Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/422

 844 NOETH-WEST AFRICA. Saharians are the natural allies of the Europeans against the Arabs of the plateaux and of the steppes draining southwards. On the plateaux what are needed are not fortresses but carriage roads, by means of which the swiftest nomad marauders mav be overtaken and dispersed. After the fall of Tagdemt and the construction of good highways from the coast to the central plateaux, the conquest of Algeria was virtually completed. The limits of the military divisions coincide with those of the three departments of Algiers, Oran, and Constantine ; but there are some differences in the adminis- trative and military subdivisions. In each division are seated two councils of war, besides inferior courts which deal with minor offences against discipline. The Arab tribunals, wliicb formerly depended on the military administration, have now been placed under the direct control of the governor-general. In the Appendix will be found a table of all the administrative divisions and subdivisions of Algeria, with their chief towns and communes.