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TRAVELS IN MOROCCO, BY THE LATE JAMES RICHARDSON, AUTHOR OF "A MISSION TO CENTRAL AFRICA, ""TRAVELS IN THE DESERT OF SAHARA, " &C. 

EDITED BY HIS WIDOW. 

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IN TWO VOLUMES. 

VOL. II. 

CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME. 

CHAPTER I. 

The Mogador Jewesses. --Disputes between the Jew and the Moor. --MelancholyScenes. --The Jews of the Atlas. --Their Religion. --Beautiful Women. --TheFour Wives. --Statues discovered. --Discrepancy of age of married people. --Young and frail fair ones. --Superstition respecting Salt. --WhiteBrandy. --Ludicrous Anecdote. 

CHAPTER II. 

The Maroquine dynasties. --Family of the Shereefian Monarchs. --Personalappearances and character of Muley Abd Errahman. --Refutation of thecharge of human sacrifices against the Moorish Princes. --Genealogy ofthe reigning dynasty of Morocco. --The tyraufc Yezeed, (halfIrish). --Muley Suleiman, the "The Shereeff of Shereefs. "--Diplomaticrelations of the Emperor of Morocco with European Powers. --Muley Ismaelenamoured with the French Princess de Conti. --Rival diplomacy of Franceand England near the Maroquine Court. --Mr. Hay's correspondence withthis Court on the Slave-trade. --Treaties between Great Britain andMorocco; how defective and requiring amendment. --Unwritten engagements. 

CHAPTER III. 

The two different aspects by which the strength and resources of theEmpire of Morocco may be viewed or estimated. --Native appellation ofMorocco. --Geographical limits of this country. --Historical review of theinhabitants of North Africa, and the manner in which this region wassuccessively peopled and conquered. --The distinct varieties of the humanrace, as found in Morocco. --Nature of the soil and climate of thiscountry. --Derem, or the Atlas chain of mountains. --Naturalproducts. --The Shebbel, or Barbary salmon; different characters ofexports of the Northern and Southern provinces. --The ElæonderronArgan. --Various trees and plants. --Mines. --The Sherb-Errech, orDesert-horse. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Division of Morocco into kingdoms or States, and zones or regions. --Description of the towns and cities on the Maroquine coasts of theMediterranean and Atlantic waters. --The Zafarine Isles. --Melilla. --Alhucemas. --Penon de Velez. --Tegaza. --Provinces of Rif and Garet. --Tetouan. --Ceuta. --Arzila. --El Araish. --Mehedia. --Salee. --Rabat. --Fidallah. --Dar-el-Beidah. --Azamour. --Mazagran. --Saffee. --Waladia. 

CHAPTER V. 

Description of the Imperial Cities or Capitals of the Empire. --El-Kesar. --Mequinez. --Fez. --Morocco. --The province of Tafilett, thebirth-place of the present dynasty of the Shereefs. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Description of the towns and cities of the Interior, and those of theKingdom of Fez. --Seisouan. --Wazen. --Zawiat. --Muley Dris. --Sofru. --Dubdu. --Taza. --Oushdah. --Agla. --Nakbila. --Meshra. --Khaluf. --The Placesdistinguished in. Morocco, including Sous, Draka, and Tafilett. --Tefza. --Pitideb. --Ghuer. --Tyijet. --Bulawan. --Soubeit--Meramer. --El-Medina. --Tagodast. --Dimenet. --Aghmat. --Fronga. --Tedmest. --Tekonlet. --Tesegdelt. --Tagawost. --Tedsi Beneali. --Beni Sabih. --Tatta and Akka. --Mesah orAssah. --Talent. --Shtouka. --General observations on the statistics ofpopulation. --The Maroquine Sahara. 

CHAPTER VII. 

London Jew-boys. --Excursion to the Emperor's garden, and the ArganForests. --Another interview with the Governor of Mogador on theAnti-Slavery Address. --Opinion of the Moors on the Abolition of Slavery. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

El-Jereed, the Country of Dates. --Its hard soil. --Salt Lake. Its vastextent. --Beautiful Palm-trees. --The Dates, a staple article of Food. --Some Account of the Date-Palm. --Made of Culture. --Delicious Beverage. --Tapping the Palm. --Meal formed from the Dates. --Baskets made of theBranches of the Tree. --Poetry of the Palm. --Its Irrigation. --Palm-Groves. --Collection of Tribute by the "Bey of the Camp. "

CHAPTER IX. 

