport for troops ; but they can only be used in the Sahara, as north of the Atlas the climate is too cold. A good camel will carry a load of from 500 lbs. to 800 lbs., or even more, for a distance of 30 or 40 miles in a day. There is a larger variety, called by the Arabs "Mehari," which has hardly any hump, and which is used more for speed than for carrying Inirdcns. It is capable ol' performing a journey of 80 to 100 miles, for several days in succession, keep- ing at a trot the whole distance. The food of the camel is grass and branches of trees, and sometimes barley and dates. When they are past work they are fattened for killing, the Hesh being considered good and wholesome, especially the hump, which is the choicest part. The skiu is used for several purposes, and the hair is used for weaving into various tissues, especially Arab tent cloth. The milk of the camel is a staple article of food amongst the Arabs. The native cattle of Algeria are of excellent (piality as a stock on which to graft the better European varieties. They arc hardy, and sui)port admirably the alternations of heat and cold, wet and drought, to which they are exposeil in the pasture-lands of the High Plateaux. One of the great sources of wealth in this colony is its sheep, which are lircd on the High Plateaux, where agriculture is imi)ossible. Before the con- ([ucst the Arabs reaped hardly any advantage from their ilocks, as they were to a great extent cut olf from a market on the coast by the rapacity of tln' intervenitig tril)es. For some years after the conipiest two or three shillings was considered a fair price for a sheep ; even in 1860 one could be purchased at the market of Bou-Farik, close to Algiers, for from nine to eleven shillings ; now a similar beast fetches sixteen to twenty shillings, and when sent by rapid steam transport to France, it realises from thirty-two to forty in the Palis market, where during the summer more than 20,000 are sent every month. Regarding the horse, the reader cannot do better tlian study the excellent work of (iencnil Diiuinas, " Les Chevaux du Sahara." The Omithologic fauna of the coast district of Algeria closely resembles that of Southern Europe, though even in that portion of the country some 72 § 11- 5500LOGY Algeria hirils ;uu ruuinl wliosc occurrence in Europe rests upon very slender evidence ; amongst tlicse may be mentioned the T(tliagra Shrike, the Dusky Ixos, tlie Ultramarine Titmouse, the Algerian Chaflinch, and Moussier's Redstart, all of which species are to be frequently met with in the neighbourhood of Algiers, and are often brought to the market of that city. In the High Plateaux and the Sahara many sjiecies of birds unknown in Europe occur, and the province of Constantine is especially rich. Amongst the more conspicuous birds of the mountains may be mentioned the Liimmergeyer, the Imperial, Tawny, Golden and Bonelli's Eagles, and the Bald Ibis ; whilst the Houbara Bustard, the Demoiselle Crane, and various species of sand gi'ouse, occur in the vast plains of the interior. Ostriches are found sparingly in the northern part of the Sahara, and more plentifully farther south, but are every year becoming more rare. They are gregarious, living in herds of five or six individuals. An ostrich skin with the feathers is worth on the spot from £10 to £25 ; but it is very seldom that one can be obtained that has not been more or less thinned by the Arabs. Ostriches, when pursued, always run in circles, so that while one party of horsemen follows the herd, another rides at right angles to a place affording a good look-out, endeavouring to discover the route taken by the birds. If they succeed in this they pursue them, and usually run down one or more, although some of their horses frequently fall exhausted before the chase is over. When running at full speed they can easily outstrip the horses, their stride being from 25 to 28 feet ! Ostrich eggs are excellent eating. The .shells are sold in Algiers, some coloured and mounted for ornament only, and others made into sugar-basins, cups, etc. Fish. — Every species of fish that is found in the Mediterranean is caught off the coast of Algeria, among the most important of which are the tunny, sardine, sole, mullet, besides shellfish in great variety ; the Algerian prawns, especially those of Bone, being of enormous size and delicate flavour. The fresh waters of Algeria contain twenty-one species of fish, none of Avhicli are of much value from an economic' point of view, with the exception of two species of barbel and the common eel. Of the number five are peculiar to Algeria : the trout [Salmo macrostigma), which loves the cool and limpid water of the Oued Z'hour and its aflluents, flowing over beds of granite and gneiss through cool shady forests in the vicinity of Collo — this is the most southern of the salmon family ; the Tellia apoda, a small cj'prinodon, desti- tute of ventral fins, which has no known habitat save the spring of Bou- Merzug, from which it never strays more than half a mile ; the Leiiciscus callcnsis, which peoples all the lakes and springs in the east of Algeria ; the Barhiis sdifcnsis, which is found everj'where ; and the Syngnathus algcriensis, peculiar to the Seybouse and the two streams which unite to form it, the Oued Cherf and the Bou-Hamdan ; and a species of Chromis (C. tristramii) from the desert. The fish fauna of the Tell and High Plateaux belongs exclusively to the Mediterranean system ; the Sahara alone is linked to Africa by its Chromidie. Several attempts have been made to introduce other species as articles of food. The Arabs have never shown a very great liking for fish, and have never hitrod. § 11- zi^oLOGY 73 attempted to naturalise tliem, except in the case of the guldliftli, whieli WiUi prized latlier for its beauty than for its economic value. The first attempt to introduce European species since the Frendi conquest was made in 1858 by ilM. Kralik and Cosson, who brouglit to Constantine a iKirrel of young carp and tiie ova of various Sahnonid;e. The latter were suc- cessfully hatched, and the young fish developed rapidly in the pure water of the cistern in which they were placed ; but no sooner were they launched into the water of the river Rouniel than their bodies and eyes seemed to get covered with a sort of calcareous film, and they speedily died. The carp, on the contrary, have succeeded admirably in tlie Basin of Djcbel Waliasli, and have multiplied amazingly. Some were p>ut into the Rouuiel ; but the Zouaves, informed of their translation, immediately set to work to catch them, and soon destroyed these new denizens of the river. Attempts at pisciculture have also been made in the province of Algiers, where carp and, more recently, tench have succeeded perfectly in reservoirs. At this point, however, the experiment has remained stationary, and no effort to naturalise the fish thus Itred has been made. The question, as far as relates to the Salmonida;, appears easy to resolve, after the experience gained at Constantine. Fish of this family recjuire fresh and clear water not charged witli calcareous deposits. Tiicse conditions are only possible on certain points of the littoral, particularly in Eastern Kabylia, and partly in that of l5abor, where the streams rise on the sides of high mountains, preserving a temperature nearly constant, ilowing on a bed of gneiss, granite, or schist, and [irotected from the rays of the sun by shady forests. Unfortunately, on the whole of the littoral of the provinces of Constantine and Algiers, the mountain-range is broken up into an infinite variety of little basins, very steep, which oidy supply ninning water from autumn till June. An extensive zone of acclimatisation cannot, therefore, be antit'ipated for the salmon family ; and the small volume of water in those streams will not permit the introduction of the larger species ; but the Algerian trout may well l)e employed to peo[)le the few suitable rivers where it does not already exist. In this zone also an attempt might advantageously be made to introduce fish of other families, especially of the Percidie, which delight in clear and limpid water. In the [irovince of Oran these might succeed in the upiier part of the Tafna, which Hows over a bed of rocks and gravel. In other jiarts of the country, where even the most important streams sink, during the hot season, to a mere series of pools connected by shallow rills thoroughly heated by the sun's rays, the carp and tench oiler tlie best chances of success. The latter (which, in Europe, inhabits muddy marshes almost dry in summer, without detriment to the tiuality of its llesh) might endure as well as the barbel the calcareous salts which the majority of rivers in Algeria hold in solution, the rather that they would be free from their natural enemies the larger crustaceans and voracious fishes. It is by no means uncommon for fish to be ejected by artesian wells ; and this has formed the subject of numerous si)eculations. It has beeu concluded that these lish inhabited the vast subterranean sea which occupies the bottom 74 § 11- '/'<>< )Lon\ Algeria of tlif^ Saliaiiui (IcprcsHioii ; and it lias hccii asked how, il' tliey were destined to live in perpetual obscurity, they were not destitute of eyes like the Sirens of the grottoes of Caruiola or the Crustacea of the Mammoth Cave in the United States ? We have already noticed the existence, from Biskra as far as Temacin, of bahrs or goiiffrcs, which communicate with the underground sheet of water, and occupy too great a surface to be regarded as the enlarged apertures of fallen-in wells. All tliese apertures are inhabited by considerable numbers of Cyprinodons and Chroraidre. There they live freely exposed to air and light, and breed under normal conditions. Their undergi'ound life is merely an episode, and, as it were, an incident in the voyages which they undertake between one hahr and another. When they reach the neighbourhood of a well they are forced up with the water or oliey an instinct to mount to the surface. Snakes of various species occur throughout Algeria, but the only venomous one is the Cerastes, or horned viper, found commonly in the Sahara, but some- times also in the High Plateaux. The tortoise, chameleon, scorpion, and a large species of lizard, called by the Arabs "Deb," are also found. Mention must also be made of the Locusts, which are one of the plagues of Algeria. They appear every few years ; and four serious incursions have taken place since the French conquest. These invasions take place under a double form : first, dark clouds of adult insects darkening the sun, and appearing like a thick fall of snow, come from the direction of the High Plateaux. These soon commence to lay their eggs in any light sandy soil they can find, and in thirty or thirty-five days after- wards the young insects or criquets commence to appear. These are far more destructive than the parents, and under their attacks vegetation of ever}' kind disappears as by magic. They usually ajipear towards the close of the hot season, and the first rain or cold of autumn causes them all to disa]ipear. The first serious invasion of locusts was in 1845, and did considerable damage ; but as European cultivation was not then in a very advanced state its effects were not seriously felt. The second was in 1866, and left deeper traces for several years, both from the immense number of insects which remained, and from the permanent injury done to vegetable life, which has been estimated at £800,000. The third was in 1874, less calamitous than the others, owing to the vigorous measures taken to destroy both the adult insect.*;, the eggs, and the criquets. The fourth is devastating Algeria at the present moment (1889), and no one can predict when it may terminate. During 1888 it prevailed over an area of 300,000 hectares, containing a population of 700,000 souls ; the estimated value of the loss sustained being 25 millions of francs. In 1889 this is expected to be much greater. The inhabitants of the desert, however, do not regard these insects with the same dread as do those of more fertile districts ; for them they are a precious manna sent by I'rovidence ; they collect them with care, di-y and salt them, and devour them with as much relish as a Londoner does shrimps at MarL'ate. Introd. § 12. GEOLOGY, mineralogy, hot springs, etc. § 12. Geology, Minkralooy, Hot Spkincs, ktc. Geology. — Tlic Crystalline rocks, iiicliuliiig granite, gneiss, and mica- .schist, are but slightly developed as regards superficial extent, though tliey attain a considerable thickness. They seem to be confined to the neighbour- liood of the coast, on or near which they are found in small patches, and at distant intervals all the way from Tetuan and Ceuta, in Worocco, to the frontier of the Tunisian territory. There is a patch near Nemours, not far from the west frontier of Algeria, and others at Algiers, the Djurdjura mountains, Djebel Goiifi (Cape Bougiaroni), and Djebel Edough, between I'liilippuville and Bone. The Palaeozoic rocks also attain a considerable thickness, though witli a small superficial development ; and as fossils have not yet been discovered in them, their age is not accurately known, but they arc thought to belong to the Silurian epoch. They consist for the most part of much altered limestones, associated with schists ; in places of argillaceous or arenaceous schists with (juartzite. They are found in the neighbourhood of the coast, usually at the spots where the crystalline rocks show themselves. Upon tliese palieozoic rocks rest unconformably at certain places a con- siderable tiiickness of red conglomerates, coarse sandstones, and arenaceous slates. 'I'hcy are non-fossiliferou.s, and may be either Devonian or Pemiian. Jurassic strata are only found in scattered patches in the two eastern pro- vinces of Algeria, but in the province of Oran they are extensively developed. The former seem, from tlie fossils which their limestones and dolomites con- tain, to blend together the tliree divisions into which the lias can usually be separated. In the province of Oran, above these liassic strata, are others nearly 2000 ft. thick, which fall into the Kelloway, Oxford clay, and Coral rag divisions of the Middle Oolite. It seems that tlie Lower and Upper Oolite arc not represented, and the next beds an' those that belong to The Cretaceous formation, which in the provinces of Constantino and Algiers are so well developed that some geologists believe all the divisions into which the formation is distinguisludde in France are to be found here. The Neocomian division, which is chielly composed of sandstones and marls, with a thickness of more than 1000 ft., is seen at a number of detached points, extending from Tunis to Morocco. The mountainous district near Cherehel and ililianah is composed of these beds, which hereabouts reach the coast. The greater part of the hill of Chennoua, east of Cherehel, consists of inferior cretaceous rocks. The middle and upper divisions of the cretaceous formation cover a large extent of surface in Algeria, and in many districts the beds are much inflcxcd and dislocated, il. Coquand, who lias examined the geological features of Constantine, states that he has met with five stages of the lower chalk, seven of the middle chalk, and four of the upper chalk, with their characteristic fossils. The upper divisions are but feebly develojied in tiie Oraneso Tell, but in the south of the jjrovince it occujiies a considerable superficies. Commencing the Tertiary beds with the Nummulitic division of the Eocene, rocks of that formation have been found at many detached points, 76 § 12. OKOLOGY, MINERALOGY, HOT SrUINGS, ETC. Ahjeria liut not to extend over a wide .surface of the country. In tlie province of Constantine there are patches in tlie Higii Plateaux and in the mountainous region l)ordering tiieni on tlic south. A more northerly band of patches is seen passing by the mountains of Babor (between Djidjelly and Bougie), Djurdjura, Bouzegza (the striking hill seen from Algiers in the south-east), Chennoua (seen from Algiers in the west), and Cape Tenes. In the province of Oran only a few small fragments have been discovered. The beds of the Miocene epoch are extensively developed in Algeria. The lowest division is well seen at Tiziouzou (Djurdjura), and on the flanks of the Atlas between Blidah and El-Affrouu ; also at Milianah and Tenes, all in the province of Algiers. The next stage is susceptible of division into several groups, one of which is the exact equivalent of the faluns of Touraine, abounding in Ostrcea crassissima. The cedar forest of Teniet-el-Ahd stands above beds of this division, the Helvetian group of continental geologists. A third stage, which does not contribute to the constitution of the Atlas ranges, but is only found at their feet, is chiefly composed of marls and sandy limestones or molasse. These beds are well developed in the Saliel of Algiers. In this district we find first a coarse sandstone with clyj)eastus, then a thick deposit of marls, which in places are rich in shells, and at the top a molasse with Tcrehratula ampulla. The Pliocene epoch is represented in the province of Oran by sandstones with many recent shells, which sometimes attain a thickness of 150 m. (plateau of Mostaganem, valley of the Chelif, etc.) In the other provinces such beds are as yet unknown. Beds of the Quaternary epoch (applying the term to all deposits posterior to the last Alpine dislocations) cover very large spaces in Algeria, and offer problems which will recpure much study on the part of the geologist. The lowest division consists of a thick deposit of pebbles surmounted by beds of gravel, above which is an argillaceous deposit. These beds are posterior to the latest basaltic rocks, and they have been subjected to a movement of elevation. The immense extent covered by these deposits in the interior of the country is very remarkable, as well as the height to which the)' reach on the Plateaux. They appear to be of precisely the same nature as those ex- tending over enormous spaces in the Sahara. Their origin remains an unsolved enigma. One point, however, is clear : they do not belong to a deposit, originally continuous and afterwards dislocated, but they were accumulated by atmospheric agencies in separate basins of greater or less extent. In the coast region the plain of the Metidja and the valley of the Chelif afford examples of these wonderful accumulations of transjiorted materials. The Metidja plain has been bored to the depth of 600 ft. without reaching the limit of the quaternary deposits. In addition to these subaerial deposits there are raised beaches to be seen at intei'vals all along the coast, from Tunis to the Atlantic border of Morocco, showing that the land has been elevated a few feet in recent times, for the fossils thus brought into view belong to the existing fauna of the Mediter- ranean. Finally, there is the earthy matter deposited in the great depressions, Introd. § 12. gkologt, minerat.ooy, hot springs, etc. 77 called by the Arabs Sebkas or Chotts. These are hollows, frequently of a great size, which in some cases are llUed with water, in others permanently dry. The deposit alluded to is of a more or less argillaceous and very tine material. It is often stratified, the beds being sometimes a few yards in thickness. In it are found shells of terrestrial molluscs of living species. Though the sedimentary deposits above dcsiriKcd runstitute the most prom- inent features of the geology of Algeria, Eruptive rocks are not wanting in this country. It is true their mineralogical character is not always easy to determine ; but we may admit, in general, that many of those rocks have a great affinity with melaphyrs and basalts, whereas others belong to diorites, dolorites, porphyries, and trachytes. In the province of Oran basalts are common, particularly between Oran and Tlem^en, but it is in the province of Algiers that eruptive rocks have been most studied. They appear there either like gigantic dikes, disposed on more or less regular lines, directed generally from east to west, or they are scattered about like isolated islands. The first are foi' the most part represented by a chain of mountains or hills— such are the two eruptive ranges between Jlilianah and Chercliel — of which the one follows the northern slope of the Sra Kebira, and the other (to the north of the first) extends from the chain of Djthel Souma, nearly to the small town of Zurich. Farther to the north, the shore between Cherchel and the Oued Arbil is more or less chequered by numerous volcanic outbursts, which, without following uninterrupted lines, follow the direction of the shore, and consequently range equally from east to west. Among those volcanic manifestations must be mentioned a kind of peperino which occurs in the neighbourhood of Cherchel, where, on both sides of the Oiicd cl-Hachcm, the tertiary regulai-ly-stratified deposits present a curious alteration in the structure and the mineralogical composition of the rock ; for not only are these tertiary strata highly indurated, as if they had been exposed to the action of lire, but they include a quantity of little dark-greenish fragments, different from any rock occurring on the surface of tlie country. It is there- fore probable that the agent which converted those tertiary strata into a vol- canic conglomerate, reminding us of the 2)e2)erino of I?ome and Najiles, was of a subterraneous nature, the more so as a dark -greenish rock, very like a diorite, composes the superior part of the mountain Djebel Arujaud, situated to the west of Cherchel, near the mouth of the Oued Masselmun. The jjcpcrino of Cherchel occurs equally in the plain of Metidja. The three above-mentioned zones (Sra Kebir, Oued -Arbil, and the shore of Cherchel) constitute the chief linear ranges of volcanic rocks in the province of Algiers ; but, as we have already stated, except those linear (or nearly so) volcanic expansions, the country in question is chequered by numerous vol- canic outbursts .scattered about promiscuously. Such are the local outbursts which generally mark the site of hot springs so abundant in this country, and among which the llummam Mclouan is one of the most remarkable. An inj- portant local volcanic outburst is offered by the mountain Znkkur Gharhi (to the north-west of Milianah), crossed by a por|ihyric dike of a whitish colour more than 8 kilometres in length. It is chiefly composed of fel.spar, including ( rystals of quartz, small lamellaj of mica, and some other minerals in less 78 § 12. OEOLOOY, MINERALOGY, HOT SPRINO.S, ETC. Ahjeria quantities. It may jaTliaps not be (juite without the limits of our subject to remark that the vegetation observed on tiiis large dike consists almost exclu- sively of the Cistus ladani/erus, a fact which offers a curious exemplification of the peculiar connection between the chemical composition of the .soil and its vegetable character. It is highly i^robablc that all the above-mentioned volcanic rocks in the provinces of Oran and Algiers are contemporaneous, or nearly so, and there cannot be any doubt about their age, for they have all protruded through the tertiary deposits of the country, and therefore are of a post-tertiary e]ioch. One of the numerous instances which prove this statement is offered by the pepcrino of the plain of lletidja, where, on many points, this volcanic con- glomerate is covered by the quaternary deposits, which, moreover, frequently include fragments of the volcanic rocks of the country. It is most likely that these may be discovered in other parts of Algeria ; but in the present state of our knowledge we must limit ourselves to tho.se positively ascertained. At all events, the concentration of volcanic rocks in the province of Algiers, and in the ])roximity of the town, may account for the frequent earthquakes to which Algiers, lilidah, Djidjelly, etc., ai-e subject. This ra}>id sketch cannot be closed without inquiring into the part which the phenomenon of glaciation may have played in the geological liistory of Algeria — a phonomenon whicli has given rise to a greater amount of con- troversy than perhaps any other fact of Natural Philosophy. It is true Algeria has not yet been sufficiently explored to yield a satisfactory answer to this important question ; nevertheless many of its regions have been carefully studied by able geologists, such as MM. Coquand, Yille, and Pomel, from whose observations all traces of the glacial epoch could not have escaped had they existed. It seems, therefore, very probable that Algeria has not been exposed to the glacial period. This fact is of great importance, because it adds another large country to the number of those which do not offer any trace of a geological phasis considered by so many natural philosophers as having invaded the greatest part of our globe — a hypothesis which loses ground as our geological investigations gain in extension. So, for instance, no positive trace of the glacial period has hitherto been ascertained in European Turke)-, Greece, in the Caucasus, in the Himalayan mountains, in Thibet, or in China ; neither did M. de Tchihatchef discover any in the Altaien mountains of Siberia, or on any point of the large peninsula of Asia Minor, which during six years he crossed in every direction. Like all those countries, Algeria seems to have escaped the action of the glacial period, in spite of the proximity of oth^r coun- tries invaded by it, an exemption which has a striking parallel in Asia Minor ; for the northern shores of this peninsula are separated only by a distance of about 500 kilometres from the southern limit of the erratic blocks in Euro- pean Kussia, which do not go beyond the latitude of 51 degi-ees, a distance almost equal to that between Land's End and the Pentland Straits. It will easily be admitted that if one of these two extremities of England were now to be buried under a thick permanent crust of ice, such an event would have a great elTect upmi the opposite extremity, whatever might be the nature of the Tiltrod. § 12. GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, HOT SPRINGS, ETC. 79 intermediate space, whetlier land or water, for in the first case traces of ancient moraines, as well as furrowed and scratched surfaces of rocks, would indicate the former existence and movement of glaciers ; and, in the second case, erratic blocks and debris would have been transported from one i)oiut to the other by floating masses of ice. The absence in Asia Minor of any traces of the intense cold which during the glacial periotl prevailed through almost the whole of European Russia is partitularly striking, when we consider that now, when the large Russian plains are no longer covered with glaciers, but merely exposed to the atmospheric current coming directly from the Arctic region, they exercise a strong inllueiice on the climate of the Black Sea, of the northern shores of Asia Minor, of the Bosphorus and of Constantinople. This refrigerant action manifests itself not only by the dej>rcssion of the annual, and particularly of the winter temperature, much lower than that of any countries placed under the same latitude and under similar tojjographical conditions, but also by the curious phenomenon of congelation, of which the Black Sea, the Bosphorus, and even the Dardanelles have oftered several instances, for M. de Tchihatchef has shown that this fact has occurred no less tlian seventeen times during the liistorical period.' All those extraordinary phenomena receive a new support from Algeria, for the littoral of Africa is separated from Southern France and Italy, where tlie glacial period has left unmistakable traces, by a distance still smaller than that between Asia Minor and Southern Russia. Therefore the absence in Algeria of any well-ascertained traces of the glacial epoch is a most important contribution to the argument wliicli may be alleged in favour of the state- ment — that the glacial period, fiir from possessing a (jcncral character, is less remarkable for its extension than for its localisation, and took jilace not only independently of temperature and geographical position, but rather in a most striking opposition to such conditions, .so that the extension of glacial pheno- mena has been checked or favoured b}' causes hitherto inaccessible to our knowledge, and at any rate very dilTerent from those admitted by the theories of many geologists belonging to the school of glacialists. Mineralogy. During the last 30 years numerous concessions of Iron, Lead, Copper, and other minerals have been made, but the working of them has not always been attended with success, principally owing to the want of adequate means of transport. The mineral wealth of Algeria appears to be boundless ; calamine or carbonate of zinc, cinnabar or sulphide of mercury, various ores of copper, ami argentiferous lead ore, are found in great almndancc, especially in tjie province of Constantine. But the most valualdo mineral of Algeria is its iron, which is found close to the sea, throughout nearly the whole littoral. The quality is exceptionally rich and good ; it is nearly devoid of sulphur, arsenic, and phosphorus ; the proportion of metal in the ore is- sufficient to enable it to pay a heavy freight to Kuro])e, and in much 1 Vide "A.sie Mineurc," vol. ii. (CliinntoloRii'), pp. .■!.'i-(17, l>y 1' >\'' Trliiliatdirf ; aii'l " Le Hospliore et CVmstantiuople," pp. 208-31S, by the sniiic aiilhnr. 80 § 12. GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, nOT SPRINGS, ETC. Alijcrui of it tliore is a large .'pi'oiwi'tion of manganese, which is of the greatest value in the reduction of the metal. Algeria possesses immense quantities of Salt. In lioutm 12 ami 21 will be found a description of two remarkable mountains of rock-salt ; and there are many enormous salt lakes and marshes, somt; of them being hundreds of square miles in area, which could be made to furnish almost any quantity. Many different kinds of marble are found, some of it of excellent quality, such as the white, gray, red, green, rose-veined, etc. The quarry of so-called Algerian onyx at Ain Tekbalet was formerly worked by the Romans. More than sixty ancient quarries have recently been found near Kleber, in the province of Oran, yielding the long-lost Numidiau marbles formerly so highly prized. They are of a riclmcss and beauty quite unequalled in any other part of the world. Building-stone is abundant ; also freestone, gritstone, gypsum, potters' and brick clay, and slate. Hot SpEixfis. There are numerous thermal springs in Algeria, but few of them are as j'et turned to any account. Those principally used are : — The Hammam RMra, the Roman Aquse Calidfe, near Bon Medfa, on the railway to Oran. Traces of the ancient Roman town still exist ; and there is a large and commodious establishment there. Temp, about 115° Fahr, The Hammam Melouan, in the valley of the Harrach, much frequented by the natives, who have implicit belief in the efficacy of the waters. Temp. 103° Fahr. The Hammam Meskoutin, near Guelma. These are the most remarkable of any of the hot springs of Algeria. The waters contain a great deal of carbonate of lime in solution, which, gradually depositing, has formed a large rock, from the top of which the springs issue. They are the hottest of all the sources in the countrj', the temperature being 203° Fahr. The Hammam at the Portes-de-fer, containing 22 centigrammes of sulphate of soda per litre of water, and having a temperature of 158° to 170° Fahr., iS excellent in cases of cutaneous diseases. The Ain M'kebrita, 50 kil. S.E. of Constantine, which, though not very warm, is rich in sulphur and chloride of sodium. The Bain de la Reine, 3 miles from Oran, where there are bath-houses. The waters, which rise in a grotto, have a temperature of about 125° Fahr. Besides those here mentioned, many other mineral springs, both hot and cold, exist, which are less frequented. (See the various localities indicated.) Earthquakes. Algeria is subject to earthquakes, which frequently occur, and arc occa- sionally very severe. One occurred in 1716, and continued with intervals for a whole month. In 1825 Blidah was entuely destroyed by one, and, accord- ing to Consul -General Thomas's report, more than 14,000 of the inhabit- Introd. § 13. COLONISATION, AGRICULTURE, FORESTS, ETC. 81 ants perished ; and again, in 1867, the same town and several snrrounding villages were partially thrown down. The town of Djidjelly was also destroyed liy the same cause in 1855. A very severe one occurred at M'sila in the end of 1885. § 13. Colonisation', AoiiicrLTi'RK, Fore.sts, etc. Colonisation. — The colonisation of Algeria is a splendid work still far from completion. A long extent of .seaboard, rich soil, boundless material wealth, a fine climate, magnificent scenery, the most fiivourable geographical position conceival)le, — all these ought to secure for it a brilliant future. France has indeed done much for it, and the world owes her a debt of grati- tude for having converted a country which on the sea-coast was a nest of pirates, and in the interior a chaos of anarchy, into a colony, not yet indeed as prosperous as it ought to be, but still an infant of fair promise, requiring only tranquillity and population to make it what it once was, the granary of Southern Europe. Like the con(piest of a country, colonisation should proceed inland from tlie sea. At first on the littoral there were low plains, marsh}' and hot, the nurseries of malarious fevers. These are now to a great extent drained, and long culture has rendered them comparatively healthy ; trees have every- where been planted, and it may be now said that the plains have been con- (juered to colonisation, and the higher ami more healthy lands are now open to it. An exception may perhaps be made to a certain extent in the plain of the Chelif. The agricultural produce of a country does not entirely depend on the fertility of its soil ; the hygrometrical condition of its climate is ecjually inij)ortant. Thus the ]>lains of the Metidja and Chelif have e(iually good soil, liut in the first, rain is more abundant, and the sea-breezes allbrd a certain quantity of moisture ; the consequence is that its harvests are generally good, and population can always find the means of increasing. But in the plain of tlie Clielif rain is more .scarce, the air drier, owing to the sea-breezes being shut out by a range of hills along the coa.st, and good harvests are not obtained more than once in three years. Evidently the only means of remedying this, and opening out this great plain to colonisation, is by constructing dams or barrages to irrigate the land, ami by planting trees on a grantl scale wherever possible. This plain contains 500,000 acres of land of the first quality, of which 200,000 are capaldc of being irrigated. Colonisation is here represented by luit few centies of European jiojtulation, of which the European inhabitants liardly exceed 4000, the natives l)eing scarce in proportion. Nevertheless, a railway and a good road traverse this valley for a length of 200 kilometres, and several barrages have been constructed. In the present condition of this ]ilain it woidd be inhumanity to create many villages, the heat of summer there being intense, and the absence of all shade greatly increasing the fatigue of labour ; wherever trees have been planted their inllueuce on the climate has been considcratjie, and there has been a perceptible decrease of temperature. [^Alijcria.^ G 82 § 13. COLONISATION, AouicuLTORE, FORESTS, ETC. Algeria From 18,3;j to 1844 absolutily iiotliiii^ was done towards coloiii.sation ; lietweon tin; latter year and 1848 the villages of the Sahel and of the Atlas were laid out, and many of them finished. Marshal Bugeaud conceived the idea of converting his soldiers into colonists ; he gave them lands, supplied them with tlie mules of his train, and built them the necessary public edifices ; but a year after not one of them remained ; they had sold both land and beasts and disajipeared, none can say Avhere. After the revolution of 1848 the AssemhUe Nationale voted with enthu- siasm the sum of £1,000,000 sterling for the purpose of establishing agricul- tural colonies in Algeria, and for the relief of the workmen of Paris thrown out of employment, nearly all of whom were strangers to such work. The number of immigrants who availed themselves of this arrangement was 10,376, and 41 colonies were created, having an area of about 140,000 acres. The expense of these colonies was very considerable, and amounted to about £8000 for every 100 souls. After the insurrection of 1871 the Government of Algeria decreed the confiscation of the land belonging to all the insurgents, but, unwilling to apply this punishment too rigorously and depopulate the country, a compro- mise was effected ; the State took possession only of such portions as were necessary for the creation of new villages in the heart of the insurgent districts, and allowed the original proprietors to retain a large proportion of their pos- sessions, exception being made to the great leaders of the insurrection, who, as might be expected, possessed some of the finest land in the colony — not- ably in the Oued es-Sahel, or valley of Bougie, and in the Medjana. The number of douars whose land was thus sequestrated was 321, nameh', 132 in the province of Algiers, and 189 in that of Constantine ; of these 154 purchased back their land for sums of money, 121 sacrificed a portion of the land itself, and 46 paid partly in money and partly in land. The total amount in money received was 8,637,000 f. and in land 288,968 hectares, while the war contribution exacted from the insurgents was little short of the sum originally demanded, 30 millions of francs. In 1873 a large number of families from Alsace and Lorraine were induced to emigrate to Algeria through the action of the Societe j^i'otectricc dcs AJsacicns-Lorraincs, presided over by the Comte d'Haussonville. 670 families arriving without means of any kind were provided with concessions of land, houses, seed, and the means of living comfortably till after the first harvest. Others having some small means of their own received liberal assistance to enable thera to settle under favourable conditions in the country, and large concessions were given from the sequestrated land to older colonists. The result from 1871 to 1883 may thus be summarised. The area of land devoted to colonisation is 475,807 hectares, of which 347,268 has been given to individuals and the rest to communes. The value of this land is estimated at 43,267,991 f. The state has expended for the installation of colonists 16,568,507 f. The number of individual concessions is 12,270, and the num- ber of families settled on them is 10,030. Of this number, 3474 having failed to comply with the conditions of their grants, these were revoked and re- conceded to 3526 new families. Of the 10,030 families originally provided Inlrod. § 13. colonisation, agriculture, forests, etc. 83 for, 5837 were still resident on their concessions, 718 had let their land, and MIS had sold it. Cereals. — The principal cereals grown are wheat, barley, and rye, but agriculture may still be said to be in its infancy. In England the mean jiroduce of land may be taken at 25 bushels an acre ; in France it is about 14 ; but in Algeria, in sjute of the natural richness of the soil, the average yield, under European culture, is only 8 or 9 bushels, while the Arab rarely obtains more than six times the amount of seed corn. The reason of this is that the land has never been deeply ploughed ; it is not manured, and little or no care is taken to free it from the noxious weeds which choke the com and exhaust the soil. In tlie Tell, the region most favourable for agriculture, tliere are more than 30 millions of acres, of which not more than 10 or 12 millions are planted with cereals. The total production of the colony in an average year is about 350 millions of bushels. The wheat, and especially the hard reheat, is much sought for in Europe for the manufacture of mac- aroni, vermicelli, etc., on account of the large quantity of gluten which it contains. The barley is the species called Hordcxim hcxasticum, and is prin- cipally used as food for cattle. A smaller quantity of oats, maize, and beans is also grown ; but the soil and climate of Algeria seem peculiarly suitable for fruits and vegetables, which are produced in perfection. In December and January the liclds are filled with all those which are seen in Paris and London only in spring and summer. Owing to the increasing competition of India and America the cultivation of cereals can hardly prove remunerative in this country, aTid la!ul has conse([uently become depreciated, in some jilaces to the amount of -5 per cmt. Fruit and Vegetables. — Among the more important are peas, beans (of which there are many different kinds), cauliflowers, turnips, parsnips, carrots, gherkins, beetroot, cucumbers, gourds, artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, pimento (or red pepper), lettuces, onions and potatoes, which last yield two croi)s yearly. Among the fruits are apricots, strawberries, plums, melons, water-melons, cherries, bananas, pomegranates, pears, apples, etc. Many of the vegetables are gathered all the year round. Madder, lienna (used for dyeing the nails), colza, opium, saffron, balm, aniseed, and many peculiar sjjecies of plants are also cultivated. Tlie fig is found everywhere, but especially in the mountains of Kabylin, up to 3800 ft. above the sea ; it forms one of the staple articles of food amongst the Kabyles, who eat it in great quantities when fresh, and dry numbers of it for winter use ; it is also exported for the distillation of a spirit much in use amongst the Jewish community. The orange tribe grow admirably, and are most productive in many jiarls of the colony ; the best places for their culture are at the foot and in the gorges of mountain ranges, where the air is fresh and cool, and abundant means of irrigation obtainable ; they cannot be grown successfully at a greater elevation than 500 feet above the level of the sea. Many other fruits of an intertropical origin flourish in the same region, such as the banana, the guava, tlie aligator pear {I'rrsca gralissima), the loquat {Eriobolnja jiijtonica), and several others. 84 § lli- COLONLSATION, AGRICULTURE, FORESTS, ETC. Alfjcrid Tlie datc-ti'eo (I'hccnix dadylifcru) is only cultivated in and near tlio Sahara, of wliicli it has rightly been called the king ; without it the entire desert would lie uninhabited and uninhabitable. The 33d parallel of latitude appears to bo the limit nortii of which it will not ripen its fruit save under very excep- tional circumstances. It requires not only abundant imgation, but great solar heat ; the Arabs say that it stands with its feet in the Avater and its head in the lires of heaven. The love of the Arab for this precious tree may well be imagined, growing as it does in the sand, contenting itself with water so saline as to destroy ordinary vegetation, giving a grateful shade when all around is burnt up by the ardent heat of summer, resisting the winds which liend but cannot break its flexible stem, aifording a fruit sought for in every jiart of the world, and not only sufficing for the food of the producer but aifording a valuable means of exchange by which he may supply all his other wants. The male tree of course bears no fruit ; it has merely a bunch of flowers enclosed until maturity within a spathe. The females have also bunches of flowers, which, however, cannot become developed into fruit until fecundated by the pollen of the male flower. To ensure this result the Arabs ascend the trees in the month of April, and insert into every female spathe a portion of the pollen of the male flower. The fruit then begins to swell, and forms long clusters weighing from 20 to 40 lbs., each tree producing from 100 to 200 lbs. in a season. To multiply the date-tree the Arabs do not sow the seed, as tlicy could not then be sure of the sex of the trees ; they prefer to plant the suckers from the base of a female tree, whence the name Phon it. The natives construct rude barrages to collect the rain water and utilise the overllow of the river, and several Artesian wells have been sunk by the French, and everywhere with success. Forests. — The extent of forest land in Algeria, according to the latest statistics, is as follows : — Departments. Stat« Forests. Communal Forests. Total. Algiers . . . Orau .... Constantine Hectares. 436,780 564,784 963,873 Hectares. 22,735 15,628 41,260 Hectares. 459,515 580,412 1,005,133 Totals . . 1,965,437 79,623 2,045,060 The area of state and communal forests consists of tlic following Hectares. Alejjpo pine ..... 813,665 Maritime pine ..... 536 Ilex 604,954 Cork 277,886 Chcnc zccn (Q. mirhcclcii) . . . 62,585 Cedar 42,882 Thuya 24,039 Miscellaneous 245,060 trees : — Total 2,071.607 88 §1^- cor.oNTSATroN, AfjRicuLTTTiiK, FORFiftTS, TOTC. Ahjeria Tlicre arc also about ol 1,000 lic-ctares of private forest. Tlic total number of trees of every description is estimated at 12,000,000. The most valuable timber trees are — The Cork oak [Quercus suher). It is stripped of its bark every eight or ten years in the summer months ; but it is allowed to reach the age of fourteen or fifteen years untouched. Incisions are made longitudinally and tiansversely on the trunk, when the cork can be removed in large squares. This operation is called "deinasclage." The cork obtained the first time is thin and hard, and is chiefly used for the manufacture of lamp-black, for painting. The pro- duce of the second and third cuttings is also inferior, after which the cork is of the best quality. The trees usually furnish fifteen or twenty harvests, and should produce each time an average of 100 to 150 lbs. of cork, although as much as 900 lbs. is sometimes obtained fi'om one tree. The Chene zeen [Quercus mirheckii), used as timber for building purposes, railway-sleepers, etc. It affects cool, moist situations, and is found in an extensive zone of the Tell, from La Calle as far as Tlemt^en. The Chene vert {Quercus ilex), also a valuable timber. The chestnut-leaved oak (Q. castanecefolia) occurs only in the mountains, and never descends lower than 3000 ft. above the sea. The sweet acorn oak [Q. hallota), a handsome tree, which grows abundantly in poor soil and at all altitudes, and produces a large harvest witliout labour or expense. The acorn is eaten roasted ; the Kabyles also grind it, and make couscous with the flour. This acorn has lately been largely exported to Eurojje for the adulteration of coffee. Amongst the Coniferre are the atlas cedar (C'eclrus atlantka), the principal forests of which are in the Aures mountains, near Batna and at Teniet-el-Ahd, the trees there rising sometimes to the height of SO ft., with a girth of 20 ft. The Abies or Pinsapo of Babor. The Aleppo pine {Pinus halcpensis), producing about £40,000 worth of resin annually. The Thuya or Atlas cypress {Callitris quadrivalvis), the trunks of which are almost imjierishable, and the roots of which afford one of the richest and most beautiful of ornamental woods. There are two species of juniper, and tamarisks are found on the margins of salt lakes. There is a very handsome ash {Fraxinus australis), indigenous to the Atlas, and a pistachio (P atlantica) peculiar to it. The olive is only grown to perfection in Kabylia, commencing at an eleva- tion of about 2600 ft. above the sea ; the trees as a rule receive very little care, and, as a consequence, they do not yield an abundant harvest oftener than once in two years. The fruit is small, but the oil is of an excellent quality. The tree grows, and even bears abundantly, in regions lower down ; but there it is apt to suffer from the heats of summer, and the fruit is liable to be injured by the attacks of an insect, the Dacus olece, which cause it to fall before maturity. It has been calculated that there is in Algeria sufficient land, admirably adapted for its cultivation, to contain 100 millions of trees, which would yield 100 million litres of oil, worth annually 800 millions of francs, which result could be obtained in about twenty-five years. The forests throughout Algeria, and to a much greater degree in Tunis Tntrod § 14. ARCHiEOLor.Y 89 liave been greatly injured by periodical confiagratious caused by the Arabs, in some cases out of motives of enmity towards the French, in others for the sake of obtaining better pasturage for their flocks ; the most destructive were in I860, during the insurrection of 1871, in the month of April 1873, and in the summer of 1877. The surface more or less damaged bj- lire is, on an average of the last five years, about 28,000 hectares per annum. The question of the rchoisemcnt of Algeria is therefore one of the most important matters that can engage the attention of the State. To effect this by planting the trees indigenous to the country would certainly be a long and costly operation ; but with the Australian species, remarkable for their rapid growth, the question becomes much more easy of solution. Thanks to the indefatigable perseverance of three men, ilessrs. Raramell, Cordier, and Trottier, veritable benefactors to this country, Algeria has been endowed with a precious boon, the introduction of the eucalyptus, a tree which, by rea.son of its rapid growth and its property of absorbing miasma, will undoubtedly exercise a powerful influence in changing the climate both of dry and malarious parts of the colony. Many species have been tried, but the most generally successful are the red-gum of Australia {Eucalyphis resini/era), the Tasmanian blue-gum (E. fjlohxdus), and the E. Colossca. It is impossible to foresee to what size these trees may attain in Africa, but in Australia they sometimes reach a height of 300 ft., and are hardly less in circumference than the giant Wellingtouias of California. Some of the Aus- tralian acacias and casuarinas are hardly less valuable than the eucalyptus, )iut none of them can be cultivated with success at a greater altitude than 1 "lOO ft. above the sea. § 14. AllCHiEOLOGY. To the student of history, the archseologist, and the philologist, Algeria and Tunis ofl'er a vast field for exploration and research, and, what is so difiicult to find elsewhere, one whose riches are far from being exhausted. All over the former country, but especially in the province of Constantine, are scattered prehistoric monuments ; assemblages of rude stones, dolmens, cromlechs, excavations in the rock ; in fact almost every known variety of Megalithic remains. Some of these are close to Algiers, near Guyotville ; others at Djelfa. In the province of Constantine are the monuments of Riis-el-Akba, between Guelmaand Constantine ; of Bou-Mcrzouk ; of Roknia, near Ilamman Meskoutin ; at the foot of the Heni-Saleh mountains in the Oued Besbes ; south of La Calle ; at Foum-el-Mabrek and N'guib, near Bone; at Gastel, between Souk-Ahras and Tebessa ; near M'daourouch ; and all over the country of the Nememcha and the Aures mountains. A manufactory of flint instruments was found near Negrin at the ruins of Besseriani (Jd majorcs). Leaving this prehistoric period, we find abundant traces of I'hcenicinn occupation, if not in actual ruins, at least in the names of places, especially seaports, showing that the I'lKcnicians created commercial establishments all along the north coast of Africa, wlicrcver a creek promised shelter for 90 § 14. AUcnyT;or,ooT Ahjervi their frail Init advcnturoua bandies. The Carthaf^iiiiaiis, wlio followed in tlieir stei).s, iouiulcd cities fartlier inland, and several Punic inscriptions have been found at a considerable distance from the sea. Then followed the long and bloody wars which terminated in the ruin of Carthage and the occupation of her colonies by the Romans, about the middle of the second century, ii.c. These were at first left under the government of native princes, such as Masinissa, Bocchus, and Juba, the first and last of whom erected those gigantic sepulchres, the Medrassen and the Tombeau de la Chretienne, near I5atna and Algiers. Subsequently, about a.d. 40, the country was reduced to the condition of a Roman province. Magnificent ruins remain to attest the glory of this epoch : temples dedicated to every deity in heathen mythology, theatres, triumphal arche.s, architectural details in the purest style of art, mosaics of rich colour and varied design, baths, monumental fountains, and hydraulic works, all testify- ing to the vast extent and solidity of the Roman sway in Africa. The early Christian epoch is equally well represented by basilicas trans- formed into churches, inscriptions containing the name of Christ, Christian symbols and monograms, the graves of bishops, saints and martyrs, and above all the scenes consecrated by the life, ministry, and death of Saint Augustine, and his no less saintly mother, Monica — of that friend of his youth and of his old age, Alypius of Tagaste ; of his no less beloved friend Possidius, who subsequently became his biographer. Here also may be studied with advantage the scenes of those frantic theological wars which caused the down- fall of the African Church. The next epoch was more marked by destruction than construction. Count Boniface, governor of Africa in the fourth century, having conceived the idea of rendering himself independent of Rome, called in the Vandals to assist him ; they came, and soon made themselves masters of the country. At first they well sustained their destructive reputation, but subsequently they so lost their vigorous and warlike habits that Belisarius, at the head of a small phalanx of well-disciplined soldiers, had little difficulty in destroying them, and annexing Africa to the Eastern empire. The Byzantines under Solomon, the lieutenant and successor of Belisarius, commenced to restore the most important military buildings throughout the country, such as those at Tebessa, M'daourouch, and elsewhere, still in good preservation, and unmis- takably renewed with older Roman materials. When intestine feuds and disputed successions had vsrought the ruin of the Eastern empire, Africa was thrown into such a state of confusion as to pave the way for the most marvellous conquest that the world's history contains. A mere handful of Arab soldiers under Okba ben Nafa, with the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other, overran and conquered North Africa, from the Nile to Tangiers. ]\Iany vicissitudes took place, and Okba himself was killed ere this conquest was consolidated, but eventually all the native races adopted the new religion, and became more or less assimilated to the Arabs. Many of them no doubt passed over into Spain with Tarek, whose Introd. § 14. ARCHiEOLOGY 91 name lives impeiislialily in OiintAi.TAii (the mountain of Tarek), although he himself shared even a worse fate than his protloccssor, Helisarius. The ei)Och of the first Mohammedan invasion is well marked by the tomb of Okba, near Biskra, which still bears what is [trobably the oldest Moham- medan inscription in Africa, if not in the world — This is the (oiitb of Okhd bmi Nafa : may (lod have mercy upon him I The descendants of these conquerors did great things in the land of their adoption : they founded important kingdoms, of which that of Tlem(;cn is pre-eminent, both from its past history and the splendour of its existing monuments. They encouraged art, science, and literature, and attained a degree of splendour hardly inferior to that of the Romans. This progressing civilisation, however, was checked by tlie invasion of a horde of savage nomades from Arabia, who devastated the country and forced the aboriginal inhabitants to take refuge in their mountain fastnesses, and even to found new colonies beyond the great desert, such as Timbuctoo and Senegal. At the end of the fifteenth century the Moors expelled from Spain found a shelter in Algeria, where they were speedily followed bj' their conquerors. These were not always victorious, but they succeeded in forming a few colonies on the coast, the ruins of which exist in great abundance at Oran, Bougie, and even at Algiers. We need not here dwell on the Turkisli period, which has been described elsewhere, and which has hardly yet passed into the realms of archajology, but there is much, especially in its domestic architecture, to delight and interest the tourist. We have said sufficient to show that there arc few countries olTering a wider field of study to the archseologist, or of instruction to the general traveller, than Algeria and Tunis. SECTION II ALGERIA CITY OF ALGIERS Fortified place of the first class, seat of the Governmoiit-Oeneral, and of the various otliur liigli civil ami military authorities of tlie colony. Residence of Admiral commanding the Marine in Algeria, an Archbislio]), and of the various Consuls- Genend and Consuls of foreign powers. Court of A]ipeal, Council of Moham- niedan Law, Tiihunalof First Instance, two Justices of the Peace, Chamber and Trilninal of Commerce. Chief place of the de])artnient or province. Prefecture, Headciuarters nf the 19tli Corps d'Armee, of the division ami subdivision of Algiers. Population of tlic Provbuc. French .lews . Moliaminrdaiis . Foreigners . Total 98,807 11,5S2 l,0S2,lo« 50,127 1,251,072 Population of tlie city of Algiers, in- cluding tlic suburb of Biih-cl-Oiird and tlie F(ii(l)oii)-g (Visit/, but excluding tlie rUlnije d'Ishi, El-Biar, Bou-Znirit, Mii^hifd, and St. Emjbic : — Frencli 29,052 Jews 5,:i50 Kuropeaiis of foreign origin 15,500 Molianmicdaiis . . . 