described as the St. of La Perouse, interposes on the North between it and the I. of Sagalin. The town of Matsmai contains about 50,000 inhabitants, it is well fortified, and is situated in the Southernmost part of the island on the shores of the strait to which it has communicated it's name. A few of the Kurile Islands, or that chain extending from Jesso to the Southernmost point of Kamtchatka, likewise belong to Japan. The island of Sikoke, Sikokf, or Xicoco, as it is variously called, lies to the S. of Nipon, from which, as well as from Kiusiu, it is separated by a narrow strait: it is almost inaccessible, and unknown to Europeans. Kiusiu, known also by the name of Ximo, is the Southernmost and Westernmost of the four great Japanese islands, and is remarkable as the only part of the whole empire into which Europeans can procure admission. This privilege is confined to the Dutch, who send a trading ship annually to Nangasaki, the capital of the island: Firando, where they built their first factory, is an islet off the N. W. extremity of Kiusiu, and opposite Corea. The city of Nangasaki is built on the Western coast of the island; it is large, tolerably well defended, and very populous, but the jealousy of the native government prevents strangers from seeing little more than it's exterior. Fatsisio is a small barren island about 120 miles distant from the Eastern coast of Nipon, and is remarkable as the place whither the emperor of Japan banishes such of the grandees as have incurred his displeasure, employing them there in the manufacture of silk and gold brocade. CHAPTER XXVII. AFRICA SEPTENTRIONALIS. 1. THE whole Northern part of Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean to the limits of Egypt and as far inland as the borders of the Great Desert, was very well known to the ancients. They divided it originally into the four great provinces of Mauretania, Numidia, Africa, and Libya, but these were in the later ages again subdivided into others, the names and superficial extent of which may be seen in the following Table: Square Miles. Total 470,200 MAURETANIA. 2. Mauretania, or Mauritania, as it is sometimes written, was the North Western province of Africa, and derived it's name from it's inhabitants, the Mauri. The Greeks at first called the people Maurusii, and the country Maurusia1, in which they were followed by some of the Latin poets; but they afterwards adopted the proper appellations of Mauri and Mauretania. Taken as a whole, it was an exceedingly fruitful country, and sent great quantities of corn to Rome and other parts of Italy: some portions of it, however, were too mountainous or arid to be capable of any cultivation. Besides corn, the Romans obtained from it and Numidia very beautiful marble and precious stones, as well as a number of wild beasts for their exhibitions and spectacles. In the later ages it was subdivided into three provinces, surnamed Tingitana, Cæsariensis, and Sitifensis; the first of these alone was the original country known to the Romans as Mauretania, the two last forming the Western part of what they called Numidia. 3. The Mauri' are said by some authors to have obtained their name (Mapa) from their black or tawny skins, compared with the paler complexions of the Southern Europeans; however this may be, it was certainly the collective appellation used by all the tribes of Mauretania and Numidia to distinguish their nation, and probably the only one, by which the remaining people as far Eastward as the Syrtis, or even the boundaries of Egypt, were once known to each other. They all spoke the same language, used the same customs, and adopted the same mode of life, and hence the term Numidæ, or Nomades, is applied with as much propriety to the inhabitants of the Western, as of the Eastern provinces; for being only deduced from their wandering habits, it was never used by themselves, and in proportion as the knowledge of the ancients became more extended, the name of Numidæ is found constantly disappearing before that of Mauri. It seems even that the Carthaginians were unacquainted with the term Numidæ, and that they called each tribe of the Mauri by it's own separate name, though they acknowledged the two great divisions of them into Massylii and Massæsylii. The former touched more immediately upon the Carthaginian territory; the latter were to the Westward of it, and stretched as far as the River Molochath, now Moulouia: the two together inhabited the moderu Kingdom of Algiers. The proper and general names of Maun and Mauretanią remained only to the territory bordering on the Atlantic and the Id. XI. 125. 