Tour in the Jereed of Captain Balfour and Mr. Reade. --Sidi Mohammed. --Plain of Manouba. --Tunis. --Tfeefleeah. --The Bastinado. --TurkishInfantry. --Kairwan. --Sidi Amour Abeda. --Saints. --A French Spy--Administration of Justice. --The Bey's presents. --The Hobara. --Ghafsa. Hot streams containing Fish. --Snakes. --Incantation. --Moorish Village. 

CHAPTER X. 

Toser. --The Bey's Palace. --Blue Doves. --The town described. --Industryof the People. --Sheikh Tahid imprisoned and punished. --Leghorn. --TheBoo-habeeba. --A Domestic Picture. --The Bey's Diversions. --The Bastinado. --Concealed Treasure. --Nefta. --The Two Saints. --Departure of Santa Maria. --Snake-charmers. --Wedyen. --Deer Stalking. --Splendid view of the Sahara. --Revolting Acts. --Qhortabah. --Ghafsa. --Byrlafee. --Mortality among theCamels--Aqueduct. --Remains of Udina. --Arrival at Tunis. --The Boab'sWives. --Curiosities. --Tribute Collected. --Author takes leave of theGovernor of Mogador, and embarks for England. --Rough Weather. --Arrivalin London. 

APPENDIX. 

TRAVELS IN MOROCCO. 

CHAPTER I. 

The Mogador Jewesses. --Disputes between the Jew and the Moor. --MelancholyScenes. --The Jews of the Atlas. --Their Religion. --Beautiful Women. --TheFour Wives. --Statues discovered. --Discrepancy of age of married people. --Young and frail fair ones. --Superstition respecting Salt. --WhiteBrandy. --Ludicrous Anecdote. 

Notwithstanding the imbecile prejudices of the native Barbary Jews, suchof them who adopt European habits, or who mix with European merchants, are tolerably good members of society, always endeavouring to restraintheir own peculiarities. The European Jewesses settled in Mogador, areindeed the belles of society, and attend all the balls (such as theyare). The Jewess sooner forgets religious differences than the Jew, andI was told by a Christian lady, it would be a dangerous matter for aChristian gentleman to make an offer of marriage to a Mogador Jewess, unless in downright earnest; as it would be sure to be accepted. 

Monsieur Delaport, Consul of France, was the first official person whobrought prominently forward the native and other Jews into the Europeansociety of this place, and since then, these Jews have improved in theirmanners, and increased their respectability. The principal European Jewsare from London, Gibraltar, and Marseilles. Many native Jews haveattempted to wear European clothes; and a European hat, or coat, is nowthe rage among native Jewesses, who all aspire to get a husband wearingeither. Such are elements of the progress of the Jewess population inthis part of the world, and there is no doubt their position has beengreatly ameliorated within the last half century, or since the time ofAli Bey, who thus describes their wretched condition in his days. 

"Continual disputes arise between the Jew and the Moor; when the Jew iswrong, the Moor takes his own satisfaction, and if the Jew be right, helodges a complaint with the judge, who always decides in favour of theMussulman. I have seen the Mahometan children amuse themselves bybeating little Jews, who durst not defend themselves. When a Jew passesa mosque, he is obliged to take off his slippers, or shoes; he must dothe same when he passes the house of the Kaëd, the Kady, or anyMussulman of distinction. At Fez, and in some other towns, they areobliged to walk barefooted. " Ali Bey mentions other vexations andoppressions, and adds, "When I saw the Jews were so ill-treated andvexed in every way, I asked them why they did not go to another country. They answered that they could not do so, because they were slaves of theSultan. " Again he says, "As the Jews have a particular skill inthieving, they indemnify themselves for the ill-treatment they receivefrom the Moors, by cheating them daily. "

Jewesses are exempt from taking off their slippers, or sandals, whenpassing the mosques. The late Emperor, Muley Suleiman, [1] professed tobe a rigidly exact Mussulman, and considered it very indecent, and agreat scandal that Jewesses, some of them, like most women of thiscountry, of enormous dimensions, should be allowed to disturb the decentframe of mind of pious Mussulmen, whilst entering the threshold of thehouse of prayer, by the sad exhibitions of these good ladies stoopingdown and shewing their tremendous calves, when in the act of taking offtheir shoes before passing the mosques. For such reasons, Jewesses arenow privileged and exempted from the painful necessity of walkingbarefoot in the streets. 

