Morning journal and courier., 1892-02-06
wAKEMAN,S wANDERINGS.

wAKEMAN's wANDERINGs.
 A Week in Morocco-The Ancient and Barbaric Sultanate Doomed to Dismemberment Customs, Cos tumes, Faces, Food and Utensils of Bible Days Universal in Tangier- Dantean Subjects for Pen and Pen- ell.
 | TANGIER, Morocco, Jan. 15. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER: The present "revolt of the tribes," in l Morocco, though doubtless overestimated | in importance, renders a tour of adven- ture to the interior by any white man from Tangier an impossible performance. It also brings sharply to mind many re- cent prophecies, from highest European | diplomatic sources, of the early disinte- | grafton of this the last barbaric sultanate of ancient Mauritania.
 At least four great European powers are concerned in the acquisition of all north ern Africa. For years Italy has had her itching fingers in the affairs of Tripoli,
 whose trade with the African equatorial kingdoms is enormous.
 France, from her new and matchless em- | pire of Algeria, is pushing her railways across the eastern boundaries of Morocco | and but few weeks since took forcible possession of the rich oases of Tust | This point, about seven hundred miles a | trifle southwest of Algiers and & trifie southeast of Tangier, is in the central | northern portion of the Sahara. It is by | all odds the most splendid possible stra getic possession in northern Africa. Here the great caravan routes converge from all parts of the Sahara, and even from cen tral Africa and the countries bordering on the Gulf of Guinea. France has thus tapped, diverted and must eventually largely control, the richest trade of ma jor portion of the entire African conti- nent.
 An English fleet is now at Cadiz. Two of her great war-ships are in this very harbor. Another English man-of-war is by this time at Cape Juby. At the latter place, about three hundred miles down the western coast of Morocco, just opposite
 
 ding interests have been established with the Azuad country and the western Sou dan; and all of these have been diverted from their old channels through the Mo rocco sultanate to its commercial capitals, the cities of Morocco, Fez and Tangier. Powerful British interests st Tangier are seeking and would be benefited by Moroc- co.'s disruption; while the British govern nf gret, since the wonderful achievements of France in Algeria, and the recent marvel ous development of African countries and trade, that it ever relinquished its former possession of Tangier in 1884; previous to which, through Portuguese cession, it had been held and footed by various English nailitarys commandants for a period of twenty-two years.
 Meantime poor old Spain, the hereditary foe of the Moor, is gloating over the prob able near downfall of his Shereefan high ness, Muley Hsssan, and will find her own full reward in simple revenge; though when the occasion of dismemberment comes, a few additional crumbs will doubt less fall to her picking. In her last en- counter with the Moors she retired victoIi- ous and not wholly empty-handed, and still holds, as earnest of her prowess in 1859, all the cities of the northern Moroc- co coast save Tetuan and Tangier. These are Melills, Penon, Al-Khuzemas and Ceu- ia, the latter fortified city being one of Spain's most important convict stations
 The present so-called revolt is locally at tributed to the exaotions of the Bsshaw of Tangier. These are no worse nor better than they have always been. By some it is vaguely hinted that it is but the begin ming of dangerous revolution against Muley Hassan by his recently deposed Ka- lifa or supreme judge, and the sultan's brother Muley Ismain. who was banished from Fez with the Kalifa in November last Knowing merchants and small di plomats whisper of French intrigue and renegade Berber and Khabyle chief emis- saries, who, with valuable gifts and more glittering promises of preferment and profit from Algiers, are commissioned to stir up such disaffection and turbulence as shall give excuse to a more formidable coup dictate than that of Tuat, which shall remove the Algerian boundary some hundreds of miles westward within the sultan's present domain.
 In any event the four powers named are eagerly alert for the possibilities in all new moves in northern Africa; and Morocco, the last remaining empire of barbarism of ancient Mauritania, is doomed. The gilt ter and clink of an hundred thousand chassepot rifles girdle it on the east and south. Open-mouthed~ cannon complete the circle on the north and west Strange ly enough civilization often confronts bar barism in this way. There is not at this moment a break in its circlIng impact The inevitable and resistless pressure may come before these words can finds their place in print. It may not come before the century is done But it is no less in evitable. The Morocco will be trans info 1f health and plenty, and beyond it, even to the wild Soudan, the oases of the water less wastes of Sahara shall bloom and blossom in all the glorious luxuriance of a glowing Cuban valle.
 Until then, from any standpoint, this weird old city must remain place of the rarest interest. No one can tell its age The sieges, pillages and pestilences it has wi:hstood are heartrending. It is the most Moorish of all Moorish cities. De- caying, ruinous, hoary, it has still clung, though but twenty miles from Christian Europe, to its primitive customs closer than Tunis, Alexandria or Cairo. Cos tune, custom, faces, utensils and food of scriptural. times are here precisely as they were known in Oriental cities two thou | sand years ago.
 Taking your stand midway between the harborside and the Soc-de-Barra, study with me these strange and varied tides of human travel crowding in either direction. There is suppressed excitement in the faces of all owing to the constant exagger- ated rumorsof the possible action of the mountain tribes, and what may be done by the sultan, if he can take 8 moment from | the charms of his thousand wives, to op- | pose their threatened sedition. Aside l from this all things in Tangier go on as they have each day for many an hundred years.
 This group comprises half dozen Mo zabites They are Syrians by descent, and are believed to be identical in race with | the scriptural Moacites. They are the | fiercest money makers of Morocco, and are | butchers, grocers, bakers, anything for | rious ambition. That is to gain indepen- dence and return to their homes at Ham mada Chebka, c little oasis surrounded by lofty rock in the most arid and burning
 portion of central Sahara. To sometime
 return rich to Asmmada Chebka, the Mo
 zabite will work and starve half life | time. You cannot mistake him in Tan gier. He is darker than the Arab: not so | black as the negro; his skin has the ap- | pearance of continuous oiling; he wears white turban, but is chiefly distinguished | indress because of invariably wearing 6
 sort of sleeveless tunic, called the gam | doura, which falls straight to the knees.
 The stripes and zigzags in this garment are
 something marvellous. His wife wears the
 adjar or veil, like the Arab woman, but
 her haik (shawl or wrap) which covers her
 head, falling nearly to her feet, is of blue
 and white checked stuff, similar to that worn by neQresses in TapRier These Mo-