The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-05
SPANlARDS AND FRENCH IN
AFRICA.

The determined attempt of the Moors to
expel the Spaniards from Melilla in Africa
has raised the old question of European
domination in the northern portion Of the
Dark Continent In the time of Cardinal
Aimenes Spain was the only European
country which had a secure fOothOld in
Africa. Ever since then Spanish dominion
has been declining and French dominion
increasing. At the present time the area
OF the former does not reach 100000 square
miles, while that of the latter is ten times
as large, and while the French tricolor
penetrates further and further each year
into the interior the Spanish flag keeps re-
ceding toward the coast.
Fifty years have elapsed since Algeria
became French dependency, but to this
day its southern boundary is underlined
No one can tell where French authority
stops and the desoate freedom of the
nomad tribes of the desert begins. On the
east of Algeria is the province of Tunis.
which has been French for some thirteen
years. This province includes the harb0r
of Carthage. which The French are now
fOrtifying with view of making it The
strongest place in the Mediterranean
Auditing against Tunis is the Turkish vii
ayet of TIipoli, which for the time stops
French progress in an eastern direction.
On the west of Algeria is the kingdom of
Tripoli. Without displacing the native
authorities the French have usurped such
control in Morocco that ii may be said TO
be French protectorate, and here is where
the French and Spaniards may come into
collision. Melilla is in Morocco, and so
are Ceuta. Tangier and Agesras. Passing
the latitude of the Canaries France claims
the whole of West Africa from Cape
Blanco 10 Tago. with the exception OF the
British colonies Of Gambia, Sierra Leone
and the Gold Coast. The base lines of
these colonies are undetermined. Indeed.
the boundaries Of the French Soudan are
indefinite on all sides, but it seems to be
conceded that the valleys of the Niger
and lis continents are French, except
where the natives have proved too strong
to be dispossessed. The whole territory
claimed by the French is something like
ten times as extensive as France itself.
In comparison SPANS African posses
sions are insignificant. The most extern
sive of them is the Canary Islands. The
Spanish flag floats over few other coast
Islands, among others Fernando Pc, which
is a Spanish penal settlement. The war
which broke out between Spain and Mo-
rocco In 1859 and was brought TO a close by
General PirOn in the following year left
Spain in possession of few places Oh the
Mediterranean coast, of which Tangier is
the most important. Tangier and Alge-
siras are the necessary compliments OF
Gibraltar. If they were properly fortified
and armed with modern guns they would
destroy the value of Gibraltar as a refuge
for an English fleet. Hence, it has always
been the desire Of England to get hold of
them, either by conquest or purchase.
If the Moors took Melilla their next OBJ
jective would be Tangier. and if they
captured that point the world would under
stand that they only hold it in trust for
Great Britain. 1t is openly said at Madrid
that the assailants of Melilla are backed
by the English.
The trouble with Spain is that it is still
on the decline. 1t actually seems to have
no recuperatiYe capacity, and its possess
sions are so widely scattered all over the
world, from Cuba to the Philippine
Islands, that it cannot concentrate its
national spirit on domestic reform. The
Spanish people are imbued with such obsO-
lete doctrines in matters political that :hey
lag behind all the nations which are classed
as civilized. They are impervous to
progress and cling tenaciously to antique
hereses which have been discarded every
where else. 1t would only need a deter
mined effort to induce the English to sur
render Gibraltar. 1t is of 10 value TO
England, and now that it is connected with
the rest of Spain by rail its retention by a
foreign power is perpetual thorn in the
Spanish flesh. But the Spanish Govern
ment does not seem to be able to muster
courage enough to invite the English to
retire, and the status quo remains, though
it is a source of expense and anxiety to
one nation and of heart-burning to the
othar.