Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-02
By CHI. CHAILLE-LONG

hundred years ago, the name of
Merikani 1.-THE Arabic for Amerca]
is woven in the legends and traditions of
the Arab story tellers of the cafe who supply in
great measure the place of the historian
The American was first known to the Arab in the
beginning of the last century, through the merchant
men, whose trade in the Mediterranean was con-
siderable prior to the war of Independence: it
poyed twelve thousand sailors and twenty thousand
tons of shipping. After the war of Independence,
British passes which hitherto had protected Ameri-
can commerce, were withdrawn, and American
merchant vessels exposed to the merciless Cor
sars, who captured them and sold them into slavery
the marts of Morocco. Algiers. Tunis and Trpol.
In 1903, after having submitted to much outrage
and humiliation, American frgate attacked
and recaptured from the Arabs American vessel.
The Dey, responding to the protest of the Amer
ican commander. said in an order to his people,
The American nation are still as they were, in
God"
This was the turning point. The acts of the in
trepd Decatur in burning the captured frigate
Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripo in 1903, and his
deeds of valor in debating peace at Algiers, in
cidents that added prestige to the of Merkan.
Captain Eaton United States Consul at Tripoli.
formed an organization in Alexandria of a Greco
Arab battalion which under Eaton and the de-
.hroned Dey of Tripo marched across the desert,
and in conjunction with the United States vessels
Argus, Hornet. and Nautilus attacked and cap
sured Dernah.
Adding to American Glory
IN 1860 General Sherman sent military invasion
l to Egypt to break the Turkish yoke and assure
the complete independence of Egypt. The Khedve
lsmael said to the writer his arrival: The lack
of any selfish interests in Egypt the part of your
country is the motive which suggests Americans for
my army" The mission prevented from estab-
fishing the independence of Egypt; but of it's
members discovered the sources of the Nile, exc
cuted treaty with the King of Uganda and ex-
tended the limits of Egypt to the equator thus
complishing the ambition of Mehemet Ali; and
thus added again to the honor and glory of all
Merikdni.
American sailors in Egypt in 1882. after the mas
sacre, bombardment and burning of Alexandria,
saved hundreds of lives, including the Khedive
and his family. and saved the city of A1exan-
dria from entire destruction. Thus the name of
Merikani has become household word a tails
man, in Egypt and throughout the land of the
Arab.
The military instruction of 1882 known as the
Revolt of the Three Colonies (of whom Arab Bey
was the senior), was begun under Ismael in 1873
a protest against favors accorded Circassian
officers; it developed under Tewfk when the Nubar-
Wilson ministry in 1881 proposed to dsband the
army without pay with arrears of pay for twenty
months) it eliminated in 1882 in open and avowed
rebellion.
On Sunday afternoon June II, 1882 about three
o'clock, in the beautiful Place DIES Consus
the European residents of Alexandria, Greeks
Italians. French. Syrian. Armenians, ETC.. with
their wives and chidren.-were sitting as accus-
toned. listening to music watching the gay
equipages which passed eastward to the delightful