Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18
SOUTH SEAS EXILE
AWAITS RIFF Chief
Island Of Reunion, Where
Krim Must Spend Life,
Offers Many Lures.

Abd-el-Krim, for two years de-
fender of the Riff against the armies
Z of Spain and later against France, Is
to be exiled. News from Paris puts
the Island of Reunion in the limelight
as the future permanent home OF the
Moroccan insurgent.
France carries full stock OF
islands disable for exiles," says bull
letin from the National Geographic
Society. Madagascar was first sug,
gested for Krim, but the weight OF
decision falls 400 miles southeast OF
Madagascar, on Reunion.
what good exile islands have you
nowadays?' one may imagine the
. French minister of war phoning the
minister of colonies.
Some very good ones, indeed the
! colonial minister certainly could re.
ply. There's Devils Island in
French Guiana for criminals, and
then there's New Caledonia, away out
In the Pacific, soothing paradise of
the South Seas. How about MAZDA
gascar? Lots of room on Madagas-
car. Splendidly situated near the
Equator. Or Reunion! There's per-
feet retreat for political exiles. Forty
eight miles long and "a miles wide;
2 volcanoes, and only 107 vessels dock
each year
1900 Miles Away.
..Abd-el-Krim is quite familiar with
Europe 1t may subtract from the
Inconvenience of exile for him to be
set down in an island predoninantly
European. To be sure, the Reunion
ers are not as purely Caucasian as
the British and Dutch of South
Africa. Still, 10000 of the popula-
ton of $4,000 are classed as Euro
peans. Indeed, Reunion is depart
ment of France. The commonly ac-
cepted departments of France are
within $50 miles of Paris. Reunion
is $500 miles by steamer and train
from Paris But who is to say it is
not a department? In the House of
Deputies in Paris, corresponding to
the American House of Representa-
tives, sit two duly elected delegates
from Reunion. In the Senate is a
Reunion senator.
Even the names Reunion has taken
from time to time show its intimate
link with Europe. Like q lady fair in
days of old when knight and. lady
wore ribbons of the same color, Re
union has changed its name with the
rise of new political cOnquerorS on the
continent. Mascarenhas was its first
name, in honor Of a Portuguese dis
coverer who sailed when Portugal was
tfirst-rate power. Louis XIII was in
ascendant in 1913 when F'lacourt
claimed it for France, so 1t became
Bourbon Island. That name was Inn
possible to the revolutionists. The
island therefore became Reunion until
a new knight arose in Europe, when
it became lie Bonaparte. Since 1S4S
Reunion has been the official name.
Layers of Reunion Cake"
SaConditions, geographical, climatic
and Industrial, have changed less fire.
quently than the islands name. Re-
union, ever since its settlement. has
been a sort of agricultural fve-iayer
cake. The shore level is, marked by
the gardens of the ring of towns. Next
comes a sweet layer; the sugar-cane
belt Then a dark green layer of
forests. Fourth Is the plateau region,
where European vegetables can be
raised. The, fifth layer is the brown
Of the volcanic peaks. Only occa.
ei0nally is Reunion cake frosted with
white snow, because the warm sea all
about tempers the climate.
A,1f Mr. Krim cares to examine a
slice of Reunion he will find it sugar
and spice and everything nice The
second layer, as mentioned above is
mostly sugar. Sugar and one OF its
progeny, rum, are the chief exports OF
the island, and during the World War
IT profited and PERHAPS profiteered on
sugar. In the spice line Reunion Of
fers cloves. And thereby hangs
tale.
4AOur medieval ancestors loved to
eat. Where the goth century spends
its surplus on six cylinders, the 18th
century spent it's pin money on its
palate. Its idea OF a square meal
was red meat well seasoned. Seasoned
well did not mean pinch OF salt and
q dash of pepper. Our forebears
doused pepper on their meat and
stuck 1t full OF cloves. Spice Islands
or the Moluccas in the tangled straits
Of the East Indies were found to be
the native habitat Of cloves. The joy
with which the Portuguese greeted
this discovery could only be equaled
today by the burst Of Texas gusher
oil3well. They tried to keep their find
a treasured secret. But the Dutch,
who came into ascendancy, restricted
cloves to Amboyna Island and
ordered their navy tosdestroy all other
cloves trees in every place. In the face
of death at the hands OF the Dutch,
q man named Poivre introduced the
Glove tree to Reunion and neighDorlng
Mauritius, thus emancipating Europe
1EOIu llic 10ISA tAAOhoPo-S'
Geranium Town..
t'Many orchards of Glove trees with
their shiny evergreen leaves can be
seen on Reunion. The Glove buds
are in clusters. First they are green,
then they turn brilliant red, when
they are ready to be picked.
..Another speciality from which Re-
union profits is vanilla. The produc-
ton of vanilla orchid beans Reunion
shares with the Seychelles to the north
and with Mexico.
ssThere are three towns on Reunion
with a population of more than 1000
st. Denis, st. Pierre and st. Paul.
If Abd-el- Krim is given his choice,
st. Pierre would appear to be the most
attractive for permanent residence.
It is the center of the islands trade
in essence of geranium. The flower
Thai decorates our houses and
gardens is a commercial product
here. What a prospect. A life Of
pensioned ease on a tropical Isle anna
N