﻿ER0M 
  ALGIERS 
  TO 
  THE 
  SAHAEA. 
  107 
  

  

  in 
  part 
  Pliocene. 
  The 
  Museum 
  at 
  Algiers 
  contains 
  a 
  few 
  corals 
  from 
  

   these 
  beds. 
  

  

  Kemains 
  of 
  Postpliocene 
  mammals 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  Algiers 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  skull 
  of 
  a 
  fossil 
  ox 
  (Bubalus 
  

   antiquus), 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  immense 
  length 
  of 
  its 
  horn-cores 
  

   (about 
  20 
  inches) 
  is 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  museum. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  

   excavating 
  stones 
  for 
  the 
  road 
  to 
  the 
  Penitentiary 
  of 
  Bab-Azzoun, 
  

   near 
  Algiers. 
  It 
  resembles 
  in 
  mineral 
  character 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  fossils, 
  

   and 
  was 
  probably 
  imbedded 
  in 
  rearranged 
  debris 
  from 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  

   freestone 
  beds. 
  

  

  The 
  Plain 
  of 
  the 
  Mitidja. 
  — 
  The 
  railway, 
  for 
  about 
  eight 
  miles, 
  

   skirts 
  in 
  a 
  S.E. 
  direction 
  the 
  bay 
  of 
  Algiers 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  then 
  

   turns 
  south 
  by 
  La 
  Maison 
  Carree 
  through 
  some 
  cuttings 
  of 
  shingle 
  

   and 
  loam, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  westerly 
  bend 
  at 
  once 
  enters 
  the 
  plain 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mitidja 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  100 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  Mitidja 
  is 
  a 
  level 
  

   plain, 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  across, 
  running 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  the 
  southern 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  Algiers 
  Bay, 
  and 
  separates 
  the 
  high 
  boss 
  of 
  land 
  against 
  

   which 
  Algiers 
  is 
  built 
  from 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Atlas, 
  forming 
  

   its 
  northern 
  boundary. 
  The 
  plain 
  consists 
  of 
  sandy 
  loam 
  inter- 
  

   calated 
  with 
  pebble-beds, 
  and 
  rises 
  almost 
  imperceptibly 
  westwards, 
  

   from 
  the 
  sea-level 
  at 
  Algiers 
  Bay 
  to 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Blidah, 
  

   where 
  a 
  fan-shaped 
  delta 
  of 
  shaly 
  debris 
  stretches 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  

   the 
  Atlas 
  half 
  across 
  the 
  plain. 
  This 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  deposited 
  

   during 
  the 
  submergence 
  of 
  the 
  Mitidja 
  by 
  the 
  stream 
  which 
  debouches 
  

   from 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  Blidah. 
  Blidah 
  station 
  is 
  situated 
  about 
  halfway 
  

   up 
  the 
  regularly 
  sloping 
  delta, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  500 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  town 
  

   of 
  Blidah 
  a 
  mile 
  higher 
  up, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  650 
  feet, 
  and 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  

   from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Atlas 
  range. 
  From 
  Blidah 
  station 
  the 
  rail 
  again 
  

   descends 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  delta, 
  till 
  it 
  reaches 
  the 
  average 
  

   level 
  of 
  the 
  plain 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  of 
  La 
  Chiffa, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  

   350 
  feet. 
  Tbe 
  low 
  ground 
  is 
  here 
  left; 
  and 
  turning 
  due 
  south 
  we 
  

   enter 
  the 
  gorge 
  of 
  La 
  Chiffa 
  — 
  a 
  sinuous 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  Lesser 
  

   Atlas, 
  closely 
  resembling 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pyrenees. 
  

  

  The 
  Lesser 
  Atlas. 
  — 
  Trending 
  nearly 
  due 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  on 
  the 
  

   south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  plain 
  of 
  the 
  Mitidja, 
  is 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Atlas, 
  the 
  only 
  

   range 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  which, 
  either 
  in 
  structure 
  or 
  altitude, 
  

   can 
  lay 
  claim 
  to 
  the 
  title 
  of 
  a 
  mountain. 
  Compared 
  with 
  the 
  noble 
  

   chain 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Marocco, 
  rising 
  13,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   the 
  Algerian 
  chain 
  looks 
  dwarf 
  and 
  diminutive, 
  In 
  altitude 
  it 
  

   scarcely 
  averages 
  4000 
  feet, 
  and 
  few 
  points 
  exceed 
  5000 
  feet. 
  It 
  

   presents 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  rounded 
  ridge, 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  

   rising 
  up 
  as 
  separate 
  blunted 
  points. 
  Very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  intervening 
  

   depressions 
  occur 
  at 
  a 
  lower 
  elevation 
  than 
  2500 
  or 
  3000 
  feet. 
  

   Viewed 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  the 
  mountainous 
  aspect 
  disappears, 
  as 
  

   it 
  forms 
  the 
  northern 
  boundary 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  tableland 
  of 
  the 
  Tell, 
  

   almost 
  equalling 
  it 
  in 
  height, 
  excepting 
  that 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  the 
  

   summits 
  rise 
  up 
  as 
  shrub-covered 
  hills 
  above 
  the 
  general 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tell 
  plateau. 
  In 
  structure, 
  the 
  Lesser 
  Atlas 
  of 
  Algeria 
  bears 
  no 
  

   analogy 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  Atlas 
  of 
  Marocco. 
  It 
  includes 
  no 
  eruptive 
  

  

  