The policy of the Court in relation to the Jews continually fluctuates. Sometimes, the Emperor thinks they ought to be treated like the rest ofhis subjects; at other times, he seems anxious to renew in all itsvigour the system described by Ali Bey. Hearing that the Jews ofTangier, on returning from Gibraltar, would often adopt the Europeandress, and so, by disguising themselves, be treated like Christians andEuropeans, he ordered all these would-be Europeans forthwith to beundressed, and to resume their black turban. 

Alas, how were all these Passover, Tabernacle and wedding festivals, these happy and joyous days of the Jewish society of Mogador, changed onthe bombardment of that city! What became of the rich and powerfulmerchants, the imperial vassals of commerce with their gorgeous wivesbending under the weight of diamonds, pearls, and precious gems, duringthat sad and unexpected period? The newspapers of the day recorded themelancholy story. Many of the Jews were massacred, or buried underneaththe ruins of the city; their wives subjected to plunder; the rest wereleft wandering naked and starving on the desolate sandy coast of theAtlantic, or hidden in the mountains, obtaining a momentary respite fromthe rapacious fury of the savage Berbers and Arabs. 

It is well known that, while the French bombarded Tangier and Mogadorfrom without, the Berber and Arab tribes, aided by the _canaille_ of theMoors, plundered the city from within. Several of the Moorish rabbledeclared publicly, and with the greatest cowardice and villainouseffrontery, "When the French come to destroy Mogador, we shall go andpillage the Jews' houses, strip the women of their ornaments, and thenescape to the mountains from the pursuit of the Christians. " Thesethreats they faithfully executed; but, by a just vengeance, they werepillaged in turn, for the Berbers not only plundered the Jewsthemselves, but the Moors who had escaped from the city laden with theirbooty. 

It is to be hoped that a better day is dawning for North African Jews. The Governments of France and England can do much for them in Morocco. 

The Jews of the Atlas formed the subject of some of Mr. Davidson'sliterary labours; I have made further inquiries and shall give thereader some account of them, adding that portion of Mr. Davidson'sinformation which was borne out by further investigation. The Atlas Jewsare physically, if not morally, superior to their brethren who resideamong the Moors. They are dispersed over the Atlas ranges, and have allthe characteristics of mountaineers. They enjoy, like their neighbours, the Berbers and Shelouhs, a species of quasi-independence of theImperial authority, but they usually attach themselves to certain Berberchieftains who protect them, and whose standards they follow. 

These are the only Jews in Mahometan countries of whom I have heard asbearing arms. They have, however, their own Sheiks, to whosejurisdiction all domestic matters are referred. They wear the sameattire as the mountaineers, and are not distinguishable from them, theydo not address the Moors by the term of respect and title "Sidi, " but inthe same way as the Moors and Arabs when they accost each other. Theyspeak the Shelouh language. 

Mr. Davidson mentions some curious circumstances about these Jews, andof their having a city beyond the Atlas, where three or four thousandare living in perfect freedom, and cultivating the soil, which they havepossessed since the time of Solomon. The probability is that Mr. Davidson's informant refers to the Jews of the Oasis of Sahara, wherethere certainly are some families of Jews living in comparative freedomand independence. 

As to the peculiarities of the religion of the Atlas Jews, they are saidnot to have the Pentateuch and the law in the same order as Jewsgenerally. They are unacquainted with Ezra, or Christ; they did not goto Babylon at the captivity, but were dispersed over Africa at thatperiod. They are a species of Caraaites, or Jewish Protestants. Shadaiis the name which they apply to the Supreme Being, when speaking of him. Their written law begins by stating that the world was many thousandyears old when the present race of men was formed, which, curiouslyenough, agrees with the researches of modern geology. The present raceof men are the joint offspring of different and distinct human species. The deluge is not mentioned by them. God, it is said, appeared toIshmael in a dream, and told him he must separate from Isaac, and go tothe desert, where he would make him a great nation. There would everafter be enmity between the two races, as at this day there is thegreatest animosity between the Jews and Mahometans. 

