The Jews generally inhabit the central parts of the towns. The houses of the rich Jews are often elegant and commodious; but those of their poorer brethren are often very wretched. Sometimes a dozen families will reside in the same house, and each family will have but one room, in which father, mother, and children sleep, cook, and live. TURKS. The slight sketch which we gave of the history of Algiers will convey an idea of the manner in which the Turks got a footing in that country. That footing they have ever since retained, subject to changes from different causes. The manner in which a supply of Turks was kept up at Algiers was curious, and likely to give an immoral and dissipated tone to Algerine society. The Deys for a long time acknowledged the Grand Sultan as their sovereign, and paid him tribute; requesting in return that he would send them Turks to recruit the army and navy, when they became thinned by war. This was assented to, and the Sultan took advantage of the opportunity to send away troublesome subjects. The Dey used to send a vessel annually to Smyrna, to bring away the new recruits. On the day of their arrival, each one was conducted to the Dey's palace, complimentary words were addressed to him, and a dress and a gold sequin given to him. They were then forced to take the Mahometan oath, (“There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet,") and they then entered the service of the Dey. It was out of such materials that the powerful Janissaries arose. The Algerine Turks are generally fine-looking men, with a stern expression of countenance, strongly marked visage, and skin nearly as white as that of an European. Their manner of living is much like that of the Moors, with whom they may be seen mingled in the walks, in the coffee-shops, and in the barbers' shops. With regard to dress, they differ but little from that of the Moors. The Janissaries are, however, often clothed with much magnificence; the dress being of more brilliant colours, and more richly embroidered than those of the Moors; and the turban is often composed of a cachmere or other shawl, of delicate texture. The Turks possess many country-houses in the environs of Algiers, situated in the midst of beautiful gardens stocked with flowers. Fields, enclosed with hedges, contiguous to each mansion, form the domain: these fields, as well as the gardens, are cultivated by slaves and Berbers. But the hand of a Turk never touches a spade or a hoe. Agriculture is with them, as with military tribes generally, considered a debasing employment. The Turks were never brought before the Moorish magistrates for any fault either spiritual or temporal. There was a Turkish cadi and a mufti in each town, to render justice to those of their nation; and whenever a cause was to be tried between a Turk and a Moor, an Arab, or a Berber, it was always brought before a Turkish cadi. In a country where even-handed justice is but little appreciated, it is easy to see that the Turk would come off best under such circumstances. All the other Algerines were punished openly for a fault, but when a Turk was to be punished, he was favoured by having spectators excluded. The person of a Turk was almost as sacred as a European king. To kill a Turk was a crime punished by burning alive, or impaling the offender. If a Turk were assassinated in a tributary town or province, the aga made arrangements for seizing the assassin; and if he failed in so doing, he took twenty or thirty heads of families in that town or tribe, and conducted them to the Dey, who generally beheaded them all, as a punishment for the crime of their townsmen. Two years before the taking of Algiers by the French, a Turk, who had gone to live for a short time among the Arabs, was found dead one morning in a morass. As soon as the neighbouring aga had notice of this, he sent a detachment of cavalry, who carried off forty fathers of families, and conducted them to Algiers. The chiefs of many neighbouring tribes united to petition the Dey for their release, protesting that the prisoners were innocent of the charge brought against them, and offering a sum of money for their ransom. The Dey, after having taken the money, and pretended to believe the asseverations of the chiefs, said, "You have only to go to the gate of Bab-Azoun, and you will find your friends."-They went, and did indeed find their friends, hanging by the necks! These and many other circumstances prove that before the French entered Algiers, the Turks were by far the most powerful of the inhabitants. KOULOUGLIS. We have said that a supply of Turks was generally brought to Algiers every year, to fill up any vacancies that might have occurred; but these were always men, so that, if they afterwards married, not having a suffi cient number of females of their own class in Algiers, they united themselves with Moorish females, or with such Christian slaves as preferred slavery under a husband to that under a master, The issue of the marriages with Moorish females are called Koulouglis, and are, as may be supposed, a kind of mixed race. The children of Turks by Christian slaves have nearly the same privileges as the Turks themselves, but with the Koulouglis the same remark does not apply. They cannot enter the militia, nor rise to a high grade in the army. But still they are generally in easy circumstances, for the Algerine Turks are generally wealthy, from the share which they have in the prizes taken by the Corsairs, which wealth they are accustomed to leave to their children. From the easy mode of life which the Koulouglis lead, they are rather effeminate and indolent in their character, although finely-formed men. Their