Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/335

 125 acres in extent, and commanded by the kasbah. At that time the population Barely exceeded forty thousand, although commonly estimated at over one hundred thousand. The ramparts of this quarter were levelled by the French; but the new enclosures have in their turn become too narrow, and towards the north-west, beyond the Bab-el-Wed, or "River Gate," several suburbs, interrupted by cemeteries, follow in succession as far as the interminable Hue de Saint-Eugène.

Southwards also the city is continued by the districts of Agha, Mustapha, and Belcourt, stretching away beyond the Bab-Azun, the gate where criminals were crucified, dead or alive. The united communes of Algiers, Saint-Eugène, and Mustapha have a total length of some 6 miles, although, at many points hemmed in between the hills and the sea, the city is scarcely more than 200 yards broad.

Notwithstanding this rapid expansion, the "Place du Gouvernement," forming the largest open space, has remained the chief centre of life and traffic, as it was