on the edge of the mattress, and there he remained for a full hour staring at us with a stupid gaze. I asked our host whether he could not relieve us from this impertinence, but he said he dared not even attempt to do so, and cautioned us to be particularly careful how we behaved ourselves towards the gentleman, as he was powerful, and well known to be neither scrupulous nor placable, when once offended. I told the consul I was very much surprised that a race of men, who guarded their own women so jealously from extraneous eyes, should make a stranger woman submit to such constant and continued exhibition of herself to the public gaze. He told me he was very sorry for the necessity, but that he could not help it, and that we must be patient and resigned under it; for if he interfered in any way, neither his orders nor his house would be respected, and possibly we might be taken from it by force, and ill treated, before any effective protection could be obtained for us.

Near sunset, one evening, a few days after our arrival, a mighty tumult suddenly arose in the streets. The inhabitants were rushing like swarming bees towards the rocks; some new cause of excitement had evidently occurred. We were soon informed that another English prize had been brought in. In a short time, a company of soldiers came for my husband; the governor required his presence at the custom-house once again. In about two hours he returned, amidst a shower of stones, that were bestowed more liberally than usual, under the stimulus of the fresh excitement. He related to me that he had seen the new captive, a poor Irishman, who had been picked up by his highness the rover admiral, as he was stealing homewards from some place in Portugal, with a small vessel laden with cork, and with a crew of only three men besides himself. This had been his first foreign voyage, and he could not exchange a single word with his captors; he was, therefore, totally unable to comprehend his situation. He knew nothing about either pirates or piracy, and could not for the life of him conceive why his little bark had been fired at, and crammed with a party of outlandishlooking people, and taken off to some place that he had never before even heard of. The governor had sent for my husband to examine this new arrival, with a view to ascertaining what the nature of the booty was. When he found that there was nothing better than cork to be had, the prisoner was ordered to betake himself also to the Jew consul's until the emperor's pleasure was known concerning him. He had accordingly returned with my hus

VOL. I. N. S.

band, and here he was, crying like a child; it was quite impossible to comfort the poor fellow, his Irish spirit was entirely gone. He would neither eat, drink, nor sleep; for days he consumed his time in weeping and bewailing his wretchedness. We were truly grieved for him; but we dared not trust him with the slightest hint regarding our own hopes, from the fear that, inadvertently, and in the simplicity of his heart, he would have done something to betray us. We were, therefore, constrained to keep our own counsel, and confine the expression of our commiseration to such little acts of kindness as we could show in a general way.

Three or four days after the Irishman's arrival, a band of soldiers again came for my husband. This time they were accompanied by an officer of the governor's household-a sort of marshal-man-who was never sent out excepting when it was intended to show honour to somebody. Upon this occasion, the honour took the form of a polite invitation to breakfast. I did not altogether like this distinction, and I was truly miserable until I saw the guest back again, with his head safe upon his shoulders; for I knew his fearlessness and habitual boldness of speech, and had no doubt that he would drop some severe remark, if he found the opportunity, upon the treachery that made an old treaty an excuse for carrying on a systematic course of piracy and plunder. Since the advent of the Irish prisoner, he had been constantly on the point of explosion. He returned to me in four hours, and safe; his reception had been a distinguished and a courteous one. He had breakfasted from a service of English china, that had no doubt been borrowed from some unfortunate ship. The fare was white bread, rich conserves, and excellent coffee. The host had hospitably tasted of the contents of every dish and every plate before they were offered to his guest. After breakfast, the cause of all this considerate attention came out: the old governor wanted something. He was building a large galley, which had been already two years on the stocks, and was anxious that her construction should be as perfect as possible. He had, therefore, ventured to ask the favour that the English captain would go with him to see the work, and oblige him with any hints or advice that might occur.