dress and general manner of living are a medium between those of the Turks and the Moors, not so favoured as the one, but more so than the other. The figure on the right in p. 86 is a Koulougli. MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. WE will conclude with a few details which relate to the inhabitants generally. The following anecdote will illustrate the superstition of the Algerines. While some French officers were observing a total lunar eclipse, on the 2nd of September, 1830, and when it was about the middle of the immersion, they heard shouts, and a great noise of kettles, shovels, tongs, and such like instruments. The mosques were all soon lighted, and the muezzins, mounting the minarets, began to chant in long trills. This racket continued the whole duration of the eclipse, and from time to time small blasts of powder were seen to be let off by groups of people. At the same moment many considerable fires were kindled on the ridge of the lesser Atlas, and the inhabitants were probably assembled round these fires, to make a noise like the Algerines. When the turmoil was over, singing commenced in the mosques. On the following day, inquiries were made respecting the cause and motive of the exhibition of the previous evening; when it was ascertained that the Mussulmans believe eclipses to announce the termination of the world; and the racket which they make during eclipses of the moon is intended to awake all sleepers, in order that they may go to the mosques, and join their brethren in the last prayer. It is to this that the muezzins invite them. During solar eclipses, as they do not suppose any one to be asleep, they make no noise, but content themselves by going to the mosque, warned by the voice of the muezzin, who announces the eclipse from the top of a minaret. The schools in Algiers are all nearly of the same character. The pavement of the hall in which the school is kept is always covered with a rush mat: the master sits in a corner, with a long rod in his hand, and several wooden tablets are hung round the wall. School hours are from eight to eleven in the morning, and from one to four in the afternoon. Each scholar, as he arrives, takes off his shoes, which he leaves at the door, and then goes to kiss the hand of the master, who presents it to him with a gravity altogether Turkish; after which the scholar takes one of the tablets from the wall, and squats down on the mat. When all the scholars are settled, they form a semicircle round the master. They have usually a writing-desk between two, and each of them is furnished with a reed, shaped like a pen, for writing. To those sufficiently advanced, the master dictates some sentence from the Koran, which they write with ink on the wooden tablets. When a scholar has finished the sentence, he refers to the master, addressing him by the title Sydi, who then dictates another sentence. When the master has repeated the same things many times, and the scholar does not understand it, the rod is brought into requisition, and the master himself writes down the sentence. As soon as a scholar has finished writing, he presents his tablet to the master, who corrects and returns it to him. He then quits the circle, and, seating himself against the wall, proceeds to commit to memory what he has written, chanting it in a loud voice, and moving the upper part of the body, as the Mussulmans are accustomed to do at prayers. Towards the end of the sitting, all the children may be heard chanting together in different tones. For those who have not yet learned to write, the master chalks the letters on the tablet, and the scholar inks them over the chalkmarks. The scholars then, at eleven o'clock, kiss the master's hand, and go home. Returning at one, they engage in learning more perfectly by heart what they have written, in the morning, and before they leave, they rub out, first with pumice-stone, and afterwards with sponge and water, the ink-marks on their tablets, hang them up in their places, and then take leave. This routine of education, together with a little arithmetic, comprises the whole education given to the children. The girls are not taught to read or write at all. The Jews have schools of their own, and attend more strictly to education, so that they are the best informed of the inhabitants, and always fill the office of interpreters. A strict system of police was observed at Algiers under the native government. No one but a Turk was allowed to stir out after eight o'clock in the evening, under pain of the bastinado, which, however, could always be bought off, if the offender were rich. Every one was obliged to have the space before his own house swept, and the dirt placed in the cavities of which we have spoken. Bedouins and Moors passed every day with asses laden with panniers, in which all the dirt is removed. Those who neglected this were bastinadoed. Weights and measures were strictly looked to by the police. Any one found using a false standard had his left hand chopped off, and tied round his neck. He was then placed on an ass, and led round the city. There are many persons to be seen in Algiers with no left hand. There is near Algiers a fountain named Sydi-Yakoub, which has a reputation for holiness, and for being able to cure all sorts of diseases. M. Rozet witnessed the ceremony performed, when this fountain or well was visited. About six o'clock in the morning a large party, both of Jews and Negroes, stopped at the well. The women took off their slippers, and, taking baskets which their husbands had laid on the ground, advanced with much respect up to the fountain. Each one then took from her basket a common earthen pot, in which