The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-17

in by high white walls" The walls
are blank except for doorway leading
into courts. A peep through an open
door reveals some of the city's gar
den spots-flower beds surrounding
fountains, shaded by lofty palms.
Some courts are also used as minia-
ture farmyards where cattle and
fowls are fattened for the market.
Most travellers agree that a visit to
the large market, lying just outside of
the city wall, is well worth trip to
Tangier. There city folk mingle with
the rural folk from the fertile regions
in the vicinity. Men, women and
children, camels, horses, donkeys, dogs
and fowls, all are huddled together in
the dust amid piles of oranges, bas-
kets of eggs, casks of olives and i'm
provised stands for nuts, dates, can
dies, kitchen utensils and homemade
shoes. The country women wear
broad-brimmed straw hats. The strict
er Moslems wear kerchiefs half COW
ering their faces.
Around the edge Of the market place
letter writer's and fortune tellerS ply
their professions black, pOrtly Su-
danese negroes in tatters dance to
the tune of metal cymbals and disks
dangling about their bodies, and the
fre-eater and snake-charmer amaze
throngs with their clever tricks.
OF all the side shows. that of the
snake-charmer, perhaps, is strangest.
AS his assistant beats doleful TOM
tom, he draws Kissing reptile from
a sack, allows it to bite his tongue
and wipes away the blood with a
handful of shavings After convincing
his audience that he is really wound
ed, he rolls the wet shavings into a
pellet which he places in dry shaw
ings Then he blows on the mass I'M
til it smokes and later bursts into
flames. Your native guide will say
'he is a very holy man."
The variety and congestion of life
in Tangier give an impression of size
which the estimated census does not
warrant. The city has only about
$4,000 people. 1t is spread over a
half bowl opening into the straits Of
Gibraltar. Little is manufactured
and the exports are slight. But there
are heavy imports for points through.
out Morocco.
Tangier's strategic Importance lies
in the fact that it is at the southern
entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar
and as a fortified naval base might
prove almost as effectual in blocking
that exceedingly important passage
as the famous rock itself The city is
only So miles southwest of the Rock
of Gibraltar and is barely % miles
from the nearest point on the Span
ish mainland.
ceuta Is Spanish City.
Different is Ceuta, on the Mediter.
ranean side Of the Strait of Gibraltar,
and in the Spanish zone. Modern
Ceuta is a military and penal station
for Spain. The architecture and at
mosphere of the town are predomi-
nantly Spanish. For several hundred
years the mosque has been used as a
cathedral. The cathedral and the
governors palace are the only build
ings of architectural interest. The
medieval Notifications, with their an
cient moat and drawbridges, have
have been partly modernized.
The town is peopled mostly by the
scI> hn
victs. There are a number of Moors
resident there, and colonies Of Jews
and negroes.
Lying behind the southern "Pillar
of Hercules" Ceuta has the same nat
ural strategic position as has Gibral-
tar, opposite the strait. Neighboring
Spanish towns and Gibraltar are kept
in regular communication with Ceuta
by steamers and "faluchos," small
rowboats equipped with one lateen
sail.
Originally Carthaginian colony,
Ceuta was brought by various sieges
under the control of the Romans, Van
dals, Goths, Arabs, Berbers, Portu-
guese and Spanish. For short time
during the Nineteenth century Ceuta
was even occupied by British troops
but it was restored to Spain by Britain
at the close of the Napoleonic wars.
Ceuta reached her pinnacle of COM
mercial greatness in the Middle ages
when her Moroccan brassware found
a lively market in Europe. The Ital-
ians priced it as highly as silver.
Caravan trade in ivory, gold and
slaves brought prosperity from the
south. Ceuta claims at this period to
have been the first place in the west
to establish paper mandatory.
During the period Of its industrial
success, this African port was the
commercial ally of Genoa. The Gen.
oese repaid a monopoly on Ceuta's
exports by maintaining galleys in her
port to protect her from the danger
Of invasion by Spanish pirates.
In 1415 Ceuta was captured by Don
Juan I Of Portugal. The city became
subject to Spain in 1880 when that
country subjugated Portugal. Several
unsuccessful attempts have been made
by the Moors to besiege it since that
time