Hassan gave the Spaniards no respite. He ravaged not only their coasts, but even those of the Papal States, and other parts of Italy. A most for midable armament was fitted out against him by the emperor Charles V at the instigation of Paul III., the pope of Rome. This expedition was, in some respects, like the armanda which threatened England with Spanish bigotry in the reign of Elizabeth, and was attended with similar success. Confident in his numbers and equipments, Charles pushed his pro jects with every probability of success, whilst Hassan, dispirited by the weakness of his fortifications and the paucity of his garrison, was on the point of surrender, when the predictions of a mad prophet, named Yusef, encouraged him to a more desperate resistance. The predictions of the approaching ruin of the Spaniards were soon verified. The war of elements--storms of wind, hail, rain—a general darkness—and violent earthquakes, combined to wreck the proud hopes of the Spanish monarch. His army, the finest, perhaps, Europe had seen for many an age, was scatter. ed, destroyed, or taken captive; his navy in a few minutes was swallowed up, and the great deep closed over the relics, and arms, and human beings with which it was amply furnished; and he himself with dificulty escaped from the general destruction which pursued his ill-fated attempt. This extraordinary event took place on the 28th of October, 1541. The Spaniards never recovered from this loss, and their attempts to annoy the Algerines were henceforth inconsiderable. This may be considered as the most splendid victory which this freebooting state ever acquired.

In 1555, the Algerines under Pelha-Rais, the successor of Hassan, captured Bujeyah, which had been in possession of the Spaniards for fifty years. A period now occurs thickly clustered by names of those who were bashaws for brief periods, amongst which we find Hassan Corgo, who was murdered to make room for Tekeli, who in turn was assassinated by Yusef Calabres, and he was bashaw for only six days. Then came Hassan, the son of Hayradin, who defeated another attempt of the Spaniards with the loss of twelve thousand men. This Hassan was deposed by the aga of the Janissaries; then reinstated; again deposed by Achmet and a third time made bashaw, when he undertook the seige of Marsalquiver, near Oran, with a powerful army, but which he was compelled to raise on the approach of the celebrated Doria. He was again recalled from his government, and died at Constantinople, A. d. 1567. His successor, Mahomet, showed prudence, and by his wise regulations 'aid the foundation of Algerine independence. He was deposed by the notorious renegado Ochali, who reduced Tunis to the subjection of Algiers, only that in a few years it might be made a pachalic of the Porte, in 1586. In the preceding year, the enterprising spirit of these pirates carried them through the straits of Gibraltar as far as the Canary islands, which they plundered. In the beginning of the following century the Algerines effected one leading step toward independence, in obtaining from the Porte permission to appoint a dey of their own; but the sultan still retained a bashaw, whose office was confined to watching that the interests of his master did not suffer. Their power, augmented by an influx of the Moors who were expelled from Spain in 1609, was now formi. dable; and the states of Europe, with the exception of the Dutch, quailed before them. Alliances were formed against them; and to the honou of France be it said, that her new navy was the first which dared openly avenge the cause of insulted Europe and suffering humanity. In 1617 the arms of Gaul fell with violence on the insolence of the pirates.

In 1623 Algiers declared herself independent of the Porte, and for the next thirty years pillaged without distinction whatever vessels of the Europeans fell in their way; then another collision took place between them and the French navy; and soon after a large fleet under Hali Pinchinin, after carrying off immense booty from the Italian coast, was defeated by

the Venetians under Capello, with very considerable loss, which greatly crippled their power. This relapse was but for two years; when, as it were, renovated by the misfortune, they scoured the whole sea with a fleet of sixty-five sail, and compelled the Dutch, the French, and English to court their favour. Louis XIV. at last, in the year 1681, provoked by some outrages which the pirates had committed on his coasts, ordered a powerful fleet and armanient to be fitted out, with which he destroyed several of their vessels in the isle of Scio. In the following year he bombarded Algiers, and but for a sudden change of wind would have destroyed it. The return of the year saw the French admiral Du Quesne again before Algiers, who desisted not from his attack till he had completely humbled the Algerine audacity, by reducing their city to a heap of ruins. They sued for peace, which was granted, and all Christian captives were set at liberty. Taught a lesson by this humiliation, the Algerines paid some respect to other nations, and the English in particular were admitted into a treaty with them; who further enforced respect from the pirates by the capture of Gibraltar and Port Mahon. The eighteenth century presents little that is interesting in the history of this pi ratical state, except the union of the office of the Algerine dey and Turkish viceroy, in 1710; the capture of Oran in 1708; and its recapture in 1737.

