ALGERIA. Pierre-Sosthène MORLAN, Zouave captain (1830-1894). Approx. 140 L.A.S. (signed Sosthène or Peire), January 5, 1853-June 5, 1867, mainly to his mother Mme Émilie Morlan in Fargues by Saint-Sever-sur-Adour (Landes); approx. 620 pages in-8 (some defects, and some letters incomplete). Very interesting correspondence on military operations in Algeria and on the Algerian-Moroccan border, and on the Crimean War. We can only give a very brief overview here.Oran 1853. January 5. General Pélissier's expeditionary column returns from Laghouat... -April 24: the great expedition is postponed again; it was to put the finishing touches to the African war, and subdue the fanatical mountain people of the Grande Kabylie. The battalions have been in Algiers for eight days, waiting for General Randon... 1854. March 19, from the Saboun-Hadjera camp: after "the haughty reply of the Emperor Nicolas, the troops should not be long in embarking... - Oran July 17: he returns from Orléansville where he led 500 men, along the sea to Mostaganem, a difficult march for the men with; they entered the Dahra mountains inhabited only by Arabs... - August 27: news from Varna where cholera is ravaging the army... - Tlemcen October 25: description of the town, which has been covered in snow for 15 days... - Oran October 28: news of the battle of Alma, where the Zouaves distinguished themselves, particularly the 2nd Regiment... 1855. - Saint-André March 6: capture of a Russian ship sailing under the Spanish flag for the Black Sea; departure of General Pélissier for the Crimean army, "a famous riddance for the whole province of Oran"... - Rade de Beÿkos June 28: hasty departure for Turkey; report on the voyage. - Chernaia camp July 7: departure for Kamiesch and arrival at Chernaia, with the observation army, separated from the Russian army by a plain; he hopes for an early end to hostilities before returning home.1856. - Algiers May 14: return journey, with stopover in Malta. - Oran May 27: arrives after a two-day quarantine to reassure the population of Oran, who thought the regiment had typhus; brilliant reception; the town has offered the Zouaves 5 or 6 oxen; they await the departure order to go and work once again on the endless roads of this country. - June 10, at the Rio-Salado camp between Tlemcen and Oran; the heat starts to become scorching; lots of game for hunting... - Oran September 3: they are about to embark for Algiers, and will probably be headed for Kabylia... - Dra-el-Mizan September 22: General Renault is installed; General Yusuf's division is a few leagues ahead.... A convoy of a hundred Arab prisoners of war is sent to Algiers - Nemours December 9, the expedition project is postponed; there is talk of Djemma-Ghazamat, where the pirates infesting the African coast used to gather...1857. Oran February 17: they returned safely from the expedition; but their captain was wounded and died of his injury in hospital in Algiers. The Kabyles have always defended themselves very well, and they have a tactic: their villages are occupied, looted, destroyed, razed to the ground, their harvests burned, their trees cut down, and so on. - Algiers May 11, where they arrived after 27 days' march; the division is under the command of General Mac-Mahon; the column is made up of 3 divisions commanded by Marshal Randon; in all 4 battalions of Zouaves, 1 of chasseurs à pied, 1 of tirailleurs indigènes and 4 of infantry; departure is set for Tizi-Ouzou... - Souk-el-Arba camp May 31, recounting of the battle against the Beni-Raten tribe, the most powerful in Kabylia... - June 15: the Beni-Raten decided to submit, and their submission led to that of several neighboring tribes: Beni-Fraoussen, Beni-Jeni, Beni-Touareg, Beni Menguellat... - Algiers July 12: he recovers from his wounds... - Oran August 26: he is named Knight of the Legion of Honor....1858. At the Lourmel camp January 12: they left the Sfa-el-Has camp... - Oran March 10: he applied to go to the waters at Bourbonne; there was talk of the Emperor's trip to Africa... - Mers-el-Kebir March 24: the regiment was detached, on the road to Tlemcen, and split into several camps; he hoped to go to Fargues in August... - Camp de Lourmel April 5: he was appointed captain at the age of 27, after several battles and 2 wounds... 1859. - Mers-el-Kebir March 23: account of the grand review for the Prince Imperial's birthday. - El-Rahel March 29: the battalion is to replace the Foreign Legion, which is leaving for France, no doubt to reorganize