TUNIS AND ITS GOVERNMENT.
Picturesque Situation of Tunis.--The Horse Market.--Effects of
Race.--The Bazaars.--Mohamed Medea.--The Bardo.--The Bey of
Tunis.--His Mode of administering Justice.--Prince Puckler
Muskau's Account of his Interview.
Tunis is situated on the borders of a lake, or rather inlet of the
sea. It is surrounded by a crenelated wall, which resembles very much
that of Constantinople. Like that city, too, Tunis, from the exterior,
presents a very imposing aspect; but enter the city, and the illusion
vanishes; there is the same dirt, the same narrow and filthy streets,
as in the Turkish capital. The dogs alone are wanting to make the
comparison perfect. An ancient historian has called this place _Tunis
the white_; but, like other whited sepulchres, it is very foul within.
The horses, the really thorough-bred ones, are the finest objects in
Tunis. As in the canine and human, so in every other race, blood will
tell. The Arab horse, though by no means so swift for a short distance
as his English cousin, has a most marvellous power of endurance. He is
also extremely sure footed, and scarcely ever comes down. I weigh over
thirteen stone, yet have frequently ridden the same horse forty
English miles per diem, over country that would infallibly cut up your
English two hundred guinea hunter. They also, so to speak, live on
air. Their chief drawback is that they are, with few exceptions,
stallions, and, consequently, when tethered or standing near each
other, are very apt to fight most desperately, or else break loose
from their tetherings, when a long and wearisome pursuit is the
necessary result. It is very difficult to come across the best _pur
sang_ horses, as the Arabs are afraid of the Bey's taking a fancy to
them, and taking them by force; and, consequently, they often
purposely mutilate them, lest he should seize them to himself. There
are also some very fine bazaars at Tunis, and the otto of roses there
is especially excellent. Our Consul has a very fine, large house, and
dispenses his hospitalities, &c., very generously to his compatriots.
His lady is also a most amiable person. Tunis is, I hear, celebrated
for the manufacture of the red cap, usually termed "fez," which is
worn generally throughout Mussulman countries, and universally by the
military. The Tunisian soldiers wear the plaque in front of the fez,
in lieu of on the top, like the Turkish. As soon as I had selected my
horse, a fine black thorough-bred Arab (whose price was four hundred
francs only), I used to make excursions every day into the country,
sometimes alone, sometimes attended, always armed, as the Francs of
Tunis told me many stories of the dangers arising from going out in
the country unarmed, among the Arabs. I think a great number of them
were very much exaggerated. One of the places I was fond of riding to
was Mohamed Medea, about twelve miles from Tunis, very prettily
situated, where there was a very fine ruin of a Roman aqueduct, and
eke a French restaurant, where a _dejeuner_, made more agreeable by a
twelve miles' ride, was served in quite Parisian style. The reason of
there being a French restaurant is this:--The present Bey, on his
accession, determined to build a fresh palace at this place; and,
being under a sort of douce compulsion, employs nothing but French
architects and operatives, who make the hotel their head-quarters, it
being about the only Christian house in the entire place. Quail
abounded in this vicinity, and there were _pas mal de sangliers_. To
escape from the _ennui_ of the _table d'hote dejeuner_ at Tunis,
occupied by French bagmen and milliners, and served in a stuffy hole
of a back kitchen, I used frequently to make Angelo put my breakfast
in my _sacoche_ (saddle-bag), consisting of a piece of cold meat and
some _vin du pays_, and then ride out, dismount, and breakfast _al
fresco_, or rather _al bosco_; sometimes I am sorry to confess to
breaking the eighth commandment, as I helped myself to my dessert of
oranges, from the trees near or under which I sat. The Arabs, _malgre_
the ogre histories I had heard of murder and robbery, were always most
civil, and would accept, in spite of the prophet, a glass of wine from
my hands though our conversation was of course of the most limited
description, unless Angelo was present to interpret. It is true I
always was armed.
The Bardo is one of the lions of Tunis. It is the country residence of
the Bey, and, besides the harem, contains a hall of justice and
barracks. It is at Bardo that the Bey holds his court of justice, in
which the cases are decided very quickly, and with great precision.
