Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1859-11-15
MMCELl.ANEOUS.

TarEPAsrsu- FaENcH WAs WITH
Monop.-The reason Why England
feel. sdeeply concerned in the war
that i. bout TO be waged by Spain and
France against Morocco, is that the
FrcncFEmperor's object is supposed to
he tho annexation Of Morocco to his
Alperis posscssions, in case Of the con-
qaes, 9th, Moorish empire. Morocco
sdions Fr.nch Algeria on the east, and
were tlr later to come under French |
jurisdiction Frsnce would have posses
sion OF he very key Of the MediteIra-
mean Sa-oanely, the Straits OF ia.
braIter. witch divide Morocco from
Spain. Anation which is SO jealous OF
her CONNIE cial rights and privileges as
England Is, could not fail to perceive
that sud, q, important advantage achciv-
ed by her greatest rival might aud un-
doubleday would operate prejadicially
to her interests.
The objection that England has to
This combined Spanish-French move
ment on tie African side Of the Mediter-
ranean, is the occupation by them OF
both sides OF the Straits, II, as is
presumed, the French Emperor really
means t. get possession of the Straits
by the conquest Of Morocco aud its an
nexatiou TO his dominions, we do not see
how England can help herself, unless she
attempts to prevent it by hostile inter
vention. 1t is already asserted by the
French semi official press that England
has in fact no natural rights in the
Straights of Gibraltcr, and we infer from
lbint bat,ih .3raTahplasgs y eqxpgfpsys .I ~
designs, are not without good grounds.
This controversy and the impending
war have rendered the Empire Of Mo
rocco, or s'the country Of the Moors," a
subject of general interest at the pres
ent moment. 1t comprises the north
west corner of the African Continent,
bound on the north by the Straights Of
Gibral,er and the Mediterranean Sea,
on the east by French Algeria, on the
south by the Desert of Saharah, and on
the west by the Atlantic ocean. 1t cor
responds in the main, with the rich and
famous region known to the ancients
under the name of Mauritania. The
number of square miles is 100000, SO
that the empire is actually more extsn-
sive than that Of France. The people
may be divided as follows: l. Moors.
2. Arabs. 3. The fierce and dreaded
Berbers, who are generally deemed in
dgenous 4.Tho Jews. 5. The Turks.
&. The Blacks. Some Of their distnc-
tive names are Shellocks, Dedouins, sc
The mixture Of various races is so great
that it is impossible to trace with accu.
racy their various histories. 1t is sui.
ficient, however, for all practical pur-
poses, to divide the population of s, 500,
900 as follows: $780, 900 Mools;3 80
900 Berbers, Shclocks, &C.; 74C, 200
Bedouins, and $4,000 Jews. The
Shakspearean Moor, sOthello,' is hardly
'dusky' enough to suit the masses Of the
people.
The regular army of the Empire
amounted, few years ago, to only IL,
900 men, principally Turks, hut partly
negroes, Arabs, &c'-a sorry force with
which to commence war with two ma.
tons lice France and Spain. 1t must be
borne in mind, however, that the regular
military force has been greatly increased
within few years, in direct view Of
the present emergencies :; and hundred
thousand troops could be brought into
! tho COLL w. -.-:- ~.E~-.., h~-~...,
ofMorocco, in case Of war, will be upon
the disaffected masses Of Algeria and
the neighboring deserts-the Zouaves,
Tnrcos, and other tribes, whose won
dcrtul military prowess, when directed
by European science was proved in the
fearful assault upon the Austrian bat
teries at Solferino.
The former wars between the Moors
and the Spaniards, protracted through a
period of eight centuries, exceeded in
ferocity any contests recorded in history
and the struggle is now to be renew
ed, and will, il all probability, by the
aid that France will render Spain, re-
suit in the final downfall of the Moorish
empire. Chicago journal.