MARSHAL BUGEAUD'S EXPERIMENT TO COLONIZE ALGIERS.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 145, 20 October 1847, Page 3

MARSHAL BUG EAUD'S EXPERIMENT TO COLONIZE ALGIERS.

Marshal Bugeaud, on determining to create military villages, of course thought of the means of providing his colonists with wives. Before him, Romulus had the same task to accomplish, and settled the question by seizing upon the Sabines. The conqueror of Algeria being compelled lo adopt a more pacific method, would seem to have reckoned on the adventurous nature of the women, who, when the impulse is given* will, to use hit own words, " lead one another away." We shall not discuss his theory, but confine ourselves to telling bow, when the village of. Fouka was founded, he contrived to supply sixty of his military colonists with fair companions. One Hue day, those sixty bachelors were shipped for Toulon, with orders to marry there, as promptly as possible, sixty virgins, whom the Mayor of that town, assisted by some lady patronesses, had previously recruited. Many a scandalous report has circulated .as lo the places the sixty women had come from. Be this as it may, they were each provided with a certificate of good character, which must silence calumny. The delay fixed by Marshal Bugeaud was toa brief lo admit of the habitual preliminaries to marriage— nevertheless it was decided that the aforesaid hundred and twenty persons, destined to be wedded, should see themselves thrice before they were united. The first time, they saw themselves at a distance, without any other liberty than that of looking at one another and consulting their hearts. The women on one side and the men on the other, were not even named, they were distinguished but by numbers. At the second interview they reciprocally knew their names, but were not allowed to speak, looks and gestures were the only means whereby the coquetry of the ladies, and the first impressions of the warriors could be expressed. On the third encounter, speaking wai permitted, but there was no time to be lost — the fatal delay was expiring. After many a hesitation and quid pro quo, discipline performing the office of sympathy, each soldier found his wife. Let us, en passant, notice, that the ladies' marriage-portions were raised in proportion to the supposed resistance of their lords. There were three classes of the said fortunes— 4?2o, £36, and £48. Few of the ladies could dispose of their hands but on the highest terms. The betrothing was hastened, and fifty-nine mariiages were solemnized in dou-ble-quick time — fifty-nine we say, for it appears that one of the sixty virgins had the glory of making the courage of one of the military colonists shrink. In vain was the fortune of the deserted beauty doubled — the Colonist looked at the cash, looked at his future, and persevered in single life. The ceremony concluded, the happy couples embarked for Algiers*. The' moment their ship was signalled, Marshall Bugeaud ordered the brave Colonel Murengo to go and land them to the sound of the drum. It was-with accompaniament of that instrument that the fiftynine couples crossed the town, two and two, without being permitted to walk arm-in-arm. Thus did they reach, amidst a vast crowd, a street in the vicinity of the Governor's palace. There haltefronU a Unite, and alignment, were commanded, and the Marshal reviewed husbands on two lines, the latter being in ft out. It was with mingled gallantry and austere solicitude for the t'utuie, that the illustrious founder of Fouka, successively .enumerated the personal accomplishments of the beauties destined to supply the second generation of his village. During this inspection, as the Governor appreciated with indulgence or severity the charms of the new wife, tier lord, standing behind her, looked triumphant, or sadly lowered his brow. AKoge-

ther the Marshal was tolerably pleased, and exclaimed, ruhbiiijr his. liancis louethei — " I shall have plenty of children !" Meanwhile, sixty bachelors had gone to Toulon, and only (illy nine husbands had returned. The sixtieth stood solitary and tiewbling, in the rear of his line of eomradeii The pool fellow quaked when the Marshal put lo him the awful question — , On cst le fernme V Monsieur la Murescbal,' replied the soldier, ' les camertules on out !' ' Allona !' returned the Maislial— ' tn n'es pas si bete qnc je tecrojais.* lie wtu pardoned for his celibacy. AJas! how fared these military marriages? A year had scarcely elapsed when most of those ladies fled from Foulm lo the seducers of the army of Afiica, shamelessly betraying husbands, lioines and drums, without even reffietling the ten hectare? of land Marshal Hngeaml bad for- \ gotten to include conjugal fidelity among his orders of the day. — Courier Franrais.

Vesuvius.— A correspondent sends us the following copy of a wriiten notice furnished by the principal guide up Vesuvius, and bearing date the 22nd of April :— " At nine o'clock, p.m. in the diiection of Palo, was formed a new mouth, whence have issued live currents of lava Two flowed over the point of Palo, One has arrived at the foot of Bosso Reale, and the other two mt above the same crater. These are extinguished immediately at their biith. The great mouth from which have issued the five cm rents has begun to eject stones and /ire, whilst the cone of the crater remained tranquil. This continued for an hour ; when the mouth beneath was extinguished, and the cone of the crater threw out stones of the weight of a canlaro (200 lbs.) From the small mouth which had bp.en extinguished issued four circles of different colours, and then nothing else was thrown out. At Ihe Point of Nasone, on the mountain of Somma (Vesuvius) a man was found, and fell (19th April) dashed to pieces." An American paper describes a new mode of fishing in the small streams of Kentucky, during low water. It is termed " sledge-hammering," and is practised by a man who wades about with a sledge hammer on his shoulder, and gives a violent blow with the hammer to every lock which he approaches. The stunned fish lisu from beneath the rock to the surface, and arc caught in a btuket.