1800. | 
equal to, and is entitled to the fame pri- 
vileges as, the Moors. ‘They may then 
even intermarry among themfelves and 
with the Moors. The negrefles are ge- 
nerally the confidantes of the young ladies 
in their-mafter’s houfe, in which cafe their 
fituation becomes very comfortable. They 
have likewife a great influence on the edu- 
cation of youth, as they are employed as 
attendants on the children, who, in their 
tender years, are more with them than 
with their parents. But they fpoil the 
children by over-indulgence, as they are 
apt too much to give way to and flatter 
the defires of thefe their future matters. _ 
We now come to the Chriflianzs, but 
who, on account of their trawfitory refi- 
dence, can hardly be faid to conftitute 
part of the proper inhabitants. It is al- 
moft in the cities only that we meet with 
Chriftians, but very rarely in the open. 
country. On the weltern cvaft, the Spa- 
niards occupy Oran and Mafalquivir: the 
citizens refident there, for the moft part 
fugitives from their native Ichd, derive 
their fubfiftence from the garrifon, and live 
in indelence, mifery, and poverty, being 
deftitute of trade, agriculture and manu- 
fa&tures. The Chriltians who are met 
with in the other cities (a few trayelling 
merchants and literati excepted) are all 
flaves: but treated with a great deal more 
lenity than themlelves and the miffionaries 
pretend. There are two clafies of Chrif- 
tian flaves. To the firft belong all thofe 
who are captured by the Algerine corfairs : 
thele are preferred to the others, and are 
truly worthy of commiferation. On their 
arrivalat Algiers, they are feparated into 
divifions, and conduéied to the “palace of 
the Dey, that he may felect whom/oever 
he pleafes from them: the remainder are 
taken to the market-place, and fold to the 
higheft bidder. The captains and chief 
officers of fhips, and all perfons of diftinc- 
tion and of a better appearance are placed 
in the firft divifion of prifoners, and treated 
with greater igildnefs than the reft, be- 
caufe it is expected that they will purchafe 
their liberty. In the day-time they muft 
work in the fail-magazines belonging to 
the navy; and at night they are fhut up 
with the other flaves in the bagnios. The 
children and women are kept as fervants 
in the palace of the Dey: or purchafed by 
other grandees, to attend on their wives. 
if among the female captives there hap- 
pen to be a lady of\high rank, fhe remains 
indeed the property of the Dey, but is 
permitted to refide in the houfe of fome of 
the free Chriftians. The remainder of the 
Ship’s crew are publicly fold to the higheft 
Account of the Inhabitants of Algiers. 
537 
bidder, and become the property either of. 
the ftate or of private individuals. 
The feeond clafs of Chriftian flaves at 
Algiers confifts of (what will appear 
ftrange to many of our readers) perfons 
who of their own accord enter into a 
ftate of flavery. They are for the moft 
part deferters from the Spanifh garrifon in 
Oran and Mafalquivir, who from fear, 
defpair, ignorance or precipitancy make 
their efcape. Oran, then, is the nurfery 
of this kind of Chriftian flaves: and the 
number of fuch runaways. is reckoned to 
/ y 
amount annually to about one hundred. _ 
Among them are natives of almoft every 
country of Europe. » While the author, 
from whom this account of Algiers is ex- 
tracted, refided there, the German Oran. 
ites were for the moft part men, who, in 
their native country, had been forced or 
inveigled to enter into the army—-had de- 
ferted—been pickcd up by Spanith or 
French recruiting-parties, and at laft, after 
various intermediate adventures, 
fentenced to tran{portation to Oran. They 
were almoft all addiéted to drunkennefs, 
but in other refpects faithful, good-na- 
tured, well-behaved, laborious, and not 
fo abandoned as the reft of their compa- 
nions. ‘Thofe who were natives of France 
were adventurers, or had been ruined by, 
gaming, and thus incited to the commif- 
fion of crimes, which obliged them to fly.. 
Few of them had reformed. 
almoft without exception of a volatile and 
daring difpofition, carelefs, lazy, and a- 
depts in charlatanry and knavery. The 
greater part of the Spanifh Oranites were 
tranfported’ {mugglers. Among thofe 
from Italy were found the moft abandoned 
wretches and the moft atrocious criminals, 
and even among thele the Neapolitans and 
Genoefe diftinguifhed themfelves by their 
fuperior wickednefs. Moft of them had 
been banditti,, highway-robbers and mur- 
derers, and been forced to fly to Spain, 
where, even after their tran{portation to 
Oran, they purfued their old praétices, 
and on that account made their efcape to 
Algiers, to ‘avoid the punithment due to 
their crimes. ‘They related. with the 
greateft unconcern and franknefs all the 
deeds of horror they had formerly perpe- 
trated: the oldeft were the mofi hardened 
and fhamele(s, probably becaufe they had 
loft all hope of ever returning to Europe. 
The younger among them were not fo 
communicative: but fufficiently indicated 
by their geftures that they were not much 
better than the others. They believe that 
they are now doing penance for their fins, 
diligently attend the confeffional, and are 
j {crupuloufly 
been | 
They were 
