BARBARY COAST

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 272, 13 August 1938, Page 5 (Supplement)

BARBARY COAST

A Vivid Historical

Survey

“The Coast of Barbary.” by Jane •Soames (Loudon: Capo).

“The Coast of Barbary" is au historical survey of Ihe nort h African coast from t'he fall of t nrthage. 116 8.C., to tlie present, day. and an attempt to estimate wluit the future holds in store for the French Protectorates of Morocco and Tunisia, the province of Algeria and the Italian colony of Libya. The book contains fewer than 300 pages, and in so short a space Miss Soames lias drawn a remarkably complete picture. She deals witli the Roman civilisation in North Africa, which lasted for practically 500 years, the coming of the Vandals, the Bezantine re-conquest, and the Moslem invasion in the middle of tin* seventh century. Then for more than 1000 years North Africa was cut off from Euro|>e —a world apart, alien, Mohammedan, unknown. During these years there were many attempts lo break the wall, but practically speaking, Barbary main tained total independence of Euroix'itn domination until the nineteenth century. It was not. until then that Moslem ' ifeneescrumbled..‘itid the credit lies at: the door of fite French. In IS 10 they captured Algiers, arid from then began their conquests of Algeria. Morocco and Tunisia. Later came the Italian conquest of Libya. The att'hor expresses great respect for the achievements of these two nations In North Africa, and concert! for their difficulties at the present time. Miss Soames points out that the fer-

tility of the country during Roman times, its enormous exports of wheat and oil. and the vast increases of population were due to Roman methods of cultivation. The neglect and ultimate abandonin' t of Roman irrigation and hydraulic works as well as the gradual deforestation o” the land in Moslem times turned the country into a desert waste. Since the advent of the French and Italian, population lias more than doubled, agriculture production has increased" enormously, cornlands, olive groves and vineyards now flourish where before grew only a few miserable crops. Maur hundreds of square miles of waste land have been reclaimed and to-day tobacco is grown on land which previously kept only a few nomad shepherds. In ancient times, as in modern, the prosperity and fertility of the country was due to the application of labour to raw materials.

In spite of this prosperity there is at tlie present time widespread discontent, and the Moslem people, roused from

their lethargy, are claiming independence and self-government. There is a world-wide Pan-Islamic movement witli which North Africa is linked. Moreover, strategically these provinces tire of the utmost importance. Germany has seized tlie opportunity of the Spanish war to establish bases there, ami Italy, well established in Libya, now covets Tunisia. Is Britain awuke? Miss Soames says. “We in this country have every reason for desiring to see a solution to the present state of tension. Gibraltar and Malta, our chief bases on tlie road to India, are too near Barbary for us to be able to look on with indifference, should any dangerous movement arise there likely to embarrass the French Government, weaken its defences, or re-’ duee its effective fighting force.” And later, “It would lie a tragedy beyond imputation if these splendid achievements (speaking of the work done by France and Italy), for which the world is the richer, were to be imperilled either through rivalry between tlie European Bowers or tlie disaffection of the Moslem population, which, if it becomes serious, could not fail to have wide repercussions.” No precis could do justice to this interesting book. As a record of the history of Barbary, it is excellent, for it deals only with essential facts, is concise and clear, and written in a fine, forceful style. As an estimate of the present-day situation, it is recommendtis being sensible, logical, and unbiased. And as a picture of past ages, of Eastern art and archeology it is. extremely vivid.