Attacked by the king of Tenez.

The Spaniards.

ALGIERS. A second attack upon the ill-acquired dominion of Barbarossa, was at first more successful. Algiers was invested by 10,000 Moors, under the command of Abdes, king of Tenez, who was immediately joined by all the Arabs of the country. This force, however, Barbarossa defeated with 1,000 Turkish musqueteers, and 500 Moors, and marched at once to Tenez, the capital of Abdes, and having received the homage of that state, intimidated the inhabitants of the neighbouring province of Tremecen into like submission. Opportunely for him, they had quarrelled with their king, who had dethroned his nephew, and they now requested his aid to dispossess the usurper of his throne. This he instantly marched to grant them, and blockading the king in his capital, the inhabitants, at the instigation of the conspirators, sent his head to Barbarossa, with an invitation to ascend their throne. Of this rash resolve, however, like the Algerines, they soon had reason to repent. The particulars of the life of this extraordinary character will be reserved for a separate article of Biography; suffice it to state here, that the hereditary prince of Tremecen fleeing for support to Charles V. lately arrived in Spain, a succour of 10,000 men was placed, for his assistance, under the command of the Marquis de Gomarez. This force first attacked Calau, a fortress between Tremecen and Algiers, which was carried after a stout resistance, and exposed to a severe sacking; Barbarossa keeping close within Tremecen, and the inhabitants waiting the first opportunity to revolt. But alarmed at the tidings of the advance of the enemy upon that capital, Barbarossa at length resolved to try the event of an engagement, and sallied out of the town with 1,500 Turks, and 5,000 Moorish cavalry. Scarcely had he left the place, before his council advised him to return; observing the indications of that determined revolt which, in point of fact, the inhabitants had now carried into execution; the gates were closed upon him; and Barbarossa had no other resource than to throw himself into the citadel, with the hopes of escaping by stealth with his plunder. Here he vigorously defended himself for some time, during which, apprehensive of famine, he constructed a subterraneous passage for his retreat. The Spanish general, however, was well informed of his movements, and when Barbarossa at length attempted to depart, although he scattered plate, money, and jewels, in profusion, along the road, to beguile his pursuers, he was overtaken at the Heuxda, a river about eight leagues from Tremecen, and killed, after a desperate resistance. Abuchen Men was now declared king of Tremecen, but the Turks, at Algiers, proclaimed Hayradin, Barbarossa's brother, king of that place, and high admiral of the seas.

Killed at the Heuxda.

Algiers is This chieftain placed his dominions under the proplaced tection of the Porte, in exchange for which he promised under alan annual tribute. A splendid embassy was sent to legiance to the Porte. Constantinople to announce the death of his brother, and Hayradin, now appointed a bashaw of the empire over the kingdom of Algiers, shortly afterwards received a reinforcement of 2,000 janizaries from Constantinople, which decided his domination over this part of the coast. He demolished the Spanish fort in the bay, after a brave resistance on the part of the garrison, and proceeded to construct the mole of the harbour. This strong work, uniting (as we have stated) the island that gave name to the town with the adjacent

The mole built.

shore, is said to have occupied 30,000 Christian slaves ALG in building it, for three years; and this is the first instance of Christian slavery in these dominions which the Algerine history appears to supply. A fresh grant of money from the Turkish sultan now invigorated the measures of this enterprizing and able chief; fortifications were extended along the bay, and Algiers, under his administration, arose into a formidable piratical power.

Hayradin was finally appointed admiral of the Turkish fleet in the Mediterranean, and captain bashaw of the empire, with which, and with the capture of Tunis for the Porte, his future history becomes involved; while Hassan Aga, a renegado of Sardinia, succeeded him in the government of Algiers. His expeditions in the Mediterranean were still more extensive and successful than those of his predecessors, and spread consternation along all the southern shores of Europe. Pope Paul III. Expe invited the emperor, Charles V. to chastise the daring of infidel, and elated by his former success against Tunis, that monarch made the most extensive preparations to crush this rising state. One hundred and twenty ships, and twenty gallies, with an army of 30,000 chosen men, well appointed in arms, ammunition, and provisions, sailed on this memorable enterprize. The young nobility of Spain, Italy, and his German dominions crowded to the standard of the cross, together with one hundred knights of Malta, attended by 1,000 of their followers. Even ladies of good family and character embarked with the expedition, confident of a peaceful settlement on the shores of Barbary after the subjection of its present masters. A papal bull promised absolution of their sins and the crown of martyrdom to all who should fall in the sacred cause.

