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ALGERIA 305 the most important article of export was es- parto for making paper. The movement of shipping in 1867 was as follows : FLAG. ENTERED. Vessels. Tons. CLEARED. Vessels. Tons. French 527 1,714 121,010 164,285 tat 1,625 181,881 149,192 Total... 2,241 285,295 2,284 2S0.523 The merchant navy of Algeria, on Dec. 31, 1868, consisted of 147 sailing vessels, of 4,098 tons. A decree of July 11, 1860, gave to a company, at the head of which were Count Branicky and the banker Gautier, a charter of 99 years for the construction of a number of important railroad lines; but in 1870 only one of them, that from Constantino to the sea, 'was near its completion. The telegraphic connec- tion of Algeria with France was established in July, 1870, by a submarine cable between Bona and Marseilles. The earliest inhabi- tants of Algeria of whom we have any trust- worthy accounts were the Numidians and the Moors (Mauri). The former lived in the moun- tain districts of the east, and the Moors in the west, where they established many flourishing coast towns, which carried on a brisk trade with Europe. The conquest of Carthage in 146 B. C. laid the foundation of the rule of the Ro- mans in this part of Africa, which was gradu- ally extended over the whole of the present Algeria. The eastern district at first constituted a portion of the province of Africa, but from the time of Constantino the Great it formed the province of Numidia, and the western district became the province of Mauritania Csesariensis. The whole country attained a high degree of prosperity. As a defence against the savage mountain tribes the Romans built several forts, one of which, Guelma, is still extant. In the early part of the 5th century the country was conquered by the Vandals, in whose possession it remained till 534, when Belisarius subjected it to the Byzantine empire. The Arabs about 160 years later advanced into the mountains of the Numidians. The Christian religion, which had early been introduced into the country, was wholly extinguished by the Mohammedan con- querors ; but the people partially recovered from the state of barbarism into which they had re- lapsed under the rule of the Vandals. After belonging for a time to the dominions of the Ommiyade caliphs, Algeria became an inde- pendent Moorish state, under the dynasty of the Zereides, which ruled it from 970 to 1148, when Roger of Sicily conquered northern Africa. A few years later (1159) the Almohades of Mo- rocco obtained possession of Algeria and ruled there till 1269, when they were expelled by the Ziamdes of Fez. This dynasty became at the close of the 15th century involved in protracted conflicts with the Spaniards, especially when about 20,000 families of Moors and Jews, who in 1492 had been expelled from Spain, settled in Algeria and sought revenge in piracy. In 21 VOL. i. 21 1506 the Spaniards took Bona, and in 1509 the capture of Oran by Cardinal Ximenes, and of the city of Algiers itself, completed the sub- jection of nearly the entire province. The Spaniards erected fortifications at Algiers, but shortly before the death of King Ferdinand in 1516 the emir of Metidja called to his aid the pirate Horuk Barbarossa. This chief expelled the Spaniards from Algiers, murdered the emir, and made himself ruler of the city and its ter- ritory. Soon afterward he conquered Tenez and Tlemcen. The Spaniards defeated him in 1517, and in 1518 put him to death. His brother and successor Khair-ed-Din sought assistance from the sultan Selim I., and ac- knowledged that prince as his sovereign. Se- lim appointed him pasha of Algiers, and sent him a body of troops with which he repulsed the Spaniards and made himself master of the country. Charles V. made an attempt to rein- state the Spanish authority, and a powerful expe- dition of 370 vessels and 30, 000 men crossed the Mediterranean in 1541 ; but a storm and earth- quake dispersed the fleet, and cut off all com- munication between it and the army. The troops made their escape with a loss of 8,000 men, 15 vessels of war, and 140 transports. From this time forward there were unceasing hostilities between the Barbary powers and the knights of Malta; thence sprang that system of piracy which made the Algerine corsairs so terrible in the Mediterranean. On the other hand, the boundaries of Algeria were constantly extended in the wars with the neighboring tribes. Before the close of the 16th century the pasha of Algeria had advanced westward as far as the frontier of Morocco. Oran, how- ever, remained in the hands of the Spaniards till 1708. Bugia in the east was conquered in 1554, and in the south the territory of Algeria was extended as far as the desert. Several attempts made by the Spaniards to reconquer the western provinces utterly failed. In 1561 an entire Spanish army was annihilated at Mostaganem, the Algerines capturing 12,000 men. The duke of Beaufort in 1663 and sub- sequent years gained several successes, but they had no permanent results. The English under Blake (1655), the French under Duquesne (1682 and 1683), the Dutch, and other pow- ers, at various times attacked Algiers ; and Duquesne twice bombarded it. Thousands of Christian slaves constantly languished in captiv- ity in Algiers ; and societies of pious men were formed, whose express object was to ransom the prisoners. Meanwhile the authority of the Turk- ish government had been reduced to a name. The janizaries from 1600 elected their deys, and these finally declared their independence of the Porte. The last Turkish pasha was expelled by Dey Ibrahim in 1705 ; and the janizaries by tumultuous elections appointed new chiefs, whom in their mutinies they often murdered. The janizaries were recruited from the immi- grants from Turkey, no native, though the son of a janizary by a woman of the country, being