ON TO TUNIS.
Algeria in general.--The Arabs and their Conquerors.--Antagonism
between the Two Races.--Social Condition of the Arabs.--The Oasis
steamer.--Arrival at Tunis.
On the 28th of March I left Bona in the steamer _Oasis_. The engine
broke down shortly after leaving the port, and, as the sails were
absolutely useless, we had the pleasant consciousness of drifting
towards a lee shore; but in a short time the damage was luckily
repaired, and we proceeded on our voyage.
The accounts I had heard of Algeria had not prepared me to find such a
flourishing state of affairs as I really found to exist in the
community. The colony possesses fine harbours, a magnificent soil, and
a glorious climate; numerous towns, with good hotels, are springing up
in the interior. It is true that many of the immigrants are not
French, but the majority are of that nation; and all the inhabitants,
after a few years, adopt the French manners and language. The
non-Gallic population are chiefly Spaniards, Italians, Maltese, and
Germans. I met only one party of English at Bona, where a community of
eighteen souls have been brought over by a Mr. Vincent; they appear
to thrive very well. I was told that Count Z---- intended establishing
an English village near Bona.
From the general prosperity, I, of course, except the Moors and Arabs,
who will never, I believe, adopt European civilisation; they seem to
recoil from before it, like the wild beasts of their native deserts.
The French people certainly pointed out to me in the towns one or
two _Europeanised_ Arabs, and laughed at the idea of their ever
becoming "_Francais_." From what I saw, the natives merely adopted
the vices without the good qualities of the dominant race. If to be
civilised consists in sitting in the _cafes_, drinking absinthe,
playing cards, and speaking bad French, I certainly saw one or two
most unquestionable specimens of the Arab adaptability to Gallic
impressions; but, with the exception of these brilliant results, I
never saw the least token of intercourse between the Moors and
their conquerors; indeed, each nation may be said entirely to ignore
the existence of the other. The peculiarity of Mussulman habits,
with regard to women, entirely precludes all prospect of a future
mixture of the two races--such an amalgamation, for instance, as
occurred in our own country between the Norman-French conquerors
and the conquered Saxons. So well are the French aware of this
impossibility, that I have seen the question of the expediency of
utterly expelling the Mussulmans from Algeria gravely discussed in
the French journals.
Another method proposed was, that the young Arabs who had attained the
military age of from eighteen to twenty-two years, should be
transferred to France, there to pass their period of service as
infantry soldiers only, that opportunities might be found, during
their "soldiering years," for instructing them in agriculture, and the
rudiments of civilised education. This appears to me a sufficiently
feasible plan; but I suspect that the Arab converts to civilisation
would, on their return to their native land, quickly relapse into
their old idle, roving habits, their primitive mode of life, and their
inborn hatred of the infidel, whom they now regard as an instrument
sent by Providence to inflict vengeance on the true believer for his
apathy, and culpable neglect of his religious duties, including the
propagation of his faith by fire and sword. Still, they believe the
time to be approaching when every true son of the prophet shall "hae
his ain" again; and it is past the power of mortal man to shake a
Mahometan's trust and reliance on Destiny.
For the rest, the French behave with the greatest toleration towards
all members of the Moorish faith, who are allowed to perform every
rite of their religion, and polygamy even is permitted to prevail
among the Mussulman population. At Bona, a very handsome mosque is
being erected on the Grand Place by the Government. Tolerant
themselves, the French refuse, with perfect justice, to suffer any
display of bigotry or fanaticism on the part of the Mahometans towards
the Christian community; the consequence is, that the mosques and
other resorts of Mahometans are all thrown open to European visitors.
My dog Nero was a most decided favourite on board the French steamer,
_Oasis_. Everybody was caressing and patting him, from the captain to
the stewardess, rather a nice young female, from Germany, who took him
under her especial protection, and looked after his creature-comforts
in a way that must have aroused the most lively gratitude in the
canine bosom of the said Nero. Poor old dog! he seemed quite
bewildered at the attention he received, not only here, but also on
board the French man-of-war, the _Tartar_, where the French soldiers
and sailors were crowding around him all day long, and overwhelming
him with favours, in the shape of bits of meat, when they took their
meals. A number of Arabs were sleeping about the deck. These children
of the desert used to excite Nero's especial wonder. Whenever he was
let loose, he was sure to be sniffing about among the prostrate
figures, examining their faces and _bournouses_, and often waking them
up with a start, to the intense delight of the French tars.
On our arrival off La Goulette, the only anchorage for ships, situated
about eight miles from Tunis, by sea, and nine miles by land, we were
greeted by a scene of the most tremendous confusion. All the feluccas
were rowed by Arabs, and their shouting, swearing, and gesticulation
exceeded all my former experiences of the kind, Stamboul not
excepted. A little patience, and a good deal of backsheesh, enabled us
to pass our baggage through the Douane; and we sent it on by boat to
Tunis, whither we proceeded by land in a carriage, and a drizzling
rain. Once on the way we stopped, at what the inhabitants term the
"Carthaginian cistern," to take in some exceedingly dirty water, from
a fountain of old-fashioned appearance. The carriage windows were
closed on account of the rain--an arrangement which interfered a good
deal with my view of the surrounding country. Twice only, before we
arrived at Tunis, my companion, a Russian, opened the window--to spit!
On the first of these occasions, I got a glimpse of a large heap of
immense stones, which were pointed out to me as the ruins of Carthage,
and a grove of olives, looking dismal exceedingly in the drizzling
rain. On the second occasion, I saw the lakes, and a solitary Tunisian
sentinel. This soldier was dressed much in the Turkish costume, and I
should scarcely have known him from an Osmanli, but that he wore the
brass plaque in the front of his scarlet fez, instead of at the top.
As we approached Tunis, we became involved in an increasing crowd of
loaded asses and mules; and, amid a great deal of screeching and
shouting, we made our entry into the city, and drove to the Hotel
de France, where we obtained such a complete view of an old wall,
that it effectually prevented us from seeing anything else. The
rooms, or rather holes, assigned to us, were so miserable, that we
tried the solitary opposition shop the place can boast--the Hotel
de Provence--but found that here we should fare rather worse than in
the Hotel de France. There was a third establishment--a tavern,
rejoicing in the magniloquent title of "Hotel of the Britannic
Isles"--but as this hostelry was entirely occupied by sailors and
Maltese skippers, we declined to avail ourselves of the "Britannic"
accommodation. There was a great crowd of rather miscellaneous
company at the _table-d'hote_. One French female, whom, without
offence to gallantry, I may be permitted to describe as the ugliest
woman I met in my travels, excited my especial horror. This charming
person actually amused herself, and disgusted her neighbours, by
indulging, _across the table_, in an amusement generally associated
in men's minds with the chewing of tobacco! I discovered, however,
that she was only a servant maid.