21,431 Total . 71,339 El-Biar:— French C58 Jews 19 Foreit^ners .... .'i57 .Mohaniniedans . . . 1238 Total . . 2272 Bou-Zarea : — French 245 .Icw.s 2 I'oreigners .... 804 Jlohannnedan.s . . . 558 Total . Ifm Mu.stafa and the Village d'Isly : — French 8612 Jew.s 135 Foreigners .... 724 Mohannnedans . . . 4147 Total . . i:!,iilS St. Engine : — French 868 Jews 412 I''nrci>;ner.s .... 454 Moliannnnl.'ins . . . 012 Total . . 2:!46 ALGIERS, the ancient Icoxium, is situated on the western shore of tile bay of tiie same name, r)00 ni. S. of Marseilles. Tlie town, which is triangular in form, is l)uilt on a slope of the Sulul, {\w name given to a chain of hills running along the coast for a consiilerable distance towards the W. The view, when approaching it Irom the sea, is most 94 AUJIIORS Algeria buautiful. Il appears from a distance like a succession of dazzling white steps or terraces rising from the water, which, contrasting with the bright green liackground of the Sahel, explains the origin of the Arab comparison of Algiers to a diamond set in an emerald frame. The shores of the bright blue bay are dotted here and tliere with white \illages, French villas, and Moorish jialaccs, apj)earing in the midst of the richest and most luxuriant verdure, some placed high up on the slopes of the hills, and others standing on the water's edge. Beyond is the verdant plain of the Metidja, stretching away in the distance to the foot of the Atlas range, whose summits form a magni- ficent background to the whole picture, which will bear comparison with any in Europe. The writer always main tains that the finest view in the Medi terranean is from the Greek theatre of Taormina, and the next finest is from his own windows at El-Biar. Algiers is divided into two distinct parts, the modern French town and the ancient city of the Deys. The Modern Town consists of regular streets and squares, fine public build- ings, and modern hotels, and is well lighted with gas. The Place du Gou- verncmcnt is a fine large square, in which the principal streets. Rue Bab- Azoun and Rue Bab-el-Oued, join, planted on three sides with a doulde row of plane-trees. In front of the Hotel de la Regence is a group of palm and orange trees, and a remarkably fine clump of bamboos, surrounding a fountain. Towards the eastern side is a bronze equestrian statue of the Duke of Orleans by Marochetti. It was cast out of the cannon taken at the con- quest of Algiers. The bas-reliefs on the pedestal reju'esent on the N. the taking of the citadel of Antwerp ; and on the S. the passage of the Col de IMouzaia. This Square is the fashion- al)le resort for evening promenade, when it is crowded Avitli loungers of every grade and race. A military band performs liere occasionally. The Place Bresson, opening like the preceding ou to the Boulevard de la Republi(jne, has a pleasant garden in the centre. The Plaxc Bob-cl-Oued, or Place d'Armes, is a triangxilar s])ace near the shore, adjoining the Arsenal. This was the site of the ancient Moorish cemetery ; the N. aide was reserved for the interment of the pachas, and in the middle was the fort " des vingt-quatre heure.s," rendered celelirated as the place of martyrdom of Geronimo (see p. 98). This was also the ordinary place of execution, both under the Turkish fiovernment and for the first 3'ears which followed the conquest. On one side of this place is the Jardin ilarengo, which commands a fine view. The other principal squares of the French town are the Place Mahon, adjoining the Place du Gouvernement ; the Place de Chartrcs, used as a market- place ; the Place de la Lyre, in whicli is a covered market ; the Place dJIsly, in the centre of which stands a bronze statue of Marshal Bugeaud, by M. Dumont ; and the Plctces Randoii, and Malakh off. The RucBah-el- Oued (River Gate), and Rue Bab-Azoun (Gate of Grief), both leading from the Place du Gouvernement, are the two most im- jtortant streets of the city, and contain the best shops. Among the other principal streets of this quarter are the Rues de la Lyre, de Chartres, Juha, de la Marine, and d'Isly, some of which are arcaded on both sides — a great ad- vantage in this climate, as the pedes- trian is thereby enabled to reach any part of the town without being mucli exposed to the sun in summer or to the rain in winter. The Boulevard de la Rqmbliquc is built on a series of arches at the head of the clift', and extends all along the front of the town. On one side it is bordered by handsome buildings, while a wide [iromenade runs along the other, over- looking the bay, harbour, and shipping. The Quay and Railway Station are about 40 ft. below, and are reached by two inclined roads leading from the centre of the Boulevard. This work was constructed by Sir Morton Peto, to whom the town transferred the conces- sion for 99 years, which had been granted to it bj' the Imperial decree of 1860. The first stone was laid by the Sect. II ALGIERS 9'» Emperor on tlic 17th September 1860, and the work was completed in 1866, at a cost of about £300,000. It is still the property of an English company. It is composed of two tiers of vaults, Ibrming about 350 warehouses and dwelling-houses, the whole occupying an area of 11 acres, and extending over a frontage of 3700 ft. The Old Town, inhabited chiefly by Arabs and Jews, lies on the steep hill rising behind the Kues Bab-Azouu and Bab-el-Oued, and is the very opposite of the French town already described. At the apex of the triangular -shaped mass of white houses stands the Kasha, or Citadel, about 400 ft. above the shore. The Streets are very narrow, tortu- ous, and irregular, often ending in a cid de sac, and are so steep as to be inac- cessible for carriages. They are cool and shady, owing to their extreme nar- rowness. The longest of them, the Rue de la Kaslia, is ascended by 497 .stcjis. Tliesc streets are joined by many alleys just wide enough to pass through, and the whole labyrinth is terribly con- fusing to the stranger ; many of the Arab names have been retained, but so travestied as hardly to be recognisable ; thus' El- Akhdar (the Green) becomes [Mi-dor ; Souk-cl-Djamia (Market of the Mosijue) is changed into Soggcmah, etc. The Moorish Houses arc perfectly symbolical of the jirivate life of the occupants : everything like external de- coration is studiously avoided, while the interior is pictures([Ue and elegant. The outer door usually gives entrance to a vestibule, or .sLi'lIu, on each side of whi( h is a stone bench divided olf like stalls by marble or stone columns, supporting the graceful Hat arch peculiar to Algiers. Here it is that the master receives his male friends. Beyond this is the oiisf, or oi)en court, tlic i/ii/iluviioii of the Romans, and the pa/ to of the Spaniards, generally }iaved with marble, tiles, or Ijricks, having an arcade all round, formed l)y the pillars and tiie horseshoe arches which sujiport the upper gallery. The pavement of the court enclosed by the an^atle is usually .sunk a few inches, in order to carry off the rain-water. In this central court the great domestic festivities, sucli as marriage, circumci- sion, etc. are held. Tiie rooms around it are more or less of a public cliaracter ; at least they are not used as dwell- ings by the family ; they are usually kitchens, storerooms, baths, etc. The more jtrivate apartments are all above, leading ofl" from the upper gallery, which is similar to tlie lower one, but having the pillars joined by an elegant wooden balustrade, just high enough to lean on. The rooms have generally large folding- doors reaching from the floor to the ceiling, with a smaller aper- ture in each leaf, which may be used when it is too cold to keep the whole open. The interiors are whitewashed, and have generally a dado of tiles 3 or 4 ft. high along the walls. The ceil- ings are sometimes handsomely sculp- tured, but more generally they exhibit the naked rafters of thuya or kharoob wood, Jiine, or cedar. It was the small scantling of this, in times when the communication with other countries was less easy than it is at present, that regulated the width of iloorish rooms, seldom more than 12 ft. One of the principal features of Moorish houses in town, rising as they do one above the other, is the flat ter- raceil roofs, from which a magniticent view is obtained of the city, tiie harbour and shipping, and the distant mountains. Under the Turkish Government tliese were reserved for the women alone, who used to visit each other by climbing over the ])arapets which divided the houses. No Christian male (the con- suls excepted) was ever permitted to go on his own terrace during daylight. Dr. Shaw, consular chaplain at Al- giers about 1720, and whose travels and researches in IJarbary are deservedly esteemed for their accuracy and lidelity, illustrates many passages of Scripture by a reference to Moorish architecture. For instance, the middle of tin- limisc (Luke v. 19), where our Saviour was in the habit of giving instruction to His disciples, was no doubt the hollow Moorish court or wHsi (literally, waist, OG ALGIERS A Ujeria luiddli;). This in .suiiiincr was covered (jver witli a furlaiii riiiiiiiiiff on ropes, to which the I'salniist may liave alluded in speakinf( of sjircadiiig uiU the heavens like a curlaiii. The prophet Jeremiah exactly describes Algerian houses when he says that they were ceiled with cedar and 2}aintcd tuith vermilion. Any one who has seen a Moorish court can understand the allusion to Samson having pulled down the pillars in the Temple of Dagon, while three thousand persons were on the roof to see him make sjwrt. Some of the Moorish houses best worthy of a visit in town are the palaces of the Governor -General and Archbishop, and the Library in the Rue de I'Etat-^lajor ; the Government offices near the Prefecture, formerly the British Consulate ; and in the country, the Governor-General's summer palace ; the Chateau d'Hydra, belonging to Mr. Eyre Ledgard, in which there is a priceless collection of ancient tiles ; and the magniticent property of Mr. Macleay at El-Biar. The Shops in the native quarter are merely recesses or small chambers in the walls of the houses, and in them is canied on the process of manufac- turing some of the articles which are exposed for sale in the shops of the French town below. Here maj' be seen the embroiderer at work with his gold and silver thread, the shoemaker with kid slippers of every colour and variet}-, the pedagogue with his school of young Moors, the worker in gold and silver, the barber shaving Moorish heads or chins ; and the cafes where the natives sit cross-legged drinking coffee, and while away tlieir time in smoking and playing draughts. Indeed, a walk through the old town is of greater interest to the stranger than any of the sights of modern Algiers. But perhaps what most strikes the traveller from Europe on first walking through the city is the variety and picturesqueness of Costumes (see also Introd. pp. 8, 10, 11) he meets in the streets. French soldiers and officers, Zouaves and Turcos, with their smart uniforms ; the Jew, with dark-coloured turban, jacket and sash, blue stockings and shoes ; the Moor, in smartly em- broidered jacket, lull short trousers, and white stockings ; bare-legged Arabs, wrapi)ed in their white burnous ; Moza- bites, with their coats of many colours ; Negroes from the Soudan ; Spaniards and Alaltese, all jostle one another in the crowded streets ; while Moorish women, dressed in white, with full trousers, slippers, and tlieir faces covered to the eyes, mingle with ladies in fashionable modern toilets, and with Jewesses whose jaws are bound with a nauslin handkerchief, and whose straight silk robes reach from the neck to the slippered feet. CHURCHES. Church of England. — The Church of the Holy Trinity, at the Port d'Isly, was erected in 187T) by subscription of the winter visitors, for whose use it is intended. It was consecrated by the Bishop (Harris) of Gibraltar, on the 1st January 1871. The patronage is vested in the Bishop of Giljraltar. There is no endowment whatever, the church and chaplaincy being en- tirely dependent on voluntary offer- ings. The offertories as a rule go to the support of the church, but on cer- tain occasions, of which notice is given, they are applied to other purposes, especially to the relief of poor British subjects, of whom there are a very large number in the Colon}-, and who receive most thankfully the aid which comes to them from the English Church through the Consul-General. One-half of the seats are free ; the remainder are ai)propriated at a charge of £1 per sitting for the season. The building, though not very attractive outside, is one of the most interesting of its kind out of England. A dado has been erected all round the church, with a more elaborate rere- dos behind the altar, composed of alter- nate slabs of different kinds of Xumidian marbles and breccias (see p. 273), framed in bands of (jiallo antico and breccia dorata, surmounted In* a frieze of smaller tablets of rose-coloured marble. In the nave and baptistery these contain memoi'ial inscriptions. The following are some of the historical tablets : — Sect. II ALGIERS 97 The first is in inemoiy of John Typ- ton, Consul here iu 1580, the first native-born Consul ever appointed by England in any country. 1584. Lawrence, Master of Oliphant, the Master of Morton, and other ban- ished Scottish gentlemen enslaved at Algiers, whence they were probably never released. 1620. Sir Robert Mansel, Vice-Ad- miral of England, sent by James I. against Algiers, in command of the first Englisli Fleet that had entered the Mediterranean since the crusades. Itj31. Two Algerine pirate vessels lauded in Ireland, sacked Baltimore, and carried oil its inhabitants to slavery iu Algiers. 1639. William Okeley, taken pris- oner by pirates. He and .six other Englislnnen, after much sufl'ering, escajied to Majorca in a canvas boat. 1644. Eilmuiid Casson, Envoy from tlie Parliament to Algiers, etfected the liberation of many hundred Biitish captives. He died here in 1655. "January i>t\\, 1644. Gyles Parke, ■ son of John of Holkar, and Elizabeth Gordon, daugliter of Lord Yicount lu'Utincere, married in Algear, by Mr. Siirattc, ilinister. " "October 21st, 1645. Elizabeth, daughter of the said Gyles Parke, bap- tized in Algier, in Barbary." The last two are extracts from the parish [register of Cartmel, in Lanca- shire. It has been found impossible to identify the "Lord Kentmeere" therein mentioned ; but there was a Mscount Kenmure, whose family name was Gordon. 1654. Blake, after his great victory at Tuins, etfected the liberation of all Christian slaves on the Barljary coast. 1660. Murrough, Earl of Inchiquin, Viceroy of Catjilonia, while exiled dur- ing the Commonwealth, and his son Lord O'Brien, afterwards Governor of Tangier, were taken by corsairs near the Tagus, and sold into captivity at Algiers. 1670. Admiral Sir Edward Spragg destroyed the Algerine fleet at Bougie, and released a number of Christians. 1723. Tiiomas Betton, member of the Ironmongers' Company, probably [^AlijcrkiJ] himself a captive, left half of his large fortune for the redemption of slaves in Barbary. 1800. Ida, daughter of Admiral Ul- ric, Consul-General of Denmark, 1)orn 1800, married Consul-General M 'Don- ell. The dramatic story of her escape, disguised as a midshipman, with her child concealed in a basket of vege- tables, before the bombardment in 1816, is told in Lord Exmouth's Dis- patch. She subsequently married the Due de Talleyrand- Perigord, and died at Florence, 6th October 1880. JIany other historical events are recorded ; then follow a series of tablets commemorating such of our conntiy- men as have died here since the French occupation. All the windows have been filled in with stained glass, generally with memorial brasses attached, to com- memorate historical personages or pri- vate individuals. The large circular window at the west end is in memory of the English who perished in captiv- ity during the time of the Deys. It represents the deliverance of St. Peter from prison by the angel, and bears the inscription, " Lord, show Thy pity on all ])risoners and captives." One in the nave is in honour of Bruce, the African traveller, Consul-General here from 1762-65. Another commemorates the gallant exploit of Lord Exmouth in 1816, who by his great victory liber- ated 3000 Christian captives, and for ever abolished slavery in the Barbaiy States. That next to it is devoted to his brave companion in arms, the Dutch Admiral Van Capelhiu : the cost of this was defrayed partly by his daughter, and partly by the Princes of Holland. Next to it is one in memory of Made- moiselle Tinne, grand-daughter of Ad- miral Van Capellan, murdered l)y the Touaregs near Tripoli ; and so on. On the walls are several mural tablets ; one contains a list of all the Consuls and Consuls -General since 1580 ; another is in memory of the learned Dr. Shaw, Consular Chaplain at Algiers from 1719-31, and subse- (|uently Itegius Professor of tireek at Oxfonl ; a third is in honour of Mr. William Shaler, Consul-General of the ;»8 A Ijcria United States, who during all the troublous times iiroceding and subse- quent to Lord Kxniouth's oi)crations, when our Consul was iinjirisoned and in chains, and when he and his family were subsequently expelled by the Dey, rendered most eminent services to them and to the British nation. A smaller tablet in coloured marble commemor- ates the last visit to Algiers of a most faithful servant of Christ, Edward Steere, Bishop of Zanzibar. But per- haps the most interesting of the tablets is that which records the good deeds of the Rev. Devereux Spratt (see p. 42). The last addition is the most beauti- ful of all ; the whole of the walls and the reveals of the windows in the apse and choir have been covered with marble mosaics, executed by Mr. Burke, the eminent decorator of the Guards' Memorial Chapel, Chester Cathedral, etc. This was our local celebration of Her Majesty's Jubilee. Our American friends co-operated heartily in the work, and two identical tablets of Numidian marble have been erected in the nave ; one records the fact that the decoration of the church was completed on the occasion of the Queen's Jubilee: "In humble gratitude to Almighty God for His preservation of her to her faithful subjects, during a long and glorious reign." The other commemorates two illustrious citizens of the United States, Commodore Decatur and Captain Bain- bridge, and ends with a paragraph from the pen of Bishop Potter of New York, which has profoundly touched every English heart : — " This tablet is erected, June 20, 1887, by citizens of the United States, grate- ful for the privilege of associating this commemoration of their countrymen with the Jubilee of that illustrious sovereign Lady, Queen Victoria, who has made the name of England dear to children and to children's children throughout all lands." The church is the only place at Algiers which Englishmen can really call their own. The idea of making it a sort of National AValhalla will com- mend itself to most peojile, and the relatives of such as may die here will be glad of the opportunity of com- memorating their departed friends in a place where the record Mill be rcaab- el-Oncd, furnicrly a mos(|ue, built in the 17th century by AH llitclienin, a Christian slave converted to ilohani- mcdanism. Sainte - Croix, formerly the mosque called Djannia el-Kasba Uerrani, stands facing tiie Kasba in the street of the same name. St. Augustin. — A handsome church, built in Ib7S, in the Rue de Constantine. The Chiirch of the Jesuits, in the Rue des Consuls. The French Protestant Temple, in the Rue de Chartres. The Sjniagogue, in the Kuc Caton, is a handsoiiir edifice iu the Moorish style. N6tre Dame d'Afrique. Sec post. MOSQUES. It is said that there were in Algiers before the French conquest more than a hundred mosques ; a great number of which were, however, merely "koub- bas " or tombs of "marabouts," or Arab saints. These last generally con- sist of a small isolated domed structure containing the tomb, which is protected by a wooden grating. These koubbas are used as places of prayer, especially in the country, where no real mosques exist. They are sometimes incorrectly given the name of marabouts by the French. The word marabct really means one who is bound or devoted to religion, and ought to be applied to tlie man and not to tlie tomb. There are now but four mostjues regu- larly used for Mohammedan worship in Algiers. These are all accessible to Europeans, but visitors ought to re- move their shoes at the entrance, out of deference to the feelings of those for whose use they are intended, and who prostrate themselves on tlie lloor during prayer. The principal is The Grand Mosque, or Djamiia el- Kel)ir, in the Rue dc la Marine, the most ancient in Algeria, said to have been founded in the 11th century. An in- srriptionontlie»n?Hirtrorpul[iit in Cufic characters proves the fact y the Mustafa road, passing the iJovernor- General's palace, and turning to the right at the Colonne Voirol, or he may follow the Tournant Kovigo, jtass the Kaslia, and the reservoirs for supplying the upi>er part of the town with water, and leave Algiers by the Porte ud Sahel. "We shall assume that he takes the latter route. There are several omnibuses daily to El-Biar and Bou- Zarea, but it is "best to take a carriage, fare 7 f. 3kil. FuiiT i.'H.MiM-.ui-.VK. Seei>. 104. [4 kil. A bridle path to the right leads down the Fkais Vai.lon, a pictures(|ue and sliady ravine, in which arc situated thcniineral springs of.tiuuii ion EXCURSrONS IN TIW. lONVIRONS OF ALGIICRS Algeria Srakiia, reputed to lio of coii.sidcrahli' incdiciniil value. Tlic path ends at the Cite Ikif^eaud, tlie faubour'' of Bab- cd-Oued.] 5 kil. El-Biar (Ar. The Wdh). A long straggling village lying for some distance along the road. The com- nninc extends as far S. as the Colonne A'oirol, and is the most charming and healthful part of the environs of Algiers. It contains inany of the best villas occupied by English residents during the winter season, amongst others that of Sir Lambert Playfair, H.M. Consul-General ; the Cliateau d'llydra (Mr. E. Ledgard), and the beautiful house and grounds of Mr. Macleay. There are also several convents ; one to the W. of the village is that of the Bon Pasteur, a reformatory and refuge for women, as well as an asylum for children. Nearer the Colonne is an oriihanage for girls, belonging to the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul ; still farther on, another belonging to the same sisterhood for boys ; and between the two the head establishment of the Frercs de la Doctr'ine Chritienne, who have primary schools for boys all over the colony. A large house just outside the vil- lage on the left (Maison Couput) is that in which Marechal de Bourmont established his headquarters, and where the final surrender of Algiers was agreed to, through the mediation of Mr. St. John, tlie British Consul- General. ^ 6 kil. Chdtcaii Neuf, a wayside auherge. Here the road bifurcates ; the lower branch leads to Ben Ahnoun (8 kil.), once a Jesuit orphanage, now the Petit Lycee, for a younger cLiss of boys than those received in town. Here also are the springs of Ain Ze- houdja, whence the upper part of Algiers is supplied with water ; and Deli Ihrahim (11 kil.), where is a Pro- testant orphanage. The upper branch leads to Cheragas (12 kil.) 7 kil. Erom the latter of these branches the Chemin Vicinal de la Bou-Zarea turns sharp off to the right. 1 See " Scourge of CliristeiKloiii," i>. 310. About halfway to the village is a vast building, erected for a lunatic a.sylum, now occupied as an licole Nm-mal. 9 kil. Bou-Zarea, a small Eurojiean village situated on a mountain of the same name 1150 ft. above the sea. Tlie native village is about 1 kil. fartiier on to the left. It contains several koubbas, notably tiiat of Skli Nad'man, situated in enclosures of prickly pear, amongst which are dwarf palms of such unusual height as entirely to belie their name. The summit of tlie hill is occu- pied by a cemetery, whence a glorious jianoramic view is obtained of the country in every direction. [From this point a road, rather rough, but practicable for light car- riages, leads to Gi:yotvili.e, 9 kil. farther on. About half way, to the N. of the road, is the forest of A'in-Bclnan (see p. 109), whence the high road to Algiers may be reached near Cape Caxine, at a point distant 11 kil. from the city.] The traveller should return by a lonely tortuous road leading to the fau- bourg of Bab-el-Oued. After passing the village, to the E., the road bifur- cates ; the upper branch conducts to the Observatory, 1700 metres from the village, built in an open space of about 12 acres in extent, 350 metres above the level of the sea, where once stood a Turkish fort. Probably no observa- tory in the world is more favourably situated, while the buildings and instru- ments are worthy of it and of France. One of the instruments is of historical interest ; it is a I'eflecting telescope con- structed by thecelebrated Leon Foucault with his own hand. The Director, M. Trepied, is most courteous to visitors. The lower branch leads to the town ; about a third of the way down is the Hospice dcs Vieillards, kept by the Petitcs Sceurs dcs Pauvrcs, an excellent charity, well worthy of a visit. About 100 old men and women find an asylum here, and as it is entirely supported by voluntary contributions, donations, either in money or old clothing, are gratefully received. S,rt. II EXCURSIONS IN THE ENVIRONS OP ALGIERS 10'; (2. ) To the Colonne Voirol, Birmand- raiB, Ravine of tliu Femme Sauvage, ami back by the Jardin d'Essai (tj f. ) Tlie road leaves the town by the I'oite d'lsly, and passes through the district of Mustafa Supericur. 4 kil. The summer Palace of the Go vcrnor- General. 5A kil. Tlie Colonne Voirol. A small village named from tlie cohimn which records tlie construction of the road bj- General Baron Voirol. He was the last of tlie commandants en chef of the army of Africa, and it was under his admin- istration in 1833 tiiat France finally determined to retain pos.session of Al- geria. [A road to the right leads to El-Biar. There are numerous beautiful walks in the neighbourhood.] 8 kil. Birmandrais, a pretty little village in a wcll-\vo(jdcd hollow. The proper orthography is Bir Monrad Jiais, "well of Mourad the captain," a cele- brated renegade Flemish corsair. [3 kil. farther, on the high road, is the village of Birkhadem, "the well of the slave," so called IVoin a pictur- esque Moorish fountain in tlie market- place. In the fort above the village is a military penal establishment, and there is an interesting female orphan- age for girls on the cro-ss road leading lience to Kouliba. Instead of driving down the valley of the Femme Sauvage, the traveller may vary the excursion by returning from Birmandrais through Koubba and the Ruisseau. There is a lovely shady road which passes through Vicu.i- Koubba, 3 kil. from Birmandrais ; 2 kil. farther on is the new village of Koubba, the principal feature of which is the Svininaire or Ecclesiastical Col- lege, containing two liranches, one for about 30 boys, and the other for an equal number of older students, who are usually deacons or sub -deacons. In the centre of the building is the church, the immense dome of which is one of the most promiuent objects in the landscape seen from Algiers and Mustafa. The place owes its name to a small Mohammedan koubba or tomb, situated in the garden, now converted into a chapel. The grounds are very extensive, and chiefly laid out in vines. On the north side there is a fine Chcmin de la Croix, with chapels, grottoes and sculptured skitions. In the village is a statue to one of the finest of the old type of Algerian soldiers, General Mar- giieritte, killed at Sedan. It is the work of Albert Lefeuvre.] At Birmandrais, close to the church, the road to the Ruisseau branches nlf to the left, through the beautifully wooded valley of the Femme Sauvage, so named after a young lady, liy no means shy, who kept a cafe restaurant in this ravine shortly after the Frendi conquest. It joins the high road l)e- low at the 6th kilometre from Algiei-s. Turning now to the W., we reacli the Jardin d'Essai, a garden of about 200 lieitares in extent. This was com- menced in 1832, aiiot where the liattle of Staonl'l was fought between the French and Turks on 19th June 1830. The number of monks is about 100. The small town of Staoucli is IJ m. N. of La Trappe. 2') kil. Sidi Feruch, more correctly Sidi-Fiirnii/J. celebrated as the land- ing-place of the Freneli anny on 14tli June 1839, is an elevated jieninsula, stretching 1000 yards into the sea, on the top of which stood a round tower built by the Spaniards, and called Torre Ckica. Here was the koiibba of the saint, regarding whom the following legcntl is told: "A .Si)anish captain coming one day to the spot found the lioly man asleep, and carried him on board his vessel to sell him in Spain, but notwithstanding that the wind was favourable and iillcd his sails, the ship remained immovalde. The Christian understooil that this was a miracle, and ever afterwards remained the devoted friend and ibllower of Sidi- Furrudj. Both friends were buried in the same grave." In 1847 the remains of the two friends were disinterred, and reverently buried by the French authorities in the cemetery of Sidi ilohammed at the Oued Aggar at Staoneli. The small village was founded in 1844, and for some time was an import- ant place for the sardine tisheries, but was afterwards nearly abandoned. The new barrack, capable of accommodating 2000 men, is a substantial buihling in tiie fort. The principal entrance is ornamented with sculptured trophies of peace and war. On the marble slab is the following inscription : — Ici Le 14 JciN 1830, Par l'oudke du Roi Chaulks X, Sous LE COMMANDKMENT 1>U OfeNfeUAL DE BOCRMONT, L'AUMfcE FRANIj'AISE Vint ariioukk ses drai-eaux, IIeNURK la LiUEUTt AUX MKRS, DOXNER L'ALOfcRIE k. LA FraNCK. Here was fouml a chapel in memory of St. Januarius with the inscrii)- tion : — hk; est janvari i et killii ejvs memoi;ia, qvi vixit asms xlvii mensibvh v disces.sit in pace vi . . . anno i'rovisc. CCCCX. Return liy the sea coast, passing Guyotville, 15 kil. from Algiers. This village is named after Comte de (hiyot, director of the Interior from 1840 to 1846, built in 1845 on the site of an Arab village, Ain-Beinan. It is one of the most prosperous villages in the vicinity of Algiers. Just beyond it on the sea - shore are some curious Roman (luarries. Turning off here to the left, the road to Cheragas crosses an undulating and partly uncleared country. About lialf way, and a little more than a mile to the W., in the Oued 13eiii Messous, are about a dozen megalithic monuments still entire, and a considerable number in a less per- fect state of preservation. These con- sist of dolmens — large tabular stones, supported on four upright ones. Several interesting objects have been found in those that have been opcueil, such as bones, pottery, bronze ornaments, etc., which may be seen at the rooms of the Soeiete de Climatologie, Rue Bruce. Cape Caxine, 12 kil. from Algiers. On the summit is a lighthouse, with a revolving light of the lii-st order, visible at a distance of 24 m. At 10^ kil. from Algiers, to the S. of the road, is a charming forest of Aln-Beinan, about 100 hectares in extent, jilanted by the Department of Forests in 1867-70; it consists of Aleppo pines, eucalyptus of various species, casuarina.s, cork oak, Austral- ian acacias, and other trees. It is full of beautiful views, and is a favourite place for picnics. At the Maisua Forcsliire is a spring of good water. There is a rough road, practicable for light carriages, from this place to Bou- Zarea. At 6 kil. from Algiers is Pointe Pescade or Mcrsa-cd-Dcbban, a reef of rocks running out into the sea, on which stands the ruins of the fort of the .same name, built in 1671 l>y El- Hadj Ali Agha, and restored in 1724 no EXCURSIONS IN THE ENVIRONS OF ALGIERS Algeria and 1732. JJehiiid it are llic ruins of another fort, now utilised as a custoin- lioiisc station, said to have been the residence of Baba Aroudj {Barhnroasfi). Tliere is an cxcelK'nt restaurant here, at wliieh lish ilinners and Incakfasts can be obtained. At 3 kil. from Algiers is St. Eugene, a village principally occupied by Jews ; it is rarely used by winter visitors, as the situation is less healthy than Mus- tafa Superieur, and there are scarcely any walks save along a crowded and dusty i)ublic road. 2i kil. from Algiers is the general temetcry, and then follows the Cite Bugeaud, or faubourg of Bab-el-Oued. Omnibuses run every few minutes from the Place du Gouvernement to St. Eugene, and even farther. (4.) To Notre Dame d'Afrique and the Valley of Consuls. (4.50 f. to the church. ) A rather steep drive from the gate of Bab-el-Oued, passing behind the Mili- tary Hospital, leads to Notre Dame d'Afrique, conspicuously placed on a shoulder of Mount Bou-Zarea, having a magnificent view of the city and the sea. It is built in the Romano-Byzan- tine style of architecture, and has by no means an un pleasing effect. The walls of the interior are covered with votive offerings of all kinds, amongst which those of sailors predominate ; indeed, this class of the community has made the church particularly its own. Above the altar is a Black Virgin, and around the apse the inscription, "Notre Dame d'Afrique priez pour nous et pour les Musslemans." Every Sunday a ceremony is per- formed which has no parallel perhaps in any other church in the world. About 3^ P.M., after vespers, the clergy chant the prayers for the dead, and go in })ro- cession to the point overhanging the sea, where before a catafalque the officiating priests perform all the ceremonies over this vast grave, which the church ap- points for ordinary funerals. There is a curious statue of the Archangel Michael in this church, made of solid silver, valued at about £4000 ; it belongs to the confraternity of Neapolitan fishermen, and is en- closed witiiin a rail of gilt ii'on at the W. end of the church. lieyond Notre Dame d'Afrique i.s the VaUc dcH Conmch, so calleieus, both of the Transatlan- tique Company and of the Navigation Mixte, or Touache, do the voyage each way once a week. The latter goes no farther tiian Hone. The steamer on leaving Algiers takes an easterly course towards Cape Matifott, where there is a fixed white light on a masonry tower seen 8 m. olf ; the pas- sago across the bay affording a splendid panoramic view of the city and suburbs. A short distance beyontl tlie cape arc some rocks called by the Arabs Mrrsa Toumlilin, where the French steamer "Sphinx" was wrecked in 181.'). Prom JIatifou the coast is low and uninteresting as far as 11 naut. m. Dellys. Pop. 3000. [Algeria.] The modern town is picturesquely situated on a plateau, and, like all the towns on the coast, faces the E. The Arab town is to the N. of the modern one. During jiart of the winter the har- bour is almost inaccessible, tliough tolerably sheltered from tlie X. W. To the S. and W. it is .surrounded by slightly elevated hills detached from the la.st counterforts of the range which runs along the coast ; it is therefore oidy jiartially sheltered from the N., the N.E. , and E. winds. French Dellys contains large regu- larly-liuilt streets, anh, which we are fain to think a modern discovery, was in common use here. Tliis prince was on very friendly terms with the Poi)e, who sent him 1100 artisans, skilled in their different professions. Tiiese erected a stately tower, whicli wan caWcd C'hotif cr-liiad, "the Obser- vatory of the (iaiden," on the summit ol' which was an apparatus consisting; of mirrors, corresponding with similar ones estal)lished at dilferent points, liy tlie aid of which they could comnnuii- cate rapidly from one end of the king- dom to the other. During the night till- signals were made by (ires disposed ill a pre-arranged manner. In I'jOS, owing to the ])iratical prac- tices of its inhaljitants, Ferdinand V. of Spain sent an army and 14 .ships of war umler Don Pedro Navarro, to take jiossession of it. lie restored tlic Kasha or citadel in l.oOO, and the del'ensivc works were further strengthened and restored by Charles V. in 1545, who himself took refuge at Bougie after his repulse at Algiers. Leo Africanus, who published his "History of Africa" in 1526, says: "Wonderful is tlie architecture of its houses, its temi>les, colleges, and pal- aces." After the defeat of Charles V. at Algier.s, the Algerians took advan- tage of the occasion, and marched with all their forces upon it. They stormed the castle on the harbour, and the citadel on the heights, so that Alonzo de Peralta, the Sjjani.sh governor, was fain to demand a cajiitulation. He was allowed to return with 400 men to Spain, where the monarch condemned him to lose his head. After this the city fell into decay, and when Algiers was taken by the French, Bougie had only a small garrison of Turks, com- manded by a Kaid, and was not in a position to olfer any serious resistance to General Trezel, who took ])ossession of it on the Gftth Sei.tember 1833. The most interesting buildings at Bougie are the ancient forts : Bunlj cl-Ahinfir (the red fort), of which the ruins are seen half way between the koubba of Sidi-Fouall and the Gouraia, was, before its destruction by the Spaniards, tlie most ancient in Bougie, and liere it was that Salah Rais established him- .self wlun he took Bougie from tliem. The fort of Abd-cl-K(ulrr, on the right hand of the harbour as the traveller lands, was built before tlie arrival of the Spaniards in 1509, prob- ably with the remains of an older Roman building, and was much injured by the carthijuake of August 1856. The Kasha, on the ojiposite side of the town, is rectangular in shape. Hanked by bastions and towers, some of which were destroyed in 1853. It was built by Don Pedro Navarro, on Roman foundations, and liears Latin inscriptions, of which the following are translations : — "Ferdinand V., illustrious King of Spain, has taken this city by force of arms from the i)erfidious children of Hagar, in the year 1509" — and "This city has been furnished with walls and fortresses by the Emperor Charles V., the African, grandson and successor of Ferdinand. To God alone be honour and glory. The year 1545." The fort Barral to the N.W, was also built by Pedro Navarro, and owes its present name to the fact of General Banal, who was killed in 1850, having been interred there. IHs remains have since been removed to the cemetery. This also is used as a prison. On the top of Mount Gouraia is the fort of the same name ; below it is a barrack occupied by military prisoners ; lower down to the W. F^ort Clauzcl, and on the beach, near the Oucd Secjhir, the ]*>lockhouse Salomon dc Musis, called after a commandant supericur, assassi- nated by the Kabyles in 1836. A new line of works has been con- structed round the town, consisting of a masoniy loopholed wall strengthened by bastions. Bougie, strictly speaking, had no port ; it is situated in a deeji bay well protected from the N.W. an IlOrTF. 1. AI/JIERS TO PHILIPPi:VILr,K, ETC. A hjeria HOW liarlioiir is in course of construc- tion, wliich will, wli(M> completed, con- tain an area of about 15 or 20 acres. The streets beinj^ built on the slope of tlie bill are very steep, and many of Lheni are ascended by staiis. The gardens which formerly surrounded so many of the houses are disappearing before the inevitable modern improve- ments ; still there are some beautiful walks and magniftcent old olive trees in the immediate vicinity — notably i)eyond the Fort Abd-cl-Kader. Below the gate of tlie Graiul Ravin may be traced the remains of an amphitheatre, in the arena of which is the tomb of the commandant Salomon de Musis. Numerous Roman remains e.xteud uj) the base of Gourala, and medals and inseri[)tions are constantly found wher- ever e.Ycavations are made. It is said that this town gave its name to the French word for a candle, first made from wax exported hence. There can be little doubt that Bougie is destined to become one of the most important cities on the littoral. Not only is it the natural port of Kabylia, but also of the rich plains of Setif and Aumale. Very little labour is required to make the harbour perfectly secure, and in a military point of view it is strong and capable of easy defence. There are two short excursions from Bougie which the traveller should on no account miss if he can possibly make them. They are very grand in feature and variety, and if the walk is too much he can obtain a mule or horse for a few francs. (1.) To the Lighthouse on Cape Carbon, distant about 6 kil. A very easy road leads from the town along the flank of the mountain east of Gouraia, through the Valley of Mon- keys, the southern slope of which is well wooded with kharoub, olive, and oak trees ; it then traverses tlie mount- ain by means of a tunnel, and passes over the pointed crest of the isthmus connecting the peninsula of Cape Car- 1)011 with the mainland. The northern face of the niouutaiu is much more sterile, but covered in many places with scrub, the only trees being Aleppo pine. Nothing can exceed the sub- limity of the landscape from every point of view. In front is the open sea, to the W. the littoral riclily festooned with baj's, capes, and pro- montories, and to the E. the majestic mountains of Kabylia. (2.) To the top of Gourala, from which a magnificent view is obtained ; there is a good road up, and the ascent may be made on foot or by mule in an hour ; the whole excursion need not occupy 3 hours. 4 f. are usually paid for mules for either excursion. [There is direct railway communi- cation between Bougie and Beni- Mansour, on the line of railwaj' from Algiers to Constantine. The traveller can reach Aumale by this route. From Bougie there is a route and a service of diligences to Setif, througli the Cliabet el-Akliira, every day. See p. 200.] The steamer continues its course across the Gulf of Bougie to Cape Cavallo. About half way, at a place called Ziaoia, are the ruins of the fortified Roman town of that name. A short distance farther, seen on the right, is the rocky promontory of Man- souria, beyond which is Cape Cavallo. Near this is a mine of argentiferous lead ore, and the hills around are full of iron and carbonate of copper. Between this and Djidjelly is a small island of a bright red colour, called by the Arabs El-Afia. In front of the latter town is a line of rocks, on one of which stands the lighthouse. "^140 m. Djidjelly (.3021 inhab.) is situated in a little bay, the entrance to which faces the S.E., formed by a line of reefs which seems to have been placed there to serve as the foundation of a breakwater. It does not, however, shelter the anchorage from N.W. to N.E. , as it has several openings, one of which forms a pass 100 metres wide and 10 deej). At the extremity of this is Cape Bougiarone, which affords some shelter from the E.N.E. This is the natural outlet of a country rich in vegetable and mineral produc- Sect. II ROUTE 1. nJIlUKI.LY 117 tions, extcuding iiii the valley of the Oued el-Kebir as far as Mila. It oecu- pies the site of the ancient Roman colony of Iied the town, and began to construct Fort l5u(iuesne, to defend it against the Kabyles. Soon, however, a Tnikish force ariived from Algiers with a powerful artillery. The Due de Ikaufort, who was on bad teinis with the military commander, had left for Tunis, and the position of the French became very critical, and eventually untenable. Comte dc Gadagne, seeing his troops demoralised, ordered them to embark, leaving behind not only his sick but the corps detailed to cover his retreat. Manj^ of the soldiers were massacred, and the remainder cariied off to slavery at Algiers. This disastrous alfair cost the French 1400 men, 45 guns, and 50 mortars, some of wliich guns were actually used against them in the insurrection ol l!S71. The Due de Beaufort was sub- .seiiuently killed in June 1669, in an unsuccessful attempt to raise the siege of Candia by the Turks. He was blown up by the explosion of a powder magazine, and his body was never recovered. In 1803 an Arab from Morocco, named Ikn-Arach, made Djidjelly the headquarters of his piratical expedi- tions, and captured 6 French coral fishing -ships and 54 prisoners, who were led chained to the town. In revenge, the Dey of Algiers sent three ships against Beu-Arach, who was known by the name of "the Pirate of Djidjelly." In 1839 the Kabyles took pri.soners the crew of a brig named " L'lnde- pendant," wrecked near Djidjelly, and refused to give them U]) without ran- som. In conseiiuence of this the town was attackeil and cai)tured by Colonel de Salles in May of the .same year. At that time all that remained of the media'val town was a sijuare tower and the wall which ]irotected the isthmus ; little or no Roman ruins were ap- parent. The old town was built on the rocky peninsula forming the extreme AV. point of the bay. On the night of the 21st and 22d August 1856, a violent shock of earthquake, accompanied by a subterranean sound like thunder, was felt, and immediately a great pio- portion of the houses fell to the gi'ound. The mos(|ues, the old Genoese tower, and many others were destroyed. The sea retreated a great distance, and suddenly returned with immense fury : these disturbances lasted 40 seconds. On the following day another and more violent shock took ]ilace, accompanied by detonations and deep fissures in the earth, and den.se clouds of du.st ; when the shock terminated, not a house remained standing. During a wiiole year the shocks continued almost daily till thi'y gi'adually ceased. Tlie old city was restored as a citadel, containing only jiublic buildings. A new town has been built on the shore of the bay to the E., surrounded by a wall and ilitch, wliich enabled its small 1 IH UOUTli; ]. Ar.GIKRS TO rilirJI'I'KVILLH, ETC. A Igeria ^'.irrison .succo.s.sfully to support a siego of .several weeks in 1871. A route has long been in course of construction between Djidjelly and Constantine, which will open out a vast field for colonisation in a district where the quality of the land, the abundance of water, and the proximity of forests and mines, cannot fail to secure the prosperity of the projected villages. [Djidjelly is perhaps the best point from which to attempt the Ascent of Babor and Ta-babort. The journey has no physical difliculties, but it will be found hardly practicable without the co- operation of the local authorities. The author performed it iu March 1878, but it ought not to be attempted before ]\Iay, on account of the snow on the summit of the mountains, and the difficulty of passing the rivers which take their rise in it. The first night he passed at the lead mines of Cape Cavallo ; the distance from Djidjelly to this point is about 35 kil., and occupied 4| hours on horseback. The second day he pi'o- ceeded by a very difficult path along the coast, visiting tiio picturesque cave of Oitecl Taza and the ruins of Ziama, and sleeping at A'in-Bou M'raou, the residence of the Kaid of Ta-babort. The journey took 9 hours. Thence, on the third day, after a ride of 8 hours, he reached the village of Bcni £izaz, beautifully situated in an elevated valley between the peaks of Babor and Ta-babort ; the scenery throughout was extremely beautiful and interesting in manj' respects. On the summit of the mountains are forests of cedar and African pinsapo, which latter has been described as a distinct species under the name of Abies hahorcnsis of Cosson, a near ally of the A. 2nnsapo, which is confined to the S.W. of Spain. If the traveller cannot ascend Babor, he will see both the Atlas and the Spanish vari- eties growing in juxtaposition in the plantation of Djdicl Ouachc, near Con- stantine (see p. 197). The most easy and the most picturesque route by Mhich to return to Djidjelly is through the beautifully wooded country of the Betii FuiKjluil, the only triiie in Eastern Kabylia which remained faithful to the French in 1871. During tlie au- thor's visit the trees were not yet in leaf, but the whole country wa,s car- peted with violets, iioriwinkle, and blue irises. ] Beyond Djidjelly the embouchure of the Oued cl-Kcbir is passed; this, higher up, is the lioummcl of Con- stantine, the Roman Ampsagas, a river celebrated in the history of the ancient territorial demarcations of the country ; and farther on is Cape Bougiarone {iJj.Iloii Garoun or Bou Koroun, llount- ain of Horns, or Djcbel Sebda Jlaoos, Mountain of Seven Capes). There can be little doubt of the Arabic origin of the former name, and that Shaw was in error when he described it as a term of reproach on account of the brutal and iniiuman (pialities of its inhabitants. He says of them: "They dwell not, like the other Kabyles, in little thatched hovels under the shelter of some forest or mountain, but in the caves of the rocks, which they have either dug themselves or found ready made to their hands. Upon the approach of any vessel, either in the course of sailing or distress of weather, these inhospitable Kabyles immediately issue out of their holes, and, covering the cliffs of the sea-shore with their multitudes, throw out a thousand execrable wishes that God would deliver it into their hands." This cape is the most northerly point of Algeria, and rises in the centre to a height of 3600 ft. above the sea level. It is the I'reton of Strabo and Ptolemy, and the Mctagonium Prom, of Pomponius Mela. At Bougiarone there is a fixed white light of the first order on a niasoni-y tower, visible from a distance of 20 m. There is another at CajK Afia, nearer to Djidjelly, which has a flashing light 138 ft. above the sea, and is seen 19 m. in clear weather. The coast is bordered by masses of rock to the N. and ]Sr.W.,'but to the E. the clitfs are lower. Passing this, and also the point called Eas-rl-Kebir, the Bail ^/ Gollo is reached, at the com- mencement of which is Sect. [T IIOUTIC 1 . COLLO 1 l<) ]88 111. Collo (1269 iiiliali.) The bay which .seivi-s as the liailiour oC Collo is protected from all the most ilaugerous winds, and oilers not only a safe refuge I'or vessels trading on the coast, but a tolerably eonveuieut land- ing-])lacc for merchandise. liehind the promontory of El-Djcrda is another bay, called by the natives Bdhr en-Nissa, the Sea of Women, so called from a sjiring named Aln-Doula, Fountain of Wealth, believed by them to be valuable in cases of sterility. An insc-rii)tion found here, bearing the legend cdi.onia mixerv.e ciivllv, proves beyond doubt that it was the Kollops Macjnus of Ptolemy and the Chulli Munici})ium of the itinerary of Antonine. It was a city of consider- able importance during the Roman epoch, and its harbour was a frequent station of the imperial galh^ys. It was here that Peter HI. of Arra- gon debarked in 1282 lor the purpose of conducting in person an expedition for the conquest of Constantine ; but when he luard of the death of his ally, Aboo-Bekr Ibn Wuzeer, govei'iior of that city, he left for Sicily. From 1004 till lt)85 the French Conipagnie d'Afriiiuc had an establishment here. The jilace was occupied by General Paraguay d'Hilliers in April 1843. The environs are very picturesque. Towards the S. is a fertile cultivated plain, in the centre of which rises a cone-shaped wooded mountain, called lldu madia. The streams near Collo are the only ones in Algeria where trout are found ; the species (see p. 72) is peculiar to the Ourd Z'hnnr and its atlluents. From Collo there is a good horse- route joining the railway from Phil- i|ip(!villc to Constantine at Kobertville — 57 kil. in length. A lighthouse with an iiitcniiittcnt green light is i)laeed on the promontory of Kl-I)jenli(, ; and there is a lixed red light at the entrance of the jxirt. In about :} hours' steaming aftei' leaving Collo, the boat passes between the island of Srigina, on which stands a lighthouse, and the coast, distant about \ m., and passes Stora, a small, imltily- situated village, the inhabit- ants of which are [iriiuipally engaged in curing sardines. For many years this Wiis the regular station of the coasting steamers, as a bend in the coast gave some shelter from the most dangerous winds, except in unusually heavy weather, when it was imprudent even to approach the coast. 