The French were impatient for action, and advanced without loss of time to attack a body of the Dey's troops, which was entrenched at Staonli, about midway between Sidi Ferruch and Algiers. The position was easily carried, although not without some considerable loss in killed and wounded. Meanwhile the French were obliged to wait ten days for the arrival of their battering train, preparatory to marching on the city; and they were attacked in their turn on the 24th. On this occasion a son of General Bourmont received a dangerous wound, of which he afterwards died. In his despatch the General touchingly alluded to this event in the following words: One officer has been dangerously wounded: he is the second of four sons who have followed me to Africa. I hope he may survive, to continue his services to his king and his country: Expressions which are said to have drawn tears of unaffected sensibility from the King. For several days the French continued to suffer from the assaults of the Turkish and African troops; but on the 29th their field-pieces arrived, and they set forward to the attack of a fortress commanding Algiers, called the Emperor's Castle. On the 30th of June the trenches were opened; and the construction of the batteries continued from the 1st to the 3d of July. During this time the fleet co-operated by firing upon the fortifications contiguous to the sea, so as to afford the Dey employment on that side, and prevent his concentrating all his forces for the defence of the

So

Château de l'Empéreur. much despatch was used by the French in constructing the batteries, that by the morning of the 4th everything was ready, and a fire was opened on the enemy at four o'clock, and briskly returned from the Castle for the space of four hours, after which the fire of the latter nearly ceased. At ten o'clock a breach was effected in the defences of the Castle, and the Turks abandoned it, having first taken measures, by the Dey's order, to set fire to the powder magazine, which exploded with a tremendous crash, blowing up a part of the fortress, and filling the air with flames, dust, and stones. The sound was heard at sea to the distance of sixty miles, and the shock filled the city and the fleet with consternation. No injury, however, was sustained by the besieging troops, which immediately took possession of the smoking ruins, and thus decided the fate of the city, which was now completely at the mercy of the French.

Seeing all resistance vain, and only calculated to produce effusion of blood, and the inevitable destruction of the city, the Dey sent a flag of truce to Admiral Duperré, who referred him to General Bourmont as commanderin-chief. The proposition was to indemnify France for the expenses of the war, and to restore the possessions claimed by her on the coast; but General Bourmont cat short all negotiations at once, by demanding the immediate surrender of the Casauba or Palace of the Dey, the fort, and all the fortifications, and assuring the mes

senger that nothing else would save the city from bombardment by sea and land. The Dey was not long in agreeing to the terms of capitulation offered him, and hostilities were suspended until the morning, that the conditions might be explained to his council. On the 5th of July, accordingly, the convention was ratified, and the French took quiet possession of Algiers. The Dey was allowed to retire with his family and private property, to any place out of Africa that he might select; as also were his Turkish militia; and the protection of the French was assured to them all, so long as they remained in Algiers. All the other inhabitants of the Regency were promised security for their persons and property, and the unmolested enjoyment of their religion; and the General engaged upon his honor to respect their women. And thus the whole of Algiers, after having so long been a by-word of horror throughout Christendom, passed quietly under the dominion of France.

Exaggerated reports had been current respecting the treasure of the Regency, which rumor had raised to the sum of 200,000,000 of francs; and immediate search was made for it on taking possession of the Casauba. The French were greatly disappointed to find only 48,684,527 francs in gold and silver bullion or coin, and 5,000,000 of francs in merchandize; and as no regular accounts were kept by the Dey, it was impossible to ascertain how much, if any, had been removed or secreted. It is singular that nothing is said of any jewels or pre

cious stones as forming part of the treasure; and perhaps the Dey and his counsellors took care to enrich themselves with these more portable representatives of wealth, leaving to the French only the bulkier riches in ingots and merchandize. In addition to which, we are to reckon the value of the shipping and munitions of war captured, including 1542 pieces of artillery, and we shall thus have a total of 60,000,000 of francs, as the whole amount of the booty obtained in Algiers. This proved amply sufficient to defray all the expenses of the expedition, leaving the acquisition of Algiers a clear gain, in addition to all the honor acquired by the conquest, and all the advantage gained by Europe in the breaking up of this great resort of African piracy.

We have spoken of this as a conquest, and we suppose, nay we sincerely and earnestly hope, it will be considered and retained as such by France. This question occasioned great agitation in that country previous to the Three Days, owing to the reciprocal jealousy of the French and English nations. The rumor generally received was, that the Duke of Wellington had demanded explanations of M. de Polignac on this point, and had received assurances that France did not contemplate the subjugation of Algiers with a view to retaining it. No doubt can be entertained, we presume, that such assurances were demanded and given. If they were, it only serves to show the pusillaninity and truckling spirit of Polignac, or rather perhaps his expectation that he might

quest; she would not dare without the approbation of England; and England would never consent that her rival should make any territorial acquisitions. Perhaps if Charles X. had continued in power he might not have presumed or dared to enjoy the advantages, which a righteous cause and the fortunes of war had placed in his hands. But times are now changed; and France, probably, would no more hear to any remonstrances of England on the subject of Algiers, than if King William should propose to reclaim all that Henry of Monmouth gained, or his son lost, in the heart of France itself. England manifested the same weakness of nervous irritability in regard to our acquisition of the Floridas; but we have abided the murmurings of her journalists, with as little scathe as they have inflicted on the French in regard to Algiers.

For ourselves, and as Americans, we repeat that, in our conception, not only France herself is to derive advantage from her retaining possession of the whole territory of the Regency, and colonizing it as a French settlement, but Africa above all may hail it as the dawn of her restoration to the advantages of civilization, and the world in general have a right to view it as an auspicious event. It may excite the commercial jealousy of England, who is not particularly unwilling to have the monopoly of all foreign markets, and the exclusive privilege of establishing colonies, factories, and military posts along the coasts of Europe and Asia, Africa and America. But for that very con

sideration it is important to us, and to all other commercial nations, that France should extend her commerce and strengthen her marine, in order that England may never again recover that overwhelming maritime ascendency, which, previous to the last war, encouraged her to such extraordinary abuse of power in the oppression of neutral nations. To those, who remember the nautical history of England for the last forty years, and who have observed the great increase and prosperous condition of the French military marine at the present time, this will appear to be no unimportant aspect of the subject. And the advantage, which all mankind are to derive from the seas being forever cleared of the lawless Barbary cruisers is too evident to require illustration or proof.

But as to Africa, so long given up to the domination of roving savages, for what better are the wild Arabs?- so long known to us only as the officina servorum for all nations, so long debarred of the blessings of Christianity and of its handmaiden civilization, what may not Africa reasonably expect from the establishment of an extensive French colony upon her Mediterranean shore? She may look, in the first place, to see the renovation of a portion of the agricultural wealth, the population, and the commerce of ancient Mauritania. And when the Numidians have been tamed by the authority of France, the interior of Africa will become accessible to the researches of intelligence and the progress of improvement.