470 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 267. 



possess the character of being intrepid foot- 

 soldiers. The love of adventure and thirst for 

 conquest, which distinguish them from all the 

 other tribes of the Jurjura, have constantly in- 

 duced them to sell their military services to the 

 best bidder. These wild mountaineers are be- 

 sides active and laborious ; applying themselves 

 principally to the manufacture of powder, and 

 trades of iron, gold, and silver smiths, they possess 

 amongst them clever gunsmiths ; and strange also 

 to say, coiners of remarkable skill, this last spe- 

 ciality being peculiar to the tribe of the Aourir or 

 Zemmoni. The Turkish markets are frequently 

 inundated with this description of false money. 



The warlike habits of the Zouaves are so well 

 known and appreciated in Algeria, that their 

 compatriots attribute to them the honour of being 

 destmed to destroy the French power in Africa. 

 It is stated by M. le Commandant Carette, in his 

 interesting work, that the confederation of the 

 Zouaoua comprises 201 villages, and a population 

 of 94,000 souls. 



So much for the Zouaves themselves, and now 

 a few words with reference to their enrolment 

 into the French army. 



From a communication addressed, August 14, 

 1830, to Marshal Bourmont by the Lieutenant- 

 General of Police attached to the expedition to 

 Algiers, it is announced that an Arab named 

 Hadj Abrachman Kenni (otherwise Abd-er-Rah- 

 man) had just offered to the French authorities, 

 under the title of auxiliaries, a corps of 2000 in- 

 digenes, this force to be recruited exclusively from 

 among the Zouaves. The following is an analysis 

 of the plan of organisation, embodied in the pro- 

 ject submitted. 



That there should be 6 officers to every 100 

 men, viz. 2 corporals, 2 sergeants, 1 lieutenant, 

 1 captain ; a superior officer, whom Abd-er-Rah- 

 man calls major, for every 500 men ; and a chief, 

 qualified as general, but more properly named 

 colonel, for every 1000 men. 



This scale or staff was borrowed from the 

 Turks, amongst whom are to be found the follow- 

 ing decimal denominations : chief of ten, chief of 

 fifty, chief of a hundred, chief of five hundred, 

 chief of a thousand. 



The corps to serve on foot ; the officers only to 

 be mounted. 



Then follows a description of their dress and 

 marks of distinction between the officers, &c. 



The pay of the soldiers to be 20 francs (= 

 15s. lOd. English) per month ; corporals 30 francs 

 (= II. 3s. 9^d.) ; Serjeants 40 francs (= 11. lis. 9d.) ; 

 lieutenants 50 francs (= II. I9s. 8d.) ; and captains 

 70 francs (= 21. I5s. 6d.). 



The forms of service and discipline to be the 

 same as those of the French army. Each man to 

 be armed with a musket, a pair of pistols, and an 

 Algerian sabre (yatagan). 



But the most remarkable feature of the whole 

 remains to be mentioned. It was proposed by 

 the author of the project, that the expense of 

 maintaining the corps should be exacted from the 

 rent and product of the lands, which served for 

 the same purpose under the domination of the 

 Turks. The Jews, he asserts, were subjected to 

 an impost of 40,000 francs (= 1586Z. I3s.4d. ster- 

 ling) per annum, applicable to the maintenance 

 of the troops of the Dey ; and a farther contri- 

 bution, or licence, was levied for the same object 

 upon all the shopkeepers. By this proposition, 

 therefore, the cost of maintaining the 2000 Zouave 

 auxiliaries would not entail a single centime upon 

 the treasury of the French army. 



Marshal Bourmont was struck with the project 

 of Abd-er-Rahman, and adopted it in principle ; 

 but his position at the moment was so precarious i 

 that he did not feel at liberty to carry it into exe- 1 

 cution. This task devolved upon his successor. 

 Marshal Clauzel. On October 1, 1830, six weeks 

 only after the proposition had first been made, a 

 decree was issued by the governor, authorising 

 the formation of a corps of indigenes, bearing the j 

 name of Zouaves. 1 



This force, originally consisting of two bat- 

 talions, was composed in a great measure of Indi- 

 genes ; but Frenchmen, and even strangers, were 

 admitted into it. Towards the latter end of 1832, 

 the two battalions were formed into one ; and an 

 ordinance of March 7, 1833, placed the whole ar- 

 rangements upon a new and regular basis. Of the 

 twelve companies which composed the battalion, 

 two only were to consist of Frenchmen ; but each 

 company indigene was at liberty to admit Into its 

 ranks a dozen French soldiers, strangers being 

 absolutely excluded. The corps was permitted to 

 supply the losses occasioned by war or sickness 

 by voluntary enlistment ; and Frenchmen leaving 

 other regiments were received as eligible. The 

 engagement of the indigenes was for a term of 

 three years. 



By a fresh ordinance royal of December 25, 

 1835, the Zouaves were again divided into two 

 battalions, each composed of four companies of 

 indigenes and two of French. The costume 

 adopted from the commencement was that py 

 which they are now so well known ; the officers, 

 however, being free to preserve the French uni- 

 form. 



By degrees the indigenes (the Arab portion of 

 them at least), who preferred the service of the 

 cavalry, abandoned the force. As to the Kabyles, 

 political motives, skilfully availed of by Abd-el- 

 Kader, served to alienate them from a service 

 upon which they had at one time appeared to be 

 so desirous of entering. In this manner, there- 

 fore, the corps of Zouaves has come to be com- 

 posed almost exclusively of Frenchmen, amongst 

 whom figure a goodly number of Parisians. 