206 111. Philippeville. Pop. 13,394. A magniticent harbour was com- pleted in 1882 ; it is formed by the projection in a W.N. W. direction from Cape Skikdah, immediately to the E. of the town, of a grand mole or lireak- water, 1400 metres long, and liy the projection in a N. direction, from Chateau Vert, W. of the town, of a mole of picrrcs j)crducs about 400 metres long ; the width of the entrance will be about 200 metres, ami it will have a lighthouse at the head of the grand mole. The area thus protected is divided into an outer and inner basin ; the former has now an area of 95 acres, to be subsequently reduced by recovery of land to 150 ; it varies in depth from 8 to 19 fathoms ; the inner basin will be of 45 acres, with a depth varying from 22 to 50 ft. It is contemplated to increa.se tliis harbour to a very great extent, and, if the jiroposed works are carried out, it will have a surface of upwards of 1200 acres, elfectually sheltered from all winds. During the great storm of 26th and 27th .lanuaiy 1S78, nearly the whole of the harbour works were carried away, and every vessel in the harbour was wrecked. The whole has been reconstructed, and the breakwater widened to 30 metres at the water- line ; it is crowned with a parapet 5 metres thick, and 13 metres above the level of the sea. Vessels are able to lie alongside the quays, which are all revetteil with large blocks of white marble from the quarries of Filfila. There is very little to be .';aid about the modern town of Philipi>eville, wideli is liietUIiS(|Uely situated between two hill.s, aii.l buili and fortified aceoidiiig to the common type of Algerian cities. It owes its existence to the neee.'v'*ity which arose, after the taking of Con stantine, of having a more direct mean ■20 itOU'J'IC I. ALOIKKS TO I'll I IJl'I'KVIM.E, ETC. A bjcria of loiiiiiimiiciitioii will] tliat city tliaii by BGiiu. Oil tho 7tli October 18^8 IVlarshal ValiJo cncaiiiiied on tlie site of tlic ancient city of Rusicada, and imrcliascd it from tlie Beni Meleh for 150 f. The Roman city was built on the site of a more ancient I'htenician one, the Tapstis mentioned by Scylax in his Periphis, whence is derived the modern name Safscif, applied to the river which here falls into the sea. It soon attained a high state of pros- ])erity, and, with Ciiia, (joiio, and Mila, formed one of the four colonies of the C'irtensians. No city of Nu- midia with so small an area has fur- nished such a 7nass of ariihieological treasures. Many of these have dis- ajipeared, but all that remain are now carefully preserved in the ancient theatre, itself the most interesting ruin in the place. An amphitheatre in a very yierfect state of preservation existed outside the present gate of Coustautine when the place was occujned, but its stones were taken away for building purposes, and the railway destroyed the last vestige of it. On the plateau above are the ancient reservoirs, which were filled by a canal, bringing in the waters of the Oiicd Beni Mdch. These have been carefully restored, and still serve to supply the modern town. The ancient baths were in the centre of the town, to the left of the Rue Nationale, and are still used as cellars to the military stores. Rusicada was probably destroyed lyalkcrCi-BoutalUc about the end of the 5th century, after which it disa])peared from history, and its very name was forgotten. During the Middle Ages Stora seems to have usurped the place of Rusicada, as afford- ing more shelter to the vessels trading with North Africa ; but these, dread- ing the treacherous character of the coast, remained the shortest time pos- sible, and jireferred the greater security of Collo or Bougie to the W. , or Bune to the E. The traveller should visit the beauti- ful villas and c/ardeiis of M. Landon, at the Safsaf and on the road to Stora ; Sect. II ROUTE 1. BONE l:il tliey arc most liospilablj- left open lor tliu public when he docs not happen to be present. A drive may lie taken to Stoka (4 kil.) ; the road is luxuriantly wooded with cistus, myrtle, arbutus, and heath, and commands splendid views of woods, rocks, and water. Leaving Philippeville, the steamer directs her course towards the Cap de Fer, passing the small promontory of Cap Filfila, a continuation of the Djebel Filfila, where are iron mines on one side of the Oued Righa, and on the other the tine marble quarries belong- ing to M. Lesueur ; they contain marble of a great variety of colours hardly yet developed, and an unlimited ([uantity of white, gray, and black. Siiecimens of these may be seen at JI. Lesueur's atelier, behind the railway station at Philippeville, or on the kiosques at the Palais de Justice. The distance by road to the quarries is 25 kil. About 1.5 kil. E. of Filfda is IJuu Ksaiba, where other deposits of marble, princi- lially yellow, are found. Beyond this is tlie embouchure of the river Sanedja, and near it are the copper mines of A'in-JJarbar, formerly belonging to an English company (see p. 126). The Cap de Fer or lias el Hadid is a jagged, rocky point, projecting so far into the sea as to have the apjiearance of an island when seen from Philippe- ville. The highest peak is loOO ft. above the sea level. Its name has been given to it from its iron mines, which were formerly extensively worked. The N. side presents a wall of rock towards the sea. On it is a light of the third order, alternately flasiiing red and white every 30 seconds. Shortly after passing the point, the Koubba of Sidi Akknch is seen above a small bay. The next headland is called Kas Takouch, whi(;h affords a sliclter for small vessels ; it was frequented by the Italian mer- chants in the 14th century. A small rock, the lie Takouch, stands out a mile from the shore. A small village, Ifrrbillon, has l)cen built here. From this the coast is steep and rock-bound as far as a conical rock called la VoUc Noire, projecting ^ m. into the sea. The Cup de Garde, like tlic Cap de Fer, ap[)ears from a distance almost as an island. It is a prolongation of tin range of Djebel Edouyh, and is sur- mounted by a lighthouse, 469 feet almve the sea, with nji-nd a.ndjla.shinij white light eclipsed every minute, visible at a distance of 31 m. On the other side of the point is Fort Genois, after passing wliich the steamer anchors in the harbour of Bone. 264 m. Bdne. Pop. 19,687. Seat of a Sous-prefecture, tribunal of premier instance, general commanding the sub- division, civil and military hospital, etc. It is called by the Arabs Annaba (city of Jujube trees), and was founded by them after the destruction of lii]il)onp. The Kasba was erected by the Bey of Tunis in 130rt ; and from this time until the middle of the 15th century Bone was the resort of Italian and Spanish merchants, who carried on an extensive commerce with North Afriia. In 1553 Kheir-ed-din, then Pacha of Algiers, sent a force to garrison the town ; but they evacuated it after Charles V had taken possession of Tunis ; for some time after it was constantly changing hands, the Geno- ese, Tunisians, and Turks all obtaining possession of it in turn. In 1830, after the taking of Algiers, the inhabitants threw off the yoke of the Bey of Constantine, and at their re([Uest the place was occupied by a brigade of French troojis, but soon after the change of government in France necessitated the concentration of all the available forces at Algiers, and Boin was evacuated. The French finall\ occupied it in 1832, when Cajitain- Armandy and Youssef, with a few soldiers, entered the Kasba. and suc- ceeded in defending it against licavy odds until succour arrived. It is a cheerful, dean, and well- built town. Much of the old ]>art has been destroyed, but some portion, in- cluding the Kasba, still remains. The street.s are for the most jiart str.iigbt and wide, although .some, such as tic Rues Fnarl, Vhilippe, and Suffrcv, aiv very steep, owing to the town bein- built on uneven ground. The best Fied. H RODTK 1. HIPPONK I2:i shops are in tliu Jiue Ncuvc St. Aiifjus- tin, ami CuurH Nationalc. Amongst the principal squares is the Place d'Armcs, which is planted with rows of trees, and has a garden with a fountain in tlie centre. 'I'he Gnind J\IoH(iue oc- cupies one side, and on the other there are houses and shops, all with arcades. The Places du Commerce and Povit/o are both ornamented with trees and fountains. Through the centre of the town, from the cathedral to the harbour, runs the Cours Natunialr, a delightful prom- enade, beautifully planted with trees and flowers. On each side are the principal buildings of the place, Theatre, banks, hotel, etc. At the end nearest the sea is a statue of M. Thiers, and at the opposite one is the Cathedral of St. Augustine, a building supposed to be in the Byzantine style of architecture, but much more re- sembling the case of a Charlotte Pussc ; fortunately only the fafade is very conspicuous, and this is the least ob- jectionalile part of the structure. The Miisqnc, DjavUia-el-Bcy, in the Place d'Armes, has been constructed out of some of the ruins of Hipjionc. The exterior is in good taste ; the in- terior is merely a repetition of all other nu)S([ues described. The Barracks, capable of holding oOOO men, are two in number — one in the Rue d'Orleans, and the other near the I'orte Daniri'niont. There is a large Militarti Ilnspitnl for 700 patients in the Rue d'Armandy, and a civil hos- [lital capable of holding 3.')0. The town is plentifully supplied with good water from Djebel Kdough. The climate was formerly exceedingly un- healthy, owing to the marshes at the embouchure of the two rivers Si^ybouse and Bou Djemiia, which enter the sea close together ; now these have been drained by a chain of canals, and malaria has almost disappeared. A short distance from the town is a pi'jnniiri' lielonging to tJovernment, in which are deposited a tine murlile sarc()i)hagus and some other interesting Roman remains, worthy of a visit. Formerly the anchorage in the bay was very insecure, but in 18G8, after more than ten years' labour, the new harbour was linishcd, and is now as good as an}' in the colony, not except- ing that of Algiers itself. It consists of an outer harbour, having an area of l.'JO acres, formed by two breakwaters, leaving between them an aperture of about 300 yards ; within this is a basin containing 30 acres, surrounded with handsome quays, alongside which ves- sels can load in any weather. A still further extension of the harbour is being carried out (1889), which will best be seen by the dotted lines on the [)lan. EXCUR.SION.S IX THE NeIGHBOUKHOuH. Naturally the first excureion that the traveller desires to make is to the spot hallowed by the labours and death ol St. Augustine. The ancient Carthaginian I'bbo or Hippone receiveil from the Romans the name of Hippo Regius, not only to dis- tinguish it from the Hiii]M) Diarrliytu.s, but from being one of the Royal cities of the Xumidian kings ; it was created a colony of the Kmpire, and was one of the most opulent commercial centres of Roman Africa. St. Augustine, who had been con- verted four years before, was onlaineil priest here a.d. 390 ; here lie resided, a [)riest and bishop, for 35 years ; and here also he wrote his " Confessions," and his " City of God." In A.]). 428 the intrigues of the ambitious Count Boniface opened to the Vandals the door of the Afiiean continent, and Hippone was besieged by them for 14 month.s. St. Augustine died during this time, and in 431 the city fell, and its conquerors reduced it to ashes, all but the cathedral, whieli escaped, together with St. Augustine's library and MSS. The town, which was partially rebuilt under Beli.sarius, was again destroyed by the Arabs in the year (iit?. St. Augustine was buried in tlie r.asilic.'i of Hippone. After the per.se- cution of tlu' Vandals had driven many of his disciples into exile, two of the last bishops are said to have carried olf his relics with tiicm and deposited ;4 KOUTIO I. ALfUERS TO rHlLiri'KVILI,K, ETC. A lijeria thrill ill tlio I'asilica of Cagliari, where tliey reinaiiied lor 223 years; they were then translated to Pavia, ami there tliey repose at the present nio- iiicnt in a niagnifieent niouunient in tlit^ cathedral. In 1842 the reliquary was opened, and the right arm of the saint abstracted for the purpose of being conveyed to Hone ; it was taken over to Africa with great solemnity by a commission of seven bishops, twelve priests, and a number of monks and nuns, and de- posited in the cathedral there. An altar had been previously erected to his memory amongst the ruins of Hip[>one, surmounted by a bronze statue ; this was at the same time solemnly consecrated, and a religious service has been celebrated there every year on the anniversary of his death. It is surrounded by an iron railing, but this has not protected it from the sacri- legious penknives of tourists, whose names cover every available spot in and around it. Just below this is the only remnant of Hip[)one now existing, the cisterns and aqueduct which su])plied the town with water from Edough. A large church has been built above the ruins, next to which is a hospital for old people kept by the Petites Sceurs dcs Pauvrcs. Another pleasant drive is along the Corniche Road to Fort Genois (9 kil.) This fine new road was only made in 1885 ; it skirts the shore of the outer harbour, passes the Arab cemetery and the Plage Luquin, where are numerous villas and a batliing establishment, and here it joins the old road to the fort. There are beautiful views of land and water at every turn. Fort Genois was built by the Genoese after their occu- ]iation of Tabarca, to protect their ships when obliged to anchor in the bay. Three kilometres farther off is the extremity of Ccq) dc Garde. AscEXT OF Djebel Edougii. By far the most interesting expedi- tion iu the neighbourhood of Bone is the excursion through the Forest of Edough. The road is quite practicable for carriages, l)nt it is much more pleasant to do it on horseback. ■ This mountain is tlie celebrated Mons Pajuia, where took place .some of the most celebrated events in the histoiy of North Africa. When the Vandal King Genseric laid siege to Hi])pone, during the year in which St. Augustine died, the in- habitants of this mountain witnessed from their natural fastnesses the ex- tinction of Eoman power in Africa. A century later Belisarius reconquered the country, and Gilimer, the last of the Vandal monarchs, fleeing before him, took refuge in these mountains, whence, before his surrender, he sent the well- known message to his conqueror, re- questing that he might be supplied with a lyre, a loaf of bread, and a sponge. On being questioned as to the meaning of this strange request, the messenger replied that his master wished once more to taste the food of civilised people, from which he had been so long debaiTed, to sing to the accompaniment of the lyre an ode to his gi-eat misfortune, and with the sjionge to wipe away his tears. In the neighbouring port of Hippo was captured the great treasure of the Vandals : "Silver weighing many thou- sand talents, and a huge mass of royal furniture (Genseric having sacked the palace at Eome), among.st which were some monirments of the Jews brought to Rome by Titus after the destruction of Jerusalem. Subsequently, at the triumph of Belisarius in Constanti- nople, a Jew espying the same, stand- ing by one of the emperor's familiar friends — 'It is not good,' quoth he, ' to bring these monuments into the palace, for they cannot continue but where Solomon first put them. Hence it is that Genseric sacked the palace in Rome, and now Belisarius that of the Vandals.' Tlie emperor, hearing this, sent them to the Christian church in Jerusalem." 1 For several years after the French occupation of Bone, Edough maintained a sort of independence ; its inhabitants 1 Proc'op. " Wars of Vandals," trans. Sir H. Holcroft, book ii. c. 6. Sect. II ROUTE 1. DJEBEfi EDOUGH 12; avoiiled all intercourse with the con- i[uerors, and abstained from all acts of ajrorressioii. In 1841, however, a Marabout, who lived near tlie Cap de For, iniai^iniMl that Providence had called him to be- come tiie liberator of his country, and, as then was always the case, the moment a fanatic began to preacli the Jehad or holy war, he was surrounded by a host of followers as ignorant and fanatic as liimself. Several acts of hostility and bri- gandage were jwrpi'trated, wliich could no longer be tolerated, and a force was sent to pacify Eilough, under the com- mand of General Haraguay d'Hilliers. Three columns ascended the mountain simultaneously, from Constantine, Pliilippeville, and Hone, ami com])L'lled the tribes to recognise the authority of the French. For a time, however, the Marabout Si Zcnloud continued at liberty, and urged his followers to re- sistance. Tlic advancing columns drove the hostile Arabs on to a small promon- tory occupied by the Koubba of Sidi Akkarli, l)etw('cn (.'ap de Fer and Kas Takouch, when, seeing that all further resistance was hopeless, they demanded aman. This was at once accorded, but while the negotiations were going on a shot from the thicket behind wounded an orderly of the General, who imme- diately gave the order for a general massacre. Many of the Arabs threw themselves into the sea and were drowned, the rest were slaughtered without ]>it3'. Si Zerdoud escaped at the time, but was captured shortly afterwards, and immediately shot. The road ascends the southern side of tlie mountain, which is at lirst rather bare, and covered with tufts of diss grass, but very soon cork oaks begin to appear, and long before reaching the culminating point the road traverses a thick forest of these trees and deciduous oak (Qucrcu-s Mirhcckii). On the top of the hill, 329-1 feel above the level of the sea, is the village of lUigeaud, created in 1843, and named after the well-known Marechal. It is situated in a idearing, from which there is a magnilicent panoraunc view of the sea on one side, and of the bay and plain of Bone on the other, boujided by the mountains of the Heni Saleh. The winter at Hugeaud is severe, but in summer it has (|uite an Euro])ean climate, and is a favourite sanitarium for the good people of Bone, who can- not all manage to get away to France during the hottest jnonths. A few villas have been built in the village and in its vicinity. After having traversed Algeria in every direction, the writer has seen no place to be compared with it as a summer residence. About a mile farther on is the village of Edough, composed almost entirely of buildings connected with the cork establishment of Messrs. Lecoij and Bertlion, who have a concession of 8000 hectares of forest land. There is a clean and comfortable auhnrijc here, wliere an excellent breakfast can be obtained. Instead of continuing along the high road, the traveller should turn off to the right, and follow a path, which has lieen maortion of these were sub.sequently redeemed and sent to colonise the island lalled I'lana, off Alicante, on the coast of Spain, to which they gave the name of Tabarca. The island itself is 400 ft. high, and its western side is crowned by the ruins of the fort built by Charles V. The traveller should not fivil to take a boat and row round the island. The grandeur of the roek and the castlo are best seen from the sea. On the mainland the Roman town covered a large area, the whole slope of the hill. The remains of many Roman buildings are still visible, but these .iiipeur to have lieeii purely con- structional, the few moulded stones that have been brought to light l)eing of coarse worknuuiship an i"to which (lows tin; livcr Medjerda. This was at one time the most famous arsenal and the winter port of the Tunisian fleet, and here our own Blake gained one of his most celebrated victories. A little to the S.W. is the wretched little village of Jion Chalet; the site of the celebrated city of Utica, Th< Ancient, one of the first founded in Africa. When later riuenician colon- ists founded Carthage, Utica still main- tained its importance though it wa^ obliged to submit to the supremacy ol tlie younger city. In u.c. 300 it fell into the power of Agathocles, and it sulisequently i)layed an important part in all the I'unic Wars, but it is espe- cially famous iis being the scene of the unnecessary .self-sacrifice of Cato. It continued to exist till the Mohammed- an invasion, when it lost not only its being but its name, and was thereafter known by tliat of Bou Cliater. The ruins still existing of the ancient city are not very extensive or interesting. Soon Cape Carthage is doubled, witli the Arab town of Sidi Buu Said, then the site of the great Carthage itself ; while the eastern horizon is bounded by a picturesijue chain of hills, the most conspicuous of which are llam- mcun. cl-Enf, Bath of the A'osc, so called from a fancied resemblance it bears to that organ, and to the existence of a celebrated thermal spring at its ba.se ; Djcbcl licsfds, the mountnin of h-ad, and Zaijhuwtn, the ancient Zciigis, which gave its name to the district ot Zeugitana. Eventually the steamer anchors at the Goletta of Tunis (437 m. ), where we will leave it for the present. ROUTE 2. Algiers to Cherchel and Tipasa. This route may be done either by taking the railwa}' to El-Ajfrmin and thenci! ])roceeding to Cliercliel by tlie omnibus, p;ussing through Marengo, or a carriage may be hired from Blidah for 25 f. a day. It is generally cheaper to hire there than at Algiers. r)0 kil. Blidah (see p. 1()G). 57 kil. Lii Chiffa. (52 kil. MviitiiiitviUi; G4 kil. JUni Jioinni. 68 kil. Kl-Affroun. 73 kil. Ainriir il-Ain. 80 kil. Bourkiku, at the junction of the Milianah road. From this point 134 UOUTK 2. ALOIKRS TO CHKRCflKL AND TIPASA Algeria tho kilometiie distances are mea.suii;il from 1 ii])Wiir(l.s as far as Clicrclicl, tlic route being a departmental one, and MO longer tho eontiiiuation of that to IMiiianah. 85 kil. Marengo. 1536 inhab. This is a clean little town, placed in tlu! midst of a richly cultivated country, with vineyards extending over an area of many hundred acres. The fountains and reservoirs are supplied by a caual, which brings the water from the barrage of the Oucd Meurad. [From Marengo, a road 12 kil. in hmgth leads to the ruins of the Roman town of Tipasa, called by tlie Arabs Trfaced, signifying "ruined." The road leaves the village by the western avenue, and, passing the tortuous bed of the Oued Meurad, enters the forest of Sidi-Slinian. To this succeeds a very picturesque country, watered by several streams, which, uniting, form the Oued Nador. The road eventually passes through heaps of cut stones and ruins of buildings, and enters the village of Tipasa. Here is a small auhcrgc, in which one can lodge indifferently. The harbour is small, but sheltered from the W. wind Ijy a projecting headland, and has a fixed green light elevated 102 ft. above the sea. It is said to have been founded by the Emperor Clandius on the ruins of an older city, probably Carthaginian. It was from this place that Theodosius (father of the emperor of that name) started for the conquest of Anchorarius {Ouarcnscnis) during tlie insurrection of Firmus. The former was shortly afterwards beheaded at Carthage, and his son nearly sliared the same fate. In A.D. 484 the Vandal king Huneric imposed upon the Catholic inliabitants of this city an Arian bishop, in order to compel them to embrace that heresy ; a great [iroportion in consequence fled to Spain, and such of the remainder as refused to apostatise had their right hands cut off and tongues cut out. The principal ruins, which are of great extent, consist of a Basilica, now known under the name of the Eglise de VEst : it con- sisted of a nave and aisles with an apse. Around it are innumerable stone coliius, which were buried only Just below the surface of the ground. There are also the ruins of a semicircular fountain of tlic Ionic order ; the enclosing wall and tanks are still in existence, as well as portions of the fluted shafts of white marble. It was supplied V>y the Aquedicct of the Oucd Na.dor, of wliicli the ruins extend to beyond Marengo, and which is quite capable of restora- tion. A numlier of very interesting antiipiities are collected together in the garden of tlie piincipal proprietor. Monsieur Tremaux ; amongst others an immense amphora, measuring nearly 5 metres in circumference, and two white marble sarcophagi, beautifully sculptured and almost perf('ct, belong- ing to early Christian times, and not later than the 7th century. The suljject of one of them is a representation of the Good Shepherd. At Tipasa the sea has encroached upon the land ; and through the clear water parts of the ancient walls and fragments of broken columns may be seen. The shore is strewn with similar remains, partly buried under the sand. The small modern village is in the midst of the ruins of the ancient city. An excursion may be made on horse- back from Tipasa to Cherehcl by the bi-echc quari'ies of Djebel Cheunoua.] IS kil. Zurich (240 inhab.) A small village situated on the banks of the Oucd cl-Hachcm. It was founded, in 1848, on the ruins of a Roman villa. An Arab market is held here every Thursday. This village made a very gallant defence during the insurrection of 1871. A party of 30 militia and 40 military prisoners, nearly all of whom wei'e prostrate from fever, strengthened a private house by a hastily constructed stockade, and successfully held it dur- ing many days against a strong force of the Beni-Manasser. 22 kil. On the left of the road is passed part of the aqueduct which led the waters of the Oucd. cl-Hachcm and the copious springs of Djchcl Chcnnoua into Julia C;T?sarea. It consisted of two converging branches following the con- tour of the hills as open channels, or Sect. II ROOTE 2. CHERCHEL 135 traversing projecting spurs by means of galleries. In only two places was it necessary to carry the water over valleys liy means of arches. The first was at this si)ot, the second a few kilometres farther on, at the junction of the two branches where the united waters were carried over the Oiied Billah on a single series of arches, of which Kve remain. At the former place the water was carried over a deep and narrow valley on a tri]ile series of arches, most of which are still entire, with the exception of a ga]) in the centre. The lower and middle series consisted each of 7 arches, of wliich f) are complete ; the upper one had 16, of wliich 13 remain. The masonry is only of cut stone as far as the spi-ing of the middle arches ; the upper part is of rulible. All the su]>er- structure above the bottom of the specus has disappeared, but at the south end there still remains a circular basin, in- tended to break the fall of the water and receive any stones or sand th;it might be washecl down fiom the hills, leaving only the clear water to liow into the duct beyond. From Tipasa a direct road to Cherchel is in course of construction, Ijut is not yet (1889) completed. 32 kil. Cherchel. Pop. 2tJS0. (Jiieirhel was originally the Jal of thi^ Carthaginians, and was made the ca]>ital of Mauritania, by Juba II., under the name of Jul in Cicsarca. After vari- ous vicissitudes it was destroyed by the A'^andals, but regained .somewhat of its splendour under the l>yzantines. Ibn Khaldoun informs us that it fell into the hands of the Mei'inides in 13U0. The Moors from Andalusia found shelter here at tlic end of the l.">th century ; Kheir-ed-din took it in ir>2(», and in the following year Doria burnt jiart of the Algerian ileet here, but on attempting to elfect a landing he was repulsed and oliliged to retreat. "When it was visiteil by Shaw in 1730 it was in great reputation for making steel, earthen vessels, and such iron tools as were rerjuired in the neighbour- hood ; its ruins were still very mag- nificent, but it was entirely d<'stroyed by an earth(|uako in 1738. In those days there was a tradition that the more ancient city also had beeu destroyed by an earthijuake, and tliat the port, formerly large and commodious, was reduceil to its jiresent dimensions by the arsenal and other adjacent buildings having been tliiown into it by the shock. It is pleasantly situated in a very pictur- esque i)lateau west of the Ouccl Billah, and between the mountains of the 15eni- Manasser and the .sea. Kuins of former magnilicence exist in every direction, ami wherever excavations are made, columns and fragments of arcliitectural details are found in abundance ; unfor- tunately little or no regard has been jiaid to the preservation of the numer- ous remains which existed even as late as the Frenrh comiuest. Most of the poitable olijects of interest have been removed to museums elsewhere, and nearly all the monuments have been destroyeil for the sake of their stones. The large amiihitheatre outside the gate to the east still retains its outline, but the bottom is encumbered with 12 or 1.^ feet of del)ris, and is at present a ploughed field ; the ste]>s, except- ing in one small corner, have di.sap- peared, and every block of cut stone lias been removed. The theatre or liip- podrome, near -the barracks, is now a mere depression in the pnouml, tliougli in 18-10 it wa.s in a nearly jierfect state of jireservation, and liad a portieo sup])orted by columns of granite and marble, to which access was obtained by a magnificent flight of .steps. Here it is .saiil that St. Arcailius suffered martyrdom by being cut in pieces. Splendid baths existed both in the vieinity of the anijihitheatre, where is now the C/kdiijis dr Mdr.s, and on the opposite side of the town overlooking the port Even as late as the author's first visit to Cherchel, a curious old foit existed on the public place, built, as an inscrijition in the museum testifies, by the Caid iMahmoud bin Fares F.z-zaki, umler the government and by order of T/(C Kmir who ixccutcs t/i<- unln-s of (rod, ir/ni Ji(jhls in the viti/s of (Iwl, Aruudj, the son of Vakoob, in thf ifcar of the Hijira 924. This was 'nuilt of older Roman materials found on the spot by the celebrated corsair iJaba Arouilj, surnamed by Europeans liar)>aro.ssa. I 30 ROUTF, 2. ALOIIORS TO CHERCITEL AND TIPASA A h/eria NiiiruTous coluimis of l)liu;k didritc, and tho breccia of ])jcl)ol Clieiiiioua, lie .scallcrcd abovit tlie 2)lacc, as well as magiiiliceiit IVaffiiieiits of what iiiiist once have been a white marble temple of singular beauty. In the museum a great variety of fragments arc collected, many of which probably belonged to the same building, together with broken statues, tumulary and other inscrip- tions, capitals and bases of columns, am- phone, etc. ; and in one corner, amongst a heap of rubbish, are some precious specimens illustrating curious facts connected with the state of the indus- trial arts during the time of the Romans. For instance, a small section of a leaden pipe shows us that such implements were then made by rolling uj) a sheet of the metal, folding over the edges, and running molten lead along the joint. An ingot of the same metal ex- ists, as perfect as when it left the foundry, with the maker's name in lasso relievo. There is a boat's anchor much corroded, but still perfect in shape, a sun-dial of curious design, and, most interesting of all, the lower half of a seated Egyptian divinity, in black basalt, with a hieroglyphic inscription. This was found in the bed of the har- bour, and may have been sent as a ]>resent to the fair Cleopatra Selene from her native land. One of the most interesting buildings in the town is the military hospital, once a Mohammedan mosque, supported on 89 columns of diorite, surmounted by capitals brought from other build- ings, without regard to size or style. The bases are embedded in the ground, it having been found necessary to raise the floor in order to protect the building from damp. The mosque, which was of immense size, has been divided by partition walls to make four separate wards. From an antiquarian point of view, there is no jilace in the province of Algiers so interesting as Cherchel and its neighbourhood ; and however reck- less has been the destruction of the precious architectural treasures which it contained, abundance still remains to lestity to the s[)lendour of the capital ot Mauritania Ca-sariensis. Th(! ancient ci.sterns, capalde of con- taining two million litres of water, suj)- port part of the Ijarracks, ami have been tiioronghly repaired. They now suj)ply Cherchel, as they did the ancient i-ity. Marshal Clauzel nominated Haijj- Omar as Bey of Cherchel in the year 1835; but he was unable to maintain his position, and the town was taken by Ijerkani, a caliph of Abd el-Kader. In consequence of an act of jilracy, Cherchel was seized by Marshal Valee, in March 1840 ; and in August of the same year the neighbouring chiefs sub- mitted to the French rule. During the revolt of 1871 Cherchel was blockaded on the landward side for about a month. A party of the insurg- ents carried massacre and kil. farther is 39 kil. Coleah. 233t) inhab. Coleah enjoys a certain amount of renov.-n, from the fac'l of the eidebrateil Maral)out Sidi Ali Embarek having lived and performeil many miracles in this place. He was originally the ser- vant of a landowner nameil Bou-Ismail. It is said that he used always to sleep instead of doing his work, 7iotwith- standing which hisoxen would continue to plougii the same as if he were driving them. This extraordinary eircumstancc was reported to Bou-Ismail, who one day hid himself near by, to ascertain the truth of the report, and .saw Ali ben Embarek asleep as usual, whilst the oxen were at work. Bou-Ismail, astonished at the sight, fell upon his knees before Emban'k, and, ever after- wards treated him with the most pro- found respect, and on dying (a.d. 1():!0) bequeathed to him all his wealth. Ali ben Embarek was buried between a cypress and a palm tree ; and in the earthquake of 182."i, when the whole town was nearly destroyed, it is said that his kouliba was the only luiilding left uninjured. In 18i52 General Brossard was de- 138 ROUTE 3. ALGIERS TO COLEAII, KTC. A hjeria S|i;itcllC(l to seize tJie A^^'liil Sidi Mo- liiiimiietl luai I'^iiiharek, on tlie diarize of having heen ini]plicutod in the insui- rei'tion ; hut not Ixing able to liml iiini, took ])i'isoner.s two Marabouts of tJK! same family, and fined the inhabit- ants 100,000 t, of which sum, liow- ever, tlioy were only able to pay 10,000 f. Coleah was blockaded by Marshal \'ale(! in March 1838 ; and it was finally occupied by the French in 1839. An inell'ectual attempt was made to take l)ossession of it by the Bey of Milianah in 1841. Coleah is placed on a plateau at a height of 450 ft. above the .sea, and commands a magniticent view of the Metidja Plain, and of the range of the Atlas. The town lias been entirely rebuilt since its destruction by the earthquake in 1825 ; and like most other French town.s in Algeria, consists of a few straight regular streets with tiled houses, and courtyards planted with fruit trees. One of the most striking objects in Coleah is the gardeii which has been made in the small ravine separating the civil town from the military quarter. It is entirely the work of the French soldiers, and is kept with great care. The principal mosque, now used as the military hospital, is a tasteful building, composed of five arched naves, supported by stone columns. There is a minaret attached, which has a strik- ing appearance from the town. The koubba of Sidi-Embarek is a few paces from the mosque. The camj), which is situated on a small hill to the S. W. of the town, is of considerable size, the barracks being able to accommodate 1200 .soldiers ; in addition to which there are commodious storehouses, and other buildings. The Market is held daily in the Rue Es-Souk. The Arab market is held at the same place every Friday. The princii)al object of interest, how- ever, in the neighbourhood of Coleah is the great sepulchre of the Mauritanian kings, variously styled Tombeau de la Chretienne, Tombeau de la Reine, or in Arabic Kuhr-er-Roumia, tomb of the Christian woman. It is one of three somewhat similar edilices, one of wliich is found in each l)rovince of Algeria, the other two being the Mediassen, or tomb of the Numi- dian kings in Conistantine, and El- Djedar in Oran. This, however, is the only one men- tioned l)y any ancient author. I'ompo- nius Mela, in his work " De Situ Orbis," written about the middle of the lirst century, after the death of Juba II., but before the murder of his son Ptolemy, mentions both Ca;sarea {Chcrchcl) and Icosium [Algiers) ; and states that beyond the former is the moniomenlum commune recjioi (jentis. This at once decides the nature of the building, which, though intended to be seen far and near, is yet entirely (■oncealed from view at Cherchel by the mountain of Chennoua, the presump- tion being that the king would not care to have constantly within sight of his royal residence the tomb which he had caused to be constructed for him- self. The resemblance to the Medrassen, or Tomb of the Numidian kings, from whom Juba was descended, is another presumption that it was erected by him in imitation of his ancestral mauso- leum, Juba II. married Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the celebrated Egyptian queen by Marc Antony, and there is every probability that this monument served only as his tomb and that of his wife who died before him. It is hardly likely that the remains of his .son Ptolemy, the last of his race, could have lieen transferred from Rome to Africa. His only other child was a daughter Drusilla, wife of Felix, Governor of Judea, who said to Paul, " Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee." The tomb must have been violated at a very early period in search of hidden treasure. A careful examina- tion of the accumulated earth and dust within revealed traces of successive races who had visited the place, some of whom had even made it a place of residence, but none whatever of the bodies for whose reception it had been erected. It is called by the Arabs Kuhr-cr- I^ed. II ROUTE 3. TOMBEAU DE LA CHR^TIENNE 130 Roumia, Tomb of the Roman, or ratlier Christian woman, tlic word lioumi (fern. Roumia) beinj^ used commonly by Arabs all over tlie East to desifjnate strangers of Christian oripfin. Various explanations are given of this name. Marmol mentions a tradition, that under it were interred the mortal re- mains of the beautiful daughter of Count Julian, over the story of whose misfortunes the muse of Southey has shed so strong an interest. Shaw states that amongst the Turks it was known by the name Mcdtapasy, or Treasure of the Sugar Loaf ; and the belief tiiat it covered some great accumu- lation of riihes has exposed it to attacks by whicii it has lieen much ruined, and l)cfore wiiich a less solid structure would have altogether disappeared. Marmol adds : — " In the year 1555 Solharraes (Salah Rais) attempted to pull it down, lioj)ing to find some treasure in it ; but when they lifted up the stones, there came a sort of black poisonous wasps from under them, which caused immediate death wherever they stinged, and upon that liarbarossa dropped his design." Tlie Tombeau de la Chretienne is built on a hill fonning part of the Sahel I'ange, 756 ft. above the level of the sea, covered with a brushwood of lentisk and tree heath, situated nearly midway between Tipasa and Coleah, and to the west of Algiers. It is a circular buililing, originally about 131 ft. in height ; the actual height at present is 100 ft. 8 in., of which the cylindrical portion is 36 ft. 6 in., and the pyramid 64 ft. 2 in. The base is 198 ft. in diameter, and forms an encircling podium, or zone, of a decorative character, presenting a vertical wall, ornamented with 60 engaged Ionic columns, '2 ft. 5 in. in diameter, surmounted by a frieze or cornice of simple form. The capitals of the columns have entirely disap- peared, but an accurate design of them has been ]>reserved among.st the draw- ings of Hruce. The colonnade has at the cardinal points four false doors, the four panels of which, producing what may have beeu taken to represent a cross, prob- ably contributed to fix the ai>i»ellation of Christian to it. Above tlie cornice rise a series of 33 steps, which gradually decrease in circular area, giving the building the appearance of a truncated cone. The whole monument is placed on a low platform 63 m. 90 c. square, the sides of which are tangents to the cir- cular base. During the Emperor Napoleon's last visit to Africa he charged the well- known Algeiian scholars, M. IJer- brugger and M. MacCarthy, the late and present directors of the library and museum, to explore this tomb, which had never been jtenetrated in modern times, notwithstanding the attempt of Salah Rais in Looo, and the etforts of Haba Jlohanimed in the end of the ISth century, to batter it down by means of artillery. In Jlay 1866 a hole was drilled b}' an Artesian sound, which gave imlica- tions of an interior cavity, and shortly afterwards an opening was made from the exterior to the interior passage. Entering by this, both the central chamber and the regular door were easily found. Below the false door, to the E., is a smaller one, giving access to a vaulted chamber, to the right of which was the door of the jirincipal gallery. Above this the ligurcs of a lion and a lioness arc rudely sculptured. From this passage a large gallery, about 2 metres in lu'cadth, by 2 ni. 42 c. in height, is entered by a Might of stejis. Along it are niches in the wall, intended to hold lamps. Its total length is 149 metres. This winds round in a s)iiral direction, gradually afiproacliing the centre, where arc two sepulchral vaulted ch.iinbers, one 4 ni. 45 c. by 3 m. 45 c, and 3 ni. 45 c. high, and the other 4 m. by 1 m. 50 c, and 2 m. 75 c. high, separated from each other by a short passage, and shut olf from the winding pa.ssage by stone doors, consisting of a single slab cap- able of being moved up and down by levers like a portcullis. Tiic lining of the passage and ilianibei-s is of the most beautiful cut stone ma.soiiry. A more convenient way of visiting 140 UOUTE 4. ALGIERS TO ROVIGO, ETC. Alfjeria tlic Tombeau IVoiii Alf^iurs, if time be an objcet, is to telei^raj)]! or wi'itc before- hand to any of tlie iiotels at Marcnj^o to iinler a carriage to Ije in waiting at Kl- AllVoiin station on tlie arrival of the morning train from Algiers. The trav- eller will have ample time to drive to tiie Tombeau and liaek, so as to catch the evening train from Oran to Algiers. He ought to 2)rovide himself with pro- visions and a few candles. As the key of the Tombeau is kept at a farm on the opposite side, he may be compelled to enter the building by an opening in tlie side opposite the door, a proceeding which necessitates a slight scramble. From Coleah there is a service of omnibuses every day to Blidah. ROUTE 4. Algiers to Rovigo and the Baths of Hammam Melouan. Omnibuses from Algiers to Rovigo every day. There is also an omnibus at the rly. stn. of Gue de Constantino, in correspondence with the morning train from Algiers, and the evening one to it ; but the most convenient way is to drive from Algiers straight to the baths, which can now be reached by carriage ; formerly mules were required I'roin Rovigo. Leaving Algiers the road passes Mustafa Inferieur, the Ruisseau and Koubba, whence it descends gradually into tlie Metidja. 12"7 kil. Gue de Constantine, rly. stn. ; service of omnibuses to Rovigo. 14 kil. Road crosses Harrach by an iron bridge, 2.3 kil. Sidi-Momm (250 inhab.) An agricultural village on the Oued Djcmda, an affluent of the Harradi, at the junction of the roads to Bou-Farik, Rovigo, and Aumale, created in 1851, made a commune in 1861. 24 "5 kil. Road crosses Oued Djemiia by a wooden bridge. Hitherto the road has been over a highly cultivated part of the Metidja. As it approaches Rovigo it passes amongst orangeries and orchards of fruit trees, for which this place is celebrated, owing to the abundant means of irrigation. 30 kil. 7tV«> (350 inliab.) Named after the Due de Rovigo, Governor- General of Algeria, founded 1849, made a commune 1861. The village is situated at the foot of the first slopes of the Atlas, at the point where the Harrach enters into the plain. The road winds along the valley of the Harrach, through most picturesque mountain scenery ; the sides of the ravine are well wooded with pines, thuyas, olives, etc., and the bed of the i-iver filled with oleanders. 37 kil. Hammam Melouan (the coloured bath). A small ami by no means a comfortable inn is situated within a stone's throw of the baths ; as it contains only three bedrooms, each with one small bed, accommodation should be secured beforehand. The baths are situated in an open part of the valley, containing about 10 acres of park-like land, with fine old olive and lentisk trees, well adapted for camping out ; in the season, from the middle of May till the end of June, and again in October, there are fre- quently as many as 70 tents pitched here, many of which belong to Euro- peans and Jews. The guardian is authorised to receive 5 centimes for each bath, and as this fee brings him in 700 f. a year, it follows that not less than 14,000 are taken annually. There are two principal springs, one of which flows through a rude bath in the ancient Arab Koubba of Si Suli- man ; the other is in a similar piscine in a wooden hut behind the auberge ; both are dirty and ill cared for, and being only about 7 ft. by 4, they do not afford ade(|uate accommodation for the large number of visitors who fre- quent them. Were the water properly economised, and all the sources collected and led into well-constructed bathing- places, 600 baths a day might be avail- able. The water has a temperature of 103° Fahr., and contains nearly as much saline matter as that of Nauheim. The latter has 31 '4 grammes of saline matter in every kilogramme of water, of which 27 '3 are common salt. The Hammam Sect. II ROUTE 5. TENIKT-EL-AHD Ml Melonan contains 29 •! and 26 '3 respec- tively ; while the water of the Mediter- ranean has 30 '2 grammes of salt jier kil. The springs of Hammam Melonan contain, moreover, a small quantity of iion, the red dejiosit of which gives rise to the name. Tiiese tiiermal waters are deservedly held in high repute both amongst natives and Europeans, on account of tlieir healing qualities in all rheumatic and cutaneous affections. ROUTE 5. Algiers to Teniet-el-Ahd. I'y taking the early train from Algiers to AtlVeville, the journey can be ilone ill one day. A diligence starts every day from tlie latter jdaee on the arrival of the train, leaving Teuiet on its re- turn the following day at 9.30 .\.M. The journey occupies 8 hours. Time is usually allowed for break- fast at the butiet of Alfreville, but there is not always time to dine there on returning. Carriages for the journey may be obtained at Milianah. The road leaves Alfreville by the suburb of Charleville, and then strikes across the ]>lain of the Cttrlif. On reaching the S. side of the ]ilain, it takes a side sweep to the E. , iollowing the windings of the Oucd Mitssin. By this means the necessary elevation is attained without any .sudden or steep ascent. It is well engineered throughout, and is in good condition. After the first 20 kil. the scenery is pretty, ami the hills agreeably wooded with tamarisk, broom, juniper, ;aml lentisk. Presently, as the road as- cends, oaks and pines are seen among tiie brushwood. Several small auberges are passed. 27 kil. Caravanserai of the Oucd Mtissiii or Ansrur cl-Louza, built on ojuMi ground, surrounded bj' sjilcndid woods of oak and pine. Here tiie dili- gence changes horses, and drivers sto| to rest. Travellers sometimes pass the night here. Excellent shooting in tin vicinity. 35 kil. La Camp dfs Chvnas, a small inn i)icturesquel}' situated, with a grove of evergreen oaks in front of it. This is a convenient mid-day halt if the traveller has a private carriage. A good breakfast may be obtained. Througii the valley on the right a glimpsi! is obtained of the T)jel»l Esh-Shain, near Tiizu. After this the road ascends through a narrow gorge, finely woodul with Aleppo i)ine, ami ])asses over a Col, close to a remarkable hill of conical shape, called " the Sugar Loaf," crowned by a pile of limestone rocks. 47 kil. Auhrijc di: hi lUunpc, a small, clean inn. 57 kil. Teniet-elAhd. 1115 inhab. 3807 ft. above the sea. Horses and muhs fur the excur- sion may be procured at the hotel ; the " Kond Point," to which, in order to .save time, travellers should go first, may even be reached in a carriage, but the road is very rough and .some- times impracticalde. They should take provisions witii them, antl start as early as possible. It takes 2 hours to ride to the Cedars, and as many back. It would probably require nearly an equal time to go on foot, as the horses must walk all the way. The village of Teniet-el-Ahd, signi- fying 7V.SVV of Sunddii, from the Arab market held there every .Sunrosperous village, of one long street, shatled with i)lane trees, and commanded by a fort on an emi- nence to the W., containing the bar- racks, the residence of the Commanlant Su]ierieur, etc. The old Bureau Arabi- is in a snnill fortified enclosure on a hill farther W. Tiie Cedar forest is on the range which extends W. for 2r) to 30 kil., ami then, after rising into a bold conical peak, 5811 ft., turns suddenly to tin- 142 ROUTK 5. ALGIERS TO TENIET-EL-ATID A lyeria S., and forms a succession of low hills. The forest bef(ins at about 3 kil. from the village, but it is at least 13 to the chalet, called "Le Kond Point des Cedres," 4977 ft., where there is a beautiful lawn bounded by a semicircle of trees. Near this are the largest cedars, hero also is the house of the Garde Forestier, and a small chrUet. The Ccdrus Atlantica is usually found in about 36" of N. lat.,at a height of 4000 to 7000 ft. above the sea. The young trees have a pyramidal form, but when one rises above its neighbours, and a blast of wind, lightning, or an insect destroys its leading shoots, the branches extend laterally, and the tree assumes an umbrelladike aspect, forming a .shade imiicrvious to the least ray of sun. There are 9000 acres of forest in this part of the range alone, of which about four-fifths are cedars, and the rest oak of dill'erent species, evergreen and de- ciduous. It is sad to see how many of the cedars are dead, having been burnt by Arab incendiaries. The lower por- tions of the range are covered with evergreen oak ; the upper portions, on the N. side, with cedars, which descend the S. flank for only a short distance, the increased tempeiature not suiting them. The largest of the exist- ing trees, "La Sultane," is nearly 100 ft. high, with a diameter of 9 ft. ; another, " Le Sultan," now fallen, was even larger. The wild flowers are very beautiful in spring, especially the I'lilipa fragrans and the FritiUaria orancnsis, which are not found in the lower region. It is (juite impossible to exaggerate the beauty of the forest. The road, as it winds round the spurs of the range, gives views, that change continually, of the mountains and the trees, which, to appreciate them properly, must be seen from above as well as from below. It is worth while to mount to the top of the ridge (5643 ft.) above "La Sultane," a steep climb of about 30 min. On reaching the crest, which is singularly sharp and well defined, a bare spur of limestone is seen, project- ing B., from which a view of singular beauty is obtained. In front is the grand mass of the Ouaransenis, " L'Q^^il du Monde," with its triple peaks, un- obstructed by any object to dinunish its height or its grandeur. In the foreground is the Plateau of Sersou, an ujjiand region, richly cultivated, and well wooded, gradually sinking towanls the E. into the barren jilain of the Ilauts I'lalravx, bounded in the far S. E. horizon by the mountain called Sehiia Rous or Seven Heails, which forms so conspicuous an object in the view from Boghar. To the N. are the various spurs descending to the valley of the Chelif, the mountains that bound the rt. bank of that river, Milianah and Djebel Zakkar, and even Pjou-Zarea above Algiers. Almost as fine a view- is obtained from the extremity of the forest, called Tcniet-cl-Guetran, with- out the necessity of climbing so high. Near the " Rond Point" is a chalj'- beate spring, whose waters have bei'U found very efficacious ; it yields 8000 litres per hour. There is a very fine view of the foi-est range from Bou-Zhouar, 4593 ft., the conspicuous conical mountain N.W. of the fort, and an equally fine one of the valley of the Chelif from Bou-Sar, 4266 ft., the N. point of the range AV. of Bou-Zhouai'. The road to Tiaret has been com- menced, but never completed. About 25 m. south of Teniet, at the point where the Tell ends and the High Plateaux commence, is a district called Sersou, rather uncertain in its extent, abounding in prehistoric remains, such as large flat blocks of stone, enceintes, and tumuli, which are found on the plain, on the slopes and summits of the hills and in the valleys between them. These are mentioned iu no work of travels, as they are rather out of the beaten track, but a preliminary survey has been made of them by Messrs. Letourneux and MacCarthy, and it is to be hoped that a more care- ful examination may soon be under- taken. At Ava-Toukria, an immense surface, about 700 acres, was entirely covered with enceintes formed of walls of rough stones and tumuli, and a con- siderable number of interesting objects were discovered belonging to the ancient races who had inhabited the country. Sect. II ROUTE G. TIZI-ODZOU 143 ROUTE 6. Algiers to Tizi-Ouzou and Fort National. The joiuney is iloiie \>y railway as far as Tizi-Ouzou, and thence by carriage or public conveyance. The line was completed in June 1888. Algiers to Menerville. See p. 155. kil. kil. . . MENERVILLE 53 7. Blad-GuiU)un .... 46 11. Les Isscrs 42 16. Bordj Meiiaiel . . . .37 28. Haussonvilleus .... "Jo 36. Caini)-du-Marechal . . .17 43. Mirabcau 10 53. Tizi-Ouzou 7 kil. (from Menerville) Blad-Gui- touii, the "land of tents," a tliriving village oil an elevated jiosition ; to the N. of the road below it is a fine com- munal plantation of eucalyptus and Australian acacias. 11 kil. Lr.f Isscrs. This stream is one of the largest in Algeria, having a course of about 130 m. Close by is the Souk el-Djemda or Lrs Issrrs (the Market of Friday), a large caravan- serai on the right bank of the river. There is an Arab market every Friday, as the name implies. [Tiierc is an excellent road hence to tlie iini)ortant village of Dra el-Mizan, and an omnibus runs every day, pass- ing thiough. li kil. TssrrviUc, situated on the brow of a hill, with a beautiful view of tiie plain in every direction. 13 kil. Cliabct el-Ainrjtr. Wayside inn. The pass from which the village derives its name is at a little distance to tiie E. The village it.self is 1^ kil. to the W. of the road. 29 kil. Tizi Eeniff. 35 kil. Bou Faima. 39 kil. Dra el-Mizan. See p. 1.^.7.] 16 kil. Jinrdj Mnunrl, liurnt by the insurgents in 1871 ; it is now a coni- niuiic, witii .')7.') inhaliitants. 28 kil. HausBonvillers, formerly caW^A Axih-Zii iiunui. liefore tlie insur- rection of 1871 there were only n caravanserai and a ftsw scattered houses at this place ; these were burnt and the caravanserai besieged for 23 days ; thanks, however, to the loyal conduct of the Aniin el-Omina, who himself assisted to defeuel it, the building, containing 32 Kuropeans, held out till relieved by General Lallemand. Now a flourishing village has been createil under the auspices of the Sociiti Protectrice Alsacknne Lorraiiu, presided over by the Comte d'Hausson- ville, occupied partly by families from those provinces, and partly by tlis- charged soldiers, natives of the .same, who have finished their period of service in the engineers, artillery and nnlitary train, preference being given to such as are sons of farmers. The situation of this village is excep- tionally good ; it is at the junction of the roads to Dellys and Tizi-Ouzou. Tiierc is an abundant water sujiply, and the soil is exceedingly fertile ; :>i>\Q hectares of land have been allotted to its inhabitants. After passing tliis point the line enters the valley of the Sebaou, which is par c:rcdh'nce the river of Kabylia, anyle village called ]>rii- brii-Ki'ilila. On the opposite side of the river to the N. is Bordj Schaou, the ruins of a Turkish fort. 43 kil. Mirabrau, formerly Hoh Guilfit, a villagj. Mouza'ia. Here the old road to Medeah, steep but short, turns off. From this point the road is carried by a series of gradients up the northern Hank of the sandstone ridge of Nador. At first it follows the course of a stream called the Ruisseav, des deux Fonts. There is a good deal of cultivation, and the views of the upper course of the Chiffa are extremely beautiful. 81 kil. Auberge dcs deux rants. 87 kil. Arab village and cemeteiy, with a verv fine view. 90 kil. Medeah. 1 4857 inhab. 3018 ft. above the sea. iledeah is supposed to stand on the site of the Roman town Mcdicv or Ad medias, so called because it is situated half way between Bcrouagia {Tanara- musa Castra) and Amoura (Su/asar). Under the Turkish Government it was the capital of the Beylick of Titeri, which comprised all tenitory under Turkish rule outside of Algiers. The last Bey, Bou Mezrag, offered his services to the French immediately after the capture of Algiers ; but shortly 1 A railway from the main lino at the Chiffa, to Medeah and BiTouaKia, is (1S89) in course of constniction, but as the works arc of a very ditllcult nature, it will not be completed for several years. afterwards he betrayed his trust, and General Clauzel proceeded to Medeah to instal a new one of his own selection, Mustafa ben Omar ; the old Bey was interred at Blidah. His son, however, obtained permission to rejoin the rest of the family, and immediately com- menced to rally the most inlluential Arabs of the Beylick around hini, and against the nominee of the Frencli authorities. To support the latter. Gen. Berthezene proceeded to Medeah in June 1831, at the head of 4500 men. The son of Bou ^lezrng fled south- wards, and was pursued by the French as far as the plateau of Ainiarnt, burn- ing the harvest and cutting down the trees on their route. On tlieir return to Medeah, Ben Omar represented that after such conduct it would lie inijios- sible for him to remain without a mili- tary force for his protection. This the general refused to leave, and the Bey quitted the city with the French troops. Medeah, thus left to itself, submitted, first to the Bey of Constantine, subse- (piently to Abd-el-Kader, and finally to the Due d'Aumale in 1840, who shortly afterwards was appointed commandant of it. Medeah, finely situated on a plateau 3070 ft. above the level of the sea, is surrounded by a wall pierced by five gates, which was rebuilt by the French after the siege. The town is entirely French in character, and has nothing of particular interest to attract the stranger. The principal buildings are the Bar- racks, capable of accommodating l.'>00 men ; the military Hospital, containing 500 beds ; and the Christian and the Mohammedan schools. There were for- merly six mosques in Medeah, but now onlyone remains for its original purjiose. The finest of them has been turned into a Roman Catholic church. To the E. of the town is an ancient Aqueduct, consi-sting of two tiers of arches, of whi<;h the lower are i)artly filled up, while the upi>er ones are left ojien, built into the wall of the town by the French. Tlie water was conveyed" in it from Djebel Nador. The present supply is derived from the same hills, but from a source mo HOUTK 7. ALOIKRH TO i:y,-A(iHOTJAT Alfjeria farllicr W. The date of tlie aqueduct is unknown. The climate of Mcdcah, owinj^ to its great elevation, is temperate and healthy. Ths was formerly emploj'ed in making the road here. 1 55 kil. Road disengages itself finally from the hills, enters the gi-een valley of the Chelif, bare of trees, and crosses 157 kil., the Oued Hakoum, by a bridge close to a substantial farm called OucdBouliciw ; near the Oued Hakoum is Ain-Moudjebar, a large smala where Sect. II ROUTE 151 Spahis were quartcied before the insur- rection of 1871. After this the road passes along the right bank of tlic Cliclif to 166 kii. Boghari, more correctly Lokhari, on right bank. 1020 inhab. The water h^i'c is inipreiinaled witli suli)hate of magnesia, and is slightly purgative. The market held on Mon- days is important. The Arab town stands on a spur of the hill facing the S.W. ; below are tlie hotels, school, telegraph - ollice, pharmacy, gendarmerie, etc. The view of the opposite heights of Bo(jluir is extremely fine. Boghari is a grand (lep6t for articles of Arab manufacture, burnouses, embroidered leather, etc., and of the trade generally, between the Tell and the Sahara ; ex- cellent lain Manrc. Between Boghari and Boghar, the military station, the valley is very narrow, but it soon expands towards tlie S., and is shut in l)y low ridgfs of limestone, furrowed deeply, as if by streams or lieavy rains. The Chelif winds below it in a bed .50 ft. below the surface, worn through the samly .soil. Beyond the boundary hills is the first stepjje of the High Plateaux, a vast level waste of a dull brown colour. It is bounded to the S. by a range of low mountains, amongst which 7 sugar- loafed peaks — Sebua-lious, in Arabic — are prominent. Boghar was chosen by Al>d-el-Kader as a suitable place for a military estab- lishment ; and Berkani, his Caliph, founded a large fort, which was de- stroyed in 1840 by the Frencli, who definitely occupied the place in 1841. It stands at an elevation of 2940 ft. above the sea level, on the side of a mountain ; and is divided into two distinct parts, consisting of the Fort, which encloses all the military build- ings, and the village, which is situated below the Fort, on tlie road to Boghari. There are some pretty gardens under the cliir, watered by numerous sjirings, which gush out from beneath the rocks. Outside the Fort is a forest of junipeis and pines. 