4 Et Mauri celeres et Mauro obscurior Indus,- Quidquid ab occiduis Libye patet arida Mauris, Lucan. III. 294. non fixo qui ludit in hospite Maurus. Id. X. 455. See also Note 7, infra. Western part of the Mediterranean, and it was in this confined sense that the Romans first heard of them, under their king Bocchus, during the Punic war. 4. The Massæsylii were much more powerful than the Massylii, and inhabited the whole country between the rivers Molochath and Ampsaga, or those parts of Mauretania, which were afterwards surnamed Cæsariensis and Sitifensis; they were governed by Syphax. The Massylii, or Massyli3, on the other hand, inhabited an extent of territory nearly two-thirds smaller than the preceding, lying between the rivers Ampsaga and Tusca, and corresponding with what the Romans afterwards constituted their province of Numidia. The prince of the Massylii mentioned earliest in history was Gala, who made use of the opportunity afforded him by the first Punic war, to seize upon a part of the Carthaginian territory in the neighbourhood of Hippo. He afterwards joined the cause of Carthage, allowed his son Masinissa to be educated there, declared war against Syphax at the instigation of the Carthaginians, and supported the latter people in Spain with light troops, who were commanded by Masinissa. Soon after this Gala died, and was succeeded, as was sometimes the custom amongst the Numidians, not by his son, but by his brother Esalces. Masinissa, who had greatly distinguished himself against the Romans in Spain, felt severely hurt at the loss of his inheritance, the cause of which, not with. out some reason, he looked for in the policy of Carthage: he was no long time in doubt about the matter, for the latter state had in the mean time made terms with Syphax, and bestowed upon him as a wife Asdrubal's beautiful daughter, Sophonisba, the promised bride of Masinissa. The latter prince, justly incensed at the treacherous conduct of his old allies, immediately entered into a secret league with the Roman general Scipio, and soon afterwards crossed over into Africa; he took possession of his father's territory, and from the numbers of Numidians who readily and zealously joined his standard, he found it an easy task to drive his uncle from the throne. But the Carthaginians, jealous of this attachment of his subjects, and suspecting his connection with the Romans, contrived to stir up Syphax against him, when, after some hard fighting Masinissa was overpowered and compelled to fly from his dominions. He wandered about through the interior of Numidia with a few attendants, till the landing of Scipio in Africa, when he joined the Roman general, and contributed mainly to his success by the devoted attachment of the Numidians, who now flocked in crowds round his standard, as well as by his own personal bravery and prudence. As the Romans encouraged him in the re-conquest of his dominions, he soon defeated Syphax, and taking him prisoner gave him up to Scipio, who carried him to Rome upon the termination of the second Punic war, B. c. 201, to adorn his triumph. Shortly after this, Syphax starved himself to death in prison, and Masinissa having conquered the whole territory of the Massæsylii, was solemnly appointed king of the united countries by the Romans, who sent him over the royal insignia; an evident proof of their considering him as their vassal, although they never gave him this title. 5. Amongst other terms imposed on the Carthaginians at the end of the second Punic war, it was stipulated that they should indemnify Masinissa for all the losses he had sustained, and never make war upon any nation whatever, without the consent of Rome; the latter of these articles was framed for the express purpose of humiliating Carthage as much as possible, and it was indirectly owing to it that the destruction of this beautiful city was finally accomplished. For Masinissa had not been long seated on his throne, when he availed himself of this oppressive stipulation to seize upon a portion of the Punic territory, which he affirmed had formerly belonged to his father; the Carthaginians appealed, but without success, to the Romans. This encouragement induced Masinissa to proceed in his ambitious projects, and he soon afterwards seized upon the productive district of Emporia, and the whole country as far Eastward as the Syrtis; the Carthaginians again carried their complaints to Rome, but their oppressor was justified in his proceedings, and they were plainly told that the only spot to which they had any claim was that upon which