Part 46

The noisy and dusty PLACE DE NEMOURS or _Place de la Brèche_ (Pl. B, 4, 5; 2054 ft. above sea-level), on the site of the _Bâb el-Djadia_ or _Porte de la Brèche_, is the chief scene of the town’s traffic. A few paces to the S.W., between the old town and the _Coudiat-Aty_ (p. 297), are two public gardens. On the left, next the street leading to the new bridge, is the pretty _Square No. 1_ (Pl. A, B, 5), with a bronze statue of Valée; and on the right _Square No. 2_ (Pl. A, 5), with numerous Roman antiquities. The latter affords a splendid view of Jebel Chettaba (p. 297), of the lower valley of the Rhumel visible a long way down, and of the distant heights of El-Kantour (p. 303). The road between the two squares proceeds to the S.W. to the _Monument of Gen. Lamoricière_ (Pl. A, 5) by Belloc (1909), in front of the _Halle aux Grains_.—From the latter the new _Viaduct_ (comp. Pl. A-C, 5, 6; 490 yds.), now under construction, will eventually lead to the New Bridge (p. 298).

Beneath the Hôtel de Paris et Royal (p. 297), at the E. corner of the Place de Nemours, a flight of 90 steps descends to some interesting _Grottoes_ (adm. 1 fr.), whose sparkling, rose-shaped crystals of gypsum produce a very unique effect.—From the N. angle of the square the Boul. de l’Ouest leads along the town-wall to the HÔTEL DE VILLE (Pl. 6; A, B, 4), of 1903, whose staircase and vestibule are enriched with onyx and six kinds of marble from Aïn-Smara (p. 272). The first floor contains the _Town Library_ and behind it the—

=Musée de Constantine=, comprising antiquities and natural history collections. Adm. (except Sun. and Tues.) 9–11 and 3–5, 50 c. Conservator, M. Ulysse Hinglais. Catalogue (1905) 1 or 5 fr.

On the STAIRCASE are Roman mosaics.

ROOM I. In the central cases are prehistoric finds from the Tell Atlas and the Oued Rhir (p. 285); Byzantine and early-Moorish antiquities from Morsott (p. 314) and Kalâa des Beni-Hammad (p. 270); natural history specimens (incl. vegetable fibres utilized industrially). The wall-presses contain fossils from the hill of Mansoura (p. 302) and Jebel Sidi M’Cid; Phœnician and Roman antiquities from the necropolises of the Coudiat-Aty, of Collo, Bulla Regia, etc. (clay vases, fine Roman bronzes, a glass cinerary urn, trinkets, cut gems). By the wall of exit are Spanish-Moorish, Italian, and Kabylian ceramics, Moorish fayence from Tlemcen, Nabeul (p. 365), etc.; a late-Moorish door; a Turkish executioner’s sword from Khenchela. Here too are a map of the artesian wells in the province of Constantine and a model of a boring apparatus.

ROOM II. The show-cases contain coins and medals. In the wall-presses, natural history specimens; marble and onyx from Aïn-Smara. On the walls, a small collection of pictures.

GALLERY (on the left of R. I). Large Roman clay vessels, neo-Punic and Roman stelæ, Roman sculptures, Moorish fragments, casts.

From the Boul. de l’Ouest the Boul. du Nord (Pl. A, B, 4, 3; fine views) and (to the right) the Rue du Rocher lead to the _Kasba_ (p. 300).

The busiest streets of the European quarter, where many of the inhabitants are Italians and Maltese, are the RUE CARAMAN (Pl. B, 4) with the Rue Chevalier, the Rue d’Aumale, and the RUE DAMRÉMONT (Pl. B, 4, 3), all to the N. of the Place de Nemours. Between these lines of streets lies the spacious PLACE DU PALAIS (Pl. B, 4).

The =Palais de Hadj Ahmed= (Pl. B, 4; now military headquarters), on the N.E. side of the square, built by Ahmed Bey in 1828–35, contains four picturesque courts, adorned with tiles. The front court is decorated with clumsy frescoes depicting chief towns of the Orient. The interior is not shown. Concierge ½ fr.

