Thomas County cat., 1890-10-30
The Barbary Corsairs.

! .Upt to the fourteenth century tn
business Of piracy was carried on in tn
| Mediterranean, chiefly by Christian
Who dealt largely in stolen goods ant
slaves, says Stanley Lane-Pole in hi
history of the Barbary corsairs. Greece
,5ardinia, Malta and Genoa contributes
hy far the most numerous and trouble
some members Of the rowing fraternity
to whom the increase of commerce un
der the stimulus of the crusades 0fferet
tempting advantages. This, however
was all private i'acy, and distinct!
repudiated by both the italian ant
/ African governments, who were bound
by treaty stipulation to execute any
corsair of their own country whom they
might arrest and to deliver all his goods
! to the state which he had robbed. The
growth of commercial fleets, the fall OF
ConstantinOple, and the expulsion OF
MoOrs from Spain were three events
which conspired to discourage the pro
fession among Christians and to stimu'
late AIoors and Turks to greater ac-
tivity in its exercise.
The Moors, driven from Spain, which
had teen their home for 200 years
flocked to Africa, where the hospitable
spirits of the MOslem religion readily
granted them a refuge. A desire for
vengeance was naturally the feeling
uppermost in their hearts, and piratical
excursions in their light brigantines in
search of fgalleons, or midnight descent
upon the well known coast offerer the
readiest means of gratifying it. For
twenty years the Spaniards suffered
themselves to be preyed upon by a foe
that they had seemed to regard as be-
meath their notice, while the adven-
turers grew rich and built themselves
strongly fortified places on the Barbary
coast. Waking at last to PERCEPTION
of the magnitude ofthe danger which
menaced them Don Pedro Navarro was
sent to bring the pirates to book. He
captured without much difficulty Oran
and Bujeya, exacted from the Algerines
a VOW to renounce piracy, and in order
to assist them to keep it, built and
garrisoned the strong fort Penon de
Alger.
For seven years the exiled Moors
kept their enforced VOW, their constancy
being greatly stimulated by the ever
present reminder of the penon, behind
whose walls keen eyes kept watch upon
the bay and straightly-aimed guns
lurked in, readiness to blow any trans
crossing galley out Of the water. At
last Ferdinand, the Catholic yielded up
the ghost, and the Algerines seized the
occasion to stop the tribute and call up
on neighbOring Arab shekyh for aid.
The sheykh obligmgly consented to
assist them, and as the most effectual
means of doing so called in histurn up
on the renowned Uruj Barbarossa, the
Lesbian corsair. to drive out the garri-
son. BarbarOssa came. willingly with
sixteen galleots and 5000 men, only too
glad of the opportunity to establish
more firmly in the country to
which he had recently come in pursuit |
of conquest and power. The Arabs
and Moors were soon made aware that |
they had simply exchanged bad mas
ter for worse, but it was too late to |
remedy their mistake. The sheykh who |
had invited his aio was the first to feel |
his dispOtic power, being murdered in |
his bath, it was said, by Barbarossa's
own hand, and the unhappy Algerines
who were now anxious to make common
cause with the soldiers of the penon
against their unwelcOme ally, were set
upon at Friday prayers, bound with the
turbans of their guests and decapitated
1t the mosque doors.
Ururi BarbarOsa successfully main
.ained himself against the Spaniards,
and in a short space of time made him.
,elf sultan of all middle Barbary. Dy-
ing upon the battle field fighting against
he troops of Charles ", his brother !
to his power and having the
,agacity 10 beg the protection of the
Sultan Selim, received from him the ap-
pointment of governor general of Al
yiers, with the horse, scimeter and
banner as insignia of office.
Lelim also sent him guard of 1000
and offered special induce
nents to his subjects to go to Algiers
and help to strengthen the corsair's au-
,hOrity.
1t was true .ha. the northern states
of Africa became subject to the Turk
and the stronghold of race of pirates
who for more than three centuries laid
all the trading nations of Europe under
tribute, until the United States broke
The spell of their power and set the
older nations an example of resistance
10 their licensed robbery which led at
length to its total abolition.
Ancient Coronation Fashions.
Ngcroaot oldest datChter af Henry VI