The Sun.
London, England, 1839-12-26 00:00:00

FRENCH POSSESSIONS IN

AFRICA.

The reading of the fourth section of M. Blan-
qui's report was proceeded with at the last sitting
of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences,
and was to the following effect :
" M. Blanqui began by stating that other causes
than those to which he had alluded in the preceding
parts of his report tended to check colonization,
the two essential elements of which, wood and
water, were almst entirely wanting. There is not
one of these large navigable rivers which by their
fertile banks vivify other countries, and which by
affording the means of communication tend at once
to subdue and civilize a people. The French
cannot penetrate into the interior of their African
colony as the English explored America by the
Mississippi, the Hudson, the Delaware, and the
St. Lawrence. There is nothing in Africa
resembling the vast plains of India, intersected by
magnificent rivers, such as the Hoogly and the
Ganges ; nor have the population of Algeria any-
thing in common with the mild and timid inhabit-
ants of Hindostan, or the primitive races of the
New World—the Mexicans, the Peruvians, and
the savages of the north. When the Europeans
invaded India and America they had over the na-
tives the superiority of courage and fierceness ; and
they had not to struggle with an excessive religious
fanaticism like that of the Arabs. In all other
countries which have been colonised immense
tracts of unoccupied lands were discovered, timber
was found for building, and rivers existed for com-
munications. In Africa everything must be pro-
vided—provisions, means of shelter, wood, and fre-
quently even water. Instead of Peruvians or Hin-
doos, the French have to contend with courageous
and warlike hordes, even the waste lands of which
the invaders would appear to have the right of dispos-
ing,inasmuch as they lie uncultivated, belong to tribes,
who see in the invaders' persons some to deprive
them of their property, and who are, therefore,
deeply irritated against them. The natives who
have sold their property for a perpetual rent che-
rish the continual hope of regaining it. Upon
the mode of cultivation itself there has been no ac-
cord. On this subject men have indulged in
dreams, like their ancestors on the subject of Po-
tosi—sugar, indigo, cochineal, cloves, cinnamon,
camphor, pepper, and nutmegs--every sort of cul-
ture was considered possible. Even the vine has
been planted, and wine has been made at Algiers.
" I have seen it and tasted it," says M. Blanqui,
" but the result of the experiment was such as to
permit me to assure the growers of Burgundy and
Bordeaux that they have nothing to fear from the
competition of Algiers." M. Blanqui then pro-
ceeds to notice the difficulties with which the colo-
nists have to contend as to agricultural labour. It
has been found impracticable to get the plain of the
i\letidja cultivated exclusively by the Arabs. They
would not do it on ther own account, and they will
not do it for that of the French. It was hoped
that they would be tempted by the prospect of high
wages, and that in this way there would be
a fusion of interests and feeling, but experience has
shown that the hope was chimerical. The picture
which M. Blanqui gives of the failure of this hope
is appalling. The services of the French labourers
who went out to Algiers were refused, in the ex-
pectation that the Arabs, who were offering to work
at lower wages than the French, would really
answer the puspose ; a great portion of the French
labourers died of despair and misery, and others,
who were able for a time to struggle against their
adverse fate, were at length sent back to France in
a state of destitution at the charge of the Govern-
ment. Every attempt to cultivate the plain exclu-
sively by Arabs failed, and, in fact, every attempt
at cultivation hitherto has been disastrous, except
in the cases of a few rich individuals who resolved
to make fortresses of their farms, and to defend
their produce and their people against open attacks,
or the secret practices of marauders. These per-
sons have been able to hold their ground, but the
colonists whose means did not permit this kind of
security, and who imprudently extended themselves
over a large surface, instead of concentrating their
numbers, so as to enable themselves to succour
each other, have been ravaged by the Arabs.
Every hope of fusion such as was anti-
cipated is now, therefore, at an end, and if
Algeria is to be colonized it must be by Europeans.
