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Tlie Moors ai-e not admitted into tlie iiifanti-}' of itie Alge- 

 rine ftatc, which is the moil honoiinihlo ai)d \ilVful corps, 

 but they coinpofc the cavalry ol the Dty, which is not imich 

 eileemcd. The Moorilli niountaiiiecrs are deiiomiiiated Ca- 

 BviES. The Arabian tribes, who inhabit the Algerir.c do- 

 minions, are thofe who, without blending with the Moors, 

 or moll ancient pofleiiors of the country, have uniformly 

 maintained tlieir feparation from others, partly in a (late of 

 i:ide])endenee, and ])artly as tributaries; to the Dey. They 

 arc dillinguiflicd from the rell by their language, their rude 

 manners, and a peeuliai- mode of living ; and alio by a degree 

 of pnde which leads them to look upon themfelves as better 

 and inore noble than others. They are alfo diiliiignilhed by 

 their love of liberty. They live either in the delert, or in 

 iiiacceflible ridges of movmtains, divided into families and 

 clans, under the patriarchal government of a flielk, who may 

 be corfidered as the judge, inllruftor and leader of his tribe. 

 'I'heir wealth confiils in their flocks and herds. Wlienever 

 they think themfelves fecure, they defcend from the moun- 

 tains into the plain country. The number of thefe mai-au- 

 ders decreafes every year. The Arab tribes that are the 

 iiibjefls of the Algerhie ilate, pay a fmall tribute, and are 

 tre;itcd with great lenity, that they may not be jirovokcd to 

 unite with the Cabyles and the independent Arabs. The 

 i.u:'iber of Jews in Algiers is not conhderable : lliey are de- 

 ; ' 1 d and oppreffed, dillinguifhed by a drefs of dark colour, 

 rjltrained from acquiiing landed property, and forbidden to 

 ride through the gates or in the city. If a Jew be attacked, 

 he would incur danger by defending himfelf againll the abufe 

 of the Turks and Moors, and therefore they purehale the 

 ! ' 'ttc'tion either of powerful Turks, or European confuls. 

 i lie Algerine Jev/s are, in general, very tuperftitious and fa- 

 natical, and alfo cowardly, perfidious, avaricious, and addifted 

 to cheating and fraud. In their own concerns they a're ame- 

 nable to their o^vn tribunal, and have an elder amongll them, 

 known by the appellation of " King of the Jews." 



The number of negroes annually iinpoisted as flaves into 

 Algiers, amounts to from 150 to 180; and their price varies 

 from 50 to 150 fequins. The femalp are often kept as 

 concubmcs by thtf wealthy Turks and Moors. Mofl of 

 thefe flaves obtain their freedom, either gratuitoufly or by 

 purchafc ; and during their flaver}-, they are treated with 

 lenity, and fevere ufage is noticed and even puniflied by the 

 government. Both negro and Chriilian flaves are employed 

 at Algiers in the fame offices with our domefl.ic fervants. But 

 Jews and Chrilllans are forbidden from keeping negro Daves 

 who profefs the Mahometan religion. An emancipated (lave 

 becomes entitled to the fame privileges with the Moors. 



The Chnitlans of Algiers are ti-unfitory refidents, and can 

 hardly be reckoned in any clafs of inhabitants. They are 

 feldotn found in the open country. On the weilern coail 

 the Spaniards occupy Oran and Mafalquivir: but the greater 

 part of the citizens who refide there cor.fill of fugitives from 

 their native land, and derive a fcanty fubfillence from 

 the garrifon ; and deftitutc of trade, agriculture and manufac- 

 tures, pafs their time in indolence and wretchednefs. The 

 Chriftians in other cities are, generally fpeaking, all flaves. 

 Some of them are fuch as have been captured by the Al- 

 gerine corfairs ; of whom fome are felefted by the Dey, and 

 the reft are fold in the market-place to the higheft bidder. . 

