Algiers.—Admiral Keppel and the Dey.—The expedition of Lord Exmouth against Algiers.—The Christian slaves are set free, and such slavery abolished for ever.—The French at Algiers.—The taking of Jean D’Acre by Sir Robert Stopford.—The explosion of the powder magazine.—The mistake made by the garrison.—The operations of a siege.—The daring young soldier.—The siege of Antwerp, by Marshal Gerard.—Desperate defence of General Chassé.—The surrender.

“I will now tell you of the siege of Antwerp, by far the most memorable siege of modern 198times. But, first, a word or two on the bombardment of Algiers, and of the taking of Jean D’Acre. Algiers is on the coast of Africa. It has many times been bombarded, for the deys, or governors of the place, have usually been sad pirates, taking the ships of all nations, and carrying their crews and passengers into captivity.”

“Then they deserved to be punished for their robbery and cruelty.”

“When Admiral Keppel was sent to the Dey of Algiers, to demand restitution of two ships which the pirates had taken, he sailed with his squadron into the bay of Algiers, and cast anchor in front of the Dey’s palace. He then landed, and, attended only by his captain and barge’s crew, demanded an immediate audience of the Dey. This being granted, he claimed full satisfaction for the injuries done to the subjects of his Britannic Majesty. Surprised and enraged at the boldness of the admiral’s remonstrance, the Dey exclaimed, ‘that he wondered at the English King’s insolence in sending him a foolish, beardless boy.’ A well-timed reply from the admiral made the Dey forget the laws of all nations in respect to ambassadors, and he ordered his mutes to attend with the bowstring, at the same time telling the admiral he should pay for his audacity with his life. Unmoved by this menace, the admiral took the Dey to a window facing the bay, and showed him the English fleet riding at anchor, and told 199him, that if he dared to put him to death there were Englishmen enough in that fleet to make him a glorious funeral-pile. The Dey was wise enough to take the hint. The admiral obtained ample restitution, and came off in safety.”

“The cruel Dey soon altered his tone.”

“In consequence of a massacre, that took place in 1816, of foreigners at Bona, then under the protection of the British flag, Lord Exmouth was ordered to Algiers to demand satisfaction of the Dey for the insult offered to England.”

“There could be no satisfaction made to the poor foreigners who were massacred.”

“No; but had not the English interfered, the Algerines might have done the same thing again without fear. The flag of Lord Exmouth was hoisted on board the Queen Charlotte, and the expedition was joined at Gibraltar by a Dutch squadron, under Vice-admiral Capellan. On Sunday, the 25th of August, divine service was performed, and prayers offered up for success in their enterprise.”

“That must have been very solemn, as many of them might never again meet on such an occasion.”

“True. A flag of truce, with terms, was sent to the Dey; and soon the Queen Charlotte came to an anchor by the stern, at about ninety yards from the muzzles of the guns of the mole-batteries. A sailor always obeys flag-ship signals. You may be sure, then, that the whole fleet soon drew up in 200battle order. As it was evident the Algerines were preparing to fire, the Queen Charlotte poured in a broadside just as the smoke of one of the enemy’s guns was visible. On went the work of destruction! nor did it cease till the ships in the harbour were destroyed, and the fortifications rendered a heap of ruins. When the Dey found Algiers tumbling about his ears he surrendered, and the whole of the Christian slaves he had in captivity were set free, and such slavery abolished for ever. The French fitted out an expedition against Algiers a few years ago, and took possession of it. They are now practising great cruelties there, by what they call razias, but what might more properly be called, murderous inroads on the people. They go forth with their troops to surprise the Arab tribes; they burn their villages, destroy their harvests, and slaughter men, women, and children. O France! where is thy shame? Marshal Clauzel asked the question of the French Senate, ‘If the character of the inhabitants was such that the soil could not be occupied without their destruction?’”

“Do they kill the women and children?”

“They do; but they will not do it with impunity. Algiers is draining France of her treasures and troops. It may be called the French soldier’s grave. There is an Eye above, boys, that marks oppression and cruelty, and an Almighty arm to chastise the oppressor.”

“It must be shocking indeed, to act in that cruel manner.”