17.'> kil. yiiv -Solin. After b'aving Boghari the road traverses the jiluin of the Chelif, and then engages itself amongst the hills that appear once to have formed a basin to tliat river, but through which it has broken. The road made in 1808 is excellent, metalled and kei>t in order by regular can- tonniers. 184 kil. A very line view of the first steppe of the lligh Plateaux lying s|)read out beneath. A gentlo descent leads to 185 kil. Hon - Ghazmd (Father of Gazelles), caravanserai, excellent ac- commodation, situated in a plain of dry soil, witli a few i)atches of grass among wide patches of sand. A good deal of corn is grown in favourable seasons. In spring the ground is l)eautifullv carpeted with wild flowei-s. The traveller is jiretty sure to see fine examides of mirage between Bou- Ghazoul and Ain-Uussera. After leaving 15ou-Ghazoul the road is very bad in some places. 222 kil. Caravanserai of Ahi-Ous- fiern, poor accommodation. It stands on a slight enunence, with a scanty spring close to it, and a few stuntetl trees. Beyond this the ground is covered with alfa as far as the eyo can reach in all directions. 241 kil. Bou-Cafniifi, an assemblage of huts used for the collection of alpha. 262 kil. GueH-cs.StcI, a fairly com- fortable caravanserai, built by Marshal Randon in 18.')3. No water save such as is stored in a cistern. Leaving this the road leads up the valley by a con- tinuous ascent ; then, rounding the hills to the left, it enters a jilain which may be said to foiin the second steppe of the High Plateaux. For the first few miles the ro.ad is very marshy ; to this succeeds a vast jdain of .sand, covered with scanty vegetation. Be- tween this and the next cai-avanserai, the road ]>asses between the two largo shallow salt lakes called S'hklia Znhnz; tlie larger one, that to the^E. of the road, is about 2.'» m. long by 10 broad. It is a curious fact, tiiat some s]irings of jxrfectly fresh water rise witliin the circumference of these .salt lakes. 288 kil. El-Mis'iiin, cnravousi-rni :>en-el-lebba the spurs of the mountain are covered with alfa, and there is little wood to be seen except on the heights, where there are oaks and pines. 318 kil. AiH-Ouerrou, a small au- berge, with a fountain and garden. Soon a largo Government mill is passed on the left, to turn which the water is dammed. Hereabouts the sandstone rocks are a curious conglomeration of petrified straw, stalks of plants, and other vegetable ]>roductions. 329 kil. Djelfa. Hotel de France and Hotel du Sud ; good. The town, which is 3792 ft. above the sea level, stands under the highest Col of Djcbcl Sen-cl-lebba (the lion's tooth), the wood- crowned ridges of which are seen high on the right. The town con.sists of two streets at right angles to each other, planted with trees, and has a very neat appearance. Many Roman remains have been found here. At about 6 kil. N. of the village, close to a mill called MouUii Ilandon or Moulin Mcin, there is a very large necropolis of megalithic tombs. In the neighbourhood is the great forest of Tadmitz, where there is a post of Spahis. On account of the height and expcsed position of Djelfa, it is subject to the greatest extremes of temperature, intense heat in summer and great cold in winter. 352 kil. Oucd Scdeur. The traveller can spend the night very comfortably here and procure good food. BG7h kil. Ain-el-Ibcl (Fountain of the Camel). Caravanserai badly kept. The neighbouring Hotel du Roulage excellent. Hereabouts was found the rat a trompe, a rat with long hind legs and a snout, of which Canon Tristram tells the amusing story : ' ' When the species was first discovered, General Vaillant offered rewards to his soldiers for specimens, and was promptly supplied with other desert rats, to the end of whose noses ]iieees of their comrades' tails had been ingeniously artixed. Some of the speci- mens were actually sent to Paris before the trick was discovered." Horned vipers also are common amongst the tufts of alfa. Their bite is fatal. Srrt. TI ROUTE 7. EI,-AfiHOUAT ir.:i This is the only venomous snake in Alf^eria. The road beyond this lies across a ]ilain of alluvial deposit, capable of L,Mo\viii.t( an unlimited sup[ily of cereals, but little cultivated. 387i kil. A ruined inn close to where tlie Mokla-el-Onst is crossed by a stone bridge of two arches. 399 kil. Caravanserai of Sidi Mak- lovf, from which there is a very bciiutiful view ; there are remark- able beach lines along the ridges to tlie left. The caravanserai is fairly good, and stands picturesquely on a bare shelf of rock, with a steep clilf to the S., beneath which is a well-culti- vated garden. There is also a little inn farther down, where the horses are fed. Near the former is the koubba of Sidi Maklouf, with a group of palms near it. Thence the road crosses a bridge, and then winds over numerous ridges, and descends into the bed of many a dry watercourse. The road now lies to the left of Djchcl Zrhccha, at the foot of which is a lake, dry in summer. 424 kil. Met I Hi. A small and jraor- looking caravanserai, with accommoda- tion for six jjcrsons. Presently an opening is seen in a range to the right, and beyond it an isolated hill of a remarkable shape, called Ic Chapcau du Geiufarmc. Thence, after tiaversing a jdain of loose sand, a small auberge is reached. Soon vege- tation begins to appear ; the dark i)alms open out, beyond which some of the liuildings of El-Aghouat become visible. The vieux camp is passed on the right, and then, ])assi7ig down a long straight I'oad l)etween high mution of laniilies from Alsace and Lorraine. Before arriving at the village, on the lett hand of the route, is the Kinilba of Moltamnifd cd-L)ilhah (the murderer). This individual was made Kaid of Sebaou in 1737, and Bey of Titer! in 1745. lie was killed during an ex- pedition again.st Kabylia in 1753. 54 kil. M^nervilie. Junetiou for Tizi-Ouzou. This village was formerly named Col dis Bcni-Aicha, but its present and ollirial title was given out of compliment to Monsieur de Menerville, I'remier I'lcsident oftheCourd'Ai)pel at Algiers. This is a very important jmsition, luiiig the easiest antl most freipieiited entrance into Kabylia. It was de- stroyed by the Kal>y]es in 1871 ; in eonse([Uence their land was confiscated and distributed amongst colonists from .Msace ami Lorraine. There is some iron ore between it and the .sea, and on the coast there is a small harbour, Mrrsa al-Dijuj (the port of the fowl), now silted up with saml, l)ut at one time a Roman ])ositii)n of .some imiiortance ; a space of 25 acres is more or less covered with ruin.'<, prob- inc. ROUTE 8. AliOIERS TO CONSTANTINR A hjrria •ilily tliosc of Jlussubbicarri. Roman ruins aro also found at Cape Djivct, fartlier to tlic E., between the nioutlis of the Isscr and the Scbaou. The line here takes a bend due S., and follows the course of the river Jssrr, tlic waters of which are abundant even in suiunier ; the country is very fertile, and fif? and olive trees are numerous. A tine view is obtaiued of the Djurdjura range. 61 kil. Souk-cl-Maad. G5 kil. Beni-Amran. A few kil. farther on the line enters the Gorge of the Isser, or of Ben Ilinni. The hills on each side are steep aud often precipitous, confining the river within a very narrow bed, so as to form a beautiful landscape. The 72d kil. is about the narrowest part of the valley, the rocks on each side being not more than 90 uietres apart. Numerous cascades falling into the main stream, curious grottoes on tlie face of the hill, Kabyle villages perched on the summit of the moun- tains, and luxuriant vegetation every- where, give to this portion of the gorge a peculiarly bright and pleasant ap- ]iearance. Unfortunately the line goes through so many tunnels that the scenery is not seen to advantage, and a subsequent visit on foot is advisable. 77 kit. Palaestro. This village, 591 ft. above the sea, is situated on a platform bathed on three sides by the river Isser. It was peopled by Tyrolese, Italians, French, and Spaniards, connected for the most part with the enterprise of opening out the gorge of tiie Isser. When the insurrec- tion of 1871 broke out, it was in a tolerably flourishing condition, con- sidering its size and secluded position. The story of the terrible tragedy then enacted, being, as it was, the most deplorable of the many which then took place, deserves to be recorded. The village contained about 112 in- habitants ; its position was isolated, surrounded and commanded on every side by mountains, and on the border of two tribes, one Kabyle, the other Arab, both ripe for revolt. Still no .serious fears were entertained till, on 18th April 1871, it was suddenly sur- rounded by hostile tribes before any means could be adojited for defence. The village being entirely unfortifted, it was determined to distribute the in- habitants in the three houses best suited to resist attack, — the priest's house, the barrack of the gendarmerie, and the establishment of the Bonis ct CJumssies. Captain Auger of the Engineers and the priest directed the defence of the first, the maire commanded the .second, and the conductor of Boats et Chaussees the third. In the last, which was the best of the three, the women and child- ren were jdaced. Soon the attack began, the haystacks and buildings round about were set on fire, and such as could not get into the village in time were murdered. The assailants now advanced in con- siderable numbers to attack the cure'.s house, led by the Amin-cl-Omina of the Beni-Khalfoun. The door was soon driven in, but the defenders succeeded in escaping to the gendarmeria with a loss of four of their number. One woman remained behind ; she was kept a prisoner for some time and then killed. At this moment the conductor of the Bonis et ChaxLssics managed to escape to Fonduk, where he gave information of what was going on, lea-sdng the house, however, in which he had been stationed, which contained all the women and children, without any one to direct the defence. On the 22d the maire, M. Bassetti, Captain Auger, and the brigadier of gendarmerie, entered into negotiations with the insurgents, who offered to con- duct them safely to Alma, permitting them to retain their arms. Everything appeared settled, aud the colonists in the gendarmerie were on the point of quitting, when one of their number made an oft'ensive movement with his gun. This was the signal for a general massacre, in which only Captain Auger and the son of the maire were spared at the special intercession of the Amiu. In this horrible carnage 41 Euro- peans were killed, and even their corpses were found to have been the object of the most brutal violence ; some were thrown alive into the burning houses, Sect. II ROUTE 8. PALAESTRO lo7 and all were stripped of whatever valu- ables they had. The house of the Poyits ct Chaussies was next attacked. Its door, badly made, offered no resistance. The de- I'lMiders retreated to the upper storey. Fire was applied to the f,'rouud-iloor, and they were again coni[ielled to re- treat higlier to the terrace. It was mid-day in April. In a space of 12 metres, 45 persons were crowded together behind the purapet of the terrace, 40 centimetres high. If they allowed their bodies to appear they were shot. The heat of the roof, brick vaults supported by iron girders, was intense ; even their clothes caught fire. Stones and bricks were thrown upon tiiem from below, which grievously wounded some of their number. A burning sirocco was blowing, and they had not a drop of water to quench tlieir thirst. Several died, and one in a moment of madness committed suicide. Tlie women uttered the most iicartrending cries, but it was not till () o'clock in the evening, wheii the roof was on the [loint of falling, that these heroic men consented to treat witii tlieir assailants. Tiio Ainin agreed to conduct all the men, women, and children to Alina, on condition that they consented to abandon their arms. Tiiis was agreed upon. Ladders were brought to per- mit them to descend. They were then taken to the residence of the Amin-el- Omina, where they found Captain Auger and the young IJassetti. Two days after Colonel Fourchault arrived on the spot with a column from Algiers, to find only corjises and blackened ruins. He had to fight his way there and back to Alma amongst those who had taken ])art in the ma.ssacre. The i>risouers, 40 in numlier, amongst whom were 32 women and children, were ke[)t in eajitivity for 22 days, and (inly released on the termination of the insurrection, when Mokrani was killed. Tlie remains of the victims rejiose under the shadow of the cluireh, and a monument, in the worst style of art, has been erected to commemorate tiie event. Now Palaestro has been rebuilt, and considerably enlarged. Thirty fanuliea from Alsace and Lorraine have l>een located here, and additional cJHrdjura ami MSi'li Bridiim. Where it is possible to sleeji. Tliis is the station for the Bibans, or Fortes de Fer, 3 kil. distant, which are well worth (.areful examination. The above names have been given to two r('markal)le passes by whidi alone access is obtained to the higli lands of Wansoura beyond, 1104 ft. al)ove the level of the sea. The mountains here are of the greatest possible interest, from a geological [)oint of view. They consist of strata of black rock, sometimes hard and compact, like tra[) ; at others, soft and friable, like schist, alternating witli a softer substance, generall}' induratcil clay. On the upi)er and outer surfaces of these ridges the softer material has been washed away, leaving the harder strata lemaining, like Cyclopean walls, which olten assume the most fantastic forms. Sometimes they are in con- siilerable numbers, and parallel to each other, like the side-scenes of a theatre ; sometimes they fringe the crests of the mountains like delicate fretwork, and at others they assume the form of grotes(pie animals ; chameleons stand- ing out ill bold relief against the sky, or gigantic pythons winding their sinuous forms along the sides of the mountains. The Grande I'orte is that through which the rly. passes, following the course of the river, here called iiiad <•/- }[(tiinn<()ii. Lower down it takes tlie name of Oiird S/irhl/n, and after its junction with the rivei' llowing through the I'ditc Purlc it is known as the ducd Marnjh. The i)eculiar stratification of the hills on each siile is here seen to admirable advantage. The rivers in this distri(tt are so highly charged with magnesia as to be (piite unpotable ; the only gooil drink- ing water for miles round is obtained from a snuill spring in the l)od of tlie river at tiie entrance of the jia-ss. Beyond, on an eminence to the right of the road and on the left bank of the river, arc some very curious hot sulphur- ous springs, calleil KZ-Huinin'im (the bath). The ground covered by tlieir deposit is about half a mile long ; the sj)rings bubble n|( in small circular basins, exactly like miniature (ieysers, with a raised margin and a deposit of sulphate of soila covered with a layer of pure sulphur. The water in the largest one is carefully conducted into a rude bath which is much in repute amongst tlie natives. There is also a pool of still hot water, like those in the neighbourhood of the Geysers ; the temperature of the water is sullicient to boil an egg in a few minutes ; it varies from 17'2" to 200° Falir. , and the water contains 22 centig. of su]|>hate of sodium per litre. To visit the smaller pass, called /. I'l/i/e I'uiii; it is neces.sjiry to leave tb' high road about 2 kil. before the en- trance to the larger one, at a bridge crossing an aflluent of the main stream called the Oiird boii Kotiin. This is the jiass followed by the column of 3000 men under command of Marshal Valce and the Due d'Orleans in 1839 — the liist French troops to pass this formidable barrier. The road, if such it may be called, passes along the bed of the above- named stream, which is ahso saline, and is enclosed between stupendous rocks, in .some places not more than 12 ft. apart, jHcsenting the same stratitied appearance as in the larger gate. I'rc- seiitly the path a.scends tlit; left bank of the stream, and, making a detour to the right, joins the main road Ju.st be- yond the hot springs. The country l)eyond is mountainous and sterile, only here and there a few j)atches of cultivation, until — 201 kil. Mzda. 210 kil. Miinsmmi, a small Kabylo town in the kaidat of Mzita, 2G37 ft. above the level of the sea. [A very interesting excursion may bo 1 rio nOUTK 8. AI-OIKRS TO CONHTANTINE A Ifjeria made from Mansouva to JJoiii ami (Jdiia (sod lite. 18). Tlicrc! is a fairly f,'ooil lii'idlo path, and tlie distance to 15oui is not more than ci^dit lio\irs by mule ; it would be (piito feasible to proceed tliencc to Khanita in the Cliabet el- Akliira in two days (Ktc. 12), spend- ing the night at Bcni-OurtUan.'] 226 kil. El-Achir. 239 kil. Bordj bou-Arreredj. 1219 inhal). 306:J ft. above the sea level. Wlien the Due d'Orleans, with the army commanded by Marshal Yalee, penetrated into the Medjana to efTcct the i)assage of the Fortes de Far, the camp was pitched at the A'in hou- ^Irrercdj, near which rose abrujjtly from tiic plain a steep and almost conical hill, crowned with the ruins of a fort ])uilt by the Turks in the end of the 16th century, out of older Roman remains. This fort had been twice burnt by the Mokranis in revolt against the Turks, and had subse([uently been abandoned by the latter ; it now served as a watch-tower where robbers, em- bracing as they could the whole plain at a single glance, were constantly ly- ing in wait for travellers and caravans. After the occupation of Setif it be- came necessary to station a force there permanently, in order to support I\Io- krani in his endeavours to establish French influence and to oppose that of Abd-el-Kader, whose lieutenant bad in- spired such dread amongst the popula- tion of the Medjana that they had entirely deserted the plain and retreated to the mountain. The Bordj was rebuilt, and under the protection of its ruler, the Medjana became rapidly peopled, and the soil, which had lain fallow for years, was brought under cultivation. In 1871, when the insurrection broke out, Bordj contained 90 houses in the town and 30 in the vicinity of it, with a ]iopulation of 300, owning 15,000 acres of arable land. For the third time the town was tlestroyed {ank', p. 60) by the Mokrani tribe. Tiie town has been rebuilt on a much larger scale, and its territory has Iteen augmented by the seiiuestration of the insurgents' property. A monument, in tiic form of a marble obelisk, has been erected in the village to commemorate the heroic defence of the place, the honour of which was principally due to the molji/cs iioin Aix and ^Marseilles ; on it are inscribed the names of those who fell. The ancient Bordj, which was de- stroyed with the rest of the town, has been well rebuilt, and the whole place has been surrounded by a strong bas- tioned wall of defence. The old fort, which now constitutes the citadel, is situated at the N.E. angle ; tliis it was which successfully resisted all the efforts of the rebels to take it in 1871. The whole of the magnificent and fertile plain of the Medjana became the property of the State by the defection of Mokrani ; thus one of the finest por- tions of the country has been opened out to colonisation. [For a route from this place to Fort National by the Oued es-Sahel, see Rte. 20.] 246 kil. El-Jnnsscr. After passing this place the line takes a bend, and runs considerably S. of the old high road ; which it does not again rejoin till the junction of both at Setif. 254 kil. Chenia. 263 kil. Ain-Tasscra. 271 kil. Tixtcr (view line of snow- capped mountains). 283 kil. El-Ha.m')nam. 296 kil. Mcsloug. 308 kil. Setif. ' 5833 inhab. 3573 ft. above sea level. Setif, the ancient Sitifis Colonia of the Romans, was one of the most im- portant cities that that nation jwssessed in Africa, and was made the capital of the province oi Mauritania Siti/cnsis. In 419 it was injured bj' an earth- quake, and later on, ravaged by the Vandals and the Arabs ; but even at the time of the French occupation, traces of the ancient fortifications were distinctly visible. In the Middle Ages, El-Bekri, an Arabian historian, wrote that, although the walls had been de- stroyed, the city was still flourishing and well populated, and contained numbers of bazaars. Sect. II ROUTE 8. SETIF 1«J1 In ]83!» it was taken by the Fienuli under General Galbois. (.)n the S. face of tlic citadel at this period was a single venerable aspen tree, the only one visible as far as the eye could reach ; ]>e]o\v this was a spring, tlie water of wliicli llowed down anil inigated a valley leading into the Oucil huic-Scllam. These waters have now been carefully utilised for the supply of the town and the gardens round it. The town of Setif, as it exists at present, is entirely modern ; and al- thougii traces of tlie ancient walls and ramparts arc still visible, most of the Roman ruins which remained at the time of the French occupation have disappeared. The wide streets are lined with substantial modern houses, and many of them are bordered with trees. Tlie shojis are numerous and well supplied. Tiie town is entered by the Gfilcs I if Boil (J i<', Conslanlinc, Abji r, and Biskra, the first-named of wliich is in the military (piarter. The Mudcrii Citadel forms a militarj' quarter to the N. of the rest of the town ; it contains the general's resi- dence, l)arracks for 3000 men, an hospital that can make up 1000 beds, besides ofllcers' (juarters, storehouses, and all other requisite military build- ings. It was almost entirely constructed by the men of the garrison stationed here, and was finisheil in 1817. The walls of the ancii'ut Roman city, restored prol)ably by the Byzantines, have been incorporated in the modern French ones ; they are of great solidity, and Hanked by 10 towers. On the Fromcnadc d'OrJtans, a dreary, ill-ke])t enclosure outside the /'()/•/« d'Alijrr, a collection has been made of Jtoman antiijuities, such as columns, cajiilals, toml)stones, frag- ments of sculpture and inscriptions, some of which make mention of the ancient Silifis. Two of the most in- teresting inscriptions foun-itt, representing a head of Neptune sur- rounded by Nereids mounted on sea- horses, dolphins, etc., wiiiili was ills- covered at Kasr Temouchent, wliere it formed the princi[)al ornament of tlic fountain there. A few good pieces of sculpture have also been built into the walls of his garden. Setif being so high above the level of the sea, its climate greatly resembles and is quite as healthy as that of tlie centre of France, although considerably hotter in summer. It is ailmirably suited to the growth of all kinds of European fruits, and in the plain in which it is situated cereals grow in great abundance. Its geographical i)Osi- tion cannot fail to .secure for it a great future, being, as it is, the jumtion of many of the most important lines of communication in the colon}', such a.s those with Algiers, Constantiiie, Bou- Saiida, the Medjana, the Hodna and Bougie. Its market, licld outside the city gates, is one of the most important in Algeria, and is the rendezvous where the Kabyle from the mountains, the Aralis from the plains, and even the Saharans meet to exchange their pro- duce. Every Sunday during the months of August, September, and October it is attended by not less than 8000 or 10,000 natives. The Bou Taleb tribe, about a day's journey distant, are celebrated for the manu- facture of carpets and haiks. By a decree of the 'iOtli April 1853 a concession of 50,000 acres was made to the Compagnie (ienevoise for the jiurpose of hastening European colonis- ation in this district. This company created several villages, amongst others Ain-Arnat, El-Ouricia, Bouliira, Jla- houan, Mes.saoud and El-Hamelia; but the object of the concession has not hitherto been attained, and a great part of the land has been simply let to the Arabs. The country may bi' divided into two regions, very distinct from eaeb other — the mountainous part, inlia- 02 UOUTK 8. AI.GIKRS 'V') CONSTANT] NK AbjCl Ul Iiilnl liy Kaliylcs, siiiiiliir to utlu-r jKUts ol' Iviihyliii clsuwliore described, and tlic regions occupied l)y Araljs. 'J'lio latlur ai'u iiiiiiiuiisc plains, tlie avenigi; lieif,dit of wliicli is about 3000 It. al)ove the sea, wliich stretcii from the Medjaua to Tebessa, possessing abundant pasturage, rich in cattle and grain, carpeted with the most beautiful Hewers in spring, cold and bleak in winter, hot, parched, and dusty in summer ; without a tree as far as the eye can range, save in the vicinity of modern French villages. They aie occupied almost entirely by two tribes, the Oulud Ahd-en-Nour and the Euhim, and may be divided into two very distinct zones, the Tell and the Schakh. The former is the most fertile, and abounds with ruins of Koman agricultural establishments ; the latter has a Salter and more ari. 185. ROUTE !). Algiers to Aumale and Bou Saada. Service of diligences as far a.s Aumale. 25 kil. Sidi Moussa. Hence the road branches of]' in a S.E. direction, roUowiug tlio liglit bunk of the (Jued Djeinaa, wliich is in winter a veritable torrent, causing much injury to the faiTOS on its banks. Several |)roposals liave been made to embank it, but the expen.sr' has liitherto pre- vented anything being done. 30 kil. El-Arba. 1116 inhab. A prosperous village situated at the foot of the Atlas mountains, founded in 1S49, made a commune 1856. It owes its name to the Arab market held here on Wednesday. Oranges are grown here in gi-eat abundance, and of excellent (piality, the land is rich both in cereals and tobacco, the culture of whicli is assured by irrigation from the Ourd Djcmiia. The houses an; well built, the public buildings satisfactory, and the streets planted with trees. 2 kil. S. of it is the ex-Imperial farm of Iluouch Jioii-Kdndonni, directed till after the fall of the empire by Mr. Hardy, the creator of the Jardiii d'Essai at Algier . The road now ascends to 43 kil. Mchib-il- Koran, an auberge situated at about 1639 ft. above the sea. The road between Arba and SakamoiH is very i>ictnre.sfpie, and worthy of a visit ; beyond it is very dreary. 52 kil. Sakamodi. The highest point on the road to Aumale, 3282 ft. above the sea. In one of the ravines here a detachment of soldiers of the military train was overtaken by snow in 1848 and perished. It has only a small auberge and a few colonists. 60 kil. A'in-liiirid (cool fountain). The route now descends rapidly to 71 kil. Tablat, the ancient Tablata, where the diligence stops for breakfast ; a ]ioor hamlet, where, notwithstanding the excellence of the climate, colon- isation has hardly yet taken root. A large bordj b.-us licen built here. 75 kil. The road passes the conflu- ence of the Uttcd Mi'Inh and the Issrr. There is a large caravan.serai called Mrxoubia, where it is [lossible to put up. 100 kil. io,s- Frdncjt, or El B>thom, the Arabic name for the l'i,'itiichin Atbnitica, which somewhat resembles the ash ; an insignificant liamlet. 108 kil. Bir Mfhahia (more correctly Akb(ihm). A small village created in 1858 in a rich and fertile district. The IC.l noLTK '.). ALGIEU.S TO AUMALE AND BOU SAADA Algeria iimiiurous rarms iirouiid aru in a high state of jJi'OHpci'ity. 116 kil. Let Trnnhlcs. A i)Oor, iie- f,'lufted little village, though sitnated ill a rich and very healthy country. [At 7 kil. from Les Trembles and 21 from Aumale, on the road to 15ouira, is the village of Aiii-Bessem, of recent construction. Near the village are the ruins of an important Roman fortress, CasUilum Aitzicnsr, hut the walls have been almost entirely destroyed to build the colonists' houses. The spring, which gives its name to the place, is almost in the centre of it.] 128 kil. Aumale. Hotel de Roulage. Pop. of the arrondissement, 28,769. The ancient Auzia, known to the Arabs as ,'iour Ghozlan (Rampart of Gazelles), 2790 ft. above the sea. Auzia was founded during the reign of Augus- tus, a few years before the Christian era, and the epoch of its greatest splen- dour was the end of the 2d century, shortly after which it disappeared from history. It played a considerable part in the struggle of Tacfarinas against the Proconsuls, and again, at the end of the empire, in the wars of Theodosius against the revolted Mauritanians. The Turks built a fort here, out of the ruins of the Roman city, but when the first French expedition visited it in 1843 nothing but a heap of ruins remained of either occupation. It was not till 1846 that the Govern- ment of Algeria determined to build a permanent military post at Sour Ghozlan, which received the name of Aumale. The modern town, which consists of little more than a solitary street, is surrounded by a crenelated wall with 4 gates, those of Algiers, Bou-Saiida, Setif, and Medeah. Several interesting excursions may be made in the neighbourhood, espe- cially on the Roman road between it and Boghar. At 12 kil. W. of Aumale is a small monument called Kafir bint- cs-rN . 35:! TS Oued-ltjir 344 01 lieu Me.lfa . 331 OS VfSdvil Iknian 323 110 Adclia . 312 120 Affbeville . 802 124 Lavarande 207 140 Dupent- 270 ir,o Oufil Uouina 201 170 St. Cyprien iles Attafs 351 173 Les Attafs . 249 183 Tenimilb'a (Arret) . 239 186 Oued Fodda . 235 195 Le Barrage (Arret) 227 203 Ponteba 218 209 Orlkassvii.le 213 22-t Oued-Sly 198 232 Cbarron 189 243 Lc Mi-rdja 179 254 Oued Kiou . lt» 203 Djidiouia 159 283 Lf8 Salines (Anet) 138 290 Relizane 126 315 LHillil . 107 332 Oued Malah . 00 340 Porrigaux 76 300 L'llabra (Arret) . • (52 370 St. Denis vv Sic . 52 376 L'Ouga.sse (Arret). 46 381 Mare d'eau (Arret) 40 895 Stc. B.irbt; de Tltlat 26 404 Arbal (Arret) 18 411 Valniy .... 10 410 LaSenia(Arr«t) . 6 421 Okan (Karguontah) The t rain starts from the . ita tion on the (|uay, and ]i.issing the Agha, fol- low.* thu edge of the shore as far as ICC ROdTE 10. Ar/;iF,IlH TO OIIAN A Ufria (i kil. Iliissriii Dry, so called I'roiii ii liiK! Ijuildin^' which buloiij^cd to the last Duy of Algiers. It is now incor- jioratcd in the large establishment for the purchase and sale of tobacco, on account of Government. The country round is richly cultivated as market gardens. A little farther the line turns inland, and reaches 11 kil. La Mii.hon Carrie. Junction of line to Coustantine. Here the line, which has hitherto gone in an easterly direction, makes an abrujit turn to the S.W., and passing between the Harrach on the left and the foot of the Sahel on the right, enters the Metidja, a vast fertile plain, 100 kil. long and 25 broad, contained between the lirst slopes of the Atlas and the high land of the Sahel. The population of this plain is steadily in- creasing, and it now contains 25,000 Europeans, principally engaged in agri- culture. 15 kil. Guide Constantine. 20 kil. Baba AIL 26 kil. Bir-Touta. 37 kil. Boufarik. 3290 inhab. IJoufarik, at the time of the French invasion, was a pestilential marsh, tenanted chiefly by wild beasts. In 1832 it was occupied by General d'Erlon, who established an intrenched cam]i there ; but for many years the malaria killed off the settlers almost as fast as they came, and the camp before men- tioned acquired the name oiLc Cimetiirc. Even as late as 1S63, an English writer, whose observations are always accurate, tiius speaks of it: "Not a single French settlement in all Algeria bears such a death-fraught name ; no- where throughout the land has civilisa- tion gained a victory at such an enor- mous cost. Wasting ague or malignant fevers cut off both old and young. Under the hot autumnal sun the exha- lations from a swampy soil become a virulent poison, which the strongest cannot withstand." At the present time, however, Bou- farik is a healthy, flourishing country town, with large, clean, densely-shaded streets and squares, through many of which flow streams of clear water. The most important market in the colony is licld here every Monday for the sale of cattle and agricultural pro- duce ; it is well worthy of a visit. A bronze statue of ]>landari (see below) has been erected here by public subscription. A few kil. to the S. in the mountains are the iron-mines of Soumah, where the ore, an oxide of iron, is excavated in galleries, and not (i cid ouvert, as is usually the case in Algeria. This mine belongs to the same comitany as that of Ain-Mokra, near ]5one, and ]>eni Saf, on the coast between Oran and Ne- mours. They are not worked at present. 45 kil. Beni-Mercd. 503 inhab. This village had in 1839 a redoubt and blockhouse, where a small detachment of cavalry was stationed for the pro- tection of the roads. In 1841 a village was created by the military engineers, destined to receive a body of military colonists, a part of whose duty was to guard the great barrier, or intrenchment, intended to restrain the incursion of the Arabs in the direction of Algiers. In 1845 the village was increased and peopled by civilians. In the public place is a fountain, surmounted by an obelisk, erected in memory of Sergeant Blandan and 20 French soldiers, who were attacked in April 1842 by about 300 mounted Arabs. They maintained their defence in the most heroic manner until succour arrived, but only 5 of them survived. Blandan himself was amongst the slain. 51 kil. BUdah. 8893 inhab. The word Blidah is a corruption of Bolcida, the Arabic diminutive of Bdad, a city. Under the Romans Blidah was a military station, and it was occupied as such by the Turks. It was entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 1825, but was very soon rebuilt on the same site. During the first year of the French occupation the inhabi- tants of Blidah frecjuently resisted the French army. On the 26th of July 1830 they attacked the expeditionary column under General de Bourmont ; they had a severe engagement with Marshal Clauzel on the 19th of Nov- .SVcf. TI ROrTF. 10. BI.IDAII 107 eiuhrr I'olldwiiii^ ; tlicy sulisi'iUK-iitly joined the coiililiou organised Ijy the lieutenants of Ahd-el-Kiulci', and were severely i)unished by the Due de Rovigo in 183*2, and liy the Conite de Damreinont in 1837. Tlie treaty of the Tafna put an end to these wars. Bliduh wa.s cedid to France, and Marshal Valee took ])OSsession of it on the 3d of May 1838. The growtli of fniit trees, especially the orange trilie, is increasing in a re- markalile manner, and large (juantities of oranges are sold in the market of Algiers and exported to France. The situation of Hlidah is exceed- ingly beautiful, at the foot of the first slopes of the Atlas Mountains, whose summits overshadow the town ; while on tiie other side the Metidja plain stretches as far as the Sahel hills and the coast. It is a ]>leasant I'esidence for a few days, especially about April, when the trees begin to put i'orth their leaves, and th(! air for miles round is jicrfunietl with the scent of the orange blossoms. The water supjilj' is so abundant, and has lu'cn regulated with such care, tluit the environs are a succession of gardens, the roads are well shaded with trees, and there are charming promenades in every direction. The climate is distinctly colder than Algiers in wintei', cooler ])erha])S in spring, but 7nucii warmer than the hejghts of Mustal'a in summer. It is a good centre from which to make expeditions, as the hours of departure of the trains are later and moi'e convenient than at Algiers. , Tiie I'lacc (rytriiics is the jiiincipal square in the town. This I'lace is surrounded by areaded houses, anil planted with two rows of trees. The gates are called^the Fortes d'Alger, (lu Camp des Chasseurs, de Bizot, i)a1) Zaouia, Bab er-Rabali, and Bab es-Sebt. The military buildings at Blidah are on an extensive scab', the IliirriicLi accommodating 3000 men, and there are also larg(^ tavalr}' quaiters. Th(! Cnvalri/ Ihirmcks (inil Stud should be visited for the sake of seeing the stallion.s, whi(di are frequently of the l)('st Aral) races, 'i'here is staldiuL' for 300 liorses. The most interesting ])romenad. in the vicinity are — the various oi-ange gardens, the Jardin Bizot, outside the gate of that name, the BoLs sarr^, a grouj) of magnificent olive trees in the l)ublic gardens to the AV. of the city, and, at a distance of about 2 ni. be- yond the walls, in the ravine of the Ow'l d-Kfbir, at the head of which are the Koubbas of Sidi Ahmul rl-Kcbir (who died in l.'JSO), and his two sons. These are like most of the other koubbas of the Arab marabouts, but are well worth visiting, on account of the liietures(iue beauty of the ravine in which they are .situated. Interesting fetes take jilace annually here on the Frophet's birthday (J/oK/iW en-Nebi), the 12th and 13th of Jiabia d-Owcl. A few yards beyond the cemetery is the Fontaine fratche on the left bank, a perennial source of pure water, which, rising from the mountainside, beneath a huge rock on which a vast karoub is growing, is carried in an undergiound aipieduct to IMidah ; it pa.sses twice beneath the bed t)f the river. The fountain is covered by an ugly brick building erected in 186('). Above this spot the valley divides ; the branch to the right has a good road l)racticable for horses or mules, and is extremely ]iictures(iue, well woodrd and cultivated. After about a mile it widens, and in the sj)ace thus afforded is the village of Bcni Salc/i, lialf hidden by luxuriant jdantations of orange and lig. The jiath continues through most i)ictures(|ue .scenery uji to the very cedars of Jiini Sithih, and is well worthy of being ex])lonMi. Another interesting exi'ursion is the ascent of the nio>intain of Jlini Saln/i, 5379 ft. high, due south of Blidali, which can easily be done on mules in one day. Each mule costs f) f. , njid a guide 3 f. The farm called Ln Ohiciirf is reachcil in '2 hrs. ; it belongs to M. Laval, propriftor of the eafi^ on the 8, side of the Flace d'Annes nt Blidiih, who is nlwiiys most courteous to tra- vellcr.roperty of Al. Alfonse Arles- Dufour, to whom also belongs the Belle- vui\ a building about 100 yards lower down the hill. It comprises a Civil J/ospital, as well as a second-class hotel (pension, 9 f. ) //. dc Fntiirr, in tlie village, homely (jiension, 5 f. ) The waters of Ilammam li'Irha are of two kinds — 1st, the hot .saline springs, the heat of which is about 158' Fahr. ;it their source, used for tii baths ; and 2d, the ga.seousand slightly ferruginous springs, which are used for drinking. The Ibrnier contain chlorides of sodium and magnesium, a.s well as sulphates of soda, magnesia, and lime. One of the latter, called by the Arabs Ain el-Karis, issues from a pavilion in the village, at an ea.sy walk from the hotel. It constitutes a most refreshing drink, and mi.xes well with wine. The elfert of these waters on persons sud'er- ing from rheumatic or gouty atfections is most beneficial. It is the only jilaee within moderate distance of Kuroite where jiatients can undergo a course of baths tluring the winter with safety. .March, April, aiid November are con- sidered the best months. The Baths are of three grades : — 1st. Those in the liaseinent of the Graml Hotel, wliicli are .supplied ilireet frorii the source. They consist of two I'iscims, 30 ft. X 1.5 ft. The water in the cool one is kept at a temperature of iH.l° Faln\, tliat in the hot one .it 110" Falir. Tlie.v are open fri>ni (i till 8 A.M. and 4 till i'..M. for men, and from S till 10 A.M. and •> till 4 r.M. for women. Patients on leaving the baths, enveloped in blankets, recline for some minutes on couches in an a ])romenadc ; and without the walls are many fertile gardens, watered by the streams which descend from the Zakkar mountain. Just beyond the gate is a public garden, a favourite evening promenade in summer, which used to be well kept up under the Empire, but which has been greatly neglected since.] After leaving Affreville, the line enters the plain of the Chelif (see p. 81). Tiie traveller who passes through it in winter, and mucli more in spring, will see before him, as far as the eye can reach, a sheet of verdure diversiiied by masses of wild flowers of start- ling brilliancy. But in summer the aspect is very ditl'erent ; the whole country is burnt up as if by a prairie fire ; not a blade of green is visible ; the heat is intense ; and even the earth appears to be baked to the consistency of stout!, and reticulated all over with wide and gaping fissures. 124 kil. Lararandr, named after the general of that naUK; killrd licfore Sebastopol. IJetwet II this and Duperii- (lie road crosses the river Clielif by an iron bridge. The remains of a Roman one are visible about 100 yards lower down the stream on the right. 138 kil. Lc.s ylribs, created in 1S79. 146 kil. Dupcrrt, the name c)f tlie admiral commanding the French licet in 1830. 523 inhab. The creation of this village dates from 1859, when- 50 families brought direct from France were established here. Near this have been dis}ijnduin Novum, to which succeeded the Arab town of EI- Khculcra, mentioned by Kl-Bckri. The name of this city was identified byan inscription found by Commandant lioblaye in 1842, recording that a monu- ment was erected to a local dignitary, C'aius Ulpius, by public subscription, are conlato appido novo. ICO kil. Oucd liouina, a village Iniilt by the Societe Generale Algcrienne, on the west bank of the Oucd Kouina, which river comes from the mountains of Teniet-el-Ahd and falls into the Chelif close to the station. Its waters, when preserved by a barrage, will irri- gate 4300 acres of land in the valh-y of the Chelif. Near it are the ruins of a Roman town. At 4 kil. from the station, on the left bank of the stream, is a consider- able deposit of iron ore. 170 kih Ht. Cypricn dcs Attafi. Not far from the station of Les Attafs is a village of Christian Arabs, ,S7. Cijjirii n, founded by Cardinal Luvigerie, Ardi- bishop of Algiers in 1874, and peoplcil with young Arabs rescued by him during the famine of 18(57. It is exclusively an agricultural village under ('(-(desias- tical control ; it 'has a jiopulation of 203 inhabitants, a church, a mission- house, and an establishment of sisters. It is in a idgh state of ]>rosi)erity. Labour is held in honour amongst the converts, and even the hours of eom- nu-ncing and finishing it are regulated by the .sound of the cliurch bell. The cure is also maire, and the sistei-s show the example of working in the fields to the Aral) women, who gladly follow their exami>le. This is one of the most i interesting uxperiment.s that has l>een 172 ROUTIO 10. ALGIERS TO ORAN A Ifjeria iiiailc ill Ali^'oria, .'iiid sliows wliat can be done with Arabs Ijj' means of religion. A little to the ca.st of the village i.s the large and hand.soin(; Hospital of Ste. Klizabeth, also built by the Cardinal for the use of the Arab tribes in the ])lain of the Clielif. This was solemnly inaugurated by liim on the 5th of February 1876, and named in comj)li- 7iient to Madame Wollf, wife of the general commanding the division. On the N. side of the line, a little farther to the E. , is a small village, Ste. iMoni(|ue, also occupied by Christian Arabs. 173 kil. Lcs Altafs. An Arab market every Wednesday. At a little distance on the left of the line are the ruins of Djchcl Temoulga, a Roman camp, and on the right those of Oued Taghia, identified as the Roman station of Tiijauda Mnnicipium, consisting of a long a(|ueduct and the foundations of public buildings and ramparts. These are called by the Arabs Kasr Bint-cs- Sultan, palace of the Sultan's daughter. 183 kil. Temo7i7ga. A station con- structed for the inirjiose of taking in the iron ore from the mines of Dj. Temoulga, situated 3 kil. to the S. In cousec|uence, however, of the ex- pense of transport the works have been suspended. The Oued Fodda is here crossed by an iron bridge of one arch. The stream has a course of 100 kil. from its source in the highest peak of Ouaranscnis, of which a beautiful view is here obtained. This mountain is one of the highest in Algeria, the culminating point. Kef Sidi Omar, being 6500 ft. above the sea. The ascent is from the E. side of the mountain, through a rich and well-watered country and magnificent forests ; a very extensive view is ob- tained from the summit. 186 kil. Oued Fodda. A village created by the military authorities, represented by General "Wolff command- ing the division of Algiers, in a portion of the plain, capable of abundant irri- gation by the water of the Oued Fodda (silver stream). When the necessary dams are constructed this will probably become one of the principal centres of colonisation in the valley of the Chelif. 195 kil. Lc JBarrage. A station so called irom a baiTagc or dam of the Chelif, a work of great importance. The preceding is a better station from which to visit it. This is hardly an excursion which we recommend to the general traveller. The road is difficult and bad (2 hrs. by light carriage), and during the greater part of the winter the whole masonry is under water — nothing but a lake and a cataract is vi-sible. Still it is possible to do it in the inter- vals between the morning and evening trains to Orleansville. From the coniluence of the Oued Fodda and the Chelif, for a distance of 12 kil., the united rivers flow through a steep and rocky bed. A jioint has been chosen at about 4^ kil. from .the junction, at which to establish a barrage de derivation 85 metres wide and 11 '75 metres high, intended to irrigate an area of 12,000 hectares, of which about 4000, situated on the left bank, include the town of Orleansville. The right bank is watered by a canal crossing the Chelif a little above Ponteba. The entire length of the canals will be about 90 kil. , of which 16^ will be the common stream, 23^ the Orleansville branch, and 50 the branch for the right bank of the river. It is calculated that the volume of water in the Chelif during the driest season of the year, from the 15th July to the 15th September, does not fall below li metre cube per second, and often attains 3 metres. During the rest of the summer it varies from 3 to 5 metres, and in winter it increases from 50 to 400 metres per second. The canals have been calculated, however, to contain 3 cubic metres per second. The waterfall has been utilised for supplying the motive power with which to furnish Orleansville with electric light. 203 kil. Pontiha, a small village close to the bank of the Chelif. 209 kil. Orleansville. Sous prefec- ture, with an area of 232,489 hectares. The city has a population of 2270 inhabitants. Orleansville is a town of some im- portance ; the area enclosed by its defences is very gi'eat, but a small portionjonly of it has been built over. Sect. II ROUTE 10. ORLfeA^'SVILLE 173 The streets are wide, ami all l)ordere(l with trees. The Barracks are exten- sive, accominodatiiig 3000 men and 1000 horses ; and the MiUtury I/osjntal can furnish 50ii beds. An abundant supply of water from the TsKjIuwut, 3 kil. S. of tile town, has been brought into the town by two conduits ; this is of a very bad quality, and is only useful for purposes of irrigation, washing, etc. Orleansville was for a long time with- out good water ; fortunately in digging for a well in the communal nursery garden, an underground stream of ex- cellent quality was discovered, which is raised by means of a steam engine into reservoirs, and now supplies the town and railway. An important Arab market, held near the Porte dc Milianah every Saturday and Sunday, is attended by more than 10,000 natives, who bring horses, cattle, and the produce of Ouaranscnia for sale. Tiie value of the goods exhibited at these markets is said sometimes to reach £12,000. The situation of Orleansville, stand- ing as it docs in the extensive plain of the Chelif, cannot be called i>icturesque, although it is surrounded at a consider- al)le distance by hills. It was formerly entirely destitute of trees, but the Forest Department has made large ])lautations of Aleppo pines and other trees around the town, which have succeeded very well, and now afford a grateful shade to the inhabitants. Hetween these and the walls the space has been ]ilanted with Australian trees, so that Orleansville is actually one of tile most shady places in the country. Tliis was much recpiired, as the heat in siiinmer is very gi'eat ; the climate, however, is not unhealthy. The town has been founded on the .site of the Roman Castcllutn. TinfjUunum, and is called liy the Arabs EI-Eanam, signify- ing "the Idols," in consc(|ucnce of the numerous pieces of sculpture having lieen found in the locality. In 1843 a tine mosaic was discovcreil, executed in lilack, red, and white, ornamented by live inst:ri|)tioiis, one of wliieh is the epitaph of St. Rejiaratus, who died in tiie year 436 of tiie Mauritanean era, and another refers to the foundation of the Basilicii, of which this mosaic forme^l the floor in the year 862 of the .same era, corresponding to A.i>. 325. There are also two curious s|H;cimens of abra- cadabra on the words S.\ncta Kci.ksia {sic) and Satukni.nls Saceiidos, of whicli we give the former on the authority of M. I'iesse : — a I S E L C E C L E S I A I .S E L C E A E C L E S I S E L C E A T A E C L E S E L C E A T C T A E C L E LCEATCXCTAECL CEATONANCTA EC E A T (J N A S A N C T A E CEATCNANCTAEC LOEATCNCTAECL ELCEATCTAECLE SELCEATAECL ES IS E L C E A E C L E .S I AISELCEC LE.SI A The mosaic was at once covered up to preserve it from destruction, and it so remains (1889) concealed from view. It is, however, proposed to make it the prominent feature in the Square in front of the covered market. In the inscrip- tion in question the word Ecclesia is spelt witii only one c. It commences with the letter s in the centre of the seventh line, whence the words proceed many times in every direction. Tiie lifth inscription contains only the words Skmi'er Pax. There is another mosaic in the garden of the Military Hospital ; it appears to have been the lloor of a batli. It con- tains a representation of a hunting scene ; in the upper portion two men are attacking a wild boar, and in the lower a panther is advancing towards an un- armed rider ; it also bears the inscrip- tion : — .SIl.UiVA FKEQVENS FOVEA.S MK.A MEMBKA LAVACRO. Orleansville was definitely occupied by the French in April 1843. [An excursion may be made to Oaar- ansenis ; the name is more correctly (humcltirich, pri>lialdy a ISerber cor ruption of the Latin .1 lu/iora rias. Tiii- 17 I UOUTK 10. AI.CJIERH TO OltAN Algeria iiiiiy he (loin; in ytiie adiniiii.s- Iratorol' tiic district, at which a traveller could possibly obtain accoinnioest green all through the summer. Probably nowhere else docs native cul- tivation offer so pleasing an aspect. 'Die trees cultivated are the apricot, jii^megranate, plum, quince, lemon, almond, jujube, pear, with a few peach, olive, karoul), and fig, but this last jiioduces the best fruit on unirrigated ground. Miizonnn, with the suburli of L'oii- lldlloufii, on the opposite side of the ravine, has a population of '2000 ; that of the whole tribe, which owns 6U,000 acres, is 4500. The only Euroiiean in the town is a French schoolmaster a})pointed by (iovernment. Notiiing is manufactured here except a few bricks and a little pottery, which is sometimes painted by tlie women, like the Kabyle vessels. It is said in Mazouna that one-half of the popula- tion is Turkish by descent, but tiie men have mostly Arab features. The young girls are pretty. Desceiidin'' through the town to the bottom of the ravine, tlie visitor will come to a small but pictures<|ue cascade. The stream has worn for itself a deep channel, and falls into a jiool below. The rocks around are liung with ferns and creeping plants, " amongst which, and beliind tlie waterfall, a bathing place has been screened off, by a dry stone wall, fiom public observa- tion. In the market-place above, a well -grown aspen tree is pointed out, which was jilanted l)y the messengers who brought to Mazouna the news of the French landing at Algiers. The Dahra has a pop. of 22,000, governed by Kaids. 'i'ho.se of Herber descent live in stone villages, the Arabs in tents ; the latter are most numerous near the Chelif, the former in the mountains. The soil is fertile ami the climate temperate, and it is hoi)ed that in a few years there will be a consider- alde European population here. From Inkcrman there is a regular service of omnibuses to Ammi Moiissa, a military station. At 14 kil. from this town, on the left of the road leading to Orleansville, is the interesting Roman ruin called Kaoua. It was evidently a citadel built of large fiiiely-cut stone, sur- rounded by a wall, all being in so perfect a condition that the minutest details of cisterns, stal)les, stairca.ses, etc., are visible. On the keystone of the entrance gate is sculjitured a crown, within which is the inscription Si'Ks . IX. Deo. Fekixi. Amen. The name of Ferinus is unknown ; he was i)rob- abl)' some local magnate living aliout the 4th century. Tluio are many other Roman remains in tln' district "f Ammi Moussa.j 263 kil. La Djidioitui or SI. Aiitte, a village created in 1S72, and named after .Madame Osmond, wife of the general commanding the prnvinee. The Oued Djidiouia is a little to the cast of the town, and aliout 7 kil. farther \\\\ there is a barrage well worthy of a visit. The ilyke or dam is built of cut stonu and hydraulic cement. It is fiO metres in length, 17 in height, above the foundution.s, which 170 ROUTE 10. ALGIKK8 J'O OKAN Algeria liavu ii lartlicr ilciitli of 11 iiit'trcs ; tlic lirujidth at llio base is 11 iiii;tre.s, and at tlie to]) 4 mi-trcs. Tlii.s contains a lake winding,' amongst the hills to a distance of 'Ih kil., and containing '2,r)0(i,000 nu'trc'S of water. Tlie canal runs along the S. and E. sides of an amphitiieatre of hills, and traversing a tunnel 224 metres in length, reaches Ste. Aiine, and passes ou to another village farther to the W., called Ha- niadana, created in 1876. It is cal- culated that this water, besides sup- ]ilying the villages, will irrigate about 3400 hectares. The great difliculty regarding these barrages is to pre- vent them lilling up with sand washed down by the rain. When the writer visited this in April 1877, the build- ing was not finished, nor the water let into the canal, and yet there were 3 metres of mud at the barrage. Since then it has become almost entirely silted up. It was commenced in October 1874, and cost 480,000 f., including 150,000 for canalisation. To the P]. of Ste. Aime, in an old bed of the Djidiouia, are the remains of what is called a Roman liarrage ; the construction is of large blocks of con- crete, without any trace of cut stone, and neither in the stjde of masonry nor in its outline does it resemble the work of that great peo])le. It is more probalile that it was the work of the Tlem^en dynasty. 283 kil. Lcs Salines. So called from the salt lake of Sidi Bou Zain, to the right of the line, containing an area of 4000 acres. 