•ahamed, being soon after recalled, was succeeded by Ochali, a famous renegado, who reduced the king dom of Tunis, which remained subject to the viceroy of Mgiers till the year 1586, when a bashaw of Tunis was appointed by the grand signior.
From this period, we meet with nothing interesting in the history of Algiers, till the beginning of the 17th entury, when the Algerines remonstrated in such strong terms to the Porte of the oppression of his vice roys, that they obtained permission in future to choose their own governors, whom they denominated Deys. They engaged, however', still to acknowledge the grand signio- as their sovereign; to pay him the usual tribute ; to assist him, on all occasions, v. ith their artily and their fleet; and even to pay due respect to his bashaws, and to maintain diem in a manner suited to their dignity, pro\ hied they did not interfere in the government, which was to be committed solely to the (ley and his (Iowan. When these proposals were agreed to by the sultan, the great (Iowan immediately assembled to elect they from their own number, and to frame a body of laws 14 the maintenance and regulation of their hew goverlinient. The altercations which frequently arose between the bashaws and the deys, the former endea vouring to recover their power, and the latter to abridge it still further, occasioned so many complaints to the Ottoman court, as made it sincerely regret its present compliance with the remonstrance and petition of the Algerines.
While the Algerines were proceeding with these in ternal arrangements, the famous Doria, with a body of Spaniards under his command, made another attempt upon their capital, which, as usual, was rendered unsuc cessful by adverse winds. To guard against these re peated descents, they applied themselves with such vigour to the improvement of their navy, that in the year 1616, they possessed 40 sail of ships, between 200 and 40(1 tons. These were divided into two squadrons, one ol 18 sail stationed off the port of Alalaga, and the other at the Cape of Santa 2blaria, between Lisbon and Seville, where they attacked all Christian ships without. distinction, and rendered themselves formidable to all the maritime powers of Europe.
The outrages of these lawless pirates were first re sented by the French, who (A. D. 1617) sent M. Beau lieu against them with a fleet of 50 sail. Beaulieu dis persed their fleet, took two of their ships, while the ad miral, with desperate resolution, sunk his own vessel and crew rather than fall into the enemy's hands.
Three years after,a squadron of English men of war was sent into the Mediterranean under the command of sir Robert Mansel ; but after an unsuccessful attempt to set fire to the shipping in the harbour of Algiers, the squadron returned without doing any material damage, and the Algerines became so insolent that they openly defied all the powers of Europe except the Dutch. In the year 1625, they sent a proposal to the prince of Orange, that if he would fit out 20 ships of war to be employed against the Spaniards, they would join them with 60. The Dutch, however, unwilling to be connec ted with such infamous allies, rejected their proposal.
Next year the Cologlis seized upon the citadel of Al giers, and had well nigh made themselves masters of the state ; but the Turks and renegadoes at length de feated them with great slaughter. Of those who su• vived, many were butchered in cold blood, and their heads thrown in heaps upon the city wall without the eastern gate. About two years after this event, the state of Algiers underwent a memorable change, which enabled it soon to shake off the Ottoman yoke, and be come an independent government under its own deys. The cause of this revolution was a truce of 25 years, which the sultan Amurath IV. had concluded with the emperor Ferdinand II. This truce was universally re probated by the corsairs of Barbary, whose piracies it tended to check ; and by none more than the Algerines, rendered opulent and haughty by their depredations against the Christians. They resolved, therefore, to declare themselves an independent state, wholly uncOn coated in any treaty into which the Porte might enter with any Christian power. No sooner was this resolu tion formed, than they began to make prizes of several ships belonging to nations then at peace %% ith the Otto man Porte, some of which they pursued even to Rhodes. So far, indeed, did their audacity proceed, that, ha% ing seized a Dutch ship and poleacre at Smith won, they ventured on shore, plundered the magazines and ware houses, and then set them on lire. Though the Porte resented these depredations as all open defiance of its authority, it was then too much occupied by the Persian war, to be able to cheek them; and the vizier and cour tiers compounded with the Algerines for a share of the Spoils.