The =Cathedral= (Pl. 2, B 4; _Notre-Dame des Sept-Douleurs_), on the E. side of the Place du Palais, was once the Market Mosque (_Jâma Sûk er-Rezel_), with its nave and double aisles, built in 1707. The women’s galleries next the entrance-wall now contain the organ. The choir is a modern addition. In the outer right aisle, in the middle of the E. wall, with its well-preserved tile and stucco decoration, is the old mihrâb (p. 180), now a chapel. The mimbar in the inner left aisle is now the pulpit; behind it is a copy of the inscription on the Rocher des Martyrs (p. 301).

The Rue Caraman, continued by the Rue Chevalier, and the Rue de France (Pl. B, C, 4, 3) both lead to the N.E. to the PLACE NÉGRIER (Pl. C, 3), in which rises the Mosque of _Sidi el-Kettani_ (Pl. 8; B, C, 3), built by Sala-Bey. The first floor of the building contains a marble mimbar executed by Italian sculptors. On the N. side of the square is a new _Synagogue_ (Pl. 11; C, 3).

At the N. end of the town, partly on the site of the Roman capitol, is the old =Kasba= (Pl. B, 3; 2116 ft.; 666 ft. above the Rhumel), now a group of new buildings, including barracks and the military hospital. Of the _Roman Cisterns_, originally a quadrangle of 164 by 39 yds., about one-third has been preserved and is now again in use. The view from the garden of the _Artillery Arsenal_ (Pl. B, C, 2, 3), at the N. end of the Kasba, immediately above the ravine of the Rhumel, is justly extolled. Adm. by leave of the military authorities (Palais de Hadj Ahmed; see above). Entrance in the Rue Damrémont (p. 299). From the Kasba the new _Suspension Bridge_ (‘Pont Suspendu’; Pl. C, D, 2, 3) crosses the Rhumel at a height of 590 ft. to the _Hôpital Civil_ (Pl. D, 2).

The *=Native Quarters=, intersected by the upper Rue Nationale, with their lively, picturesque, crooked streets, lie in the lower part of the town, between the Place de Nemours, Rue Caraman, Rue de France, and the Rhumel ravine (p. 301). The most interesting streets are those inhabited by Mohammedan artisans, largely Mozabites (p. 216), between the Rue Combes (Pl. B, 4) and the Rue Vieux (Pl. B, C, 4, 3), both of which lead to the N.E. to the Place Rahbet es Souf (‘wool-market’) or Place des Galettes (Pl. C, 4), with its _Market Hall_. Between this square and the Boul. de l’Est (Pl. C, 3), a fine point of view, lies the _Jewish Quarter_, which is worth seeing, especially on Saturdays.

Still more picturesque than these quarters is the purely Mohammedan *_Quartier Perrégaux_, which descends the triangular S. part of the rocky plateau, often in steep steps, from the Rue Nationale to the Rhumel Ravine. Through this quarter runs the RUE PERRÉGAUX (Pl. C, B, 4, 5), the chief thoroughfare between the Rue Nationale and the old Turkish _Porte Djebia_ (Pl. B, 5). Near this gate, at the corner of the Rue Perrégaux and Rue des Tanneurs, is a _Mosque Portal_ with charming tile-decoration.

From the Rue Perrégaux we may descend by the Rue de l’Arc and (to the right) the Rue de l’Alma, or direct by the Rue Morland, under the new bridge, to the small kubba of =Sidi-Rached= (Pl. B, C, 6; 1752 ft.). From the adjacent rocky height we have a grand view of the upper Rhumel ravine. Opposite, near the old _Pont du Diable_ (Pl. B, C, 6), is the _Rocher des Martyrs_, bearing an old inscription in memory of the Christian martyrs of 259.

