A L O 
fence, ought to he weary of the calamities which they 
reciprocally bring upon each other. After having fo fre¬ 
quently formed leagues for their mutual deftruCtion, let 
them at length take up arms for their general fecurity: 
war would then, for once at lead, become beneficial and 
juft ; and one may venture to aftert that fuch a war would 
be of no long continuance, if it were conducted with (kill 
and unanimity. Perhaps this moll noble and the greateft 
of enterprifes would coft Europe lefs blood and treafure 
than the mod trivial of thofe quarrels with which it is 
continually agitated. The jealoufy of the great maritime 
powers, who have conftantly rejected all expedients for 
fecuring the navigation of Europe from the depredations 
of freebooters, lutth been the chief cauf'e of its conti¬ 
nuance. The hope of checking the induftry of every 
weak ftate, hath accuftomed them to wifti, that thefe pi¬ 
racies (hould continue, and hath even induced them to 
abet the plunderers. This is an enormity, the ignominy 
of which they would never have incurred if their difcern- 
ment had been equal to their rapacity. All Chriftendom 
would certainly profit by this happy change, but the great- 
eft advantages muft infallibly accrue to the maritime (tales, 
in proportion to their power. Their (ituation, the fafety 
of their navigation, the greatnefs of their capitals, and va¬ 
rious other advantages which they poflefs, would fecure 
them fuch fuperiority. However, if the reduction and 
fubje&ion of thefe (fates w'ould not become a fource of 
happinefs to thofe people as well as to ourfelves; if we 
muft keep up and perpetuate llavery and poverty amongft 
them; if fanaticifm can (fill renew thofe deteftable cru- 
fades, which philofophy, too late, has configned to the in¬ 
dignation of all ages; if Africa muft at length become 
the fcene of our cruelties, as Afia and America have been, 
and (fill are, may the project which humanity hath dila¬ 
ted be buried in perpetual oblivion ! It is indifferent whe¬ 
ther they be Chriftians or Muftulmans who fuffer : man 
is the only object worthy to intereft man.” Hijl. Pol. liv. xi. 
Algiers, the capital of the above kingdom, is proba¬ 
bly the ancient Icofium: by the Arabians called Algezair, 
or rather Al-Jezier , or Al- Jezerah , i. e. the ifland, becaufe 
there w as an ifland before the city, to which it hath been 
fince joined by a mole. It is built on the declivity of a 
hill by the fea-fide, in the form of an amphitheatre. The 
tops of the houfes are quite flat and white; and one houfe 
rifes above another in fuch. a manner, that they do not 
hinder each other’s profpeCt. The ftreets are fo narrow, 
that they will fcarcely admit three perfons to walk abreaft, 
and the middle part is lower than the (ides. When any 
loaded beads, fuch as camels, horfes, mules, oraftes, pafs 
along, you are forced to (land up clofe to the wall to let 
them pafs by. There is but one broad ftreet, w'hich runs 
through the city from eaft to weft, in which are the (hops 
of the principal merchants, and the.market for corn and 
other commodities. The lower part of the walls of the 
city are of hewn done, and the upper part of brick ; they 
are thirty feet high on the land fide, and forty tow'ards 
the fea ; the foftes or ditches are twenty feet broad and 
feven deep. There is no fw'eet water in the city; and, 
though there is a tank or ciftern in every houfe, yet they 
often want water, becaufe it rains but feldorn : the chief 
fupply is from a fpring on a hill, the water of which is 
conveyed by pipes to above a hundred fountains, at w hich 
a bowl is faftened for the ufe of paftengers. The com¬ 
mon refervoir is at the end of the mole, where the (hips 
take in their water. Every one takes his turn at thefe 
places, except the Turks, who are firft, and the Jew's laft. 
There are five gates, which are open from fui;-rifing till 
fun-letting; and feven forts or caftles without the walls, 
the greateft of which is on the mole without the gate, all 
of which are well fupplied with cannon. There are 107 
mofques, three colleges or public fchools, and a great 
number of petty ones for children. The houfes, of which 
there are about 15,000, are fquare, and built of done and 
brick, w ith a fquare court in the middle, and galleries all 
ro.und. There are faid to be about 120,00.0 inhabitants 
Vol. I. No. zi. 
