ALGIERS. 
and all thoughts of any farther attempts to retrieve the 
honour of the nation, and effectuate the purpofes of the 
expedition, were laid afide. In four days after, a great 
part of the fleet, with all the land-forces, failed back to 
Spain. The mifconduCt and difgrace attending this ex¬ 
pedition was generally imputed to the count O’Reilly; and 
the lofs fuftained in it, as given by authority, amounted 
to twenty-fe.ven officers killed, 191 wounded; 501 men 
killed, 2088 wounded; but private computations eliiniated 
the lofs at about 5000. 
In the year 17 84 another expedition was fet on foot, by 
the court of Madrid, againft this date; the chief com¬ 
mand of which was entruffed to admiral Don Antonio 
Barcelo. Eight fuccefiive attacks were made, with great 
fpirit and bravery, on the forts which defend the entrance 
of the harbour; but they were repelled w’ith equal intre¬ 
pidity by the Algerines. Some parts of the city were fet 
on fire, but the injuries which the Spanifh fleet fuftained 
were much greater than the annoyance which it gave the 
enemy ; and the attempt to deftroy Algiers was in the re- 
TuIt given up as impracticable. 
The dey is now abfolute monarch; and pays no other 
revenue to the Porte than that of a certain number of fine 
boys or youths, and fome other prefents which are fent 
thither yearly. His own income probably rifes and falls 
according to the opportunities that occur of fleecing both 
natives and foreigners; whence it is varioufly computed 
by different authors. Dr. Shaw computes the taxes of 
the whole kingdom to bring into the treafury no more than 
300,000 dollars ; but fuppofes that the eighth part of the 
prizes, the effects of thofe perfons who die without chil¬ 
dren, joined to the yearly contributions raifed by the go¬ 
vernment, prefents from foreigners, fines, and oppref- 
fions, may bring in about as much more. Both the dey 
and officers under him enrich themfelves by the fame lau¬ 
dable methods of rapine and fraud; which it is no wonder 
to find the common people pradtifing upon one another, 
and efpecially upon ftrangers, feeing they themfelves are 
impoverifhed by heavy taxes, and the injuftice of thofe 
who are in authority. 
It has been already obferved, that the firft deys were 
elected by the militia, who were then called the douwan ox 
common-council. This elective body was at firft compo- 
fed of 800 militia-officers, without whofe confent the dey 
could do nothing ; and upon fome urgent occafions all the 
officers refiding in Algiers, amounting to above 1500, were 
lummoned to aflift. But, lince the deys have become more 
powerful, the douwan is principally compofed of thirty 
chiak-baffiaws or colonels, with now and then the mufti 
and cadi upon fome emergencies; and, on the election of 
a dey, the whole foldiery are allowed to come and give their 
votes. All the regulations of ftate ought to be determi¬ 
ned by that affembly, before they pafs into a law, or the 
dey hath not power to put them in execution: but, for 
many years back, the douwan is of fo little account, that 
it is only convened out of formality, and to give affent to 
wltat the dey and his chief favourites have concerted be¬ 
forehand. 
In this country it is not to be expedled that juftice will 
be adminiftered with any degree of impartiality. The 
Mahometan foldiery, in particular, are fo much favoured, 
that they are feldont put to death for any crime except re¬ 
bellion; in which cafe they are either ftrangled with a 
bow-ftring or hanged to an iron hook. In fmaller offences, 
they are fined, or their pay flopped; and, if officers, they 
are reduced to the ftation of common foldiers, from whence 
they may gradually raife themfelves to their former dig¬ 
nity. Women guilty of adultery, have a halter tied about 
their necks, with the other end faftened to a pole, by which 
they are held under water till they are fuffocated. The 
baftinado is likewife inflidted for fmall offences; and is 
given either upon the belly, back, or foies of the feet, ac¬ 
cording to the pleafttre of the cadi; who alfo appoints 
the number of ftrokes. Thefe fometimes amount to 200 
or 300, according to the indulgence the offender can ob- 
. .3 
33 * 
tain either by bribery or friends; and hence he often dies 
under this punifhment for want of money or advocates. 