After a perilous voyage from Majorca, the fleet appeared off the coast of Africa in the close of the summer of 1541, every ship displaying a crucifix at the head, and the standard of Spain at her stern; and anchored near cape Metafuze, between two and three leagues E. of Algiers. Here, after some delay from Land the difficulty of the shore, the whole army safely dis- di embarked, and advanced in great order upon the town. Hassan's garrison amounted only to 600 armed Turks, and between 5 and 6,000 Moors, without arms. After all the fame of the immense preparations for this expedition in Europe, he appears to have been taken by surprise; for his best troops were in the country levying the annual tribute of the Arabs and Moors, and the Algerines were panic-struck. The emperor having erected a fort for the protection of his camp, and diverted from the city a stream of water which supplied most of its inhabitants, now summoned the bashaw to surrender at discretion. A haughty defiance is reported to have been his only answer. His imah, or dowan, at first encouraged him to resistance, but were already deliberating on proposing terms of surrender, when a prophet named Yusef, or Joseph, demanded an audience of the assembly, and boldly predicted the destruction of the Spaniards before the change of the moon. By one of those happy coincidences, of whose occurrence we are certain to be informed, all the elements of nature seemed to conspire in the evening to accomplish this timely prophecy; the wind rose in the Dre north with resistless violence, rain and hail fell in sten torrents, while an almost supernatural darkness overspread the hemisphere, and the ground was rocked

ked

шes.

IERS. with earthquakes. The camp of the Spaniards was flooded with water; they remained all night unsheltered and incapable of taking any repose, and the ground was in the morning a perfect morass. Hassan, perceiving their distress, sallied forth at day-break with his best troops, and drove in an advanced guard of Italians, stationed near the town. Their companions, in attempting to support them, found their powder so wetted as to be useless, the rain extinguished all their matches, and the Algerines were making the greatest havoc among the imperial troops, until Charles himself advanced with the whole army to encounter him. Hassan now retreated in good order, and left the emperor to witness still greater disasters. His ships, tossed by the violence of the storm, were every hour diminishing in number, or driving out to sea. In the course of a few hours one hundred and fifty transports, and fifteen men of war, were dashed to pieces on the rocks, and 8,000 of his troops drowned, or butchered by the inhabitants on reaching the shore. Charles is stated to have spent the morning on the beach in silent agony. Calamities, over which he could have no controul, were not only scattering all the resources of his ambition, hown, but even the hopes of his personal safety; and when Doria, his admiral, informed him, on the following morning, that he must make for Metafuze with his remaining vessels, it seemed almost impracticable to follow him. The army, however, began this perilous march, which they accomplished in three days, covering their rear with the least exhausted of the troops, but leaving very many on the road. Scarcely had they re-embarked, when another storm arose, obliging many of them to make instantly for the first friendly port they could find; Charles himself was detained several weeks at Bujeya by contrary winds, and, utterly disheartened and dispirited, rather than defeated, returned with great difficulty to his dominions. Stimulated by this signal overthrow of his great opponent, Hassan now led his troops to an attack upon Tremecen, and compelled the king to become his tributary soon after which he died. Haji, or Chaji, an old officer of their own, was chosen by the Algerine troops as his successor. This chief is only known for having repelled a formidable attack of an Arabian cheyk, named Abu Terisee, on the Algerine states; for he was soon obliged to resign the government to Hassan, the son of Hayradin Barbarossa, to whom the Porte granted the appointment of bashaw of Algiers, and who was the first native Algerine placed in command of its resources. Tremecen was finally added to the to the Algerine state under his domination; and he bestowed more attention on the interior government of the country than any of his predecessors. On the spot where Charles's pavilion had been pitched, he built a tower, as a memorial of his defeat. He laid the foundation of an extensive hospital for the sick janizaries in the town, and erected a magnificent bagnio. He also constructed the great bastion over the mole gate, contrived supplies of corn for the inhabitants during a great scarcity, and performed other acts of publicspiritedness and attachment to the people, which rendered his removal an object of real regret. This arose from a dispute with a powerful Turkish family at Constantinople, respecting his hereditary property in that city, which he thought of sufficient importance to call for his presence there.

