Algiers respecting that endowment, together with the answers given to those questions.

One of the questions is," Do the Mussulmans of Algiers who go on a pilgrimage receive any assistance from the endowment of Mecca and Medina ? The answer is, simply, No.

The only way in which I can reconcile this seeming discrepancy, between De Bussy's statement and the document to which he refers, is by supposing that poor Mussulmans accidentally coming to Algiers from the holy cities may have been assisted to return home thither out of the Mecca and Medina fund; in which case, however, those paupers could hardly be called pilgrims from Algiers.

But the most curious fact that meets us in the examination of the Oukils, i. e. the stewards of this Mahometan fund, by the French "Intendant civil," is, that Christians as well as Mussulmans were the objects of its charity.

Question put by the Intendant:-" In distributing the alms of this endowment, do you establish distinctions among the poor, or are the distributions made indiscriminately to all who present themselves ?"

Answer:-" Alms are distributed to each according to the misery and destitution of the applicant; and the circumstances of the applicant are inquired into and appreciated by the Oukil."

Another question:-"Are there fixed periods for the distributions, and how are they regulated?"

Answer:-"There are fixed periods for the distribution of alms; namely, the mornings of Monday and Tuesday. The poor are divided into three classes; namely, the men, the women, and the Christians— each of the three classes receives separately."

A charitable Algerine in the last century-honour be to his memory! -bequeathed a large sum to be laid out in bread for the Christian slaves on that day of the week when their allowance of food was the scantiest. It was probably to the religious protection of the above endowment that he confided his legacy.

Well, whilst I know your heart is thankful that there are some redeeming traits in the Algerine character, let me not unintentionally lead you to too much indignation at the French, from supposing that they have cut off every stream of charity towards the poorest class of the natives. No:-the Baron Pichon describes the twice-a-week distributions of alms which he had himself seen; and which, I am confident, are still continued, though I have not witnessed them. At these distributions the Oukil sits in public with two assessors: a troop of perhaps two thousand indigents-mostly women carrying or leading infants-defiles before him; and a pittance-would that I could say it was more, of about a sou and a half is doled out to each individual. In the olden time, when a sheep cost but fifteen-pence at Algiers, this sum was, perhaps, not much less than equivalent to the scantiest parish charity in England; but now that prices are raised, it is no wonder that the mendicants look gaunt. M. Pichon certainly means that this charity comes out of the Mecca endowment, for he says that the sur'plus, after the beggars have been served, is turned into the public treasury, and no longer goes to the Holy City, in order that the funds originally intended for a religious purpose may not be perverted from their destination and employed in paying for intrigues and insurrections

against the French. With equal justice and humanity the Baron remarks that the enemies of France, who are abroad among the Mussulmans, could, by no stretch of ingenuity, invent means of fomenting native discontents more efficacious than this iniquitous detention of funds appropriated to religion. The French entered Algiers on the faith of the national religion being sacredly protected; but this tribute to Mecca is a vital part of Islamism. It is very well to talk of Mahometan superstition, and if the people of Algiers should choose to become Protestant Mahometans let them get rid, if they will, of the tribute; but the French, without perjuring themselves, cannot interfere with the tribute as it is now established. And be it remarked that, in outraging the religion of a Mussulman, you are not interfering merely with his superstitious dogmas, but with the whole sources of his moral consolations. The Koran is the Mussulman's code of laws and jurisprudence; the compass that guides his actions in this world as well as his hopes towards the next.

It is but fair to say, that although I despair of ever seeing justice done to the expatriated Turks, I have hopes that the sequestration of the corporation-funds will not be universally and permanently sanctioned by the French. Baron Pichon says, "That the sequestration on properties having special appropriations is only partial and nominal; that the funds for supporting the mosques of Algiers, for example, have never been taken possession of." So far so good; and though the name of mosques reminds me that one of the largest in the city was demolished by the French, and another converted into a Catholic church (of course without consulting the inhabitants), yet for the former proceeding, violation of the treaty as it was, one can allow something like a palliation in looking at the improvement which it has made upon Algiers. The demolition of the mosque and its adjacent buildings has enlarged the only public market-place in this gloomy city, and opened a view from it towards the sea; it has therefore made the town healthier as well as pleasanter. Moreover, as long as the African Commission continues,* I shall not consider the question of the sequestrations as hopelessly at rest.

