Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-06
A WEEK IN MOROCCO.
Wakeman's Second Sketch of a Tour
in an Interesting Country.
DANTEAN SUBJECTS FOR THE PEN.
The Ancient Barbaric sultanate Doomed to
Dismemberment.
COSTUMES AND CUSTOMS OF TANGIER

| revolt of the tribes in Morocco, though
doubtless overestimated in Importance, rem
ders tour of adventure to the interior by
any white man from Tangier an impossible
performance. 1t also brings sharply tc
mind many recent prophecies, from highest
European diplomatic sources, of the early
disintegration of this the last barbaric sui
tanate of ancient Mauritania.
AT least four great European powers are
concerned in the acquisition of all Northern
Africa. For years Italy has had her itching
fingers in the affairs of Tripoli, whose trade
with the African equatorial Kingdoms il
enormous.
France from her new and matches.
empire of Algeria, is pushing her railways
across the eastern boundaries of Morocco
and but few weeks since took forcible posses
sion of the rich oases of Tuat This point
about 700 miles trif1e southwest of Algier!
and triHe southeast of Tangier, is in the
central northern portion of the Sahara Il
is by all odds the most splendid possible
strategic possession in northern Africa
Here the great caravan routes converge
from all parts of the Sahara, and even from
Central Africa and the countries bordering
on the Gulf of Guinea. France has thus
tapped, diverted and must eventually largely
control, the richest trade of major portion
of the entire African Continent.
sample of the English Fleets,
An English fleet is now at Cadiz. Two OF
her great warships are in this very harbor.
Another English man-of-war is by this time
at Cape JUDY. At the latter place, about
800 miles down the Western coast of Mo-
rocco, just opposite the Canary Islands, i'm
mense English trading interests have been
| established with the Azuad country and the
Western Soudan; and all of these have been
diverted from their old channels through the
| Morocco sultanate to its commercial capitals,
the cities of Morocco, Fee and Tangier.
Powerful British interests at Tangier are
seeking and would be benefited by Moroc-
| co.'s disruption; while the British Govern
ment has had more than one cause of regret,
since the wonderful achievements of France
| in Algeria, and the recent marvellous devel-
| opment of African countries and trade, that
it ever relinquished its former possession of
| Tangier. in 1854: previous to which, through
Portuguese cession. it had been held and
looted by various English military COM
mandants for a period of % years.
Meantime poor old Spain, the hereditary
foe of the Moor, is gloating over the proba-
BILE near downfall of his Shereefan High
ness, Muley Hassan, and will find her own
| full reward in simple revenge; though when
! the occasion of dismemberment comes, a
few additional crumbs will doubtless fall to
| her picking. In her last encounter with
! the Moors she retired victorious and not
wholly empty handed, and still holds, as
earnest of her prowess in 1859, all the cities
! of the Northern Morocco coast, save Tetuan
and Tangier. These are Melilla, Penon, AL
Khuzemas and Ceuta, the latter fortified
city being one of Spain's most important
convict stations.
Beginning of a Revelation.
The present so-called revolt is locally
| attributed to the exactions of the Bashaw
| of Tangier. These are no worse nor better
than they have always been. BY some it is
| vaguely limited that it is but the beginning
of dangerous revolution against Muley
| Hassan by his recently deposed Kalifa or
Supreme Judge, and the SuItan's brother
Muley Ismain, who vas banished from Fee
with the Kalifa in November last. Know
ing merchants and small diplomats whisper
of French intrigue and renegade Berber and
Khabyle chief emissaries, who, with valu-
able gifts and more glittering promises of
preferment and profit from Algiers, are
commissioned to stir up such disafection
and turbulence as shall give excuse TO a
more formidable coup d'etat than that of
Tuat, which shall remove the Algerian
boundary, some hundreds of miles west
ward 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 an
| cient Mauritania, is doomed The glitter
| and clink of hundred thousand chassepot
rifles girdle it on the east and south. Open
mouthed cannon complete the circle on the
! north and west. Strangely enough civiliza-
| ton often confronts barbarism in this way.
| There is not at this moment a break in its
circling impact. The inevitable and resist
less pressure may come before these words
| can find their place in print. 1t NAV not
come before the century is done. But it is
no less inevitable. Then Morocco will be
transformed, like Algiers, into paradise
of health and plenty, and beyond it, even to
| the wild Soudan, the oases of the waterless
wastes of Sahara shall bloom and blossom
| in all the glorious luxuriance of glowing
Cuban valley.
A Place of the Rarest Interest
Until then, from any standpoint this
weird old city must remain a place of the
rarest interest. No one can tell its age.
| The sieges, pillages and pestilences it has
withstood are heartrending. 1t is the most
Moorish of all Moorish cities. Decaying,
| ruinous, hoary, it has still clung, though
| but 20 miles from Christian Europe, to its
| primitive customs closer than Tunis, Alex
| andria or Cairo. Costume, custom, faces,
utensils and food of Scriptural times are
| here precisely as they were known in Ori-
entail cities 1900 years ago.
Taking your stand midway between the
| harborside and the Soc-de-Bsrra, 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 exaggerated
rumors of the possible action of the mount
| ain tribes, and what may be done by the
| Sultan, if he can take moment from the
| charms of his 900 wives, to oppose their
threatened sedition. Aside from this all
| things in Tangier go on as they have each
day for many a hundred years.
This group comprises a half dozen Moza-
bites. They are Syrians by descent, and
are believed to be identical in race with the
Scriptural Moabites. They are the fiercest
| money makers of Morocco, and are butchers,
| grocers, bakers, anything for riches. Their
greed is prompted by a curious ambition.
| That is to gain independence and return to
| their homes at Hammada Chebka, a little
oasis surrounded by lofty rocks in the most
arid and burning portion of central Sahara.
| To some time return rich to Hammada
Chebka. the Mozabite will work and starve
half lifetime. You cannot mistake him in
Tangiel. He is darker than the Arab; not
SO black as the negro; his skin has the ap-
pearance of continuous oiling: he wears a
white turban, but is chiefly distinguished
in dress because of invariably wearing a sort
of sleeveless tunic, called the gandours,
which falls straight to the knees. The
stripes and zigzags in this garment are
b;po N, rvalnuq