cen

His successor was an Arab, named Salha Rais, who ALGIERS. extended the dominions of this state toward the south, and dispossessed Spain of the valuable port of Bujeya. Bujeya. On his death, Hassan Corso, a favourite renegado of the late bashaw, was elected by the soldiers as their chieftain, until the pleasure of the Porte should be known. This was announced in about four months, by the arrival of a fleet with a Turk of the name of Tekeli, as bashaw, on board, whom the Algerines were at first disposed to resist. The place, however, being betrayed to him by a Levantine chief, he ordered Corso to the punishment of the chinhun, which consisted in being thrown on hooks fastened in a wall, where he hung in horrible torture for three days. Alisardo, the viceroy of Bujeya, was the next victim of Tekeli's tyranny. Understanding that he was immensely rich, he bastinadoed, scarified, and finally impaled him, with the vain hope of discovering his wealth. These cruelties having ripened the janizaries for revolt, the favourable moment of a plague, which induced Tekeli to retire from the town, was seized by Yusef, the governor of Tremecen, who marched upon the bashaw in the old demolished town of his retreat, and, after a short pursuit, dispatched him, and marched without resistance into Algiers. He was now by acclamation elected bashaw, but died of the plague in six days. On this a private Turkish soldier, named Chajah, held the government until the re-arrival of Hassan, the son of Hayradin Barbarossa, who was again appointed by the Porte to this regency. The year following his return Algerines he defeated a formidable expedition of the Spaniards take 12,000 against Mostagan, under the command of Count D'Al- Spaniards. candela, taking 12,000 prisoners, and immense spoil. The whole of these were, of course, reduced to the most cruel slavery. But Hassan excited the jealousy of his Algerine subjects, by permitting those of his father-in-law, the king of Cuco, to trade at the port of Algiers for ammunition. The janizaries seized him, with several of his officers, and threw him in irons, in which state he was sent to Constantinople, under pretence of his having made an effort to establish in Algiers an independent kingdom. Though he cleared his character with the court, a new bashaw was appointed, who held his office but a few months, when Hassan was a second time reinstated in his dignity. He now assembled a powerful army for the attack of Attack Marsa-al-Quibber, one of the finest ports on this coast, Quibber. and commanding the city of Oran, the strongest and best possession of Spain in Barbary. After a long investment of the place, and when it was on the point of surrender, the Venetian admiral, Doria, appeared for its relief, and compelled the Algerines to raise the siege. Hassan was recalled to Constantinople shortly after this event, where he died.

Marsa-al

Under his successor, Mahamed, a romantic enter- John prize was undertaken against Algiers by John Gascon, Gascon. a native of Valencia. He conceived the plan of burning the Algerine fleet, by night, in the harbour, and his project meeting with the approbation of the Spanish government, he was furnished with all the materials he required. He reached the mole gate of Algiers in safety; but his combustibles were so badly mixed, that during the delay of attempting to fire them, the garrison was alarmed, and the adventurer seized in attempting to escape. Mahamed ordered him to be fastened to a high gibbet by the feet, over

ALGIERS, the spot where he landed, and, in contempt of his master, hung his commission on his toes. At the intercession of some of his troops, however, he was at first taken down; but others, joined by the populace, having murmured at this lenity, he was flung on the chinhun, or hook, where he instantly expired.

