The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-07-08
AFRICA.

8 sll4 10 shls1d 51aii ~ sik
b -q4asb ,ai AFRICA rYi9a4r - mol
Pictu rof a Strange Land and PeopiefE
q Hon. S9isWCox, who is now travel I
ing in Africa, continues TO write very
interesting letters tothe7 e7UTal,. His 4
last is dated at Milanah, AlgierS, At
rica, aApril25, from which we take the
following passages i.'.4' .'-i '.'. '=
= 2'i' Sal THE FETE OF NAssIM ..'
1t begins when, the beans begin to
blaeken. Up to that time the negroes
abstain from eating beans. The gsa-
cred is mixed with the profane in
this festival. They celebrate Belal, a
sainted black female slave, who had
been in Mahomet's family. They pray
and gorge, with food. An OK, cover
ed with flowers and gay foulards, is
sacrificed. They dance around it sew
en- times before they. give the death
stroke. As the OK dies, whether soon
or not, in agony or not, SO is the prog
inostcation of good or evil. Then be-
gins the negro dancing. Dan Bryant
might learn new fantastic lessons in
the art. Then the prophetic negresses
retiring under tent near the sea, are
waited upon by the crowd to learn
their futures. The crowd bring chick
ems to the prophecies. She wrings off
their heads and throws the body into
the waves. If the +" headless. rooster"
swirms and struggles-so; if other
wise-not. That is clear. Then begin
more dancing and chanting, and a
wild sort of music called Derbada. 1t
should be called Diabelric, for it is a
jolly row. Thus these blacks, devo-
! tees of Mahoment, outstrip all the rest
of the coreligionists, except the Der
wishes, To, beat them / defyi,all, the
powers on or under the earth. JUS
tice, however, to the better class of
| white Mahometansro demands that 1
should say that they disapproved of
these mumbo-jumbo orgies. Espec
tally have they endeavored to crush
out these negro eNtravaganzas. LIZ
| !: Oft! L1IW THF NEGROES ~ Hht - T.
are here pretty much as elsewhere
not ofmucl account ID say this not
from American prejudice;f ;for where
,yon see such mixtures as here you
| forget all about color and CASTE 1t is
testimony of .othesr. AZ YolumeiI
have opened says, in speaking of the
races here, that the Kabyle is a good
worker of the soil; the 7Blshri a fair
| boatman and porter the Afzabi is busy
as u baker, butcher, grocer and. small
merchant ;; tile Lagiionati is "a olabori-
Gus, bearer of OIL !; but (. leaegre blam-
chit geS 1Rdssons, out ereree' qaegue
| groSstere inatdastrie." He white-Wash-
es, or does, worse, or nothing. Thai
is about all ofhim here.- y4siliW sht
1919 THE MooR1sH LADIES. ~ ~, ~ ''I'. 'l.
Forgetting these matters,i it would
be more grateful TO follow the ladies
of ouf. party in some calls they were
permitted to make, upon the Moorish
ladies. They were treated with sin
gular kindness. If had the time to
extract from the journal Of Madame,
it would be something for your. lady
readers. II. I write again I will do so
I have no leisure even in this to,write
of our visit to the Museum here. One
j object worthy Of note there is III '.. 81
THE CAST OF THE BODY OF THE CHRIS.
i eo@lie TLAN MARTYR sEAvE.! 2'.'
/ Refusing to ,adjure his, religion, he
was cast, not into a dungeon, but IN
| plaster not pounded, but fixed alive
in the mortar, smothered, in a horrible
way. Runners of this tragedy ran
over Europe 'atathe. time, for it wa:
done by one of the 1piratical Deys oi
| the, last century. But itiwas only vcr
| flied the other day, when the body
was found upon removing the wall ol
the old fort. The body was, of course
dust, but the mould was there, show
ing how the-skin, lips and brow, the
j very bones and attitude, took the form
and agony nnder the terrible torture.
! But our, time is growing brief al
Algiers. We mnst move to the west
. and SOUTH The desert is before us
and Orano is beyond. "A splendid
stopping point is ia'I'1 5n beh nA"
]. fGi' THE cry OF MILtANAH '1f7 Z
d from which my letter dates. How tc
\ get here. We have thirty miles o.
railroad out Of Algiers to B1i6ah. We
start at noon and intend to remain
!, there all night The railroad runs
r. eastward for a space along the. sea
/ A strange phenomenon appears on
the waves for a half mile out. The
sea is ''ificardine," with a vegetable
fungus. The effect is peculiar, trop-
| ieai ana striking, Soon we turn to
the south and pass over the plain OF
Mitidji.' 1t is not so well cultivated
as its rich soil would demand. The
fact is it is malarions and, although
it has buried a generation, it has yet
! to bury more before the old fruitful
ness comes out of its soil.
40 saiii .Iria4PEN PICTURE. ar la 81.
+ Iwish Ieould give you a photo
graph of Milianah.a Make to youf
mind the imagery ofa plain, out OF
( Of which, rising through several miles
of gardens" there Winds as it rises
the road up to the gate in the rear Of
the city and before you get there
! picture the limestone rocks grottoed,
honeycombed and irregular. at places
1 but all decorated with vines and leai
and cascade, and surrounded by a
staunch wall, within whose fortified