The great nucleus of these Shelouh Jews is in _Jebel Melge_, or the vastridge of the Atlas capped with eternal snows; and they holdcommunications with the Jews of Ait Mousa, Frouga or Misfuvâ. Theyrarely descend to the plains or cities of the empire, and look upon therest of the Jews of this country as heretics. Isolation thus begetsenmity and mistrust, as in other cases. A few years ago, a number cameto Mogador, and were not at all pleased with their visit, finding faultwith everything among their brethren. These Jewish mountaineers aresupposed to be very numerous. In their homes, they are inaccessible. Sothey live in a wild independence, professing a creed as free as theirown mountain airs. God, who made the hills, made likewise man's freedomto abide therein. Before taking leave of the Maroquine Israelites, Imust say something of their personal appearance. Both in Tangier andMogador, I was fortunate enough to be acquainted with families, whocould boast of the most perfect and classic types of Jewish femaleloveliness. Alas, that these beauties should be only charming _animals_, their minds and affections being left uncultivated, or converted intocaves of unclean and tormenting passions. The Jewesses, in general, until they become enormously stout and weighed down with obesity, are ofextreme beauty. Most of them have fair complexions; their rose andjasmine faces, their pure wax-like delicate features, and theirexceedingly expressive and bewitching eyes, would fascinate the mostfastidious of European connoisseurs of female beauty. 

But these Israelitish ladies, recalling the fair image of Rachel in thePatriarchal times of Holy Writ, and worthy to serve as models for aGrecian sculptor, are treated with savage disdain by the churlish Moors, and sometimes are obliged to walk barefoot and prostrate themselvesbefore their ugly negress concubines. The male infants of Jews areengaging and goodlooking when young; but, as they grow up, they becomeordinary; and Jews of a certain age, are decidedly and most disgustinglyugly. It is possible that the degrading slavery in which they usuallylive, their continued habits of cringing servility, by which thecountenance acquires a sinister air and fiendishly cunning smirk, maycause this change in their appearance. But what contrasts we had of thebeauty of countenance and form in the Jewish society of Mogador! Youfrequently see a youthful woman, nay a girl of exquisite beauty anddelicacy of features, married to an old wretched ill-looking fellow ofsome sixty or seventy years of age, tottering over the grave, or anincurable invalid. To render them worse-looking, whilst the women maydress in any and the gayest colours, the men wear a dark blue and blackturban and dress, and though this is prescribed as a badge ofoppression, they will often assume it when they may attire themselves inwhite and other livelier colours. However, men get used to their misery, and hug their chains. 

The Jews, at times, though but very rarely, avail themselves of theirprivilege of four wives granted them in Mahometan countries, and a nicemess they make of it. I knew a Jew of this description in Tunis. He wasa lively, jocose fellow, with a libidinous countenance, singing alwayssome catch of a song. He was a silk-mercer, and pretty well off. Hishouse was small, and besides a common _salle-à-manger_, divided intofour compartments for his four wives, each defending her room with theferocity of a tigress. Two of them were of his own age, about fifty, andtwo not more than twenty. The two elder ones, I was told by hisneighbours, were entirely abandoned by the husband, and the two youngerones were always bickering and quarrelling, as to which of them shouldhave the greater favour of their common tyrant; the house a scene oftumult, disorder and indecency. Amongst the whole of the wives, therewas only one child, a boy, of course an immense pet, a little surlywretch; his growth smothered, his health nearly ruined, by theoverattentions of the four women, whom he kicked and pelted when out ofhumour. 

This little imp was the fit type, or interpretation of the presidinggenius of polygamy. I once visited this happy family, this biting satireon domestic bliss and the beauty of the harem of the East. The womenwere all sour, and busy at work, weaving or spinning cotton, "Do youwork for your husband?" I asked, _The women_. --"Thank Rabbi, no. "

_Traveller_. --"What do you do with your money?"

_The women_. --"Spend it ourselves. "

_Traveller_. --"How do you like to have only one husband among you four?"

_The women_. --"Pooh! is it not the will of God?"

_Traveller_. --"Whose boy is that?"

_The women_. --"It belongs to us all. "

_Traveller_. --"Have you no other children?"

_The women_. --"Our husband is good for no more than that. "

Whilst I was talking to these angelic creatures, their beloved lord wasquietly stuffing capons, without hearing our polite discourse. AEuropean Jew who knew the native society of Jews well, representsdomestic bliss to be a mere phantom, and scarcely ever thought of, orsought after. Poor human nature!