Our object, in this sketch, is rather to shew the manner in which this ill-gotten territory has been gradually acquired, and to give a brief history of the efforts of Christian nations to subjugate it, than to detail all the internal vicissitudes of its ever-changing government. It will be enough, therefore, to state, that Mahamed was succeeded by Ochali, a renegado, who, from the most abject condition, raised himself to this eminence, and to general consideration in all the Turkish settlements of the Mediterranean. He reduced the kingdom of Tunis to the allegiance of the Porte. In 1585, under Memi Arnaud, an Albanian, whose government appears to have exhibited some unusual traces of justice and civilization, we first find Algerines the Algerines passing the straits of Gibraltar, in considerable force, and extending their depredations as far as the Canary islands. Here they landed, and carried off three hundred persons (including the family of the governor), with great plunder, but admitted some of the principal ladies to ransom.

pass the straits of Gibraltar.

Their government underwent a considerable revolution at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and was at that period established in most of its present features. The Algerines having been subject to a perpetual succession of the most rapacious strangers for their viceroys, represented to the Porte their danger of subjugation from the Arabs and Moors, in union with the Christian states, unless a more equitable and stable form of government could be granted to them. Upon this remonstrance, they were permitted to choose their own governor, who was now called the dey, and to whom, in conjunction with the dowan, or divan, of the city, the absolute government of the state was to be committed: the Algerines engaging that the tribute should be punctually remitted, and due respect paid to the bashaw of the grand seignor, as the representative of their sovereign. A code of laws was at this time formed for the entire government of the regency, and a new oath of allegiance imposed on all the public authorities and merchants of the capital. The opening of this century was also marked by an unsuccessful attempt of John Andrew Doria upon the town of Algiers; but, through the prevalence of contrary winds, the expedition wholly failed. In 1616, the navy of the Algerines had increased to forty sail of vessels from two hundred to four hundred tons in burden, and was divided into two squadrons, one of which was stationed off cape St. Maria, between Seville and Lisbon, to interrupt all Christian vessels trading in this direction, and the other in the port of Malaga. The government of France was now roused against these shameless depredators, and dispatched a fleet of fifty Beaulieu's sail to cruize after them under Admiral Beaulieu. He expedition. dispersed their principal fleet, and took two of their

Government altered.

ships; another being sunk by the commander, a renegado of Rochelle, rather than it should fall into the hands of the French. An English squadron was sent Sir R. Man- out against them in 1620, under the command of Sir Robert Mansel, but with no great success. He made an ineffectual attempt to burn the Algerine fleet in

sel.

the harbour, but seems only to have stimulated their ALGIERS courage and cupidity by his appearance; for, immediately on his retiring, a new expedition was projected, and the Algerines returned laden with the spoils of forty English vessels; and now held all the powers of Europe in defiance, except Holland. Here, in 1625, during the war in the Low Countries, we find them sending a proposal of alliance, and offering to join the Dutch fleet with sixty sail of vessels against the Spaniards; but this disgraceful junction was declined.

The year 1628 was distinguished by a final effort of Algerines the Algerines to shake off the Turkish yoke. About throw off two years before, the children of the Turks who had the Turkis been permitted to marry into Algerine families, had yoke. seized the citadel, and made a desperate and almost successful attack upon the government; and a favourable opportunity presented itself for the attempt at independence, in the exhausted state of the Turkish empire, then in the midst of an unsuccessful war against Persia. The avarice of these depredators became further stimu lated to this effort by the twenty-five years' truce lately concluded between the Sultan and Ferdinand II. which bound them, as a portion of the Ottoman dominions, to peace with all the subjects of the emperor. This treaty they determined, in conjunction with the other Barbary powers, wholly to disregard, and proceeded to make prizes both of the friends and enemies of the Porte, carrying their audacity to the extremes of the Mediter ranean. After having pursued a Dutch vessel into the port of Alexandretta, they had the temerity to land and burn the warehouses and public stores. The Turks con tented themselves with a formal remonstrance. In these outrages they continued wholly unchecked for several years. In 1652 a French fleet being driven by stress of weather into Algiers, demanded the release of all Frenchmen then in slavery there, which being refused, the admiral carried off the Turkish viceroy and his cadi, with their whole retinue. In revenge for this, the Algerines demolished a French fort, called the bastion of France, which had been recently erected on their coast, in virtue of a treaty between Lewis XIII. and the Porte, and carried six hundred settlers into slavery. They also projected at this period an attack upon the treasures of Loretto, which only failed through contrary winds; and having landed at Puglia in Naples, they brought away many captives, and sweeping every vessel of importance from the Adriatic, returned with a prodigious spoil.

