ix guns, but unwieldy and badly built,
with which they captured Provencal ships and did considerable
mischief, till the Chevalier Acton in 1773, with a single Tuscan
frigate, destroyed three out of their five ships. About 1788 the whole
Morocco navy consisted of six or eight frigates of two hundred tons,
armed with fourteen to eighteen six-pounders, and some galleys. The
rovers of Sal[=e] formed at one time a sort of republic of pirates,
paying the emperor a tithe of prize-money and slaves, in return for
non-interference; but gradually the Government absorbed most of the
profits, and the trade declined, till the emperors, in return for rich
presents, concluded treaties with the chief maritime Powers, and to a
large extent suppressed piracy.[51]

[Illustration: SAL[=E] IN 1637.

(_From a Map in the British Museum._)]

Turning from the monotonous records of internal barbarism, the more
adventurous side of Algerine history claims a brief notice. Among the
captains who continued to make the name of Corsair terrible to
Christian ears, Mur[=a]d Reis holds the foremost place; indeed, he
belongs to the order of great Corsairs. There were several of the
name, and this Mur[=a]d was distinguished as the Great Mur[=a]d. He
was an Arnaut or Albanian, who was captured by an Algerine pirate at
the age of twelve, and early showed a turn for adventure. When his
patron was engaged at the siege of Malta in 1565, young Mur[=a]d gave
him the slip, and went on a private cruise of his own, in which he
contrived to split his galleot upon a rock. Undeterred by this
misadventure, as soon as he got back to Algiers he set out in a
brigantine of fifteen banks, and speedily brought back three Spanish
prizes and one hundred and forty Christians. He was with Ochiali when
that eminent rover seized Saint-Clement's galleys, and was with
difficulty restrained from anticipating his admiral in boarding the
_St. Ann_. He soon gained the reputation of a Corsair of the first
water, and "a person, who, for our sins, did more harm to the
Christians than any other." In 1578, while cruising about the
Calabrian coast with eight galleots in search of prey, he sighted the
_Capitana_ of Sicily and a consort, with the Duke of Tierra Nuova and
his retinue on board. After a hot pursuit the consort was caught at
sea; the flagship ran on shore; the Duke and all the ship's company
deserted her; and the beautiful vessel was safely brought into Algiers
harbour. In 1585 Mu