296 kil. Relizane. The country round is well irrigated, and the town is supplied with water from the ilina, which flows about 3 kil. to the W. At a place where the river left the flat alluvial land, antl l)roke in rapids to a lower level, a bar- rage of derivation has been built. This is simply a dyke with sluices, which jirevents the water from entering the rocky bed into which it formerly de- scended, and diverts it into two lateral canals, from which it is distributed to the E. and W. Near the town a force-pump sends it into a large filter for the supply of the inhabitants. This barrage is capable of irrigating 8000 hectares. The name of the river is probably taken from that of the lioman town, the ruins of which arc still traceable a mile or two to the S. 315 kil. miillil. A small village forming an annexe of Kelizanc on the Oued lllil, an affluent of the Mina, on which there is a small barrage which irrigates the country round about. [An interesting expedition from I'Hillil is to the remarkable and little- known Arab town EI-Kalaa (the fortress). The kaid assured the author, who visited it in May 1877, that he was the first Englishman who had ever been there, and that very few French, ex- cept those connected with the ad- ministration, ever found their way to it. Nevertheless, the expedition can be done between the arrival of the first train from Relizane in the morning and the departure of that to Oran at night. A good carriage-road has been constructed, and an omnibus runs eveiy morning, returning in the afternoon. The traveller should take his breakfast with him. If he happens to occupy a prominent position of any kind, or is re- commended to the kaid, he is sure to be hospitably entertained, but otherwise he runs the risk of starvation if he de- pends on the resources of the village. El-Kalaa is a town of Berber origin 17 kil. S. of I'Hillil, and 36 kil. N.E. of Mascara, picturesquely situated on the S.W. slopes of Djebel Barber, which descends almost perpendicularly to the Oued Bou-Mendjil. It occupies the mountainous centre of that massif situated between the Mina and the Habra, which was at one time occupied by fractions of the great tribe of Houasa. The village is divided into several por- tions, each situated on a projecting spur of the mountain, and separated from the next by a deep ravine. The houses are of stone, but in a dilapidated con- dition. The place is celebrated for its carpets, which resemlde those usually obtained from Smyrna ; nearly 3000 are made every year, and they are every- where held in hisrh esteem ; the cost of Sect. II ROUTE 10. Kf.-KAI.AA 177 tlicni on the spot is about 10 f. asijuarc metre. They are made by the women ; tlie process is most cuiions, but it will be ilillicult for the vuile stranger to ol)- tain access to a house where they are beiiif,' made. At the bottom of the hill, iibinj,' the banks of the river, are beauli- fiil gardens of fruit trees, especially oranges and lemons. The population is about 300. The only European in the village is a schoolmaster, who, as at Mazouna, is sent to teach the children French. They are most apt inipils, and some of their exercises are quite astonishing. It is uncertain whether this was ever a Roman station, but the remains of two cisterns still visible arc wonderfully like the work of that jieople. The place is said to have been built by a chief of the Ilotiara tribe, Mohammed ben Ishak, alxnit the middle of the Gth century of the Hedjira, and after the extinction of that tribe it fell into the hands of the lieiu Rachid, a branch of tlie Zenati, from Djebel Amour. It eventually submitted to the sovereigns of Tlemeen. About the end of the 15th century of the Christian era, on the decline of the Ikni Zeian dynasty of Tleni(;en, the Arab confederation, known by the name of Mehal, declared itself independent. They descended from the High Plateaux, and invaded the plains of the Chclif and the Mina, and established themselves lirinly at Kalaa, Tenes, ilostaganem, and Mazouna. The Spanish occupation of Oran com- menced about the beginning of the l(5th century, and the I'eni Raehid became in turns their allies and their tributaries. This state of things con- tinued till 1.')17, when Baba Aroudj, whohad already taken Algiers, appeared at the head of a Turkish army. The -Mehal, under one of their most ccle- lirated chiefs, Hamid cI-AIkI, were de- feated ; Tenes and Kalaa fell into tlie hands of the Turks, and Tleim/en opened its gates to Aroudj ami recognised him as its sovereign. The Sultan Abou llammon, disjiossessed of his countiT and ]int to Might liy the corsair, sought the aid of the Spaniards, who, liaving all their commeree i.ut olf Ity tiie Turks, gladly .sent a force to replace their old ally on his throne. It was command<-d by Don .Martin d'Argote, who eventually marched on Kalaa, which wa.s defended liy Ishak, tlder brother of Aroudj, with oQi) Turkish infantry. After a spirited resistance he agreed to cai>itu- late, on condition of being allowed to leave with arms and baggage, but no sooner had the Turks surrendered the place than the Spaniards fell ujioii them and put them all to death. The Spaniards then continued their march to Tlemcen, took that town, and pursued Aroudj to the Rio Salailo, when; he and all his i>eopIe were killed. Kalaa became subse(|uently annexed to the regency ctf Algiers, and so con- tinued till the Frem h coiniuest. After the fall of the Tuiks, the ]ieopIe refus- ing to recognise the Emir Abd-el-Kader, he attackeii the town, and after a siege of three days he took it and gave it up to pillage. It submitted to the French in 1842, joined the insurrection of IJoii Maza in 1845, was retaken by the French with considerable loss, since when it has remained tolerably quiet. Kaliia was used by the Turks as a jilaee of deportation for all their most turbulent soldiers, and at the present day there are two distinct sections of the jiopulation, the Kouloughlis or tlescendants of Turkish fathers, and the native race, a mixture of Berber and Arab. There are three other similar villages in the neighbourhood. Tiliouaii'l on the banks of the stream bearing the same name, 4 kil. E. of El-Knlaa. The word signifies coloured, on account of the ])erin'tual verdure of the phice. Dchba, 800 metres S. of El-Kalaa, on the same river as that town, and Mcsnttii, 2 kil. S. W., on the lower part of the Oued liou-Mendjil. It was at one time of considerable importance, but was greatly destroyetl by laiidsli|(s in 1S4.'>. The traveller will not fail to remark the great number of koubb.-is, or tombs, of local saints in every direction.] 332 kil. Oiird Mtil'ih, situati'd on a river of that name. In tJio iminediMti- vicinity is a village called Jiuinri, and N 17« ROI TK 10. ALOIEHS TO OUAN Ahjerin near tlio .stiilioii i.s a t lact of brushwood called the Korcst of Kciouia. 3Ui kil. Perr^gaux. 2136 iiihah. Named after the well-known ^'cncral who fell at the second sie^'c ofConstan- tiiie. Arali market every Thursday. Tills is the plare where the railway from Arzeu to Saida crosses the main line. At it kil. to tlie S. is the great bar- raife of the Oued Fergoug, constructed i)y M. J)el)rousse. It is situated at the junction of three streams — the Oued l'"rr.i,'ou^', the Oued Tcfrzoug, and the ilalira. The total length of the dam, including the divcrsoir, is 440 metres ; its thickness at the base is 40 metres, and at the to]) 4i metres ; its depth below foundation 11 metres. It forms an immense lake, containing when full 38 millions of cubic metres of water. On the Loth December 1881 it gave way under the pressure of exceptionally high floods, drowning upwards of 400 persons, besides losing all the water su])ply, and laying dry tlie system of iirigational canals in connection with it. It has now been completely repaired and is full of water. The sufferers w^ere mostly Arabs and Spauiarils ; in the town of Perregaux there was a depth of 5 ft. of water in the houses and streets, and long stretches of embankments, both on the Oran and Algiers line and on tliat to Saida, were swept away. This work, as well as the railway between Arzeu and S;iida, is due to the enterprise of a private company, one may almost say to the i;naided exer- tions of the late M. Debrousse. He received no guarantee of interest from the State, but a concession of 24,000 hectares of irrigable land in the plain of the Habra, between Perregaux and the sea, and tlie privilege of collecting the alfa over a vast area of land on tlie High Plateaux [see Rte. 26, from Arzeu to Saida]. A milliary column was found here, and is now built into the wall of the Company's office. It contains the fol- lowing iiiscrii>tion, biding a dedit'ation to Gordian III. The figures which should have followed the letters M. P., MiUia PttssHuin, have never been engraved. N DOMINO 11 IMP • CAE.S ■ MO AITONINO • GOR DIANO • INVIC TO ■ I'lO • FEI.ICI AVO • J'wJ • MAXI MO • Ttlli • POT • BIS P • P • CCS ■ PRO • CON XVLA • NEPOTI • DI VORVM • GOKDIA NORVM • M.P. 360 kil. L'Hahra. 370 kil. St. Denis du Sig. 6998 inhab. The town is liuilt on the right bank of the Siij, about 500 yards from the railway station, in the middle of a large and fertile plain. The streets and s([uares are well shaded by trees, run- ning water everywhere abounds, and there are numerous gardens both public and private in the environs ; a hand- some church has been built, principally by the munificence of two individuals, and there is a civil ho.spital capable of containing 300 beds. This district owes its fertility en- tirely to artificial irrigation. The Turks erected a barrage about 3 kil. S. of the town, at a point where the river is con- tracted into a narrow cliannel as it enters the plain. An inundation de- stroj-ed this, and the Engineer depart- ment commenced a new one in 1853, which was completed and greatly en- larged by the Fonts ct Chausccs in 1858, and which was capable of collecting 3 millions cubic metres of water, and of irrigating a surface of 2000 hectares of land in winter and SOO in summer. This was sufficient in ordinary times, but in years of drought when more water was required it fre(iuently failed, so it was detemiined to build a much larger one, 10 kil. higher up the stream. This was successfully accom- plished ; it contained 18 millions cubic metres of water, and was filled for the first time during the winter of 1884- 85. Some idea may be formed of the volume of water thus stored up, by imagining an acre of land iiiled up Sect. II ROUTE 10. CITY OF ORAN 179 with water to the height of Mont Blanc ! The writer was standing on the lower barrage on the 8th February 1885, at 5 P.M., when the upiyer one gave way ; in a wonderfully short time the whole country was sub- merged ; the smaller l)arrage went also ; the water stood to a deptli of 2i metres in some parts of the town of Sig. All bridges were destroyed, and the rich and flourishing gardens and farms in the vicinity were almost ob- literated. Had this hai)peiied during the night, as was the case at Perre- gaux two years previously, the loss of life must liave been terrible ; as it was, jteople were warned in time and not more than seven lives were lost. This also has been restored. The Union du Sig, at about 2 m. from St. Denis, is an agricultural association, of which, however, one of the principal objects has not been realised — the association of capital and labour. It is worked by a company having its seat at Paris. The Habra and the Sig unite to the N. of this place in a marsh, and sub- sequently reach the sea under the name of Oued Macta, at a little bay between Arzeu and Mostaganem (see Kte. 26). 376 kil. VOugasse. 331 kil. La Mare d'cau. These are two small villages, the latter near the forest of Muuhii Ismail, where Don Alvarez de Bezan was signally defeated in 1701, and where six years later the Moroccan chief, Moulai Ismail, had his arniv almost entirely destroyed. 395 kil. Sahib -Baric dc miat. 1170 inhab. A village on the bank of the stream called Lc TUlat, at the extremity of the plain of the same name. The country round is watered to a certain extent by a small barrage on the TIelat. This is the terminus of the " Ouest Algi'rien " Railway (see Rte. 25).- 404 kil. L'Arbal, more correctly (Ihabal, a village situated about 7 in. from the station which bears its name. Numerous Roman ruins in the vicinity. It Wius jjrobably the Roman ad Knjias. 411 kil. Vahiui. Created in 1S4S. 640 inhab. 416 kil. La Scnia, a pretty village of 484 inhab. Junction of line to Ain- Tcmouchent. 421 kil. K.VKOUENTAH (Oran). CITY OF ORAN. Capital of the province, residence of General Commandant, and of the tiene- ral commanding subdivision, Inteiid- ance Divisionnaire, Prefet and liishop.) Po2)ulation of the city and suburbs : — French . . . 18,247 Jl-ws . . . 3,tJ17 Moliairiiiieilans . t),0S4 S|>aniar(ls . . 22,172 Other nationalities. 6,257 Total 59,377 Oran is not one of the Algerian towns which can claim a high an- ti((uity ; for altliough some writers at- tempt to identify it with the Portus Magnus or Quiza of the Romans, tiie evidence is but vague ; and no traces of that nation's occnjtation have bi-en found here, with the exception of a few coins. It appears to have l)con founded in the beginning of the lOtli century by two Arab merchants from Spain, wlio, freipienting this coast for purposes of commerce, obtained leave from the dominant tribe to form a small .settle- ment there. They called it " Wahnui,'' meaning "aravine"; anestilence, or dieil upon the held of battle while levying tribute from rebellious tribes ; anil some were executed by their mas- ters at Algiers for misapprojtriation of the levied tribute. They indulged in every form of tyranny anjihil Miirdjnilja. High above the town, on the summit of this ridge, stands the Fort nf Saulu Cruz; and a little lower dr>wn that of St. Gr^goin: The coast, from Cape Falcon on the W., is ])artly flat and partly rocky. Cape Ferrat on the E. is roeky and precipitous, the cliiN around the last-named headland rising more than lOoO ft. above the water ; and the bay is fully exj^ised towards the Js. ; but the small fortiti'd pio- montory of Mcrsn-il-Kdnr, jutting out into the .sea about 2 ni, to tlie \V., forms at all times a secure and excel- lent harbour. At the extremity of tin point is a lighthou.se. Oran lias two harbours : the old or inner one is small Init commodious, with an area of 10 acres ; the new or outer one lias GO acres, with 1200 yds. of breakwater, and 328 yds. of quays ; they are capable of containing a con- siderable number of vessels of the largest size. A considerable trade is carried on between Oran and Englaml in alia fibre and cereals, wine and marbh-s. The exjiorts from Oran are about on a par with those from Algiers. In 1792 Spanish Oran was almost destroyed by an earthi|uake, and the modern city is entirely French in character. It has undergone an entire transformation of late. The old ])or- tion, built low down in the ravines, and around the liarbour, still remains unchanged, but an entirely new (piarter has arisen on the breezy heights towards the I'l. Tliis was rendered possiiile by the destruction of the ohl ramparts, and the ronstruetion of new defensive works at a niiieh greater distance from the town. The liighest part is the Place (CArmcs, a handsome square witli a garden in the centre, ami an immense Mairic occupying the entire eastern side ; this is very ornate, but it would have been liner luul a searcity <'f funds not compelled the municipality to sup- press the upper stor\'. From the V.. runs the JJoiili'vard Nnlionali , in tli< direction of the I'urlc iff Mnxaini ; in it is situated a new and im|io.siiig Jiirish Si/iliKjiiifii'-. Tile ]i|ea.santly- shaded I'luiiienade de I'Ktang is the most popular |ilaee of re.sort. It has a sjilentlid view of the sea, port and gull The military baml of the garrison .sonn times plays here. V/iitrcfies ami JAwyi/.-.v. — These ar> not very jx-niarkablc. The most im 182 ROUTE 1 0. ALOIKRS TO GRAN A I'jeria jioilaiit i.s llic Cdlhcdnd (if St. Lovls, ill tliu I'laod do rEgliso. This was fbr- iiicily a cliapol huhjiigiiig to a convent of monks ol' tiic y the Spaniards, is the citadel. It is the residence of the general command- ing the division, who occupies that portion of the building which was in former times the palace of the Beys. The other part of it is used as a barrack. The Chateau Vieicx, or Kasha, was the ancient citadel of Oran, and was several times surrendered to foreign troops ; in 1509, to the army of Ximenes ; in 1708, to Mustafa bcn- Youssef ; and again, in 173'2, to the troops of the Due de Jlontemar. Like the Chateau Neuf, it consisted of two parts, the higher being the residence of the Spanish Commanders, and coni- })rising a chapel, among many other buildings ; and the lower containing the arsenal and barracks. The ujiper part of the Kasba was entirely de- stroyed by the earthquake of 1790 ; but the lower part is still used as a barrack and nnlitary prison ; the civil prison is at Karaguentah, and capable of containing 300 persons. Oran is strongly fortified. The Fort de la Mounc is at the western ex- tremity of the harbour. Fort St. Andre, in the centre of the to\\ii, formerly Sect. II UOL'TK 10. KNVIUONtJ OF ORAN 1^3 UK milted 36 guns. Beyond Fort St. Aiidrti is Fort St. rhilipiic, Ituilt to re- ])l;ice tin; old C;istlo of tlie Saints, called in Spiinish ^' C'a.sti/lo de Ivs Saji/os" ; and above, on tlie hei<5lits of" the I'ic d'Aidour, more than lOOO ft. above the sea, stands the Fort Santa Cruz. The view from this fort is magnificent. A little ehai)el h;is been erected jnst below, to comineniorate the cholera year of 1849 ; this subsequently had a tower added, surmounteil by a colossal statue of the Virgin, a rc[>lica of that of Notre Dame de la Garde at Marseilles ; it is styled N6t7-e Dame de la Salut de Santa Cruz. On the height above Mcrs-el- Kchir is a fort armed with two 14 -ton guns, which commands the coast on both sides, and crosses fire with a simi- lar work at the Point du llavin blanc, to the E. of the town. Notwithstand- ing its apparently impregnable position it was taken by assault in 1708. There is a subterranean comnninica- tion between all the forts, the galleries passing underneath the town, mount- ing and descending the various jiills. Permission can l)e ol)tained t9 visit tliese by apiilication to the Colonel of lingineers. The walls whicli surround the city contain 9 gates, viz. — I'lirtc de Mcrs - el - Kchir ; Porte de Sauiun ; Porte du Pavin ; Parle dc Tlcm<;en ; Porte Sidi Charmi ; Porte du CimetUre ; Porte de Mascara ; Porte de Mostaganem, and Porte de V Abattoir. Among the pul)lic buildings not yet enumerated should be mentioned the new Military Hospital, adjoining the Cathedral of St. Louis, an imposing edifice, capable of accommodating 1400 men. The Civil Hosjutal is on the high ground at Karaguentah, holding GOO jiatieiits. In the Place de I'llopital, just o]ipo- site the tunned communicating with tiie line dc rArscnal, is a house now used as military ([uarters, once the Juqiiisi- tion ; an inscrii)tion let into the wall states that it was built at the expense of the State in 1772. A visit should be paid to the negro (piarter, ]ieopled by nearly 3000 of that race, and Arabs. Oraii is well supplied with watn. The stream Jlas-clA'tu, wliirli rises about a kil. IteNond the walls, is brought by means of an umlergroutid tunnel into the town. A furthir supply has been brought from tiie fine spring at Hredeah, at 25 kil. on the road from Oran to Temouchent. Knvikons of OltAX. 7 kil. La Senia, a small village, tb' iidiabitants of wliieh are all employed in agriculture, ami in the cultivation of vegetables and fruit, which are sent to Oran, and thence shipped to various foreign ports. It is approached through an avenue of muHierry-trees, and is worth visiting, although it contains nothing of special interest. The popu- lation is 484. 8 kil. Mers-el-Eebir. A road, cut out of the soliil lock for a great J'art of its length, in one place passing through a tunnel fiO yards h'Ug, con- nects this port with Oran. 2 kil. Underneatli the road at thi> point is a curious cave, into wliieh a boat can enter in smooth weather ; it is freiiuented by seals, and is called /" Grotte dcs Vcntix Mar ins. 3 kil. from Oran is a small bathing establishment called Lea Bains de la Beine, erected at the sciirce of a waim mineral s]>ring. It is so called after Isabella the Catholic, who in the IGtii century brought her infant daughter to this place for the sake of these waters. The spring rises in a cavern or narrt)w cleft in the ro(k, al«>v,' 20 ft. in length by 10 ft. in heigh; The temperature is about 85' Kalii. , and the water contains large <[uanli tics of salt ami magnesia. There are several separate batlis, us well as the "Piscine," or bnthing-phice for the poorer classes. They uru snid to Iw peculiarly efficacious in cases of rheu- matism. There is a restaurant attached to the establishment, where bedrooms also may be obtained. A short distance iicyond the liains de la Keine, the road crosses a ravine called the Saltodcl Cavallo, and furlin IS 1 KOI Ti; I I. CIIII.II'I'I^N 11,1.1; TO ONSTANTINK A l!illy (xriiiiicd in tlio ciiltiviitioii 1)1' vines ; and ,S(iivt (Unmic, an a^ni- ciilliiial village. Beyond is Mers-el- Kebir. The loll, sai into view ; but unfoitunately the full gran as an important fortress, and as one ol the natural capitals of a country which h;is been the scene of perpetual war- and revolutions. Its ancient nanp was Kcrlh or Cirta, and it was tip seat of the Miissessylian kings, partak- ing of the fortune of its neighbour, Carthage. Narva, whose wife was sister to Hannibal, was king in n.f. 230. He was succeeded by Syphax, who had obtained the hand of Sophonislia, daughter of Ilasdrubal; l>ut Ma.ssinissji, king of the Massyliaiis, who was also in love with her, took advantage of the lireaking out of the Second I'unic War to ally himself to Scipio Africanus, and by his help deposed Syphax, and obtained po.ssession of Cirta ami of Sophonisba, it.c. 202. Scipio having onc on tlic 13th November and arrived before Constantine on the 21st, witliout having encountered any oiii>o«ition, but mucli exliausted by fatigue and priva- tion. The assault was made on the night of the •23d by the Iiritlge of Kl- Kantara, but was repulsed on all sides with frightful loss ; ami the Marshal, owing to the intlemency of the season and the impossibility of revieluulling his army, was compelled to retreat to Bone, where he arrived on tlie 1st of Decendjer, the whole army being in the last stage of exhaustion. The corps under his command was dissolved, ami the Marshal himself relieved of com- mand, and recalled to Paris. In the following year a second ex- pedition wa.s organised, consisting of 10,(100 men, under command of the mw (!overn»-twi-i'n tliu kiiig\ii,'ii which the Koumnu'l flows, varies in hreadth from ahout 200 ft. (in the 8.E. side, to nearly double tliat ■ listanee oiijiosite the Kasha ; and is spanned on tlic N. K. by lour natural arches of rock, about '200 ft. above the stream, one of which serves as the foundation for the bridge of El-Kan- ta m. On the N.W. side the precipices are tiie higlust ; and it is looking towards this point from the ])lain of the Hain- ma that the most sjilendid view of the city is obtained. To the N.E. and S. E. the lieights of Mansoura and Sidi Mrrul command the city. On the last- named hill stiMid a luined koubba of tiie saint whose name it bears. The isthmus before mentioned connects Constantine with the hill of Koudiat- AH. The situation of Constantine, how- ever, cannot be thoroughly appreciated unless a walk be taken round the out- side of the city, and we would ad\-ise the traveller to postpone his explora- tion of the streets until this has been dojie. We will suppose him to leave the city by the Place de la Breche, where formerly stood the Porte Valee, occupy- ing nearly the same place as the older Ikib el-Oued. In iront was the hill of Koudiat-Ati, where the Freuch storm- ing batteries were erected Oct. 1837. The ground is now (1889) being levelled, the hill cut away, and a large plateau in course of construction, which will become the site of a new faubourg. Here is the corn -market, between the suliurbs of St. Jean to the "\V. and St. Antoinc to the E. In front of it are two squares planted with trees. That on the left is a garden, in the centre of which is a bronze statue of Marshal Valee ; that to the right contains frag- ments of lionian antiquities — columns, capitals, in.scri))tions, too bulky to be placed in tlie Jluseum. ami the Massylians to the E. At the sources of the Bmi Morznug, one of its affluents 8. of Constantino, M. Cliorbonneau found an inscrijv tion containing the words CAPVT AMSAGJi. A path to the left, close umb-r the wall, descends through a cam]> of Arabs, Ijusily eng.aged in various trai/iter-Jio>isc ; a little higher up, on the same side, the JJitnlo, a large ugly building formerly used as barracks for the Turkish cavalry, ami now for the Spahis. About a mile higher up the stream, on the Oued Merzoug, just above its junction with the Roummel, are the remains of the Roman aqueduct which spanned the vallej- between Djebel Guerioun and Koudiat - Ati. Five arches remain, about GO ft. high. They are built of huge blocks of lime- stone without mortar ; and to ensure additional security, the bases of the j)iers are considerably broader than the I'lers themselves, narrowing gradually as they ascend. There is a tradition that the aqueduct was constructed by .Justinian. Keturning to the Aballoir, a bridge crosses the Roummel under the rock called Siili Uiirltcil, the most southern point of the clilf (in which Constantine is built. It is said that the Turks used to throw susj)ected or faithless wives fnim the top of this lock. There are the remains of a line Roman tower on its top. Here is the beginning of the grand gorge •which extends round the E. and N. sides of the city. The clitls arc .scarcely more than 15 ft. apart in this place. After crossing the bridge a short tunnel is traversed, and a warm spring reached. The water is collected into cisterns and used lor washing. A few yards farther on, beyond a quarry, is the place assigned by tradition to the martyrilom of S.S. JIarius ami .lacobus, who jierished here in A.D. 280. The inscription recording the event is rudely carved on the face of the rock, and was ajjparently the composition of :ui illiterate person ; but it has been so much damaged by time and neglect that it will soon be quite illegible. It ran as follnws : — t mr . NdS SKIT I'ASSIONE MAIlTVn OIIVM noUTKNSl VM .M A 11 I A N I KT lACOIII AATI I AIMNR VSTICI flllMIM TAT t MEi.TVNl UllTOB I HILHANI KOIP Till SCI Dl MKMIlRAMISl IN CONSPEtTV ANI CVORVM NOMINA St'ITIS yVI FECIT IN AXV. This has been thought to mean — "Quarto iion.is .Sfi)t<>iiil(r«'s |>a.ssi<)ne inar- tyiiuniiii liDrtcnsiuiii Mariani ft .Facotii, l»ati, Jaiiiiii, Kiistici, Crispi, Tati, Meltuni, Viu'toris, Silvani, K),'iptii, iSancti ilii-i ('O- MeiiifH-aiiiiiii in cons|>ectu Domini. Qunruni iioniina scitis nut fecit iiiUietione qiiintA lUciina." Hence the i>ath ascends to the hill Mansuura, whence a most interesting view is obtained, a.s the traveller walks northward, of the Arab ([uarter and its tanneries, which are built in the most perilous jio.sitions, on the very edge of the precipice. The steep dill's allord nesting places to numbers of jackdaws, hawks, and falcons ; while storks build ujion the housetops. Re- mains of two R(unan bridges are to be seen low down in tiie ravine. They probably all'onled a means of access to the suburb which undoubtedly covered the plateau of iMansoura at that time. A splemlid Trivinjihal Anh was still standing here in 1724 ; it perhajis formed a jiart of the decorations of the llipjHxInimi', whose remains were dis- covered and destroyed when the railway station was built. Shaw, who saw it in the year above mentioned, sjiys : "Among the ruins to the S. W. of the biidge wc have the greatest [>art of a triumi)hal arch called Ca.ssir Coulah, or the Ctisllc (as they interpret it) lif the Giant, consisting of three arches, the middlemost whereof, as usual, is the most spacious. All the mouMings ami friezes are curiously embellished with the ligures of llowers, battle-axes, and. other ornaments. The Corinthian jiilasteis erected on each side of the grand anh are panelled like the gates of the city, in a style and fashion peculiar to Cirta." The barracks on the summit of Man- .soura are occupied by the Ch.usseurs d'Africpic ; lower down, just above the railway station, is the Keole Normale. At the N.K. angle of tlio city Wiis the bridge of Kl-Kantara. It would ajipear from the Arali chronicles tliat the other bridges were destroyed in 1304, when nen-cl-Kinir, Kaid of Con- stantine, revolted agiiinsl the Kmir 1!)0 ROtlTK 11. PIIII,IPPF,Vir-LK TO COXSTAXTIN'E A Ujcria Klialod. Enough remains of tlie Roman works at El-Kantara to merit a detailed di'scription. Advantage has been taken of one of tilt' natural arches over the Roummel lor tlic foundation of the bridge. Look- ing at tlic ruin from tlic S. side, it will be seen that there were originally three jiicrs, of nearly the same size, and (■i|uidistant. Bi'twecn the first and second of these, counting from the E., a jierfect arch I'cmains. It was double, with a con- siderable space between the vaults, of which the upjier one, built of massive blocks, carried the roadway ; the lower one, carefully finished, was merely ornamental. This was evidently the only arch beneath which water passed, as the stream must always have been scanty, and the rocks have no appear- ance of being waterworn elsewhere. The interval between the second and third piers is walled up. This would seem to have been done nearly at the time of the original construction, for the stones are preciselj' the same as those used in the piers, and worked in the same way ; but the lines of masonry do not exactly correspond. Between the third pier and the rocks there was a half arch, which apparently was filled in like the others, though on the S. side the wall has fallen away com- jiletely. A similar half- arch appears to have existed between the first pier and the rocks ; but these abut on the pier so closely that it is not easy to make out the construction in this ]iart. Some years ago the writer was still able to trace on the S. side the lias -relief so quaintly described and iigured by Shaw "of a lady treading upon two elephants, with a large escallop shell for her canopy. The elephants having their faces turned towards each other, twist their trunks together, and the lady, who appears dressed in her hair, with a close-bodied garment, like the riding-habit of our times, raiseth up her petticoats with her right hand, and looks scornfully upon the city." Ou a subsequent visit he was unable to find it. This system of piers and arches sup- ports a level roadwa}' ; above which was a second stage, consisting, it is said, of six arches. Of these one yiier remains on the E. side, with the arch and half pier between it and the cliff, and a corresponding half ]>ier on the W. The height of the whole structure was nearly 220 ft. above the soil on which its foundations rested, which are themselves 184ft. above the river; so that the whole was not less than 404 ft. in height. An excellent description of this arch has been left by El-Bekri, the Arab geograjdier of the 11th century, who says : ' ' This bridge is of a remarkable structure, its height above the level of the water being about 100 cubits ; it is one of the remains of Roman architec- ture ; it is comjiosed of five upper and lower arches which span the valley. Three of these, namely, those to the W., have two stories, as we have said ; thej' are intended for the passage of water, while the upper ones form a communication between the two sides of the ravine. Regarding the others, they abut against the mountain. These arches are supported by piers, which break the violence of the toi-rent, and are pierced at their summit by small openings. When there are extraordi- nary Hoods, which sometimes take place, the water which rises above the r.op of the piers escapes by means of these orifices. This is, we repeat, one of the most remarkable buildings ever seen." Peyssouuel, who visited it in 1724, describes it as "a very fine structure, with three rows of arcades, and a height of about 250 ft., but rather narrow, having fallen." Shaw saw it in 1740 ; he says it was "indeed a masterpiece of its kind, the gallery and the columns of the arches being adorned with cornices and fes- toons, ox -heads and garlands. The keystones also of the arches are charged with caducei and other figures." Bruce also visited it in 1765, and has left two drawings of its actual condition at that period. 1 Subsequently it was thoroughly re- stored by Don Bartolommeo, an archi- tect of ilenorca, in 1793, during the 1 " Footsteps of Bruce," p. -to, PI. IV. Sect. II ROUTE 11. COXSTAXTIXE 191 reifijn of Salah Bey, with inaterials chieHy obtained from the destruction of other Koman edifices. It stood as he left it till 7 a.m. on 18th March 1857, when the pier of the upper stage nearest to the town suddenly gave way, with the two arclies resting upon it. It was found impossible to restore it ; the liriilge was in consequence battered down witii heavy artillery on the 30th of the same month. The substantial modern iron structure was built in 1863 ; the aqueduct beneath it in 1857. It was this bridge and gate which were attacked by tln' Frcncli in 183t), under General Clau/.el, wlicn they made their first disastrous uttemiit upon Constautine. From the E. end of the bridge there is a beautiful view W. through the ravine ; at the beginning of which may be seen the remains of the road that allbrded access to the city after the destruction of the old bridge. It de- scended close under Djeliel Mecid ; then crossed the ravine, and reached the gate close to the W. end of the briilge. A new road and tunnel have been made (1889) along tlie right bank of the Koummid, from which superb views are ohtaiiu'd of the ravine, the natural bridgi's of rock, and the opposite cliff, on whicli the Kasba stands. Returning to the bridge of El- Kantara, the traveller should now cross tlie railway, and ascend Djebel jMei;id to tlie large unlinished Iniilding inteiidcil for an Arab college, now occupied as a civil hosi)ital, ])assiiig on tlie right the Jewish cemetery. The ti>inbst()ii(!s are .solid blocks, a foot tliick, laid upon the ground without i'mi'c or distinction of any kind. Lraving the hospital (ui the left, a path descends tlic precipitous clill'to the valic^y of the Ki)Uiiiniel. Before doing this, th(! traveller should, if jiossible, ascend l)jeli(d iMeeid to his right, for tlie .sake of the line view it allbnls over ConstantiiK' and its neighbour- hood. There is a good view also from the rock beyond the hospital, immedi- ately ojiposite the Kasba. Tliis is reaelied by a path through tin' jiiiie plantation. As the traveller descends into the valley of the Houinniel lie has before him a most beautiful vi<-w over the Haiiima and the corn -lands beyond, with high mountains in the distance. At the bottom of the jirecipiee are the warm batlis of Sidi .Sleeid, muroperty of Sallust, the great historian and pro-consul, where he was wont to come in his hours of leisure to combine the charms of pliiloso])liy with the more material pleasures of this life / He had abundant means of ac(|uiring ))ropeity during his juo-consnlate, and liis magniticciit house on the (,>uirinal was enriched with the plunder of Ilijipo, Kalama, Tagaste, and ("irta. From tile ballis of Sidi .Meeid a path winds uiuler the dill", and comes .sud- denly ujion the bed of the Roummel, at a point where the river falls over several ledges of rock in a series of ]iicturesi|ue cascades. Opposite is the perpendicular elill' of the K.'isba — the Tarpeian rock «>f the Turkish city — 500 ft. above file river. It was over this clilf that upwanls of 300 of the inhabitants let themsidves down by ropes, to escape the French. Most of tliem jierished miserably. The stream can here be crossed diyslmd, when not swfdleii by rains. A path up it.s left bank, close to the rai'c that carries water to the Hour mills, should be fart of the walls and all the roof have disappeared, and the whole iilace is now in such a filthy condition that it reijuires a consider- able amount of courage to venture on an (examination of it. liiueatli the tomb of PraHnlius is the Esplanade de la Breche, u.sed as a market-place for the natives. This walk finished, the traveller would do well to hire a carriage, and drive round the environ.s. Leaving always by the Place Valec, he should descend to the garden of the Poudrerie, an order to see which will lie iiadily gi'anted by the ofiicer commanding the artillery in the Kasba. From this jilace the best view of the cascade of the Koumniel is obtained, and this is per- haps the finest of all the views around Constantine. Regaining the main road, and fol- lowing it nearly as far as the Pont d'Aumale, the traveller should take the road to El-JIila, which passes over a smaller iron liridge to the left, and mounts the hills on the left bank of the river. The view looking back to Con- stantine, with the fertile valley of the Roummel in the foreground, brilliant with every sliade of green, is more beautiful than words can describe. 2^ kil. from the junction of the roads is the small oasis of Salah Bey. Even ill the times of the Romans this w'as a favourite summer residence of the inhabitants, and some traces of their villas are still visible amongst the cornfields. Towards the close of last century Salah Bey conceived the idea of build- ing a palace here. He repaired the cistern containing one of the hot sj)rings which irrigate the place, planted trees and commenced to build a house. Unfortunately he incuiTed the displeasure of the populace bj'' de- capitating a much venerated saint, Si- Mohammed, who attempted to overturn his authority. M. Cherbonneau relates the legend that the body of the saint was trans- formed into a crow, which, after much sorrowful croaking, flew at once to the country palace, which it cursed, and then disappeared. The Bey, frightened at the curse, erected a koubba to the memory of the marabout, which lie called Sidi Mohammed el-Ghorah, sig- nif^'iug "My Lord Mohammed, the Crow." This koubba still exists, and in an adjacent building are the tombs of some of Salah Bey's family, but the palace was despoiled by Ahmed Bey, and all its ornamental work carried Sect. II nOUTE 11, CONSTANTINE 193 oir for tlie coiistriiction of liib palace in Constantiuc. Tlie traveller shoulil now return to tlio Place Valec wlienee lie set out ; liut instead of entering; the city he should turn off to the right, descend the hill past the Government Forage Park, cross the Roummel by an iron bridge, visit the Pepiniere a little beyond, advance still farther, and, turning to tile left, cross the wide sterile ]>lateau 111' J\lansoura, on the top of which is a fortilied position containing the cavaliy barracks. The view of the city from tiiis point is particularly hue. It is pleasant to observe how successfully tills barren hill has been laid out with Ale|)po pines ; the writer saw it before a single tree was planted, and now it alfords a delightfully shady retreat foi' till' inhabitants of the city. The road now descends the hill of Jlan- soura, and, crossing behind the railway station, enters the city by the liridge of I'll-Kantaia. From Maiisoiira a good view is ol)- taiiied ol' tlie highest peak of Djelicl Mi'cid, wlii(di commands the city, and wliieli, on that account, has been (iccuiiied by a defensive work. The ruins of a Roman fort were found on excavating the foundations ; it had 3 distinct enceintes, but no cisterns were discovered. Constantine itself hardly bears out the expectations whicii will be formed of it when seen from a distance. The town is, as usual in Algeria, a mixture, jiartly Arab and partly French ; and liardly any traces now remain of the splendid city of Cirla, of whicli it is tlir successor. Tlie Arab ([uarter is (juite as curious as that of Algiers ; and appears to have lieen left even more thoroughly un- changed, though becoming every year iimi-e circuTiiscribed in extent by French iinin-ovemi'iits. 'hie nortli margin of the jilateau is lined liy the Boulevards, excejiting at tile nortiicrn corner, which is occuiiied by the Kasba. Near this point has been erected a new Prefecture, from which there is a very extensive view of the plain below. The lower part of the town is still \_Al(jeria.~\ entirely native, but it is contemplated soon to drive a wide lunopean street through the centre of it. Tlie Janis- saries' Ijarracks, near the Ilntid d'Orieiit, were demolished in 1874, and a covered market and theatre have been erected on the site. The Place du Palais, bordered liy rows of acacia-trees, is the most im- portant of all the Places ; and in it is the church of Notre Dame, the Cerch; iMilitaire, and the best cafcs ; wliile its N. side is formed by the palace of Ahmed Bey, from which it takes its name. The Place Nc'jrier, at the northern end of the Kue de France, is named after Cleneral Ncgrier, who was at one time commandant of tlie province. It is triangular in form, is jilanted with trees, has a fountain in the centre, and is Ijounded on the N.W. side by tlie mos([ue of Salali Bey. Tlie Place des Gaieties, or Pahbai cs- Sou/, between the Rue Combes and the Ituc Vieux, is occupied by a vegetable market, and being in the native ipuutcr is exceedingly pic- turesipie. Churches and Musqnrs. — The Cathe- dral of K6tre Dame des Hept Doulmrs, in the Place du Palais, formerly the niosijUe of Souk - el -G hazel, was Iniilt by Abbas ben Alloul, in the year 1730. The ancient "inimbar" or pul)>it, which is richly ornamented, still remains, as do also some gems iif Moorish ornamentation in coloured ]ilaster and ancient tiles which) decor- ated the original mosipie ; but tlie aspect of the whole is mixed and in- congruous, and the frescoes in the sacrariuin are hideous. Tile Djamaa el - Kebir, or Grand Miis'/ue, in tlie Riic Natiniiale, is built on the ruins of a Roman temple, wiiidi, according to M. Clierbomieau, was for- merly a jiantlieon, as two ins< liptions, one to the Goddess of Concord innl aiidlher to Venus, have been discoveretl. On a pedestal, which formerly supported I!) KouTi: 1 1. i'iiii.irri;viLijc to constantink Al(jeria a statue, close to tlu; minaret, tliere was an inscri|ition in Latin, vci.'onling the name of tiie Roman (^lua'stor who erreted it ; ami near tlie western gal- lery one in Arable to commemorate the deatli of Aloliammi'd Ibrahim, which took ])laoe in the year 1221. This mosque formerly stood in the Place r>etha, but the construction of tiie Rue Nationale caused that square to disappear, together with the minaret and part of the court of the niosipie. A new fa(;ade has been built in the street ; above the door is an Araljic inscription in honour of Napoleon III, which dill not share the fate of similar inscriptions at the revolution. Djamaa Sidi el-Kettani, known as the moscpie of Salah Bey, in the Place Negrier, of which it forms the western side, is the liuest of all the mosques of Constantine. It was erected by Salah I'ey, who also built the adjoining Mcdresa, or Ecclesiastical College, and the Harem. This mosque is entered by a largo, arched, iron-bound door, beyond which is a Hight of marble steps, partly black and ])artly white, leading into a marble- paved court, around which runs a cir- cular gallery, and the interior is entered from this court by two carved doors. It is of a rectangular shape, and divided into naves by columns of white marble. The ceiling is of red and gi'een planks ])laced alternately, on which are painted various designs. The whole is sur- mounted by two cupolas. The " mihrab," corresponding to the Christian sacra- rium, is a recess, the roof of which is sup])orted bj- four columns, and deco- rated with arabesques ; and the walls are covered with variously -coloured tiles. The " mimbar," or pul}iit, is beautifully ornamented with marble, agate, and other kinds of stone ; it was brought from Italy, The fa9ade and the minaret of this rao.sque were reconstructed by the same architect who patched up the Grand Mos(iue. At the end of the Court of the Mcdresa are the Tombs of Salah Bey and his family, surrounded by a railing, and surmounted by a dome. The Ilarcm of Salah liey, near the MeJresa, is now converted into a school. Djiuiuia Sifli el-Akhdar, in the Rue Combes, which is used by the " Ilanefi " .sect, is decorated internally, .something in the same manner as that last de- scribed, but in worse taste. The tomb- stones in the ])lacc of burial bear the names of many celebrated personages. The mi'iuirct, nearly 80 ft. in lieight, is of great beauty. It is of octagonal shape with a projecting covered gallery round the top. There are several other mosques in the city ; but those above described are the best worth inspecting. The Tomb of a famous saint of ilorocco, which is constructed partly out of Roman remains, is in the Rue Combes. Entrance is obtained by means of some stone steps, leading to a vine-covered terrace, on to which the tomb opens. The Palace of Constantine is an interesting building ; it is l)y no means venerable in point of age, being the work of i^l-IIadj Ahmed, the last Bey, but it is an excellent tyi)e of Moori.sh architecture, and it is constructed out of materials of a much older date. At the farther end of the Place du Palais is seen a heavy and inelegant mass of masonry, the appearance of which is by no means improved by being pierced with several modern doors and windows, but on passing the princiiial entrance this impression is instantly dispelled. The central space is occupied by a garden, round which are cloistered walks and porticos giving entrance to the various apart- ments. The site used to be a mass of filthy lanes and crumbling houses. In 1826 El-Hadj Ahmed was named Bey, and he immediately conceived the idea of building a jialace worthy of the rulers of Constantine. He commenced, by fair means or foul, to obtain possession of the ground necessary for his purpose. A Genoese of the name of Schiaffino, engaged in the exportation of grain at Bone, was charged to procure from Sect. II ROUTE 11. CONSTANTINE 10.-. Italy the marble necessary for the work, which was laboriously lirought, ready sculptured, on imiles from the coast. Com[)laints of his extortion to the Dey of Al<,'icrs caused the work to be suspended for a time ; but in 1830, becoming, by tlie fall of the Dey, abso- lute master of the jirovince, he resumed it with renewed vigour. He collected liis workmen ; without the least scruple he commenced to demolish the houses which stood in his way ; all the prin- cipal mansions of Constantino were despoiled of their choicest works of art, old encaustic tiles, marble columns, carved woodwork ; the summer palace of Salah Bey was entirely destroyed in this manner. And so the palace, which under ordinary circumstances would have been the work of genera- tions, rose as if by enchantment in the short space of six years. It is of an oblong shape, with an area of [)GO'J sijuare metres. It contains three princi[)al buildings of two stories, con- sisting of numerous small rooms open- ing into wide galleries supported by columns. Between two gardens is the Bey's pavilion, now the private odice of the general, joined to the rest of the building by a cloister supported by a triple range of columns. Through- out the whole building the differ- ent styles of these ]>illars indicate the diversity of sources from which they were olatained ; some are slender and elegant, others heavy ami massive, with every variety of form, round, sipiare, octagonal and twisted ; their capitals are equally heterogeneous, but tlie effect of all, surmounted by the elegant Moorish arch, is good, though marred by the dead black colour of the arches and the ungainly draperies de- picted above them. The main walls for a height of several feet are covered with beautiful old tiles, while above them are ridiculous frescoes representing flowers, fruit, grotesque views of cities, fort.s, and vessels, .said to be the work of Christian jirisoners. In some of the upi>er rooms are most exquisite specimens of Arab carpentry in old oak and cedar. Space does not admit a detailed de- scription of this palace ; the visitor will I.I- shown the chamber where the Kmperor slept, the hall of arms, tro- jihies of the various campaigns mailo in the province, the Bey's throne, and other interesting objects ; but nothing will plea.se him more than a walk round the lower cloisters which surround the gardens. The ])alace is now the residence of the general commanding the division, and contains various jiuldic ollices con- nected with his command, such as the direction of Engineers, Artillery, etc. The Easbah, or Citadel, at the N. corner of the town, has been entirely modernised by the French, who have built in it three separate Batracls, capable of containing together 3000 men ; exceedingly comfortable, no doubt, for the soldiers, but a blot in the magnificence of the landscajie. The original building was erected by the Romans, who also constructed the Cisterns, which were discovered while making the necessary excava- tions for the new works. They are of great extent. Shaw says that in his time they were 20 in number, having nn area of 50 yards scjuare. The large Roman magazine for storing corn has been discovered more rei'ently. Tlie French have erected within the walls a fine HoKjnfal for 1500 persons, which is nursed by the sisters of St. Vincent de Pjiul. At the time of the French siege the Kasbah was the last strong- hold of the Arabs, who there made a desperate defence against General Rulhieres ; and finally, sooner than fall into the hands of the invaders, hundreds of the besieged — men, women, and children — attempted to lower themselves into the gorge by means of ropes. Through being over- loaded many of these broke ; and the bed of the ravine soon presented a frightful sjicctacle of lieai>s of mangled bo(lies of tlie dead and dying. Numerous Homan remains have Ik-cu and are still being diseoverod at this s]tot ; and tlie walls of tlie Kasbah are decorated with many inseriptions whieh have been let into them, lioth inside and out. One of these, on a sjdit I '.)() RODTIO 11. rillLIITKVILLE TO CONSTANTINE Abjcria .stone, iiiciitioiis Ukj same ollicur to wlioiii tliu stone at the 15ab el-Djabia was dedicated. It runs : — n*- I o Y/\ \ohh' \\ctAINIoN MAPK |i A InoN , n PECBEY|T!-i |My a bullet almost at the same time that General Perregaux was mortally wounded. Con- stantine was taken b}' assault on the following day, General Valce having assumed the chief command. Markets and Manufactures. — There are several largo markets at Constan- tine, among winch may be mentioned tlie corn market, held outside the Place Valce, whicli is the most important in Algeria. Tlie municipal duty charged for weighing grain there, produced in 1873 nearly half a million francs. The vcgetalde, fruit, and fish market is next to the Motel d'Orieiit. The chief manufactures of Constan- tine are leather goods, such as shoes, saddles and harness, and articles of emltroidcred leather, some of which are of great licauty, and woollen falnics, especially Jlails and Iliiniouscs. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 of these garments are woven yearly in Constan - tine. The finest and mo.st expensive Icind, called (Idnilduras, are made partly iif wool and i)aitly of silk, and aic beautifully soft and fine. TlcIUa, or tent cloth, is also extensively woven. Tlie chief commerce is in cereals and wool. Excursions in tiik NKioniioruiiooi). Bou Merzoug.O — An interesting ex- ]iedition to tlie student of prehistoric remains is to the source of the Bou iMivzour], which formerly supplied Con- stantine with water. Here, over an immense extent of hill and valley, not less than 12 kil. in length, are found almost ev(!ry known typi^ of niegalitliic monuments. These were first e.\plorer(!veiy tint ami liue. The iiiiiicial wealth of these hills is also great, thonf,'h hardly at all developed ; rieh mines of iron, copper, and arf^entifcrous lead ore have been discovered, and only await means of I'onvcyance to the coast to enable them to be worked with advantage. 77 kil. The road now leaves the Oued A(jrioun, and turning westwards, passes along a plain covered with brush- wi.>od and some fine trees. Here, and all along tlie route to Bougie, are noble specimens of the Atlas ash {Fraxinus ylndralifi), which, in its s])ring foliage, is most beautiful. Grand old olives ndxed with them afford, by their more sombre green, a grateful contrast to the lighter tints of the other. 85 kil. Sidi Rchcur, a small inn, "Rendezvous de Chasse," affords sleep- ing accommodation if necessary, 87 kil. Here commences the ascent of Cap Okas. This is a bold and bluff promontory jutting out into the sea, on the vertical clilf of which a road has been rather excavated than built, at a height of 100 ft. above the sea, like the stern gallery of an old ship of the line. The view both E. and W. is most beautiful ; on one side is a long stretch of beach fringed with green, behind which rise the hills whence the traveller has just emerged, and beyond these the more distant blue mountains culminating in the snow-clad peak of Babor. On the other is the Gulf of Bougie, a vast amphitheatre of water bounded by the most picturesque mountains. Near Cap Okas is the tomb of a venerated saint, tSi - Molinmmccl bin Nasir, a man of such holiness that, though living in absolute solitude, wlienever he began to praj' the Mara- bouts of all other countries flocked to him in the form of birds to hear but tlie sound of his voice ! 9'> kil. TicJii/, a small wayside jiost- offiee. The road now^ crosses the Oucd Djcmda, and traverses the plain of liougie l)(;tween well-wooded mountains and tlie sea. 'J'his })lain is to a great extent over- grown with ])rushwood anr future gener- ations, if iiermitted by tlie French. His sons weie also .sentenced to ju-rpetual imprisonment in New Caledonia, but eseajied. ri4 kil. Ighzcr-Aviokrnn. .^.8 kil. Azib-bcH-Ali-C/u'rif, the charming i-osidence of the well-known person wiio.se name it bears. Si Mohammed Said ben Ali Clierif is descended from a Moroccan Clierif. Moulai Al)d-es-Selam ben Machiclie, who settled there in llio 18th century. 204 ROUTK 14. CONSTANTINK TO HATNA AND TilSKRA. A Ifjiiria lie iiiMiiii'il tlic (l;iu;^'litcr of tlio Miira- lioiit "f llloula, and their (lescciidaiits Iiavo v.wx siiKH' been at tli(! head of tlie Zdoiiid of Chclluta. Tliis family lias ))roduc('d many writers of celelirity, and, tlioiif^li it nsmaincd on amicable tcrm.H witli tlie Turks, it never sul)- mitted to their authority. The present liead of tlie fainily rendered great .services to the French at the period of th<' (•on(iuest, was es})ecially honoured by the late Em])eror, and was created liaih-Asha of Chellata. Having un- fortunately allowed himself to l)e drawn into tlu! insnrrec^tion of 1871, he M'as trii'd and convicted at Constantine, but sul)se(|uently received a free pardon from Rbirshal de MacMahon, President of the Republic, who ])etter than an}' man living knew the value of his former services. Here the traveller, well recommended, is sure of receiving princely hospitality. It is a spacious building, and in the ravine below, on the banks of a con- siderable stream, is a beautiful garden of Mowers and f^i-uit trees, in which is a jiavilion shaded from every ray of sun, and furnished in the most luxuri- ous manner. He is one of the few Arabs who take any interest in horticulture, or seem to care for the cultivation of fruit. He has a European gardener in his service, and there are not many gardens, even at Algiers, so beautifully ke])t, and none so plentifully irrigated. In addition to this, lie has been most successful in introducing a better .system of cultivation on his estate, and has constructed a European olive oil mill, wbiidi is most renninerative. (if) kil. Akbou. An important vil- lage to which a vain attempt was made to attach the name of Metz. It is ad- mirably situated on an elevated mound to tlie north of the high road, with a charming view looking both up and down the valley ; the land allotted to the colonists is of an unusually good quality. Close to it is the old Bordj of Ben Ali Chcrif, purchased by the State be- foi-e the insurrection. t)n the opposite side of the river is a ridge of steep hills close to its right bank, called Geldaman, tlie western ]>oint of which has l)eeii separated from tlie rest by tlie river, and now forms an isolated inamclon in the middle of the ]ilain called the I'llon il'Ahhiiv, which is seen from a groat distance on liotli sides. On a .small yilatfoim at tlic west side of tliis hill, and about 100 ft. above its base, is a remarkable I'oman mauso- leum, still in a good state of preserva- tion. The general shape is that of a pyramid surmounting a cubical base, three of tlic .sides being decorated with false windows, while the fourth con- tained the door. Above the latter was an inscription in white marble, no trace of which now remains. The execution of the monument is admirable, but the style is debased. It can be seen from the train. [From Akbou the ascent of the Djur- jura range, by the pass of Chellata, may be made. See Route 20.] 