In the Land of Mosques & Minarets

is est le coq

fort quand il g

s fort quand

e. It has a national observatory, a branch of that at Paris, founded in 1858; a school of medicine and pharmacy; a school of law; a f

years ago, and has only produced a revenue of 2,330,000,000 francs, which represents the loss of a sum greater th

ria is 4,124,732, of which 3,

ed, leaving in the neighbourhood of 600,000 Europea

try, has been notable. In 1836 there were 14,561 Europeans in the colony; in 1881, 423,881, of whic

ng; they are not disappearing like the red man. From 2,32

lation of Algeria, and the "foreigners"

sue of the Berbers and all t

0), born of Turks

f 1870 were made French. (This doe

e former slaves who

oposition at last. Still France governs Algeria under a sort of "up-the-state," "Raines-law" rule, and treats the indigène of Laghouat or Touggourt as they would a boatman of Pontoise or a farm labourer of étampes. The French colonial howls against all the mistakes and indiscretions of a "Bou

afés; and the Arab and European live side by side, each enjoying practically

the go-between in all that concerns the affa

ggo

tely disappeared, though he still remains as an administrator of French law, under the surveillance of the military government.

son, no Algerian gold coin exists, and there is no gold in circulation to speak of. The Arab, when he gets it, buries it, forgets where

ordingly spends it and keeps the country prosperous. The French understand the Arab and his foibles; there is no doubt about that. They solv

t's a coin looks good to an Arab, and for that reason a large amount of spurious stuff is in circulation. It was o

nient, but one must get rid of them before leaving the country or else sell them to a money changer at a discount.

lack of prosperity, save for a plague of phylloxera which set back the vines on one occasion, and a plague of locusts which one day devastated almost the entire region of the wheat-growing

and from Laghouat to Bou-Saada, and from Kenchela to Aumale they were

fire had passed over them, until finally the government by strenuous efforts, and the employ

tly they took up their task anew, and for the past dozen years only occasional slight recurre

nt to his garden-plot, without first informing the excise authorities, who, afterwards, will come around periodically and count the leaves. In Af

e mixtures, nor snuff either, pay any excise duties; and even foreign tobacc

came from the other side of the water, it was by a very roundabout route. Certainly the broom-corn tobacco of France does not resemble that of Maryland in the least. The hope of France and her colonies is to

to add two sous to the price of his wine per litre. There is a law in France against unfair trading, and the same applies to Algeria. It has been a dead law in many places for many years, but when a tax of four sous a hectolitre, originally paid to the state, by the dealer, finally came

tains of the Atlas are ever present nearer at hand. The desert of romance, le vrai désert, is still a long way off; and, though there is now a macadamized road to Bou-Saada and Biskra, an

rm

ST

oreign note" of the installation of its farming communities. Haystacks are plastered over with mud; carts are drawn by mules or horses hitched tandemwise, three, four or five on end, and the carts are mostly two-wheeled at that. There are no fences and no great barns for stocking fo

to. Another contrast favourable to California is that in Algeria there is a lack of certain refinements of modern travel which are to be had in the "land of sunshine." Winter,

f the earth's surface so much as it is like Normandy with respect to its prairies, "la B

he forests of olive-trees, and the eucalyptus of La Trappe. The scene is immen

is "country house" on similar gracious lines; and, when he does, he keeps pretty near to accepted Moorish elements and details, whereas the European, the colo

untains of Kabylie lies the gr

hose of the farming peasant; but, by the time Batna is reached, they become tainted with the commercialism of the outside world. At Constantine there is much European

cteristics mark four distinct regions of the Numidia of t

ghest peak of the Grand Kabylie Range, in the province of Alger, is 2,308 metres; and Chelia, in Constantine, 2,328 metres

ay so call the Sahara-is of constant and assiduous care to the authorit

e most favoured of these borderlands, the government st

es,

ngs,

s, 5

uit-tree

rops, 5,50

tants,

owing areas are further developed, the milit

ures and rainfall show the con

August

(Centigrade)

- Tlemcen

ionale 1

tine 8.

Géryville

7.2 2

a 8.1

very little difference in temperature, and

d winter temperatur

ale 8° c

ouat

aghoua

ra 4

Aumal

is

hundred kilometres more. Railway building and development is going on constantly, but they don't yet know what an express train is, and the sleeping and dining car services are almost as bad

s in Algeria in 1870 were 2,500,000 francs. In 1900 they were 26,000,000 francs

ife-blood of the country, at the same periods numbered almost an equal extent, and they are

two hundred thousand Europeans) are dependent upon agriculture for their

ine industry has be

,000 gallons

9,504

60,742,

100,194

er. It is quite good enough to sell on its own merits. Let Australia, then, fabricate s

o abundant that one eats only of the best. The rest are exported to England and Germany. The little mandar