Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-18
gpeel.l cone.pondenee Of Every Evsnlns.

Special Correspondence OF Every Evening
Grand Hotel des Bains, Hamman
Rhira, Algiers, March 81 We have
been travelling zen motor" through
Tunis and Algiers and are now here. We
intend staying until the 18th prox.,
then going across from Algiers TO Italy
to motor back TO Paris. We have
travelled more than l,300 miles with
out delays or accidents. The roads
were French. You know what that
means. They are wide, we'll laid out,
we'll drained, macadamized with solid
masonry culverts and with steel bridges
on excellent masonry piers and
abutments. We usually ran % miles
an hour, stopping for views, TO eat, DC.
France has a great field in all this
region, has spent immense sums Of
money in many ways and has paid also
in men for its right TO control Ma
hometans who are clannish and in a
certain way united from the west line
of Egypt to the Atlantic, hence ono
can readily appreciate the powerful
reasons why the government and people
of France do not wish to have its enc
mics intriguing in Morocco or else
where.
It conquered this country % years
since, period of time representing
twice the life OF the German Empire
whose statesmen have repeatedly said
Germany had no interests in the
Mediterranean, whore IL has not
spent dollar OF lost n man. France
has an army Of 60, 900 mon in Algeria
and Tunis, kept all the time on a war
footing. Germany plays heads i win,
tails you lose. / care not a copper
for the Sultan. We have no trade in
Northern Africa. We could have. The
country is rich in iron ore, has no coal.
Why not send coal and take back ore
and cork, with many other products
including good though not fine wines,
which sell here for 10 cents gallon.
The land appears rich and produces
we'll. IL needs improved tools and its
railways, oars and engines. / am told
the government would encourage and
protect foreign capital and trade. The
wool is excellent; the climate really
good for white people. Here at its
door France and build up an empire
| il Germany is kept out and from its
policy Of meddling and grabbing.
There is room for all peoples but
for only one government France col
onizes this by the hand Of government,
not by individual effort, and this must
be considered. The Arabs retire south,
but will some day become a part of the
real body polite. Education will fol-
low and control them.
The country is picturesque and much
of IL fertile. 10 is a fine grazing region,
but / believe cattle do not assimilate
the grasses, though sheepi and goats
| thrive. In South Africa they are talk
/ frf raN - In d
! Africa it is onesman, one donkey, mule
OF camel, generally donkey The Arabs
/ are a dirty lot, and as n rule are not
/ different from those who heard Ma
homet preach. They do not improve,
but, like other Orientals, take on
some of our vices in the borderlands.
We found Tunis interesting and we
visited Carthage (now a wheat field)
and kairouan, decaying pilgrimage
town open 10 the world since the French
occupation. Tunis and all the princi
| pal towns have well-built and we'll kept
| European quarters. The site of old
| Carthage is a lovely one, the views
/ fine, and there are ruins.
We attended the annual ball of the
/ Governor General at the Summer
Palace in Algiers, and it was the most
| picturesque scene l have ever had in
doors. There were hundred or more
Arab chieftains, clad in the native cos
tune, varied according TO rank and
position Of the men, some Of whom
had the cloaks of the army positions
| (very striking they were) and nearly
all had French orders and decorations
of which they seem proud. Several
had the Cross of the Legion The
governor placed those Of highest rank
behind him at one end of the salon,
on chairs, and they made very notabl,
coloring. They are generally tall mer
and l wondered what they thought ol
being ruled by the little Frenchmen.
They appeared dignified and thos,
connected with the army came on whit,
or gray horses in one body, and so de.
parted The whole affair was very vel
done and most effective
The French have done a lot for this
country and the effects will last. The,
are slow in some ways, but the age anC
its progress will push them on. The,
should run larger ships TO and from
these ports, which in law are French
ports. No foreign ship can touch anC
do business between French ports
coast service law something like ours
Germany spends lot of money (a
home) for ships, ports, coaling, &c.
and then sends the ships TO undercu
and share tthe sea traffic in every direc
tion. The French are not enough
alive TO this sort of thing, and be
sides, have not the cargo freight
wanted so generally in other lands.