ALGERIA.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 83, 2 January 1847, Page 3

ALGERIA.

MASSACRE OF THE FRENCH PRISONERS, The Minister of War has received a despatch from Lieutenaut-General de Lamoriciere, which unhappily confirms the sad news of the massacre of the French soldiers who were in the hands of Abd-el-Kader. The certainty of this sorrowful event has been acquired through a private of the Bth battallion of the Orleans Chasseurs, who succeeded in efl'ecting his escape. This man, whose name is Rolland, was wounded and made prisoner on the 23rd Septetnbet, 1843. He anived at Lalla Magrina on the 17th ult. We condense the account : — " I told my comrades that something would happen during the night, anil not gotoslcep, but for us to be ready to defend ourselves if it was intended to kill us. 1 had a French knife, which I found on the banks of the JVloloiim three days previously. On entering the gourbi I found a reaping hock, which 1 gave to my comrade Dan met. At the slightest noise, 1 said, I will go out first, and jou will follow me. Towards midnight the soldiei's of Al'd-el-Kader set up a cry. That was the signal. I wentw ent out first and met a regular, and stabbed him in the breast with a knife. He fell ; I then jumped over the enclosure of bushes which surrounded the camp, and fell to the ground. Whilst I was trying to extricate in) self, some soldiers arrived and endeavoured to capture me j my trousers were in a bad state, and remained in their hands. I escaped in my shirt. In a lavine, one hundred metres from the camp, a party in ambush iired upon me, and I was slightly wounded in tlie right leg by a ball. I continued to fly, and then mounted a small hill, and sat down to see if any of my comrades were able to join me. In turning towards the camp I heard the cries of the prisoners and of the people of Abd-el-Kadef. The musket tiring lasted for more than half an hour. My comrades, to judge from the noise that I heard, must ha\e defended themselves. To escape from the massacre mi the gout bis of the regulars, seVoral prisoneis had taken refuge in our gourbis in the middle of the camp ; in ordei to drive them out, the gourbis was set on lire, and I hey were fired on as they came out. Seeing that no person followed me, I crossed the Molouia, and walked on for throe nights, concealing ni)self during the day. The third day there was a thunder storm, with rain and a violent wind. I continued in; match, nearly naked and in great suffering. 1 proceeded towards a Moot ish village, where I arrived before night. On entering the village 1 met some uomen who were come to draft' water. On seeing me they tied uttering ciies. I enteted the village. At the end of a small streoi I saw a youngj man about twenty years 01.l — When he saw me he drew his dagger to kill me. 1 wished to die, and advanced low aids him. I had appioached within three or four Daces, when

another mem left a luMghbouiing terrace and held back his arm. He then took me to his liouse, and wanned mo for lv o or tliree minim's, after which he took me to his sleeping place. I was told that there ueie two of m> comrades m other Moorish villages. The jegiiiars had set aside some of my coin rados on account of than* trades. I think they were not kiilel. Penh, chasseur of the Bth, taken at Sidi, Ibrahim kept as a tailor 5 Manin, of the Slh, tinman ; Yolnnd, of the Sth, and Perrin, tiie Slh, 7th company." " Such/ adds the despatch, "is the i ecital of Holland. He added that the troops of Abd-cl-ttader showed a disposition to desert him, because the Morroccomen would not sell any corn. They never paid in money, but in paper notes beaming the seal of the Emir, and this is given in exchange for provisions. It was taken m pi\ - ment for a time, but has since fallen into ciiseredit. * There are little more than 100 touts at the Deira, *iz., 40 belonging to the Hah<>ms, 2i> to Bon Uamedi, about 50 to vaiious tribes.— There are 100 regular cavalry. " IJADOUIN, " The Captain Aid -dc Camp of the Lieu-tenant-Generdl. "■A. Le Senneville. " Lalla Maghrina, May 21 , 1846. "The singular simplicity with which Holland expresses himself should be heard, in order to appreciate the value of men who have been able to sustain, without losing their courage, a trial so seveie. Rolland is weakly in appeamnce, but does not bear the traces of physical suttbriny."