The Dickinson press., 1890-04-05
A QUEER AFRICAN CITY.
DIFFICULTY OF ENTERING TANGieRs
AND WHAT ONE MAY SEE.

VlTF VT GIN ehING IANGiEHS
AND WHAT ONE MAY SEE.
President Gilman. OF Johns Hopkins UNI
versity, Visits an African Town Where
the Life Is That Of the Old Testament
and tho Arabian Nights.
What is there to see in Tangier, and
why do American tourists, after "the
run through Spain," think it quite essen
tial to visit the Barbary coast? l can an
swer for n party. A sagacious friend
who recently went from the Straits of
Gibraltar to the Bosphorus said to us be-
fore we left home: "You will see moth
ing more purely oriental than Tangier in
all your proposed journey" Certainly
we have found the place so completely
foreign to all our ideas that only the old
fashioned word '%outlandish" seems ade.
quate to describe it.
Here is the most western of all the sea,
ports of northern Africa lying within
sight of the coast of Spain and the Rock
of Gibraltar, a place of 10000 inhabit-
ants, upon whose wayso of life and thought
European Christian civilization has
scarcely made an impression. Yet more
than 200 years ago this city for a shor,
period belonged to the English crown.
Its now the residence of those foreign
ministers who are accredited to the sui
tan of Morocco. 1t is in almost daily
communication with France, Spain and
Gibraltar. both England and Spain main
tanning postoffices, with separate bureaus,
stamps and mail bags. There are news
papers published here in English and
Spanish. The Hotel Continental is so
good that there is a current mot to the
effect that the best hotel in Europe may
be found in Africa.
HARD TO LAND
The English come "for SPORT" the par
ticular attraction being the chase of wild
boar, for the which a manual of "hog
sticking" has been deliberately set forth.
Yet, notwithstanding all this the Moors
and the Jews go on in their old fashioned
ways as if they we're living in the Fiji
teenth century Indeed, it is easy to be-
lieve that we see in Tangier much of the
same sort of life which prevailed in
southern Spain 400 years ago-before the
conquest of Granada-with one impor-
tant qualification: Tangier has nothing
which suggests the learning, the science,
the arts, or ever the sacredness of the
great cities of Andalusia when Moorish
sway was dominant. The Arabic or Mo-
hammedan dominion, withoutthe Arabic
enlightenment, loses all the charm which
is suggested by what is even now to be
seen in Cordova, Granada and Seville.
The transit to Tangier is easily made
in eight hours from Cadiz, in four hours
from Gibraltar, in twelve hours from
Malaga, and the traveller may have his
choice among many competing steamers
tages.
The transit over, a landing must be
made. The beach slopes so gradually
that large vessels cannot come neal the
shore. and people, cattle. baggage and
goods must all be transferred to lighters
and rowboats and thus brought to land.
In rough weather the steamer will some
times lie for hours without being able to
disembark its cargo. and one company of
travellers whom we met returned to Spain
without putting foot upon the shore of
Africa.
When it is rough, but not SC rough,
passengers are carried ashore in the arms
of stalwart Moors, or perhaps ride pa
poose fashion. Fortunately, these de-
%scendants of the pirates who used to in
fest the Morocco coasts are capital
boatmen, with strong arms and legs, so
that they may be safely trusted.
New perplexities arise when the shores
are reached. In all Tangiers / do not
think there is a wheeled vehicle-not a
gig, q dray or even a wheelbarrow. So
q gang of porters seizes a travellers
trunks, handbags, shawl straps and UNI
brellas, and transports them up the mar
row and sinuous lanes which lead to the
hotel
As I looked from the rowboat to the
top Of the landing stairs I noticed in the
crowd, which was dressed in all the col
ors Of the rainbow and in all the varie-
ties of eastern fabrics, a tail, dark faced
Moor, with a c%apacious turban, a broad,
blue flowing robe and a stout staff, end
ing in a pastoral crook. II am Moham-
med" he called out, pointing to his heart
either to confirm his identity or his ve-
racity, ! cannot say which. "The man
I am looking fol" was my answer From
that hour until our departure Moham-
med took charge of us. We did not en-
gage him, but he engaged us. His tread
wa as dignifed and steady as that of
Salvini when he personates Othello. His
shoulders were broad enough for a Sam
son. His voice was deep, rich and mu-
steal, like that of Carl Formes. When
he vas mounted on his favorite mule,
leading u cavalcade through the mar
ket place, or hating before the snake
charmer, or climbing 'the mountain"
where foreigners have their houses, he
was quite magnificent.
SIGHTS IN THE CITY.
The architecture Of Tangier is much
more impressive when seen in mass than
when seen in detail. Looking toward the
city from the steamer in the early dawn
the view was beautiful. Terrace above
terrace rise white, fat rooted houses,
owe which tower the minarets of two or
three mosques. The city is divided into
two parts, through which runs the prin-
cipal street, leading from the "water
gate" to the market gate" Upon the
western or highest ACTIVITY is the karbat
or citadel-a combination of residence,
fortress, court of justice and prison-a
forlorn and u~nattractive Alhambra. The
shops, the bazars, the dwelling houses
are interesting because so completely
different from those to which Europeans
are wonted. So is the boys school that
was except" just opposite the door of the
Hotel Continental. Twenty bright eyed
little fellows, seated on the ground, were
taught by an old man in turban and
spectacles to repeat over and over again
verses from the Koran in a sing-sone
tone, while cards with the words in Ara,
bic were held in their hands.
6olomon's precepts respecting the util