The record-union., 1895-06-21

1neS0 TWO lines OF SOLDIERS nave Deon
watching each other for nearly two hun
dred years. When you have crossed tho
Neutral Ground ana have been driven
into the shabby old Spanish town at its
upper end, you realize that you are in a
land that is 200 years behind the age,
Inis is Spain. Here is hoary and un-
repaired antiquity, land of beggars,
lOungers, bull-rings, semi bar barlc crude
pess OF color, and shabbiuess beyond
description. This is what one would SEQ
ia Gibraltar if the flag over it were that
of Spain.
In nay school days. as ! distinctly re-
member, Algiers was described as beau
tiiuI city whose white houses rose in d
regular ascent from the shore, which is
curved like an amphitheater. AS the
geogra 9hy Of my youth was undoubtedly
written toy very distant period Of time.
Tho description Oughtto be obsolete. But
il is not.
HaIe are tho white buildings rising in
the shore; and here, nigh above the mod
ern city. are the Irregular but equally
white houses. and mosques OF the Moors.
The greater part OF the city, compact,
anu as regular as the newest part OF New
York, is French. The streets are Deautl-
fully paved. The business portion is
arcaded, SO that one may walk block alter
DIOCh WlbiiOUL SA lJOSuL0 ~ sun " io1iii
except at street crossings. Seen from the
harbor this part of the city Is painfully
regular; the arcades, tall arches, and
ornate fronts being suggestive OF any
thing but an African city.
The background OF green hills, dotted
with Moorish villas and farmhOuses, IS
sufficiently picturesque, but the city Is
mass Of arid whiteneSS. OF a summer
day II must be painful to look upon, and
even in this cool February weather, 1t
makes one thirsty to gaze upon lis daZ-
Zllng aridity.
There is plenty OF room in the we'll
defended harbor aud some of the ships
are moored forward to buoys and ait TO
the seawalI, SO deep is the water.
Algiers is a model city, and the order
and neatness that impress the traveller
who arrives by sea are apparent on every
hand when he has landed. AS in Gibral-
tar, the population Is mixed III charming
variety, the French predOmlnating every
where. Everywhere the French flag and
language; everywhere the French soldier,
and everywhere the polite gendarme
and the dramatic pose and taste of the
Erenchman.
In the Place du Commencement, over
looking the scrubby park of palms. and
defying the mueZZin in the mlnaret Of the
big white mosque, is a theatrical bronze
equestrian statue OF the Duo dOrleans,
that son and heir of the Citizen King of
France, who was chief OF the army OF
Algeria.
AS if to impress the visitor with a sense
of the activiIy.Of the army Of occupation,
French soldiers are constantly moving
through the streets, Artillery, Chasseurs,
Zouayes d'Afrique, sappers and miners,
and mounted officers, who are gorgeous
beyond Solomon III all his glory, are met
wherever and whenever one takes his
walks abroad. 1t is more military here
than in Gibraltar. But everything re-
minds one of the poseur.
All is theatrical. The city or the
French portion OF it's too solidly built
to be called French veneer on q Moor
ish body; nevertheless, the most cOnsplc-
uous portion of Algiers is as French as
Paris. In the Quarter of the Marabouts,
as the French call that part of the city
where the MOOrs congregate, one may
fancy himself among the Algerines.
whose leading industry was piracy.
Here, and likewise in the rench quar-
ter, the visitor sees tne Arab women,
dumpy and raly-poly, wearing bifurcated
garments. full rs 10 the legs, and gath
cred about the ank les, with the white
nightgowns and headgear, and a thin
white veil tied tightly across The nose,
just below the black, staring eyes. They
may be beautiful under all this elaborate
concealment, but l have my doubts.
| Some OF the male types OF Arabs are sim
ply pictorial in effect
One large Nubian rascal whom l
watched lCunging in the sunshine, and
apparently cursing an Arab in polyglot,
was OF ebon blackness. He wore a tur-
ban and burnOuse or spotlesS white, and
his bare, black legs were tapered Oft into
red slippers. The man was the hand
soonest study in black ana willie l ever
beheld and | couldn't help thinking of
the contempt with which any Southern
American would regard this "nigger," SO
tricked out, and so masterfu, even in his
laziness, as he summed himself under his
native African sky. But most of the
Algerine Arabs are shabby lot, al
though they wear their rags and tags
with an ndescribable air of dignity.
They are always legged, but never
bare-headed. The average Algerine may
wear but one shoe; his head is always
covered. | should say that the fashiona-
BILE material for the Algerine was gunny
bags. Some OF the men are picture of
startling raggeduess, not merely ragged,
but simply walking packages of rags.
Should any reader of this letter ever
come to Algiers and meet young vaga-
bond, pockmarked and sinister of counte-
nance, ragged of legs and wearing q coffee
sack hung over the back OF his head by a
corner of it, avoid him as pestiterous
nuisance. He did me the small favor of
showing the way to a shop one block
from where | encountered him. Crate
fully attempting to reward him, | was
astounded by his falling upon me with
the most vehement abuse of copiOus
yoCa bulary. l had given him handful
OF Portuguese copper coins, which he re-
fused with hideous yeis. Then as he
pursued US | tried 10 placate him with a
tive-cent nickel, the only small coin l
had except those OF Portugal. In vain;
that stridulOus wretch, having bitten the
nickel, rung 1t on the pavement and Of
Tered 1t TO the Inspection of a select COM
pany of MaraboUts and Arabs, followed
after Us with cries OF rage and contempt.
/ enlreatod gendarnIe 10 relieve me Of
| his noisy vOciieration. This only mag
nitied the matter, and raised a crowd at
once.
Breaking away. we met Jack Tar,
with the magic word Chicago" en-
! biaZoned on his cap. Jack, alter shaking
hands and telling me how glad he was TO
meet an American civilian i'll this
! blarsted country" gave the beggar two
| sous, and. refusing the nickel, admins
! tered The gunny bag boy some advice
which will not boar printing. 1t was
! choice and forcbIe American. The
| wretch, temporarily dismHyed, retired
! until our naval convoy had parted com
pany with US, and then sW ooped down
upon us with sar .:tstic ''Ia-as. oh,
ya-ls." and 81 pursued Us to The land
| ing place, where we took the boat for the
steamer.
1 suppose he is there yet, waiting for
the green American who was loullsn
onouga 10 oGer 70 reward trltiing serv-
ice with current coin OF the realm. The
beggars and louugers OF the AIediter-
ranean ports have preternatural Skill in
reading character. GIVE then penny
and they de.daud a fortune. once give
them All ldea, lhat you are generous, and
| like the daaE inter- OF the hOrseleech, they
continually cry, Give, give"
1t is good tu see in tbis lar-Off corner of
the world lwo noble American warships.