1800. ] 
but it is neither beautiful, nor has any 
flourifhing trade or manufacture. The 
Shellif, formerly Chinalaph, is the largett 
river of the whole kingdom; it takes its 
rife in the Defert; in 35% 2’ north lati- 
tude, from feventy fources, as its name in- 
dicates. In its courfe it receives the Mz- 
droe, the Harbeene at the town of Medea, 
the Zoddah or Silver River, the Archew, 
the Mina, Warifaand Fagia. Sherfhelwas 
formerly a place of fome importance; but 
is now in ruins; it is faid, that it was de- 
_ ftroyed by an earthquake, and that the ar- 
fenal and anumber of other buildings were 
precipitated intothe harbour; the ruins be- 
ing ftilldifcoverable at low water. Sherfhel 
is built after the Moorifh manner. The 
inhabitants are celebrated for their pottery 
wares, and their fteel and iron manufac- 
tures. Tremefan or Tlemfaxn is by far the 
mott confiderable town in the province of 
Mafcara; in the time of the Arabs, it 
was the refidence of powerful kings and 
princes; but is now dwindled to {carce a 
fifth part of the extent of the ancient city. 
Its once flourifhing manufactures are at 
prefent in-a ftate of decay. They ftill 
make and dye different kinds of carpets 
and woollen coverlets. The latter are 
moft in requeft: they are dyed of a {carlet 
colour, and at the ends interwoven with 
gold wire. They coft from 3 to jo Al- 
gerine zechins. ‘Ihe former matter pieces 
of archite€lure have difappeared: not a 
fingle building of diftinguifhed excellence 
is now to be feen. ‘The minarets (towers 
of the mofchs) indeed raife their heads 
above the reft ; but poflefs no real beauty 
or fymmetry. Pgren gs 
Majcara, formerly /iGoria, the prefent 
capital of the province, and the refidence 
of the Bey, is the only place in the whole 
kingdom, which under the domination of 
the Turks flourifhes, and perceptibly in- 
creafes in profperity. It is, indeed, {mal- 
Jer than Tremefan and Sherfhel; but fur- 
paffes them in beauty, and the modern ap- 
pearance of the houfes, and daily increafes 
in extent. Mafcara is fituated in the 
centre of a diftri abounding with corn- 
fields and embellifhed with numerous {mall 
villages. Solate as in Shaw’s time (1732) 
it was but an inconfiderable place; but at 
prefent it has a great number of good 
houfes, newly erected mofchs, and a ftrong 
caftle, in which the Bey refides, and ts at- 
tended by a numerous and fplendid retinue, 
Il, THE TERRITORY OF THE CITY 
OF ALGIERS. 
The capital, Algiers, or Argel, has, from 
its amphitheatrical fituation,the refplendent 
whitene{s of the houfes, and the numerous 
New and correé Account of Algiers. 
961 
circumjacent villas, a moft agreeable and in- 
viting appearance; but the internal ftate of 
the city anfwers not the expectation thus 
railed. It has five gates; but no public 
places or fquares of confiderable extent. 
‘The larger mo{chs amount to feven; but 
there is nothing remarkable or of fuperior 
beauty in their architecture. Even the 
Dey’s palace is far from being f{pacious 
and extenfive. Algiers contains about 
$0,000 inhabitants, in which number are 
included feveral thoufand Jewith families. 
Shaw makes the number of the inhabitants 
amount to 117,000, and Laugier de Tafly 
to 100,000. In the time of thefe two wri. 
ters,the numbers refpectivelygiven bythem 
may have been the true amount of the po- 
pulation ; for it has been remarked, that 
It yearly decreafes; and indeed it is éar 
from improbable, that fifty years hence, 
if no extraordinary revolution intervene, 
and the government remain the fame, the 
inhabitants may not exceed fifty or fixty 
thoufand. 
About half a mile to the north eaft of 
the city commences the plain of Metiifbe, 
which ftretches fifty Englith miles in 
length, and twenty in breadth, as far as 
the branch of Mount Atlas at the foot of 
which lies the town of Belida. This plain 
is well cultivated, better indeed than the 
other diftricts of the kingdom. Immedi. 
ately under the government of Algiers are 
the following Kats, the Kait of Zabau 
or Sebau, the principal of them all; the 
Kait of Rufarik, Buinufa, Gafbna, Bniz- 
lifa, Buifba‘, Ar¢ib, Zebt, Yffer, and Sher- 
fcelle. This province is watered by the 
Mazaffran, which at its entrance into the 
fea is a very confiderable river, and little 
inferior co the Shelif; by the Shia and 
the Hara/h. 
fll. THE PROVINCE OF TITERI. 
This province is the {malleft and leat 
important: towards the north it is moun. 
tainous and narrow ; to the fourth it ex- 
tends far into the Delert. Along the coatt 
of Temendfufe, to the mouth of the Boose. 
rack, we find not a fingletown, On this 
coaft the Regya, the Budzyowe, the Corfoe, 
the Merdafs, and the ¥zfer fall into the fea: 
of thefe rivers, the Yilfer greadly furpaffes 
the others in magnitude. In the interior 
of the country, at the foot of the ridge of | 
mountains, and about fifteen miles trom 
Algiers, lies Bleeda or Belida, a tolerably 
large and populous town, -but without 
much trade. Vhe fecond town of this 
province is Medea; it is furrounded with 
high mountains; and, the heat being’ from 
this cavfe extraordinarily great, frais and 
plants attaina greater perfeciion, Mcdea 
18 
