TAMING A SULTAN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 871, 18 July 1910, Page 7

TAMING A SULTAN.

MULAI HAFID AND HIS TORTURES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. London, July 15i Replying in the House of Commons to a question by Mr. W. R. Cowan, Liberal member for Aberdeensliire East, the. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs" (Sir Edward Grey) stated that Great Britain was ready to co-operate with the other Powers in compelling Mulai Hand, the Sultan of Morocco, to conform to the practices of civilised States and. give effective guarantees regarding the abolition, of torture.

CRIMINAL LUNATIC AS RULER, At the desire of Moroccan dignatories who wished to express their detestation of Mulai Hand's tortures, "The Times" correspondent wrote last month:' "After tho imprisonment of Haj Beiiaissa, the Governor of Fez, who was arrested by the Sultan's orders a few weeks ago, his womankind were all seized. As the Sultan's agents failed to discover tho Governor's supposed hidden treasure, his wife was tortured in order to make ,her disclose its whereabouts, which, as it did not exist, she was unable to do. She .died. Letters from Fez to-day state that her son is undergoing torture, and that Haj Benaissa himself is at the point of death from the cruelties perpetrated upon him. "It is about a fortnight since tho European representative at Tangier received a voluntary and explicit undertaking from the Sultan to abolish all cruel punishments. One is perhaps justified iu asking how much longer the European Governments intend to continue ordinary courteous methods of diplomacy with this demoralised inhuman potentate. He has been known for some time past to be addicted to the use of drugs, and letters from Fez to-day state that the Viziers have difficulty in dissuading him from wholesale murders. The state of affairs nt Fez is critical, and a general , impression reigns here that the exasperation tf the native population will shortly find an outlet.