On the 18th of August, 1816, Lord Exmouth, with a fleet of four ships of war, four frigates, and several vessels, bombs, &c., appeared before Algiers, to exact punishment for the barbarous massacre of a num ber of Europeans at Bona, on May 23, by two thousand of the Algerine infantry and cavalry. On the 27th of August, his lordship com. menced an attack, which was completely successful. The whole of the Algerine navy was destroyed, and half the town demolished. Like the defeat received from Du Quesne one hundred and twenty-three years be fore, this disposed them to accept the terms offered by the British admiral. Christian slavery was abolished, and full reparation made; and on the 1st of September was beheld the proud and gratifying sight of the fulfilment of the conditions. Algiers disgorged its Christian slaves, and a large payment of money for the use of the several states which had suffered by its depredations. This was one of the most honourable triumphs achieved by the British flag. Since that time the dey has been embroiled with the Austrian states; but its most signal chastisement was left for the French to inflict.

During a conversation that took place between the dey and the French consul at Algiers, the former had the ill-mannered temerity to offer the Frenchman an insult, and even struck him. Redress was, of course, demanded; but so far from complying with the demand, the dey displayed a hostile feeling, and demolished the French post at La Callé. This being tantamount to a declaration of war, France fitted out a powerful armament, including a land force of thirty-eight thousand men, with a formi dable train of artillery, under the command of General Bourmont. On the 14th of June, 1830, the French troops effected a landing, and after a feeble resistance, Algiers capitulated on the 5th of July. The French found in the treasury of the dey, gold and silver to the amount of nearly fifty millions of francs, besides an abundant supply of stores of various kinds. The towns of Oran and Bona soon after submitted. But the French subsequently met with considerable resistance from the bey of Oran, who, however, after a series of contests and negotiations, submitted, in 1837; and agreed to abandon the maritime parts of the province, and recognize the supremacy of the French in Africa. The occupation of Algiers (or, as it is now generally termed, ALGERIA) has been a work of inore difficulty than its Gallic conquerors anticipated, and thousands of Europeans have annually perished by sickness and the sword since the

territory has been wrested from the fierce Arabs in whose possession it had so long remained unmolested.

The government is at present administered by the commander-in-chief of the French forces in Algiers, who holds the rank of governor-general. It was previously vested in a dey, or pacha, who was at the head of the Turkish soldiery, and who exercised absolute power. The religion of the state is now Roman Catholic, and many mosques have been converted into Christian churches: but the great bulk of the people profess Mohammedanism; and although the French have established schools of instruction in all the principal towns, the Moors show no desire to read any other book than the Koran. The language is mostly Arabic, but mixed with Moorish and Phoenician words. What effect the introduction of Euro pean laws, arts, and sciences into this part of Africa may have, time alone can show; but if we consider how great were its population and influence in distant ages, and how formidable it has since proved under the domination of a brutal horde of pirates, we may fairly expect that the fruits of a superior civilization will, ere long, appear.

THE HISTORY

OF

AUSTRALIA AND POLYNESIA.

AUSTRALIA

UNTIL the last century it was believed that a great continent existed in the Southern Ocean, to which the name of Terra Australis was given; it being inferred that the different points of land discovered to the south of the islands of Java and Celebes, and of the Cape of Good Hope, afford. ed ample proof of such a theory. The discoveries of modern geographers, however, go to invalidate the hypothesis that there is any continent south of America.

Under the name of Australia (or Australasia) and Polynesia, is comprehended a maritime division of the globe, in contradistinction to the older terrene divisions of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, being altogether a classification of islands, including no one continent under a general name, like the other divisions of the world, in which various kingdoms are circumscribed by one shore; and so far it is an anomaly in geographical classiffication. We shall first speak of the more important division, now known as AUSTRALIA.

This includes the semi-continental mass of land hitherto known as New Holland, and the islands of New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Queen Charlotte's Islands, Solomon's Archipelago, New Britain, New Ireland, New Hanover, Admiralty Isles, and Papua or New Guinea. In no part of the globe can greater extremes of barrenness and fertility occur, than in the various islands comprehended in Australia. On the

shores of New Holland, its most prominent feature, we find fruitful plains covered with verdure eastward, and on the south and south-western coast nothing but naked hillocks of sand. This island, if such indeed it is to be called, almost equal in size to the whole of continental Europe, presents of itself an unequalled and almost unexplored field for geologica' enquiry.

The natives of Australia, are, for the major part, of a negro character, and nowhere is human nature found in a more depraved state. An enor mous head, flat countenance, and long, slender extremities, mark their physical conformation, together with an acuteness of sight and hearing. Captain Cook's description of this race has been verified by every succeeding observer. "The skin," says he, "is the colour of wood soot, or what is usually called chocolate color. Their features are far from disagreeable; their noses are not flat, nor are their lips thick: their teeth are white and even, and their hair naturally long and black; it is, however, cropped short." It seems that a decidedly inferior variety of the human race is found in Australia, and has spread itself a considerable distance north and east among the islands of Polynesia and the eastern archipelago. The Australian is puny and weak compared with the African negro; and his intellectual attainments are quite on as low a scale as nis physical powers.

