the army thither, to strengthen the authority of the feeble bey, who had been established there by the conquerors. On returning from this expedition, the rear-guard was vigorously attacked while descending the defile of Mouzaïa. The troops were fatigued by a long night march, and exhausted by the overpowering heat, the column was scattered along a narrow mountain pass. The officer in command of the rear-guard falls, wounded; and his soldiers, isolated, without a leader, and surrounded by the enemy, are retreating in disorder; when Commandant Duvivier, perceiving the peril by which the army is menaced, hastens to their relief with the second battalion of the Zouaves. The natives raise their war-cry, the French strike up the "Marseillaise," and all fall at once upon the Kabyles, whose pursuit they check by this unexpected movement. During the rest of the day Duvivier covered the retreat, and led his men safely to the farm of Mouzaïa, where the army rallied without having abandoned a single trophy to the enemy.

The retreat of Medeah was honourable in the highest degree to the Zouaves. In every action in which they were subsequently engaged they well sustained the reputation which this combat had given them; but the daily increasing hostility of the natives, the formation of the 67th of the Line and of the foreign legion rendered their recruitment difficult. It was impossible to complete the second battalion, and an order from the general-in-chief united the two battalions in one. The royal act of March 7th, 1833, fixed the number of the companies at teneight French and two native; and in each native company there were to be twelve French soldiers.

It had been determined that the troops should encamp in the neighbourhood of Algiers. The post of Dely-Ibrahim was assigned to the Zouaves. Here they themselves constructed the various buildings, becoming in turn masons, carpenters, and blacksmiths. The hours not devoted to work were employed in military instruction. Numerous incursions into Sahel and Mitidja and the neighbouring ravines of the Atlas, and frequent engagements, varied the monotony of camp life. Each day was marked by some progress, each day the Zouaves became more industrious, better disciplined, more inured to war; they were soon enabled to perform long and rapid marches, to bear the weight of several days' provisions with

out fatigue, to manoeuvre with precision, and to combat ably. The uniform and equipments were appointed and introduced; both are now so well known, that it is needless to describe them. It is the Oriental costume under the colours of the French infantry, but with some slight alterations, which an experienced eye instantly discovers, and which, without detracting from the grace and originality of the dress, have rendered the costume the most convenient and most useful that was ever borne by a warrior. Valuable in hot climates, impeding neither respiration nor action, it well protects the soldier against all sudden changes of temperature, and is likewise adapted to any addition which may be rendered necessary by extreme and long-continued cold. Even the turban, apparently so inconvenient, has its own peculiar advantages: at times falling on the neck, which it shelters from the sun; at others, acting as a comforter; and again, if the campaign be long, vanishing by degrees to repair the breaches of the vest and trowsers.

General Clausel returned to Africa in 1835, and led the Zouaves into the province of Oran, where a series of operations more important than any that had taken place since the year 1830 was undertaken and executed. In the expedition of Mascara, they fought under the eye of the duke of Orleans, who did not fail to appreciate their true value. Scarcely had the prince returned to Paris, when a royal decree appointed the regiment of Zouaves to consist of two battalions of six companies each, but with the power of increasing the number to ten.

On their return to the province of Algiers in the commencement of 1836, the Zouaves followed the governor-general to the theatre of their first exploits. The defile of Mouzaïa was more strongly defended than in 1830; but the marshal, who was now acquainted with the ground, had selected a better point of attack. The Zouaves were ordered to possess themselves of the glacis commanding the road, by means of which all the defences of the defile would be in their power. Notwithstanding the fearful difficulties which opposed them, they acquitted themselves of their mission nobly, and gained no less honour in subsequently defending from the fury of the Kabyles the positions which they had so valiantly obtained.

The siege of Constantine is one of the brightest laurels in the warrior-crown of the

Zouaves. There they found themselves side by side with worthy rivals; and if, in this noble emulation, they found it impossible to display more valour than their companions in arms, .the Zouaves at least neglected nothing which could secure to themselves the greatest share of the glory. During the establishment of the batteries, they were seen in the open day, under the fire of the enemy, raising and dragging to the very summit of the Mansourah the twenty-fourpounders which the artillery horses had been unable to extricate from the mud during the night. On the day of the assault, they obtained the distinguished honour of marching at the head of the first column. Those who have visited the galleries of Versailles well remember Horace Vernet's striking picture of Lamoricière at the summit of the breach, where he was about to disappear in a cloud of smoke and dust, in the midst of a frightful explosion; by his side, Commandant Viens, scaling the face of the wall on which he received his death-blow; at his feet, Captain Gardarens, who had fallen wounded at the foot of the colours which he had planted on the breach, and which he still continued to grasp; a little lower, the heroic Colonel Combes of the 47th, and many, many others with whom the painter became acquainted only through the encomiums and regrets of their comrades. Glory is won at a fearful cost; the little battalion of the Zouaves was more than decimated in this frightful assault; many of the officers were left dead on the breach; the rest, almost to the very last, were either seriously wounded or horribly burnt by the explosion.