76 kil. AllarjJian. 81 kil. TazmaJf. The richest village in the valley ; it takes its name from tlie Tjordj of the same name, on the opposite side of the valley, destroyed in the insurrection of 1871. 89 kil. Beni - Mansour (see p. 1.58). Here the railway joins the main line between Akders and Tunis. ROUTE 14. ons jantine to Batna and '. Biskr Constantine. Kil. Kil. El-GUERRAH 202 is Aiii-Melila . 189 31 Les Lacs 171 47 Ain-Yagoiit . 155 56 Fontaine Chaiule . 146 64 El-Maader . 138 70 Fesdis 132 81 Batna (Buflet) . 121 02 El-Biar .... 110 114 Ain-Touta . 88 122 Les Tainaiins SO 146 El-Kantara . . . . 56 165 Fontaine dos OazoUos . 37 174 El-Outaia 2S 1S4 Ferme-Dufour IS 202 Biskra . . . . 37 kil. Constantine to El-Guerrah, Sect. II. ROUTE 14. MEDRASSEN 20: sec Route 8. This is the junction of tlie line from Algiers to Constantino. 13 kil. Aln-Mclila. 31 kil. Lcs Lacs. There are two salt marshes called Tinsilt and Mxouri, partly covered with long grass, ami the haunt of llamingoes and other wild fowl of all kinds. A few Euro[ieans engaged in the manfacture of salt live here, but otherwise the country is only occui)ied by Arabs, whose Hocks and herds may bo seen all round. ■17 kil. A'iii-YiKjout. The station is about I.'jOO metres from the village. This is the nearest station to the Medrassen, and mules and even a carriage can be obtained for that pur- pose. The best plan for making the excursion is to stop here by the train from El-Guerrah, and continue the jour- ney to IJatna in the evening. The interval, nearly 8 hours, is amply sulll- cient to ride to the Medrassen. The distance is less than 10 kil. Or it may be done from ]5atna by taking the morning train and returning in the tian origin. Com- mandant Foy, probably following the description of Sliaw, calls them of the Tuscan order ; Colonel Brunon, criticis- ing the former, remarks that tlie capi- tals belong rather to the (jcnrc Eijijptiiii than to the Tuscan order, tlie trutli being that they are neither one nor the other, but purely Greek. Greece and Egypt seem to have inspired the orna- mentation, while the tumulus suggested the monument itself, as it did the Tombeau de la Chretienne, Etruscan tombs, and the Pyramids of Egyjtt. The actual conical part has lost its ape.x, if it ever had one. The exterior masonry is remarkably line, the stom-s being of great size, well cut, the joints not more in some i)laces than the thickness of a knife, and each stone joined to its neighbour by a massive claniji, probably of lead, the .search for which has greatly contributed to the destruction of the building. Un- fortunately the interior masonry was of a much inferior kind, and an extensive subsidence of it has caused a disloca- tion of the outer coating. Various attemjits liad been made to penetrate it, but for a long time without success. Salah Dey endea- voured to force an entrance liy means of artillery. General Carbuceia com- menced to explore it in 1819 ami di- ce vered the passage leading to tii' sepulchral chamber ; but owing to the roof having fallen in ho was unable to penetrate farther. Commandant Foy resumed its exploration with no better success ; Monsieur le Garde du Genie IJauchetet failed likewise in 1S6G ; but being again .sent in 1873, with more ample means, he succeeded in clearing away the debris and penetrating to the central chamber, which lie Jisccr- tained to be 3 13 metres long l>y r40 metres broad. Nothing of any interest was found inside, but clear evidence was obtained that it had been opened at some former period, and that an attempt had been made to desti-oy tlic Imildingby means of fire. (Jreat ortant city of about 60,000 inhabitants. The camp itself was a rectangle of 500 metres long by 420 broad, exactly facing the N. Little of its ramparts remain, but recent excavations clearly show its size and fonn. Part of the prison and its gardens occupy the S.W. corner of the position. It was entered by four gates, of which only those on the N. and E. faces still Sect. II ROUTE 14. L.VMUK.SSA 207 reMKiin. Tlie former was the principal one ; it hail two openings, and was defended by towers engaged in tlie wall. From this point two roads pro- ceeded, one to Tebessa, .ind the other to Constantine and Setif. It was the custom of the Romans to place the tomljs and monuments of the dead on each side of the high roads ; those just mentioned have many iu the vicinity of the [)lace. Two streets traversed the camp from N. to S. and from E. to W. ; at tlieir intersection stands the principal ruin of tlie place, the Prsetorium. It is a large rectangular edifice, 28 metres long, 20 metres broad ami 15 liigli. The priiici[ml fa(;ade, to the S., liad a splendid peristyle, having massive columns in front, which corresponded with Corinthian pilasters engaged in tlie walls. This extended only to half tlie height of the wall, leaving a second story externally, but there is no trace of this in the inside, which is undivided in height. The other sides also are de- coratcil with detached columns, corre- sponding to the pilasters of the lower story, the cornice turning round and forming the entablature. On the N. side there are three detached columns on each side of the ]irinciiial entrance, between which and the smaller doors is a niche to contain statuaiy. All the keystones are sculptured, ]>ut not very artistically. That over the princijial gate bears a basso-relievo of a standard, with the inscri)ition " Legio tertia Augusta." The interior forms a vast hall ; on each side there is one large and two smaller doors, and above the central and larger ones another arched ojieniiig, used jirobaldy as a window. The walls are strengthened internally with pilasters, on which are engnge(l columns ; still it ajipears doubtful wluither the building ever was covered otherwise tiian by a velarium. The interior has now lieen converted into a museum, wherein are collected variDUs objects of antiquity which have been discovered in the vicinity ; the best of these, however, have been .sent to the museum of the Louvre at I'ari.s. To the S. E. of the rriutoriuni, still within the military camp, arc the ruins of Thermse, in which some fine Mo.saics were found — other Mosaics still e.xist in situ within the gardens of the prison. If we now leave the camp and ]>ro- ceed towards the E., we come to wliat is called the Arch of Commodus ; it is tolerably entire, but ris. An aqHi'dud led from the spring called Ain-l!oubcnana to the southern gate of the camp. The principal NirrojioUs was to the E. of tiie city, l)etween the Oued Nechcb and the Oucd Marcouna, and covered an area of more than !;'> hectares. About 3 kil. to the N. of the Vv.y torium is the Tomb of T. Flavius Maxi- mus, conimaniler of the Third Legion, which has been carefully nstored bv the French, it is a.s(piare, terminatin in a pyramid, about G metres in heigbi According to an inscription it \\a erected to carry out the will of Maxi inu.s, who left 12,000 sesterces for thai purpose, by .lulius Seiundtis, a cen- turion of the Third Legion, of which Flavius Maximus was prefect. When the remains of the Koiiian gem-nil were replaced in the tomb by the French after its restonition, tlie garrison of 208 ROUTE 14. CONBTANTINE TO BATNA AND I5I.SKRA Algeria Kadiu iiiarclicd la.sl ami lirud a haliite in liis lioiioiir. At ■'> kil. S. of Laiiibcssa arc the ruins of Markouna tlic ancient Fere- finii/ti. Tiiis was jirobably a suburb ol' tiie former city. There still exist two triumphal arches, on one of which occurs the name Verecunda. Al)(iut 3 kil. beyond Markouna, the student of pre -historic remains will lind a very remarkable megalithic monument, called by the natives Mza- Scdira, tomb of Sedira. It is a tri- lithon, 3 metres high, the uprights of which rest on a base of two courses of rough stones. It appears to have been surrounded by a parallelogram of stones arranged in parallel lines. The excursion to Timegad will occupy a whole day. The distance from IJatna is 36 kil. and the road excellent lor a great ]iart of the way and quite practicable throughout for a light car- riage ; the drive there and back will occupy 10 liours, so that but a short time will remain for an inspection of the ruins. A small house has lately been built by the officials charged with ex- cavating the ruins, but it is rarely open ; attached to it is another for the use of the Arab guardian, in which a traveller, who is not very pai'ticular, may pass the night, or he may sleep at the Bordj of the Oued Taga, but ordi- narily the entire excursion should be made in a single day. These ruins are certainly the most remarkable in the colony ; they have lately been entirely excavated, and are hardly less interesting than Pompeii. They were visited by the author in 1875, and described in his "Footsteps of Bruce." Shortly after an excellent report on them was written bj' Professor Masqueray ; in 1SS0-S3, they were carefully examined and excavated by the Government engineers, under the supervision of M. Duthoit, architect- in- chief of historical monuments in Algeria, whose admirable plans of Timegad and Lambessa have been pub- lished in the proceedings of the Archreo- logical Society of Coustantiue for 1883- 84 ; and lastly, they were described and illustrated by Mr. Alexander Graham, in an article on tlic Remains of the Roman Occupation of North Africa, ])ublished in the " Transactions of the lioyal Institute of British Architects," vol. i. , New Series, 1885. Thannigas was situated at the inter- section of six Roman roads ; two went through Lamba'sis, in the direction of Setif; a third to Diana Yeteranoram [Zcma) ; two more to Theveste by Mas- cula {Khcnchla), and a sixth northwards to Constantine. It appears to liave been of as great importance as Lam- bessa, to judge by the size of its public buildings, especially the theatre, and the area covered by its remains, while its architecture is undoubtedly older and purer. There is nothing at Lam- bessa to equal the triumphal arch here. It is mentioned by Ptolemy under the name of Thamutuda ; in the Itiner- ary of Antoninus as Tamugada, and it occurs in various inscriptions as Tha- mugas. It is elsewhere described as Colonia Marciana Trajana Thamugas, and Colonia Ulpia Tharniajas ; and on an inscription, still in perfect preserva- tion near the Forum, there is an allu- sion to the thirtieth Legion Ulpia, and a celebration of the victories of Trajan over the Parthians. From this il. Leon Renier concludes that the Emperor, wishing to recompense the veterans of the 30th legion, Ulpici Vidrix, for their participation in the war against the Parthians, established them at Time- gad, not only as being a vast and fertile country, but a position of great military importance, from which they might be able to suppress the turbulence of the neighbouring mountaineers. The inscription above mentioned ex- ists in duplicate on two fine pedestals of white marble, of octagonal shape, the height being 1^ metre, and the ^ndth of the faces from 50 to 30 centimetres. VICTORIAE PARTHICAE AATt. SACR. EX • TESTAMENTO M. ANNI • M. F. QVR. MAKTIAXIS ■ MIL. Sect. II ROUTE 14. TIMEGAD 2(lft ALAE. EIVSDEM AVG. DVl'LC PANN. DEC. AL > |LEG I11| • AVG ET. XXX. VLPLAE Vicluc MISSI. • HOXE.STA MISSIONE • AB • IMP . TRAIANO • OPTIMO AVG. GEU UAC. PAIlTl SING. HS. VIII. XX. I'll. .A^J annmI . M. i.iii. I'uoTv.s niLAltV.S • EKOS adiectis • A. si:, us. hi. PONENIJ. CVR/VEIl IDEM Q. nEDICATEIl 1). D. Thanniga.s i.s mentioncil in the Act.s of Saint Mamniarius and in tlie Theo- (losiaii Code. It sulj.sL'(|ucntly became tlie great focus of religious agitation during the 4th century. In 398 its bisliop, Optatus, sided with tlie Count Gildon in hi.s revolt against Honoriu.s, and wa.s regarded as the recogni.sed liead of the Donatists. St. Augustine, who often alluded to him, .says tliat during ten years Africa trembled under his yoke. Amongst other bishops of Thamugas are Novatus, who assisted at the Council of Carthage in 25o ; Sextus, who died in 320 ; Faiistinus, wlio was present at the conference of Carthage in 411 ; and Secundus, who was exiled by lluneric in 4S4. When Solomon arrived for the first time in the Aures, in 535, he found the city ruined. It had been destroyed by the inhabitants of the Aur6s mountains so as not to become a source of danger to them .should the Byzantines take it. He restore(l the citadel at least, in the same style as the other fortresses throughout the countiy. The proof of tills is evident ; but the other public buildings bear no trace of a restoration posterior to their original construction. At the time of the Arab invasion it was a Christian city, as in Glti, under the governiiient of (iregory, a Christian church was built, the ruins of wiiich still exist. It is a scpiare building, witli a circular ajiso at the east end, divided into a nave and two aisles by [Alffcria.] colunuLs, three on each side, of rosu coloured marble, the centre one ou each side only being free ; the others are engaged in the walls, right and left of the apse and of tlie entrance. On the lintel of the door was insciibed on white marble : — 111 tctiiiMiribu.s Ci>n.stantini IiiiiKTatori.s Fl. (jrejjorio Patricio Joaiiin.-.s ortion of the architrave of which now alone remains. Over the two lateral arches and the square niches, and supported by the two columns, are two curved peiliments, the cornices of which (as also the main cornice profile round) are set back over the columns, an arrangement not un- frequent in the colonies of the empire. The attic, intended no doubt to receive the dedicatory inscription, and perhaps also to support sculpture, appears to have extended over the whole top of the building. None of the original inscription remains in place, but frag- ments have been found below and near the Forum, from which il. Leon Reuier restores it as follows :— Imperator Caesar divi Nervae filitis Nervae Trajanws Auijmtus Germanicus Pontifex vuixinnis Imperator III. ti-ibuiiicia Potestate llll. consul III. VaUr patriae colonuim JliTareianam Tmjanam T/ia- mugoAi per legionem tertiam Angustam fecit . . . imatiin . . . Gallus legaJiw Augwstrpro praetore Dedicavit. The two fagades are identical in fea- ture, and each is in itself perfectly symmetrical, except that the capitals of the two middle columns on the southern facade, instead of having the angle of the abacus supported by vol- utes, have eagles in their place. The square niches have had each their separate entablature, and columns sup- ported by sculptured brackets ; all the arches have archivoltes. The mass of the monument is of sand- stone, but the columns, capitals and Sect. II ROUTE 14. AURfiS MOUNTAINS 211 bases of the pilasters, brackets and entablature, are entirely of wliite marble, as was also the crowning of the attic ; the sides of the attics were certainly covered by slabs, most probably of the same material. JI. Masqueray found amongst the ruins of the IJyzantine Citadel, an in- scription from which he concludes that this building was called the arch of the Gods, AKCVM PANTHEVM, but tiiis, according to Mr. (!rahani, does not adapt itself to the shape of the attic. It was ])robably surrounded with statues and rlcdicatory pedestals, fiiining a group of which any city niight justly have been jiroud. Tlie next important bulMing lias been sup])()sed to be a Temple to Jupiter Capitolinus. The ruins s1k)w that it must have been a very sjilendid edifice. A large court probably existed before tlu^ entrance, as the vestiges of a colon- nade are still visible jiarallel to the ) ii incipal fafade. This was most power- fully constructed ; a transverse wall, which may have corresponded to the entrance of the cella, measures nearly 2 metres in thickness, tlie stones vary- ing from 1 to \\ metre in length, antl from 6.5 centimetres to a metre in breadth, and 50 centimetres in height. An attic base in blue limestone lying on the spot, measures 1*97 metre in breadth at its plinth. The most mas- sive parts were built according to the Roman system of rubble, cased in cut stone masonry, composed of blocks of great size. The cohuiins wen' lluted, of the Corinthian order, their diameter is 1'30 metre. The capitals were in two stones on account of their great size. An inscription was hero found on four stones, surrounded by a moulding, of which the following is a copy : — Pio iiiaf;niflc<>ntia siiculi iXominnrum nostra- rum Valeiitiniaiii ct ValcntiH scmiicr Anpis- torum et fierj^tnurum, iinrticus cn|>itolii, seriir vutustatis absmiiptiis et usque alica;<"Hnif()iy, Flauio Aquiliuo, {laminc \wr\trhiarts of the mountains and on their .southern slopes there are many fine oak.s, juniper.s and l)iiies. The cedars do not fiourish ex- posed to the sirocco. From llatna a light waggonette nms to Ain-Khenchla, doing the journey in 12 hours. There is also a hor.se road (o Setif; the total distance is al>out 120 kil., and there are two Kaid.s' liouses and one or two farms on the way, at which a traveller can sleep. [E.icu7'sion in (he Aur^s Mountains. The foregoing are excursions which every tourist can do with ease during the time lie is likely to be detained at I'atna, but for the more enterprising traveller, who is prejiared to travel on mules, and to spend a week or two in tents or in such accommodation as lie may find available, and who does luit shiiiik from an absence of every kind of European comfort and the jireseiii'c of a very considerable amount of native discomfort in the shajie of lleas, the author would strongly advi.so a tour in the Aures Mountains. Thi.s may 1k' made in almost any direction, a.s the country is Ihiekly populated ami vil- lages are numerous. Mules will cost from 4 to 5 f. ].tr diem, and no doubt 212 ROUTK 14. CONSTANTINE TO BATNA AND niSKUA Ahjerid a f,'iiiile can be procureil tlirouj^h the aiiskra on tlie AV. and the Oiicd el -Arab on the E. It does not extend farther N. than Batna or as far S. as Biskra. Its (greatest length from E. to W. is 120 kil., and from N. to S. 70 kil, the whole area being about 800 square kilometres. Its inhabitants, the Chawia, are a l)ranch of that great Berber race which has occupied the N. of Africa tVora Egyi>t to the Atlantic from pre- historic times. The Kabyles form ii Mother liranch ; both speak slightly di lie rent dialects of the same language, but the former shut up in their mountain fastnesses, hardly yet known to the world beyond, have i-emained far less mixed w'ith foreign elements than the latter, at least since the time of the Arab conquest. The debris of the Roman, Byzantine and Vandal colonies no doubt found refuge here when driven from the sur- rounding plains by one set of conquerors after another, or under the influence of religious persecution, and as a conse- quence, both the features, language, and customs of the people bear unmistak- able testimony to their classic origin. All the old ^vTiters who have visited the country describe in glowing terms the beauty of its women. Morgan, who wrote in 1728, and whose in- teresting "History of Algeria" is too little studied, remarks, "What num- bers have I seen, particularly females, who, for well - featured countenances, fair curling locks and wholesome ruddy looks, might not vie with or even be envied by the proudest European dames." Shaw and Bruce bear testi- mony to the same fact, and the writer can honestly assert his conviction that in no country is the average of female beauty higher than in the Aures mountains. It is true that hard labour from earliest youth soon causes this to fade, but nothing can mar tlie classical regularity of features wliicli mark their European rather than their African origin. Their language is full of Latin words, and in their daily life they retain customs undoubtedly derived from their Christian ancestry. They observe the 25tli of December as a feast, under the name of Moolvl (the birth), and keep three days' festival both at spring- time and harvest. They use the solar instead of the Mohammedan lunar year, and the names of the months are the same as our own. They are emphatically shepherds as well as agri- culturists, having few or no cattle, but immense flocks of sheep and goats. The great diff'erence between them and the Araljs in this respect is that the latter are nomades, while the former rarely ever leave their native valleys. The word Zenati is also used as a synonym for Chawi. These remarks must be taken to apply principally to the C'Imivi of the Aures ; the race itself has a far wider geographi- cal distribution, but beyond these in- accessible mountains it has got more or less mixed with other elements. The following was the author's route but, as before remarked, it may be varied to almost any extent, and much longer stages can be made — 1st day. Batna to El-Arbiia 8 hours. 2d ,, ,, to El-Manaa 5 ,, 3d ,, to Mines of Taghit 4 ,, 4th ,, to El-Bali . . . 4 „ 5th ,, to Oued Taga . . 4 ,, 6th ,, toTimegad. . . 3 ,, 7tli ,, to 0mm el-Ashera 3 ,, 8th ,, to El-Wadhaha . 2^ „ 9th ,, to Boil Hammama 6^ ,, (including ascent of Chellia). 10th ,, Ain-Meimoun . . 5J ,, 11th ,, Ain-Khenchla . . 5 ,, Space will not admit of a detailed descrii)tion of this interesting expedi- tion ; the author unwillingly limits himself to a very few remarks regarding each stage. El-Arbda. — Probably the most pictur- esque and characteristic Chawi village Sect. II ROUTE 14. KI.-KANTAKA 2K{ in the Aure.s. Situated liigli iii>oii Hit- face of a hill, the Ijasc of whicli is washed by a V»eautiful stream, and the fiest of which is cut and serrated in tlie most fantastic manner. El Manaa. — The principal residence of the Kaid of the Auri-s, Si Abbas, renowned for his liospitality, and who always keeps a comfortable guest cham- ber ready for the use of travellers. The town is beautifully situated at the conllueiice of the Diced Ahdi and the Oaed Bou Zaina. Mines of Tacjhit. — Here are mercury liiiues, which belonf,'ed to the late .Mr. Wellington Yallance. El-Bali. — A villageonthe left bank of the Oucd Alidi, just under Dj. Mahmcl, tlie second liighest peak in Algeria. Oiicd Taga. — Here is a comfortable bordj, formerly belonging to Si Abbas, Kaid of the Aurcs, now the property of the State, where tlie traveller will certainly be able to lodge. I'atna may be reached in four hours from this point. Omvi cl-Ashcra. — A small village near the plain of Firis, near which, on Djchel JDiaronba and Djclcl Bou Driecen, are great numbers of highly curious megalithic remains, consisting not only of the ordinary type of Dol- men, but of circular tombs of a much more unusual construction. Timegad, see p. 208. El- IFii'l/iaha. — This is merely a con- venient halting-place jjrior to the a.sccnt of Chellia ; there is no village or hab- itations, and if the traveller is unpro- vided with a tent ; he must select some other place in which to jiass the night. The ascent of Cliellia is ipiite easy, ;uid can be made from this point in 'JA hours ; the traveller can ride to within a few hundred yards of the toji. Chi-Uia is the highest point in Algeria, 7011 ft. above the .sea, 2:5 ft. higher than ]).]'. Mahmcl, and (iO higher tlian D.jur- djura. The view from the sunnnit is one of e.Kceediiiggraridcur. Tiie descent may be made by the opposite side of the mountain, and the night's lialt at Jjou JJaiiniKiina, a small village in tlie edge of tlie plain of Melagou. A'tnMiivionii is a lovely spot in an extensive cedar forest. There are both civil and military establi.shment.s for sawing timber, and the traveller will have no dilliculty in obtaining rough shelter for the night. Ain-Khcnrhla, the MnacKhi of the Romans, a large and thriving village, where the traveller will again find liiiii- self in a settled ]>ait of the country ; it possesses a good inn, and there is c« ni- munication by diligence with Aiii- ]5eida and Batna.'] 92 kil. El-Biar. 114 kil. A'm-Toulo. 122 kil. Lcs Tamarins. The line now passes into the valley of the Oual Fcdala. On the left is iJjcbd Mcllili, rising above the lower hills ; on the right a grand ma.ss of limestone, with upheaved strata, dijijiing to the S. On the isthmus between the Oucd Ksour — which presentlv .j<'ins the Oucd Fedala, right — aii« of llnice," p. 01. 214 ROUTK 14. CONSTANTINE TO BATNA AND BISKRA Algeria Till! Ivniii.iii liiid^^o is ;it llio N. eii- fivuicu of tlic (lolilo. It consists of one iiiassivo scMiiicinuiiar arcli resting uj)oii the rock at citiier side. It was "re- stored" in 1862, and all appearance of antiquity removed. The ancient lirid,i;e is not now used, tiie route following the left ]»ank of the stream, instead ol' the right one adoiitcd by the Komans. The commencement of the gorge is not more tlian 200 metres beyond the hotel. It is a rent in the limestone range, just 40 metres wide at its nar- rowest i)art, and about 300 metres long. The cliffs that bound it are broken into pinnacles, and the river roars be- \o\\' in a deep bed over rounded boulders. 1 1 widens at its S. end ; and as the Iraveller passes out of it a wonderful view is displayed before him. The liver emerging from its narrow bed, widens into a goodly stream, and right and left of it is a forest of 15,000 date-palms (of which this is the N. limit), interspersed with oranges, mul- berries, apricots and apples. Quaint Arab houses emerge from the green sea of foliage, and beyond, over a valley that in sjiring is green with corn, are some castellated red cliffs, backed by a limestone range. Tliere are three villages in the oasis ; Dahraouia on the right bank, Khekar and Kbiiur-el-Abbas on the left. They are well built and clean. The houses are usually of one story, with a terrace, on which a tent is often pitched. The woodwork of the doors and roofs is of palm wood. The square towers so fre- ((uent in the oasis are for watchers, to guard the fruit when ripe. The inhab- itants seem a kindly, unsophisticated race, mostly dark, but some are fair and blue-eyed. They are very indus- trious. The men work in the gardens, till the fields, or follow a trade. The women weave. They are unveiled, and may be seen washing clothes at the fountain, as unrestrained as if they w'ere in France or Enfcland. The Djebel ]\letlili dips to the S. Its limestone cliffs are liighly charged with ([uartz. Some of the beds on its S. face are full of fossil shells, as are also the beds of black marl ou the right liank of the stream to the N. Hands of gypsum are fref[uent, especially in the range S. of the Djebel Metlili, which, unlike it, dips to the N. . There are numerous Roman remains, but none of great consetiuence, near El- Kantara, one of these, at 7 kil. distanc(;, is called by the natives Kherbel-el- Hordj, the ancient Burgum Specula- torium, built in the reign of Caracalla (217 to 221), by order of Marcus Valerius Seiiecio, Imperial Legate in Numidia, and under the direction of a 2)i'efect of the III. Legion, for the protection of the S2Kculatores or outposts of that Legion. An inscription recording this fact was discovered by AI. Renier in 1851. After about 10 kil. the ranges N. and S. approach one another, turning abru})tly towards the stream. This is the S. end of the plain of El-Kantara. The S. range terminates in a fine clitf, about 30 metres high, crowned by a disused sema[)hore. To the N. is a spur of conglomerate. 165 kil. Fontaine dcs Gazelles, a solitary farm close imder a range of low sandhills. A copious warm spring, slightly saline, bursts out of the sand with a temperature of 76° Fahr. at its origin. Its overflow makes a luxuriant marsh, which has formed a small oasis. This is the ancient Aquo^s Ilcrculis. About 2 kil. to the E. is a small hot lake, very pleasant for a bath. Near the spring may be seen a bed of enor- mous subfossil oystei'S, some of which are 18 in. in length. These have been drifted here from the bed Avhich lies under the range of hills to the E. 174 kil. El-Oufttia. The Arab vil- lage is on a low hill to the S., built probably on a Roman site, and of Roman materials. The mud walls rest in places on Roman blocks. [The Montagne de Scl can be con- veniently visited from here. An Arab with a mule costs 4 f. It takes about 5 hr. to reach the base of the mountain. A few hundred yards from the left bank of the stream are some insignificant Roman ruins. A fewrectaugular plinths, with the bases of columns hewn out of Sect. II ROUTE 14. niSKUA 2Ii the same block, remain in position. The mountain, wliicli is one of the live mentioned liy lIciiHlotns, is a mass of bluish-giey rock salt, at the S. W. end of a limestone range, dipping, like the last, N. That it lias been forced up from below is evident •when any point is reached sufficiently high to see the way in which masses of sand have been torn up out of the plain, and elevated upon pinnacles and mamclons of salt. The strata are a good deal contorted at the point where the eruption took place, and beyond it they have the appearance of having been forced for- wards and upwards, and pilecraturc of the year, on an average of 10 years, is 73°, the maximum and minimum 124° and 36° during the same time. It is practically rainless, the only draw- bac'k is the prevalence of high winds. An experimental (iovernment gartlen was created at IJiskra, but owing to the aljsence of good management, and from insuflicieiicy of funds, it did not ]>rove a success, and Inus now been abandoned. This is hanlly to In; regretted, as tlie intelligent enteri)ri.se of a jirivate individual has successfully carried out what the rllortsof the State had failed to .iccomiilish. M. Liiidon, a Fren< h gentleman of fortune anriiwdo)i cahtritanus, identical with those found in the hot springs of the oasis of .lu])it(;i- AmiiKJii in l"]gypt. The temperature of the water in which they live is about 96" Fahr. It is pro- posed to convey the water of this spring to Ijiskra, ami to form a bathing estab- lishment close to the railway station. There are 2 small lakes of warm water near the Fontaine, and just behind it is a low hill of a formation that apjiears to be volcanic. At 5 kil. to the .S.E. is a remarkable mcrjulilhic owcinte, with salient portions in the form of redans, and several rude staircases liave been cut in the rocky slope. Two or three larger stones on the summit appear to have formed a sort of monument. The summit of the mound is too small to have contained a garrison ; most prob- ably it was a temple or sacred place of some kind. Biskra is the capital of the Zihan, (plural of Zah), whose prosperous vil- lages, buried in groves of palm and fruit trees, and surrounded by barley fields, are dotted over the vast plain extending from the foot of the Aures to the Chott Mclghiyh. Excursions may be made in various directions to the diff"erent oases, one of which at least should be visiteil. We proceed to describe that of Sidi Okba, 20 kil. S.E. The road is practicable for a light carriage, and the drive occupies 2 hrs. Crossing the Oued Biskra, here a stony tract, a (juarter of a mile broad, with a deep stream flow- ing in the centre, the small oasis of Filiah is passed on the right, and the plain, here sparingly cultivated, is entered. In the distance is seen the long low line of the palms in the oasis of Sidi Okba. To the left are fine views of the Aures, with the oases lying at the feet of their spurs. These occur in the following order from Biskra :—Chetma, 8 kil.; Droh, 13 kil. ; Sidi-Khelil, 14 kil. ; Seriana, 17 kil. ; Carta, 21 kil. After a drive of 2 hrs. the village of Siili Okba is reached, composed, like all others, of houses of one stor}', built of dried mud. The market-place and the small shops are extremely quaint and curious. But the chief interest of the place is centred in tlie mosque, probably the most ancient Mohammedan building in SecK II ROUTE 15. BISKRA TO TL(;riCKT til Africa. It is square, eacli side about 35 int'tres lon<,', with a tlat roof sup- portcd on a miinlier of rude columns, one of which, with a spiral ornament round it, may possibly have been brought from a Roman building. The rest are extremely rude imitations, in clay, of stone ])illars. At the N.W. corner is the shrine cf Sidi Okba, in a sort of chantry screened olf from the mosque. It is a tomb of the ordinary Marabout type, hung round with silk, ostrich eggs and other pieces of tawdry furniture, among which a large gilt mirror frame is conspicuous. On the S. side of the mosque is the ))uli)it. The minaret should be ascended for the sake of the view, which alone repays the trouble of the journey. Tiiere is an Arab legeml that this minaret will tremble visibly when Sidi (Jkl)a is invoked according to a pre- scribed form of words. There is a <'arvcd wooden door on the E. side of the mosque of admirable workmanship, and on one of the ])illars a rude inscrip- tion in early Cufic characters, ])erliaps the oldest Arabic inscription in the world, and very grand in its simplicity — This is the tomb of Okha, son of Nofa. M((y God hare ninry upon him. Sidi Obka is the religious, as Hiskra may be styled the political, capital of the Ziban. It derives its name from the illustrious warrior who, at the head of a small body of Arab horsemen, went forth at the "bi.biing of the Khalifa Jloaouia to conquer Africa in the COtli year of the Hedjira. ^Vhat Rome had taken centuries to effect Okba accom- ]>li.shed in a marvellously short time ; and when he had extended his conquest from Egypt to Tangier he s]nirrc(I his liorsf into the Atlantic and declared tliat only sui'h a liariier could prevent him from forcing every nation beyond it who knew not C!od to worship Kim mdy or die. Many revolts took jdace before the ]iower of the conqueror was consolidated, and in one of them — at Tehouda, about 700 metres from the oasis of Sidi Okba, in a.i>. (i><2 (a.ii. 63)— he, with about 300 of his followers was massacred by a Berber chief of the name of Koeeila, whom ho hail sub- jected to great indignity. When later the Aralis liad reconquered the country in which l>iskra now stands, they lairied their leader at the jilace wliicli bears his name. A visit to the oasis of Oumach gives the traveller an opportunity of seeing a specimen of the dunes of sand, so chaiaeteristic of the desert. Chetma is within a drive of 1 lir. and is worthy of a visit. The houses are on a somewhat larger scale tlian those at Sidi Okba or Biskra. ROUTE 15. Biskra to TuggTirt.' As we observed when coiieluding the route to El-Aghouat, it is hardly with- in tlie scope of this work to describe the routes between the various oases in the Sahara. Still, as Englishmen, and Englishwomen also, are becoming year by year more adventurous, we give one of the most interesting routes as a specimen of desert travel. Noiu', however, who are not in robust health and capable of undergoing con- siderable fatigue and jirivation should attemjit it. The best means of ])erforming the jouriu'y is on horseback, nml iiefore starting the traveller wouM do well to take the advice of the autliorities ns to the hiring of transport and guides ; especial care Iteing taken that some of the party shouhi un the truth. 218 UOUTK IT). niSKIlA TO TDGGURT A Jijeria till! caiavaiisurai.s an- (|uit(; uiipniviilud ill tliis ruspcct. A diligence runs every sceoiid day and makes tlic journey in tliree days. It is a wretched convey- ance. Tlie best time lor this journey is autumn or early spring ; Ijy the b(!gin- iiing of Jlay tiic lieat is already too great for desert travelling. \i>l da;/. After leaving the hotel the road leads for about an hour through tlie palm groves of Biskra, and then emerges into a slightly undulating plain covered with a thick scrub of terebinth, as high as the heads of the goats which browse amongst it. 36 kil. The track crosses the Oued JJis/itrt twice. After rains this river is very deep, with so much mud at the bottom as to be fordable only with great difficulty by carriages. 38 kil. Sadda. The character of the country does not change before reach- ing this place, which is a fortified caravanserai, with rooms for travellers, but no furniture of any kind, neither are jirovisions procurable. 61 kil. A'in-Chegga, a caravanserai like the last, offering only the protection of its roof to travellers. It is situated on comparatively low gi'ound, in the centre of a vast, shallow, treeless basin. Gerboa rats abound here, and allbrd a by no means unpalatable meal faut dc micux. 2d day. After leaving Chegga, the country is bare and uninteresting, closely covered with short scrub, inter- spersed with patches of brushwood. The road gradually ascends from the basin where Chegga stands until a ])lain or tal)le-land of no great elevation is attaineil. 76 kil. The table-land here suddenly ceases, and a view is obtained of a great l>lain, that of the Oued Ghelr, stretch- ing far away to the S. and also (a little to the left or S.E.) the great lake called the Chott J/eli/h itjh, 300 kil. long. From the edge of this plateau, looking back, the last dim view is obtained of the liold and beautifully coloured mountains of lliskra. The route now follows the course of the Oued Gheir, who.se length is about 100 kil., and along which is a chain of smaller chotts, which it connects with the Chott Melghigh. After the next 16 kil. palm oases are more or less fre<[uently met with. The road, on leaving the table-land, descends by a steep saTid-hill, and the station for the mid-day halt is 2 kil. farther on, at Kef el-akhdar, where there is an Artesian well of bracki.sh water, surrounded by a wall 8 or 9 ft. high, which gives the only shade or shelter to be found. At Sdil, 7 kil. before this place, there is a well of better water, unmarked or unprotected by a wall, but this is not recommended as a halting-jilace, as it breaks the day's journey too une(|ually. The road now runs parallel to the western shore of the Chott, at a dis- tance of about 4 kil., and the heat is not unfrequently temjiered by cool and welcome breezes passing over its waters. The country, though gradually ascend- ing, is devoid of hills, the soil becomes more sandy, and the road heavier ; but the brushwood is so thick that the track has to wind in and out amongst it. 110 kil. Here, about two hours be- fore reaching the halt, the traveller comes upon the first dune of true desert sand. 112 kil. Meroman, the first oasis of the Oued Gheir, is passed on the left. Beyond this, a thin dark line on the horizon ahead indicates the oasis of Maghaier, where the traveller must pass the night. A shorter and more pleasant route for horses passes between these two oases, much nearer to the Chott Mel- ghigh. 123 kil. Maghaier, a village of sun- dried bricks, surrounded by a mud wall, situate at one side of a large oasis containing 50,000 date palms. After passing the gate the traveller will ]irob- ably be conducted to the house of the Sheikh, where he is sure of such hos- pitality as the place affords. On leav- ing, a present will be expected, though never demanded. A caravanserai, very good and clean, has been built at about a quarter of an hour's walk from the Sheikh's house. Zd day. On leaving INIaghaier the Sect. II ROUTE 15. TUGGURT 2\0 road passes a succession of oases, de- cidedly the most j)ieasant section of tlie route. The road itself, however, is sandy and heavy. 133 kil. Here, about 1^ hr. from Ma^haier, is a spring of good water, surrounded by two or three palm-trees. After passing this spring, and at 5 kil. to the riglit of the road, is the oasis of Sidi Rahel, where an Artesian well was sunk in 1874. 1.55 kil. Halt for breakfast at the Artesian well of Meza Bcrzig, where are a few young palms, replacing those destroyed during the insurrection of 1871. Two hours after leaving this is a pond of tolerably good water, thickly fringed with rushes and other aipiatic plants — a veritable "diamond in the desert." Beyond it the track is long, sand}', and ver}' heavy, skirting three or four oases, amongst them Uurlana, with its famous Artesian well. There is a caravanserai liere, but it is in a very dilapidated condition ; the tra- veller would do well to ask hospitality at the Sheikh's house. The next oasis is that of 183 kil. Tamrrnri, a village appar- ently of greater importance than Alag- haier, built, like it, of mud ; but on a conspicuous mound witliin it stands the ruin of a building of cut stone, circular in ])lan, composed of a con- tinuous arcade of horse-shoe arches. On the outskirts of the village is a caravanserai, worse even than the otiiers. The Sheikh's"house is 1.") or 20 minutes' walk distant,within the village. 4(k day. The road this day jiasscs through fewer oases than on the pre- vious one, and is very trying for the horses. The sand becomes liner in grain as one aiijiroaches Tuggurt, whicii is surrounat all join each other, and, after the manner of the Oued Gheir villages, form a continuous fence or wall, interrupted only l)y the town gates, of whiih there are two. The town is divideil into quarter-, respectively occupied by the citizens proper, the I'liiii .Mansdur, the Jew converts to Islam, tiie iiegro<'8, and the foreigners. Hesides these there nr other divisions. The hou.ses are, for the nio.st J'ai! built of suu-dried brick.s, but are soin' ■2-20 KOUTK IT). lUSKRA TO TUOGURT A hjcria limes (lc<()r;ilcil willi laiiiil luicks, dis- |ii)seil in a inaiiiier to resi-iiible tracery. 'I'licy rarely rise a story above the i;niiiiitl Hour. Tlic streets are narrow anil windinii;. There are in all 20 mosques. Of tlicse the two already mentioned are of much more importance than the rest. One of the two is now used as a carpenter's shop. The other, whose cupola dominates the market-place, is in bad repair, but possesses some very One plaster arabes(|ue work, the design of a Tunisian architect. From the min- aret of the first mentioned of the two mosques a very fine panoramic view of the surrounding desert and oasis, includ- ing that of Temacin with its mosque, nia}' be obtained. On entering Tuggurt by the Biskra gate, the traveller, to reach the entrance of the Kasbah, has to pass the entire length of its wall, already mentioned as bounding the market-iJace on the left. The Kasbah consists of many courts. Its outermost court is nearly as large as the market-place, and, like it, is furnished with arcades on one side. The com- mandant's residence, the barracks, and the hospital, are all within the enceinte of the Kasbah. Itisbuilt of dressed stone — a rare distinction in the Oued Gheir — and contains some rooms of fair di- mensions. In one of its inner courts is a delightful garden, through which runs a stream of water from an Artesian well witliin it. There are three such wells in Tuggurt. There are hardly any French resi- dents. The garrison is entirely native, and the population is about 7000. The oasis of Tuggurt contains 190,0110 palm trees. Shady lanes, be- side streams of water, lead through the groves. Under' the palms are gar- dens in which grow luxuriantly fruit trees, corn and vegetables. Marshes and salt lakes cover a large area near Tuggurt. The abundance of water here and throughout the Oued Ciheir is the cause of a malignant fever at the end of April, and again early in the autumn, frequently fatal to Europeans, whilst the purgative nature of the water is a fertile source of diarrhcca and other similar complaints. After the insurrection of 1.S71 the Ciovernment established a regidar mili- tary post at Tuggurt, but after the capture of Jiou Clioiu-ha, in 1874, this was abolished, and part of the sunound- ing tribes were placed in the circle of liiskra, and part in that of Kl-Aghouat. Tuggurt has two .suburlw, one to the S. among the mar.shcs, and one to the N.E. on a hill. The Compnrjnic de rOued Jiirh possesses a liouse and a small piece of land here. From Tuggurt an excursion may be made to Temacin, an oasis aljout 20 kil. to the S. W. About half-way, but a little to the left of the direct road, is a lake of salt water, the margin of which is thickly fringed with tamarisks, rushes, etc. ; it abounds with water- fowl. Nearer Temacin is another and larger one, connected with the stagnant moats surrounding the walls of tlie town. In these occur great (|uantities of Chromidcc, the only true African fish found in Algeria, and which are found as far as the E. coast of the continent. Temacin is a large town, forlorn, ne- glected and ruinous, covering a gently rising mound, and surrounded by a wall and stagnant moat. This, with its rude bridge, the arched gateway, the successive tiers of houses, as they rise in terraced ruin to the crest of the mound, combine to give to it a strange and weird dignit)', in good keeping with its position as outpost at the desert end of the Oued Gheir. After passing through the winding and narrow streets of the town a central square or place is reached, in which is the Kaid's house. Like all its neighbours it is of sun-dried brick, and of the heaviest and rudest construction. At about 2 kil. to the S.E. is another village, containing the Zaouia of a cele- brated Marabout, whose descendant still lives here. The streets are compara- tively clean and well kept, affording a marked contrast to those of Temacin. The tomb-mosque adjoins the house of tlie iVIarabout. The part containing the tomb, though erected only 10 or 12 years ago by a builder from Tunis, has already the appearance of antiquity. The arabesque work on the interior of the dome is good, but inferior to that Sect. II ROUTE 16. TO TEBK^^SA 221 at Tufjf^irt. Iron ami glass gates of riiJe design, but highly prized here, separate the shrine from the main body of the mosque devoted to ordinary religious service. We cannot leave the desert without a few words on the immense benefits wliich tlie French have conferred upon it by the sinking of Artesian wells. In 1856 many of tlie oases in the desert had become uninhabitable by the filling up of existing wells, the number of gardens diminished daily, and the ](oi)ulation began to emigrate to less desolate parts of the country. Govern- ment wisely determined not to clear out existing wells, always a difficult and even dangerous operation, but rather to dig new ones by means of Artesian Ijoriiig apjiaratus. The first attemi)t was made at Tug- gurt in 1856 ; after five weeks of Labour the waterfield was tapped at a depth of 60 metres from tlie surface, and almost immediately afterwards a river rushed forth yielding 4000 litres a minute, double the quantity afforded by the well of Grenelle at I'aris. The joy and gratitude of tlie inhaljitaiits can well be understood, and manifested it- self by singing, dancing and fantasias of every description. Ever since similar scenes have been taking place, not perhaps with the same amount of astonishment, but with no less rejoicing. ROUTE 16. To Tebessa. .H %i g* a S O 2 — s || Names of Stations. 1^ £d Ii ^ 5-^ Souk-Aliras . 12S ii Oued Cliouk . 114 28 Drt-a .... 100 36 Mdaoariiiirli . !t'J 68 Aouinet-ciIDi.'l) . 60 90 Morsott .... 3J 128 Tebessa .... Until 1888 it was only pos.sible to vi.sit this interesting place by a long and fatiguing route, but now a brancli rail- way has been constructed which leaves the main line from Bone to Tunis at •Souk-Ahras, and the journey can l- made thence in 7 hrs. After leaving Souk-Ahras the liur follows the course of the Medjerda for a distance of 7 kil. till the junction «)f that river with tlie Oucd Miiiiuh ; it crosses the latter by a viailuct, au"! runs through a picturesque and wooleiity. The attic on the front has no sculp- ture, and this was doubtless intended to receive marble slabs with a dedica- tory inseri|itioll. The sollits lietween the columns are everywhere liilily deorted by four column.s, between whiidi were pedestals, probably destined for statues ; the central portion was open to the sky, and in it was an eh-- vat'd basin or fnnntain, the whole re- sembling very much in design the court of a Moorish house of the present dav. Friim the right or east wall of this were doors leading into two small chambers, one of which was the baptis- tery, the font Uing still tolerably perfect in the centre of the lloor. Tli^ other chamber is of irregular .shape, having been added at a sulwecjuent pcrioii. IJeyond this comes the main body of the buililing, entered by three diMirs. It consisted of a nave with npsidal end and two aisles. The nave and aisles were separated by piers and engaged shaft.s in two hUperimi>osed orders, the wholo 22G llOUTE 10. TO TEBKS.SA A hjeria boiiif^ arcaded, and tlic aisles having a gallery. Tlie walls were built of fine wliitc limestone ; the columns are of gray granite, white marble, and blue cip])olino, the first and last probably of Oreck origin. JIany of the columns are lnokcn ; the bases arc all in their original position. It is ea.sy to recognise the period of the Pagan Emperors ; a later epoch, with a certain amount of Christian art ; and ultimately a period of absolute decadence, prol)ably the last time that Christians worked in this country. The first is marked by Corinthian columns, the capitals of which are in the most correct form, and the shafts of polished marble and granite, and of a beauty which would only have been marred by fluting. The second is re- presented by fragments of fluted and spiral columns, the capitals of which Avere richly decorated with foliage ; and lastly, there are rough productions in stone, out of all keeping with the rest of the building, the capitals of which bear grotesque representations of fishes, perhaps used as the symbol of Christ. Most of these last have now been removed to the museum and church. The apse is raised above the level of the nave, with three steps on which to mount to it. On either side is a square chamber, corresponding to the termi- nation of the aisles. From the first to the fourth pillars on each side, and again across from the fourth on one side to the fourth on the other, are grooves to receive a railing, showing that this part was divided ofl' with the apse to form, perhaps, at first the praetor's court, and subsequently the sacrarium ; in the centre of this space is an oblong vault or cavit}'. The whole of the floor is covered with tesselated pavements of very elegant designs and admirable execution. These are almost perfect in condition, and have been judiciously covered over with a layer of earth to protect them from injury. Descending from the east side aisle b}' a flight of about thirteen steps is a chapel of the form of a trefoil inscribed within a square. From the north; and south apses arc communications with small lateral chambers right and left, and from the south one there is access through a .small anteroom to a sepulchral chamber beyond ; the front of each apse was arched, the arches .supported on each side by columns of green cipjiolino. In tiie centre of the square contained I)etween them was what appears to be the foundation of an altar ; the walls were covered, for a part at least of their height, with a mosaic of the richest marbles, porphyry, and .serpentine, so dis])osed as to form either pictorial designs or geometric pattern.s, while the ceiling was a mosaic of glass, quan- tities of tesserae, both coloured and gilt, having been found amongst the debris. The floor also was mosaic. This building was probably an addi- tion, subsequent to the erection of the main body of the basilica. It is also certain that it must have replaced a still older structure, as traces of tesse- lated pavement were found 4 ft. below the actual floor. A large sarcophagus of marble, with Christian figures rudely sculptured, was found at the bottom of the stairs. In the sepulchral chamber above mentioned was found a tesselated pave- ment, containing four inscriptions re- cording the interment of individuals beneath them. One is that of Palla- diu.s. Bishop of Idicra, near Cirta (Con- stantine), who died here on his return from the Council of Carthage, tinder Huneric, in 4S4. This inscription was headed by a cross, having in the lower right hand angle the letter Omega. It is curious to observe that the corre- sjionding one on the left hand does not contain the Alpha, as is usually the case. It has been said that this was owing to the fact of the bishop having died out of his own diocese. The tomb was opened, thus destroying the in- scription, but the bishop's skeleton was found perfectly preserved after fourteen centuries. It rested on a bed of laurel leaves, and its brown hair was un- decayed. These venerable remains are preserved in the church of Tebessa. Another tomb was opened, that of JIarcella, and in it were found perfectly- preserved bones and light hair. The inscription -was also necessarily de- Sect. II nOUTE 1 G. TEBE88A stroyeJ, Lut the others (tliree in imiii- ber) were allowed to remain intact. There were various buildinfjs, jirob- ably cells or shops, outside and ajjainst the main structure, and the whole was surrounded by a stron» wall, lianked at intervals with towers, like a vast fortitied convent. This it doubtless was during tlu- later years of its exist- ence, but unfortunately its history is entirely unknown, and its original destination, or at least the destination of the older portion of it, must remain a matter of conjecture. From a careful study of the archi- tecture of this building, however, the grand .simi>licity of its design, and the richness of its materials, it is ditlicult to believe that the earlier portions of it could have been built after the intro- duction of Christianity into Tevcsto, when art was already in its ilecadence. The presumption is strong that it could not have been connncnced later than the end of the 1st or bcginiiing of the '2d century ; this would make it older tlian almost any of the Roman monu- ments of Algeria, as it certainly was sujierior to most of them in elegance and simplicity, though less Uorid in decoration. A new Church has been built by the good Cure Uclai)art, which is itself quite a museum. All the fragments of Cliristian architecture which he could collect have been worked up into the Iniilding. One of them is of exceptional interest, being a small panel of glass Jlosaic, supposed to lie that made to record the consecration of the liasilica. The altar even has been brought from that building. Some line Mosaics, probably belong- ing to public batlis, were discovered in 1886 in the cavalry ([uarters. They are now enclosed in a building erected for their preservation, the key of whicli is in charge of the Cure. One of the subjects represents Amphytritc sur- rounded by Nereids ; another rcjjresents a vessel laden with large amiihora-, and the inscription Fovlnna rrdiu: The most curious is a sort of game — the ground is covered with compartments in which are represented animals such as a bull, an ostrich, a gazelle, and a wild boar, each having numbers attai'lied, as in the cups of a bagatelle l)oard ; juobably leailen ijuoits or some such things wire thrown into these. This is called the hall of Manullus, as it contains the figure of a ]k'|'soii so named. Rijmnn AqtinUict of Aln • cl • Jihd. The spring of A'm -rl- Blnl, whiih alfords 2000 litres of water jier minute, furnishes the town with water, and irrigates the gardens to the N. and E. It is brought to the town in a massive Roman aqueduct, 900 metres hmg, passing over a bridge of the same period. There is a .second Roman aqueduct, that oi A'tn -Chela. Within the town is a Roman honsc still used as a habitation. It is of great size, ami was probably the iialace of some important personage. Half of it is buried under the soil, and the absence of all exterior openijigs of the .same date as its erection, except the entrance, now bricked up, induces the lielief that it had an interior court. Outside the gate of Solomon, on tin verge of the ravine which ilividcd ancient Theveste into two ecjual joirts, are the remains of a theatre, n«>w entirely overgrown with gniss, and of no particular interest. It was about r»2 metres in diameter, and nearly cir- cular in form. Of the forum no trace now remains. It occupied the site of the j>re.sent es|)lanade planted with trees, in front iif the modern citadel. What cannot fail to strike the tra- veller with astonishment is the enor- mous amount of beautifully cut stones, of great size, lying about in every direction ; not onlyare the I >y/.antine for- tifications, the modern French Kasl^ah, and half the houses in the town, built of them, but even the garden enclosures around, ami the ground is full of them wherever excavations are mnile. About 600 mitres to the south of the town is the Jlaralniut or Zaouia of Sidi- Abd-er- Rihman, who is supposed to have founded it. There arc many other Roman ruins of interest in tlie circle of TelH-ssn, and on Djcbel Mistiri, west of the town, ami 22S i:()UTK 17. Ti:i!l';SSA TO SOUK-AHRAS Alijeria «'xti'iiiliii.