DIVORCED FROM TWO HUNDRED WIVES AT ONCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6063, 23 April 1881, Page 7

DIVORCED FROM TWO HUNDRED WIVES AT ONCE.

Sibi Muley Hassan, the Sultan of Morocco, has sent a touching example of radical retrenchment to his subjects. Constrained to thrift by a financial crisis of no ordinary severity, he has shown the true believers submitted to his rule the way to " reform their household bills" in a highly spirited; and thorough-going manner. Having completely drained the Imperial Treasury during his successful efforts to supress the rebellion [that raged throughout his dominions last summer, he has just cut down the Stato expensds by some uncommonly sweeping measures,' the first.o£ which was the reduction of his Sown domestic establishment to about one-half of its normalstrength. He dismissed, at a blow, 200 of his wives, bestowing their hands iipon distinguished officers of his army, whosepay, jn consideration of the high favour .thus conferred, ho docked to the tune of some five and twenty per cent. A pleasing feature of this arrangement—to all, at least, except the immediate recipients of his especial grace —is the fact that His Majesty has made his matrimonial dispositions in such sort that all his older moieties have got new husbands, while he has reserved the young ones to gladden his own hearth. Instead of saddling the'civil list with provision for these superannuated ladies, he has united them to gallant warriors at a positive saving to the public purse, for the gift of each ex-Sultana hasibesn by him decreed to compensate her respective recipient for the loss of one-fourth of his income. Muley Hassan's popularity, it apEears, has been increased to such, an ektent y this noble self-sacrifice on his part, that a few days ago, as he rode from his palace to the chief mosque, he was greeted with enthusiastic acclamation by the whole male populace of Fez, his capital. This is quite a. new experience for the Moroccan Sultan, who has been for some years past at open odds hvith his subjects.—London Daily Telegraph.