The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-04 00:00:00

REPORT TO THE EMPEROR.

The creation of a Minister of Algeria and of the
Colonies must necessarily cause some modifications
in the organisation of the public authorities in
Algeria, and the greatest as well as the most im-
portant of these changes is the suppression of the
powers which have hitherto devolved on the Go-
vernor-General These high functions must now
be divided between the special minister and the
local authorities by a wise decentralisation. This
arrangement is the, more convenient since your
Majesty has chosen that the new Minister of Al-
geria should exercise his authority in Algeria as
well as in France.
I do not hesitate, then, to propose to your Ma-
jesty to suppress the functions of a Governor-Gene-
ral. A twofold centralisation—at Algiers and at
Paris—is a great inconvenience and a real obstacle
to the prompt despatch of business. Permit me to
explain to your Majesty what are the fundamental
principles which necessitate the measure which I
propose, and what is the real condition of Algeria.
Strongly desirous of the progress of this country,
the Emperor wishes, while continuing to ensure the
submission and tranquillity of the Arabs by means
of a sufficient army, that the chief end of his go-
vernment should be colonisation. For that, besides
security, more liberty is needed.
Algeria cannot be compared to any of the great
foreign possessions. In India the government is
employed in extending colonisation by means of
native chieftains ; in the United States the estab-
lishment of Europeans takes place by the extermi-
nation or expulsion of the Indians. Nothing simi-
lar can be accomplished in Africa ; our difficulties
arc much greater ; we have a warlike race to re-
strain and civilise, a population of emigrants to
attract, a fusion of races to obtain a higher civili-
sation, to develop, by the application of the great
discoveries of modern science. We are in the pre-
sence of an armed and vigorous nation, which must
be extinguished by assimilation, and of a rising
European population. We must reconcile all these op-
posing interests. Hence arises the line marked out for
military and civil functions in Algeria. Up to this
moment the results obtained have involved verygreat
sacrifices, occasionedchiefiy by the necessity of con-
quest and the obligation of keeping up a considerable
army for 'the maintenance of complete security.
It is time that the conquered. territory, which ex-
tends over two hundred and twenty-five leagues of
coast, and illimitable extent towards the interior,
should produce a revenue sufficient gradually to
cover the expenses and reward the sacrifices of the
mother country.
Algeria is divided into three provinces, which
are themselves subdivided into military territories
and civil territories. The former, in which the
Arab element is almost exclusive, are administered
by generals, because it is acknowledged that mili-
tary authority is best suited to the manners and
traditions of the native inhabitants. The second,
in which the European element prevails, and which
are sufficiently civilised to admit of a preponderance
of civil institutions, are placed under the charge of
prefets. In the military territories some Arab
chiefs exercise, under the superior authority of the
generals, an influence which we ought to lessen
and gradually destroy, altogether. It should be
our aim to develop individual action, and to sub-
stitute for the aggregate action of the tribe indivi-
dual responsibility, property, and taxation, so as
thoroughly to prepare the native populations for
passing under the civil regime. In the civil terri-
tories we must relax the strict guardianship which
is kept over men's persons and interests. The
moment is come for granting freer and more direct
action to local authority, by permitting it to act
with more independence and, as a necessary conse-
quence, more responsibility.
In a word, the Minister must allow the admini-
strators, whether generals or prefets, greater lati-
tude, and only interfere in matters of importance
and general interest. To govern from Paris, and
administer on the spot, dividing the administration
in the way I have just pointed out, this is the plan
which seems to me best adapted to develop rapidly
the prosperity of our possessions in North Africa.
The statesmen who have studied the Algerian ques-
tion for twenty-five years have been almost unani-
mous in pointing out this course, though perhaps
such an opportunity for following it has never oc-
curred before. With these views, your Majesty
will see that the centralisation of the government
at Algiers becomes a useless contrivance. In fact,
there are only two rational plans of effecting
the progress which your Majesty wishes ; either
to give more power to the Governor-General by
transporting all the service to Algieria and
making him Minister ; or to supersede the
Governor-General by appointing a special minister.
These two plans have been submitted to you, and
you have chosen the latter. There is urgent need
of satisfying public opinion, which looks for a solu.
tion of these grave questions from the Emperor's
government. Your Majesty will not wish that the
minister, the only person responsible to the Empe-
ror, should bear the weight of a false position which
he could not get over.
The state of Algeria may be summed us as fol-
lows :—Much good has been done, immense results
have been obtained; but we must not hide from
ourselves that there are abuses to be put an end to,
and that to put an end to them demands vigorous
and unanimous action. The conquest and security
of the country are complete, thanks to the glorious
efforts of our army; crimes are rare, roads and pro-
perty are safe, the taxes are paid, and yet there is
scarcely any colonisation—scarcely 200,000 Euro-
peans, of whom half are French; less than 100,000
persons engaged in agriculture, capital is scarce
and dear, the spirit of enterprise is extinguished,
property has to be established in the greatest part
of the territory, discouragement is created among
the colonists and capitalists who come to fertilise
the soil of Algeria ; such is the real situation of
the country.
The suppression of the functions of Governor-
General will render the action of the government
easier ; it will give to the minister anti the local
authorities full liberty of action, and simplify autho-
rity and facilitate obedience. Coming from the
centre of the government, the authority will be
more powerful and more regular, and thus all pos-
sibility of conflicts will disappear. In short, why
keep up, together with a special minister, a Gover-
nor-General for a possession distant 36 hours from
the mother country?
Moreover, an opportunity occurs at this moment.
M. le Mareehal Randon has given in his resigna-
tion. Your Majesty has accepted it. The moment
is favourable. The reform which I propose would
not weaken the services of the high dignitary whom
your Majesty had desired to keep at the head of
the army of Algeria ; it will only establish the suc-
cess of that ruler whose services, during the long
period of his command, have made the new organi-
sation possible, by showing how much his zeal and
devotion have assured our conquest.
But while demanding that the government in
Algeria should become more free and independent,
I reserve altogether the military question. In this
respect the centralisation at Algiers ought to be
kept intact, and the, command of the army to re-
main in the hands of a single chief. The military
power of the Governor-General will be exercised
by a commander-in-chief of the army of Africa,
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whom I propose to tarlhee Commander-in-Chief,
sub-
stitute for the Governor-General, will be, with
greater powers, in a position like that of the
nzarechaux titulaires of the superior commands of
the active and territorial divisions of France. his
relations with the administrative and judicial autho-
rities will be regulated according to the same prin-
ciples ; the prefects administering the civil terri-
tories and particularly the generals administering
the military territories, will report to him all that
concerns the general situation and security of the
country.
Besides, he will provide according to circum-
stances, and under his responsibility, for every
urgent measure required in order to cause the autho-
rity of the Emperor to be respected and to ensure
the execution of the laws. But administration will
be out of the sphere of his attributes both in civil
and in military territory. His relations with the
different ministries of Algeria and the colonies, of
war, and of marine, will be regulated by the rules
approved by your Majesty, in consequence of my
report of July 29. Thus the civil and military
functions at present devolving on the Governor-
General are entirely re-distributed.
We have aright, sire, to expect the best results
from this reorganisation of powers. Each several
authority will have better defined and larger
powers, business will be more promptly settled,
and public and private interests will be placed in
closer communication with those whose duty it will
be to do justice to them. The military authority
remaining, 45 it ought to do concentrated in one