National Republican., 1884-08-16

Morocco this intolerance is dictated
rather by political than by religious mo.
tivcs, for the sultan and his ministers are
we'll aware that their collapse would fol-
low loosening Of the chains by which
the population is bound.
The present wretched condition Of Mo-
rocco is doubtless due to the barbsric des-
potism of her rulers. How else should IL
have come that race which, some CEN
turics ago, was the most civilized among
all the nations of the globe, race which
conquered Africa, Spain, and the entire
shores of the Mediterranean sea, should
have fallen so low? What has become OF
the gallant, wsrliko Moors2 What of the
builders of those magnificent palaces in
southern Spain and of tho marvellous
mosques Mt Cordova, Seville, Grenada,
and Toledop Europe was plunged deeply
in ignorance and medi@val barbarism
when that race cxcollcd in sciences and
fino arts. or all this glorious past hardly
single trace is left in Africa; nay,
even the memory Of it has been
lost in these countries. Tho palaces
and temples are gone forever, and
their ruins aro scatterd. Wealth, COM
merce, and intelligence have disappeared,
Even tho books relating to the history of
tho race are gone. The libraries have
been destroyed, and not u single book has
been printed in the empire for centuries.
There are, indeed. many cities In the en-
pirc whero not single book can be
found, the Koran excepted. History
shows no other example of such profound
degradation. IL is surprising that peo-
plo living in close proximity to the most
civilized nations of the globe should have
arrived at such doplorablc state, en-
tirely ignorant OF their progress
As Of yoro, the sultan Is an absolute
ruler. He is tho owner of the whole em-
piro. The country and its inhabitants,
and their houses, cattle, furniture, and
implements belong to him. They hold
all only as q sort of loan to be recalled at
his leisure and at any moment He is
not only tho political chief of the empire,
but also Its religious head. All COM
mands. regulations. and laws, If such
thore be, issue from him. No ministers,
no councillor, nor parliament aids him in
his duties. Everything centers in the
person Of Muley Hassan. If any influence
is exercised IL emanates from his harem
and his favorites, treacherous, cowardly,
and egotistical creatures, whom chance
has raised into the favor of tho sui.
tan. The palace authorities, the pashas
and provincial governors, officials, and
employees receive no salary whatever.
Their wealth ia due to the continual and
brutal extortions to which tho poor in
habitants are subjected. These pashas
and officials of minor position administer
| justice and rule over their districts in the
name OF the sultan, initiating and fre-
quontly exceeding his despotism. 1t
seems to be altogether the most extraordi-
nary government in existence. 1t SUR
passes in its extortions, oppression, and
maltreatment Abyssinia and Tunis. Tho
1 Vrtp Tf In al
chine is his majesty the sultan. He is
better than his reputation, being one of
the mildost and most enlightened rulers
Of this unfortunate country. His pre-
decessors, however, were brutes of terrific
cruelty and boastly passions.
The sultan resides the larger part of
the year in Fez and few months in the
city of Morocco. He never travels, and
he sees very little of his vast empire. He
is the happy possessor of great number
of wives, and Of still more black slaves,
who are bought annually in the Soudan
expressly for him. About three or four
thousand unfortunate negroes-men,
women, and children-are brought from
the valley Of the Niger across the Sahara
every year. The sultan chooses those he
likes best, and the rest are sold to his
high dignitaries, officials, and Moorish
merchants. The Mohammedan gentle-
men at Fez care little for humanity.
Ambassadors and European intervention.
A great number Of these poor slaves die
on their way across the desert from ex-
hapstion. Others are subjected TO the
nfj6 6t terrific mutilations in order to
supply the demand OF sexiess guardians
Of tho imperial and other harems.
Muley Hassan is still young and
handsome man of good bearing and i'm
,Aut,. L. ., - IL
to speak any language besides his own
Makhreby or western Arabic, but he
knows how to read, and he is the only
subscriber to newspaper in the empire.
The fortunate sheet is q small weekly
Arabic journal printed in Algiers. and
sent to him regularly by messenger. 1t
is said that this journal figures In the pay
list Of the sultan at several thousand
plasters, the surplus of which is deducted
by the intermediate officials. So much is
deducted that the proprietor of the paper
himself did not receive the simple
amount of the subscription for many
years. Morocco has no postal system of
her own. Tho service, wherever re-
quired, is done by runners, carrying the
mail bag upon their shoulders.
The imperial palaces of Fee, Morocco,
and other cities arc such dilapidated and
poorly decorated buildings that the poor
est American can boast of living in q
better house than the mighty emperor.
The only remarkable building among them
is tho palace of Mequinex, a city about
half way between Fee and the seacoast
Although half in ruins, it still preserves
some of the grand and beautiful architec
tural designs which made the Alhambra
and Alcazar so famous. All tho other pal.
aces lie in ruins. Tho gard ems are deserted
and not keptup. The walls arc crumbling
within the actual residence of the sui,
tan, but the debris is never removed, and
nothing is ever repaired. The Moorish
court is the only one which has
not adopted European, or at least military
dress. The emperor himself is still clad
in tho traditional kaftan and the ample
white bournous. He wears also the large
turban with green band. As q descend.
ant of the prophets family he possesses
the right to wear the distinction of @
sherifa. Even on great state occasions he
wears no drawers, and his brown feet are
covered only with wide slippers of soft
yellow Morocco leather. You will never
succeed in making Moors wear shoes OF
boots of European shape and make. They
look at them with contempt and stick tc
their bsbouchi, even when riding on horse.
back.
There is an absolute uniformity in the
dress Of the Moors which makes it diff
cult for the European traveller to distin-
guish the different degrees of rank AND
title. The fine quality of the dress and
noble bearing Of tho man, and not out
side signs, mark his superiority. The
only distinction of the emperor, for in
stance, is a thin green silk cord wound
around his neck, bearing tho imperial
seal on ono end. The grand vizier, the
! ministers, and other dignitaries wear
exactly the same dress, with the excep-
! tion Of the so-called minister of war
, who wears an old military uniform and
an enormous sword. The Kadi, Sherifas
, Ulema, Caids, and Sheks-in one word