embarrassments of a country occupied narrow pass at Macta, the squares

which enclosed the wounded and the baggage were broken through, and the slaughter was immense. All the wounded were put to the sword, and their heads, stuck upon the long lances of the Arabs, were pushed, gashed and bleeding, over the bayonets of the infantry into the very faces of their comrades. After having left upwards of 500 heads (for the custom of decapitation taught the French thus to number their dead) in the hands of the enemy, and after having performed prodigies of valour, General Trezel effected his retreat.

The news of this reverse changed the policy of the French. They no longer dreamt of remaining even partially inactive. Marshal Clausel was sent expressly to take signal vengeance (une éclatantere vanche) upon Abd-el-Kader. He marched without any resistance upon Mascara, the capital of the Emir, which he found abandoned and in ruins. After having destroyed it entirely, he returned to Oran, and, on the 8th January, 1836, recommenced the campaign. He then basely turned his arms against the friendly tribes who had absolutely first applied to the French for assistance, and effected a most cruel razzia on the Conlouglis. Even in France this useless cruelty was condemned, and in England the papers wrote fervently against it. After two of these promenades, to use the French term, during which Abd-el-Kader hovered on his flanks without coming to any decisive

by a foreign army, the French concluded with Abd-el-Kader a treaty which constituted him sovereign of the province of Oran, with the rights of monopolising the whole of the commerce of the country, in the same way in which Mehemet Ali did in Egypt. The Arabs were forbidden to trade with the Europeans except through the agent of the Emir, who himself fixed the price of their goods, which he resold to the European merchants. The treaty was divided into two parts, the Arabian and the French agreement; the first part only Desmichels communicated to his government, upon which a misunderstanding arose between the Governorgeneral Voirol and Desmichels, which the Emir knew how to turn to his own advantage. But as every ambitious chief has other enemies than those he meets in the open field; the coldness of his partisans, the revolt of some and the jealousy of others at his elevation, so it happened with Abd-el-Kader. Many Kaids declared against him, and on the 12th of April, 1834, Mustapha Ben Ismaël, chief of the Douaires, raised the standard of revolt, and, in spite of a determined resistance, overthrew him, put him to flight, and would have taken or slain him had it not been for the devotion of one of his men, who raised and remounted him. This time Abd-el-Kader was indebted to the French for assistance. Desmichels refused the friendship of Ben Ismaël, one of the most faithful allies of his nation, assisted Abd-el-Kader in re-engagement, the Marshal returned to pulsing him, and sent to that Emir a supply of powder and muskets. By this aid he recovered his position, and in his ambition of extending his dominion, he conceived the project of overrunning the whole of the provinces of Algiers and of Tittery; he crossed the Chèlif, entered into Médéah as a victor, and placed over the tribes he had conquered friends of his own, and returned triumphantly to his own territory. This was too bold a stroke to be pleasing to the French, and General Trezel, who had superseded Desmichels, marched against the Emir to chastise him. Their forces met at Macta, the Arabians being much more numerous than the French, and the battle, which commenced favourably to the latter, terminated in their total defeat, on the 28th of June, 1835. Surprised in a

Algiers, persuaded, if one may judge from the bulletins which he issued, that he had entirely destroyed the power of the Emir. Soon after, General d'Arlanges, conducting a convoy of provisions from Oran to Tlemsen, was attacked by the Emir, and overthrown with considerable loss, on the 24th April, 1836. This check, added to the failure of an expedition on Constantine, made the French still more energetic. General Bugeaud was ordered to effect the retirement of Abd-el-Kader, either by treaty or by arms. A new expedition was sent against Constantine, which this time was successful, and the town was carried by assault, but with immense loss to the French; and repulsed in pacific overtures, Bugeaud met the Emir, on the 6th of July, 1833, at the Pass of Sikak, where he attacked

him with the greatest vigour and over-making their enthusiasm subservient threw him; Abd-el-Kader retiring from to his administration; and secondly, to the combat with a loss of from 1,200 to give to the population a vigorous mili1,500 Arabs, killed and wounded. In- tary constitution, so as to prepare them stead of taking advantage of this vic- for the task of expelling, by an energetic tory, Bugeaud remained inactive, gave and unanimous effort, all Christian the chief time to recover himself, to re- sway from the soil of Africa. Nor did establish himself in his authority; and, he rest here. He made a second line some months afterwards, admitted him of defence, in the rear of the towns of on equal terms to a most advantageous the interior on the borders of the treaty, which gave to Abd-el-Kader smaller desert. To the south at Medéah, three-fourths of Algeria, the provinces he established a post, and to the south of Oran, Tittery, and a part of that of of Mostaganena, at Boghar, he created Algiers, and granted him a facility of a military depôt. His influence exbuying ammunition and arms in France. tended as far as the Desert of Sahara; (Vide art. vii. in treaty.) and finding on every hand that the tribes were prepared for a holy war, he sent word of his intentions to General Vallée; and on the 14th of December, 1839, gave the signal for a deadly struggle. For this the French were unprepared. The colonists of Mitidja were surprised by the Hagouts; their warehouses were pillaged and burnt, and in a short time from the commencement of the campaign, the soldiers of the Emir had penetrated as far as the fortifications of Algiers, and had recovered from their enemies all the territory, save that which was inclosed by strong fortifications.

