It was in Tunis and its territory that Aroodge, the first Barbarossa, organised his maritime expeditions before he got possession of Algiers; and even after Algiers was established as the first piratical power, the Algerines moored and refitted their vessels in the ports and roadst:eads of Tonic. Her northern and eastern sea-fronte offered a convenient refuge to the corsairs of all these states, whence they sallied forth in every direction, plundering the ships of Christian nations, and making slaves of their crews. This horrid warfare was at one time carried on so successfully, that a Genoese renegade who commanded the galleys of Biserta is raid to have reduced no less than 20,000 persons to slavery. The Tunisian corsairs continued their excursions at sea until 1655, when Admiral Blake, with a powerful English squadron, destroyed the castles of Porto Farina and the Goletta with his artillery, and compelled the Bey to promise that his piratical subjects should not commit further depredatious on the English. Franca and Holland soon followed the same course. These promises were afterwards often renewed, but were never faithfully observed. At length, in 1816, in consequence of an agreement between the European powers, Tunis renounced for ever Christian slavery, under the threat of that punish ment which Lord Exmouth with a naval force inflicted upon Al lore.
Of twenty-three Deys who reigned at Tunis all were strangled or otherwise assassinated, with the exception of five. Since the accession of the present family in the person of Hassan ben Ali (the grandson of a renegade Greek), who died in 1753, there have been fcw revolu tions in Tunis. His grandson Hammoodah, the fourth of his race, came to the throne in 1782, and died in 1815. This prince was a man of great talents, and his long reign is distinguished among those of the Moorish dynasty by many acts directed to the public good. His brother Othman reigned only three months, and was put to death. Othman was succeeded by his cousin Mabmood, who died in 1825, leaving the power in the hands of his son Hussain, who died in 1835. Iluasain was succeeded by his brother Mustapha, who was followed by his son Achmet. a man full of energy and intelligence, and an acute politician, who has done much for the advancement of his country.