A L H 
in the city, comprehending 5000 Jewifti families, befides 
Chriftians. There are four fundics or public inns, Inch 
ad are in Turkey; and, lix cazernes or barracks, for the 
unmarried Turkifti foldiers, which will hold 6co each. 
There are no inns for Chriftians to lodge at; but only a 
few tippling huts kept by (laves, for the accommodation 
of Greeks and the poorer fort of travellers, where any 
thing may be had for money. Here are bagnios or pub¬ 
lic baths, in the lame manner as in Turkey, at a very mo¬ 
derate rate. The women have baths of their own, where 
the men dare not come. Without the city there are a great 
number of fepulchres, as alfo cells or chapels, dedicated 
to marabouts or reputed faints, which the women go to 
vifit every Friday. The Turkifti foldiers are great ty¬ 
rants; for, they not only turn others out of the way in the 
ftreets, but will go to the farm-houfes in the country for 
twenty days together, living on free quarters, and making 
ufe of every thing, not excepting the women. The Al¬ 
gerines eat, as in Turkey, fitting crofs-legged round a 
table about four inches high, and ufe neither knives nor 
forks. Before they begin, every one fays Be ifme Allah, 
“ In the name of God.” When they have done, a (lave 
pours water on all their hands as they fit, and then they 
wafh their mouths. Their drink is water, (herbet, and 
coffee. Wine is not allowed, though drunk immoderately 
by fome. The profpeft of the country and fea from Al¬ 
giers is very beautiful; but the city, though for feveral 
ages it has braved fome of the greateft powers in Chriften¬ 
dom, it is faid, could make but a faint defence again!! a 
regular fiege. The mole of the harbour is 500 paces in 
length, extending from the continent to a final 1 illand 
where there is a caftle and large battery. Lat. 36. 40. N. 
Ion. 3. 30. E. 
AL'GOL,yia fixed ftarof the third magnitude, called 
Medufa's Head., in the conllellation Perfeus; its longitude is 
21 0 50'42" of Taurus, and its latitude 23 0 23' 47" north; 
according to Flamftead’s catalogue. 
ALGON'QUINS, a nation in North America, who 
formerly pofieHed great trails of land along the north 
(bore of the river St. Lawrence. For a long lime they 
were in alliance with the Iroquois; but, in confequenceof 
fome difputes about the right of hunting, the Iroquois 
attacked the Algonquins with fuch diabolical fury, as 
(hewed they could be fatisfied with nothing lefs than the 
extermination of the whole race; which, had it not been 
for the interpofition of the French, they would have ac- 
complifhed. The few Algonquin nations that are now to 
be feen, feem entirely ignorant of agriculture, and fubuft 
by fifhing and hunting. They allow themfelves a plura¬ 
lity of wives; notwithftandingwhich, they daily decreafe 
in populoufnefs, few or none of their nations containing 
above 6000 fouls, and many of them not 2000. Their 
language is one of the three radical ones in North Ame¬ 
rica, being underftood from the river St. Lawrence to that 
of the Miffidippi. 
AL'GOR, f. [Lat.] with phyficians, an unufual cold- 
nefs in any part of the body. It is alfo ufed for extreme 
cold; chilnefs. 
AI.GO'RAB,yi a fixed ftar of the third magnitude, in 
the right wing of the conftellation Corvus. 
AL'GORISM, or Al'g orithm, J'. [Arab.] is fimilar 
to Logistics, fignifying the art of computing in any 
particular way, or about fome particular fubjeCt; or the 
common rules of computing in any art. As the algorithm. 
of numbers, of algebra, of integers, of fractions, ot furds, 
&c. meaning the common rules for performing the opera¬ 
tions of arithmetic, or algebra, or fractions, &c. 
ALGO'SE, adj. [from algm\ Lat.] Extremely cold; 
chill. 
ALGUAZIL',y. in the Spanifh polity, an officer whofe 
bufinefs it is to fee the decrees of a judge executed. 
ALH A'GI, /. in botany, the trivial name of a fpecies of 
hedyfarum. See Hedysarum. 
ALIIA'MA, a pleafant town of the kingdom of Gra- 
aada, ir. Spain, .fituated in the midft of fome craggy moun- 
4 Qy tains, 