The English captain did not of course refuse to go, so governor, marshal-man, and Englishman again traversed the streets; but this time they needed no escort-the venerable pilgrim was more than a host in his own person; and my husband was not only protected by his

L

presence upon this occasion, but he derived an ulterior advantage from it. By sunset, it was known throughout Salee that the husband of the Christian woman had eaten and drunk and had walked with the man of green turban sanctity that he had been treated as a brother by the descendant of kings, and from that time forward no insult was ever offered to him. On the following day, he traversed the streets of the town alone, and almost without notice. He had abundant cause to be glad that he had not refused the invitation, or declined to render the service that was required of him.

Soon after the day that was marked by this honour conferred upon my husband, Samuel Bendenhen came to tell us that the town would be full of gaiety now, for a courier had brought the news that the King of Fez was on his way to Salee, to hold a sort of assize; he always came for this purpose three times in the year. There were now seventy prisoners awaiting his nod. Bendenhen did not think his visit would concern us in any way, as the fate of European prisoners was always referred to the Emperor of Morocco himself. I took the opportunity this conversation afforded me to glean some little information concerning the Jews of Algiers. Bendenhen told me that this oppressed race is forced to perform the most degrading work; they are also compelled to execute judgment upon criminals, sometimes by torturing and maiming them, sometimes by taking their lives. When the punishment of death is to be inflicted, the execution follows immediately upon condemnation. The convicts are hurried away to the summits of the rocks, and there Jews are made to strike off their heads with scimetars; the headless trunks are hurled into the foaming surge beneath, and the heads themselves are salted, and set up at the corners of streets. Too often Jews are culprits as well as executioners, for, as their property comes to the state upon their decease, it is an easy thing for an Israelite to commit the crime of being too rich. The visit of the King of Fez to Salee is always a time of sadness and mourning in Jew-town.

There are, however, two sides to the picture as regards the Jews of Algiers. It chances that they are in the minority; but I suspect, if it were otherwise, they would be as ready to oppress as they now are to suffer degradation and injury. A dignified young man, a rabbi from Jew-town, came in one evening expressly to visit us. He seemed to have more than a small share of cultivation and intelligence. I was introduced to him by Miriam, and he looked at me thoughtfully for some time. He

then turned to the wall, and traced with his fingers the figure of the crucifix; looked at me again and smiled, and then spat at the figure he had drawn. Next, he made the figure of the cross in his right hand, and spat at that. He then turned on his heel, and stalked away. I felt at the time that he had struck deeper and more maliciously than the Mahometans: they had used sticks and stones, but he had selected a weapon that he knew would inflict keener suffering. And the sacerdotal garb and air of elevated intelligence which he wore, told too plainly that he had not the same ground for excuse with the barbarians when he perpetrated this refined and deliberate insult upon a woman's feelings.

One of my solitary pleasures in Salee consisted in walking on the flat house-top, after the gates of the court-yard were closed at sunset. From this elevation I was able to see our deserted ship riding at anchor, and to indulge uninterruptedly in the hope that some day news would come from Tangier to restore us to her, for the fresh sea-breeze and Una were the only visitants I had upon these occasions. The lady consul did not take to the house-tops, and men were forbidden to appear there. The Jew once incurred a heavy fine, in consequence of the wilful Judah having been caught peeping over into the street. Una was my frequent companion, and used to chant short Hebrew verses to me, in rich, full tones, while I walked. One evening, while she was thus engaged, I was startled by hearing a sharp, discordant voice asking a question, as if in surprise. Una stopped her music, and answered, in a tone of evident displeasure. I turned, and saw a strange figure that had approached us unobserved from a neighbouring house-top. A tall, robust female was before me, with naked copper-coloured limbs, cast in so unfeminine a mould, that if I had not been aware of the fact that the summits of the houses are set apart for female use, I should have imagined it to be some powerful gladiator, who was thus unceremoniously intruding himself upon us. The swarthy figure had no other covering than a small fold of linen wrapped round the loins; three stripes of deep blue colour stained into the skin descended from the lower lip along the throat and chest, and indicated that she belonged to the caste of the Mamelukes. Shells, small bones, and pieces of tin were suspended round the neck, and from the nose and ears, by way of ornament. This singular apparition came close to me, gazing earnestly upon me, and then walked round and round me. I tried to think the