she kindled a fire with tinder and charcoal. They then lit a small yellow taper, and placed it on a stone, beside a little hole from which a jet of water was spouting out. Having done this, they threw some grains of incense on their censers, and taking them in their hands, passed several times before the fountain, perfuming it. Returning to their baskets, some took out eggs, boiled beans and bread, others feathers, chicken's blood, &c., which they threw into the basin. Finally they placed themselves on the lowest step which was immersed in water, washed their faces and hands, drank and gave drink to their infants, and then went to rejoin their husbands. They then all retired to the seashore,where they began a career of eating, drinking, singing, and merry-making. On being asked the meaning of all this, they said, that after having implored the aid of SydiYakoub, it was necessary to spend the whole day in eating, The system of begging is carried on to a great extent at drinking, and revelry, in the open air. On visiting the Algiers; but it is very dangerous to be charitable; for if a spot in the evening, it was found that the devotees had fulperson continues to give day after day to any particular beg-filled their intentions to the letter. The whole place was gar, the latter deems it a vested right, and summons the filled with groups of families, in which every one had donor to the cadi if he stops his alms-giving, and the cadi drunk so much as to be unable to stand upright. generally sides with the beggar under such circumstances. An European merchant was in the habit of giving two mouzonnes daily to a poor beggar, who, in return, used to offer up prayers for the merchant. It happened that the merchant went to Europe, where he was detained more than a year. During his absence, the beggar continued to present himself every day at the door, though he had nothing given him. When the merchant returned, he found his faithful beggar, who expressed the satisfaction he felt at seeing him again, and assured him that every day he repaired to his post, and had not failed to offer up a prayer to heaven for the preservation of his health. The European thanked him, and gave him two mouzonnes, as before. You forget then that for a year you have given me nothing," replied the beggar. "It is not two mouzonnes that you owe me, but more than seven hundred, because ever since you set out, I have not missed a day in going to your door, and offering up a prayer for you as before." This was a mode of reasoning by no means palatable to the merchant, and he refused to accede to it; whereupon the beggar summoned him before the cadi, who, having heard the parties, pronounced thus: "If this beggar had neglected to present himself every day at your house, you might have protested against his demand; but he has punctually acquitted himself of his duty, and you legally owe him the sum which he demands." The shops of Algiers contain the usual articles met with in towns, and are kept principally by Turks and Moors. But the Dey and the Jews have the principal part of the commerce with foreign countries. The exports are principally essence of roses, silk stuffs, embroidered Morocco leather, taffeta, vermilion, ostrich-feathers, grain, wax, honey, and fruits. Their principal imports are linen cloth, muslin, calico, silk, hardware, sugar, coffee, amber, white marble pillars, pavements, and tombs, and iron and steel goods. They have a tolerably extensive manufacture of pottery, of which they prepare a variety of vessels. ALGERINE VESSELS. We must now conclude. There are, of course, abundant materials for extending our notice of Algiers; but we have endeavoured to select such prominent features as would serve to convey a general idea of the country-its historyits towns and buildings, and the character of the various classes of its inhabitants. LONDON: Published by JOHN WILLIAM PARKER, WEST STRAND; and sold by all Booksellers. OCKWELLS, IN BERKSHIRE. Is there anything which conveys us back, in imagination, more completely to the olden times, than the sight of one of our old baronial residences? We fancy we see the squire, the "old English gentleman," surrounded by his family and dependants;-the hall, hung about with trophies of the chase;-the open fire places, with the wood fires ;-the old, lumbering, but roomy, family coach;-and then, on Sunday, the squire, a true Sir Roger de Coverley, going to church in the midst of his humbler neighbours, who regard him as a protector, as a sort of second father. The old squire, too, was member for the county, and we see him undertake the momentous enterprise of a journey to London, to attend his parliamentary duties. All this, and much more, the mind can picture, when an old family mansion is before us. Perhaps no publication ever contributed more to this effect than a splendid work recently produced by Mr. Nash, under the title of The Mansions of England in the Olden Time*, This is not a mere architectural work : the old apartments are peopled with inmates of bygone ages, the object being, to use the author's remark, "to represent the stately homes of England, glowing with the genial warmth of their firesides, and enlivened with the presence of their inmates and guests, enjoying the recreations and pastimes, or celebrating the festivals, of our ancestors." It is from one of this series of plates that our frontispiece is, by permission of the publisher, taken. It represents Ockwells, an ancient mansion, situated about a mile westward of the village of Bray, in Berkshire. The village of Bray has acquired a sort of notoriety, to which its importance would not have entitled it. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Salisbury, but in the patronage of the Bishop of Oxford. This living was once held by a "Vicar of Bray," who has been handed down to posterity for having frequently changed his religion. As different versions of the circumstances have been given, we will quote from FULLER'S Worthies, where, we believe the account was first given : But first we will despatch that sole proverb of the county of Berkshire, viz., The Vicar of Bray will be Vicar of Bray still. Bray, a village well known in this county, so called from the BIBROCES, a kind of ancient Britons inhabiting thereabouts. The vivacious vicar hereof, living under King Henry the Eighth, King Edward the Sixth, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, was first a Papist, then a Protestant, then a Papist, then a Protestant again. He had seen some martyrs burnt (two miles off) at Windsor, and found this fire too hot for his tender temper. This vicar being taxed by one for being a turncoat, and an unconstant changeling," Not so," said he, "for I alwaies kept my principle, which is this, to live and die the vicar of Bray," So many now adayes, who though they cannot turn the wind, will turn their mills, and set them so, that wheresoever it bloweth, their grist shall certainly be grinded. But to return from Bray to the old mansion in its neighbourhood. Ockwells used formerly to be called Ockholt, The manor called by this name is much more ancient than the manor-house at present existing. We are told that in the year 1267, Richard de Norreys, cook to Eleanor, queen of Henry the Third, had a grant of Ockholt from that monarch, subject to a fee-farm rent of forty shillings: the grant states it to have been an encroachment from the forest. The next circumstance we hear respecting the manor is, that John Norreys, Esq., most likely a descendant from the Richard just named, made a will, in 1465, in which he stated that Ockholt, or Ockwells House, was built, but not quite completed by him up to the *The Mansions of England in the Olden Time. By JOSEPH NASH, A.D. 1839. Published by T. M. M'Lean, Haymarket, London. year when the will was made. This John Norreys was first Usher of the Chamber, next Esquire of the Body, and afterwards Master of the Wardrobe to King Henry the Sixth; also Esquire of the Body to King Edward the Fourth. In his will he left a certain sum "to the full building and making uppe of the chapell, with the chamber adjoyning, within my mannor of Ockholt, in the parish of Bray, not yet finished." This is the manor-house now existing. The next mention we find relating to the manor is, that Sir William Norreys, who was commander in the king's army at the battle of Stoke, died seised of this estate in 1507. From the family of the Norreys, it appears to have passed into the hands of the Fettiplaces. After this, it was possessed by the family of Day, one member of which, Sir Thomas Day, bore the not very enviable reputation of being the keenest hunter, and the hardest drinker in the county of Berks. The manner in which he acquired his knighthood was curious. Although a tolerably rich man, he was plain Thomas Day, a farmer. He used frequently to join in the royal hunts, and more than once spurred on and opened gates or tore up a hedge, for Queen Anne to pass. This attracted Her Majesty's attention; she thanked him, and asked him his name. He replied, "Thomas Day, happy to serve your Majesty." The Queen said, “Well, sir, I will make you a knight in token of my gratitude." She called for a sword, which was given to her: Mr. Day then knelt on one knee, and the Queen said, "Rise up, Sir Thomas." A writer in an old volume of The Gentleman's Magazine says:-"My father has often, when I was young, riding out with him, shown me the gate at which Sir Thomas Day was knighted." The manor of Ockwells then passed into the family of Finch, of Hertfordshire; and from this family it passed to Penyston Powney, Esq. M.P. for Berkshire. About sixty years ago a considerable portion of the manor-house was burnt down, by a beggar shaking out the ashes of his pipe amongst the straw of the farm-yard. The portion now existing is a farm-house, in the possession of John Shackell, Esq. Such is a brief notice of the history of this remarkable old building. The house itself presents a very curious specimen of the mansion-houses of the gentry of the age in which it was erected; indeed it is considered as the most perfect of the few remaining; the numerous gables which present themselves are particularly beautiful. The hall-the most considerable room in the building-has lost somewhat of its original effect by having the carved roof concealed by a flat ceiling, but the pannelling of the walls is still preserved. The most striking part of this hall is the large window, of six bays filled with stained glass, and which appears to be nearly in as complete a state as when the house was first erected. These windows are chiefly occupied with coats of arms, having crests and lamberquins, one in each window, on a ground of diagonal stripes, containing flowers and mottoes in text hand, placed alternately. Among the arms are those of King Henry the Sixth, with the antelopes, his supporters; and of his queen, Margaret of Anjou, with her supporters, the antelope and eagle; also the arms of Norreys, with beavers for supporters; the Abbey of Westminster; Beaufort, Duke of Somerset; Edmund, last Earl of March; Henry, Duke of Warwick; De la Pole, Duke of Suffolk; Sir Willliam Beauchamp, Lord St. Amand; Sir William Lacon of Bray, Chief Justice of the King's Bench; the Lord Wenlock; Sir Richard Nanfan, Captain of Calais; Sir John Pury, Knight, of Chamberhouse Castle, in the