Capello, the grand admiral of the Venetians, pre- Capcila pared to avenge their depredations on the republic in 1653. A fleet of twenty-eight sail was equipped, and commissioned to take, burn, or destroy, every vessel of the Barbary states. He followed the Algerine squadron into the port of Valona, from which, after a blockade of some days, it attempted to escape, and was vigorously attacked and defeated off the shore. The Turkish commander of the castle, to the surprise of the Venetian admiral, supported the Algerines on this occasion; and a shot from one of his squadron happening to fall on a Turkish mosque of the town, the whole affair was resented as an attack upon the Porte, who compelled the Venetians to recall their commander, and pay a recompence of 500,000 ducats. Though Capello had scarcely left the Algerines a ship to put to sea, we find them, in about two years, at the head of a still greater naval force than ever. During their

ERS. lamentation for the loss of their former squadron, a corsair returned from the coast of Iceland with six hundred slaves of both sexes; and the Dutch French, and English, were now glad to obtain peace with them upon almost any terms. A spirited attack was made about this time upon an Algerine fleet of seven vessels, by a single. Dutchman, but it was reserved for the vice-admiral of ition France, the Marquis du Quesne, in 1682, to inflict upon this horde of robbers their first exemplary chastisement on their own shores. In the autumn of this year he vigorously bombarded the town, and set fire to it in so many directions, that but for a sudden change of wind, which drove the flames toward the sea, and forced the admiral from the harbour, he would at that time have utterly destroyed the place. Returning, however, in the May following, with a strong force under the joint command of himself and the Marquis D'Affranville, he formally invested the place, upon whose defence the Algerines had bestowed every possible attention during the winter. Two days of the most active bombardment had again almost reduced the town to ashes, the palace of the dey was in ruins, when the French consul with a Turkish delegate were sent to the admiral to sue for peace. While the negociations were pending, a portion of the French captives in Algiers were also sent to the squadron; but a division arising in the dowan respecting the terms of peace, the dey was butchered, by the soldiery, at the instigation of Mezomorto, the Algerine admiral, and himself elected in This desperate barbarian refused to ratify any of the articles of peace; he exhibited the bloody flag of utter defiance on the walls; and massacring all the remaining French in the town, caused the consul to be fastened to a mortar and shot off against the bombarding fleet. Du Quesne now redoubled his efforts for just vengeance; the flames of the city were rekindled until they illuminated the sea for several leagues round; every vessel in the harbour, and all the works and fortifications were destroyed; nor would he leave the place until the whole of the lower part, and two-thirds of the upper part of the city was one heap of ruins. The dowan was ultimately compelled to send to Paris for peace. As a specimen of Alge rine manners at this period, and no unfavourable exhibition of their talents in pleading such a cause as theirs, we cannot forbear subjoining the copy of the speech made by the Algerine envoy to Louis XIV. on this occasion:

his room.

"Most high, most excellent, most powerful, magnanimous, and invincible Louis XIV. emperor of the French, whom God preserve, and make happy, "I prostrate myself at the foot of thy sublime imperial throne, as the messenger of the joy with which our republic, and the dey, my master, have concluded a peace with thy lieutenant; and of their impatient desire, that thy sublime majesty will be pleased to put thy ratifying seal to it. The force of thy ever-victorious arms, and the strength of thy sword, have made them sensible of the fault which Baba Hassan committed, in declaring war against thy subjects. I am deputed hither to beg thy pardon for it, and to assure thee, in the sincerest terms, that henceforth our conduct shall be such as may deserve the friendship of the greatest emperor of the disciples of Jesus, and the only one we stand in dread of.