me, that, after considerable hesitation, I resolved to judge for myself in how far these extraordinary reports were worthy of credence. To do this effectually, it was of course necessary to witness the passage of some great criminal through the awful ordeal of human justice-to brace my nerves, and to resolve to watch, with all the philosophy I could command, the fearful wrestling of foul guilt or outraged innocence with the stupendous power of legal talent and of legal ingenuity. No petty crime could enable me to do this; for in France, as I was well aware, trials for minor offences are conducted with a haste and brevity proportioned to their insignificance; and I accordingly awaited with considerable trepidation the announcement of one of those more fearful accusations which involve the penalty of death. Unhappily, this was not long in coming; and I was, ere the close of the session, informed that a young peasant woman, from an adjoining hamlet, was about to take her trial for the twofold crime of murder and arson; and at the same time assured that no doubt whatever, from the evidence of the procès-verbal, (or preliminary examination,) existed of her guilt; while, at the same time, it was a great relief to me to ascertain that her intended victim still survived.

The approaches of the Palais de Justice were almost choked by the anxious multitude who were struggling to effect an entrance, as, led by a professional friend, I made my way by a private staircase to the seat which had been reserved for me. The aspect of the court was solemn and imposing. Immediately before me was a dais, raised two steps above the floor of hall, in the centre of which, behind a long table covered with black serge, stood the chairs of the President (or judge) and his two assistants, over whose heads extended, from the lofty roof to the summit of their seats, a colossal painting of our Saviour upon the cross. On the left hand, an enclosed space was appropriated to the Procureur-Général de la République (or attorney-general), beyond which stretched, to the extremity of the platform, the jury-box. On the right hand, a second enclosure (or loge) formed the place allotted for the greffier (or registrar), while a tier of seats, corresponding with those occupied by the jury were destined to accommodate the counsel for the defence; and, in cases of political delinquency, the accused themselves, and their friends. These seats bear the name of Benches of the Accused; but behind them rises a third, beside which opens a small door, and which is distinguished by the frightful appellation of the Bench of

Infamy. In minor trials, this elevated seat is occupied only by two gendarmes, who, after having escorted their prisoners to the entrance of the court, and delivered them into the keeping of the proper officers, afterwards introduce themselves by the small door already alluded to; but, in all cases involving life or the galleys, they seat themselves on either side the culprit, over whose every movement they keep a scrupulous watch.

To complete the picture, it is only necessary to add, that in the centre of the platform, facing the president, and consequently with its back to the audience, was placed a large arm-chair, raised one step from the floor, and appropriated to the witnesses; while four ranges of enclosed benches formed the reserved seats, and shut in the dais, being themselves separated from the main body of the court by a stout wooden partition, breast-high, behind which all ingress is free, and is accomplished through a separate door.

At the appointed hour, a bell rang, and the officers of the court entered and took their seats. The President wore a black cloak, lined and edged with scarlet, and a high cap of black cloth, with a scarlet sash about his waist. The Procureur de la République was also robed in black, edged with white fur, with a blue sash, and two rows of broad silver lace upon his cap; while the counsel for the prisoner-a young and eloquent man, who had volunteered to undertake her defence-wore a gown of black silk, and differed little in his appearance from a student at one of our own universities.

After some examination of papers, and an exhibition of that by-play among the officials which appears to be the usual preliminary of all legal investigations, a second bell rang out. The twenty individuals composing the jury were called and sworn; and they had no sooner entered the box, than the President adjusted his spectacles, and fell back in his seat. The small door-that which has been the door of doom to so many trembling and justice-fearing criminals, and which is doubtlessly still fated to afford ingress to scores of others--opened as noiselessly as though it feared to drown the heart-throb of the wretched woman who stood upon its threshold, and, behind a stalwart gendarme, entered a female peasant with her head bowed upon her bosom, followed in her turn by a second armed guardian.

