The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-10-28
$4,000 A YEAR
C0NSULSHIP.
II Is al Zanzibar and Is Open
10 a Man Of Nerve.
EARLIER CONSULS CAME BACK.
After Jed Riley PsppsTst the Sultaaa With
BTdshot They Found Island an Undasir-
able Place Of Residences.

Washington, Oct q Records in the
state department show that the Amcri-
can flag Of the Consular service IA Zsn-
zihsr Is waving over rice-warehousc.
The consulate is vacant
The only evidence that Americans
stranded In that country have that the
government still lives is the solitary flag
floating in the tropical wind. There is no
immediate prospect OF the place being
llled, although IL pays 5000 n year and
rs located $500 miles from home on east
coast OF Africa.
round trip ticket from New York to
Zanzibar can be bought for half years
SALARY
Officials at the depsrtmentsay there is
IN this vacancy grand opening for some
budding diplomat. Zanzibar, they pointed
out, with n Sultanste under the protec-
ton of the British empire. reioIcss I'm a
climate 80 productive that ID viii make
the hair grow on the head Of bald man.
For this reason, they assert. IL is hish-
~ probable thst diplomatic sprout
would develop into q Choatc Pauce-
tote or even Minister wa in a remark
ably short space OF time. However. there
does not seem 90 be any rush for the
place. and the flag continues 10 wave
where il Was nailed by the last American
consul a. he made run for home
bound boat.
DIPLOMACY DOESN'T FLOURISH
American diplomacy Is tho one thing
mat does not seem 20 flourish i'm Zan-
zibar II kept abreast Of malaria and
mosquitoes until Jed Riley was appoint
eu as custodian of the modest interests
OF the tnited States. at that place. Then
our diplomacy got OF the track and the
has III.
TO set IL 10 run smooth in the same
groove again.
Mr Riley came from one of the first
families OF Virginia. Accomac was his
home town. He was quite n power I'm
virginia politics, and when he came TO
Washington for his reward they gave
him Zanzibar. and 10 Zanzibar he went
ON arriving he searched around for other
SeiaAs frst-trrnttfes vino ftved There
but II was like looking for needle I'm
a haystack
There are 3coco0 negroes in Zanzibar.
while the latest census shows there are
about 80 Englishmen. a like number OF
Germans and five Americans sifted
through the colored population.
Not finding congenial society Riley de-
cided To live in splendid isolation, 50 he
procured a house close To the sea where
he could see the waves rool in raised
the American flag over the matched roof
ana announced tnAt ne Was there 10 de-
fend his government commercially So
cially and diplomatically. against all
comers.
lie watched the ships 20 away loaded
with cloves, ivory, rice and rubber,
which were the principal articles OF ex-
port OF that country. and made volumin-
Gus reports to the department about the
increases I'm American trade but not one
breath did he breathe of the terrible hu-
initiation ne continually suffered while
unfolding the flag
THE CoNsCL'S MISTAKE
II happened that the spot on which
Riley had chosen to locate the Ameri-
can consulate was i'm the immediate
neighborhood Of the favorite bathing
place OF the influential citizens OF the
sultanate.
The American consuls siestas were
marred by visions OF ebony-hued aristo-
Gratis tripping past his windows on their
way TO the sea for an afternoon dip.
Their bathing costumes were not worth
mentioning
Riley's southern blood boiled He
lodged protests at headquarters and
fwned and stormed, but the afternoon
procession continued One well-fed ne
gress Ia particular. was more repugnant
TO him than all tho rest She seemed
10 ind great deal of amusement i'm his
objections and this fact made it the hard
er to bear for the American Official
One dsN something broke and Riley
loaded up his trusty shotgun and waited
for the sea TO tumble the negress into a
good target. He blszed away and pep
pered her full OF bird shot.