The Republican journal., 1901-10-17
MULAI EL-HASSAN'S LAND.
Oddities of Life in Morocco Ashore at
Tangiers
Especial Correspondence of The Journal.]

TANGIER, MOROCCO, September II,
1901. This principal seaport of Mo-
rocco lies opposite Gibraltar, near the
western end of the narrow strait that
separates Europe from Africa. The few
miles between the two cities, which any
ferryboat of the United States could
make in thirty minutes, occupies about
i've hours in this region of yesterdays,
BoabdiPs time. But never was greater
contrast met in so short journey than
that between the twentieth century, as
exemplifed by the English at Gibraltar,
and the life of this strange town which
seems to join hands with the immemo-
Mal East of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
somebody has aptly described Tangier
a, A happy mixture between the Old
testament and the Arabian Nights,
with the gliding somewhat tarnished."
TO visitors who have not travelled in
oriental countries, the first view of Tan
ger is extremely striking. Like most
Mediterranean ports, it is built on ter
aces, amphtheatrical fashion, around
lrescent-shaped bay; but unlike the
others, it has no background of green
hills Seen from distance, under the
gloWings African sky, it has charm and
beauty all its own-its white-washed
houses in straight lines against the
orion, tiled minerals rejecting Othel-
lo'S FURNISHED sum and here and there
royal palm standing guard over all.
\ concrete pier, of recent construction,
permits you to land with tolerable ease
when the tide is high: but at low tide
you must make picturesque, but un-
Iignihed. entrance to Morocco on the
,houlders of some unclean Jew, who,
len to one, when he gets you into the
worst of the surf, threatens to drop
YOU then and there unless the price
agreed upon for his job be doubled.
y our luggage goes to the Custom House,
each piece by itself, in the hands of Who
ever can grab it first, and who refuses to
deliver it until his exorbitant demand
1or the service has been gratifed. But
The custom officials are remarkably civil
unless guns and cartridges are among
your possessions; in which case nothing
AN be passed and you are held under
surveillance until your Consul comes
down and vouches for your harmless
ness
Entering through the quaintest of
ancient Morocco gateways you find at
once the most filthy and most fascinat-
ing place in the world. Nearer to
Europe than any other African city, it
IS vet as remote in its customs and
manner of living as any portion of the
farther East where Mohammed pre-
walls and ''the unspeakable Turk" has
things all his own way. Fierce, wicked
faces scowl at you under tiZ and turban.
The dark, vile-smelling alleys that an
sWer for streets fairly swarm with dirty,
halfnacked children, each with shaven
crown surmOunted by a sort of scalp
iock in which torsades of bright hued
wool are Worn and knotted; and shutting
women, in yellowish white woolen
laikS, whose heavy burdens and abject
mien tell of slavery and unrequited
toll. The twenty thousand people that
today inhabit Tangier belong to the
middle Ages i'll their usages and ideas:
While from even further back in the
misty past, on their camels by way of
the desert, comes ceaseless procession
VI the named successors of the Bible
patriarchs, to their tents on the border
of the town. Were it not for a few
iags of European nations floating the
Iull red Moorish banner on the fortress
and the business-like but generally use
.ess jetty which has been pushed out in
TO the bay for the convenience of for
eign steamers, the Tangier of the Twen-
rieth century might be the identical
city of a thousand years ago. How
can one describe it, when all familiar
comparisons fail? OF course the town
Is completely surrounded by high walls
and inner walls divide it into two dis
rlnct portions-the kasbah, or fort, oc-
tupying the western and most elevated
section and the Medinah, or city proper,
at the foot of the slope. Excepting the
foreign legation and consulates, the
residences of a few wealthy merchants
and half dozen French and English
hotels, the houses are uniformly small
and mean, of one story only, with low
entrance and no windows ON the street
SIDE. Roof above roof, on a succession
Of terraces, rises the town, its streets
all SO narrow and exactly alike that the
stranger has the greatest difficulty in
1nding his way about. 1t is unsafe,
too, without wellrecommended guide
trom the hotel, who is not so likely to
prove a highway robber and assassin in
disguise as might one picked up at haz-
zard on the street. The inns, by the
way, are wonderfully good, all things
considered, and moderate in their
charges as compared with those across
the straits. Most favored of foreigners
are the Hotel New York, down near