But, without denying to M. Genty de Bussy the merit of having generally spoken with truth and candour on this subject, I cannot quite agree with him, that the French Government stands exculpated in the whole affair. "The French Government," he says, "has never given its sanction to all the decrees of the Generals-in-chief, or to the acts of the intendants at Algiers." This is a vague sort of exculpation. It may be that no one act of the French Government has sanctioned all the decrees of the Governors-at one sweep; but in September, 1831, did not the French Minister-of-War send to Algiers an order for the sale of all the onerous domains in Algiers, with the exception of the property appropriated for the mosques of Mecca and Medina? He made no other exception to Clausel's decree of the 7th of December, 1830, which sequestrated the houses, magazines, manors, and to all establishments whatsoever, under what title soever, having special appropriations. After this order of the War-minister, it is needless to speak of the French Government never having sanctioned those iniquitous seques

*A Board appointed to inquire into the state of the African colony, and to give in reports on the subject to Government.

trations; but it is singular to find Mons, Pichon, just after he has admitted the existing sequestration to be in part only nominal, immediately adding, " Mais le sequestre existe sur les biens de Mecque et Medina," If he means anything by this sequestration, he surely means that it is real, and not nominal.

The truth seems to be, that in this meditated robbery of corporation property at Algiers, the French authorities on the spot have been about as timid as those at home, when they came to the practical point of executing the decrees of 1830 and 1831. Mons. de Bussy himself is amusingly honest on this subject; I cannot but laugh when I find him confessing, "The sequestration in Africa is quite a measure of exception, (une mesure tout exceptionnelle)-a measure of public safety, in opposi tion to law (étrangère au droit), and which policy alone could make advisable." In other words, the apologist might have said, that, under certain circumstances, honesty is not the best policy—but policy is the best honesty.

The Governor's decree of the 10th of June, though made public, and supported by a ministerial decision that came subsequently from Paris, has not received an entire execution. "At no period," he adds, "have the rules of sequestration been rigorously applied, and it is only with a sort of timidity and groping that those who are engaged in this business have gone on."

Now, Frenchmen, if you will be rogues, put a bold face upon the business. Do as we did in England: when we heard of the Caffres being robbed of their cows, and bayoneted by our brave soldiers, our Members of Parliament went down to the House and maintained that the Caffres had been too mercifully used; but you are mealy-mouthed in this affair, and grope about in a game of blind-man's buff at cheatery.

Yet the French have, undoubtedly, done some good at Algiers; and as I have dealt so freely with their delinquencies, it will be but fair, in my next Letter, to describe to you some of their Institutions which promise to foster civilization, and, like the red streaks in the sky after a stormy evening, bespeak a pleasant to-morrow.

LETTER XXI.

Before I mention a few French institutions, which may be considered as the seeds of civilization in Africa, allow me to advert to some speculations which I find in that shrewd writer Genty de Bussy, respecting the advantages which this colony might derive from fostering a religious and commercial intercourse between it and Arabia.

The pilgrimages to Mecca have been in all ages of Islamism a principal bond between Mahometan nations. It is but fair to believe that the promotion of piety was not the only object which the legislator had in view when he enjoined those pilgrimages to the faithful, but that he meant to civilize them by trade as well as to cement them by religion. At all events, in point of fact, commerce sprung up out of this religious institution.

A great many Mahometans used to visit Mecca both from the Regencies of Barbary and more Western Africa, and returned to their homes with a halo of sanctity acquired by their pilgrimage which placed them

distinctly in the highest grade of society. They re-entered their native cities in formal triumph:-grand functionaries and sovereigns themselves were the first to welcome them with honour and to heap them with presents; processions went out to meet them and flowers were strewn before them on their path. Genty de Bussy remarks, as if it were a reproach to Christianity, that only a few Christians, and those few merely from curiosity, visit Jerusalem, whilst multitudes of Mahometans. flock to Mecca from piety; but this establishes nothing as to the comparative sincerity of believers in the two faiths. Pilgrimage to Jerusalem is no where enjoined in the Gospel of Christ, nor even recommended by him;-he pronounced his kingdom to be not of this world. He came, therefore, to sanctify the earth in a spiritual not a material sense-not like bigots falsely calling themselves his followers-who hold up their hands to consecrate some spot of dirt and clay, or the stones and sticks that are built over it. His mission was to cleanse and consecrate the pure immortal substance of the human soul:-hence, pure Christianity is exalted and philosophical;-it enjoins no reverence to earthly localities or to earthly relics.

