The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-08-18 00:00:00

THE RIFF PIRATES

The Prussian frigate Dan tzig, bearing the flag
of Prince Adalbert, high admiral of Prussia, has
had a collision with Riff pirates. Prince Adalbert.
being desirous to see the spot where a Prussian
vessel had been plundered some years before,
attempted to land in one of the ship's boato, but
on reaching the beach was fired upon and pre-
vented from so doing. The prince then returned
to the frigate, manned and armed the boats, landed
and charged the Ruffians gallantly up a hill ; but
they were completely surrounded by the pirates:
and compelled to retreat to their boats under the
frigate's guns. The prince received a ball in his
thigh, his aide-de camp (flag lieutenant) was
mortally wounded, and died soon after getting on
hoard the frigate; a mate of the Dantzig was shot
through the elbow joint, seven men were killed,
and seventeen wounded; three of the men were
left on the field, and could not be got • off. The
remainder of the killed were buried at Gibraltar
with military honours, and the wounded removed
ashore to the military hospital. The prince'
wound was going on favourably. Her. Majesty's
steam sloop Vesuvius had been despatched from
Gibraltar with an account of the outrage, to be
presented to the proper authorities on the opposite
coast.

INCIDENTS IN M RqIIAL PELI`3SIER'S

LIFE

Pelissier, who was originally a private dragoon, subse-
quently held several important commissions in the
French army, and was, in 1839, nominated lieutenant-
colonel and chief of the staff of the 3rd Division of the
army in Algiers. In 1840 he filled the same position in
the division of the line, and was promoted to the rank of
colonel and assistant-chief-general of the staff in the
Algerian army ; and in 1845 he obtained a wide, though
a very unenviable, celebrity. The Arab, Buu-Maza.
who styled himself "The invulnerable," after inspiring
the Kabvles with a blind confidence, proclaimed the holy
vvar in the Darah, and raised the tribes in insurrection
The importance of crushing a movement so formidable
was felt by the French, and the most cruel means
were unscrupulously resorted to. In this war, while
carrying on combined operations in the west with the
late St. Arnaud, Pelissier was occupied with the
pursuit of the ()tiled Riahs. The latter finding them-
selves hard pressed, took refuge in immense caverns,
which served them for houses, and where it would have
been madness for the French troops to follow.
Pelissier, however, not to be baffled, surrounded the
caverns with his soldiers, and caused faggots to be
lighted and thrown before the entrance, to suffocate
them if he chose. HI then threw in letters, offering
them life and liberty if they would surrender. At first
they refused ; but afterwards consented to yield, on
poorlition of the French troops being meantime with-
drawn. These conditions were not agreeu to, so more
faggots were thrown, and presently a violent dispute
arose among the besieged as to the course they should
pursue. The majority, however, decided on enduring
the worst ; and a few of those who differed from them
contrived to escape. Pelissier then employed some
Arabs to induce them to surrender, but so determined
were these Ogled Riahs to resist to the last, that they
unhesitatingly fired on some of their women who
attempted to escape from self sacrifice. Pelissier there-
upon suspended the throwing of faggots, and sent a'
French officer to hold a parley with the enemy ; but he
was, it is said, received with a discharge of fire arms
At length, on the second night of this extraordinary
siege—it was on the 19th of June—Pelissier scrupled
.no longer as to the means of victory. The fire was
renewed, and rendered intense in heat ; and, for
a time, dreadful cries and agonising shrieks were
heard from the wretched inmates of the caverns. Then
succeeded a silence, unbroken save by the crackling of
the faggots, and terribly significant in its import. The
French troops on entering found 500 dead bodies—men,
women, and children ; and 150 persons so near death by
suffocation, that though instantly brought to the open
air, most of them expired. When intelligence of this
military transaction was conveyed to Paris it created a
profound sensation, and excited at once regret and indig•
nation, thought it was justified by the brutal Marshal
Bugeaurl, as "al military neeessil," rendered impera-
tive on Pelissier by the order of his commander-in-
chief.