But the moft terrible punifhments are thofe inflifted upon 
Jews or Chriftians who fpeak againft Mahomet or his re¬ 
ligion ; in which cafe, they mult either turn Mahometans 
or be impaled alive. If they afterwards apoftatize, they 
are burned or roafted alive, or elfe thrown down from the 
top of the citv walls, upon iron hooks, where they are 
caught by different parts of their body, according as they 
happen to fall, and expire in the greateft torments. This 
terrible punifhment, however, begins to be diftifed. 
The officer next in power to the dey is the aga of the 
janizaries, who is one of the oldeft officers in the army. 
Next to the aga in dignity is the fecretary of ftate, who re- 
gifters all the public a£ls; and after hint are the thirty 
chiahs or colonels, who fit next to the aga in the douwan, 
and in the fame gallery with him. Out of this dais arc 
generally chofen thofe who go ambaffadors to foreign 
courts, or who difperfe the dey’s orders throughout the 
realm. Next to them are 800 bolluck-bafhaws, or eldelt 
captains, who are promoted to that of chiah-bafhaws ac¬ 
cording to their feniority. The oldack-bafhaws or lieu¬ 
tenants are next; who amount to 400, and are regularly 
raifed to the rank of captains in their turn, and to other 
employments in the ftate, according to their abilities. 
Other military officers of note are the vekelards or pur¬ 
veyors of the army; the peys, who are the four oldeft fol¬ 
diers, and confequently the neareft to preferment; the 
foulacs, who are next in feniority to them, and are part 
of the dey’s body-guard, always marching before him 
when he takes the field, and diftinguilhed by their car¬ 
bines and gilt fcymitars, with a brafs gun on their caps; 
the kayts or Turkifh foldiers, each band of whom have 
the government of one or more adowars or itinerant vil¬ 
lages, and collect their taxes for the dey; and the fagiards 
or Turkifh lancemen, an hundred of whom always attend 
the army, and watch over the water appointed for it. 
To thefe we may add the beys, or governors of the three 
great provinces of the realm. All the above-mentioned 
officers ought to compofe the great douwan or council 
above-mentioned: but only the thirty chiah-bafhaws have 
a right to fit in the gallery next after the dey. The reft: 
are obliged to ftand on the floor of the hall or council- 
chamber, with their arms acrofs, and^ss much as poffible 
without motion; neither are they permitted to enter with 
their fwords on, for fear of a tumult. As for thofe who 
have any matters to tranfadt with the douwan, they muff 
ftand without, let the weather be ever fo bad; and there 
they are commonly prefented with coffee by fome of the 
inferior officers, till they are difmiffed. 
The kingdom of Algiers is at prefent divided into three 
provinces or diftridfs, viz. the eaftern, weftern, and fouth- 
ern. The eaftern or Levantine government* which is by 
far the moft confiderable, and is alfo called Beylick , con¬ 
tains the towns of Bona, Conftantina, Gigeri, Bujeyah, 
Steffa, Tebef, Zamoura, Bifcara, and Necanz, in all which 
the Turks have their garrifons; befides which, it includes 
the two ancient kingdoms of Cuco and Labez, though in¬ 
dependent of the Algerine government, to whofe forces 
their country is inacceffible ; fo that they (fill live under 
their own cheyks, chofen by each of their adowars or 
hords. The weftern government hath the towns of Oran, 
Tremecen, Moftagan, Tenez, and Secrelly, with its caftle 
and garrifon. The fouthern government hath neither 
town, village, nor even a houfe, the inhabitants leading 
a wandering life, and living in tents. 
The moft confiderable rivers of Algiers are the Zha or 
Zis, which runs acrofs tlfe province of Tremecen and the 
defert of Anguid, falling into the Mediterranean near the 
town of Tabecrita, where it has the name of Strut. 2. The 
Haregol, fuppofed the Sign of Ptolemy, comes down from 
mount Atlas, erodes the defert of Anguid, and falls into 
the fea about five leagues from Oran. 3. The Mina, 
fuppofed the Chylematis of Ptolemy, a large river, which 
runs through the plains of Bathala, and falls into the fea 
near 
