[Illustration: 9235]
F the foregoing sketches have seemed to some of our readers, a thought
too slight and discursive, and to be wanting in detail; it is because,
perhaps, they have reflected a little too naturally, the habit of
a painter's mind, and have followed out the principle of outdoor
sketching, which is to 'hit off' as accurately as possible, the various
points of interest that come under observation, and, in doing so,
to give _colour_ rather than detail, and to aim principally at the
rendering of atmosphere and effect.
But for this, perhaps, most readers will be thankful, and for two
reasons. First, because it is a fact, that English people as a rule,
care little or nothing for Algeria as a colony--that they never have
cared, and probably never will. Second, because, in spite of the
assertion of a late writer, that 'Algeria is a country virtually unknown
to Englishmen,' we believe that the English public has been literally
inundated with books of travel and statistics, on this subject.
It is only in its picturesque aspect, and as a winter residence for
invalids, that Algiers will ever claim much interest for English people;
and even in picturesqueness, it falls far short of other cities well
known to Englishmen. There is nothing in costume to compare with the
bazaars of Constantinople, or in architecture, to the bystreets of
Trebizond; but Algeria is much more accessible from England, and that is
our reason for selecting it. It has one special attraction, in which it
stands almost alone, viz, that here we may see the two great tides of
civilization--primitive and modern--the East and the West--meet
and mingle without limit and without confusion. There is no violent
collision and no decided fusion; but the general result is peaceful, and
we are enabled to contemplate it at leisure; and have such intimate and
quiet intercourse with the Oriental, as is nowhere else to be met with,
we believe, in the world.
In speaking thus enthusiastically of the advantages of Algeria, let
us not be supposed to undervalue the beauties of England, or its
unapproachable landscape and mountain scenery. The 'painter's camp' in
the Highlands, is no doubt, the right place for a camp, but it is not
the only right place; the spot where it was pitched is covered with snow
as we write these lines. Moreover, it is not given to everyone to be
able to _draw trees_, and it is a change and relief to many, to have
landscape work that does not depend upon their successful delineation.
In fine, for artists, Algiers seems perfect; a cheap place of residence
with few 'distractions,' without many taxes or cares; with extraordinary
opportunities for the study of Nature in her grandest aspects, and of
character, costume, and architecture of a good old type.
But what they really gain by working here is not easily written down,
nor to be explained to others; nor is it all at once discovered by
themselves. It has not been dinned into their ears by rote, or by rule,
but rather inhaled, and (if we may so express it) taken in with the
atmosphere they breathe. If they have not produced anything great or
noble, they have at least infused more light and nature into their
work, and have done something to counteract the tendency to that sickly
sentimentality and artificialism, that is the curse of modern schools.
We have been led to insist, perhaps a little too earnestly, on the good
effects of sound work on a painter's mind, by the thought of what some
of our foremost artists are doing at the present time. When painters of
the highest aim and most refined intelligence, seem tending towards a
system of mere decorative art; when Millais paints children, apparently,
to display their dress, and devotes his great powers as a colourist
almost exclusively to imitative work; when Leighton cultivates a style
of refined Platonism which is not Attic and is sometimes scarcely human;
when other painters of celebrity, that we need scarcely name spend
their lives upon the working out of effective details; when the modern
development of what is called Præ-Raphaelitism, seems to remove us
farther than ever from what should be the aim of a great painter, we may
be pardoned for insisting upon the benefits of change of air and change
of scene.
But not only to artists and amateurs--to those fortunate people whose
time and means are as as much at their own disposal as the genii of
Aladdin's lamp; to those who can get 'ordered abroad' at the season when
it is most pleasant to go; to those who live at high pressure for
half the year, and need a change--not so much perhaps, from winter's
gloom--as from the 'clouds that linger on the mind's horizon;' to all
who seek a 'new sensation,' we would say, once more--pay a visit to
the 'city of pirates,' to the 'diamond set in emeralds,' on the African
shore.
POSTSCRIPT TO SECOND EDITION.
_We have been requested by several readers to state, in a New Edition,
the readiest and cheapest method of reaching Algeria from England.
There is no quicker or cheaper way than to go through France to
Marseilles, and thence by steamer direct to Algiers. The cost of the
journey from London to Algiers varies from to £10, according to
'class.' The steamers from Marseilles leave on Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Saturdays, at mid-day: the cheapest boats leave on Thursdays,
their first-class fare, including living, being about £3 3s. All other
information respecting this journey, can be obtained by reference to
Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide.
The best months for a visit to Algeria are from November to April.
Travellers should obtain the French 'Guide de l'Algerie,' published by
Hachette, Paris; also 'Last Winter in Algeria,' by Mrs. Evans, a most
useful book for visitors.
Hotels in Algiers:--'L Orient,' 'La Regence' 'L Europe,' &c._