New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-30
NJ. -. WHITMAN.
Champion. 1893.

board the ship which brought him. The Off
Gals who thus act the part e Cerberi to Tripoi
wear the uniform Of the Sublime Porte. For
Tripoli has for the last fifty years been Turk
ish province, and is probably the only corner OF
the dominions of the Sultan where his authority
remains absolute, and where no foreigners
either IN the shape OF diplomats missionaries
clamor for the introduction Of reforms and OF
innovations which however much they may be
in keeping with the principles of Western ci"ili-
cation. are offensive in the extreme TO the old
fashioned and orthodox followers of the Prophet
FAMOUS AS THE CoRsAIRs LAIR
Tripoli which is usually known as "Tripoh
in Barbary" in order TO distinguish it from the
Syrian town of Trpoli, for many hundreds
OF years famous the principal lair of the so
called Barbary pirates, or corsairs, who consti-
tuted the scourge Of the Mediterranean. Lying
midway between Tunis and Egypt, it was
fiourshlng State in the day Of the Ph9ncians,
of the Romans and of the Greeks. under the
name of Cyrenaica until conquered by the
Arabs twelve centuries ago. In the sixteenth
century the city OF Tripoi was held for few
years first by Ferdinand the Catholic, of Spain
and then by the Knights OF St John, who were
expelled however, by the famous Turkish cor
sair Dragut His descendants governed the
State Of Tripoli until 1885, when the Turks
took advantage Of a civil war to seize possession
of the country which has ever since been ad-
ministered as a province of the Ottoman En-
pire The frontiers east and west are ill-defined
the desert IN either direction being swept by
those fierce Tuareg tribes which are the most
fanatic and bloodthirsty Of all the nomad races
of the Sahara. The Ottoman Porte maintains
an army OF some twenty thousand men in the
Province of Tripol and this Turkish army, to-
gether with the inhabitants, may be expected to
offer a savage and desperate resistance TO any
attempt made by Italy to take possession of the
country.
Owing TO the fact that French colonial meth
DDS have the result OF repulsing instead OF at
tracing commerce. Trpoli has become the head
quarters of all the great caravan trade OF Cen
trail Africa II has the advantage OF being sew
eral hundred miles nearer the great marts OF the
interior OF the Dark Continent than either Tunis
or Algiers, and almost daily there are caravans
leaving for the south laden with cotton fabrics,
cutlery. etc, and arriving with Esparto grass,
ivory and ostrich feathers. TripolPs most i'm
portant export however, is that of black slaves.
They reach the seacoast from the great negro
empires of Wadai and Bornu to the south of
FezZan and are thereupon shipped from the
ports OF BengaZi Tabrouk and rripoli itself d.
rectly to Constantinople and to other parts
Of the Ottoman Empire. As long as the Ma
hometan religion and the harom system remain
in existence the demand for black slaves will
continue
The various Christian Powers have combined
to put an end to the slave trade on the west and
east coasts Of Africa. England in particular
a.af - phoa no and or in
Red Sea and Indian Ocean for the express pur-
pose OF capturing and destroying all vessels
gagged in the traffic, devotes a large sum Of Eng
lish and Egyptian money 10 the suppression Of
this form of commerce In Egypt. and has all
ships traversing the Suez Canal carefully