I took a walk round the suburbs one morning, whilst a strong wind wasbringing the locusts towards the coast, which fell upon us likehailstones. Young locusts frequently crowd upon the neighbouring hillsin thousands and tens of thousands. They are little green things. No oneknows whence they come and whither they go. These are not destructive. Indeed, unless swarms of locusts appear darkening the sky, and fullgrown ones, they do not permanently damage the country. The wind usuallydisperses them; they rarely take a long flight, except impelled by aviolent gale. Arabs attempt to destroy locusts by digging pits intowhich they may fall. This is merely playing with them. Jews fry them inoil and salt, and sell them as we sell shrimps, the taste of which theyresemble. 

On my return, I passed a Mooress, or rather a Mauritanian Venus, who wasso stout that she had fallen down, and could not get up. A mule wasfetched to carry her home. But the Moor highly relishes these enormouslumps of fat, according to the standard beauty laid down by thetalebs--"Four things in a woman should be ample, the lower part of theback, the thighs, the calves of the legs and the knees. "

Some time ago, there were discovered at Malta various rude statues ofwomen very ample in the lower part of the "back, " supposed to be ofLibyan origin, so that stout ladies have been the choicest of thefashion for ages past; the fattening of women, like so many capons andturkeys, begins when they are betrothed. 

They then swallow three times a day regular boluses of paste, and arenot allowed to take exercise. By the time marriage takes place, they arein a tolerable good condition, not unlike Smithfield fattened heifers. The lady of one of the European merchants being very thin, the Moorsfrequently asked her husband how it was, and whether she had enough toeat, hinting broadly that he starved her. 

On the other hand, two or three of the merchant's wives were exceedinglystout, and of course great favourites with the men folks of this city. 

The discrepancies of age, in married people, is most unnatural anddisgusting; whilst the merchants were at Morocco, a little girl of nineyears of age was married to a man upwards of fifty. Ten and eleven is acommon age for girls to be married. Much has been said of the reverenceof children for their parents in the East, and tribes of peoplemigrating therefrom, and the fifth commandment embodies the sentiment ofthe Eastern world. But there is little of this in Mogador; a EuropeanJewess, who knows all the respectable Jewish and many of the Moorishfamilies, assured me that children make their aged parents work forthem, as long as the poor creatures can. "Honour thy father and thymother, " is quite as much neglected here as in Europe. However, there issome difference. The indigent Moors and Jews maintain their aged parentsin their own homes, and we English Christian shut up ours in the UnionBastiles. 

To continue this domestic picture, the marriage settlements, especiallyamong the Jews, are ticklish and brittle things, as to money or othermercenary arrangements. 

A match is often broken off, because a lamp of the value of four dollarshas been substituted for one of the value of twenty dollars, which wasfirst promised on the happy day of betrothal. 

Indeed, nearly all marriages here are matters of sale and barter. Loveis out of the question, he never flutters his purple wings over thebridal bed of Mogador. A Jewish or Moorish girl having placed before hera rich, old ugly man, of mean and villanous character, of three scoreyears and upwards, and by his side, a handsome youth of blamelesscharacter and amiable manners, will not hesitate a moment to prefer theformer. As affairs of intrigue and simple animal enjoyment are the greatbusiness of life, the ways and means, in spite of Moorish and Mahometanjealousy, as strong as death, by which these young and frail beautiesindulge in forbidden conversations, are innumerable. Although the Moorsfrequently relate romantic legends of lovely innocent brides, who hadnever seen any other than the faces of their father, or of marriedladies, who never raised the veil from off their faces, except toreceive their own husbands, and seem to extol such chastity andseclusion; they are too frequently found indulging in obsceneimaginations, tempting and seducing the weaker sex from the path ofvirtue and honour. So that, if women are unchaste here, or elsewhere, men are the more to blame: if woman goes one step wrong, men drag hertwo more. Men corrupt women, and then punish her for being corrupt, depriving them of their natural and unalienable rights. 

Salt in Africa as in Europe is a domestic superstition. A Jewess, onemorning, in bidding adieu to her friends, put her fingers into asalt-cellar, and took from it a large pinch of salt, which her friendtold me afterwards was to preserve her from the evil one. Salt is alsoused for a similar important purpose, when, during the night, a personis obliged to pass from one room into another in the dark. It would bean entertaining task to collect the manifold superstitions in differentparts of the world, respecting this essential ingredient of human food. 