<,' as far as DJclicl Youkons, ai'(! a iiuiiilipr of uu^galithic toiMl)s of a cirrular foi'in. Tlioy are about 100 in iimiiber, situated in a single line, tlie right of which rests on the ruins of a iJyzantiiie tower. The largest is about 'J '43 nu''trcs high, and from 3^ to 9 luetres in diameter. They differ from those of Foum Kosentiua by being built in successiv'c and gradually decreasing courses, without any single covering stone ; they rather resemble the Med- rassen and the tombs in its vicinity. [E.KCursions may be made from Tebessa to the following places : — 1. Soumat-eJ-Klicneg,Q, situated about 9 kil. S. of Berzegan, on the ancient Roman road between Theveste and Capsa. This is the mausoleum of C. Julius Dexter, a standard-bearer, who lived in a farm near Teriana. 2. Souma hint-cl-Abri,Q, thenjinaret of the chief's daughter, 60 kilometres from Tebessa, on the last northern slopes of Djebel Foua. This is a very interesting monument, in a good state of preservation, and though it contains no inscription, it is believed by the Arabs to be the resting-place of the celebrated Kahiua, chieftainess of the Aures, the legend regarding whom is given at p. 321. It is certainly a Roman mauso- leum of a very ordinary type, and of a date much anterior to that of Kahiua. 3. Fcidjet cl-Glwusa, 8. — Situated at 50 kil. S. of Tebessa, in the plain of l)OU-Djebel. This is a tumulary monu- ment, surmounted by a double inscrip- tion, showing that it was erected by two brothers to the memory of their father and mother. 4. But by far the most interesting excursion is one across the Tunisian frontier to Hydra, the ancient Ammaj- dara, where still exists one of the most important triumphal arches in North Africa. The distance is about 36 kil. ; the traveller will require to take every- thing he may require in the shape of food with liim, as no provisions are procurable. There is a house belonging to the Tunisian Customs department at which it may be possible to sleep if the traveller takes his own bedding. The arch in question is a very liand- some one, the ]ieculiar feature of wliieh is the unusual height of its entablature, whiidi is half of the columns. On the frieze is the following inscriptioii : — IMP. CAES. L. SEPTIMIO . SEVERO . PERTINACI AVO. P.M. TRIH. POT. III. IMP. V. COS. II. PP. PAKTIIirO . AUADICO . ET PARTIIICO AZIABRNICO . DD. PP.] ROUTE 17. Tebessa to Souk-Ahras, by Khamisa. This is a journey which we do not recommend to the general traveller. Any one undertaking it must be con- tent to put up with a littL; rough life, to take his provisions with him, and carry his own tent. Most travellers will be content to proceed to Tebessa by the railway, which has been con- structed since this route was written, see p. 221. Still, if one is able to dispense with the comforts of civilisation for a few days, he will find the journey a most interesting one from an archaeological point of view. After leaving Tebessa, the road goes nearly N., crossing the plain of Tebessa. 5 kil. The Roman, or perhaps By- zantine ruins of Khooshada, a con- siderable post. 8 kil. At the foot of the mountain the spring and ruins of El-Kissa, G. Numerous tombstones have been found here, and amongst them a large pro- portion belonging to centenarians. Several hundred yards from the ruins is a handsome monumental tomb, in a very good state of preservation. The road now passes over picturesque but desolate mountains of limestone. At 13 kil. A'in-Azouagha, there is a beautiful spring of clear water, and fine scener}'. 26 kil. Bordj Kaid El-Al-hdar, the residence of the Kaid of that name, a large stone building like a caravan- serai, where there is a little cultiva- tion, and where the traveller can lodge Sect. II ROUTE 17. EL-Mi:UII)J 229 ill a case of necessity. The road now eiiieij^e.s into a long dreary plain, coverrd with arteniisia and rosemary, and follows tlie Tunisian frontier at a distance of a few miles. 32 kil. Birkct-el Faras (Lake of the Mare), an extensive swamp, very deej) in the centre. Kuins of Roman posts every few miles along the route. 40 kil. J)jout 70 Spahis and .'> Euro[)ean oHlcers. It has an abundant water sujjply and an excellent garden, but the climate is exceedingly unhealthy in summer, and during two or three months every year the garrison has to be removed to Tebessa. Thei'e is a canteen in the fort, at which provisions can be obtained, l)Ut travellers properly recommended by the Commandant of Tebessa are sure to meet with a cordial reception from tlie oliicers stationed here. From El-Mcridj the direct road to Souk-Ahnis is bj' Aln-Oucttar, con- tinuing along the frontier, but with the excc|itiou of that fort there is not mui'h to interest the traveller here. .Vin-Cuettar, like Kl-Miridj, is a smala of Spahis, 20 kil. S.E. of Souk- Ahras, celebrated as being the ])lace where the first act in the insurrection of 1871 took jdace. On the 22d of January 1871 tlie Commandant detailed several of his men U)V service in France. They mur- mured, refused to obey, and on the 23d, after a council, 93 of them struck their tents and left. Subseipieiitly they murdered one of their Euro])ean non-commissioned otlicers, and joined the Arabs in attacking Souk-Ahras. Near it is I'aount, 9, the ancient Tagura, where are numerous interest- ing Roman remains ; as, indeed, there are all over the country. In no ]part of Algeria had the Roman sway taken so "deep a root as in this province. Instead of taking the direct road, we advi.se the traveller to make a detour to the N.W. for the jiurpose of visiting the interesting ruins of Mdaou- roach, TiJ'csh, and Kliumisd. But to do this iie ought to provide himself with a tent, unless he is assured be- forehand that there will be Arab en- campments in whicli he can pass the night. Starting from El-Meridj the track — for road there is none — passes over a plain swarming with game and wild animals — hares, hyenas, jackals, wild boar, partridges, pouhs dc Carlhaf/c (smaller bustard), ipiails, etc., while in the more distant hills are red deer in considerable numbers, though ex- tremely wild. In front are seen four or live isolated peaks, Djibrl Ahim Kliadcrn, J>jone. There appears to be no limit to tlie amount of grain which can be j>roduced here, and only the iron horse is wanting to carry the locked-up ])roduce to an atlvantageous market. On tlie northern side of the plain runs a line of mountains parallel to that wliich the traveller has just crossed, and on the southern slope of it are the ruins of 133 kil. Tifesh, the ancient Tijxisa, 3140 ft. above the sea. El-Bekri re- marked that Tifesh was a city of great anti'iuity, remarkalile for the heigiit of its liuildiugs and for the extent of its ancient ruins. When the first Arabs, successors of Jlohaiiimed, invaded Africa, Tipasa resisted them for a long time. It was subse(piently taken and pillaged, but soon sprang up again from its ashes. It was destroyed a second time by Mou.sa En-Nasser, and yet once more by Moulai Nasser, son of the sovereign of Tunis in 1057. Although one cannot conceive a finer jiosition, the remains of the ancient city are by no means so extensive as at either ildaourouch or Khamisa. The only remarkable ruin is that of the ancient fortress, built probably by the Romans, certainly restored by the liyzantiues, as several Roman tomb- stones are embedded in its walls. It is built on a spur gently ascending fiom the plain, but sejiarated from the main range by a remarkable ravine, which cuts it off like a gigantic natural ditch. Advantage has been taken of tiiis conformation to construct a fortified position of considerable extent, occupying the whole of the slo]iing face of the hill. The interior is built up in ma.ssive ter- races, the top of all being crowned by a citadel. The walls are about 9 ft. thick, of huge blocks of cut stone, and fianked at intervals by square towers. The tracing of the wliole is perfectly visible, though only little remains of the walls. Besides this, the only other imi)ort- ant building remaining is one of which the character cannot be surmised. It has one very large arch, but all the cut .stone facing has disappeared, with the exception of a fragment of the sollit of the interior, and two gigantic stones forming a cornice on the exterior ; the rest are lying around. The Kaid of Mtluoiiroiich has a l>ordj a short distance to the W., and the tents of the Slieikh of the district, Mohammed Ih-ii Ahmed, of the Onlad 232 UOrTK 17. 'IKIiK.SSA TO SOUK-AIIRAS A If/rria Si Mmissa, are usuiilly in tin; mi^li- bourliood. It is .s;ii(l that ;it Omorr., aliout 4 kil. to tlu! y.E. , tiiere are iniriicrous dol- mens. Iji'avinfT Tifesli, the road turns to tlu! ri<,dit, f^oinjf through the raiij^e of hills by a narrow and tortuous defile. Here are many remains of the ancient IJonian road leading to 145 kil. Khamisa, ancient Thuhursi- cuni Nunddnruni, 3084 ft. above the sea. The ruins of the ancient city cover a vast extent of ground, including several hills and the intervening valleys on the northern .slope of the range separating it from Tipasa. It rose in terraces of various widths, the whole forming an irregular amphi- theatre. Gardens no doubt surrounded it in all directions, as is manifest from the ruins of detached villas, and wells in which the marks of ropes rubbing against the stone facings are still trace- able, and hydraulic works of every variety, such as cisterns and aqueducts. The city must have been one of great importance in point of magni- tude, though one sees nothing of the exquisite architecture for which Te- bessa is so distinguished. The principal buildings are : — A iri- um2)hal arch, quite perfect as far as the keystone, through which the road from Tipasa entered. It is constructed of comparatively small stones, and is not particularly elegant. N.E. of it, and on the slope of the highest part of the hill, is the Basilica, which must have been an immense structure built on various levels. It is in a very imperfect condition, but enough remains to show that its length must have been moi'e than 66 metres. Several fragments of huge columns are lying close to it. It is now the site of an Arab encampment, and the j'elping and savage attacks of a hundred Arab dogs make a visit to it by no means a pleasant operation. To the N.AV. of this, nearer to the head of the main valley, are what appear to be the remains of an immense Palace; and here it was that an inscrip- tion was found containing the name of the city, thus fixing a site which before was doubtl'ul. It lun as follows : — I Ml' . (JAKS . M . AVKELIO , CLAVDIO . I'lO . FELICI . AVO . I'.M . OOTHl'cO.M . I'Aituico . M . rniB . ]' . Ill . co.s . ii . v.v. I'UO COS . IIESI'VB . COLONIAE TIIVIJVK.S . NVMIDARVM . ImimrUori Caemri Marco Aurelio Claudio rio Felici Augwsto Ponlijlci Maximo Gothico Maximo Parthico Maximo trihtmitia Votcdate III. Co?t- auli II. Vatri lyatriw I'roconsuli Res- \)uhlica colouiae Thubursicc?isnutatinn to imjilore their assistance. Okba listened favourably to her petition, took Medaura, killed her liusband, converteil her subjects, and made lier his favourite wife. But not trusting too implietly to the good faith of his new converts, he took the jirecaution to dcmolisli the fortifications of Khamisa befure pro- ceeding on one of his expeditions. It rebelled notwithstanding, whereupon he destroyed the entire city to its fouud- atious. The more probable derivation of the name Khannsa is from the fact of a great market having been held on the sj)ot every Thursday, from the earliest times. Nothing is more common tlian for places in Algeria to be named aft«r the markets. Thus the site of Thubur- sieum became Soiik-cl-K/uiviis (the market of Thursday) or A'/ianii.'id. Nevertheless, the ancient name sur- vived the city 8 centuries. JItn C/kiikih, a Tunisian writer of the 15th century, recounts in liis chronicle that during the reign of Abou Faris in 1337, a war broke out l)etween that jirince and the Amir of I$6ne, when the former juir- sued his enemy a A Igeria aiirii'iits), liiTC a iiuu'u tlircml of water. IL IIdw.s south oi , Souk- Ah I (IS, enters tlio rei^'eucy of Tunis, and falls into the sea near Utiea. Thron<;h the fertile aiul pieturesque valley of the Jledjerda, the hills en- (dosinf^ which commence to slope up- wards almost from the river's bank, lies the way to Souk-Ahras, which is 29 kil. N.E. of Khamisa (see p. 300). ROUTE 18. To Ain-Beida. A railway is in course of construction (1889) from the main line at Oidad Puihrnoun (p. 163), but until that is finished, the traveller must either go by diligence from Oucd Zenati (p. 237) or follow the longer road, which is pretty much the same as that wdiich will be adopted by the railway. This we give, but the distances are measured from Constantine. 38 kil. Ruins of Signs, an ancient and celebrated city, memorable as the residence, during various ejiochs, of several Numidiau kings. The destruc- tion of this place appears to have been very violent, and little remains save the foundations of a few buildings and a considerable necropolis. On the rocky plateau, opposite and S.W. of the latter, are many so-called mega- lithic remains, dolmeus, cromlechs, menhirs, etc. Almost everywhere in Algeria these are found in the vicinity of important Roman positions, and here one was opened by M. Thomas in 1876, and found to contain amongst other things a bronze coin of the reign of Domitiau ; this proves beyond all doubt that whatever the age of other p)-chisto?-ic monuments may be, this one at least is well within the historic era. Signs was one of the 30 free cities mentioned by Procopius. At about 14 kil. N.E., on a detached mamelon, are the remains of a Roman or Byzantine fortress at Aln-d-Bonij OVell of the Fort). The walls and citadel are very perfect. (TJ'urris Cicsaris. ) 39 kil. Bordj Zikri. Maison do conimandemcnt, occujjied by the Kaid of Sefjnia. Here for 3 months m the year the stallions of the remount are stationed. There is a poor wayside auhcrge. After leaving this the road enters the plain of Jiahira-et- To (cila (tha long plain) ; long, as its name implies, level, and richly cultivated. 59 kil. A'in-Fakruun. A large cara- vanserai where the traveller can lodge and sleep in tolerable comfort. 2600 ft. above the sea. A small village was created here in 1879. The road still continues over ex- tensive treeless plains, devoid of all permanent habitations, though Arab tents begin to be numerous. 71 kil. A'in-Moulaher. Auberge and farm wdiere the diligence stops for breakfast. There is an abundant water supply, which has enabled the proprietor to create a little oasis of trees. Roman ruins in the neighbour- hood. 89 kil. Omm-cl-Boaghi. Govern- ment caravanserai, on the slope of a hill which forms the N.E. boundary of the valley. Here one can lodge if necessary. There is a small fort built of Roman materials above the cara- vanserai ; the onl}' other classical association connected with the place is that of the Augean stable, which it closely resembles. 95 kil. The ruins of a Roman station. 101 kil. Bir Bogda. An isolated well surmounted by a masonry super- structure. Near it is a dolmen con- sisting of two flat stones, each 3 metres long, 1 metre broad and 25 cent, thick, supported at the angles by four verti- cal stoues 50 cent, square. About 65 metres to the E. three upright stones indicate the position of another, now destroyed. 115 kil. Ain-Beida. 3936 ft. above the sea. 2115 inhabitants. The name of the place means whih\fountai)i, from a source which yields 400 litres of water per minute. There is a fairly comfort- able inn here. Sert. II UOUTE 18. KAHR HAUHAI 235 Chiuf town of the Harada trilie. The country round produces grain in immense (luantities. The cattle and wool of the liaracta are also cele- brated. At Djchel Riyhis, 40 kil. W. of Ai'n - Bcida, are some ancient copper mines worked by the Romans, both a cicl ouvcrt and by means of galleries. The ore yields 14 per cent of pure metal. At Djchel Ilamiuiat, 42 kil. W.N.W. of Ain-lieida, is a mine of oxide of anti- mony, one of the only two jilaces in the world where this mineral has been found. It is usually met with as a sulphide. At Djrhcl Garca, 48 kil., a mine of argentiferous lead ore exists ; and at Djebel Tafrent, 49 kil. to the S., is found suljihate of iron. Before the troubles of 1852 the only buildings at Ain-Beida were the three Bordjes, now occupied by the Ad- ministrator, the garrison, and the remount. The Haractas were then the most insubordinate tribe in the country, and Ijesieged the forts, which were m a precarious position, wlien they were relieved by a few hundred horsemen under Ali hil Arabi, who was rewarded for his devotion by being made Kaid, which ofliee he still holds. Houses began gradually to surround tlie forts, the Jews scattered amongst the tribes settled under its walls, and soon a prosperous town sprang u}). The Arabs in this circle are much more superstitious than religious. They know hardly anything of their religion except a few outward ol)servances which tlicy have learnt liy tradition. On the (ttlier liand, great numbers of them are aliiliated to the various religious con- fraternities or kliouans, especially to tliat of Sidi Mohammed ben Abd-er- Kaliman bou Koberain. The writer had a curious instance of the indiffer- ence of the Kaid of Ain-Beida to one of the most rigidly observed Jloham- medan customs, tlie seclusion of women. At an entertainment given to him ami liis family, the married and unmarried daughters of the Kaid were jiresent, and sat with him as in European society. This may be explained by the large admixture of Berber l)looil amongst them, their patois — the Chuuuia — being unmistakably a dialect of that language. The circle of Ain-Beida is full of Eoman remains, 9. In the town arc many vaults, which probably served a.s Sllijs for storing gi-ain ; one in the Cure's Iiouse is still i)erfect, and has its atone door in working order. [From Ain-Beida there is a .service of diligences to Ain-Khenchla, distant 108 kil. and 95 kil. IVom lialna. The road pa.sses close to the ruins of Kasr Baghai, 6, the ancient Bagaia, a city which liad already attained consid- erable importance during the Imperial era, as is proved by numerous inscrip- tions. During the time of St. August- ine it was one of the African cities in which Christianity had attained the most progress. Several councils were held here ; but religious dis,sensions soon began to jaoduce their destructive effect ; the Donatists burnt the Biusilica and committed the sacred books to the flames. Solomon was charged by Jus- tinian to re-est;iblish order in Afiica. One of his cajjtains, Gantharis, sent to operate in Jlount Ann's, established his camp at Bagaia ; I'locopius says that it was then in ruins. It is )>rob- able that the Byzantines then built or restored the immen.se fortification, the trace of which is still entire. It con- sists of an irregular quadrilateral figure, the .sides varying in length from 770 to 1227 feet, with round towers at three of the angles, and a -sipiare one at the fourth. The wall is further strength- ened at irregular distances l>y .square salient towers. On the N.W. side is a second enclosure or citadel ; near the W. angle are the remains of a Muham- medaii mosque, decorated with ancient ccdiimns still standing. The identity of Ain-Khenchla witli tlie ancient Jlascula admits of no doubt ; its distance from known point-s would prove the fact, even hail not an inscrip- tion been found recording tiiat, about A. 1). 370, rulilius Caciiia Albinus re- built the town which before liail been destroyed. 2.'} (J HOITK ID. OONHTANTINK TO liuNK Ahf This iiili resting iii.sci'iptiou lias thus liccii irstorc'd : — Pro siiliiiiiloru fcliciiim s;iculiiiiiiri (luiiiiiio- rum nostnirum Valciitiiiiaiii ct ViileiiUs sem- jicr An^ustoiniii . . . atu; . . . ve . . . oiiiiii .Masciihi; ... a fuiiUaincntis construxit (atrc)viiici;c Numiiliti; Constantino. Miiscnila is more famous in ecclesiast- ical than in profane history. Several of its iiilialiitauts are celebrated in Roman inartyrology, especially Archini- nuis, who was condemned to death by Gcnseric. Its bishop, Clarus, attended the Council of Carthage in a.d. 255. Another, Donatus, ceded to the perse- cutions of Floras, proconsul of the district, and revealed the place where the holy books had been concealed. He was the first of the recreant bishops who was interrogated by Secundus Tigisitanus on the subject, before the Council of Cirta in 305. Another bishop, Jauuarius, was exiled by Hun- eric in 494, and a second of the same name assisted at the Council of Car- thage in 525. The value of Mascula as a strategic position, situated, as it is, in a wide and fertile plain just beyond the northern slopes of the Aures mountains, has always been recognised. It was probably here that Solomon placed his camp during his second expedition, and there is reason to believe that it is the Mnlich, the scene of one of the battles of Sidi Okba. After the first Arab invasion it was still inhabited. El-Adouani thus alludes to it: — "At the foot of the mountains of Amanora there are three cities, Baghai, Khenchla, and Guessas, inhabited by Christians, each one sur- rounded by vast gardens, irrigated by the waters descending from Dj. Mahmel." Khenchla has now been created an European centre of colonisation and hief place of a circle. Colonists have been attracted to the spot not only by its line climate, resembling very much that of Provence, but by concessions of from 25 to 40 hectares of land given by the State. The great fertility of the soil, its proximity to vast forests, and the mineral riches of its mountains, ought to secure the pios])ority of this line though distant .settlement. To these ailvantages may be added its position, midway between liatna and Tebes.sa, and in clo.sc ])roxiniityto the openings of the various valleys which traverse the Aures. It was made the centre for supplying the armies of General Herbillon in 1847, and of Gene- •ral St. Arnaud in 1850, in their expe- ditions against the Ncmemchas. ] ROUTE 19. Constantine to Bone by Railway. This line, from Khroub onwards, belongs to the Compugnie clcs Chcmins lie Fer cle Bone a Guchna ct Prolonge- ■mcjit; between Constantine and Khroub, to the Compagnie cle Vest Algerien. Constantine to Khroub, see p. 163. ■2 o ^ S 2 S-o J^ |3 Names of Stations. X — 5 = 5 ? iz *" Khroub 203 is Bou-Nouara . 193 27 Ain-Abid 185 42 Ain-ltegaJa . ISO 63 Oued Zenati . 174 09 Bordj Sabath 162 SO Thaya .... 156 95 H. Meskoutin 148 101 Medjez Amar 135 115 GUEI.MA 123 119 Millesimo 119 123 Petit .... 115 135 Nador 101 148 Ddvivier, bif. S. Alims. 95 156 0. Frai-ah SO 102 Saint-Joseph . 69 174 Ban-al .... 53 ISO Mondovi 42 185 Randon .... 27 193 Duzerville 15 203 Bone .... 1 5 kil. Bou-Nouara. A small village constructed by the Compagnie Geniral Algerienne (see p. 108). On the S.W. slopes of Djcbel Mazala, about 2 kil. N. of the village, is a megalithic S(ct. II IIOUTK 19. DJEBEF- TFIAY.V 237 necropolis, containing monuments of many varieties ; the general type is a dolmen composed of four vertical blocks and a table, forming a rectang- ular chamber, the whole surrounded by a circle of stones. ' 27 kil. Aln-Ahid. Another of the same society's villages. 42 kil. Ahi-llcijadn. A third village belonging to the same society, in a very unhealthy .situation. The line licnceforth follows the course of the ()((C(l Zciutli, which, after its junction with the Oued Chtrf, becomes the Scy- buusc. 53 kil. Oued Zex.vti. A rather im- portant village. In this district are .situated 83,000 of the 100,000 hectares of land so lavishly granted by the Empire to the Sociitt (now Compngnic) General Ah/erienne. There is a service of diligences daily to Ain-Bcida. 69 kil. Burdj Sahath. A very un- healthy district ; no village. 80 kil. Thaya. A most interesting excursion may be made froju this place to the great Cave of Djebel Thaya. It may easily be done from Hamiiiani •Meskoutin in a single day. Take the 6.24 A.M. train, which arrives at Thaya at 7.10 A.M. Arrangements should ])reviously have been made at the buffet for mules ; the distance from the station is only 6 kil. The traveller should not fail to take food with him, and above all a supply of l)lue and red liglits with which to illuminate tlie cave. He can return to Ilammam Meskoutin by the train passing Thaya at 7.25 p.m. All the necessary arrangements can be made by the proprietor of the hotel. The o])ening of the cave is on the N.W. side of the mountain, which is composed of a compact limestone. The entrance- passage is spacious, being in no ])lace less than 3 metres in height. The exti'rior ])ortion opens out like a hall, well liglitcd, dry, and adorned with beautiful tufts of ivy-leaved and other ferns. On the sides are carved numerous Roman inscriptions, so much effaced liy time as to bo hardly legible. M. Ikniiguignat, who was one of tlie fir.st to ex])lore this cave, lias jiublished an elaborate but rather fanciful descrip- tion of it. lie counted 53 inscriptions on the left, 8 on the right, and 3 on the roof. Nearly all begin with the letters B. A.s. ; one, better preserved than tlie others, has the words itAcxd. Avo. SAC, from which it is inferred that this cavern was dedicated to the god Bacax ; it is further gathered from the inscriptions, that every year the magistrates of Tililis (Announa) came, with much ceremony, on a pilgrimage to Thaya, to offer a sacrifice to the god of the cavern. The inscrijitions contain the names of consuls who were elected under the Emperors Caracalla and Geta, A.D. 211, and from this date they are mentioned up to A.D. 268. The follow- ing is one of them : — BACCACI . AVfl . SAC . GENTIASO . BT . BA.SS O . COS. VH . Vl . MAIAS C. IVLIVS . KRONTO NIANV.S . ET . nodes titivs . pRvdes iiAyg . THIS. which may thus be rendered: — "In the year of the Consuls (Jentianus antions the cave descends at an angle of not less than 45 degrees ; the ground is covered with a thick layer of loose stones, which roll down with alarming velocity at almost every step made in advance. Great care should be taken to keep well to the right hand, as on the left there is an aby.ss which has never been exi>lored, but which must be of great depth, and nearly vertical. From the foot of this ramp the cave extends, with many accidents of level, to nearly three-(|uartei-s of a mile in length and a thousand feet in vertical depth. The descent is difficult, and 238 ROUTE 19. CONSTANTINO TO BONE Algeria even (lanr,'crons tlirougliout, as deep Iiolcs occur at mniieious jilaces, in wliich an unwary cxjilorer niij,'lit easily l)c en.i^'ulfed. Sometimes he has to (hop down steep preci[)ices, l)y the aid of proji'cting stalagmites, at otliers to slide down muddy gradients, now to creep tln-ongh small holes and narrow passages, and again to wade tlirougli pools of liquid mud. He has to traverse vast lialls, intricate labyrinths, passages and chambers of every size and form. Gi'oves of stalactites and stalagmites adorn the sides, while the lofty vaults are hung with the most exquisite fret- work, like the roof of a Gothic cathe- dral. The finest of all is the great domed chamber, at the bottom, which gives to the cave its Arab name, Ghar el-Djamiia (Cave of the ilosque) ; it is an immense, nearly circular cavity, with domed roof ; from the ground rise magnificent stalagmites, like the trunks of palm trees, and in the centre is a huge block of stone, which M. Bour- guignat imagines to have been an altar to Ijacax. In visiting this cave a few precau- tions are absolutely necessary. 1. The traveller should never attempt to penetrate without Arab guides. 2. He should have an abundant supply of candles, matches and blue lights, or magnesium ^vire. 3. He should have canvas shoes with hempen soles to prevent himself from slipping, and he should only wear such clothes as he is content to abandon afterwards. 95 kil. Hammam Meskoutin. This is a place at which no traveller in Algeria, who can spare the time, should fail to spend a few days, as, in addition to the wonderful natural phenomena of the place itself, there are several most interesting excursions to be made. Hamman Meskoutin, or tlie Accursed Baths, were known to the Romans under the name of Aqucr Tibilitinrr, so called from the neighbouring town of Tibilis, afterwards Announa. Some of the Roman baths cut out of the rock are still used by the hospital ]>atients ; but the largest one is higher up the stream, which has since changed its course, owing to the mass of de- posit having givadually raised the sur- face of the rock over which it then flowed. The temjierature of tlie water is no less than 203° Fahr. ! wliich, taking into consideration the height of the soui'ce above the sea -level, is just about boiling-water heat; and is only surpassed by the Geysers in Iceland and Las Trincheras in South America, the former of which rises at 208°, and the latter at 206° tem- l)eraturc. The whole .scene is most extraordi- nary, and the mass of still waterfall is a sight never to be forgotten. The surface of the rock where the waters rise is everywhere thickly encrusted with carbonate of lime as white as marlile. On issuing from the earth they fall in a succession of little cascades into a richly Avooded glen, shut in by hills, and by the stream below the natives may lie seen cooking their provisions and washing their clothes in the hot water. Above the cascades are numerous little natural basins of a creamy-white colour, bub- bling over with boiling water. The rock over which the water falls is rough and uneven, owing to the thick cal- careous deposit, and presents the ap- pearance of a petrified rapid. Above and below the sources are some enormous cones, the largest of which is about 11 metres high and 12 in circumference. These were evi- dently deposited by the action of the waters overflowing the edges of the basins wherein they rose, which were thus gradually raised higher and higher, until the spring had no longer force sufficient to run over, but was obliged to find another outlet. Earth has gradually collected on some of them, in which shrubs and flowers have sown themselves, giving the whole the appearance of huge flower-pots. Many of them have been split as if by earthquakes. Clouds of dense steam rise from the falls and from the earth in all directions. The best view is from below, where, looking up at the white shining rock and steaming water, the scene is very strange, and almost unearthly. Sect. II ROUTE 19. ANNOUNA 239 These springs arc extremely efli- cacious in cases of rheumatism and nervous or cutaneous diseases, and for licaling wounds. The volume is very large, being, from the two principal, 18,0u0 gal. per hour. The carhonate of lime becomes nearly all ])recipitatcd as the water cools, and when ([uite cold it is used for drinking purposes. About f m. from the hospital are some other springs, which are ferru- ginous and suli)hureous. Their tempe- rature is about 170' Fahr. The usual mode of apjdication is by means of ordinary baths ; but douches and va- pour baths are also employed. The convenience of being able to make use of both saline and ferrugi- 710US springs close together, ought to make Hammam Meskoutin become an important watering - place ; and cer- tainly, should this be the case, it will be able to vie in beauty of situation with any of the most celebrated baths of Germany or France. The only drawback to them is that during the summer months, from July to Ottober, the climate is somewhat feverish ; at other times the traveller runs no risk whatever. M. Piesse thus (piotes the Arab legend which gives its name to the springs : — "An Arab, rich and powerful, had a sister, Init finding her too beautiful to be married to any save himself, he determined to espouse her, sjiite of the prohibition of tiie Mohammedan law and the remonstrances and suppli- cations of the elders of his tribe, whose heads he cut oil in front of his tent. Then commenced tlie usual marriage festivities, and as the accursed couple were about to retire, the elements were set in commotion ; fire came out of the earth, the water left its beil, and the thunder pealed forth in a fearful manner. When tranquillity returned, the Arab and his sister and every one connected with the feast were found petrified, the cones still representing the actors in this drama." At a distance of about 1500 metres from the hotel is a curious care, containing a .winll lake of icatcr. In July 1879, after a storm and heavy rain, a subsitlencc of the soil took place, which exposed to view an oiien- ing, giving access by an ea.sy slope to a cave, at the bottom of which is a considerable body of the purest and most limjiid water. As it takt-s a sud- den turn to the right and becomes lost to view, it is impossible without a boat or a raft to ascertain its extent ; the depth close to the etlge is from 15 to 20 metres. The formation of the rock in which the cave exists is very sindlar to that near the hot spring, evidently a calcareous dejiosit, tinged with rose colour by oxide of iron. The water is quite cool, though sometimes a slight amount of warm vajiour exists in the cave. The traveller should take candles and some blue lights with him to illu- minate the grotto. [E.rcursions in the Ncighhonrhood. 1. To Roknia, 9. About 12 kil. N. of the statimi is the Megalithic Necro- polis of Koknia, covering a sjiace of 5 or 6 kil. in extent. The monuments have been much destroyed by imlis- cn-et investigators, but a vast number still remain entire. Tln/y are small in size and very clo.se together. The dol- mens are usually composed of 5 stones, 4 uprights and 1 horizontal slab ; the.se are usually placed 4 or 5 together in one general entlosure. 2. To Announa. There is a briiUc path over the hills which greatly shortens the distance, but should tlie traveller prefer to go by carriage he shouM proceed to the liigh road from (iuelma to Constantine. At the 84th kil. he will pass the small hamlet of St. Charles, and at 86 kil. that of ./tin - Amara. Just after pa-ssing the 87th kiloniet- ric stone, a narrow path to the left descends a steep ravine, in which (lows the Oued Announa, and mounts to the plateau on which stood the Koman city of Tibilis. The distance in a direct line is not more than three- •[uartere of a mile from Aiu- Amara — by the road it is about a mile and a half. The ruins stand on an open platform scarped on all sides except the S,W., where it joins the lower countrrforts of 240 ROUTrO in. CONSTANTIXK TO IJONK A Igeria lias cl-Akla. Tin; vii-\v in llic o]!])*)- sito direction, looking eastward towards (lUelnia, is extremely line, and these two considerations, capability of de- fence and a picturcsijue situation, appear lierc, as everywhere else in Algeria, to liavc determined the selec- tion of tlie site. The ruins are wortliy of a visit, though by no means in tlie best style of Roman art. They consist of a triumphal arch of the Corinthian order, with a single opening ; on eacli side are two pilasters, the cajjital of one only exists ; in front of these were disengaged columns, which have en- tii'cly disappeared, as also the whole of the entablature. There are the remains also of what appears to have been another triumphal arch or one of the city gates, with two openings of equal size. The piers, which supported the arches, had a double Corinthian fluted pilaster em- bracing each angle, or eight pilasters to each pier. There is a Christian basilica, probably of the Byzantine period, and several other buildings of greater or less importance, fragments of the city walls, and frusta of columns lying about in every direction.] 101 kil. Medjez Amar, now a farm, formerly a fortified camp built by General Damremont. After the failure of the first expedition against Constant- ine, Ahmed Bey, hoping to surprise the French, attacked it at the head of 10,000 men on the 10th September 1837. He was repulsed with great loss ; and the army starting thence on the 1st of October arrived before Coii- stantine on the 6th, and took that city on the 13th. Here is the junction of the Oued Zcnati, afterwards 0. Bou-Hamdan, with the 0. Chcrf ; their united waters form tlie Scyhousc. 115 kil. Guelma. A modern French city of 4025 inhab. 1203 ft. above the sea. It is built on the ruins of the Roman Kalama, 2 kil. S. of the right bank of the Seybouse. It is a fortified place with a citadel, in which are ex- tensive barracks, hospital and other military buildings. It is beautifully situated, the streets well planted with trees, and charming shad}' walks out- side the walls. Kalama is named for the first time in history by St. Augustine ; its bishop then was Tossidius, for 40 years the intimate friend of the saint, and sub- sequently his biographer. When the French took possession of it in 1836, the ruins of the ancient enceinte and many of the princii)al buildings were, if not entire, at least traceable. The French city has been built principally out of the ancient ruins, and all that now remains to testify to its ancient splendour are the remains of the theatre, fragments of the bath.s, and a number of inscriptions and sculptured stones in the public garden. Amongst these is a remarkably in- teresting monument, the tombstone of a young man 29 years of age, who too confidently hoped that his wife would have rested beside him. The work is rude in point of art, but extremely beautiful in conception. It is a mono- lith of rose-coloured marble, square in plan, consisting of a pedestal with cor- nice, plinth and base, supporting a crowning part rising on the same plan, terminating in an architectural feature which has now disappeared. On the principal facade the top piece bears a circular wTcatli enclosing two portrait busts in relief, that of the man only being completed, the features of the woman are not chiselled. The plinth has a gaiiand suspended from the cor- nice, below which the smface is divided vertically for two inscriptions ; that of the man only is filled up. T>iis 'Slanibus Sacruvi. Fl. Kiievilla \ixit Annis viginti novem dicbus quindecini. On the left side of the plinth is a folding door just shutting, symbolical of the terrestrial home which is being closed for ever. Above the cornice on the same side is another one ojjening, representing the life to come. This is confirmed by the opposite side, which bears on the plinth the figure of a winged child Axith reversed flambeau, while above it is a cock crowing, to represent the opening day. The cock is standing on a figure resembling a Sed. II llOUTK 19. (iUKI.MA 241 loop ; it iii.iy pos.silily be iiitfinK-d lor a serpent, tlie eiiililuiu of iminoitality. The tlie.itre is close to the ^'lain market: tlie steps arc still toleraliiy ])erleet, as is the wall of the buiMiiif^ arounil them, and the eutraneus at each side ; but all in front of this semi- circle, inclun the summit there is a depression shaped like an Arab siiddle, in which is a lake about 1 kil. in diameter. There is a ([uarry of fine rose-coloured marble here, which was much used by the Romans of Kalama, and is still worked.] On leaving Guelma the line descends the valley of the Seybouse ; the country is exceedingly picturesiiue and fertile, woods of olive and other trees alternating with cultivation and pas- ture-land. The telegraph poles be- tween Kliroub and CJuelnia are all of eucalyptus wood, the first used in the colony ; they were grown in the neigli- bourhood of Ain-ilokra, and were from 7 to 9 years old. 119 kil. MiUiaimo. A small village to the N. of the Hue, between it and the Seybouse. 123 kil. I'ctil. A small village to the S. of the line. 1.35 kil. Nador. Is one of the zinc mines belonging to the well-known company of La Vidlc MonUninc, but it is not a very important establish- ment, and was only imrchased to avoid conqietition. US kil. DrviviKU. A dirty but pleasantly situated village, whose single street is well shadeil with a.sh and beech trees. It was created in 1857, and named after a general ; it was erected into a commune in 1871. It has a market every Sunday, where a con- siderable trade is carried on in wool and cereals. 156 kil. Oucd Frarah. 1 02 kil. ,SV. Joseph. 174 kil. Barred. So called after tlio general killed near liougie in 1850. This village was made an agricultural colony in 1841 and a village in 1S51. An antique marble column, with an unsightly va.se -shaped ba.se, lias been erected "An brave Cajiitaine Mesme, mort jiour la defen.sc de Hanal, 15 .luin 1852." Tliis brave soldier reposes under a more suit^ible monument, a plain iron cross, outside the village u 242 UOUTK 20. EXCURSION THROUGH KAliYLIA Algeria f,'atc. He was killed in licadiiig a Kortii! of .S|ialiis wliuii the village was Kunomiik'il liy tlu; iii.surg(3iits of 1852. 180 kil. Mondovi. Close to it is the ]iro})ei'ty of dwhar ban Aoun, once tlie liroperty of M. Nicolas. It was here tliat the Irish labourers got out by Marshal de MacMahon in 1869 were located. The experiment proved a com- plete failure ; none of them understood a woiil of French, they could not work out of doors during the heat of summer ; some died, many were sent home. The last batch of them took passage in a vessel which was run down by another on entering the harbour of Bordeaux, and were drowned. At 10 kil. to the 1''. is the village of Oued Bcsbcs, belong- ing to the Socieie General Algerienne. 185 kil. PMndon. The village is 7 kil. to the E. It was created a com- mune in 1868. 193 kil. Du:xrrillc. Named after General Monk d'Uzer. The line finally crosses the Oucd Bou Djcmaa, not far from the ancient Roman bridge, and arrives at 203 kil. Bone (see p. 121). ROUTE 20. Excursion through the Kabylia of Djurdjura from Bordj bou-Arre- redj to the Oued es-Sahel and Fort National. Bordj bou-Arroreilj. Bordj Medjaiia Bordj Boni Geliia Ighil Ali Akbou . Ti-tilkouth Fort National The above are the distances on the map ; they b}^ no means represent the amount of ground to be gone over. By taking the ordinary railway route to Fort National (p. 143), the traveller obtains a splendid glimpse of Kabylia ; but thoroughly to explore the country, and to see beyond all doubt the finest mountain scenery in Algeria, Kil. Mile 1:2 lt3 = 7* 10' (3 13 = 3J Si ■21 = 13J Hi = 10 •2-1 = 13J he woulil do well to find his way either from Constantino or Algiers to Bordj hoii-Arreredj (j). IGO), and commence his excursion from that point. He must not .shrink from a slight' amount of inconvenience ; he must be content to do without auhcrges, and to make the journey either on hor.se or on mule back. The authorities at Bordj will gladly assist him in obtaining the neces- saiy animals and guides ; the writer paid 5 f . a day for his mules. Tents would greatly conduce to the comfort of the expedition, especially if it con- tain ladies ; but the traveller will always find some place in which to pass the night, without any very serious incon- venience, provided he carries his own bedding. The first stage of his tour is to Bordj Medjana, a flourishing village built on the site of the Castellum Mcdianum of the Romans, and the ancestral resi- dence of the celebrated Bach Agha El- Mokrani, leader of the insurrection of 1871 (see p. 59). The Bordj, which was built by the Bach Agha, under the dii'ec- tion of French engineers, was completely dismantled after the confiscation of his lands, the outer walls only being re- tained ; it contains the church, school, and other communal buildings, and constitutes a place of refuge to which the inhabitants of the village may retreat in case of attack. A beautiful spring issues from some Roman remains below the fort, and forms the only water supply of the village. From this place a ride of 4 hours takes the traveller to the fort or block- house called Bordj Boni, which con- tains a suite of rooms and stabling, in which shelter, if nothing more, can be obtained ; it was built after the last insurrection, principally for the con- venience of Government officials visit- ing the district. There is an excellent spring at the foot of the mound on^ which the fort is built, and from the platform around it magnificent views of the Djurdjui"a range are obtained. From this to Gelaa is a ride of not more than an hour and a half, through the most magnificent mountain scenery. The road winds up and down steep hills in a most tortuous manner, sometimes Sect. II ROUTE 20, GELAA 243 passing over tlie iiitervciiiiig ridges, and at others encircling their sides. On the right hand is a deep al>yss, beyond which is a mass of hills and valleys, clothed to tlieir summits with verdure, resembling a tempestuous sea suddenly arrested and turned into rock. On the left the view is more extensive ; the foreground is as wild, while range after range of mountains succeed each other in ever-changing variety of form and colour, till the extreme distance is shut in by the majestic snow-cajiped ridge of Djurdjura. No other peak can ever depose this from its place as tlu! monarch of Algerian mountains. Chellia and Mahmel, in the Aures, may be higher, but they rise from more ele- vated ground, and thus lose much of their grandeur ; wliile for beauty of out- line and richness of tints, the Djur- djura range, seen from the south, with the Oued es-Sahel at its foot, is supe- rior to them both. Kaliia — or Gelaa, as it is here pro- nounced, meaning a fortress in Arabic — is one of the most pictures([Uely sit- uated villages in Kabylia. It is Imilt on the extreme end of a mountain, more than 3000 ft. above the sea, sur- rounded on three sides by jn'ccipitous ravines, through one of which Hows a trilnitary of the Oued Sellam. The cliffs descend in a succession of per- pendicular scarps, separated from each other by narrow terraces, so as to be ([uite inaccessible. The fourth side, where the hill rises behind the village, can only be reached liy a narrow wind- ing path, which a few resolute men might defend against an army. In foimer times this was a city of refuge for such as wished to escape the justice or vengeance of the Turks, who never succeeded in reducing its inhabit- ants to their sway. Its ])roximity to the Diban, or Fortes de Fer, itself a strong position, enabled the 15eni Abbas to command that pass, and consec|Uently the route between Algiers and Cmi- stantine, and tiiey were in a jiosition to exact a tribute from the Turks as the price of keeping open this com- munication. The village of Gehia is divided into two portions, each ruled over by a Sheikh independent of the other. The lower portion belongs to the Oulad Aissa, and the ui>j)er to the Oulad Ilumadoosh. It is the principal place of tlie IJi-ni Abbas, a once powerful confederation, extending N. and S. from beyond the Oued es-Sahel to Boni, and E. and W. from the river of Gehia to the Oued Maghir. Tlie villages in this district are well built, of stone, roofed with tiles, and very often they have small enclosures or gardens at- tached, while the interiors are linished off with great neatness, and even some rude idea of decorative art. The inhabitants of Geliia have little or no arable land, but they are famous for the manufacture of bernouses. The}' make a considerable quantity of olive oil, and are renowned merchants, purchasing the carpets and haiks of tlie S., and selling them at the markets of Constantine and other great towns. Uetween the two villages are a num- l)er of small springs, (piite dry in sum- mer, so that for several months in the year the water supply of each village has to be brought from the valley be- low. In the upper village is an ancient mosque, with some wood carving over the door ; in the cemetery attached is buried the Bach Agha el-Mokrani. His body was brought here after the battle of Oued Soutiat, where he was killed. It is much to be regretteil that his tomb should be ipiite unmarked. The Commandant Superieur of Au- male, Colonel Trumelet, had the happy idea of marking the spot where he fell by a stone bearing this inscription, " Ici toniba mortellement, frappe par les balles du 4""'" de Zouaves, le 5 Mai 1871, le Bach Agha de la iMedjana, El- Hadj Jloiiammed ben el-Hadj Ahmed el-iMokrani, chef de I'insurrection." The connection of the Jlokrani family with Geliia dates from the IGth cen- tury, when one of the anci'stors, Ben Ahd-er-Kahman, established a little prini'ipality here after the exj)ulsion of the Siianiards from Bougie. The last of these princes was murdered by his subjects in A.n. IGOO. Mokrani owned several houses in tJelaa, anil his brother was at one time Kaid of the Beni Abbas. There is a large guest chamber in the 244 KOUTK 20. KXCUHHION TUIlOUOlf KAIJVLIA Alijciia uii|iri' villaj^(S ami tlu^ tra\-c'lliT will lie ,s\irc, ol' liospitablc ti'catiiK.'iit from the Kaiils (ifeithur poilioii, \\\\o arc admir- able spocimciis of Kaltylo f,'(;iitlemcn. One oi' the iiio.st interesting sights of Geliia is the extraordinary method eni- |iloycil for storing grain — in enormous baskets ol' alfa grass, 4 to 4^ metres high and 3 in diameter at the thickest parts, resembling gigantic bottles witli the necks knocked oil'. These are raised about a foot olf the ground, and four or live of them are placed side by side in a room. In these vessels, called Zarda, a reserve sujjjily of corn has been known to keep good for fifty years. There is a direct route from, this vil- lage to Akl)OU, but the traveller would do well to make a detour in order to see Ighil Ali, the most considerable village in the Beni Abbas territory. After passing through the village the traveller has to descend a path so steep and difficult as hardly to be practicable for mules. On reaching the bottom of the hill, however, it improves, and soon the high road between Bordj bou-Arre- redj and the Oued es-Sahel is reached. The scenery is still remarkably grand, but less green than before reaching Geliia. The ground is poor, schistose, and only ada]>ted for the cultivation of fig and olive trees, which constitute the principal riches of the country. After about four hours' riding Ighil Ali is reached ; in fact, there are three villages placed so close together as to form but one — Ighil Ali, Tizairt and Azrou. The last crowns the hill to the west, while the two others at its foot are separated by an inclined plane, in which is situated the Medressa. It was one of the favourite ideas of Napoleon III. to educate the Arab and Kabyle races in the French language and ideas. Numerous educational establishments were organised with this view at Al- giers, Constantine, Fort National, and elsewhere, nearly all of which collapsed with the Empire. Amongst others, a college was established here at which Kabyle youths were taught both Arabic and French. These villages are much better built and more picturesque than most others in Kabylia ; many of the houses have two stories, some even thiee ; the walls are decorated with arches and ([uaint holes for ventila- tion, and not a few have arched colon- nades. The general appearance of the whole, sloping upwards in a jiyramiabort, crowned with their forests of Cedar and I'insapo ; that of the I5eni Abbas completes the jianorama ; while the ever-present Manielon of Akbou, surrounded by a great stretch of level land, thickly covered with olive groves, occupies the ibreground to tlie soutli. The cll'ects of liglit anil shade seen here at sunrise will never be ibrgotten, and jnoliably, with tiie exception of the shint ride from 15oni to Geliia, there is no view to equal it in the whole colony of Algeria or Regency of Tuni.s. After passing through this defile tho roatl descends rapidly towards the Ti- fdkoutk or river of the Ilcni Illiltni, by a steep and didicuJt road, but one of ex(juisite beauty. The whole country is cultivated with as much care as a garden. The road is completely over- shadowed by magnificent ash trees, while the banks on eitiier side are covered with ferns, broom, wiUl roses, and llowers of every colour, and a clear cold stream ilows at the bottom, fringed with magnificent wild cherry trees. After ascending the ojiposite bank the road passes through the village of Ti-filkontli, and winds through tho most d(>lightfnl shady lanes and orchards, mounting and descending almost peri)endicular luecipices, crossing rapid streams, but always passing from one scene of loveliness to another, till, after a ride of about two hours from the stream at the bottom of the valley, tiio village of Soioiiar is reached. Here the writer passed the night, and was entertained by the Amin cl-Omina with true lierlier hospitality. Leaving this, a ride of fifteen minutes brings the traveller to the high road from Fort Natiomil to the Oued es- Sahel by the Col de Tirourda, and close to a house which has been erected b}' the Engineer Department for its emploves. The distance hence to the fort is' 30 kil. The scenery now changes somewhat — it never ceases to be exceedingly grand — and the view of the Djurdjura range improves as it is seen in full front, instead of foreshortened from one end. The admirably engineered, but l)are and shadeless road, with its regu- lar curves and gentle gradients, lie- comes intolerable after tho wild, .sliady lanes and natural scenery through which the traveller lias just jiassed ; and it is not witliout a feeling of relief that he reaches Fort National (see p. 145), thence to proceed bj' the prosaic but convenient dilit ligencc to Ti/i-Ouzou and so to Algiers, 246 ROUTE 21. ALGIERS TO T^Xfes Algeria "ROUTE 21. Algiers to T^n^s by Orl6ansville. Algiers to Orleaiisvillo by railway. Dilii^cnces to Tunes, in connection with the trains. Leaving Orlcansville by the Porte (Ic Teiies the Chelif is crossed by a light bridge 200 metres in length. Ju.st beyond, on the right bank of the river, is La Fcrme, once a military agricnl- tural establishment of 50 acres in ex- tent, now an annexe of the commune of Orlcansville. From this the route passes over dreary country, with very scanty vegetation. Looking back upon Orluansville, the trees planted in and around that town are the only ones in sight, the rest of the plain being sandy and bare, here and there varied by patches of scrubby brushwood. 220 kil. Ain-Bcida (the white fount- ain). A small isolated colony of a few houses. A little farther may be seen to the right of the road a koul)ba, dedicated to Sidi Ahd-cl-Kadcr ; and to the left that of Sidi Mammar bcn- Mokhala, and a village called JFarnier, after a well-known deputy for Algiers, who died in 1879. 229 kil. Lcs Cinq Pahnicrs, where there is a small but good inn. The diligence stops here for dinner going to Tenes, and for breakfast on returning. 238 kil. Lcs Trois Pahnicrs. 241 kil. Kirba. From this point the aspect of the country becomes more varied, the road running for some dis- tance parallel to the river Allala, which flows through some pretty valleys and glens. On the right of the road are the ruins of a Roman fort, but the stones have mostly been made use of by the g6ni.c for building bridges, etc. Several ruins of Roman forts exist along this road. The mountainous country through which it passes ap- pears never to have been thoroughly Romanised, and the population is to this day in great part Berber. 256 kil. Montcnottc, a prosperous agricultural village. At 11 kil. from Montenotte, in the valley of Ou(^d Allala, and at 7 kil. from the liigh road, is the village of Cavaignac, created in 1879. The copper mines of (Med Allala to the E. are no longer worked, but another' copper mine was opened in the spring of 1874 on the hill to the W. The road hence to old Tenes passes through a wild and l)eautifid mountain gorge. Following the works which convey the water supply of Tenes from the Oued Allala, not far from old Tenes the remains of the Roman water-works can be traced for a few yards, but their barrage was placed lower down in the water-course than the modern one. Large tracts of forest which covered the mountains on both sides of the road were burnt by the Arabs in the summer of 1873. 260 kil. Old Tines. This town, in- habited entirely by Arabs, is sur- rounded on three sides by a deep ravine, at the bottom of which flows the Allala, and is often called Little Constantine. It was once a noted pirates' nest. There are still to be seen in the rocks on which this town is built large iron bolts to which the inhabitants used to fasten their galleys after having drawn them up the river. To the E. of the town may be seen the remains of the old Roman road, which did not follow the a(iueduct, but ran behind the hill on the right bank of the river. Two arches of the bridge which crossed the 0. Allala are still in a good state of preservation. The town itself is surrounded by a ris6 wall flanked at the corner by large srpiare towers, probably the work of the Spaniards, now in a very ruinous condition. 