This treaty was severely criticised in France; and, in carrying it out, various obstacles were found. Abd-el-Kader availed himself of several obscure passages to extend his territory, and eluded the propositions of the French to come to a settlement. In December, 1837, he encamped near Hamza, and required and received the submission of all the tribes of the adjacent countries. And upon the Marshal Vallée, alarmed at this movement, establishing a camp at Khamis, the remnant of the tribe of Ouleb Teiton, which the Emir had on a pretext of contempt for his authority, surprised and massacred, came to the The news of this disastrous campaign French to demand vengeance. Such struck the French nation with amazeacts as these were deemed flagrant ment. The Duke of Orleans, heir to violations of the treaty of Tafna; and the throne, hastened over to take part the Governor-general made such de- in the war. He was accompanied by termined and energetic protestations against them, that Abd-el-Kader consented at last to name an agent who should discuss the basis of an interpretative convention, of the second article of the treaty of the 30th of May,

1837.

his brother, the Duc d'Aumale, and disembarked at Algiers on the 13th of April, 1840. Operations on a vast scale were at once commenced, but after twenty engagements, wherein great valour was shown on both sides, and amongst which we must not omit the Moulond-ben-Arach, who had gone to defence of Mazagran by a handful of Paris loaded with presents for the King, soldiers, no decisive result was obtained. was charged with this important nego- The two princes distinguished themtiation. On his return to Algiers, he selves by their coolness and intrepidity, brought with him a convention, which, and the French army, generally, impresin some measure, modified three arti- sed their opponents with a very high cles in the former treaty; but, in the opinion of their courage. This, withmeantime, Abd-el-Kader had profited by out any farther result, was unsatisfacthe truce, by strengthening his power, tory, and some blame being attached to and fortifying his towns where possible. General Vallée, Marshal Bugeaud was At Mascara, he had placed his brother-sent, in December 1840, to replace him, in-law, Ben-Tamir; Tlemsen was in with an express mission to destroy the the hands of his trusty lieutenant Bou Hamedi, and various other strongholds were held by other chiefs of the Mara bouts, equally favourable to the designs of the Emir, which were, first, to inflame the tribes with a religious fervour,

power of Abd-el-Kader, and to reduce the whole territory of Algeria. With such spirit did he follow up these instructions, that in a few months after the commencement of the campaign he had already destroyed Tekendempt, Bo

embarrassments of a country occupied narrow pass at Macta, the squares

by a foreign army, the French concluded
with Abd-el-Kader a treaty which con-
stituted him sovereign of the province
of Oran, with the rights of monopo-
lising the whole of the commerce of
the country, in the same way in which
Mehemet Ali did in Egypt. The Arabs
were forbidden to trade with the Euro-
peans except through the agent of the
Emir, who himself fixed the price of
their goods, which he resold to the
European merchants. The treaty was
divided into two parts, the Arabian and
the French agreement; the first part
only Desmichels communicated to his
government, upon which a misunder-
standing arose between the Governor-
general Voirol and Desmichels, which
the Emir knew how to turn to his own
advantage. But as every ambitious
chief has other enemies than those he
meets in the open field; the coldness
of his partisans, the revolt of some and
the jealousy of others at his eleva-
tion, so it happened with Abd-el-Kader.
Many Kaids declared against him, and
on the 12th of April, 1834, Mustapha
Ben Ismaël, chief of the Douaires,
raised the standard of revolt, and, in
spite of a determined resistance, over-
threw him, put him to flight, and would
have taken or slain him had it not been
for the devotion of one of his men,
who raised and remounted him. This
time Abd-el-Kader was indebted to
the French for assistance. Desmichels
refused the friendship of Ben Ismaël,
one of the most faithful allies of his
nation, assisted Abd-el-Kader in re-
pulsing him, and sent to that Emir a
supply of powder and muskets. B
this aid he recovered his position, an
in his ambition of extending his
minion, he conceived the project
overrunning the whole of the proving
of Algiers and of Tittery; he cross
the Chèlif, entered into Médéah
victor, and placed over the
had conquered friends of
returned triumphantly
tory. This was too bo
pleasing to the Frenc
Trezel, who had supersed
marched against the En
him. Their forces met
Arabians being much mo
than the French, and the
commenced favourably to
terminated in their total de
28th of June, 1835. Surp

ghar, and Thaja, new fortresses built submitted. Amongst these, fear natuby Abd-el-Kader; had taken Mascara; rally spread, and they repaired to had driven away the flocks, and destroyed General Lamoricière and supplicated the crops of the hostile tribes, and had by his agents occasioned many defections in the ranks of the Emir. In the following campaign in 1842, he placed General Lamoricière in occupation of Mascara, who having fortified it, sallied from thence on every side. The enemy was reduced to the defensive, and in the speech from the throne in the same year, Algeria was pronounced to be henceforth and for ever a territory of France."