parish of Thatcham; and of one or two other distinguished personages, with the name Norrys at the left hand bottom corner. Mr. Nash has represented this old house in three different points of view. He has given an exterior view of the front, where, in order to bring back reccollection of olden times, he has represented the bridal procession of a country gentleman in the time of Elizabeth, with preparations for the entertainment of the retainers. In another plate, the interior of the hall is given, with the style of hospitality shown to courtly guests: the squire and his lady are seated after dinner, at the "orsille," or high table, on the "dais," a part elevated a little above the floor, in the bay; the visitors of inferior rank being placed at the long table at such an hour as this the attendance of a harper was not unusual. In a third plate, Mr. Nash has represented the porch and corridor, which are very characteristic from their extreme simplicity and quaintness. "Altogether," says Mr. Nash, "this house is well deserving the attention of the architect as well as the antiquary; for it offers many features that might be adapted to the present style of building country residences of moderate dimensions." ENGLAND! with all thy faults I love thee still, No man was ever so completely skilled in the conduct of life as not to receive new information from age and experience; insomuch that we find ourselves really ignorant of what we thought we understood, and see cause to reject what we fancied our truest interest. A PERSON accustomed to a life of activity longs for ease and retirement, and when he has accomplished his purpose, finds himself wretched. The pleasure of relaxation, indeed, is known to those only who have regular and interesting employment. Continued relaxation soon becomes a weariness: and, on this ground, we may safely assert, that the greatest degree of real enjoyment belongs, not to the luxurious man of wealth, or the listless votary of fashion, but to the middle classes of society, who, along with the comforts of life, have constant and important occupation.-ABERCROMBIE, ON BANDANA HANDKERCHIEFS. A RIVALRY of a remarkable kind has arisen within the last fifty years, in the production of certain woven fabrics. The Hindoos are celebrated above the natives of almost every other country, for the delicacy of their sense of touch, and the general suppleness of their limbs. This delicacy and suppleness have shown their influence in the beautiful muslins and similar articles, which for ages they have been able to produce. The spinning and weaving carried on in India are effected in the rudest possible manner, so far as regards the machines and implements employed; and yet the productions have excelled everything which the more cultivated natives of Europe could produce, principally on account of the manual dexterity, neatness, and quickness, possessed by the Hindoos. But when the great improvements in our machinery increased the power of the manufacturer, the peculiarities of Indian manufacture became fully equalled by home production. One instance of this was in muslins, a very fine sort of calico or cotton. Formerly nothing could be procured in England equal in fineness and beauty to the muslins produced in India. This is no longer the case: our manufacturers can now produce muslins fully equal in every respect to the best productions of the Hindoo loom. The cost and celerity of production we do not here allude to: those are undisputed points: we speak of the actual quality of the material. Another instance bearing on the same question is the production of Bandana Handkerchiefs, a subject that will afford us interesting materials for the present paper. The term Bandana is of Indian origin, and was applied to a peculiar kind of pocket handkerchiefs, both of silk and of cotton, made in India. These handkerchiefs were much sought after throughout Europe,-probably from the circumstance that nothing equal to them could be produced in Europe. The ground of these handkerchiefs was usually of red, blue, or purple; and the pattern almost always consisted of spots, either white or yellow. The colour with which the handkerchiefs were dyed, was uncommonly permanent and enduring. The demand for these handkerchiefs being very general, British manufacturers were induced to try how far they could produce successful imitations of them in cotton, which might be sold at a low price. The first attempts to produce this were very imperfect, being the common mode of printing calicoes, which we may here briefly explain. Suppose the pattern to be produced were a blue ground, with white spots arranged in a determinate pattern. A piece of white calico or cotton was taken, and spread out on a table or bench properly arranged. A wood block was carved or cut in such a way, that raised or uncut parts were left for all that portion of the pattern which was to consist of the blue ground, while all the parts which were correspondent to the white spots were cut away. The block was then laid down on a board wet with blue dye,-either of indigo or some other blueproducing colour,-by which a layer of blue dye or ink was taken up on the raised parts of the carved block. This was then stamped down on the cloth, thereby leaving a blue ground on the cloth, relieved by white spots where no dye had touched the block. The whole process is indeed very similar to those of wood-cut engraving and printing. inadequate to the production of a good dye; and There are many reasons why such a plan is wholly even with the aid of many improvements that have since taken place, both in dyeing and in calico printing, a good imitation of Bandana handkerchiefs |