A L G 
of the perfidious beliaviotir of thefe mifereants; and, in 
1617, M. Beaulieu was lent againfl: them with a Heet of 
fifty men of war, who defeated their fleet, took two of 
their velfels, while their admiral funk his own (hip and 
crew, ratlier than fall into his enemies’ hands. 
In 1623, the Algerines and other dales of Barbary 
threw off their dependence on the Porte altogether, and 
fet up for themfelves. What gaveoccafion to this was the 
twenty-five years truce which fultan Amu rath IV. was' 
obliged to make with the emperor Ferdinand II. to pre¬ 
vent his being overmatched bv carrying on a war againft 
him and the fophi of Perfia at the fame time. As this put 
a (lop to the piratical trade of the Algerines, they proceed- 
on a new plan, and refolved, that whoever defired to be at 
peace with them, muff, diffindlly and feparately, apply to 
their government. No foone-r was this refolution taken, 
than the Algerines began to make prizes' of feveral 
merchants (hips belonging to powers at peace with the 
Porte. Nay, having leized a Dutch fhip and poleacre at 
Scanderoon, they ventured on (bore ; and, finding the town 
abandoned by the Turkifh aga and inhabitants, they plun¬ 
dered all the magazines and warehoufes, and fet them on 
fire.—About this time Louis XIII. undertook to build a 
fort on their coafts, inffead of one formerly built by the 
Marlilians, and which they had demoiiflied. This, after 
fouic difficulty, lie accomplilbed ; and it was called the 
Bajlionof France ; but the (ituation being afterwards found 
inconvenient, the French purchafed the port of La Calle, 
and obtained liberty to trade with the Arabians and Moors. 
The Ottoman court, in the mean time, was fo much 
embarraffed with the Perfian war, that there was no lei- 
fure to-check the Algerine piracies. This gave an op¬ 
portunity to the vizir and other courtiers to compound 
Aiatters with the Algerines, and to get a (hare of their 
prizes, which were very confiderable. However, for 
form’s fake, a fevere reprimand, accompanied with threats, 
was fent them ; to which they replied, that “ thefe depre¬ 
dations deferred to be indulged to them, feeing they Were 
the only bulwark againfl: the Chriftian powers, efpecially 
againfl the Spaniards, the fvvorn enemies of the Moflem 
name;” adding, that “ if they (hould pay a punctilious 
regard to all that could purchafe. peace, or liberty to trade 
with, the Ottoman empire, they (hould have nothing to do 
but fet fire to all their (hipping, and turn camel-drivers 
for a livelihood.” 
The Algerines, therefore, profecuted their piracies with 
impunity, to the terror and difgrace of the Europeans, 
till the year 1652; when, a French fleet being accidentally 
driven to Algiers, the admiral took it into his head to de¬ 
mand a releafe'of all the captives of his nation, without 
exception. This being refufed, the Frenchman without 
ceremony carried off the Turkifh viceroy, and his cadi or 
judge, who were juft arri ved from the Porte, with all their 
equipage and retinue. The Algerines, by way of repri- 
fal, furprifed the Bullion of France above-mentioned, and 
carried off the inhabitants to the number of 600, with all 
their effects; which fo provoked the admiral, that he fent 
them word he would pay them another vifit the next year 
with His whole fleet. 
The Algerines, undifmayed by thefe threats, fitted ont 
a fleet of fixteen galleys and galliots, excellently manned 
and equipped, under the command of admiral flali Pin- 
chinin. The chief defign of this armament was againfl 
the treafure of Loretto ; which, however, they were pre¬ 
vented by contrary winds from obtaining. Upon this they 
made a defeent on Puglia in the kingdom of Naples; where 
they ravaged the whole territory of Necotra, carrying off’ 
a vaft number of captives, and among them Come nuns. 
From thence (leering towards Dalmatia, they fecured the 
Adriatic; and, loading themfelves with immeiife plunder, 
left thofe coafts in the utmoft confternation and resentment. 