* * * * *

The **=Gorges du Rhumel=, the grandest ravines in the Tell Atlas, present a most impressive scene, especially during the melting of the snow or after heavy rain, but in summer much of their charm is lost owing to the lowness of the stream and the stench of the tanneries. The gorge was first made accessible in 1895 by the _Chemin des Touristes_, a path 1¾ M. in length, constructed by the engineer Fr. Rémès. From the S. entrance (Pl. C, 6; 1811 ft.), near the new bridge, it descends parallel with the Chemin du Rhumel (10 min. above the station), close past the main entrance (see below) and under the El-Kantara bridge and the new Suspension Bridge to the lower end of the ravine (1512 ft). It is to be connected with the new N. entrance (Pl. B, 2), on the Corniche road (p. 302), by a side-branch. Tourists pressed for time may go direct from the station to the S. entrance, walk down the gorge as far as the grottoes, turn back there, and then leave by the main entrance. A ticket for the day (2 fr., or for repeated visits ½ fr. each time) admits also to a bath in the Bains Rémès.

The main-entrance, near the so-called Porte Vitruve (1730 ft.), is reached from the Boul. de l’Est, 45 yds. to the N. of the old El-Kantara gate (p. 298), by an uncomfortable path descending in steps; another descends from the Corniche road on the opposite side (‘Entrée’; Pl. D, 3), 3 min. below the bridge.

Before entering the gorge we may glance at the remains of the _Roman Bridge_, which crosses the river at the narrowest part, 66 yds. across. The sculptures, two elephants and a weather-worn relief of Africa, belonged perhaps to a still older bridge.

From the ticket-office we first walk upstream, on the right bank, by the UPPER PATH, often up and down steps. The rocky sides of the gorge are enlivened by numerous storks, pigeons, and hawks; far below us the river dashes down its stony bed. High above peep the picturesque houses of the native quarter. On the left bank are the _Bains Rémès_, with a hot spring (90° Fahr.), and remains of a Roman _Aqueduct_. They are reached by a side-path to the right, ca. 220 yds. beyond the ticket-office. The baths, or _Piscinae_, originally Roman, have been entirely renewed.

Farther up (¼ hr.), a path in steps ascends to the left, under the new bridge, not far from the Pont du Diable and the Pointe de Sidi-Rached (comp. p. 301), to the S. entrance.

We now return to the chief entrance, and near the office descend to the left, by a path with steps and iron stairs, to the *_Grottoes_, 230 ft. high at places, through which the river flows, mostly underground, for a distance of 330 yds.; the huge dome of rock is specially impressive when viewed from the middle of the iron footbridge. A winding staircase next descends to the LOWER PATH, with its wire-fence and benches. Passing below the new Suspension Bridge (p. 300) we reach the last arch of rock (retrospect of the grottoes) and in a few minutes the lower (N.W.) end of the gorge, above the _Cascades_ (Pl. B, 2).

Those who do not care to return to the El-Kantara bridge may ascend direct from the last archway to the Corniche road.

The Rhumel Fall, dashing over rock-terraces to a depth of 212 ft., the precipice below the Kasba, and the Rocher Sidi M’Cid (see below) are all admirably viewed from the =Moulins Lavie= (Pl. A, 2), on the left bank, 10 min. from Square No. 2 (p. 299).

The traveller should not omit to take a short walk on the superb *=Route de la Corniche= (Pl. D-B, 3–1), starting from the El-Kantara bridge. Below the _Hôpital Civil_ (p. 300) two short tunnels carry the road through the _Rocher Sidi M’Cid_, an offshoot of Jebel Sidi M’Cid (2575 ft). The finest point is (¼ hr.) a small projecting platform at a bend in the road, whence we look down on the Rhumel Fall and the baths of Sidi M’Cid.

In a dale at the N. base of the Rocher Sidi M’Cid lies the pleasant _Hammam Sidi M’Cid_ (Pl. B, 1), with saline springs and two large swimming-baths.

The ‘GRAND TOUR’ (1–1¼ hr.; carr. 3–4 fr.; bargain advisable) is a favourite drive by the Route de Sétif (Pl. A, 5, 6; affording a fine retrospect of the Quartier Perrégaux), and across the uppermost Rhumel bridge, to the _Roman Aqueduct_ (p. 274); thence from the Route de Batna to the right to the _Pépinière_, in a dale full of fruit-trees, and charming in spring; lastly over the pine-clad _Mansoura Hill_, crowned with a fort, and back by the Chemin de Mansoura (Pl. D, 5) to the bridge of El-Kantara.