261 kil. Ten^s. Popidation, 2364. Modern Tenes, founded 1847, is situated on the site of the Phcenician town, afterwards the Roman colony of Cartenna. We learn from Pliny that it was Colonia Angusti, a colony of the soldiers of the Second Legion. This latter fact appears to indicate a war- like character in the neighliouring native tribes, and from an inscrip- tion found here and preserved in the IMuseum of Algiers, we gather that these were the Bakoyta mentioned by Ptoleni}'. Sect. II ROUTE 22. MOSTAGANEM 247 The "Itinerary" of Antoninus says that Cartenna is 63 m. from Ctesarca (Cherchel), but tliere does not appear to have been a Roman higlnvay along the coast. The great road between the E. and W., and for the most jiart Roman colonisation, kept in this y)art of Africa to the great ])lains. Car- tenna was deserted for okl Tunes by the Berbers at an unknown but early period — tradition says on account of the bleakness of its situation, liefore the railway from Algiers to Oran was made, Tenes was the port of tlie central Chelif plain, and liad a largo exjiort trade, but it is now a dei^lining town. The harl)our, about a mile distant, is an artificial one, similar to tliat at Algiers, but is open to the west wind. Outside the town, on the wcstein side, is a pulilic garden where several Roman tonibswithinsciiptionsmaybeseen ; one is that of a soldier of the 2.4th Legion. In the neighbourhooil are the remains of several Roman and two Pluenician wells of considerable size, near w'liich a number of coins of both nations were found, also a Tunic inscription, now in the Mu.seum at Algiers. ROUTE 22. Mostaganem to Tiaret by Railway. ■3 to S-w ■" o II Names of Stations. .si II (5 MOSTAOANEM . l'."7 "e Prlissier liU 21 Aiii-Ti'ik'U'a . 17ii 32 Omvl el-Khcir 1(15 47 Mek.ilia .... 150 55 Si(liKlifllab(l) . M-2 64 IJi'l-lliiccl 133 76 Kki.izank I'-'l 85 Ouwl KlifUoiiK . 112 95 !Siomegranate, orange, apricot, etc. The lig is, however, almost the only tree in the district on unirrigated ground. The inhabitants say the climate is superior to that of Algiers, and it is at least much drier, but it lies on a tableland 300 ft. above the .sea, with very little shelter from the winds. A picturesipic and curious Arab town, called Tijdid, sweejis round Mo.staganem to the E. in a semicircle, .separated from it by a fortified wall and the clitl's of the ravine of the .<•/(« .S'«(//v/, wliose bottom is occupied by irrigated gardens, from 248 ROUTE 22. MOSTAGANKM TO TIARKT Algeria wliirli tli(> wliitc Mooiish liouses rise in iire;;ular steps. Tiie most interesting drive within easy distance is to A in- Bon- Dinar, 13 kil., a French villa_f;e, wliicli lies on a ridge above the valley of the Chelif, a few miles from its mouth. Walking to the slopes just beyond the village, an extraonlinary view opens suddenly. The river is seen some 500 ft. below, winding through the rich valley to the sea. The Turkish bridge and French village of Pont de Chelif are visible higher up the stream. Under the hills beyond the Chelif are Arab tents and gardens, surrounded by the prickly pear. Numerous koubbas and Berber houses stand out on the opposite mountains of the Dahra, of which the most conspicuous is Muntayne Hfmgc, so called from its red soil and cliffs of a yet deeper tint. [A route has been made through the Dahra, passing Cassaignc and Itcaault. At 1 kil. from the house of the Agha of Nclinaria on this road are the caves of the Oulad Riah, where took place a tragedy which created a great sensation in Europe at the time. In April 1845 commenced the in- surrection of the Dahra, instigated by 15ou Maza, to quell which a column was sent under the command of Colonel (afterwards Marshal) Pelissier. In June he pursued a body of the Oulad lliah, who took refuge in some immense caves, situated in a deep ravine between two isolated hills. We feel that only an eye-witness should narrate what followed. A Spanish olKceri in the French service, writing to the Heraldo, states : — " On the 18th, the column of Colonel Pelissier left early to besiege the famous grotto or cavern which we had observed the day before, situated on the bank of the Oucd Frcchih. "After having sent chasseurs in front of the most accessible openings of El-Kantara (the ravine above men- tioned), the troops commenced to cut wood and to collect straw to light a fire on the west side, and thus oblige the 1 "L'Afriqne Frangaise," p. 440. P. Chris- tian. Paris, 1S46. Arabs to surrender, as any other means of attack wo>dd have been most san- guinaiy, and probably fruitless. "At 10 A.M. they commenced to throw the faggots from the counter- fort of Kl-Kantara, but the fire did not declare itself before noon. During the evening our tirailleurs approached nearer, and shut in the openings of the cave. Nevertheless, one of the Arabs .succeeded in escaping from the east side, and seven others gained the banks of the stream, where they obtained a supply of water in their leathern vessels. "At 1 P.M. the soldiers commenced to throw faggots at the eastern open- ing, which this time took fire before the two openings of the other side, and by a singular circumstance the wind blew both the flames and the smoke into the interior without almost any escaping outside, so that the soldiers were able to push the faggots into the openings of the cavern as into a furnace. "It is impossible to describe the violence of the fire ; the flame rose above the top of El - Kantara (more than 60 metres), and dense masses of smoke swept like a whirlwind before the entrance of the cavern. They con- tinued to supply the fire all night, and only ceased at daybreak. But then the problem was solved; no further noise was heard. "At 4i A.M. I went towards the cave, with two officers of engineei's, an officer of artillery, and a detachment of 50 or 60 men of these corps. At the entrance were found dead animals, already in a state of putrefaction ; the door was reached through a mass of cinders and dust a foot in depth, and then we penetrated into a great cavity of about 30 paces in length. Nothing can give an idea of the horrible spec- tacle which presented itself in the cavern. All the bodies were naked, in positions which indicated the con- vulsions which the)" had suffered before death. What caused most horror was to see infants at the breast lying amongst the debris of sheep, sacks of beans, etc. "The number of corpses amounted Sect. II nODTE 22. CAVES OF ODLAD RIAH 249 to 800 or 1000. Tlie Colonel would not believe our report, and sent other soldiers to count the dead. They took about 600 out of the cave, without counting those entassis Ics itns sur Ics aittrcs connnc unc sortc dc hoidllic humainc, and the infants at the breast, who were nearly all concealed below the clothes of their mothers. The Colonel testified all the horror which he felt at this frightful spectacle, and princijially dreaded the attacks of the journals, which could not fail to criti- cise so deplorable an act." It is not fair to (juote this, without quoting also the ju.stitication of the act which appeared in the Akhhar. "In order that the public may be able to appreciate these sad events, it ought to understand how important it was 2)our la politique ct 2}our I'/iu- 'nio.nitt to destroy the confidence which the population of the Dahra and of many other places had in the caves. . . . . Colonel Peli.ssier invested tlicni, an operation which cost several lives, Arabs and French. When the investment was conqdete, he tried to jiarley w'ith them by means of the Arabs in his camp : they lircd on his parlcmcntaires, and one of them was killed. Nevertheless, by persistence, ho succeeded in opening negotiations, which lasted all day, witliout result. The Oulad Riah always replied, ' Let the French camp retire ; we shall come out and submit ourselves.' It was in vain that repeated promises were made to respect their persons and property, to consider none prisoners of war, but only to disarm them. From time to time they were informed that com- bustibles were collected, and that they should be warmed if they did not finish. Delay succeeded delay till the night arriveil." After passing in review the lirol)able con.secpiences of retiring from tiu! attack, the narrative continues : " He decided on employing the means which had been recommended to him by the Governor-General ;" with what success we have already seen. The caves are still exactly in the condition in whidi they were then left, and no Arab can be induced to enter them.] About 3 kil. from Mostaganem is Mazagian. Mnmcjran, celebrated as the place first attacked by Abd-el-Kadcr, after the rujiture of the treaty of the Tafna of 1837. Hut Mazagian is most famed for its having in 1840, with a garrison of no more than 123 men, under Captain Lelievre, repulsed the proloiigey the site of the Roman station TiiKjudia. Ibn Khaldoun mentions it under the name of Tahcrt, and records that it was one of the places which olfered a formidal)le resistance to Sidi Okba on his march to Tangier. An Arab town followed, and tlie present one was built by (Jeneial Lanioriciere in 1842. It was originally all contained within a fort, built on the lower slopes of Djrbcl Gunzuiil ; but as this left no room for extension, a new town has sprung up in the valley below, and on the sIojjc of the opposite hill, wliich is crowned by a negro village. In tlie former are the troops, the merchants more especially depending ui)on them, and the C'oniiiiandant Superieur, who governs the Jlilitary Commune of Aflon in the south ; while in the latter one are the civil establisli- iiicnts and inhabitants presideil over by the Administnttcur of the Coniminic Mi.r/r, and the Malre of the town. There is aOovia'nment stud-farm and a Sniala of Spahis near the town, to the E. The whole country round is covered with Roman ruins. The travel- ler must not, however, expect stately buildings like the triumphal arch ami Forum of Timegad, or the quadrilrontal arch, temjile, and IJasiliea of Tcliussa — all the ruins here are devoid of archi- tectural merit : he will not even find cut stones, marble ornaments, or other objects which distinguished the Roman style. Nothing lias been overthrown and destroyed by the hand of man ; licre buildings have fallen down by the action of time and weather ; but their very number ami extent prove how complete was the Roman occui)ation of the country, and how highly the land must have been cultivated by them, and no doubt also by the native Numidian. Roman influence here had little to do with luxury or art, but was eminently favourable to agriculture. Xothing is more surprising when pass- ing through the rich valley traversed by the railway than to note the utter dis- proportion between the extent of culti- vable land and the present number of inhabitants it supports. Owing to the lazy and unthrifty habits of the Arab, who will always ]ilough round a thistle rather tiian root it up, it takes a greater extent of land to maintain him in misery than it would do to make an European family rich and jirosperous. So far there is little apjiearance of any European colonisation in the country, but the ]iowerful humanising agency of the railway will no doulit cliect a transformation before many years liave elap.sed. The ruins of the past prove what this may become in the future ; the Commune Mixte of Tiaret alone contains nearly one hundred jilaces corresponding to Iioiiian cities and vil- lages sullicicntly important to leave their vestiges apjiareiit at the present day. The chief object of the traveller in coming to Tiaret will doubtless be to visit the extraordinary monnmenta called the Djedaxs (walls or buildings in Arabic). This can be done in one long day. Take a carriage and drive about 3.T kil. on the road to Frene done "/m:mm/MWM//M/mMw //////m^M^///^/7m 4lWII!K"!!'mi777777'^ U Li Lj__ =:rrii u O 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 So .- Djedar F at Ternaten. ~-:77 1 ■ Lr.- /-■ f'v/^ v.- .-///,■.•'. ,,. , „ ,. ^ili^ .? '■" o lu 20304" so''," 7080 pppf Djedar A on Djebel Ladjdau. Restoration of A. &d. II ROUTE 22. TIARET 253 by sending a horse on the day lieforu and riding to it. The Djedars are built in two distinct groui)s between Tiaret and Frenda. Tlie fust consists ot" three monuments on three separate Ijut contiguous |)eaiiinces men- tioned by rrocopius were possibly of this family, Mephanias and his soji Massonas. [There is a route from Tiaret to Frenda, 5C kil., and thence to Mascara, 105 kil. The writer has done the journey, and lie can conscientiously advise future travellers to leave it un- done. The only thing of interest is the niined fortress of Tagraiiiarct, 9, half way between Frenda and Mascara. The vicinity is covered with the founda- tions of Roman farms, each with its cistern ; the fortress is rectangular, pro- tected at the angles by bastions and with gates defended in the same manner. To see this, however, it will be necessary to stay a day here, and the only place where a traveller can j)ut up is at the house of a well-known and very hospitable kaid, Abd-el-Kadir Boukors. Between Tiaret and Teniet-el-Alid there is no road, but the country is practicable on horseback, it is full of Roman remains, 9, and is well worthy of being explored.^] ROUTE 23. Oran to Tlemcen.'- Tlie first part of the road is by train. Kil. Kil. Oran .... 70 6 La Seiiia ... 04 20 Misserghine . . 50 31 Bredeali ... 39 36 Bou-Tlelis. . . 3-t 47 Lounnel ... 23 56 Er-R;ihel ... 14 64 Rio Salailo . . 6 70 Ain-Teiuoucbeut The train runs for the first 6 kil. along the Algiers-Oran line, as far as ^ See " Une Reconnaissance Arclieolosique entre Teniet-el-Ahd et Tiaret," par Victor Waille.— Bull, de la Corres. Afr. 1S4S, Nos. v., VI. - It will ordinarily be found more con- venient to go to Tlemcen by Sidi Bel Abbes (see pp. 26S, 269, 270), and to return l)y this route. La Sc'nia, where that to Ai'n-Temou- chcnt branches off to the S.W., follow- ing the course of the old Route N.itionale. 20 kil. Misscrrjhine. Population, 1370. About 2 kil. from the Hchlcha of Oran, a marshy lake 38 kil. lo7ig by 8 broad, the waters of which are impregnated with .salt. Misserghine is one of the prettiest villages of the de])artment, and the traveller, if he has time, will be glad to inspect the orphanage, founded by Pere Abram, and conducted by the brothers of Notre Dame de I'Assomp- tion. It contains about 130 boys and 90 old men, for whom the brothers receive a small allowance from the Department. The projierty is highly cultivated, and produces not only everything required by the estab- lishment, but serves as a nursery garden for the country round. The fruit, vegetables, wine, and especially their celebrated Mandarine liqueur, are sent for sale to Oran. Near it is a female orphanage conducted by the Sceurs Trinitaires, containing young girls and old women. Mounting a ravine, to the right of the village, where the road in spring-time reminds one of an English country lane, after going about 2 kil. one arrives at the only ostrich farm in this province ; it has been pretty suc- cessful, but the space is too confined for further extension. 31 kil. Brddeah. Here is a copious spring from which Oran is supplied M'ith water ; the pumping engine was erected in 1880, and furnishes 100,000 cubic metres of waterier diem. 36 kil. Bou-Tlelis ; a prosperous little town to the W. of the line. 47 kil. Zourmel ; so called after a general of that name killed at Sebas- tojiol ; many fine gardens. 56 kil. Er-llnhd. From this village there is a road to Hammam bou Hadjar; see farther on. The Sebkha or salt lake finishes here. 64 kil. The line crosses a salt stream, the Rio SaJado, the Flumcn Salum of the ancients, and the Oucd Malah of the Arabs, which falls into the Medi- Sect. II ROUTE 23. BENl BAF 255 terranean between Cape Figalo and Cainnierata. 70 kil. Ain - Temouchent. Pop. 5496. The land here is watered by two streams, the Oned Temouchent and Oued Senan, which are also utilised as motive power for mills. The village was built in 1851 on the i-uins of a Roman town, called by Pliny Ujipidum Tiinict, from the excavations of which many interesting relics have been obtained ; amongst others a bas- relief of the death of Cleoiiatra, now at Oran. A monumental mairie has recently licen constructed ; the facade is of cut stone, with columns and arches of gray marble obtained in the neighbourhood. [On the road between this village and Ain-el-Arbiia, and 7 kil. from the latter, are the tln-rmal s])rings of Hanunam bou Hadjar (Patli of the Piock), which are much esteemed by the Arabs, and were used by tiie Romans, as ruins there attest. They have not Ijcen much used hitherto by Europeans owing to the want of accommodation. The water resembles that of Vichy ; it gushes out of the ground in a column 1 metre high, and 15 centimetres in diameter ; its temperature is 80" Cent., 176° Fahr. At a short distance from it is a cold gaseous spring.] A hotel was opened here in the summer of 1889. An excursion may be made from this point to Beni Saf, see Rtc. 24". There are diligences Ijetwcen Ain- Temouchent anil Tleni(;en, and rice rrrsd, in correspondence with each train. Tlie journey occupies 8 hours. 14 kil. A ill Khial. 23 kil. Am Tckbalct. The .small village of this na?nc is about a mile from the road. P)y the roadside tliere is a small house and a fountain, and close to them are ipiarrics ol' the beautiful alabaster known as Algerian onyx. The discovery was made in 1849 by Signor Delmonte, of Oran, owner of the more famous nnarries of Nuniidian marble near Kleoer (p. 273). They are interesting not only on account of the beauty and value of the stone but geo- logically, as such deposits are not usually found in large masses, but gene- rally only in grottos as .stalagmite. This ony.v was at one time much in ile- mand, and may again become so, now that railway communication has con- siderably lessened the cost of transport. It was known to the ancients, and pieces of it may occasionally be picked up in the gardens at Rome. Cohinms of it, Ibund in excavations in the mostpie at Mansoura, may be seen in the mosques and museum at Tlenicen, 2 '50 nu'tres in height, and 1*49 metre in circumference. The scenery around now begins to bo of a more ]ilcasing character, as the road ascends through wild hilly country to the plateau above the Isscr. From this point a fine panorama oiwns out, comprising in the foreground tlic picturesijuc towers and walls of Tlem- (;en, and bounded in the distance by tiie range of the iJjehil Nudor. 44 kil. Le Punt d'Issci: 184 inhab. This village, situated in a fertile valley, makes little or no progress, owing to its unhealthiness. Great natural advantages in Algeria arc fre(|uently counterbalanced by the insalubrity of climate, so that the most fertile districts are often not the most prosjierous. At 7 kil. E. of this bridge, on the left bank of the Isser, is the alkaline spring of Hanniiain Sidi Abdeli ; it si)rings out of a natural basin, near which are traces of Roman construction, and yields 150,000 litres per hour. 52 kil. Xcijrier. A small village of 184 inhab., founded in 1849, and named after a French general. Crossing the Saf'-Snf, and passing through highly cultivated country, the road ascenils to the plateau on which TIcuicen is situated. 66 kil. Tlemcen. Poji. 17,123. Every one has heard of Cranada ami its Moorish antitpiities. Tlie name of Tlem(;cn is known to comparatively few, yet it was a contemjutrary city not less illustrious, witli a population of 100,000 or 150,000, renowneil for its philosophers and its artists, the seat. 2r)G UOUTH 23. ORAN TO TI.KMCKN A [ycria (■(|iially witli tlic JMoorisli cities in Spain, of civilisation and relineinent, of commerce and wealth, the centre of an extensive trade, the capital of a powerful nation ; and even now it is iiardly inferior to it in lieauty of situa- tion and in architectural interest. It has no one grand monument like the Alhambra, but it possesses many reli- gious edifices, which, if smaller, are hardly less beautifuh Tlenn^en lies about 2500 ft. above the sea, on the northern slope of a mountain called LcIIa Sella, and its climate, vegetation, and scenery resemble those of Central Italy. Frost, though never severe, is not uncommon, and snow occasionally lies on the ground for a fortnight at a time. Changes of temperature are also both sudden and frequent. The neighbourhood, irrigated by numerous springs and streams of water, is highly cultivated, and the luxuri- ance and abundance of apple, pear, cherry, almond, peach, and still more of fig and olive trees, explain the name of Pomaria given to the original Tlemyen by the Romans ; but the winters are too cold for the orange or lemon to llourish, except in the most sheltered situations. The olive trees are remark- ably fine and very productive ; the oil made from them is equal to that of the S. of France. Each olive tree is said to be worth 15 f. a year, and the number of young trees planted by the colonists shows that the cultivation must pay them well. Pomaria was not an important town, and seems to have been so utterly ruined in the disastrous period which followed the Vandal invasion, that its very name w-as forgotten, when a.u. 790, or 174 of the Hcgira, Idris ben Idris ben Abd-Allah, an able and enter- prising monarch, obtained possession of the site from the Berber nation of the Zenata, and established his brother in possession after he had commenced building a great mosque. The Idris- sides held Aghadir, as Tlemgen was then called, 140 years. The Fatimites next possessed it 24 years, and it then fell into the power of the Ifrenides for 125 years. During the succeeding dynasty of liic Aluioravidi.'s, wiio conquered Agliadir a.d. 1080, it grow greatly in inij)ortance. A new town calleil Tag- rart rose on the site of the present town, and to W. of Aghadir, separated from it by a stone's throw, and with distinct fortifications. The name of Tlem(;cn was eventually given to the two united towns. Aghadir remained for many years the royal city and " the city of soldiers," among wliom was a guard of several thousand Christians. Tagrart became the city of commerce. Foreigners, Jews, and Christians re- ceived full protection, and the latter possessed a church. The present bar- racks of the Spahis was the Kissaria, or the Bazaar of the Frank, made over to the Catalan, French, Genoese, Pisan and Venetian merchants, with its wall and its gates closed at sunset, under the exclusive government of the consuls. It is supposed there were at one time 5000 Christians in Tlennjen, governed by their own representatives. The greatness of Tlem^en, which commenced under the Almoravides,^ culminated under the Almoahides, who succeeded them a.d. 1145, and a new wall surrounding the double town was commenced a.d. 1161. Under the two dynasties of the Almoravides and the Almoahides Tlem(;en was one of the chief cities of the great Mohammedan empire of the West; but (1212) the battle of Nova Tolosa dealt a fatal blow to the power of the latter, and Tlemcen was taken from them a.d. 1248 by Ghama- rasan, chief of the Zenata tribe of Abd- el-Ouad,- and became under him and his successors the capital of a kingdom embracing the present provinces of Oran and Algiers. The most notable events under the early Abd-el-Ouadites were the two long sieges to which the ambition of the Mereuides, the dynasty then ruling in Fez, subjected Tlem9en, the immediate cause of both being the refusal of the Sultan of Tlemcen to give 1 The word Almoravides is a corruption of El-Mombeiin, pi. of Morabet, a religious per- son. El-Moahidcs is correctly El-iloahedoun, or afflniiers of the unity of God. - We adopt the ordinary orthography instead of the more accurate one of Abd • el - Wahid, etc. Sect. II RODTE 23. TLEligEN 257 up fiijfitivc'.s. 'J'lie lirst siege was raised A. I). 1308 in coMsu(iii('iR'e of tlic murder of Abou Yakoub, Sultan of Fez, after lasting over eight years, during )>art of wliieli Tleni^'en was elosely invested and the besiegers' camp was surrounded with a wall, of which a portion still remains at Mansoura. Tlu^ second siege commenced in 1335. The wall of Abou Yakoub was again employed by his successor, Abou el-Hassan Ali, known as the ]51ack Sultan, and the investing force secured against a sudden attack from behind by a line of towers. The city fell into his hands in 13-'37 ; but the ]\Ierenides lost it again ten years after the death of Abou el- Hassan in 1348-49. Abou Hammon Mousa, another Ber- ber of the tribe of Abd-el-Ouad, suc- ceeded in expelling them in i'-ii^tS), and the Abd-el-()uadites held it till lo53, though during a great part of this period their power did not extend be- yond Tenes, while for the last forty years they were vassals of the Spanish sove- reigns who are said to have garrisoned the Mechouar and to have Iniilt that jiart of the existing wall which faces the town. In 15.")3 Tlcni<;en was captured by the Turks under Salah Rais, Pacha of Algiers. The fall of the town was not less com])lete than that of its royal family ; and tlu^ Arab proverb was verified, that " where the hoof of the Turkish horse has trod the grass re- fuses to grow." Science, literature, and art, which had been long decaying, became extinct ; agriculture declined, manufactures and commerce almost ceased ; at such a distance from the sea it liad not the resource of piracy, the only trade which nourished. The palaces have long vanished ; not a Moorish villa is to be seen in the neighbourhood. Kven the olive trees either appear to be centuries old, or else to have l)een planted since tlie French occupation. From 1830 to 1834 the possession of the town was disputed between Abd-er- Rahman, Emperor of Morocco, and the Turkish troops, who, during the latter part of these four years, were in the p;iy of France and held the iMcehouar. I Alijcria.] Abd - el - Kader appeared before the walls in 1834, when the Moors evacu- ated the town. Gen. C'lauzel enlereJ Tlenii;en in Jan. 1836 ; and after im- l)0sing a line of 150,000 f. on the in- habitants, left Captain Cavaignac in command of a small garrison in the Mechouar, or citadel. The town was then again besiegi-d by Abd-el-Kailer ; but Cavaignac, with his garrison of 275 men, succeeded in holding it against the whole army of the Emir until the following June, when he was at lengtli relieved by Gen. Bugeaud. In 1839, by the treaty of the Tafna, Tlem9en was ceded to Abd-el- Kader, who made it his capital ; but his troops were perpetually (juarrelling with tlic inhabitants, and the ruineil condition of a great part of the town dates from this period. Before long, war was re- newed, anil in 1842 the town was occui)ied by the French. It is now extremely prosperous ; the neighbourhood is fertile and singularly well supplied with water, and it is the chief town of an extensive district which exports annually large i|uanti- ties of olive oil, olives, dried tigs, wool, sheep, horned cattle, corn and flour, besiiles cloths, carpets, and leathern articles of native manufacture. Alfa is brought here from Sebdou, 43 kil., to the S., and pre]>ared for exportatit>n. The special manufactures of the plaee are brightly coloured blankets, and the red shawls called takli/a, worn by the Jewish women. Amongst the remains of .Moorish architecture within the wallsof Tlemcen, the foUowingare the best woith visiting. The chief mos(|ue, Djamaa-el-Kebir, in the I'lace d'Alger, has 72 columns, all s((uare except 2. The arches are horseshoe, and for the most part rouiul and plain, but some few are pointed, and others decorated on iheir interior side with plastiT - work. The ceilings are of wootl, and plain, 'i'he mihrab, which is on the S. Mo of the mosiiuc, is finely ornamentctl with arabesques, lighted from above ; and its round hoi-seshoe arch is very beautiful. On it is the date a.m. 530, corresponding to A.u. 1136, which 2r)8 ROUTE 23. OKAN TO TLEMQEN A bjeria shows tliat Uio iiios(iuc was built under tliu Aliuonivides. Tlic prcseut build- iu>^, however, is tlic successor of a much uioic ancient one, founded, according to Ibn Khahloun, in A. i). 790. The large chandelier, with a diameter of 2 '44 iiu''tres, was tlie gift of Ghamarasau, the hrst of the Abd-el-Ouadite Sultans, A.I). 1248 to A. D. 1283, who himself was buried here. The courtyard is ))ai'tly paved with Algerian onyx, and tlie basin of the fountain is of the same material. The minaret, which is of brick, and about 34 metres high, was built by Ghamarasan. The Mosque of Sidi Ahmed Bel Hassan el-Ghomari, now an Arab school, and situated in the same Place d' Alger, has been restored by the French and offensively decorated on the exterior with modern tiles. The interior, however, contains some ex- quisite productions of Moorish art, especially the arabesques round the mihrab ; their variety, richness, and relinement is probably unsurpassed anywhere. The date of this work, a.h. 696, or A.D. 1296-97, is inscribed here, and in the centre of the tliird arch. The mosque is supported by six columns of Algerian onyx. Nearly all the walls and arches have been covered with arabescj^ue decoration, and the greater part remains. On the opposite side of the square next to the mairie was the Medressa or college, now destroyed, where Ibn Khaldoun taught. The Mosque of Sidi Abrahim is worth a visit, and in the tomb of the saint, which is contained in a separate build- ing, there are some remarkably fine arabesques. The above is almost all that remains of ancient Tlem(;en within the walls worthy of particular notice ; nor have the walls themselves fared better — they have been replaced by modern defences. The destruction of the Mechouar, or citadel, has been most complete. Built in 1145 as the residence of the governor, it became the palace of the Abd-el-Ouadites. The Arab writers often make mention of its splendour and of the brilliancy of the court held there ; but the Turks and time, and the Genie militaire, have spared nothing except the njinaret of tlic mosque and the outer walls. 'J'he Museum, or rather the want of one, is a disgrace to the city'; many precious relics are stowed away, with- out care or order, iu some of the lower rooms of the mairie. These consi.st of tumulary inscriptions ; fragments of tile mosaics ; arabesque work ; columns of Algerian onj-x excavated from the ruins of the mosque at Alansoura ; and catapult balls, some weighing about 250 lbs., supposed to have been used during the two great sieges in the beginning of the 14th century. The most interesting objects are — first, the standard cubit measure of the Kissaria ; it is in marble, and bears in Arabic the inscription, "Praise and thanks be to God, this is the cubit measure of the Kissaria, which may God establish. In the month of Rabeea Eth-Thani, in the year 728," corre- sjionding to March 1328. The length of this cubit is 47 centimetres, or 18i inches. And secondly, built into a wall, an onyx slab with a long Arabic inscrip- tion, THE TOMBSTONE OF BoU ABDITLLA, the last king of Granada, who sur- rendered to Ferdinand and Isabella, and died here in exile. The mairie itself is a phenomenon of ugliness ; the central portion is supposed to be decorated with a pediment sup- ported by horns of plenty ; but these features are rather suggestive of a tombstone and elephants' trunks. The Church is an exceptionally good one for Algeria. The font is a fine basin of green serpentine, found in the ruins of Mansoura. The mosque of Abou Abdulla esli- Shoudi, more usually known by the name of Sidi-el-Halawi, the Sweetmeat- maker, lies immediately outside the walls. Leave Tlemceu bj' the gate of the Abattoir, turn to the left, and you come to a small collection of native houses inhabited by negroes, with its own mosque and minaret ; keep on above these, and on turning round the N.E. corner of the town wall you will see below you the mosque of Sidi-el- Halawi. As you descend to it take notice of the mosaics on the minaret. Sect. II ROUTE 23. TLEMQEN 259 The niosf|Ue and its court arc decorated with arabestjues ; but it owes its cliief iuterest to its eiglit columns of Algerian onyx, with Moorish capitals, and to the richly carved ceilings of cedar over the lateral naves, and the colonnade on each side of the court. The ceiling of the Mihrab should likewise be noticed. The date 754, e([ual to A. d. 1353, is inscribed over the portal, which is very beautifully decorated with tile mosaics and arabescjues. At least three circles of ancient forti- fications can be clearly made out. The innermost of these followed the line of the French wall, and there is but little of it left. The walls and towers of the two outer circles are in many places still standing, ami, added to the advantages of its situation, must have made the Tlem^en of the Almoahades and early Abd - el - Ouadites a place of great .strength. The w'alls 'and towers are built of large ma.sses of concrete or pise (2 to 4 metres is no uncommon size), which now look like stones, and are almost as durable. The towers, with tlie exception of two round ones near tlio N. AV. corner, are rectangular; but though these walls are highly jiicturcsque and interesting, it is at ^Mansoura that the system of Moorish fortifications can be most easily studied. All visitors to Tlem9en should, if possible, take the two undermentioned walks : — 1. Leave Tlemcen by the gate of the Abattoir, go straight down the hill, and in from 10 to 15 minutes you will come to the minaret, which is all thai remains of the mosque of the Aghadir. Tlie lower part of this beautiful tower is constructed of large hewn stones from the Roman I'omaria, which oc- cupied the same site as Aghadir, and on several, both inside and outside, Latin inscriptions are found ; one is said to bear the name of Pomaria. The ujiper ]iart of the minaret is of lirick, doubtless of a later date than A.I). 7S0, when a mosque was first built liere. The fortilications commence a few yards lower down. The arch of the gateway by which the road passes fell down not many j'cars ago. It was called after Sidi Daoudi, the patron saint of Aghadir, whose tomb lies just below. The neighbourhood of this tfimb is ])robably the best point from which to view the fortifications. Tourists are, however, strongly recommended to de- scend 'a little farther, taking a path to the right, into tlie valley of the Oucd Kalia, and after crossing this brook to turn ag.ain to the right. A walk through gardens filled with fruit, ash, elm, and walnut trees, and passing close uinler the outer or second line of the walls and towers of Aghadir, and within sound of the Oued Kalia, leads in from 5 to 10 minutes to the Oran road ; Init it will be well to recross the brook just before the highroad is reached, and to follow a path to the right, which will conduct ill about 2 minutes to an old Arab burial-ground, with tomlis of Marabouts, and an octagonal one of singular elegance. The cemetciy is beautifully situated, and elm, and especially ash trees (Fmxiniis ^4i(st- ralis), arc here found of a size unusual in N. Africa. One of the latter, still a flourishing tree, measures 4J metres in circumference. 2. Leave Tlemfen by the gate of Boic Mcdin, follow the road to Oran about 150 yards, turn to the right across the bridge over the Oucd Kalifi. The ruin on the left was part of the mint. Immediately after passing the bridge, turn again to the right and follow the path along the edge of the OiuJ Kidia. Extensive remains of walls and towers will be met with along the S. side of Tlem(;en, to which this path conducts. This side being natiiially the most exposed, was most strongly fortified. On the western side tliere are not many fortifications of im- portance, except at the north-western angle, where there are the two round towers already mentioned. Visit tho Christian cemetery and return by tlie I'ortc des Carriiies. A wliole morning should be devot<"! to Sidi Ecu Medin. Aiinnt 2 kil. from Tlein^en towanl- the S. E., and on the slope of a hill, which shelters it from the sirocco, lies 260 ROUTIO 23. ORAN TO TIJCMgEN A Ifjeria a iiicaii-lookiii;,' Aral) villa^'c, distiii- •jliiisliud at !i (lislaiicc only by its iiiiiiaiut. This is El Eubbad, more coiiiiiiouly calKil Sidi Bou Mcdiii, wliirli was tlui homo of ruligiou and sciuiK'u when Tlum(;eii was inhabited by warrioi-s and statesmen. It is in this more fortunate than its neiifhbour, that its monuments have been better preserved. Shortly after leaving the gate of Bou Mediu the road turns to the right, passes a ruined building which was the ancient mint, nearly opposite the en- trance to the public gardens, and tra- verses the great Arab cemetery, now much circumscribed in extent. Several Koubbas to the right and left, many of which possess a history, and the minaret of a ruined mosque, give in- terest to the walk. The only one in a good state of preservation is that of Es-Snoosi, the exterior of which is square with a tiled roof, but the interior is a very elegant dome. After passing through the, to all appearance, poverty- stricken village, the visitor sees before him a Moorish porch of painted wood- work, which gives entrance to the mosque and its dependencies. To the left on entering is the ruined Palace of the founder of all these noble structures, commonly called Abou el- Hassan Ali, or the Black Sultan, but whose name and ancestry, as written in full over tlie entrance gate of the mosque, is "Our Lord the Sultan Ab- dulla Ali, son of our Lord the Sultan Abi Saeed Othman, son of our Lord the Sultan Abi Yoosuf, son of Yacoob Abd el-Hnk." He was the first of the Merenides and reigned from a. H. 737 till 749 (A.D. 1337 to 1348). The actual date inscribed over the door is A. H. 739. On the tablets below the spring of the ai'ch, at the main entrance to the mosque, his name is written. Our Lord the Sultan Abou el-Hassan Abdullah Ali." This was one of his many palaces, and it might well have been his favour- ite abode. It could not have been very large, but it was richly decorated, and the view from the arcaded terrace, overlooking a wide expanse of plain and mountain, and even the distant sea at Kacligoiin, compares favourably even with the far famed Vega of Granada. It is below the general level of tlie court, and until 18Sl it was -covered with earth and rubbish, so that its existence was not susj)ected ; now it has been excavated under the intelli- gent superintendence of M. CoUignon, Gonscrvatcur dcs Monuments histuriques. On the same side, also below the level of the court, is the Koubba of Sidi Bou-Medin, the patron saint of Tlemi;en. His correct name was Shaoib ibn Hoosain el-Andalousi, snrnamed Abou Median, corrupted into Bou- Medin. He was born at Seville in A.H. 520, corresponding to a.d. 1126. He passed over from Spain to Fez, where he devoted himself to the stud}' of theology, and after travelling all over Spain, Algeria, and even as far as Baghdatl, he died at Ain-Tekbalet within sight of Tlem9en, in the 75th year of his age. The writer ventures to give one earnest recommendation to all visitors. This, to tlie Mohammedan, is very holy ground ; let the visitor remove his shoes at the outer door of the courtyard ; and he will have his reward in the increased attention paid to him by the guardians. A short staircase descends into an antechamber ; to the right and left are tombs of persons connected with the mosque, but not of great antiquity. There is nothing I'emarkable in the architecture of the antechamber ; to the right is the entrance to the tomb itself, and an inscription on the door informs ns that having been greatly injured by fire it was restored by Sidi Mohammed, Bev of Oran, in a.h. 1208 (A.D. 1792). The koubba itself contains two tombs ; to the right is the resting-place of the saint himself, to the left is that of his friend and disciple Sidi Abd-es-Selam of Tunis. The roof and walls retain all their fine old arabesque work, the principal feature of which is the repetition of a cartouch containing the inscription El-Mulk Lillah, "The kingdom is God's." The colouring is crude and modern. The whole interior is full of Sect. II ROUTE 23. M.VXSOURA 261 banners of brocade, votive candles, ostrich eggs, and the usual parapher- nalia of Arab tombs. On remounting to the upper court we see before us the principal entrance to tlie Mosque itself, glorious in design and sparkling with the most beautiful tile mosaics ; in the best style of Moorish art. These glazed tiles,' used in making the mosaic ])atterns, are supposed to have been made in Fez, or some other parts of Jlorocco ; they are somewhat ruder than tliose em- l)loyed in the Alhaml)ra, but exceed- ingly ed'ective ; the S(piare tiles came probably from Spain. To the right hand is a half ruined building, which, before the French con(juest, was recognised as an inviol- able sanctuary for criminals or refugees from justice. Ascending the steps we enter a portico with decorated walls and a roof of lioneyeombed pendativcs, and jiass into tlie open court beyond by large double doors covered with bronze, of wiiich, unfortunately, the lower part lias been stolen bit by bit. There is a tradition respecting these doors that tliey were lost in tlie sea, but recovered from it and brought to Uou-iledin Ijy tlie prayers of the saint. It may almost be said that they are to Moor- ish art what the doors of Ghil)erti are to Italian, for purely decorative art was never carried higher. Tlie design is a geometric interlaceil pattern. Tile mosipie itself is worthy of the approach to it. It is divided into five naves, tlie two lateral ones being pro- longed as corridors round the building, so as to enclose an open court — similar in fact to all other mosques in the place. The roofs of tliese naves are elongated vaults, decorated witli jilaster- work, in geometric patterns, without tracery, of a design much liolder than that on the rest of the building. It has at one time l)een painted — a very small fragment of the original jiainting gives an itlea of the style adopted. The pillars are sipiare and ])eirect!y plain, but the whole superstructure, from the spring of the arches to the 1 (Arabic Zilaidj, whence the Spanisli Azulejos.) roof, is covered with most delicate lace- like work. So is the mihrab, and the koubba in front of it, the domed ceil- ing of which is of open work, with stained glass. The painting of tliis ])ortion of the building is modern, and open to criticism. The walls of the building have a richly sculptured frieze, but below this they have a very siin[)le pattern excised in the plaster. The ancient mimber was of marble, but it got broken, and the ])resent painted wooden pulpit was given liy Abd-el-Kader. On the two pillars in front of the mihrab are onyx slabs bearing long Arabic inscriptions. These are the original charters by wliicli the lands around were granted in perpetuity to the mosque as JIabons or inalienable property. The French Government has taken ]iossession of tliesc, and they have tlierel)y incurred the responsi- bilit}' of keeping the building in proper order. They have done a good deal of late years ; had they begun .sooner we should not have had to deplore the irreparable dilapidation of this precious monument. The traveller should by all means ascend the minaret ; he will be re- warded by a magniticent view, and he will be able to inspect closely the manner in which it was decorated. To the W. of the mosque and at- tached to it is the Medraasa or college, where talebs and schdlars taught and studied at the cost of the endowment. In form it is similar to the; mostjuc : the inner chamber has a fine domed roof of open woodwork, below wliicli is a frieze of Arabic inscriptions, akso of sculptured wood. The tile mosaics whieh adorn the entrance? are remark- ably line. The buililing is isolated fiom the rock behind by a narrow gallery; this got filled up with earth, wiiidi entailed the destruction of tlie plaster-work on the walls. On the E. side of the nios(|uo is tin vapour bath and its dependencies. Mansoura, about IJ m. to the W. ii Tleiiie.'ii, is hardly less remarkable than I?ou-Mediii, and the road to it passes by several interesting objects. It is 2G2 ROUTE 23. ORAN TO TLEMgEN A Igeria better to visit it in tlic! aftfinoou, a.s the lii^lit is then better for seeing tlie jninarct. Leave Tlcmi;cn by the Fez gate, and about 100 yards i'artlier on will be seen on tlic right the Saharidj, a reser- voir, 220 metres long l»y 150 broad. It is built with walls of conerete 3'6.'> metres high and about 1 metre thiek, strengthened by buttresses ; it was construeted, we are told, by Abou Taelifm, the last king of the elder branch of the Abd-el-Ouadites, who was killed at the capture of the Mechouar, in 1337, in order to gratify as far as pos- sible the whim of a favourite wife who wished to Ijehold the sea and ships upon it. It has been partly repaired by the French, but cannot be used as a tank owing to some undisco vei'ed leak. About 1 kil. farther on, the road passes close to what was once a beautiful horseshoe arch called Bab-el-Khamis, formerly a gateway in the wall by which Abou Yakoub invested Tlenifen in the first years of the 14th century. It has now lost all its beauty bj' ruthless restora- tion. The large ruin which will be noticed on the slope of the hill to the left is an ancient mosque. Beyond the arch the road crosses the eastern wall of Mansoura. Its history re- sembles a tale from the " Arabian Nights." After Abou Yakoub had be- sieged Tlenifen four j'ears he turned his camp into a city, and surrounded it with walls and towers, of which a large portion now remains. The walls are about 12 metres high and the towers 37 metres apart, all built of concrete — a method which Pliny mentions as em- ployed by the people of this country in his time. Though the walls have in places disappeared, the line of towers still marks their direction ; they enclosed a nearly perfect square of 250 acres. Ibn Khaldoun says of it: — "It was filled with large houses, immense buildings, sumptuous palaces, and irrigated gardens. It was in 702 (1302) that the king built its walls and that he created a splendid city, famous both for its vast popu- lation, its extensive trade, and its massive walls. He included in it baths, caravanserais, a hospital, and a mosque with a lofty minaret." " In a short time," he adds, "it took the first ])lace among tlie cities of iiar- hary." Mansoura was, liowever, evacu- ated when peace was made in 1306, and deserted till 1329, when it was again occupied during the second siege of Tlemijen. Abou '1-Hassan, the Black Sultan, after the capture of that city, built a j)alace at ilansoura, which be- came a favourite residence. But in 1359 the Merenides were cxi)elled from TleniQcn, and Mansoura was finally deserted. Excepting the walls and the mosque, little remains of its former greatness, which is accounted for by the materials of which Moorish cities are built. Hewn stone and marble were seldom employed, and the con- crete and cement with which their places were supplied soon perish when exposed to the weather. The minaret of which mention has been made was built of hewn stone, and one side and a part of two others remain to this day. It is by far the most beautiful archi- tectural monument of Moorish times in Algeria. Until lately it was in great danger of falling, but now it has been thoroughly strengthened and repaired. The Arabs of the neighbourhood saj' that Abou Yakoub, being impatient to complete his tower, emplo3'ed upon it Mohammedan, Jew, and Christian masons, and that the work of the first only has stood. In this story there is probably a germ of truth, for the general character of the tower is European, but the decoration Moorish. AH other minarets near Tlemgen are built either of brick or concrete, with a solid square mass of masonry in the centre, round which runs the staircase, and round this again the outer walls, which are commonly, if not always, of bricks arranged to make peculiar patterns, the solid centre rising several feet or even yards above the walls. The Jlansoura minaret is, on the contrary, built hollow in the centre, and con- structed of hewn calcareous tufa, the thickness of the walls being about H metres, and the separate stones 36 cent, in height and usually at least twice that length. It resembles a European Sect. IT ROUTE 23. BENI AAD 263 clmrcli-tower in position, being in the centre of tlie end opposite the niihrab, and there is an entrance into tiie niosipie through it. Instead of an interior staircase it had a series of inclined planes or ramps up which a horse could mount to the summit. iEsthetic- ally, the tower can hardly be too highly praised. The proportions are ])erfect, the decoration rich and original, or at least unlike anything else in the neigh- bourhood. The arches are either cir- cular or pointed, and never horseshoe. Over the entrance arch is a stone pro- jection or porch beautifully carved, and round the arch is WTitten, Abou Yakotih Yousiif ben Abd-cl-Huk commanded this mosque to be built. The height of the tower is nearly 40 metres, and the upper ]iart is ornamented with green and bine tiles. Nothing remains of the rest of the mosque except the outer walls, the space within which is oblong, 100 yards by 59. A small village, with extensive and well-watered gardens around it, appears to occupy a mere spot in the immense area of the ancient city. The falls of El-Ourit or the Snf-Saf, 5 kil. from Tlemyeu, would be well worthy of a visit, even in a country where waterfiills abound. The road to S. Bel Abbes passes close under them, and the new railway runs just above. Leave Tlera9en by the gate of Bou Medin, and take the road which branches off to the right, about ^ m. outsiile the town. It passes through the olive grounds and gardens below Bou Jledin, and winds .shortly after to the right, round the corner of the hill, and turns again .sharply to the left at a briilge, whence the falls are best seen. They are unijuestionably beautiful, though not from the (juantity of water, or from their height, for though the total fall from the summit of the clitrs where the water is tirst seen, to the bottom of the ravine below the bridge, cannot well be less than -I.'jO metres, no single fall seems to be of more than 30 ; but rocks rise jirecipit- ously on either side from steep lianks half hidden by wild cherry trees, while huge masses of calcareous tufa, hollowed out in fantastic caverns, cover the ascent in front. The rich green of sloping banks contrasts with the red masses of the stratified cliffs, springing from them, nearly 300 metres hard and sharp against the .sky line ; while an immense mass of perpendicular tufa closes in the valley on the left of the upper fall. The visitor to the stalactite caves of the Beni Aad can drive 14 kil. along the road to Sidi bel Ablie.s, but must leave his carriage and turn olf to the right at the 16oth kilometri(; stone. The caves are 5 kil. from the road, but there are Arab encampments at hand where mules may be procured if notice be given beforehand. The following description of them is from "Through Algeria" : — "Stalactites in every variety of size and form closed in my view above, around, below. No ceiling of human work could exceed in varied beauty the deeii-tluted fringes and arches of jiale yellowish hue that hung over- head ; and not less exquisite were the clustering columns which, .shooting up on every side, joined the vault above, or terminated midway in a gi-oup of glittering pinnacles. As we threaded our way through overarching aisles, with aisles and aisles .seemingly ex- tending into the darkness on either hand, the weird-like fantastic beauty of the scene conjured up my childish visions of fairyland." The main grotto extends for more than a kil. in length, but it has never been thoroughly explored, and it is supposed that there is a communica- tion between it and other caverns farther down the hill. In visiting this cave the traveller would do well to provide himself with a magnesian lamjt, or if that is im|io.s.sible, a good supply of blue light anti red fire, whiih is easily procuralile at Algiers. Facili- ties for visiting the.se caves can bo obtiined by application at the .Sous- Brefeeture. The writer .saw them ilhuninatcil l)y 2ti0 Arabs carrying llambeaux, some of whom climbed up the highest 264 ROUTK 23. ORAN TO TLEMQEN Algeria stalaf,'niites ami wavoil tln'ir toi'<'ln-s like malignant demons amonfjst the stalactites depomliiij^ from the roof. Othor.s ran backward and forward, thron,t,di the grottoes and forest of columns around ; the effect was sin- gularly beautiful, and more like a fairy scene in a i)antomime thai) anything in real life. Such a treat as this can only be enjoyed by special favour, and then the traveller must be prepared to ]>ay a consideralile sum in presents to the Arab attendants. [An excursion may be made to Sebdou, and the mountains of tlie Beni Snous. An omnibus runs to and from the former place every day. The road is good ; it passes through the village of Mansoura, and then mounts the steep hills south of Tlemyen. The only appearance of European colonisa- tion beyond this is at 14 kil. The poor little village of Terny, situated in a jdain, the soil of which is of very inferior quality. Mounting the hills above, we come to 22 kil. Caravanserai of Ain-Ghoraba, "The Spring of the Crow." Beyond, the country is more picturesque, and the road passes through the fine oak forest of Titmokrcn, containing park- like glades dotted over with magnificent trees. 35 kil. A Maison Cantonniere may be seen on the left side of the road ; close to it is a large cavern, called by the Arabs Ain-Ycmam, "The Spring of Pigeons," from the number of those birds which frequent it ; this is the source of the river Tafna. The cave is divided into two stories by a hori- zontal partition of rock, looking almost like masonry : the lower part contains a pool of cool clear water, which flows underneath the surface of the river bed for a coui)le of hundred j'ards, and then appears above ground as the Tafna. After heavy rains the entire cave be- comes full of water, which rushes out in a magnificent cascade. The river then flows through a series of rockj- gorges to the N.W., till it enters the rich ]ilain'of the Tafna, and eventually reaches the sea at Raehgoun. Beyond the place just mentioned the valley becomes quite narrow, and the road descends into tlie jilain of Sebdou, i)assing amongst cascades, streams of water, and rich irrigated land. On the oppo.site side of the plain may be seen the mountains of the Beni Snous, amongst which are a number of rounded 7namelons, called by the French " The Twelve Apostles." 43 kil. Sebdou. Hotel de Commerce, 3000 ft. above the sea. This town is situated on the Oned Guelt el-Kilah, "Dogs' Ferry," and was once an important military station, with a redoubt and a large entrenched camp, around which a considerable village had sprung up, all the inhabit- ants of which were more or less dependent on the garrison for their subsistence. But in 1881 it was handed over to the civil authorities, the Bureau Arabe was removed to El-Aricia, 50 kil. farther S., and the garrison was gradually diminished, till now it does not number 50 men. There is no land available for colonisation ; it all belongs to the Arabs, who cannot be induced to part with it, so that now Sebdou seems menaced with ruin. The only trade which is at all brisk is that of alfa, of which there are usually large depots waiting to be transported to the coast. An excursion, which can be made on horseback, starting early in the morning and returning at night, 3 hours' ride each way, is to Dhara in the mountains of the Beni Snous, where is the magnificent house of El-Hadj bel Arabi, one of the kaids of that tribe. The road passes through a fine forest of oak and over wooded hillsides, lighted up in early summer with a profusion of flowers of every colour. The mother of the kaid is quite an historical personage, being the widow of Si Mohammed bin Abdulla, Agha of the Beni Snous, who was murdered in 1856 by, or at the instigation of, Captain Doineau, Chief of the Bureaux Arabe at Tlemoen. That officer was sentenced to death for the offence, a punishment commuted into perpetual exile from France. This lady, who goes everj^vhere by the name of El- Adjusa, or "the old woman," is held Sect. II ROUTE 24. SIDI BEL ABBES 265 in tlie gieatest veneration throughout the country. She does tlie honours of her house with uncovered face, and with the most perfect dignity and cordiality. Travellers should not, however, venture to call upon her without consulting the administrator at Sebdou.] ROUTE 24. A Tour through the Centre of Oran to Mascara, Sidi bel Abbes, Tlem- cen, Lalla Marnia, Nedroma, and Nemours. This route is strongly recommended to travellers who do not fear the fatigue of travelling by diligence, and who wish to see something more of tlie country than is possible by railway. It con- tains all that is most interesting in the piovince of Oran, and the traveller, whose eventual destination may be Spain or Gibraltar, can so time his movements as to catch the Trans- atlantic steamer at Nemours. It can be done in 5 days' actual travel from Algiers, viz. — First day — Algiers to PeiTcgaux by train (Rte. 10). Second day — Perregaux to Mascara by train (Rte. 23). Third day — Mascara to Sidi bel Abbes by diligence in 11 hours. Fourth day — Sitli bel Abbes to Tlemcen liy train. Fifth day — Tlem^en to Nemours by diligence in 14 hours. First and secon