The interior of the harem, according to a French traveller, who had
visited it, is fitted up very gracefully. There is a magnificent _jet
d'eau_ in the marble court of the interior. The gallery running round
this court on the second storey is furnished with a very artistically
elaborated railing, or grating, part of which is painted green, part
gilt. Behind this railing the ladies of the harem get a sly peep at
those who visit his highness. The vast saloon in which the Bey
receives his visitors is hung with crimson velvet, embroidered with
gold, and the ceiling is also gilt and painted over in brilliant
colours. From the two sides of the wall are suspended different
descriptions of arms, richly manufactured; on the right, they consist
of swords and poniards; on the left, of various kinds of muskets and
pistols. Gold, silver, and precious stones sparkle out from these
arms. Under these weapons are ranged three rows of divans, covered
with a thick sort of red silk. The centre of the apartment is
furnished with magnificent Persian carpets. On the lowest of the
divans, the principal courtiers seat themselves, on solemn days of
reception, in double file; while at the extremity, the Bey reclines on
an ottoman placed crossways, and covered with white satin. In Europe,
we might, with great advantage, take a wrinkle or two from this
semi-barbarian prince as regards the administration of justice with
expedition. The Bey of Tunis is, at one and the same time, the chief
governor of the realm, the administrator of the public revenues, and
the final judge of all grand cases. From his immediate authority
depends the administration of the police, the imposition of taxes, the
various diplomatic relations, and the superintendence of the army and
navy.
We Europeans can scarcely comprehend how one man can look after so
many different details, or direct them with order and precision. But
in this country, mark, oh! red-tapeists, everything relating to
interior administration is reduced to the greatest simplicity, and
from this simplicity, freed from the complicated system of European
red-tapeism and bureaucracy, results, it is to be hoped, a strict
economy in public expenses, and a rapid process in the courts of
justice and other Government affairs. Where a European prince would
require a hundred different _employes_, here five or six clerks
suffice. Besides the celerity and economy resulting from such a
system, a third no less important advantage is derived, viz., the
facility with which the Bey is able to superintend the conduct of the
ministers, being so few in number, and immediately detect and punish
those in whom any act of embezzlement or fraud has been detected; and
punishment in this country immediately follows detection. Verily,
there are advantages in autocratic as well as in constitutional
dynasties!!
In the administration of justice, too, the Bey is supreme judge, from
whom there is no appeal. The celerity with which causes are tried and
judged, is, I am told, perfectly astounding. The case merely consists
in a simple exposition of the facts, and such is the wonderful power
of discernment of the merits of the case which the Bey thinks he has
obtained from long habit, that it is said he rarely deliberates. The
court is open to the public--even to Christians! I did not go; but
Prince Puckler Muskau has left an account of his presence there. After
giving a description of the room, &c., and the Bey's entry, the Prince
proceeds:--"The Bey was now presented with a magnificent pipe, which
was at least ten feet long. After a few puffs, the audience commenced.
The civil and criminal procedure is so summary, that a great majority
of cases were decided in as many minutes as they would have taken
years in Europe. The subject of the causes was frequently very
trivial, yet the patience of the sovereign was by no means exhausted.
I thought, in general, that the pleaders were satisfied with the Bey's
decision. One sees, by this, that the Bey's place is no sinecure; and
I am told that few monarchs in Christian countries have so much
personally to do. The Bey sits every day in the court, from eight in
summer, and from nine in winter, till mid-day; and illness, or absence
from town, is his only excuse for non-attendance. His other
governmental duties occupy pretty well the rest of his day."
Each country has an "idea," I suppose, that its own Government is
best, and perhaps it is as well it should be so. The man who travels
much sees the defects and the advantages of each. Our Parliament would
certainly not easily be acclimatised in Barbary, nor would a Bey
exactly do to grace the British throne. What, for instance, would we
think of such a proclamation as this in the _London Gazette_, on a
king's accession? It was issued by Mustapha, the father of the present
Bey, to the consuls of Christian powers:--"Glory to princes of the
religion of Messiah. To the chosen by the great of the nation of
Jesus, our most honoured, most longed for, most magnificent, and most
powerful friend, the King of ----, we make known, friendly, the
following: On Wednesday, 23rd of the month of Moharrem the sacred, of
the present year 1251, at the moment when the sun illumined the
horizon, the hour marked by destiny having struck for my most honoured
brother, Hassein Basha, he emigrated towards the mansion of eternity,"
&c. &c.