The seizure of Constantine is the last episode in the first series of the African wars; the treaty of Tafua was concluded, and the last vestige of Turkish government had disappeared. A period of relative peace commenced, during which the French generals devoted their attention to the organization of government in their newly-acquired territories.

However, the truce was not of long dura

moment. In the course of the year 1839 alarming symptoms had been manifested in the native corps. These had not escaped

the vigilant colonel he well knew that many of the soldiers were in the habit of secretly attending assemblies where vehement orations were delivered. At length the storm burst forth at the end of the year. The possession of Coleah, and the honour of the regiment, were in too good hands for either to incur the slightest risk; but, at the summons of him whom the Arabs regarded rather as a prophet than a sultan, a considerable number of the native soldiers, even of those who had been longest in the corps and had fired more than one gun in the service, deserted, carrying with them to the enemy's ranks the knowledge which they had received from their French leaders. This was a serious crisis for the Zouaves, but the regiment came forth unscathed. No sooner had the renewal of hostilities been announced, than multitudes of volunteers had presented themselves; and under the tuition of able officers, they were soon capable of active service. And hence the two battalions of the Zouaves resumed the campaign in as great numbers as before, and in better discipline than at any former period.

After a severe winter, passed in establishing security in the territories already conquered, in expulsing the enemy, and in supplying the stores, the army, now considerably reinforced, invaded the true Arab country—namely, that in which Abd-el-Kader commanded in person. The duke of Orleans was at the head of the first division, of which the Zouaves formed a part. By the month of June, 1840, three of the enemy's principal stations were taken; the French troops were in possession of Cherchell, Medeah, and Miliana. It would be impossible here to narrate all the engagements of that sanguinary campaign, in Mitidja, in the ravine of Mouzaïa, at the foot of the Chenouan, in the valley of Chéliff, on the Onamri, at the Gontas; each day marked by a combat, every inch of ground disputed; the cavalry of all the tribes from the provinces of Algiers and Oran inundating the plain; every mountain pass defended by the regular infantry, as well as by hordes of Kabyles. The Zouaves were present at every engagement, in every operation, ever distinguished by their bravery and activity. What noble and touching episodes marked that period! One morning, for instance,—it

was the day of the assault upon Mouzaïa— despatches arrived from France, announcing promotions. A young sergeant of the Zouaves, named Giovanelli, was appointed sub-lieutenant; all the regiment united in offering him congratulations, and the colonel confided a section to his charge. Giovanelli, delighted to baptize his epaulettes, was the first to leap into a redoubt defended by the regular troops, and almost instantly fell down dead, pierced with several balls. On

another occasion, Captain Gautrin, who was killed shortly afterwards, had two of his fingers amputated on the field of battle, without leaving the command of his company.

The African war was now assuming an important aspect, the chimera of partial occupation was abandoned and the total destruction of the system of Abd-el-Kader was ordained. The government furnished abundant supplies, and an illustrious captain, seconded by able lieutenants, pursued the true conquest of Algeria with vigour and success. A royal statute of September 8th, 1844, appointed the regiment of the Zouaves to consist of three battalions; one company alone in each battalion was capable of receiving natives, and even into these they were admitted but in small numbers, merely to justify, as it were, the name and uniform of the corps. Experience had shown, that, although the command of French officers over Arab soldiers was beneficial in every respect, union of the men of the two races produced less satisfactory results. Each learned the vices of the other without his better qualities; and, besides, the African soldier has two special duties to perform: war and work, the latter is inexpressibly repugnant to the feelings of an Arab, and it is difficult to force a Christian to make a diligent use of his pickaxe while a Mussulman of the same company stands idle by his side. The regiment thus reconstituted took the field again almost immediately. The war was now universal. A portion of the tribes, it is true, had already acceptsd the French authority in theory, but it was necessary to reduce the theory to practice, to make the government respected, to subdue the savage and warlike tribes of the Kabyles, and to combat the vagabond hordes. At length, in the course of the year 1842, these diligent exertions began to bear fruit ; a great number of the tribes laid down their arms From this the contest with Algeria, as a whole, ceased; but the hostility of the tribes who

continued their resistance became only the more fierce. The strife in assuming the character of a civil war, increased in virulence, and many sanguinary engagements ensued.