With these conceptions of the superiority of Christian over Mahometan faith, I deny not your right to dispute abstractedly the propriety of favouring Mahometan pilgrimages to Mecca. But take the question practically, and let me ask you if there be any probability of bringing these Arabs and Kabyles to be pure, i. e., philosophical Christians? There is none. You might make Methodists and jumpers of some of them, but that would not be making them pure Christians. Were you to suggest that, at all events, we ought to cleanse them of their Mahometan superstition, I should say no; for their Mahometanism, at least, keeps them sober-and until you can make them pure Christians, better make them the best Mahometans you can than leave them irrational and irreligious barbarians. Such is almost the case of many of the Kabyles and Arabs. A sensible Moor of Algiers assured me that, for want of intercourse with more civilized believers, whole native tribes, though believers in the Koran, are only nominal Mahometans, and in practice fierce and immoral savages. Therefore, I say, make the best Mahometans that you can of the Africans; and the best way to civilize them is, to promote pilgrimages to Mecca and the commerce which from thence accrues.

A portion of the Algerine pilgrims to Mecca used to join the caravans that set out from Morocco, and which, traversing the sea of sand from west to east, came at last to encamp under the walls of Cairo. But the Arabs, who are called Fellahs, i. e., those who cultivate the fertile plains inclosed between the ramifications of the grand chain of mountains to the south; as well as the Kabyles, the indomitable masters of the crests of Mount Atlas, and, in fine, the inhabitants of the cities and villages in the northern part of the Regency, when they wish to make the Mecca pilgrimage, come down to the principal ports of the coast, from whence they freight vessels for Alexandria.

Algiers has thus been accustomed to see, every year, several ships depart with pilgrims for the east; and when any distinguished person was of the company, the Dey gave them his own vessels to conduct them.

I argue, that it would be the best policy of the French to remove every obstacle in the way of pilgrimages from hence to Mecca. They

ought to equip ships for conveying the pilgrims to Egypt at stated periods. The expense of their conveyance, M. Genty de Bussy thinks, might be defrayed out of the funds of the Mecca and Medina Institution. I have already quoted the evidence of that writer against himself with regard to those funds having been ever appropriated to the assistance of pilgrims going to the holy shrine from Algiers; but it is of little importance from what source the French might derive the money advanced to pilgrims for supposing them to be helped only as far as Egypt, the cost would be trifling; and in order to defray the rest of their journey, as well as to procure some articles of merchandise to dispose of in the east, the devout Moslems would be obliged to bring the products of their pastoral industry to the markets of Algiers, and thus to supply the French abundantly with provisions, as well as to purchase their goods imported from Europe.

It would be supreme policy in the French to foster this intercourse between Algiers and Arabia; and to concert means not only for giving the pilgrims a comfortable departure, but an equally comfortable return. Formerly, the pilgrims had covered places for stowing their merchandises at Algiers, as well as fountains of running water for refreshing their beasts. The suburb of. Bab-Azoun once contained many of these caravanseries, but since the conquest they have disappeared and been replaced by military barracks and hospitals. It was important, no doubt, that the soldiers should be lodged; but it is equally so that they should be fed, and the best way to feed them is to attract the Arabs to the French markets.

The French Government has been grossly inattentive to this subject. One would not wish them, to be sure, to imitate in all respects our policy with regard to the superstitions of India, in dealing with those of Algiers. It was carrying our complaisance too far to permit the burning of Indian widows. But still it is advisable as general policy to respect the native faith-and to restrain none of its innocuous practices. The only thing I ever heard said in favour of the French among the Moors was, that they thanked them for not allowing proselytizing fanatical preachers of Christianity to come amongst them. If such missionaries were allowed to settle here, their first converts would be the lowest scum of the people, who would embrace Christianity for the sake of getting drunk.

One certain blessing which we have a right to look for from the settlement of the French in Africa, is the importation of medical and surgical art. It is true that the Mahometan doctrine of fatalism is opposed to the healing science, but we have a proof that that opposition is not invincible, in the fact of Bagdad having been at one time the first medical school in the world; and in truth there is no superstition that can entirely eradicate man's instinctive desire to have his death postponed, and his sickness mitigated. It is but fair to confess that the natives in the interior of the Regency have given no sort of encouragement for European doctors to settle amongst them; on the contrary, several who had opened shops at Mascara and elsewhere, after exhibiting rainbows of coloured bottles in their windows, and pounding innumerable stuffs for the Libyan bowels, have been obliged to return for want of patients. It is true, moreover, that the simple habits of the barbarians make them more independent of doctors than the wine