The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-06
a QUEER AFRICAN CITY.
o,rr,cuLry,of ENTERING TANeIERs
ANpswHAT ONE MAY SEE.

= vba. is there 10 see in Tangicr, ana
t~hv do American tourists, after "'hc
,nn ,brouch Spain," think it quite essen
,ial 10 visit the Barbary coasn can az,
aver for one party. A sagacious irNnu
who recently went from the Strai'so i
O;b,altar 10 the Bosphorus said to us De-
60 ,ve left home: "You viii see moth
inc more purely oriental than Iangier IN
ali your proposed journey" Certainly
we have found the place so completely
foreign TO all our ideas that only the ola
fashioned word "outlandish" seems ade-
ouate to describe it.
ucre ;s the most western of gu the sea
norts of northern Africa lying WITHIN
sight OF the coast Of Spain and the hoch
81 Gibraltar, place Of 10000 inhaoit'
ants. upon whose ways of life and thought
Enropean Christian civilization mas
scarcely made an impression Yet more
than 200 years ago this city for a snort
period belonged TO the English crown
IL is now the residence OF those ioreien
ministers who are accredited TO the SUI
can 81 Morocco 1t is in almost daily
communication with France, Spain ana
Gibraltar. both England anc Spain nam
tanning postoflices. with sep tate bureaus
stamps and mail bags Theie are news,
papcrs published here in English ana
Snanish' The Hotel Continental is SO
GOOD that there is n current mot 10 the
eject that the best hotel in Europe may
be found in Africa.
HARD TO LAND.
The English come ''for sport, the par
acular attraction being the chase OF wild
boar. for the which manual OF "hoG
sticking" has been deliberately set forth.
Yet. Notwithstanding all this the Moors
and the Jews so on in their old fashioned
,vavs as If they were living in the tlf'
tcenth century Indeed. it is easy to be-
lieye 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'
,apt qualification: Tangier has nothing
which suggests the learning, the science
tho arts. or even the sacredness OF the
great cities of Andalusia when MOORISH
sway was dominant. The Arabic or Mo
bammedan dominion, without the Arabic
enlightenment, loses all the charm which
is suggested by what is even now 10 be
seen in Cordova, Granada and Seville.
The transit to Tangis 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
of different sizes and different disadvan-
fages
The transit over, landing must be
made. The beach slopes so gradually
that large vessels cannot come near 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 so rough,
passengers are carried ashore in the arms
of stalwart Moors. OF 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 l do not
think there is wheeled vehicle-not a
Gig, a dray or even wheelbarrow. So
a 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 looked from the rowboat 10 the
top Of the landing stairs | noticed in the
crowd, which was dressed in all the col
ors of the rainbow and in all the varie-
ties of eastern fabrics, tall, dark faced
Moor, with a capacious turban, a broad,
blue flowing robe and a stout staff, end
ing in pastoral crook. II am Moham-
med" he called out, pointing to his heart
either to confirm his identity or his We
racity, cannot say which. THE man
/ am looking for" 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
was as dignified and steady as that of
S;alvini when he personates Othello. His
shoulders were broad enough for Sam
son. His voice was deep, rich and mu-
steal. like that of Carl Formes- When
t,e was mounted on his favorite mule,
leading our 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 N TUE CITY.
The architecture Of Tangier is much
more impressive when seen in mass than
when seen in detail. hooking toward the
city from the steamer in the early dawn
the view was beautiful. Terrace above
terrace rise white, Fat rooted houses,
orer which tower the minarets Of two or
three mosques. The city is divided into
two parts. through which runs the prin-
sipal street, leading from the "water
gate" 10 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 unattractive Alhambra. The
shops, the bazars, the dwelling houses
are interesting because so completely
different from those 10 which Europeans
are &onted. So is the boys school that
was kept" 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 sing-song
tone, while cards with the words in Ara
bic were held in their hands.
Solomon's prcospt, respecting the ut'i-
ity of the rod were not forgotten by the
turbaned pcdagogue. He piled the stick
gently but firmly on the backs of the in
attentive scholars, precisely as in south