7½ M. Maison-Carrée (66 ft.; Hôt. du Roulage, Hôt. de l’Harrach, both humble; pop. 7300, incl. 2700 Mohammedans and 3200 foreigners, mostly Spaniards), prettily situated on the right bank of the Harrach, amidst hills rising some 200 ft. above the stream, possesses an agricultural school and an interesting cattle-market (Frid.). It owes its name to the square Turkish Citadel, built in 1746, now the Prison de l’Harrach, used for native convicts.
About 1¼ M. to the N. of Maison-Carrée, near the sea, lies the Monastère St. Joseph, the headquarters of the Missions d’Afrique founded by Card. Lavigerie (p. [346]), whose members owe their name of White Fathers (Pères Blancs) to their white gowns Arabian in appearance. The monastery owns an ethnographical collection from the interior of Africa.
From Maison-Carrée the steam-tramway mentioned at p. [219] runs across the Mitidja to (19 M.) L’Arba (335 ft.; Hôt. des Etrangers; Hôt. de l’Arba), a small town of 2300 inhab., with an important Wednesday market (Arabic arbáa), and then along the foot of the Atlas, partly through orange-groves, to (23 M.) Rovigo (361 ft.; Hôt. des Eaux-Thermales; Hôt. du Commerce; pop. 4200, chiefly Mohammedan). This is the station for (4½ M.) Hammam-Melouan (about 720 ft.), a small watering-place with hot saline springs, chiefly patronized by natives, in the narrow ravine of the Harrach.
A picturesque hill-road leads from L’Arba to (59 M.) Aumale (p. [250]; diligence in 12 hrs.) viâ (14½ M.) Sakamody (2585 ft.), (47½ M.) Bir-Rabalou (2106 ft.), and (50½ M.) Les Trembles.
The Matifou road ascends to the top of the hill-chain and leads to the E. to the village of (10 M.) Retour-de-la-Chasse (75 ft.), 2 M. to the N.W. of railway-station Maison-Blanche (p. [249]), and to (15½ M.) Rouïba (p. [249]).
The Steam Tramway follows the direct road from Maison-Carrée to the N.E. to (12 M.) Fort-de-l’Eau (16 ft.; Hôt.-Restaur. du Casino, on the shore; Hôt. de la Plage and others, plain), a small sea-bathing place with many villas and a fine beach. Fine view of Algiers and the spurs of Mont Bouzaréah. The old Turkish coast-fort, Bordj el-Kifan, of 1581, stormed by the Foreign Legion in 1833, is now the Caserne de Douaniers. The village, noted for its banana-culture, is inhabited chiefly by ‘Mahonnais’ (p. [233]).
From the village we proceed to the N.E., a little inland from the bay, which is now much choked with sand, through tame fields and underwood, to the Oued el-Hamiz. Here we turn to the N., soon obtaining a view of the broad Bay of Algiers and the distant Atlas of Blida, and traverse the extensive plateau of Cape Matifou (236 ft.; Arabic Râs Temendfus).
17 M. Matifou (210 ft.), a poor village, lies about 1½ M. to the E. of the site of the Roman town of Rusguniae, where, under the dense brushwood, the remains of baths and the foundations of an early-Christian basilica have been discovered. The church, originally with nave and aisles, was rebuilt in the Byzantine period with double aisles and a W. apse.
The small Harbour beyond the village, where Emp. Charles V. embarked the remnant of his army in 1541 (comp. p. [221]), is now a quarantine station for vessels and a port for pilgrims (Mers el-Hadjadjeh). The Mohammedans returning from Mecca, usually including many Moroccans, have to spend several days here in the large Lazaretto built in 1884.
Besides the Bordj Temendfous, the interesting old Turkish fort, there are also on the peninsula the French Fort d’Estrées, a Lighthouse (207 ft.), visible from 32 M., and a Semaphore. On the shore, where there are traces of a breakwater, a large tunny-net (madrague) is set in summer. The fishermen are mostly Corsicans and S. Italians from the villages of La Pérouse and Jean-Bart.