Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-03

zan, a big desert state to the south
with hazy outlines, and the province
of Barca, or Cyrenica, to the east.
These constitute the most sterile part
of North Africa, a stretch between
Egypt and Tunis where the desert
runs down to the sea- Lying several
hundred miles out Of the trade route
terranean, behind a coast dangerous
with reefs and bars, they are seldom
visited by Europeans. 1t Is a corner
Of the globe which has been near to
Europe and at the same time far
away.
The leading races of Tripolitana are
four in number-the Berbers, who
seem to be descendants Of the original
inhabitants; the Arabs, from the line
Of the conquerors; the Jews and the
Blacks, a shifting population which
drifts up from the Sudan and back
again along the three great caravan
routes which converge upon the capi-
tai. The Turks, outside the troops and
their officers, are only little handful
of merchants.
Turkey obtains In taxes from the
country about 100000 a year. Two
fifths of the 40 square miles In the
vilayet Of Tripoli Is tillable soil and
Of this two-flfths only one-haf Is util-
lied. The agricultural methods are
Biblical, the grain being sown and
threshed by hand and watered from a
well where the hosting is done by,
camel, mule or man.
When the rain comes the desert
blossoms like the rose, but the water
question is so serious that statistics
show an average Of only four good
harvests out Of ten. The grain crops
are barley, millet, guinea corn and
wheat.
The husbandman Of Tripoli figures
that II he raises more grain than
enough to tide him over till the next
year he will only be doing kind turn
to the tax gatherer or the usurer,
wherefore most Of the farming is done
in haphazard and slovenly style, no
more grain being planted than will
suffice for the wants of the twelve
months ahead. Yet this was once one
of the granaries of Rome. It is believ-
ed that the Sahara desert has spread
to the north since then.
Industry in the towns is slightly
hampered by the three regular week.
Sabbaths, Friday for the Mohamme-
dams, Saturday for the Jews, who have
a quarter to themselves in every town,
called the "Mellah," and Sunday for
the few but influential Christians.
Many make their living by thieving,
which amounts almost to an institu-
| tion. There are marauding desert
tribes besites bands Of lurking high
waymen in the environs Of the towns
and the market places, and the lower
quarters of the cities are infested with
skilful pilferers and robbers. The
Turkish government has done little to
check these immemorial activities, de-
voting its attention to the proper col
lection of the tithes.
OF the three principal industries
sponge gathering along the coast es-
parto picking and the caravan trade
the last named has fallen away sadly
of late because Of the opening up Of
better trade routes by which Soudan-
ese goods can get to the European
consumers. The exports of the coun-
| try consists Of mats, eggs, woolens,
old silver and cattle. About the only
article that comes to the United States
from Tripoli are Sudan skins, from
which cheap grade Of gloves are
Manufactured.
The harbor of Tripoli city is the best
and practically the only one along the
coast, but even this is approached tor
tuously through dangerous shoals and
reefs. Many vessels are wrecked along
the shore every year. The sands Of
the Major and Minor Syrtis may have
been robbed Of their legendary ter
rors, but they still devour the unlucky
craft whose keels become accidentally
embedded in this shifting bosom.
The present city Of Tripoli is on the
site of ancient Roman Oea, which was
occupied by Genseric and his Vandals
dHu ldIGT SdChCu ny Tic uC6CIl
The Arabic invasion began in SAT A.
D., and the untamed Berbers became
Mohammedans. Emperor Charles V.
gave Tripoli together with Malta to
the knights of st. John after Soil
man, the Turk, had driven the order
from Rhodes. Charles's right of gift
isn't entirely clear, but 1t didn't make
much difference because Soliman soon
came over to Tripoli and threw the
nttt Of
The Turks held the country till 1714,
when the Tripolitan Arabs threw off
the yoke and lived under their own
sovereigns, called bashaws, the Arabic
form of pasha, for a hundred years.
Then the Turks again took possession.
1t was during the domination Of the
bashaws, in 1901, that the United
States frigate Philadelphia was lured
on a bar by the tricky pirates of the
bashaws, captured, its crew enslaved
and it's hold filled with swarthy bucca-
neers. The old story tellers Of Tripoli
still relate the tradition Of how Lieut..
Decatur sailed boldly into the harbor
with a handful of determined Ameri-
cans, recaptured the Philadelphia,
burned II and escaped. The blackened
hull of the Philadelphia still lies In the
clear harbor water to prove the story,
and recently parts Of 1t have been
brought up by divers.
Remains Of the Roman occupation
abound A magnificent arch Of Mar
Gus Aurelius stands half buried in the
debris of centuries and Is partly plas-
tered up to serve as a stall for fi5h
dealer. The inscription on the arch
gives the date Of the building as A. d.
164.
Many Of the fine houses Of the town
have Roman columns set In their
walls. The mosques abound in Roman
sculpture and mosaics, still beautiful
in their surroundings Of inferior mod
ern stucco work.