Gibraltar, an English possession on a peninsula in the extreme south of Spain, contains a population of 25,000, of whom 6,000 belong to the army.

The Rock so celebrated as the strongest fortress in the world, rises above the town 1,400 feet and extends to the end of the peninsula, a distance of four miles. Heavily mounted with guns on solid fortifications, its strongest side is that facing Spain. Within the solid rock have been cut to a great height, roads and galleries; while nothing is visible from the exterior but the portholes through which the muzzles of the guns protrude.

On the top is the signal station from which is a fine view of sea and land. On the side of the hill, midway between the fort and the town, is St. Michael's stalactite cave; and near by, numerous monkeys infest the crevices of the rock, and leap, with chatter and grimace from cliff to cliff.

The Rock, which overlooks the bay, is a thorn in the side of Spain, and serves England as a coaling station for its India-bound steamers; it by no means commands the strait, however, as at this point it is 13 miles wide, and the guns could not carry half that distance.

Ten miles from Gibraltar, are the extensive Cork forests of Spain, where the bark is annually gathered and shipped in large quantities to all parts of the world.

From Gibraltar we crossed the strait and after an exceedingly rough passage reached the northern shores of Africa.

CHAPTER XV.

TANGIERS:

ORAN: BLIDAH :

ALGIERS: MARSEILLES:

CHATEAU D'IF: TOULON: NICE: MONACO.

TANGIERS, a seaport town of Morocco, has a population of 10,000. It presents from the sea a beautiful aspect, its white houses rising in terraces, one above another; but a closer proximity shows the city in a disgustingly filthy condition; its narrow streets swarming with beggars, ragged, crippled and diseased.

The women are enveloped in a voluminous, shapeless, white garment, their faces, with the exception of one eye, completely concealed from view. The men, who are very dark of complexion, wear loose white burnooses, between the opening folds of which is occasionally seen the gleam of their silver mounted daggers; their bare legs terminating in yellow leather slippers, and their heads incased in a red fez, over which is wound the many folds of the conventional white turban.

The bazaar shops are generally about ten feet square; here the Moor sits cross-legged, surrounded by his wares, and transacts business from the door; the chief article of commodity being that fine grade of leather which takes its name from the country.

The city contains three mosques, before entering any one of which the Moor must first wash his feet in a stone trough at the threshold. From the top of each minaret, at sunrise, noon, and sunset, a flag is raised, and the faithful called by voice to prayer.

The Prison is simply a dungeon with a dirt floor, light and communication being obtained only through an aperture in the door. The prisoners are not only chained and beaten unmercifully, but are left by the government to starve, unless food or money is furnished them by private charities.

The Market-place is an open space outside of the city walls which on market days is a scene of great activity and bustle; hundreds of camels and donkeys loaded with dates and other articles of merchandise from the interior, are grouped around; the camels kneeling while their owners relieve them of their burthens, and spread their wares on the ground before them. In the midst of this motley throng, wild, half-naked men from the Atlas mountains- religious fanatics-dance their uncouth measures, writhing, and foaming at

the mouth, while they strike their closely-shaved heads with sharp instruments, cutting, bruising, and mangling them to a mass of bleeding, quivering flesh, apparently unconscious of the self-inflicted pain. Here the snake-charmers ply their singular avocation, displaying their perfect control over the movements of the huge reptiles to the sound of their peculiar instruments. A portion of the market-place is devoted to the sale of slaves; the auctioneer standing in the midst of the wretched creatures, cries in a loud voice for the highest bidder; after the auction, those remaining unsold are driven through the streets to be sold for whatever price they may bring.

A man who wields a wonderful degree of power in Morocco without being absolutely in official authority, is the Prince Hadj Abdes Salem, or the "Saint," as he is called, a direct descendant of Mohammed, who is not only worshipped by the people, but to whom even the Emperor of Morocco must kneel for permission before assuming office. In person he is a man of apparently 45 years of age, weighing some 250 lbs., and so dark of complexion as to be almost black; in dress he is plain, distinguished from other Moors only by the green fez which indicates a descendant of Mohammed. The Saint has a decided partiality for the English and Americans, perhaps induced by the influence of his American wife, who visiting the country as governess to an English

family, charmed the Moslem by her beauty and grace, and consented to accept the dubious honor of being his favorite wife. In the suburbs she

dwells in her own private residence, while in the town is the prince's harem, consisting of several hundred women, which is jealously guarded by a large number from among his many thousand slaves.

A cordial invitation was extended us by the prince to attend a nine days' boar hunt, escorted by his suite and attendants numbering some 2,000 men; the slaves attending the hunt in the capacity of beaters.

Only the ladies of our party were admitted into the harems. One of these is worthy of description. The entrance was through a courtyard whose gates were guarded by black eunuchs. The reception-room was a fair example of the oriental style; the walls were hung in draperies of silk and gold tissues; the floor covered with costly Persian rugs; while scattered around were cushions and divans of rare stuffs and inviting shape, suggestive of ease and repose; and over all the reflection of the vast mirrors lent additional brilliancy to the scene. Here reclining in various graceful attitudes, were the beauties of the harem; fair Georgians, lovely Circassians and dark-eyed Persians, gorgeously apparelled, and decked in resplendent jewels. Refreshments—tea, sherbets, and comfits

were served in delicate porcelain,