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inflance? of defiance to liis autlionty ; but ."5 li< r.a.', n.nch 

 occi'piod by the Penlan war and other dilliirbances in the 

 Halt, his grand vi/.irand courtiers were allowed to compound 

 with theic piraten, by fliarinij their fpoils. Havinjf, for 

 form fake, reprimanded and threatened them, they returned 

 an inloleiit reply, declaring that tiiev were the only bulwark 

 againll the Spaniards, who were the fwoni enemies of the 

 Moflcm imme, and that if they paid a punctilious regard to 

 every circumftancc that could procure peace or liberty to 

 trade with the Ottoman empire, they mull fct fire to all their 

 fliipping, and become mere camel-drivers in order to obtain a 

 fubiillence. Accordingly the Algeriues purfued their piiatical 

 cxcurfions at lea lor many years with impunity. Amongll 

 other enterprifes in which they engaged, they lurprifcd tlio 

 bailion of France upon their own coail, containing about 600 

 inhabitants, whom, with all ti\eir cfFeds and (liips, they carried 

 off to Algiers. In the courfe of the following year they fitted 

 out a fleet, with which they ranged the fcas and fei/ed all 

 the Chrillian ibipping that fell in their Way ; and thev even 

 meditated an attack upon Loretto, which would have proved 

 a great prize. But in this objecl they were prevented from 

 fucceedmgby contrary winds ; howevtr they made a defccnt 

 on Pnglia, in the kingdom of Naple;, where they made 

 captives of both fexes, and ileering towards Dalmatia, they 

 fcoured the Adriatic, and loading thomfelves with im- 

 menfe plunder, left tliofe coafts in the utinoll conllernation. 

 The Venetians, alarmed at their depredations, equipped a 

 powerful fleet of 28 fail, under the command of Admiral 

 Capello, who had orders to burn, fink, and take all the 

 Barbary corfairs, wherever lie found them. The Algerine 

 admiral was overtaken by this fleet ; and an obltir.ate conflift 

 cnfued, which terminated in the defeat of the Algcrines ; 

 but CapeUo was recalled, and the republic were under a ne- 

 ceffity of purchafing peace with the Porte, at the expence 

 of 500,000 ducats. The news of this defeat and lofs, 

 which were owing to the avarice of the Algerine admiral, 

 filled Algiers witii iiiexprefTible grief and confufion, and the 

 whole city was prejiaring for a general infurrection ; but it 

 was prevented by a proclamation of the bafhawanddouwan, 

 who expreisly prohibited all complaints under the feverell 

 penalties. Application was made to the Porte for an order, 

 that the Venetians, fettled in the Levant, (hould indemnify 

 them for tlie lofs they had fullained. Their requell; was re- 

 iedled, and they were under a necefUty of repairing their 

 lofles at their own charge. One of their corfairs loon landed 

 with a frefh fupply of 600 (laves of both fexes, which he 

 had brought fro.-u the coait of Jceland. In two years after 

 this difafter, the Algcrines appeared at fea with a llrongcr 

 and more numerous fleet than they had ever equipped before. 

 This fleet, confilling of 65 fail, befides other gallies and in- 

 ferior veficls, performed many exploits in diflercnt parts of 

 the Mediterranean, which our limits will not allow us to 

 recount. It is fuflicient to obferve, that the Algcrines be- 

 came quickly more powerful and more formidable than ever 

 to the European powers, and plundered the lubjeCts of 

 England, France jnid Holland. As for Spain, Portugal 

 and Italy, they determined never to make any peace with 

 them, as they were fworn enemies to the iSlaiiometan religion. 

