The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-23 00:00:00

[BRITISH PRESS.]

A gallant and successful attack on a corvette
of the Barbarians of Algiers, who are the curse
of the Mediterranean and the disgrace of the
civilized world, that still suffers them to pursue
their nefarious traffic, has becn trumpeted by
some of the Sunday Papers as a most formidable
occurrence; as if a rupture by this great country
with the piratical Regency of Algiers could be
thought of for a moment with alarm, or construed
as an interruption to the profound peace that Great
Britai❑
otherwise enjoys. Such a contest, even if
neeessary,can scarce produce a ripple on the wide,
smooth sea of tranquillity that every where sur.
round us. The Barbarians, that snake a desert
of the fairest portion of the Roman world, must
again be taught to respect the rights of justice
and human►ty ; they rnust be compelled to adhere
1 to the treaty they executed near eight years since.
If we attack Algiers again, it ought to be done in
full force ; a squadron should be sent sufficient
to lay the batteries and city in ashes. Algiers,
since it fell a prey to the Moors and the Turkish
power, has been the scourge of Christendom,
and defied the resentment of the most formidable
powers of Europe. That coast, which in other
days supplied the populace of Rome with corn,
and, for fifty days' journey, afforded a succession
of populous cities, has for centuries been the re-
sort of lawless pirates and barbarians, and the
terror of peaceful traders. The Emperor Charles
the Fifth lost a large fleet and army in an ill-
concerted expedition against this place in 1b41;
' a fleet from this country burnt the Corsairs' ves-
sels ii► the harbour in 1635 and 1670, and the
French bombarded it in 1688 ; in 1775, the Spa-
Iniards, with a large force, made a descent near the
city ; and in 1784 a powerful Spanish fleet attack-
ed the forts defending the harbour, but in each
instance failed with great loss. In 1816, the bar-
barian who rules this Regency, under the name of
Doy, amid the terror of a British fleet, concluded
a treaty with Lord Exmouth for the liberation of
all European Captives ; but having refused to ful-
fil the stipulations, when our fleet had quitted
the harbour, and murdered several Neapolitan
captives, the British squadron returned on the
27th August, 1816, and after a desperate conflict
laid the batteries in ruins, and destroyed the ship-
ping in the harbour ; the Dey then agreed that
all Christian slaves should be released, and piracy
for ever abandoned. The barbarian has since
been recruiting his marine, and pursuing the
same lawless traffic. The next visit from our
force will, we trust, be a memorable and decisive
one, and leave nothing to African► faith : the
" Punica fides" has been for ages jusly din-
trusted. Algiers lies well ; it is built on the
declivity of a hill, and has the form of an am-
phitheatre next the harbour. The tops of the
houses, as throughout a great part of the East,
are flat, and the streets steep and narrow. The •
mole of the harbour extends about 500 paces from
the main land, to a small adjacent island. The
number of inhabitants, some few years since,
was calculated at 100,000 Mahometans 15,000
Jews (who monopolized the greater part of
the traffic), and about 2,000 Christian slaves.—
The existence of this piratical Regency, and those
of Tripoli and Tunis, are the disgrace of Eu-
rope. Sir Sidney Smith, soon after the Con-
gress of Paris, endeavoured to effect a union of
the European Powers, to extirpate these Bar-
barians, but failed. Should the power of this
country be directed against Algiers again, we
trust the blow will be effective and decisive. We
should have a squadron and fire-ships in the bay,
sufficient to level the pirates' batteries in the
dust, to destroy the city, and fire every vessel
iii the harbour : an armed force ought also to be
on board, -sufficient to make a descent near the
city, and co-operate fully in the work of de-
struction with the fleet. The punishment of the

MARRIED.

On Saturday, the 21st inst., at St. George's, Hanover-square
Mr. Thomas Bond, of Fleet-street, to Charlotte, youngc;t
daughter of Richard Lister, Esq., of Stanhope-street, Mayfair.