sent to the chiefs and headmen of all the
tribes that are under French rule or influence. At first it was not
read much, but now the vanity of the Arabs has been excited by it as a
mark of special attention from the Governor-General, so that they take
it as an honor, and a degree of curiosity has been excited to obtain
news from other parts of the world.

Within a short time, also, an additional importance has been given to
the paper by the publication in it of the amount of the tribute which
each tribe is required to pay to France. Formerly this was known only
to the chiefs who would accordingly exact from their people whatever
amount they deemed best, under the pretense that it was for the
government, while the greater part was retained by themselves. These
tribes have profited greatly by the French conquest; it is estimated
that of the eighty millions of francs which the army in Algeria costs
yearly, from twenty to twenty-five millions remain in the hands of the
Arabs. The Arab sells his corn, dates, horses, sheep, the baskets he
weaves, &c., to the European population, but never buys anything from
them in turn, except it be arms and powder. The rest of his money he
carries home and buries where no one knows but himself, so that, if
he dies suddenly, it is lost. Only the chiefs of the tribe know how to
extort anything of these hidden sums. According to the most moderate
estimates the tribes must have from two to three hundred millions
of French money. The gains which the chiefs draw from this wealth is
considerable; some of them have from a hundred to a hundred and fifty
thousand francs income. They are beginning to build large houses,
and cultivate gardens around them, a disposition which the government
favors, because it is easier to keep tribes in order that are
settled and have dwellings to lose which they cannot take with them.
The publication of the tribute in the _Mobacher_, is, under these
circumstances, of great value for the Arabs, because it enables them,
as it were, to supervise their chiefs, and to refuse to pay exorbitant
taxes laid under pretense of a high tribute. This has increased the
respect generally felt for the paper, though it has not rendered it
more a favorite with the chiefs. The power of these leaders is very
great in the various tribes, having been in most cases hereditary, at
least since the tenth century, and although not always inherited in
direct line, the tribes have never suffered it