At lad the Venetians, alarmed at fuel) terrible depreda¬ 
tions, equipped a fleet of tweiYty-eight fail, under the 
command of admiral Capello, with exprefs orders to burn, 
fink, or take,,all the Barbary corfairs he met with, e-ithe# 
Vol. I. No, 21. 
on the open feas, or even in the Grand Signior’sharbours, 
purfuant to a late treaty of peace with the Porte. On the 
orher hand, the captain-bafhaw,- who had been fent out 
with the Turkifh fleet to chafe the Florentine and Maltefe 
cruifers out of the Archipelago, underftanding that the 
Algerine fquadron was fo near, Cent exprefs orders to the 
admiral to come to his affiftance. Pinchinnin readily 
agreed; but, having firft refolved on a defeent upon the 
bland of Lilia, or Lifina, belonging to the Venetians, he 
was overtaken by Capello, from whom he retired to Va- 
lona, a Pea-port belonging to the Grand Signior, whither 
the Venetian admiral purfued him; but, the Turkifh'go¬ 
vernor refuting to ejeft the pirates according to the articles 
of the peace between the Ottoman court and Venice, Ca¬ 
pello was obliged to content himfelf with watching them 
for fome time.. Pinchinin w.as foon weary of reflraint, 
and ventured out; when an engagement immediately en- 
fued, in which the Algerines were defeated, and five of 
their velfels difabled ; with the lofs of 1500 men, Turks 
and Chriftian (laves, belides 1600 galley-flaves who re¬ 
gained their liberty. Pinchinin, after this defeat, return¬ 
ed to Valona, where he Was again watched by Capello; 
but the latter had not lain long at his old anchorage be¬ 
fore he received a letter from the fenate, defiring him to 
make no farther attempt on the pirates at that tore, for 
fear of a rupture with the Porte. This was followed by 
a letter from the governor of Valona, defiring him to take 
care left he incurred the fultan’s diLy leafure by (itch in- 
fults.. The brave Venetian was forced to comply; biu, 
refolding to take fuch a leave of the Algerines as fliould 
be remembered by them, he obferved how they had rear¬ 
ed their tents, and drawn their booty and equipage along 
the fhore. He then kept firing among their tents, while 
fome well-manned galliots and brigantines were ordered 
among their (hipping, who attacked them with fuch bra¬ 
very, that, without any great lofs, they towed out their 
fixteen galleys, with all their cannon, (tores, See. In this 
laft engagement, a ball from one of the Venetian galleys 
happening to hit a Turkifh nftofque, the whole adlion was 
conlidered as an infult upon the Grand Signior. To con¬ 
ceal this, Capello was ordered to fink all the Algerine 
(hips he had taken, except the admiral; which was to be 
conducted to Venice, and laid up as a trophy. Capelld 
came off with a fevere reprimand; but the Venetians w ere 
obliged to buy, w ith 500,000 ducats, a peace from the Porte. 
In the year 16S r, Louis XIV. provoked by the grievous 
outrages committed by the Algerines on the coafts of Pro¬ 
vence and Languedoc, ordered a confiderable fleet to be 
fitted out againfl them, under the marquis Du Quefne, 
vice-admiral of France. His firft expedition was againfl 
a number of Tripolitan corfairs; who had the good for¬ 
tune to on trow, him, and fhelter themfelves in the iiland 
of Scio, belonging to the Turks. This did not, however, 
prevent him from purfuing them thither, and making 
fuch a terrible fire upon them as quickly deftroyed four¬ 
teen of their veil'd.;, befides battering the walls of the 
caftle. This feverity feemed only to be defigned as a 
check to the piracies of the Algerines; but, finding they 
ftill continued their outrages, he failed to Algiers in Au- 
guft 1682, cannonading and bombarding it (o (urioudy, 
that the whole town w r as in flames in a very little time. 
The great mofque was battered down, and mod of the' 
houfes laid in ruins, infomuch that the inhabitants were on 
the point of'abandoning' the place ; when on a (udden the 
wind turned about, and obliged Du Quefne to return to 
Toulon. The Algerines immediately made reprifals, by 
fending a number of galleys and galliots to the coaft of 
Provence, where they committed the moft dreadful rava¬ 
ges and brought away a vaft number of captives: upon 
which a new armament was ordered to be got ready at 
Toulon and Marfeilles againft the next year; and the Al¬ 
gerines, having received timely notice, put themfelves in¬ 
to as good a (late of defence as poflible. 
In May 1683, Du Quefne with his fquadron caft anchor 
before Algiers; where being joined by the marquis D’Af- 
4P franvillej 
