Page:EB1911 - Volume 01.djvu/693

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ALGHERO—ALGIERS
653

the third republic. In 1873 General G. A. A. Gallifet entered El Golea. In 1882 the oasis of Mzab was annexed. In the Sud Oranais an insurrection, fomented by a marabout named Bu-Amama, broke out in 1881, and the insurgents massacred the European labourers engaged in the collection of alfa (or esparto) grass. But soon the French columns re-established peace, and Bu-Amama had to take refuge in Morocco. In 1883 Si-Hamza, chief of the elder branch of the Walid-sidi-Sheikh, made his submission, and since then that family has remained devoted to France.

The attempts at penetration into the extreme south, abandoned after the massacre by Tuareg of a mission sent in 1881, under Colonel Paul Flatters, to study the question of railway communication with Senegal, were begun again in 1890, in which year the British government recognized the western Sahara as within the French sphere. Since then military stations and scientific and commercial exploration have increased. But the results of these efforts remained inconsiderable until the spring of 1900, when the French authorities decided to occupy the oases of Gurara, Tuat and Tidikelt. This being accomplished by March 1901, the conquest of the Algerine Sahara was from that time completed, and nothing any longer hindered the attempts to join Algeria and the Sudan across the Sahara.  (A. Gir.) 

Bibliography.—For a general account of Algeria, see Maurice Wahl, L’Algérie (5th ed., Paris, 1908); P. Leroy-Beaulieu, Algérie et Tunisie (2nd ed., Paris, 1897); J. A. Battandier and L. Trabut, L’Algérie; le sol et les habitants (Paris, 1898), specially valuable for agriculture and fauna; Arthur Girault, Principes de colonisation et de législation coloniale, Tome iii. ch. i.-viii. (3rd ed., Paris, 1908), containing valuable bibliographies of works relating to legislation, jurisprudence, &c.; Jules Duval, L’Algérie et les colonies françaïses (Paris, 1877). The Statistique générale de l’Algérie is published periodically by the Algerian government. The British Foreign Office publishes annual Reports on the Trade of Algeria; Sir R. Lambert Playfair’s Handbook for Travellers in Algeria (Murray’s Handbooks), corrected to 1902, is a capital guide to the country, as is also Algérie et Tunisie (Paris, 1906), in the Guides-Joanne Series; the Bibliography of Algeria (London, 1888), and the Supplement to the Bibliography of Algeria (London, 1898), by Sir Lambert Playfair, contain thousands of entries and many notes. J. A. Battandier and L. Trabut, Flore de l’Algérie (Algiers and Paris, 1884 and onwards), contains a scientific and descriptive catalogue, in several volumes, of the indigenous flora. For the geology of Algeria, see M. A. Pomel, Description stratigraphique générale de l’Algérie (1889), and numerous papers by E. Ficheur, L. Gentil, G. Rolland, P. Thomas, and J. Welsch will be found in the Bull. Soc. Géol. France, and Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. The volumes of the International Geological Congress review Algerian geology. The French government publication, Exploration scientifique de l’Algérie (20 vols., 1844–1853), gives the results of investigations made in 1840–1842. O. Depont and X. Coppolani, Les Confréries religieuses musulmanes (Algiers, 1897), and Carte de l’Algérie . . . domaine géographique des confréries (Algiers, 1898), have special reference to the Islamic sects in Algeria. Stephane Gsell’s Les monuments antiques de l’Algérie (2 vols., Baris, 1901), one of the publications of the Service des monuments historiques of the colony, is an authoritative and finely illustrated work on the antiquities of Algeria. For archaeology see also the bibliography in Africa, Roman.

The best elementary work on the history of Algeria is that of Cat, Petite histoire de l’Algérie (Algiers, 1889). For more profound researches consult: (a) for the Turkish period: H. D. de Gramont, Histoire d’Alger sous la domination turque (1887); Mercier, Histoire de l’Afrique septentrionale (1888–1891); Eugène Plantet, Correspondance des deys d’Alger avec la cour de France (1889–1892); Paul Masson, Histoire des établissements et du commerce français dans l’Afrique barbaresque (1903); General Faure-Biguet, Histoire de l’Afrique septentrionale sous la domination musulmane (1905); (b) for the French period: Camille Rousset, La Conquête d’Alger (8th ed., 1899), Les Commencements d’une conquête; l’Algérie de 1830 à 1840, with atlas (1887), and La Conquête de l’Algérie, 1841–1857, with atlas (1889); Pelissier, Annales algériennes (1834); Leon Roches, Trente-deux ans à travers l’Islam (1884–1837); Colonel Trumelet, Histoire de l’insurrection des Ouled-Sidi-Cheik (1887); Rinn, Histoire de l’insurrection de 1871 (1891).

