ATTACK OF ANDREA DORIA UPON CORONE, AND REBELLION OF THE GOVERNOR OF TILMISÁN.
The Sultan Soleiman Khan having in the year 938 (A. D. 1531-2) gone on an expedition into Germany, Charles V., king of Spain, came to Genoa, and suggested to the Genoese government that as the Grand Toork (i. e. the Great Turk) was engaged in war, a favourable opportunity offered to plunder the Roumelian coasts: but his brother Ferdinand, emperor of Germany, despatched a letter to him, intimating that there would be no great merit in attacking two or three castles, and requesting that he would rather come to his assistance by land. With this request he complied; and at the same time resolved to send his fleet, under the command of Andrea, to Motone. In order also to divert the attention of Barbarossa, he sent men to excite the beg of Tilmisan to revolt; and for this purpose he sent fourteen vessels to aid him in an expedition against Algiers. Khair-ad-din was at this time preparing for a voyage to the Sublime Porte; but immediately left his fleet at sea, and marched to meet the enemy by land. The two armies met in a desert, where a battle took place, and Abdullah, the beg of Tilmisan, was routed, and fled back to Tilmisan. At the intercession of certain persons, peace was restored, on the beg’s paying thirty thousand pieces of gold; and Khair-ad-din returned to Algiers. Andrea now, finding the sea clear, sailed towards the coast of the Morea, and attacked and took the fortress of Corone; the Capudan Ahmed Pasha, who had this year gone to sea with eighty vessels, arriving too late to save it.
In the Moghreb districts, Khair-ad-din having reduced the land side, sent his chiefs with fifteen vessels to the Spanish coast, where they burnt and destroyed the towns. Fifteen ships which had formerly been taken by the Spaniards were now found at an island called Kïounlugé, where an engagement took place, in which the Spaniards saved only one of them, and the remaining fourteen were brought to Algiers, where the immense booty they contained was divided.
Charles V. having gone by land to the assistance of Germany, was obliged to return disappointed and mortified. Before his time the Moslems who remained in the Andalusian towns, though they paid taxes, were allowed to call publicly to prayers, and to exercise their religious ceremonies. But when Charles became king, he issued a proclamation forbidding any one to worship according to the forms of Islamism, and commenced the work of immolation among the faithful. The Moslems, being able to endure this no longer, began to form themselves into societies, and at length convened a general meeting, and took up their position behind a mountain, whence they sent to beg assistance from Khair-ad-din, who immediately sent over thirty-six golettas. On their arrival they bravely withstood the troops that came out to prevent the embarkation of the Moslems. A thousand men were stationed on the field, whilst seven voyages were performed; and all the Moslems were thus conveyed to the opposite shore, and delivered from the power of the infidels. On their passage they captured several vessels, and enriched themselves with plunder. On this occasion about seventy thousand Mudagils were brought over, who settled in Algiers and other places. This is the reason why most of the Algerines are Andalusians.