It is not my purpose to excite a false sympathy, by describing the prisoner as one of those fair beings whose personal beauty is adapted to disarm justice by captivating the pity of its ministers; but I may, nevertheless,

be permitted to remark that her appearance was singularly prepossessing, and that it was easy to decide at the first glance, that, under other circumstances, she could not have failed to attract notice. She was young; and, although her features were now swollen from incessant weeping, and her complexion almost purple from emotion, the luxuriance of her pale brown hair, the long lashes by which her eyes were shaded, the extreme neatness of her dress, and the remarkable, although somewhat redundant, symmetry of her figure, could not be passed over without remark. As she dropped upon the bench, in obedience to the gesture of one of her guardians, her head fell heavily upon her bosom, and she covered her face with her handkerchief, which was already steeped with her tears.

There was a momentary hush throughout the crowded court, interrupted only by the rustling of papers, or the occasional heavy sob of the prisoner; and then the voice of the President broke coldly and harshly upon the silence. "Accused, stand up."

He was obeyed; but still the burning cheeks were hidden by the friendly handkerchief.

"Remove your hand from your face-hold up your head-and answer me."

The hand was withdrawn-the head raised, but only for a moment-and then the interrogatory was resumed.

"What is your name?"

"Rosalie Marie

“Your age?”

"An able assistant!" remarked the Procureur sarcastically to the President, who replied by a quiet smile.

"Are you aware of the crime of which you are accused?"

The answer was a violent passion of tears. "Sit down" said the cold voice. "Greffier, read the accusation."

This formidable document, based on the procès-verbal drawn up on the spot by the mayor of the village, amid the dying embers of the fire, set forth that Rosalie, having been hired as a general servant by the proprietors of a small farm, the joint property of an aged man and his sister, had engaged the affections of her master's son, who, finding that he could not induce her to return his passion upon easier terms, had ultimately married her, to the extreme annoyance of his family, and especially of his maiden aunt, whose pride was wounded

by what she considered as a degrading union. At the period of the fire, Rosalie was the mother of a child of four years old, and was looking forward to the birth of a second; but discomfort and dissension had already supervened between the young couple. The father of Baptiste, indeed, had become reconciled to his daughter-in-law; but such was far from being the case with his sister, who lost no opportunity of exciting the anger of her nephew against his wife, whenever the latter failed to obey her behests; while, as it was proved by several witnesses, Rosalie became at length so much irritated by the ceaseless severity of which she was the object, and so indignant at the taunts uttered against her previous poverty, that she had been more than once heard to declare that she wished the farm burnt to the ground, and her husband reduced to the rank of a common labourer; and that she would gladly fire it herself, in order to be delivered from the life of wretchedness to which she was then condemned. More than one witness, stated the accusation, would swear to this fact, which at once pointed suspicion towards the prisoner; when, several months previous to the present trial, on a calm evening, between seven and eight o'clock, long after the farmservants had quitted the premises, a fire broke out in a barn adjacent to the dwelling-house occupied by the family, which, after consuming the out-buildings and several stacks of unthrashed grain and beans, had been with difficulty extinguished by the energetic labour of the villagers.

Among other evidence tendered to the mayor during this examination was that of the maiden aunt, who, to her unqualified accusation of the prisoner as the sole author of the catastrophe, superadded the information that Rosalic had, only a week or two previously, attempted to murder her husband, by mixing a quantity of white powder in some soup, which had been kept warm for his supper upon the ashes of the hearth, and which had produced violent vomitings, after he had partaken of it about half an hour.

As the monotonous accents of the greffier fell upon her ear, the unhappy woman sat with her hands forcibly clasped together, and her flushed face and eager eyes turned steadily towards him; but he no sooner ceased reading, than she started convulsively from her seat, and, leaning forward eagerly towards the bench, exclaimed, "I am innocent, M. le President; I am innocent!"

"Peace!" thundered out the frowning official; and then, as the wretched prisoner sank