From Constantine to _Algiers_, see R. 43; to _Bona_, see R. 48; to _Biskra_, see R. 44; to _Philippeville_, see R. 47; to _Djidjelli_ (_Bougie_), see R. 42; to _Souk-Ahras_, see R. 49; to _Tunis_, see RR. 49, 51.

47. From Constantine to Philippeville.

54 M. RAILWAY in 3–4¾ hrs. (9 fr. 75, 7 fr. 30, 5 fr. 35 c.). Railway Restaurant at Col-des-Oliviers.

_Constantine_, see p. 297. Running to the N., the line pierces the _Rocher Sidi M’Cid_ (p. 302) by tunnels, proceeds high above _Hammam Sidi M’Cid_ (p. 302) and the Rhumel, with a splendid retrospect of Constantine, and then curves round to (4½ M.) _Le Hamma_ (1614 ft.), station for the _Oasis du Hamma_, a luxuriantly fertile dale with countless fruit-trees, watered by the Hamma and several springs.

8 M. _Bizot_ (1805 ft.). It then descends to the _Oued Smendou_, a tributary of the Rhumel, and ascends its right bank to (17 M.) _Condé-Smendou_ (1838 ft.).

We cross several feeders of the Oued Safsaf (see below) and pass through the _Hills of El-Kantour_ in several tunnels, below the pass of that name, now called also _Col-des-Oliviers_.

25½ M. _Col-des-Oliviers_ (1365 ft.; Rail. Restaurant), station for a group of small villages inhabited by immigrant farmers. Thence a steep, winding descent, in a hill-region denuded of its forest, to (31 M.) _Bougrina_, like Robertville, a station for the large village of _El-Arrouch_.

35½ M. =Robertville= (348 ft.; several inns), a village on the _Oued Ahmar_, is the starting-point of the fine hill-roads through the _Massif de Philippeville_ viâ (23 M.) _Bordj Tamalous_ to (40 M.) _Collo_ (p. 131; diligence twice daily in 8 hrs.), and to _Djidjelli_ (p. 267; motor-omnibus, see p. 267).

The train now descends into the valley of the _Oued Safsaf_, where wild olives, poplars, and cork-trees abound.

42½ M. _St. Charles_ (138 ft.; Hôt. du Lion d’Or), the oldest farming settlement in the district, founded by Germans and Belgians in 1840, was at first defended by four small forts.

FROM ST. CHARLES TO BONA, 61½ M., railway in 4–5 hrs. (7 fr. 50, 5 fr. 5, 4 fr. 5 c.). 9 M. _Râs el-Ma_, with a quicksilver-mine; 15½ M. =Jemmapes= (312 ft.; Hôt. d’Orient; pop. 2800), on the _Oued Fendek_, a little town founded in 1848, the chief place on the roads from Philippeville to Bona and to Guelma (p. 308); 19½ M. _Oued-Hammimine_, a small bath-hotel (pens. with bath 6 fr.), with three hot sulphur-springs (95–115° Fahr.; season Sept.–Nov. only); 41 M. _Aïn-Mokra_ (85 ft.), on a slope near the malarious flats of _Lac Fetzara_, a swamp of about 35,000 acres, and the now abandoned iron-mines of the Comp. du Mokta el-Hadid; 45½ M. _Aïn-Daliah_, for the new mine of _Marouania_ belonging to the same company. 61½ M. _Bona_, see p. 309.

We descend the narrow Safsaf valley to (47½ M.) _Safsaf_. 50½ M. _Damrémont_ (33 ft.) is the station also for _Valée_ (122 ft.), a village on the vine-clad right bank, on the Bona and Guelma road (see above).—The train leaves the Safsaf, crosses its tributary _Oued Zeramna_ (p. 305), and passes through a tunnel under the W. slope of _Mont Skikda_ (p. 304).

54 M. =Philippeville.=—The STATION (Pl. C, 2; no buffet) is not far from the quay, a few paces from Place de Marqué.

ARRIVAL BY SEA (comp. RR. 20, 22). The steamers of the Gén. Transatlantique (agent, Fauré, Place de Marqué) moor at the quay; those of the Transports Maritimes (agent, Caffa) and of the Navigation Mixte (agents, Daprela & Campiglia, Place du Commerce) anchor in the Grande Darse (Pl. C, D, 1). Cab-fares, see below. Portefaix (porter) for articles under 20 kilos (44 lbs.) to the station 25, to the town 40 c.; trunk 50 or 75 c.