M. Blanqui informs us that the European agricul-
turists in Algeria consist rather of Spaniards, Ger-
mans, and Italians, than of French. He recom-
mends that lands should be given to them at low
prices, and every encouragement be held out to
their industry, imposing upon them, however, the
condition of forming themselves into groups, so as
to assist each other against any act of aggression.
By regaining at Medeah the key of the plain which
had been forgotten in the treat) of the Tafna, the
French will, says M. Blanqui, have a political and
a military frontier, and it will then be easy to enclose
and guarantee the possession of property. He states
the mulberry tree and the olive have succeeded
admirably in all the zones of the Shael where they
have been tried, and that the orange, lemon, and
banana trees, thrive wherever care is taken to water
them. Indigo, pepper, and cinnamon can never be
cultivated in Algeria for useful and practical pur-
poses. The cotton tree grows languidly. The
cultivation of sugar and coffee can meet with no
success. Tobacco thrives so well that Algeria may
be said to be its country of predilection. It is cut
down in some parts like hay, and the second crops
are sometimes as vigorous as the first. Many ex-
periments have been made to naturalize the plants
of Guiana, but the results have not been of a nature
to excite a confidence as to their ever becoming
really productive. M. Blanqui next adverts to
the necessity of improving the regulations of the
customs as a means of promoting the interests of
colonization. He recommends the Government
to imitate the conduct of the English, who by
making a free port of Singapore, which 25 years
ago was a nest of pirates, have brought thither
the commerce of all the nations of the world. The
imports into Algiers in 1838, says M. Blanqui,
amounted to 33 millions, upon which the Customs
levied a dutyof one million of francs, which must have
diminished the resources of the country to that amount,
and contributed to keep up prices where every-
thing ought to have been done to lower them. In a
country where the nominal interest of money is
10 per cent., and real interest 15 per cent., no-
thing should be done to augment the value of
capital and diminish the chances of competition.
The interest of France was not to make Algiers
a market for the manufactures of Rouen and Lille,
‘vhich, in spite of the protecting duty, are not pre-
ferred to foreign manufactures, but to open the
colony to the commerce of the whole world. Of
French productions little, adds M. Blanqui, is sold,
except the wines of Provence ; but these are con-
sumed to an extent which must alarm the friends
of temperance, and give a just idea of the social
state of the colony. In 1833 the consumption
was 1,200,000 f. ; in 1836, 3,000,0001. ; in 1837,
nearly 4,000,000 f.; in 1838, 5,320,000 f.; and
this year it will be more than 6,500,0001. The
population of Algiers has only doubled since 1833,
but the consumption of wine has been quintupled.
If this disproportion should go on, Algiers
in ten years' time would be only an immense
wine shop. One of the grounds recommended
in this report for making Algiers a free port is,
that there should always be an abundant stock
of provisions of all kinds on hand, thus preserving
the Europeans from all danger of a repetition of
the refusal to supply the markets, which has fre-
quently been the result of some caprice of the
Arabs, and has exposed the army and the colonists
to the chance of famine. The necessity for a con-
tinual and abundant supply will, it is stated, be
9,000,0001. M.
colo-
nists and the army have been compelled to import
seen in the fact, that during lie,hileahst
hyaeasr
tthhficnoelost-
cnaitatnlequainddesfliroeusr
ttloiattheovraanh of
port of the Regency, should also be free to
tradethe
of all nations. Make it free, and all the
commerce of the western 'Mediterranean will flock
thither. Re claims the same for Bona, and gene-
rally for all the ports, observing that no loss could
he sustained by the experiment, as the receipts of
the customs are more than absorbed by the ex-
penses.

A pair of eagles have been frequently seen upon
the Cleveland Hills during this autumn. The writer of
this notice had the satisfaction of observing one of these
noble birds in its flight over Long-Hull, near Guisbro',
the seat of the Challoner family, and at an elevation of
not more than 30 or 40 yards from the ground.—
G ateshead Observer.
GREAT BANQUET OF THE LEAGUE.—The
Great Banquet of the Leagueis postponed from the 9th
of January to the 13th day of January, 1840.