AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 181 



The princess spoke to me unceasingly of the wish she had to go and re- 

 join one of her sons, whom she believed to 'be alive, but of whose death 

 I had been informed by a person belonging to her household. Hence I 

 was anxious to do all that lay in my power to mitigate a sorrow which 

 she must experience before long. 



At the moment when I quitted Spain for Marseilles, the duchess con- 

 fided to me two letters which I was to forward in safety to their ad- 

 dresses. One was destined for the Empress-mother of Russia, the other 

 for the Empress of Austria. 



Scarcely had I arrived at Algiers when I mentioned these two letters 

 to M. Dubois ThainviUe, and begged him to send them to France by the 

 first opportunity. " I shall do nothing of the sort," he at once answered. 

 '' Do you know that you have behaved in this affair like a young inex- 

 perienced man, or to speak out, like a blunderer ? I am surprised that 

 you did not comprehend that the Emperor, with his pettish spirit, might 

 take this much amiss, and consider you, according to the contents of 

 the two letters, as the promoter of an intrigue in favor of the exiled 

 family of the Bourbons." Thus the paternal advice of the French con- 

 sul taught Tie that in all that regards politics, however nearly or re- 

 motely, one cannot give himself up, without danger, to the dictates of 

 the heart and the reason. 



I inclosed my two letters in an envelope bearing the address of a 

 trustworthy person, and gave them into the hands of a corsair, who, 

 after touching at Algiers, would proceed to France. 1 have never known 

 whether they reached their destination. 



The reigning Dey, successor to the beheaded Dey, had formerly filled 

 the humble ofiBce of ^^Spileur^''* of dead bodies in the mosques. He gov- 

 erned the regency with much gentleness, occupying himself with little 

 but his harem. This disgusted those who had raised him to this emi- 

 nent post, and they resolved upon getting rid of him. We became 

 aware of the danger which menaced him, by seeing the courts and ves- 

 tibules of the consular house full, according to the custom under such 

 circumstances, of Jews, carrying with them whatever they had of most 

 value. It was a rule at Algiers that all that happened in the interval 

 comprised between the death of a Dey and the installation of his suc- 

 cessor could not be followed up by justice, and must remain unpunished. 

 One can imagine, then, why the children of Moses should seek safety in 

 the consular houses, the European inhabitants of which had the courage 

 to arm themselves for self-defense as soon as the danger was apparent, 

 and who, moreover, had a janissary to guard them. 



While the unfortunate Dey " ^pileur " was being conducted toward 

 the place where he was to be strangled, he heard the cannon which an- 

 nounced his death and the Installation of his successor. " They are in 

 great haste," said he, " what will you gain by carrying matters to ex- 



*An ^' Spileur" is a person who removes superfluous hairs. We have been unable to 

 ascertain what office of this kind is performed in Mohamedan funerals. 



