Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-04-18
4 Bamb00zled BeI.
HOW THE BEN or TINS GETS swINpLED
OFT or HIS MILLIONS.

| HOW THE BEN OF TINS GETS SWlNpLEp
OFT or HIS MILLIONS.
iTunis Letter to the Springfield Republican,
The Bey of Tunis is about fifty years
| old, though he looks seventy. With the
many vexations that he mas, of the cares
of state, and his harem flower 200 wivesto
| look after, the only wonder is that he does
not bear the weight in appearance of five
score years and ten, or look like Rip Van
| Winklc when he awokc from his long
slumber. His reign has not been like
"tranquil Dream" though he has been
engaged in no civil or foreign war. He
can fully appreciate the proverb,
Uneasy lies the head that wears crown"
His rule has been one succession of dis
asters. In the regency of Tunis there
are about two millions OF subjects (con
lecture again) who owe allegiance to the
Bey. They are scattered about in small
villages and many good sized towns,
some OF which border on the sea-coaSt.
Neither does Tunis or any of these sea-
port towns, in the way of cuStom-house
duties "bear tribute to Caesar" which is
the Bey. David A Wells theory OF free
trade is carried out to the letter. When
the Bey gets hard up,-and he is al
ways hard up he makes 4 levy.
first on one town, and then on another.
If the money is not forthcoming the heads
of several officials lose their identity with
the body that supported them. | don't
vouch tor this, but am told it is fact
Consequence, the money or part ot It,
flows into the Bcv's cNchequer. In the
city of Tunis he derives 4 small amount
from octr0i duties collected of all those
VINO enter the city gates from the country
with various products and merchandise
10 barter. With all the income that the
Bev receives. which in all conscience is
small enough for state and family pur-
poses, is il not enough to make him feel
unhappy and his locks grow gray, when
he is cheated ont of it by defauiting treas
urers Within few years, two Of his
State treasurerS have run away with lo,-
000, 900 francs. thus swindling the Ma
homedan Prince ont OF two million dol |
lars. He felt poor, but he did not part
with any of the tavoriteS of his harem.
The Bey has no navy, nor has he ships OF
any kind Some time since it occurred to |
him it would be 4 pleasant thing to have |
a steamer of his own. SO he despatched |
an agent TO MarscilleS with SGo, 900 to |
purchase a first class steamer. As /. |
afterward proved the agent purchased
condemned boat for Sluu0o and put the |
balance in his pocket. Mem: The agent
did not return TO Tunis.) The steamer, |
on its way to this port, Sprang 4 leak, put
back to Mar>eiles for repairs, and the
repairs were as much as the original cost.
or what was first paid for the steamer, |
more than half OF which the Bey was
cheated out Of There is no end to the
many ways in which the Bey has been
viclimized and cheated. That he has
been a simple goose, easily plGckcd,
there is no doubt. His finances are at a
low ebb, and are on a par with those OF
the khodivc Of Egypt, who would be
troubled to get his note for thousand
pounds di,countcd At - per cent. His
last investment was in 10000 musketS,
English or French manufacture, which
some enterprising agent palmed of on him
at four times their value. He was made
TO believe that theperpetuity OF his throne,
and the salvation Of the regency of Tunis
depended upon his having these muskeis,
which proved TO be worthless and without
value Financially, the Bey is not
success; as the head Of 4 harem, he has
not his equal There has been failure
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