They apparently renounced politics, leading a most austere and moral life, and gaining the respect of all. The state of anarchy amongst the Arabs, which followed the conquest of Algiers, afforded an opportunity for the gratification of Abd-el Kader's ambition; he rallied around him the tribes of his immediate neighborhood, placed himself at their head, and excited them by his poems, in the name of the Prophet, to resist the invaders; he was stimulated in his efforts by promises of aid from the Emperor of Morocco." " His descent from Mahomet, and a pretended vision, in which he represented himself as sitting on a splendid throne, giving judgment amongst the Arabs, tended in no small degree to strengthen his influence.
At length, having collected considerable forces, he attacked the garrison of Oran, and for some time compelled the French to remain within their defences. Treaties of peace were at different times, concluded with him; but the restlessness of the Arabs, and the encroaching spirit of the French, soon caused them to be broken; places which, after the dissolution of the government of the Regency, acquired an independence of their own under the authority of the Emir, fell one by one, into the hands of the French; such was the case with Tlemcen, Mascara, Mostaganem, and some others. " He was at last considerably harassed, and was continually obliged to take refuge in the desert — he was accompanied by a numerous force of cavalry, and inflicted great loss on the French, by appearing where he was least expected, and cutting off supplies.
He continued, however, to harass the French till the end of 1847, when, finding his resources entirely exhausted, he offered to surrender himself to General de Samoriciere, on condition of being allowed to reside at Mecca, or Alexandria. Abd-el-Kader performed his part of the contract, but the French government detained this brave man a close prisoner till 1852, when he was released by the Prince, President of the Republic, and Broussa was agreed upon as his future residence. " Since his surrender, no opposition of any importance has been made to the French, and their territory may now be defined as composed of the four ancient provinces of the Regency — Algiers, Tituri, Constantine, and Oran; that of Tituri has now been united to Algiers." (Broussa was destroyed by an eartlxjuake, while I was in Turkey.
Abd-el Kader just escaped with his life, besides wasting nearly all his property. The French Emperor gave him permission to reside in Beyroot, in Syria, until a future residence should be fixed upon. He arrived at Beyroot some weeks previous to my leavi)iy that place for Alexandria.') I hope I shall not fatigue the reader by dwelling so long on Algiers, but having been so many times there, and witnessed the cruelties of the Algerines, and then too, when we consider the incredible number of captives that have pined away in miserable bondage among these wretches, probably during a space of five hundred years. And, who knows, how many missing vessels that have been given up as foundered, or otherwise destroyed at sea, have been taken by Algerine Corsairs, and their crews sent into the country heavily chained, and slaves for life!
Lasting honors are due to the French, for the final destruction of this once abominable place.