The Zouaves were represented by one or two of their battalions in most of the important actions of the campaigns of 1843 and 1844; in the desperate engagements with the Kabyles, in the long marches across the desert, in the gallantly repulsed charges of the cavalry; at the Jurjura, in the Onarsenis; with the Beni-Menasser; at the taking of Smalah; in the brilliant combats with the Morocco cavalry; and at last at the memorable battle of Isly.

Watch them now as they are about to bivouac; a few of the men hasten to the neighbouring spring to replenish the large wooden pitchers before the water is disturbed by the horses and mules. The halt is sounded, the battalion stops and takes the position assigned. Whilst the superior officers are going themselves to appoint the stations, behold the little tents rising and the fires kindling as if by magic. A distribution of provisions and cartridges takes place; the cooks are at work; some of the soldiers are cutting wood, for it is necessary to provide a supply for the night; others are polishing their arms, while others again are repairing the injuries which their garments may have sustained during the march. The soup, however, is by this time prepared; the meat, which was distributed with the other provisions, does not make its appearance now, it is destined to boil during the night in order to be ready for the moruing repast. The evening soup is made with onions, lard, and a little white bread, if there be any left, or if the larder be dry, it is made with coffee, that is to say, the liquid coffee is filled with dust and transformed into a kind of paste, which probably might not exactly suit everybody's palate, but which is, nevertheless, wholesome and nutritious; it may be, however, that the huntsman or fisherman of the detatchment has provided the mess with a turtle or a few fish; we will not speak of other savoury meats sometimes enjoyed in secret, such as a chicken or a kid, which possibly may not have been obtained in the most orthodox manner. The soup is consumed; the last pipe has been smoked, the last merry air sung and the occupants of the little tents are sleeping soundly. The sentry, but lately

visible on the summit of the hill, has disappeared. But follow the officer on duty on his round; and, in spite of the darkness, he will show you, on the declivity of that very hill, a Zouave lying down flat near the summit which conceals him, with his eye ever watchful and his finger on the trigger. A fire is kindled in the middle of that path traversing a wood, and a guard was stationed there during the day: not a soldier is to be seen now. Nevertheless, the marauder or enemy, who approaches the camp to attempt a robbery or surprise, moves away cautiously from the fire round which he supposes the French soldiers are sleeping; he throws himself into the wood and there falls by the bayonets of the Zouaves, lying in ambush, who strike him noiselessly, lest they should betray the snare or discover their presence to the companions of their victim.

One night, and one night only, their vigilance was at fault, and the regular troops of the Emir, gliding between their stations, succeeded in discharging a fearful volley into the camp. The fire was for a moment so

fierce that the soldiers in surprise hesitated to answer it; it was necessary for the officers to set the example. Marshal Bugeaud is one of the first to arrive, two men, whom he had seized with his powerful arm, are fallen down dead. Soon, however, order is restored, and the Zouaves advance and repulse the enemy. The combat ended, the Marshall perceives, by the light of the bivouac fires, that every one is smiling when they look at him he carries his hand to his head and discovers that he is adorned like Béranger's Roi d'Yvetot. He instantly calls for his helmet and a thousand voices repeat, "the helmet, the Marshal's helmet!" His rather original helmet was long remembered by the soldiers. The following day, when the clarions struck up the march, the battalion of the Zouaves accompanied them, singing in chorus:

menced their march. Is there a few minutes' halt during the months of June or July? The turbans and girdles thrown over the fascines shield the Zouaves from the sun without depriving them of the refreshing breeze. Is the rain falling in torrents? Protected by his hood and the large folds of his trowsers, the Zouave will for a considerable period defy the penetrating moisture. The climate had ceased to be the auxiliary of the Arabs. The French troops, now better organized and more inured, were enabled to brave alike extreme heat and severe cold. It was always the Zouaves who taught the newly arrived men to bear every hardship uncomplainingly. Those who in one campaign had seen them, during the month of March, walking for six weeks in the mud and snows of the Jurjura, often without any other covering for the feet than pieces of skin fastened together with packthread, often without any other provisions than the corn which they carried with them on their march, and seen them arousing and cheering with their songs a brigade benumbed by the cold, and which left behind seventeen men buried in the snow ;-then the following day, while the hail pelted against their faces, gallantly attacking the Kabyles bayonet in hand, and who had seen them again, two months later, after a march of thirty leagues performed in thirty-six hours, without water and in face of the desert wind-a march so painful that the blood tinged their white gaiters-filing before the bivouac of the Chasseurs d'Afrique and whistling the cavalry charge, as if in mockery of the wearied horses and in revenge of their rivals in glory, who had charged and defeated the enemy before their arrival ;-those who had seen them thus at their post, ever brave, ever obedient, ever in readiness, whispered to themselves the words which Europe now re-echoes: "These are the finest troops in the world!"

