The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-08-05

II Is q very ancient city. the oldest
city but one in the world. The Noors
Of Spain. in the time or Aboo-A bdallah.
made pilgrimages u il on accoun Of is
antiquity. The cloth merchants. and
the swarihy money-changers. and the
shrill water-carriers. were plying their
trade. and all the indolent. feverish life
we witness to-day was seething in these
narrow streets. when Christ was 4 little
child in Nazareth.
Founded in some unknown period. BY
the Carthaginians. il Is supposed. Tan
gier-the Tingis Of the Romans-has
always been q bone Of bloody conten-
ton among the Nations. In the reign
Of Claudius il became the capital Of the
province Mauritania Tingitana. and WAS
an important city. Wrested from the
Romans, il passed successfully under
the rule Of the vandals. Greeks. Sara
Gems and Arabs. In l471 Tangier fell
into the possession Of the Portuguese
who. in 1862. ceded il TO England Is a
portion Of the dover u the Infanta
Catherine Of Braganza. Queen Of Charles
III. The English. finding that the occu-
patton wa not worth the cost. abandon
ed the place in 1854. after demolishing
the mole. Here q quaint and incongru-
Gus figure appears for an instan, on the
scene--the figure OF Mr. Samuel Pepys-
/ think il was q conception Of high hn-
NOR on the part Of Charles H. 20 send
Mr.. Pcpys among the Moors. for il was
BY the King order that he accompanied
! Lord Dartmouth with the fleet dis
patched 10 destroy the sea-wall. This
precautionary piece Of engineering left
the BAY Of Tangier in such plight a 70
render the town impossible Of approach
BY large vessels. except in the rarest
weather. The ruins Of the old mole are
still visible 1t low tide. ragged. honey
combed blocks Of masonry. looking. when
seen through the transparent emerald
Of the Mediterranean. like lodges u
silver.
The water in the harbor Is 90 shall
low that, until the present Emperor pro-
jected . landing for small boats. the
visitor arriving there By sea was forced
TO 20 ashore On the back Of . native.
This mas been the Emperor's sole con-
cession TO the spirit Of modern progress
| During the last hundred years But
NV strong interest il the historic part
Of Tangier ends with Mr.. Pepys.
From any point Of view the hoary
little town i vastly interesting; the re-
moteness and obscurity Of Is origin.
The sieges, p~estilences and massacres i
has undergone and the tenacity with
which il clings % primitive customs
and beliefs are & many charms. 10
walk its streets Is TO breathe the air Of
| Scriptural times. There TO-DAY fisher
men costumed like Peter are dragging
their nets on the sandy single outside
the gates; at the fountain stands Re-
bekah with her water-jar poised on her
head and : hand's = breath Of brown
bosom lying bare between the green
and yellow folds Of her robe. To-day.
as eighteen hundred years ago, : pal
lid, h~ook-nosed man shufies By count
ing some coins in his palm-the veri-
table thirty pieces Of silver. perhaps.
II il be NOT Judas Iscariot himself. then
IL i . descendant. and : striking family
likeness. In brief. Tangier i : colossal
piece u bric-a-brac which one would
like Il own--T B. AidricA, o. Horpev's