they had built their Byrsa. The dominions of Masinissa extended now from the R. Molochath to the centre of the Syrtis, and he had only one step farther to take in order to satisfy his revenge, by completing the ruin of his enemies. This was an attack upon the very heart of the Punic territory, which he made with the greatest boldness, by pos sessing himself of all the cities lying in the district of Tusca, and in the Magnus Campus: it was in vain that the Carthaginians petitioned Rome to be allowed to fight in their own defence, and at length, being goaded on by a series of unheard of oppressions, they broke the treaty of peace, and brought on the third Punic war by a desperate attack upon Masinissa. This aged prince, however, defeated them in a bloody battle, but died two years before the destruction of their city by the Romans, in the 97th year of his age, having reigned more than 60 years: he was one of the most able allies the Roman people ever possessed, and from their cause being the same, he was probably more faithful to them than any other. His dominions, which were more extensive than those of any other prince that ever reigned in Africa, he entrusted to the care of the younger Scipio, then besieging Carthage, to be divided amongst his sons: Micipsa, the eldest of them, succeeded to the throne, the second was made commander of the army, whilst the third presided over the courts of justice: the other sons were also provided for. 6. After the destruction of Carthage, the Romans seized upon Zeugitana, and converted it into a Proconsular province, but they did not disturb the boundaries of the great Numidian kingdom. Micipsa, upon his death-bed, appointed his nephew Jugurtha his successor, conjointly with his two sons, Adherbal and Hiempsal; but Jugurtha's ambition led him to murder Hiempsal, and to strip Adherbal of his possessions: the latter fled to Rome, and implored the aid of that powerful state; but the corrupt senators, being bribed by his enemy, declined to assist him, and left him to perish by the snares of Jugurtha. After his death, however, the wretched fate of the family of their faithful ally Masinissa, seems to have suddenly roused their indignation against Jugurtha, and rejecting all his proffered terms of submission, they despatched a large army against him, commanded by Cæcilias Metellus. Jugurtha, finding himself no longer secure in his possessions, fled in dismay to solicit the support of his savage neighbours; but the successes of Metellus, followed up by the activity of Marius and Sylla, at length drove him from the field, after he had carried on a spirited war for more than five years, not without mary advantages, and with talents worthy of a better cause. He took refuge at the court of his father-in-law Bocchus, king of Mauretania, but this traitor delivered him up to Sylla; being taken to Rome, he was dragged in chains to adorn the triumph of Marius, and then thrown into prison, where he died six days afterwards of hunger, B. c. 106. The history of this war has been handed down to us by the pen of Sallust. 7. Gauda, a descendant of Masinissa, was placed by Marius on the throne of Numidia, but he soon dying, the kingdom was divided into several parts. His son Hiempsal obtained possession of the Eastern part, or the old territory of the Massylii, as far Westward as the R. Ampsaga, whilst the old territory of the Massasyn was given to two other descendants of Masinissa, named Hierta, or Hiarbas, ind Masintha, the latter of whom was merely a vassal of Hiempsal, and lost all as possessions upon the defeat of Juba. Hiempsal, upon his death, bequeathed bis kingdom to his son Juba, so well known in history from his having favoured the cause of Pompey against Cæsar: he defeated Curio, whom Cæsar had sent to Africa, as well as his neighbour Hierta, who had zealously entered the field against Pompey, and was killed in the war: after the battle of Pharsalia he joined his forces to those of Metellus Scipio, but being conquered at Thapsus, and totally abandoned by his subjects, he put an end to his life. Upon this, Cæsar declared the whole of his kingdom to be the property of the Romans, and erected it into a province under the name of Africa, with the epithet Nova, to distinguish it from Zeugitana, which was termed Africa Vetus; the Eastern part of it he left under the government of the histonas Sallust, but he gave the district round Cirta to his general Sittius, who had been of essential service to him during the war. 8. This great province was again subdivided; the old country of the Massylii received the name