HOTELS (comp. p. 174). _Grand-Hôtel_ (Pl. a; C, 2), Place de Marqué, with fine views, R. 3–5, déj. 2½, D. 3, pens. 8½ fr., good; _Hôt. Foy_, same square (Pl. B, 2), new, R. 3–6 fr., B. 60 c., déj. or D. 2½, pens. from 8 fr.; _Hôt. de France & de la Marine_ (Pl. b; B, 2), same square, No. 3, R. 2–3, B. ¾, déj. 2½, D. 3 fr.; _Hôt. Léger_, Rue Nationale, R. 2–5, B. ¾, déj. 2½, D. 3, pens. 6–7 fr., plain but good; _Nouvelle Poste_ (Pl. d; B, 2), Place du Commerce, _Cinq Nations_ (Pl. e; C, 3), Rue de Constantine, corner of Rue Gambetta, both plain.

CAFÉS-RESTAURANTS. _Café de Foy_, at the hotel (see above); _Boutin_, Plage du Château-Vert (in summer).

POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE (Pl. 5; B, 2), Place du Commerce.

BANKS. _Banque de l’Algérie_, Avenue du Troisième-Zouaves; _Comp. Algérienne_ and _Crédit Lyonnais_, Rue Nationale 30 and 51.

BATHS in the _Grand-Hôtel_; also _Tenienski_, Rue Buffon.—SEA BATHS. _Bassin du Château-Vert_ (see below); at _Stora_ (p. 306), etc.

THEATRE. _Théâtre Municipal_ (Pl. 7; B, C, 3), Place Corneille (sometimes Italian pieces).—BAND on Sun. in the Place de Marqué.

CABS (stand, Place Corneille). Drive 1 fr.; first hr. 2½, each addit. hr. 2 fr.; half-day 10, whole day 18 fr.—DILIGENCE to Stora (50 c.), St. Antoine (25 c.), etc.

BRITISH VICE-CONSUL, _W. H. Miller_, Rue Téophile Réguis.

_Philippeville_ (Arabic _Skikda_; pop. 26,000, incl. 16,000 Europeans, mostly Italians and Maltese, and 4800 Mohammedans), the youngest Algerian seaport, was founded by Marshal Valeé in 1838 as a harbour for Constantine. It lies on the fine _Gulf of Stora_ (p. 128), about 1 M. to the W. of the mouth of the Safsaf (p. 303), in a ravine between _Mont Skikda_ (548 ft.) to the E. and _Jebel Bou Yala_ to the S.W. Its site is that of the ancient _Rusicade_, once a Phœnician town, but founded anew by the Romans in 45 B.C. Under the empire, as the _Colonia Veneria Rusicade_, it belonged to the league of Cirta (p. 298), but, according to local tradition, it had ceased to exist by 484. The chief harbour in the gulf, being well sheltered, was formerly the neighbouring _Asthoret_, now _Stora_ (p. 306), but it has been superseded by that of Philippeville, constructed in 1860–80 at a cost of some 20 million francs.

The =Harbour=, after Bona (p. 309) the chief outlet for the produce of the province of Constantine, consists of an excellent inner basin of 50 acres (_Grande Darse_; Pl. C, D, 1) and an _Avant-Port_ (Pl. A, B, 1) of 75 acres. The _Grande Jetée du Nord_ (Pl. D, 1), running out from Cape Skikda, is 1 M., the _Jetée du Château-Vert_ (Pl. A, 1), on the W. side, ¼ M. in length.

The best points for viewing the harbour and bay are the _Place de Marqué_ (Pl. B, C, 2; popularly _Pl. de la Marine_), the pretty _Petit Bois_ or _Jardin de l’Hôpital_ (Pl. C, 2), adjacent on the E., and the lofty _Place des Zouaves_ (Pl. D, 2, 3; drilling-ground).