NEW HOLLAND.

THE Portuguese and Spaniards appear to have visited this region in the sixteenth century, but it was the Dutch who first made it known to Europe. In 1605 they coasted it along the western shore as far as 13° 45' of south latitude; the farthest point of land in their map being called Cape Keer-Weer, or Turn-again. In 1616 the west coasts were discovered by Dirck Hartag, commander of an outward-bound vessel from Holland to India; and in the year 1801 there was found, by some of the navigators by whom that coast was visited, a plate of tin, with an inscription and dates, in which it was mentioned that it had been left by him. In 1618, another part of the coast was discovered by Zeachen, who gave it the name o' Arnheim and Dieman; though a different part from what after wads recei ved the name of Van Dieman's Laud from Tasman. In 1619, Jan Van Edels gave his name to a southern part of New Holland; and another part received the name of Leuwen's Land. Peter Van Nuytz gave his name, in 1627, to the coast that communicates with Leuwen; and another part bore the name of De Witt's Land. In 1628, Peter Carpenter, a Dutchman, discovered the great Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1687, Dampier, an Englishman, sailed from Timor, and coasted the western part of New Holland. In 1699, he left England, with a design to explore this country; as the Dutch suppressed whatever discoveries had been made by them. He sailed along the western coast of it, from 15 to 28 degrees of latitude. He then returned to Timor; from whence he sailed again; examined the isles of Papua; coasted New Guinea; discovered the passage that bears his name, and also New Britain; and sailed back to Timor along New Guinea. This is the same Dampier who, between the years 1683 and 1691, sailed round the world, by changing his ships. Notwithstanding the attempts of all these navigators, the eastern part of this vast country was unknown till Captain Cook made his voyages, and, by fully exploring that part of the coast, gave his country a title to the possession of it; which it accordingly took, under the name of New South Wales, in 1787. An act passed in parliament, in 1779, to establish a colony in it, where criminals condemned to be transported should be sent to pass their time of servitude.

NEW ZEALAND.

THIS is a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, which was discovere by Tasman, in 1642. He traversed the eastern coast, from latitude 34 to 43 south, and entered a strait; but being attacked by the natives soon after he came to an anchor, in the place to which he gave the name of Murderer's Bay, he did not go on shore. He called the country Staten Land, in honour of the States General; though it has been generally dis tinguished, in maps and charts, by the name of New Zealand. In 1770, it was circumnavigated by Captain Cook, who found it to consist of two large islands; the northernmost, called by the natives, Aienomawie; and the southernmost, Tovaipoenammoo; separated by a strait which he named after himself. The coast is indented with deep bays, affording excellent shelter for shipping. There are also several rivers, particularly in the northern island, capable of receiving large ships, in which the spring-tide rises ten feet perpendicular.

Captain Cook, in 1773, planted several spots of ground with European garden seeds; and in 1777,,in several of these spots, although totally neg lected and overrun with weeds, were found cabbages, onions, leeks, parsley, radishes, mustard, &c., and a few fine potatoes, greatly improved by change of soil. In other places everything had been rooted out to make room for temporary villages. Captain Cook also introduced European poultry; and on his last visit had the satisfaction to find them increased, in a wild and domestic state, beyond all danger of being exterminated. From that period, the coasts were occasionally visited by whalers, and some communication was held with the natives; but until 1815, when a missionary station was established there, no permanent settlement appears to have been made by any people. At the general peace, the right of Great Britain to these islands was recognized; but no constituted authority was placed over New Zealand 1833, when a sub-governor from New South Wales was sent to reside there. Meantime the shores had become infested by marauding raders and adventurers of the worst class, who attempted to obtain from the natives large tracts of land by the most fraudulent means. Ir suer to remedy this evil as far as possible, and to put a stop to such ractices in future, New Zealaud was, in 1840, constituted a colony dependent on New South Wales, and a governor appointed; a commission was also appointed to inquire into the validity of all claims to land, &c.

The New Zealanders are tall, strong, active and well-shaped; being superior in every respect to the negro race of Australia and the eastern Archipelago. Their colour is in general a dark chestnut, though many bea: a resemblance to the gipsy, and some have even the complexion of a European brunette. Were it not for the disgusting practice of occasionally feasting on the prisoners they take in battle, and the crime of infanticide—both of which barbarities are said to be rapidly on the decline-it might be said the New Zealanders were less addicted to the vices of savage life than most other savages. These islands lie between the 34th and 4 th degrees of south latitude, and between the 166th and 180th degrees of east longitude, being the antipodes of London and other parts of Great Britain.-The other isles belonging to the Australian division are too unimportant to render a description necessary.