within cannon shot of Algiers, where they broke ground and began
entrenching, and the French works being completed, the heavy breaching
cannon were all mounted; and at day-break on the 4th of July, General
Lahitte, having assured himself by personal inspection that all was
ready, ordered the signal rocket to be thrown, and at the same moment
the whole French batteries opened their fire within point blank
distance, and with a report which shook the whole of Algiers, and
brought the garrison, who were little expecting so speedy an attack,
running to their posts. The artillery was admirably served, and from one
battery which enfiladed the fort, the balls were seen to sweep away at
once an entire row of Algerine cannoneers from their guns. The Turks
displayed the most undaunted courage; they answered shot for shot,
supplied with fresh men the places of such as were slain, stopped up
with woolsacks the breaches made by the balls, replaced the cannon which
the French fire had dismounted, and never relaxed their exertions for a
moment. But the nature of their works was ill-calculated to withstand
the scientific accuracy with which the besiegers made their attack.
Every ball now told--the tower in the centre was completely riddled by
shots and shells; the bursting of these latter had disabled great
numbers of the garrison. By seven o'clock the besieged had begun to
retire from the most damaged part of their works; by half-past eight the
whole outer line of defence was abandoned, and by nine the fire of the
fort was extinct. The Turkish general, finding opposition hopeless, had
sent to the Dey for commands; and in reply was ordered to retreat with
his whole remaining force to the Cassaubah, and leave three negroes to
blow up the fort. The tranquillity with which they performed this fatal
task deserves record. The French, finding the enemy's fire to fail,
directed all theirs towards effecting a practicable breach. The fort
seemed to be abandoned;--two red flags floated still on its outside line
of defence, and a third on the angle towards the city. Three negroes
were seen calmly walking on the ramparts, and from time to time looking
over, as if to examine what progress the breach was making. One of them,
struck by a cannon-ball, fell, and the others, as if to revenge his
death, ran to a cannon, pointed it, and fired three shots. At the third,
the gun turned over, and they were unable to replace it. They tried
another, and as they