During the latter half of the present century the French government has given a great deal of attention to Algeria. Unfortunately, the French have not the reputation of making very good colonists.
The Kabyles, who occupy the mountainous section between Algiers and Constantine, were originally strong and powerful tribes, numbering one hundred and fifty thousand fighting men, all deadly foes of the French. Most of them have been subdued, though not without a long, sanguinary struggle.
The Kabyles are the most intelligent and the most industrious of all the Algerian tribes. Not an inch of ground capable of cultivation is allowed to go to waste. The carpets they manufacture are of superb beauty. Their woolens almost equal those of the English manufacturers in their excellence. Their gunpowder is of so superior a quality that the French for a long time believed it to be of English manufacture.
With the exception of a few Kabyle districts that struggle to maintain an independence of the French government, the whole of Algeria is now so much in subjection that it is perfectly safe to travel through any part of it without fear of being molested.
Among the benefits that have come through the colonization of Algeria, the system of artesian well digging is, by far, the most important. By means of irrigation, many barren and waste lands have been reclaimed and made extremely fertile.
About the middle of the present century, boring was begun in an oasis of the Sahara, within a desert section of the province of Constantine. A splendid fountain of water, yielding at the rate of over four thousand quarts a minute, at a temperature of seventy degrees, was the result. The native priests blessed it, and named it "The Fountain of Peace." Another of these artesian wells was called "The Fountain of Benediction."
In the desert of Sidi-Rached, a region wholly unproductive, owing to lack of water, a well was dug to a depth of a little more than fifty-four meters, which yielded over four thousand quarts a minute. This well is known as "The Fountain of Gratitude." The greatest excitement was shown when it was opened. The Arabs ran in crowds to the spot, and bathed themselves in the welcome stream; mothers dipped their little ones in it, while the aged priest fell upon his knees, wept, and in broken words of gratitude gave thanks to God, and to the French to whom such knowledge and power had been given.
In some places these artesian wells have been made the centers of settlements, by tribes which formerly were nomadic, or wandering. Around what may be termed "wellsprings of joy," villages have been constructed, and date trees have been planted in their vicinity.
Through so simple an agent as these artesian wells, the wandering habits of the tribes have been changed, and obedience and allegiance to French rule have in a measure been established. With feelings of gratitude these tribes recognize the blessing of a plentiful supply of pure water, and render thanks to those who have unlocked the storehouses of nature.
The oases, or fertile regions, which owe their existence to the digging of artesian wells, are usually surrounded by walls, which serve the purpose of fortifications. Such fortified places are used as storehouses and magazines by wandering tribes, who leave their grain crops and other goods in security, while they travel long distances in search of fresh pasturage for their immense flocks.