The superior officers were chosen with especial care. They were generally officers already distinguished by their services in Africa; some for their abilities displayed even while in the corps, and always men renowned for a singular union of military talents. Various, in truth, were the powers needed to command the Zouaves, for they had their failings. Men who from choice embrace the profession of arms, without the hope of a brilliant career, are generally of an adventurous disposition and extravagant

T

habits. After long privations, they seldom resist the attraction of the public-house; they take a pleasure in squandering away their money. Their notions of justice and injustice are not very definite, and the forbidden fruit is not destitute of charms for them. Note their movements in an enemy's country or a territory abandoned by the inhabitants after a bold resistance. Gun in hand, with a bag at their back and mouths still black with powder, they quickly seize and examine everything: not an article escapes their keen eyes-dresses, poultry, provisions of every description, cakes of figs, large jars filled with oil, all are carried off to their bivouac, where they soon find a use for everything.

One day the Zouaves formed the rearguard; the column of which they were a part was conducting into the Tell an immense population, which had just been conquered after having long followed the fortunes of Abd-el-Kader. The van-guard had started at four o'clock in the morning, and at seven the last families had not quitted the bivouac. They were compelled to journey eleven leagues in search of water. That day the Zouaves were like Sisters of Charity, sharing their biscuit with the unfortunate ones who were overcome by fatigue or heat; and when the skins were empty, throwing down a sheep or goat in order to give milk to some poor infant deserted by its mother. When they encamped at night, not a fowl nor turtle was visible slung over the shoulder of any one of the men; but they were carrying women, children, and old men, whose lives they had saved. Such men are as good as they are brave. But it is necessary to learn how to combat with their errors and develope their generous sentiments; in order to conduct them, a union of firmness and affection is neededsevere discipline with discretion sufficient to relax the reins occasionally. They require leaders in whom they can repose confidence, whom they can love, respect, and even fear to a certain extent. Such leaders have always been at the head of the Zouaves. Colonel Cavaignac, who left the regiment in October, 1844, on account of his promotion, was succeeded by Colonel Ladmirault, one of the survivors of the assault upon Constantine, and well known in the corps, where he had served with the greatest distinction.

In the month of April, 1846, after six months of marches and engagements, the first battalion of the Zouaves had just re

turned to Blidah, clothed only with the remnants of their uniforms, when the Grand Duke Constantine, son of the late Emperor Nicholas, who had landed the preceding evening at Algiers, signified his desire to see the gallant troops whose fame had reached St. Petersburg. In the night the Zouaves received their new uniforms. The following day, at nine o'clock, they were at Bouffarick, awaiting the young prince. When the latter descended from his carriage, and saw them drawn up in battle array, and flanked by two squadrons of "spahis," he could not repress an exclamation of surprise. The situation was, moreover, remarkably fine, for Mitidja was in all the brilliancy of its spring garb, and not a cloud intervened to obstruct the view of the beautiful Atlas Mountains; but the grand duke had eyes for the Zouaves only, and great was his astonishment when he learned that the troops, of so original an appearance and at the same time so well organized, had returned from their winter campaign only the previous evening, and had travelled six leagues that same morning; and when at last he heard that these robust and martial-looking men had for last six months known no bed but the earth, and no roof but the sky, we apprehend that the impressions which the grand duke received at that review have not been effaced by the Crimean campaign.

In 1847, Marshal Bugeaud quitted Algeria, leaving it pacified and almost entirely subdued. The submission of Abd-el-Kader, which followed shortly afterwards, was, as it were, the consummation of the work; it consolidated the peace. M. Canrobert had just replaced General Ladmirault in the command of the Zouaves, and the regiment now occupied an important and recently obtained position, named Aumale, situated on the boundary of the plateau which extends to the east of the Jurjura. This was a region in which the submission of the inhabitants was most precarious and incomplete. The Zouaves had, therefore, been performing long and numerous marches among the mountains, and engaging in frequent combats with the enemy, when, towards the end of 1849, important events which were taking place in the south of the province of Constantine, summoned them thither in all haste. The siege of Zaatcha will ever be memorable in the annals of the Zouaves, having been rendered famous by that noble column which rapidly traversed the desert even with the