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btiilJingr ilijs city, he deputed an embafTy to the Zcacti who 

 inhabited Treiiieccn, uiid>.T a pretence of reclaiining them 

 to tilt true faith ; but the Zeiicti anembkd in liollile array 

 at Ainaf or Anifa, their capital, and iiaadid the dominions 

 of Jofepli witli an anny of jo.oco men. Tlie Zeneti, rc- 

 fifted by the ir.habltanls of Fez, wliofc fiiccour they expelled, 

 were overpowered by Jofeph, fo t!iat about a niillioii of per- 

 fons arc reckoned to liave loll their hves in tiiis eonteft, and 

 their country was depopulated ; but afterwaids rcpeopled by 

 a colony from Fez, who fettled there under the protection 

 of their reigning kings. Jofepli direded his next attack 

 Pgainll the inhabitants of Fez, whom he fubdned and made 

 tributaries, and extended his comjuells along the Mediter- 

 ranean. He alfo purfued lome Arabian cheyks, who had 

 not fubmitted to !iim, into tlieir retreats, in the dcfirts of 

 Libya, and totally fuhdued them. The empire of the Mo- 

 rabites, which was thus ellablilhed, and which proniiled 

 permanence, was neveithelefs of no long duration. This 

 race was again expelled in the l2th century by Moha- 

 vcdin, or Al Mohedi, a Marabout, who dethroned Bra- 

 .Iiara Ali, the lall emperor of the Zinhagian dynafty. 

 This ufurper and his fucceffor, denominated themfclves 

 Mohavedins, and they were afterwards called Mohavades, 

 Mohrdci and Almohedug. However, they were extir- 

 pated by Abdulac, governor of Fez ; and he was again 

 ilripped of liis new conquells by the (lierifFs of Hafcen, 

 the defeeiidants of the Arabian princes of the loth cen- 

 tur)'. AVilh a view of feeuring his new dominions, he di- 

 vided Barbary i.ito feveial fmall kingdoms or provinces, 

 afligning to each a feparate chief. On this occafion Algiers 

 -vas divided between four of their native princes ; one of 

 whom had Tremecen, and the other tJirce had Tenez, Al- 

 giers proper, and Bujeya, and thus thefe four cities became 

 the capitals of four diilinCt kingdoms. For fome centuries 

 thefe monarchs continued in mutual peace and amity ; but 

 difputes arofe among them ; and Abu'l-fariz, prince of 

 Tenez, declared war againll the king of Tremecen. In a 

 little while he became mafler of both Tremecen and Bujeya. 

 At his death he divided his kingdom between his three fons-, 

 one of whom had Tenez, another Jigcri, and the third, 

 whofe name was Abdalaniz, had Bujeyah. This lad at- 

 tacked the king of Tremecen, and having fucceedcd againil 

 liira, the Algermes, who had been his tributaries, transferred 

 their fubjection and tribute to the conqueror, by which 

 means he became fo powerful, that if the Spaniards had not 

 interfered, he would have made himfelf mailer of the whole 

 of Barbarj-. Their inteqjofition, however, checked his 

 progrefs, and prc>duced a fignal change in the afpeft of his 

 affairs. In 1505 cardinal Ximencs, prime minifter of Fer- 

 dinand v., king of Aragon, fent thither the count of Na- 

 varre with a powerful army and fleet, principally with a view 

 of reftraining the depredations of the Moors, who had been 

 baniflied from Spain about 12 years before ; and fuch was 

 his fuccefs that he foon became mafter of Oran, Bujeyah, 

 and other confiderable places. The Algerines were alanr.ed ; 

 and fought the fuccour of Selim Eutemi, a warlike Arabian 

 prince, who poffeffed the fertile lenitory of Mettijiah. He 

 inarched to their alTillance ; but Lis co-operation was ineffec- 

 tual ; and the Spaniards, having landed a confiderable num- 

 ber of forces near Algiers, reduced this capital to fubjeftioiij 

 and compelled it to become tributary to Spain. They alfo 

 erected a ftrong fort on the fmall ifland oppofite to the city^ 

 and thus prevented the Algerine Corfairs from failing Into 

 or out of that harbour. On the death of Ferdinand in 

 1 5 16, the Algerines made an effort for recovering their li- 

 jbertj; and they invited Barbaiofla, who was then on a 



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cruitc with a fqiudron of gallies, to r-.OTift them !n throwin* 

