er, a treasure which had
been accumulating since the time of Barbarossa. [Footnote: A famous corsair
of the sixteenth century.] He claimed 400,000L as his own, and was allowed
to carry it away. The French enquired about the jewels of the Regency. The
Dey said there were no jewels but those which belonged to his wives, and
_la galanterie Francaise_ would respect them as private property. So they
did.

There was a magazine containing 250,000L of things in the trinket line.
There were 150 ornamental daggers, all the presents of European princes,
&c. Colonel Monteith saw one officer coolly put into his pocket a watch set
in diamonds, which had evidently been given by a King of England, worth, he
supposed, 2,000L.

General Lavardo pillaged more openly than any one. He had thirty soldiers
employed in carrying off his pillage.

The affair at Belida was accidental. Bourmont went out with 1,600 men and
invited the chiefs to meet him. They were coming peaceably; but some Arabs
saw the French artillerymen taking their horses down to water without their
guns, and they could not help attempting to steal. The artillerymen beat
them off; but the firing having begun was soon converted into a battle.
Bourmont beat them off, but thought it expedient to retreat.

The beach was particularly favourable for landing. The weather fine, and
there was plenty of time to prepare.

The thing best done was by General Valagi, who in eighteen hours raised a
continued work of a mile and a half. He had 1,600 sappers and miners.
Colonel Monteith is in admiration of this entrenchment, which was
beautifully finished, and was capable of resisting 30,000 regular troops.

The Arabs are miserably mounted. The Dey's two best horses were not worth
30l. each.

Duperre he thought a man willing to do all, but quite overpowered by the
management of 100 ships of war and 500 transports. His reports are all
lies. Bourmont's are nearest the truth. The ships, with the exception of
those which were in the Levant, were not in good order. There seemed to be
no discipline.

The army never wanted either water or provisions. Water was within three
feet of the surface everywhere. In the gardens on the side of the hills
towards Algiers the water was found at the depth of twenty feet.

Nothing could be more perfect than the equipment of the army. They
calculated the cost of the expedition at four millions.

I see by the newspapers that the Prince of Orange yielded the