CONCLUSION.

BEFORE taking leave of the subject of the Cyrenaica, it will not be out of place to offer a few remarks upon the future prospects of this beautiful country.

It may, I think, be safely premised that, so long as it remains in the hands of its present rulers and occupants, no great change in its condition is likely to take place, either for the better or the worse. From what has been already stated in a former chapter, it will be seen that the present state of the country, and the character and peculiar habits of its inhabitants are, to a great extent, mutually dependent on each other. That is to say, the physical condition of the country, owing to the absence of rivers or any large artificial reservoirs for water, is not adapted to the requirements of a settled sedentary population, and therefore tends to confirm the Bedouins in their wandering, and consequently wild and lawless, habits; while, on the other hand, it is hardly to be expected that a race of people like the Arabs would exert themselves in achieving public works for the purpose of making the country suited for a manner of life which they have been taught from infancy to hate and despise. As an illustration of this, I may mention that the road which we made from Cyrene to Marsa Sousah, instead of being regarded as a benefit to that part of the country, was looked upon with considerable suspicion as a means of facilitating the movements of troops sent by the Government.

Nor is this indisposition on the part of the inhabitants likely to be compensated for by the energy of a government which exists in little more than the name. Justice is not administered, crime is not punished, and life and property are wholly unprotected. The collection of tribute is, in fact, the only function of government performed by the representatives of the Sultan.

The expediency of forming a colony of Maltese in the Cyrenaica has, we believe, been sometimes contemplated; but it is evident that, in such a state of affairs, successful colonization by Europeans would be impossible. In the first place, a general system of irrigation by means of reservoirs and cisterns for the collection of the rains in winter, would have to be created; roads and harbours would also be required to make the resources of the country available for the purposes of commerce; works which could only be carried out under the protection of a powerful government. There is little hope of Turkey ever acquiring the enlightened energy necessary for such a task, and the example of Algeria as a French colony is probably not such as to induce any other European nation to attempt it. It is a remarkable fact that a region once so prosperous, and even now blessed with a salubrious climate, a fertile soil, and an excellent geographical position, should have remained for centuries on the very borders of Europe, not only undeveloped, but almost unknown. And from the combination of causes which we have indicated, it seems not improbable that it may remain in the same condition for many years to come.