 The other Chriilian flaves are fuch as enter of their own ac- 

 cord into a ilate of flavery ; and thefe are for th? moil part 

 deferters from the Spanirti garrifon at Oran and Mafalquivir ; 

 fo that Oran is the nurfery of this clafs of flaves, ainounting 

 annually to about 100. As to the tieatinent of thefe Chrif- 

 lian flaves, thofe that are deferters from Oran, and thofe that 

 Sice captured by the cruifers, are treated without diicrimina- 



fion : tliey al'c j^cncrally well kept, but o>'crwhc'tT"cd wit^i 

 labour or cruel ufage. Thofe who attend upon the Dey live 

 fumptuoufly, and are riclily clud, but they muft ftclude 

 themfelves from focitty, and arc ieldoin allowed to leave the 

 palace. The youngell and mod beautiful arc exj)ofed to the 

 feduflion of liccHlious courtiers. Others, wiio are the prti- 

 perty of the ilate, are employed in dock-yards and ninga- 

 y.ints, and are under the command of Turkilh taflc-mallei*. 

 Tluy labour from fun-rifo to fun-let, and their fare is coarfv j 

 and their accommodations at night, amidll the filth and ver- 

 min and coriupt air of the bagnios, are m(>ic intolerabk ihiit 

 the fatiglits of the day. The condition of flaves, purchaicd 

 by private pcrfons, is, upon the whole, preferable to that of 

 thofe who belong to the ilate. In the cities, they arc em- 

 ployed as menial fervants ; in the country, they cultivate thi* 

 vineyards and gardens. Thofe who In.ve an opportunity to 

 acquire property, take taverns in the city, and gradually be- 

 come rich. Thofe flaves who had been captured by the cor>- 

 fairs, often regain their liberty by being ranfomed ; but the 

 Oranite flaves have feldoin any hopes ot dehverancc. Some* 

 times the government of a country ranloms all its flaves with- 

 out exception, which was the cafe with the I'rench in 1784. 

 Their number, however, is not commonly vary great, lu 

 1 785, the year after the French ranfom, it anu>unted to about 

 2000. In 1 786 and 1787, 500 Spaniards and Neapolitan! 

 were liberated, and about 700 died of the plague ; fo that 

 there remained about 800, moil of whom were deferters 

 from Oran. 



As to thofe called /vw^Wo^j-, there are few of them in this 

 eountiy. They arc either Jews or Chrillians. The former, 

 of whom there arc coinmonly more women than men, re- 

 nounce the faith of their ancellors, and embrace the predo- 

 minant religion of the country, for the purpofc of being re- 

 venged of their relations, or with a view to efcape from me- 

 rited and appi-ehendcd puniflimcnt, or from motives of ambi- 

 tion or intcrcfl;. If fuch perfons poflefs talents and render 

 fervice to the government, they are elleemed equal to the 

 Cololles, and have a chance of being advanced to honourable 

 and lucrative employments. ' The admiral ol the Algerine 

 fleet was a renegado, and fonnerly a Jew. Of Chriilian renc- 

 gadoes the number is not fo great. The zeal to gain pro- 

 felytes from Chriftianity is abated : fuch converflons are not 

 now encouraged, and in many inllances not permitted, as the 

 proprietors of the flaves would be lolers, and be deprived of 

 the expefted ranfom. Renegadoes are defpiii d and diilrull- 

 ed, and not without reafon, for moft of them are in judgment 

 and affeftiim attached neither to one religion nor to the other, 

 Shaw's Travels. Paflim. Pilts's Account of the Religion' 

 and Manners of the Mahometans, ed. iv. 1738. Palfim. 

 Mod. Un. Hill. vol. xiv. p. 435 — 456. 8vo. 



Algiers, the capital of the country above defcribcd» 

 was formerly called Mefgana, from an Afiican family of 

 that name, and derives its prcfcnt name /llgivrs, or yll-Je- 

 zeire, the ijlnnd, from its being in the vicinity of the eaiterit 

 mound of the harbour, which, before the time of the Turk- 

 ilTi conqueft, was fevered from the continent. Some have 

 fappofcd that this wss the ancient Icofnim ; but Dr. Shaw ia 

 of opinion that the ruins of a Roman city on the banks of 

 the river Haratch, the ancient Savus, four miles to the fouth- 

 eaft of Algiers, bids fairer than Algiers to be the ancient 

 Icofium. The city is fituated on the declivity of a hill, and 

 is built in the form of an ainphitheatre. The houfcs rife 

 gradually above one another, and their roofs or terraces are 

 flat and white, fo that at fca it appears, fays Pitts, like the' 

 top-fail of a fliip, or like a whiteners ground covered v\ith 

 linen. It is, fay's Dr. Shaw, about a mile and a half in cir- 

 cuit, and is computed to contain about 2000 Chriilian 

 4 R 2 flaves. 