 oil" the Spanifii yoke, promifing him a gratuity correfponding 

 to a fervicc fo important. The bold and adventurous Cor- 

 fair gladly accepted the invitation ; and leaving hir. bVother 

 riayradin with the fleet, and having diipatched 18 gallies 

 and 13 barks to the alTiftance of the Algerines, he hallcncd 

 his march to them bv land. At the head of 8co Turks, 

 3000 Jigelltes, and 2000 Moorifli volunteers, he diretled his 

 courfe, not to Algiers, which needed his immediate pro- 

 tcclion and afTiftanee, but to Sherlhel, wlure Haffan, ano- 

 ther Corfair, had fettled. Having obliged him to furrei;der 

 under a perfidious promife of friendfliip, he cauled his head 

 to be cut ofi", feized on his fliips, and compelled the Turks 

 who had been his adherents, to follow him in his new expe- 

 dition. Thus reinforced he approached Algiers ; and was 

 conducted into the city by prince Eutemi and the people 

 witli acclamation and triumph. Lodged in one of the nobleil 

 apartments of the prince's palace, and treated with every 

 pofiible token of refpeift by the deluded inhabitants, Bar- 

 barofla conceived the deHgn of afluraing the fovereignty ; 

 but dreading oppofition on the part of the people, who »vere 

 irritated by the unreftrained licentioufnefs and infolence of 

 his troops, he determined to faciUtate his advancement to 

 the throne by the murder of the prince, and then to be pro- 

 claimed king of Algiers by his own foldiers. The mealure 

 was no fooner projefted than it was accomplifned. As he 

 was a guell in the palace of Eutemi, he talily found an op- 

 portunity of ftrangling him, and of thus removing the chief 

 obllaele to his attainment of the fovereignty. The people 

 fufpeClcd him, but they dared neithei- topunifii him nor even 

 to complain of his conduct. Many of them, apprehending 

 meafures of furtlier violence and ilaughter, abandoned the 

 city and country ; and thofe who remained endeavoured to 

 fecure themlclves in their houfes, fo that the pirate and his 

 followers were left complete mailers. At their requefl: he 

 afcended the throne, and was proclaimed with great pomp. 

 The Turks and Moors, who attended the procedlon, ex- 

 claimed as he paraded the ilreets on horfcback ; " Long live 

 Aruch Barbaroffa, the invincible king of Algiers, the chofen 

 of God to deliver the people from the oppreffion of the 

 Chriftiaiis, and pour dcftruftion on all that ihall oppofe or 

 refufe to obey him as their lawful fovereign." The Al- 

 gerines foon experienced the evils they had apprehended. 

 Barbaroffa exercifed his fovereignty In the mofi. dcfpotic and 

 cruel manner ; and his Turkilh foldiers condutled them- 

 felves with a degree of infolence and licentioufnefs, which 

 rendered it dangerous for women and children of either fex 

 to appear in the Ilreets. The people were fpeedily drahied 

 and impoverlflied by the taxes that were levied upon them, 

 and yet none could venture to remonftrate or even to com- 

 plain of the wretched condition to which the)' were reduced. 

 The Algerine chiefs perceiving the exafperated temper ol 

 the people, and obferving that Barbaroffa had alienated the 

 affeftions of the warlike Arabs by his rapacious exaclionn, 

 and that he had difijanded the greateft part of his Moorifli 

 troops, availed themfelves of thefe circumftances to make a 

 .bold attempt for regaining their liberty. A plot was formed ; 

 and a day was appointed for afTaiTinating Barbaroffa and his 

 Turks. But the fufpicious and watchful tyrant difcovered 

 Jthe whole defign, andcaufed the heads of 20 of the prin- 

 cipal leaders of the confpiracy to be cut off at the door 

 of the mofque into which they had entered at the hour 

 of prayer, and their bodies to be thrown o\it on the dung- 

 hills. He alfo confifcated their eilates, and laid a heavy 

 fine on others of their accomplices. This dreadful exe- 

 cution fo terrified the Algerines, that they never en- 

 6 gaged 