of Numidia Provincia, whilst the territory between it and the Mediterranean, including the maritime districts of Byzacium and Emporia, was called Byzacena: this latter appellation appears to have been likewise applied to that province which, many years afterwards, was known as the Tripolitana. The fall of Juba was considerably hastened by the assistance which Cæsar received from Bocchus, the son of Hierta, mentioned above, and who, upon the death of Juba, was allowed to retain possession of the country he had conquered: his dominions extended from the R. Molochath, where they touched upon Mauretania Propria, to the R. Ampsaga; but the Eastern part of them was taken from him upon the death of Casar by Arabio, the son of Masintha, already alluded to. Arabio declared for Augustus, and was accordingly supported by this prince, but he died a few years afterwards, and his dominions fell into the hands of the Romans, who at first added them to their province of Numidia, but afterwards constituted them into a separate province, called Sitifensis. Mauretania Propria was governed about this time by a prince, named Bogud. He and his Eastern neighbour Bocchus took different sides in the civil war of Rome; but Bogud having at last crossed over into Spain to assist Antony, the inhabitants of his capital, Tingis, revolted from him, and Bocchus made use of the opportunity to seize upon his territory, B. c. 37: as Augustus was finally victorious, he confirmed Bocchus in the possession of his conquest, under the title of King of Mauretania. Bocchus, however, only lived five years to enjoy his dignity, and upon his death Augustus thought proper to keep the government of the whole country in his own hands. 9. Amongst the captives who had been led to Rome upon the death of Juba to adorn the triumph of Cæsar, was the younger Juba, the son of the old Numidian king. This young prince so won the hearts of the Romans by his amiable manners, that he was a universal favourite amongst them; and Augustus became so much attached to him, from his extensive knowledge, that he gave him in marriage Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, and made him king of all the territory once possessed by his father. Augustus, however, afterwards thought proper to remove him from the Numidian throne, and made him king of Mauretania, or of the country formerly ruled by Bocchus, extending from Salda to the Atlantic Ocean. Juba took up his residence at Iol, the old metropolis of the country, calling it Cæsarea, in honour of Augustus; he reigned many years with such popularity, that the grateful Mauretanians worshipped him after his death as a god. He was succeeded by his son Ptolemæus, who roused the envy and jealousy of Caligula; he was accordingly, like many other princes, invited to Rome by that sanguinary emperor, and there basely murdered: his subjects, however, took up his cause, and the emperor Claudius was compelled to send Suetonius Paulinus, (the same officer who so distinguished himself in Britain,) into Mauretania to subdue the rebellion. His kingdom was now divided into two Roman provinces, the Western one of which was named Mauretania Tingitana, after it's chief city Tingis: it embraced the old country of Mauretania, as it was first known to the Romans, extending from the Atlantic Ocean as far Eastward as the R. Molochath. The remainder of Juba's kingdom, including the Western part of the Roman Numidia, as far as the R. Ampsaga, was called Mauretania Cæsariensis, after it's metropolis Cæsarea, and corresponded with the dominions once possessed by the Massæsylii. The latter was afterwards again divided, during the reign of Diocletian, the Eastern part of it as far as Saldæ being called Mauretania Sitifensis, after the city Sitifis: about this time too Mauretania Tingitana was added to the province of Spain, for the sake of more rapid communication across the continent, and the better maintaining of military discipline. This arrangement lasted as long as the Romans kept the Western countries under their dominion At last, however, during the reign of the emperor Justinian, the Vandals crossed over from Spain into Africa, and, proceeding Eastward, took up their head quarters at Carthage: they were at length routed, and their king was taken prisoner by the great general Belisarius, A. D. 533, who, in this happy termination of the African war, laid the foundation of his subsequent and ill-requited fortunes. The Visigoths afterwards seized upon Mauretania, and kept possession of it and Spain, till they were both finally conquered and occupied by the Saracens. |