[Illustration: PHILIPPEVILLE]

Past the Place de Marqué runs the RUE NATIONALE (Pl. B, C, 2–4), the main street, connecting the chief gates, the N.W. _Porte de Stora_ (Pl. B, 2) and the S. _Porte de Constantine_ (Pl. C, 4), whence issue the Constantine, Bona, and Guelma roads. The narrow gorge affords room for only a few parallel streets. The side-streets ascend the hill-sides

## partly in steps.

The _Théâtre Municipal_ (Pl. 7; B, C, 3), in the narrow Place du Commerce, on the W. side of the Rue Nationale, stands on the foundations of a Roman temple. A little farther, on the E. side of the street, is the pretty _Square Carnot_ (Pl. C, 3).—To the W. from this square the Rue Gambetta leads to the _Collège Communal_ (Pl. B, 3). On the N.E. slope of Jebel Bou Yala, behind the school (apply to the concierge here, 30–50 c.) lies the—

=Roman Theatre=, the largest in Algeria, erected at the earliest under Hadrian; but as it was used as a quarry for building the modern town, little of it is now left. Of the cavea, 90 yds. wide, which held 5–6000 spectators, only a few steps, two passages, and relics of vaulting remain. The stage is below the school-building.

From the Rue Gambetta the Rue Valée (Pl. B, C, 3, 4) leads through the heart of the Mohammedan quarter to the Rue St. Augustin and the—

=Museum= (Pl. 3; C, 4). The collections include some valuable Roman antiquities. Adm. daily, 8–6; Sun. and Thurs. free; on other days 1 fr.; catalogue (1901) 1 fr. 10 c.; curator, M. L. Bertrand.

The GARDEN contains numerous Roman columns, statues, etc.

The PAVILLON CENTRAL has archæological collections on the groundfloor. In the centre, 173. Roman milestone, from Hadrian’s road from Rusicade to Cirta (p. 298); 151. Antoninus Pius, in marble. In the first wall-press are objects from Roman tombs, mostly from Rusicade; 687. Genius, a statuette in marble. Detached, 749. Punic tomb-stela. In the second wall-press, Roman vases and lamps; also, *805. Bust of a youth, after an Attic work of the age of Praxiteles; 806. Bust of Agrippina the Elder; 778. Punic stela of the goddess Tanit, from Carthage; 779. Mithras stone; 783. Boy’s head; 904. Clay statuette of a woman bathing; 968. Bust of Hadrian. By the following end-wall, Roman inscriptions and altars. At the other end, one early-Christian (293) and two late-Roman sarcophagi (224, 331), Roman inscriptions, etc.—The 1st Floor contains ethnographical and natural history collections and pictures.

The PAVILLON NORD contains coins and medals, the PAVILLON SUD a small collection of weapons and flags.

EXCURSIONS. Bearing a little to the left from the Porte de Constantine (see above), we cross the large Place des Chameaux (Pl. D, 4), where an interesting _Cattle Market_ is held on Thursday mornings, and then follow the S. slope of Mont Skikda (p. 304), past the _Cemetery_, to (½ hr.) the =Château Landon= or _Domaine des Lions_, which has a beautiful garden. (Visitors require the permission of M. Gallard, the superintendent, Rue Galbois.)

The St. Charles (and Constantine) road leads through the _Faubourg de l’Espérance_ in the fertile dale of the _Oued Zeramna_, past the (2½ M.) _Ecole Pratique d’Agriculture_, to the prettily situated village of (3¾ M.) _St. Antoine_ (33 ft.; diligence 25 c.).

From St. Antoine we may visit, viâ the Route de Praxbourg, the _Oued Amida_, or upper valley of the Zeramna, a hill-region where cork-tree plantations abound, and a favourite resort of wild-boar and jackal hunters. Or we may follow the Chemin de la Carrière Romaine across the _Col Chambœuf_, on _Jebel Soubouyou_ (1050 ft.), to _Damrémont_ (p. 303).

To the W. of the Porte de Constantine a picturesque road leads viâ _Montplaisant_ to the dale of _Beni Melek_, famed for its wine. We may return thence viâ the Porte des Citernes (Pl. A, 3) and Rue d’Orléans, or descend the Chemin du Beni-Melek to the Route de Stora.