 In this height of power and grandeur, v/hich the Algerine 

 ftate had attained, the Englilh, French and Dutch weie 

 glad to fecure peace with it at any rate. About the latter 

 end of the reign of Charlco 11. the Britith nation obtained 

 from the Algcrines that lalting alliance, which, v.ith fonie 

 renewals, additions, and alterations, hath fubliiled to this 

 day. The outrages committed by them on the coafts of 

 Provence and Langucdoc, induced Louis XIV. to equip a 



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coiifideiable fleet, and the command of it was alligned to thf 

 marquis l)u (^ucine, vice-;'dmi,al of France. Sailing to 

 their capital, he bombarded and cannonaded it with lucli 

 fury, that in a little time the whole town was in flames, aiirf 

 the terrified inhabitauts were preparing to leave the place ; 

 but the wind fuddenly changing, he was obliged to return 

 for Toulon. When the llorm lubfided, the douwan alTeu'.- 

 blcd and ordered a fleet of gallies and galliots to fail imme- 

 diately for the coulls of Provence, where they coinmittnl 

 dreadful ravages. The French ajiprifcd of tliis outrage, 

 fitted out a new amiament at Toulon and Marfeilles ; and 

 the Algcrines repaired their walls and fortified the town, iii 

 Older to be readv for their expefted attack. In May 1683, 

 the French fquadron cail anchor before Algiers, as it wai 

 determined to bombard tiietou-ii, and the execution of their 

 purpofc was attended with dreadful havoc. Upon this the 

 whole government of the town fued for peace ; but lome 

 delay having taken place with regard to the fuiTcndcr of 

 captives, holtilities were renewed ; and the greatcll part of 

 the city was reduced to afiies, and the fire burnt with fucli 

 vehemence, that the fea was enlightened by it to thedillance 

 of above two leagues. The Algerine commander, in the 

 midll of this Icene, caufed all tiie French who were in the 

 town to be crueliy butchered, and ordered their conful to be 

 failened alive to the mouth of a mortar, and (liot againll 

 their navy inllead uf a bomb. The French admiral, exaf- 

 perated by this unheard of inftance of inhumanity, did not 

 leave Algiers, till he had utterly dellroycd all their (hipping, 

 fortifications, buildings, and, indeed, almofl all the lower 

 part, and above two-thirds of the ujvpir part of the city. 

 After his departure the Algcrines ferioufly tliought of pro- 

 curing a peace with France ; and for this purpofe they de- 

 puted an amba{rador to fupplicate }):irdon for the murder 

 of the conful, which they attributed to the populace, and 

 to fue for peace. The fpcech of their envoy on this occa- 

 fion was a mafterly addrcfs. The rtfiilt of their fubmifTion. 

 ■was a ratification of the peace at Paris in the courfe of the 

 following year : upon which the Dey and douwan proceed- 

 ed to repair the dreadful dilapidations which the metropolis 

 had fuffered. In 16S6, the Algerines concluded a treaty of 

 peace with England, which was renewed in the fecoiid year 

 of James II. and in the fecond year of King William's reign, 

 and again in the reign of George II. when all fonner trea- 

 ties with the Algcnue Republic were ratified. The only 

 remedy to which recmirfe has been had for the occafional 

 violations of this treaty has' been that of making reprifals, 

 inilanoes of which have freqiie;;tly occurred. Rut it was 

 not till after the capture of Gibraltar and Port Mahon, by 

 Sir George Rookc, that Great Britain could have a luf- 

 ficient check upon them to oblige them to the obfcnation of 

 treaties ; and iincc this period they have been accullomed to 

 pay a greater deference to the Englilh than to any other 

 European power. In the year 1708 the Algerines retook 

 from the Spaniards the city of Oi-an, and «'ere at great pains 

 to ilrengthen it with new fortifications ; but uotwithlland- 

 ing thcfe prccauljons, it \^■as retaken in 1 737. The year 

 1710 was fignally propitious to Algiers, upon feveral ac- 

 counts ; as, firil, the afTufunation of their worthkfs Dey 

 Ibraliim, furnamed the Madman ; zdly, the eleftion of the 

 brave Hali to the throne ; and, ^dly, the expuUlon of the 

 Turkifli bafliaw, the abolifiiment of that dignity by the cou- 

 rage and addrcfs of the new Dey, and the unijm of that of- 

 fice with that of the Dey. This introduced that fonn of 

 government which (lill I'ubfills in Algiers. Mod. Un. Hill, 

 vol. XV. p. I — 93. Robcrtfoir s Ilift. of Ch. V. p. 98 — lOO. 

 p. a39-.,8. ^^^ 