"The atrocious violence committed against the

person of thy consul is such as we should judge, would ALGIERS. prove an invincible obstacle to a peace, if thy light, which, like that of the sun, penetrates all things, did not easily conceive how far an enraged and ungovernable populace can carry their furious resentment, in the midst of multitudes of their fellow-citizens, crushed in pieces by thy bombs; of which number they beheld their parents, brethren, and children, deprived either of life, effects, or liberty.

"But whatever their motives were, the violence we are far from excusing or extenuating. I come to beg of thee to turn for ever away thy sacred eyes from beholding a deed detested by all good men amongst us, especially those in power; who cannot therefore be justly charged with it.

"We hope, mighty emperor, great as Gemsehid, opulent as Kraour, magnificent as Solyman, and magnanimous as Akemptas, that thy clemency will not reject these our earnest prayers; and the high opinion we have of thy unparalleled generosity, gives us a kind of assurance, that thou wilt order all our brethren who wear thy chains, to be set at liberty, as we ourselves have done, not only to thy subjects, but likewise to those who were under the shadow of thy august name; that the joy for this peace may become equal and universal; and that a much greater number of mouths may be thereby opened to celebrate thy praise. That, when thy subjects return to their country, they may thankfully come and throw themselves at thy feet, while our's proclaim thy praise throughout the vast countries of Africa, and imprint in their children a veneration for thy incomparable virtues, and a due regard for the French nation.

"This will prove the happy foundation of an eternal peace; of which we promise an exact and religious observance on our part, in all its articles; not doubting but it will be equally observed by thy subjects; from whom thy authority claims an unlimited obedience.

66

May the almighty and gracious Creator give a blessing upon this peace, and maintain a perpetual union, between the most high, most excellent, and most magnanimous emperor of the French, and the most illustrious and magnificent bashaw, dey, douwan, and the victorious armies of the republic of Algiers." Univ. History, Modern, vol. xv.

Fearful of his predecessor's fate, the ferocious dey now abdicated the sovereignty; and the disputes which took place between the Turkish viceroys and the Algerine deys, occupy the principal part of their domestic history to the conclusion of this century, when the Porte united the two dignities into one.

The English, in 1686, effected a very favourable English treaty of peace with the Algerines, which was renewed treaties. at various periods by James II. William III. and Geo. II. on which last occasion all the former treaties with the Algerine republic are said to be ratified; and these treaties formed the basis of all the intercourse of Great Britain with the Algerine state, until that which arose out of the last expedition. In 1708, the Algerines obtained possession of Oran from the Spaniards, which they held until 1737. The history of the last century has been marked by various attempts of the Christian nations to compel the observance of their respective treaties by arms; none of which, however, were so distinguished as that of Du Quesne, in the preceding century; a mixed and compromising policy,

ALGIERS. being either dictated by necessity, and the more important wars of Europe, or being strangely thought to furnish the only method of humbling these faithless depredators.

Lord Exmouth's expedition.

Our establishments at Gibraltar and Port Mahon have latterly preserved our relations with them more stable than those of any other state; but the general peace of the European continent, in 1816, induced the British government to endeavour to make some more permanent arrangements with the Algerines. They were required to treat the inhabitants of the Ionian isles as British subjects; a peace between the Barbary States and Sardinia and Naples was negociated by our commander in the Mediterranean, and the abolition of all Christian slavery. To each of these proposals, except the last, the dey was willing to accede; but this he evaded, by pleading himself to be a subject of the Porte, and requested a delay of six months to be able to consult his government. Lord Exmouth agreed to wait three months, but had scarcely quitted the shores when a most barbarous outrage on the coral fisheries at Bona summoned him to return. To this place a number of Corsicans, Neapolitans, and Italians had long been in the habit of resorting for coral, under the protection of the British flag. On the 23d of May a body of 2,000 Algerine infantry and cavalry attacked their boats; the fire of the forts opened upon them at the same time, and nearly the whole of their unresisting crews were butchered. The British flags were seized and trampled under foot.