201“St. Jean D’Acre is a strong place in Syria, on the coast of the Mediterranean. The taking of this strong fortress by the squadron under the command of Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, after a cannonade and bombardment of only a few hours, is a most extraordinary affair, when we consider that Sir Sidney Smith kept possession of this place against every attempt of the French army under Napoleon Buonaparte, to reduce it; though nine assaults were made, by some of the bravest troops in the world, on an open breach, it was all in vain. Commodore Napier, one of the bravest men in the British navy, commanded the Princess Charlotte, Powerful, Bellerophon, Revenge, Thunderer, and Pique, on an attack of the west lines of the works, while the Edinburgh, Benbow, Castor, Carysfort, Talbot, Wasp, and Hazard, attacked the south face. The fire of the ships on both sides was fearfully destructive. The Austrian frigate, Medea, and the Guerriero, with the Arabian corvette, Lipsia, did much service, as well as the Sultan’s ship, Mookuddimay-i-hive. The steamers Gorgon, Vesuvius, Ph?nix, and Stromboli, threw shot and shells into the town; and one shot, supposed to be from the Gorgon, occasioned the destruction of the powder-magazine. This explosion is said to have almost annihilated two whole regiments, formed in position on the ramparts; some say, more than a thousand, and others, that nearer two thousand were destroyed by it.”

202“Terrible! terrible!”

“It may seem almost miraculous that the allied fleet sustained so little injury, but this was principally owing to a mistake made by the garrison. Captain Boxer, and, I think, Captain Codrington, in surveying the anchorage, discovered a shoal, of some extent, opposite the wall, at the distance of about two thousand yards, and as this was likely to injure the shipping, a few buoys were placed to mark the place. The garrison mistook the buoys for moorings, and concluded that they marked out the intended stations of the ships. Their guns were accordingly elevated for that distance, and the embrasures filled up with sand-bags, to fix the elevation. This was a fatal error; for the fleet came inside the buoys; and taking up a position under the batteries, opened such a destructive fire as left the garrison no opportunity to alter their guns, or even to see their error, through the cloud of smoke, which, wafted by a light breeze, thickened, and hung like a dark canopy over the devoted fortress. The shot of the garrison, for the most part, passed over the hulls of the ships, only injuring the sails and rigging, so that the whole amount of killed and wounded, in a fleet of twenty-one ships, drawn up within a few hundred yards of a formidable battery, did not exceed three score men. Some mischief was done on board the fleet by the shells thrown by the garrison mortars, but, during a fire of four hours, there was scarcely one 203shot in twenty from the heavy guns that did not go over the hulls of the ships.”

“If it had not been for the mistake of the garrison, one half of the British ships might have been destroyed?”

“They might. And we see, by this accident, how by skill and tactics the commander of a fleet might, in many cases, preserve his ships and men, and gain a great advantage over his enemy. So long as British men, in the army and navy, keep up their present character for courage and discipline, and are led on by commanders in whom they have confidence, they will always rank as the bravest of the brave. I was to tell you of the siege of Antwerp. The general operations of a siege shall be described, and then we will come to Antwerp itself. You may remember what I said about fortification, and the little that I told you of a siege. Well, now I will be more particular in my description.”

“Now for it! How do they begin to fight?”

“The attack commences, not with the firing of cannon, the throwing of shells, or by marching soldiers up to the walls or ditch of the fortified place, but with pickaxes and spades.”

“Pickaxes and spades! What, do soldiers fight with such weapons as these?”

“Yes, and very effectually too; but you shall hear. The first thing to be done, is to dig a trench, or ditch, parallel to the general outline 204of the fortress, and at a distance of about six hundred yards from it. The earth flung up out of the trench forms a bank, or parapet, on the side next to the enemy, and is, therefore, a defence to the besiegers. You will remember, then, that the first and most important object to be attained in a siege, is to carry forward a trench up to the walls of the place: the quicker this is done the fewer lives will be lost on the part of the besiegers.”

“But what is the ditch for?”

“The ditch is cut that batteries may be the more safely erected there, to concentrate their fire upon the part to be attacked. This ditch is called the first parallel. The men and guns are comparatively safe in the ditch, when they would be swept away by the cannon of the besieged, if they remained on the surface of the ground.”
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