Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-12-03
Fofs4he Telegts pb
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS

-
Tie efforts of the French to found
j colony in, Africa, merit some study,
tliehgh the results are not encour-
aging, o-.. ,.-o,t ..-f f..-.T
6L7erytliing that a Government
can attempt t9lregut,te, has been III
terfercd With; but the most impor-
| tant worksg have often been slts-
pended or neglected, while the Gov
ernofs were pefSeeating the; colonial
newspapers, or interfering in local
| elections. I'D SA's-
l. Some csof the government under
takings have absorbed vast amounts
of money, and many present an i'm
posing and successful appearance.
HarbOrs have been constructed at
various points along the coast; rail
roads have been built over the noun
tains, and across the rayines- thai
break up the coast line, and good
carriage roads have been made ev-
erywhere. The solIdity of these
| works, and their boldness of design
and execution, make them splendid
monuments of French engineering
skill.
The breakwaters at the port of AL
geirs and Oran, the four hundred
miles of railroads, with substantial
bridges and neat stations, the car
riage roads which intersect the
whole country and extend into the
great desert, and, above all, the i'm
mense masses of Notifications by
which every town is surrounded,
and the barracks of the troops, rep
resent an immense expenditure of
public funds, and might seem to in
dicate a prosperous colony. But
when the census returns are examin-
ed we see that all this has been done
for the sake of a colony of less than
100000 Frenchmen, and that this
colony only increases at the rate of
about 4, 900 year. f
1.-The native population, made up
of Arabs, Moors and Kabyles,
amount to more than 100000, but
their existence is one of the greatest
obstacles to the progress of Euro
pean civilization, aud the famine
and pestilence, which swept away
half a million of them in three years,
is only a proof of the failure of the
attempt made by Napoleon III, to
organize and clvilize the Mohammed-
an races.
The brafe and warlike character
of the, Kabyles and Arabs, and the
organization of the nohadic tribes,
will always drive colonists to keep
within the shelter of the garrisons,
and $4,000 soldiers are required to
keep the peace.
Of course the Franco.German war
caused revolts among the tribes. The
results of forty-five years hard fight
ing cannot be considered as satisfac-
tory by those Frenchmen who hoped
to found colony of at least ten
millions, as small compensation for
the loss of those magnificent empires
constructed by the English-speaking
races. The country has its attrac
tions and advantages in scenery, eli
mate, and productions, and the OPP +,
portunity of studying the Mahom-
medan races at home, draws few
tourists. The city of Algiers is sit
uated beside beautiful bay, encom-
passed by high hills, and rises from
the water in very imposing way.
The harbor and the water front of
the town have been improved by the
French, and made equal to the ap-
proaches of any seaport ever saw.
The break-water of solid masonry,
faced with huge blocks of artificial
stone, and defended by numerous
forts, protects q spacious and safe
haTboF,
Landing on sMooth and broad
quay, one has chance to admire the
beautiful series of arches, by which
the sloping ways ascending to the
town are-supported. For at least
mile, the front street of the city is
supported on these arches, aud from
the terrace fine view of the harbor
is afforded. Perhaps some of these
western cities, which can only be
entered by any traveller by rail or
steamers, by scrambling up a steep
mud-bank, might learn something
here. The space under these arches
is all occupied by dry, airy and fire
proof warehouses. The first two or
three streets are boFdered with lofty
and substantial European buildings,
with arcades covering the sidewalks,
as in the Rue de RiYoli, in Paris
There is fine theatre, and the fire.
quent cafes look cool and attractive.
In a square at one end of the princi-
pal promenade, is a bronze statue of
the last Duke of Orleans, and here
the band plays every evening. M
1t is pleasant to sit here and watch
Che variety of dress aud appearance
| among the loungers. There are the
uniforms of the half dozen corps Of
the French army, and various indi-
cations of past and present Paris
fashions, filling the group of chairs
around the band, and the scattered
groups of Kabyles in red caps and
coarse blouses; Moors in turbans
and embroidered jackets, and Arabs
in tall and stately masses of white
drapery, running around the out