This event decided government to one of the most glorious efforts of the British arms. The Impregnable, of 98 guns, three 70-gun ships, and the Leander, of 50 guns, with four frigates, several smaller vessels, gun-boats, &c. were commanded to rendezvous at Gibraltar here they were joined by five Dutch frigates and a sloop, and appeared before Algiers on the 18th of August. Very considerable additions had been made to the fortifications, and new works were thrown up on both flanks of the town, while an army of 40,000 troops had been collected from the interior. The ships were all in port, and between forty and fifty mortar and gun boats.

After a fruitless message to the dey, offering those terms of peace which were afterwards gladly accepted, on the morning of the 27th of August, Lord Exmouth, in the Queen Charlotte, personally commenced the attack, which was seconded by the whole fleet under his command, and well supported by the Dutch; the firing continued incessantly for twelve hours, when, towards sun-set, the whole of the Algerine fleet was destroyed, and one-half the town. The British admiral then ordered the fleet to anchor beyond the reach of such of the enemy's batteries and mortars as were still undemolished, and the following morning had the satisfaction to receive the full acknowledgment of all the proposals made by him to the dey, in the following treaty.

I. The abolition for ever of Christian slavery. II. The delivery to the British flag of all slaves in the dominions of the dey, to whatever nation they may belong, at noon, on the 31st August.

III. To deliver also to the British flag all money received by the dey for the redemption of slaves since the commencement of this year, at noon, also of the same day.

IV. Reparation being made to the British consul A for all losses he may have sustained in consequence of his confinement.

V. The dey making a public apology, in presence of his ministers and officers, and begging pardon of the consul in terms dictated by the captain of the Queen Charlotte.

Lord Exmouth had the satisfaction of informing the British Admiralty, on the 1st of September, that all the slaves in Algiers were already embarked, with 357,000 dollars for Naples, and 25,000 for Sardinia.

Algiers is now a complete military despotism, under P the absolute controul of the dey, who is chosen from sta amongst the Turkish soldiery. On the demise of this chief-A tain (if such a term may be used where scarcely one in ten meets a natural death), the soldiery, of every rank, repair to the palace, and each offers his vote in favour of a new candidate. He may be chosen out of the lowest ranks of the army; and until an unanimity that would scarcely be expected from them decides the general choice, the ballot is obliged to be kept open. M. Pananti states that they ordinarily wait for an absolute unanimity, and that then no candidate dare refuse the proferred sovereignty. While this may be the law of his election, the scimetar more frequently determines it. A factious multitude of the janizaries will not scruple to repair to the palace, and sending the dey a message to quit, will strike off his head at the avenue at which he presents himself; sometimes he has been cut down, surrounded by officers, in the midst of the divan; at other times, but less frequently, recourse has been had to poison to get rid of a disagreeable or unfortunate master. The dowan, or divan, is almost a nominal council of state. Originally it consisted of 800 or 1,000 military officers, assisted in emergencies by all the resident officers of the city. But the aga of the janizaries is now the only officer of important authority under the dey. All military orders are issued in the name of the aga; no offending soldier can be executed but under his warrant and superintendence; and the keys of the metropolis are entrusted to his care. This officer holds his place but two months, when he is succeeded by the chiak, who is always the next senior officer in the army, and the retiring aga considered as superannuated, and exempt from service, but receives pay for the rest of his life. A sccretary of state fills the next place in dignity, who is chosen out of the yiah bashaws, or colonels, of whom thirty surround the aga in council, and from amongst whom the ambassadors to foreign states are generally selected. The balloch-bashaws, or oldest captains, and the oldach-bashaws, or oldest lieutenants, take the next rank, the former being generally about 800 in number, and the latter 400.

The military force of Algiers is very precarious in y amount, and has been variously rated, from 25,000, ori 30,000, to upwards of 100,000 men. In fact, the

Turkish soldiers, who are the main sinew of the army, do not exceed 15,000 or 16,000 men; the cologlis, or Algerine Turks, increase it some thousands more; while the summons of the dey to the Bedouins of the south will bring in such numbers of these troops, as have sheiks in alliance with, or obedience to the dey. His naval forces are not ordinarily more than between twenty and thirty vessels, the greater part of which are the property of private adventurers, but under the