CXXXlil 
the Berbers, into the mountain fastnesses, where they held their 
own for a long time. Mauretania became an Arab country, 
which, on account of the great distance from Egypt and Arabia, 
soon began to develop on its own lines and formed an inde- 
pendent empire. It is interesting for a naturalist to observe 
how quickly ideas changed in the new home of these Arabs, 
and how quickly a new civilisation took the place of the one 
brought from Arabia and Egypt. The Moorish realm, which 
grew up in North Africa, soon extended into Spain as far 
north as the Ebro. Education and commerce flourished, art 
and literature soared to great heights, and, as we could expect 
under such circumstances, the religious creed became modified, 
and gradually a great cultural antagonism resulted with the 
Mohammedans of North-East Africa. About 1200, fanaticism 
in Egypt got the upper hand and new armies rolled west, and 
like a stream of lava destroyed everything destructible; only 
a small proportion of the Mauretanian Arabs found a refuge 
on the stony plateau of the desert, their descendants being the 
Mozabites residing in the district south of Laghouat, at 
Ghardaia. Civilisation and culture disappeared in Mauretania ; 
the country became weak and fell an easy prey to the Spanish 
and Portuguese, who occupied the harbours and coast districts 
and who, in their turn, were driven out by the Turks. 
Under Turkish rule, which was a rule more in name than 
in reality, lawlessness reigned supreme, and the development 
of a state of things took place which may be likened to the 
period of the robber knights of Europe. Lawlessness attracted 
the refuse of mankind and adventurers from all countries, 
and we see a rapid development of the notorious scourge of 
the Mediterranean familiarly known as the Barbary corsairs. 
Under the corsairs the town of Alger became the most im- 
portant of all ports, and the Dey of Alger, installed in his 
power by the Sultan of Constantinople, was master of the 
Mediterranean Sea and coasts, and considered everything on 
sea and land that fell into the hands of his corsairs as his 
legitimate property, inclusive of the sailors and passengers 
found on board the ships captured. The European countries, 
as usual busily occupied in cutting each other’s throats, were 
quite helpless against the corsairs and paid a yearly tribute 