The best general maps are those of the Carte de l’Algérie, in numerous sheets, on the scale of 1:50,000 (published by the Service géographique de l’Armée, Paris).  (F. R. C.) 


ALGHERO, a seaport and episcopal see on the W. coast of Sardinia, in the province of Sassari, 21 m. S.S.W. by rail from the town of Sassari. Pop. (1901) 10,779. The see was founded in 1503, but the cathedral itself dates from the 12th century, though it has been reconstructed. The town was strongly fortified by medieval walls, which have to some extent been demolished. It was originally founded by the Doria family of Genoa about 1102, but was occupied by the house of Aragon in 1354, who held it successfully against various attacks until it fell to the house of Savoy with the rest of Sardinia in 1720. Catalonian is still spoken here. Charles V. visited Alghero on his way to Africa in 1541. The coral and fishing industries are the most important in Alghero, but agriculture has made some progress in the district, which produces good wine. There is a large penal establishment containing over 700 convicts. Seven miles to the W.N.W. is the fine natural harbour of Porto Conte, secure in all weather, and on the W. of this harbour is the Capo Caccia, with two stalactite grottos, the finest of which, the Grotta di Nettuno, is accessible only from the sea. The important prehistoric necropolis of Anghelu Ruju was excavated in 1904 61/2 m. N. of Alghero (Notizie degli Scavi, 1904, 301 seq.).


ALGIDUS MONS, a portion of the ridge forming the rim of the larger crater of the Alban volcano (see Albanus Mons) and more especially the eastern portion, traversed by a narrow opening (now called the Cava d’Aglio) of which the Via Latina took advantage, and which frequently appears in the early military history of Rome. That a distinct town existed (Dion. Halic. x. 21, xi. 3) on the mountain is improbable; there must have been a fortified post, but the extensive castle on the hill (Maschio d’Ariano) to the south of the Via Latina is entirely medieval, a fact which has not been recognized by some topographers.


ALGIERS (Fr. Alger, Arab. Jezair, i.e. The Islands), capital and largest city of Algeria, North Africa, seat of the governor-general, of a court of appeal, and of an archbishop, and station of the French XIX. corps d’armée. It is situated on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean, to which it gives its name, in 36° 47′ N., 3° 4′ E., and is built on the slopes of the Sahel, a chain of hills parallel to the coast. The view of the city from the sea is one of great beauty. Seen from a distance it appears like a succession of dazzling white terraces rising from the water’s edge. The houses being seemingly embowered in the luxuriant verdure of the Sahel, the effect is imposing and picturesque, and has given rise to the Arab comparison of the town to a diamond set in an emerald frame. The city consists of two parts; the modern French town, built on the level ground by the seashore, and the ancient city of the deys, which climbs the steep hill behind the modern town and is crowned by the kasbah or citadel, 400 ft. above the sea. The kasbah forms the apex of a triangle of which the quays form the base.

Extending along the front of the town is the boulevard de la République, a fine road built by Sir Morton Peto on a series of arches, with a frontage of 3700 ft., and bordered on one side by handsome buildings, whilst a wide promenade overlooking the harbour runs along the other. Two inclined roads lead from the centre of the boulevard to the quay 40 ft. below. On the quay are the landing-stages, the custom-house and the railway station. At the southern end of the boulevard de la République is the square de la République, formerly the place Bresson, in which is the municipal theatre; at the other extremity of the boulevard is the place du Gouvernement, which is planted on three sides with a double row of plane trees and is the fashionable resort for evening promenade. The principal streets of the city meet in the place du Gouvernement: the rue Bab Azoun (Gate of Grief) which runs parallel to the boulevard de la République; the rue Bab-el-Oued (River Gate) which goes north to the site of the old arsenal demolished in 1900; the rue de la Marine which leads to the ancient harbour, and in which are the two principal mosques. A large part of the modern town lies south of the square de la République; in this quarter are the law courts, hôtel de ville, post office and other public buildings. The streets in the modern town are regularly laid out; several are arcaded on both sides.

The old town presents a strong contrast to the new town. The streets are narrow, tortuous and inaccessible to carriages. They often end in a cul-de-sac. The principal street is the rue de la Kasbah, which leads up to the citadel by 497 steps. The