The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-06-11 00:00:00

A'ATUR,IL IIISTORY. OP ALGIERS.

(From "Pareassfi's Narrattro.")
After taking • historical and geographic'sl view of
this country, M. Paulinti passes to its various pros
ductious
A happy combination of warmth nod Iminidity
gives • great degree both of vigour and
utaetuti-
crnce to the vegetable proslnctions of Ilsrls try.
Although the lower class subsist ionic:pally on bar-
ley, yet wheat and Indian corn are extremely rhos,-
dant. There is also a species of chick-peas, which
is rooked in a pan. and thus forms an important
article of consumption at ttttt igst the people. 'rite
prickly peur rebounds all over this mildly, mill
what it wants ia pictoresqlie beauty. is made tip by
its utility; for, while the tree forms an impenetrable
hedge, the fruit is excessively nutritive rod whole-
some. Vines grow to a prodigious height, mad
passing naturally from one tree to another, form
beautiful arbours: their size is equally remark .We,
being sometimes as large at the root as a tolerably-
proportioned olive-tree. The latter is els° a very
favourite production of isorthern Africa ; aoJ be-
side, the immense quantity of trees, wild and cul-
tivated, the Algerine territory produces a small
thorny tree, which bears a fruit equal in size and
flavour to the large olive of Spain. Their pomegra-
nates sire at least three timeslarger than those of Ita-
ly, and the pumkins grow to an enormous magi&
tude. In addition to all those fruits c tttttt 11011 to
Europe, the oranges and figs of this country are of
the most exquisite flavour ; the cliesnut-tire does
not grow to a very large site in Barbary. hut the
nut, though small, is very meet. The oaks are in
some plaices, particularly on the sea.coest, of an
immense size, and extremely lofty ; of there,
the queroes hallota. of naturalists, also abounds,
its acorns being very nourishing to several ani-
mals, and not unlike the wild cliesnut. This
im-
portant tree, so well known its Slant), would also be
a great requisition to Italy, into which it has not
hitherto been introduced. Amongst different spe-
cies of the Cypress, there is one writ iii the vicinity of
Algiers, rental !sable for its unusual loftiness and
remidical form ; the slims'd and mulberry tree
are also found in great plenty. The indigo fern
glauca yields a valuable (lye ; and there is a highly
esteemed medicinal plant found in this pert of
Africa, vulgarly called cineraria, which is con-
sidered by the natives es a sovereign remedy in
several diseases. Another herb, the realm, fur-
nishes the inhabitants with the celebrated juice
with which their nails are tinged. Amongst
bo-
tanical plants is the scilla tnaritinta, the but-
bust; ratlicata, and drawl palm, which yields an
exceedingly small date, alro the saccharnin celex-
dricuin and agroslis pungens. In the more arid
wallies are to be found the resedn odoratu, erica
arhorea, and superb cartes, all of which Htfard ex-
cellent pasture for lambs, while they perfume
the air with, grateful odours ; also the laurel
rose, which cheers atid vivifies the country, when all
other flowers are dried up by autumnal heat. The
hills are covered with thyme and rosemary, which
at once purify the atmosphere, and supply in
nosily places the deficiencies of fuel. 'I he tra-
veller's sight is also continually regaled with
extensive tracts thickly planted with roses of
every lire, for the distillation of the famous es-
sence or otto of roses, so well known in Europe.
This fine climate has at all times been highly
favourable to the culture of sugar cane; that of
Solimae bring considered the largest and most
prolific of any in the world. Indeed this plant is
thought by massy to be indigenous to Barbary, from
whence, together with Sicily, it was originally sup-
plied to the West India islands. But the must
celebrated tree in Africa is the lulus, equally re-
nowned by poets and naturalist's.
The Palau is also one of the greatest blessings to
this favoured land. We rather think that M. l'as
isanti compiles too much in this part of his work,
describing the horses, metes, asses, camels, &c.
of Barbary; these, with their habits, are suffici-
ently known to every reader.
Of the reptile and insect tribes, though not
much snore novel, there is a curious account, from
the close of which, we copy a part.
'flie natives frequently amuse themselves by a
curious kind of warfare, which is created by shut-
ting up a scorpion and a rat together in a close
cage, when a terrible contest ensues. I have seen
this continue sometimes for above an hour : it gene-
rally ends by the death of the scorpion ; but in a
little time after the rat begins to swell, and, in
violent convulsion, soon sharer the fate of his van-
quished enemy. It is also a favourite diversion with
the Moors, to surround one of these reptiles with a
circle of straw, to-which fire is applied ; after mak-
ing several attempts to pass the Hawes, it turns on
itself, and thus becomes its own executimiet..
The most destructive part of the insect tribe,
and which is justly considered as the greatest
scourge in Africa, remains to be noticed : this is the