The habit of drinking white brandy, stimulates the immorality of thisMaroquine society. The Jews are the great factors of this _acquaardiente_, its Spanish and general name. Government frequently severelypunishes them for making it; but they still persevere in producing thisincentive to intoxication and crime. In all parts of the world, the mostdegraded classes are the factors of the means of vice for the higherorders of society. Moors drink it under protest, that it is not thejuice of the grape. On the Sabbath, the Jewish families are all flushed, excited, and tormented by this evil spirit; but when the highestenjoyments of intellect are denied to men, they must and will seek thelower and beastly gratifications. 

Friend Cohen came in one afternoon, and related several anecdotes of theMaroquine Court. When Dr. Brown was attending the Sultan, the Viziermanaged to get hold of his cocked hat, and placing it upon his head, strutted about in the royal gardens. Whilst performing this feat beforeseveral attendants, the Sultan suddenly made his appearance in the midstof them. The minister seeing him, fell down in a fright and a fit. HisImperial Highness beckoned to the minister in such woful plight, topacify himself, and put his cloak before his mouth to prevent any onefrom seeing him laugh at the minister, which he did most immoderately. 

Cohen, who is a quack, was once consulted on a case of the harem. Cohenpleaded ignorance, God had not given him the wit; he could do nothingfor the patient of his Imperial Highness. This was very politic ofCohen, for another quack, a Moor, had just been consulted, and had hadhis head taken off, for not being successful in the remedies heprescribed. There would not be quite so much medicine administered amongus, weak, cracky, crazy mortals, in this cold damp clime, if such analternative was proposed to our practitioners. 

CHAPTER II. 

The Maroquine dynasties. --Family of the Shereefian Monarchs. --Personalappearances and character of Muley Abd Errahman. --Refutation of thecharge of human sacrifices against the Moorish Princes. --Genealogy ofthe reigning dynasty of Morocco. --The tyraufc Yezeed, (halfIrish). --Muley Suleiman, the "The Shereeff of Shereefs. "--Diplomaticrelations of the Emperor of Morocco with European Powers. --Muley Ismaelenamoured with the French Princess de Conti. --Rival diplomacy of Franceand England near the Maroquine Court. --Mr. Hay's correspondence withthis Court on the Slave-trade. --Treaties between Great Britain andMorocco; how defective and requiring amendment. --Unwritten engagements. 

Morocco, an immense and unwieldly remnant of the monarchies formed bythe Saracens, or first Arabian conquerors of Africa, has had a series ofdynasties terminating in that of the Shereefs. 

1st. The Edristees (pure Saracens, ) their capital was Fez, founded bytheir great progenitor, Edrio. The dynasty began in A. D. 789, andcontinued to 908. 

2nd. The Fatamites (also Saracens. ) These conquered Egypt, and were thefaction of or lineal descendants of the daughter of the Prophet, thebeautiful pearl-like Fatima, succeeding to the above: this dynastycontinued to 972. 

3rd. The Zuheirites (Zeirities, or Zereids) were usurpers of the formerconquerors; their dynasty terminated in 1070. 

4th. Moravedi (or Marabouteen, ) that is to say, Marabouts, [2] who roseinto consequence about 1050, and their first prince was Aberbekr Omer ElLamethounx, a native of Sous. Their dynasty terminated in 1149. 

5th. The Almohades. These are supposed to be sprung from the Berbertribes. They conquered all North Western Morocco, and reigned about onehundred years, the dynasty terminated in 1269. 

6th. The Merinites. These in 1250 subjugated the kingdoms of Fez andMorocco; and in 1480 their dynasty terminated with the Shereef. 

7th. The Oatagi (or Ouatasi) [3] were a tribe of obscure origin. Intheir time, the Portuguese established themselves on the coast ofMorocco; their dynasty ended in 1550. 

8th. The Shereefs (Oulad Ali) of the present dynasty, whose founder wasHasein, have now occupied the Imperial throne more than three centuries. This family of Shereefs came from the neighbourhood of Medina in Arabia, and succeeded to the empire of Morocco by a series of usurpations. Theyare divided into two branches, the Sherfah Hoseinee, so named from thefounder of the dynasty, who began to reign at Taroudant and Morocco in1524, and over all the empire in 1550, and the Sherfah El Fileli, orTafilett, whose ancestor was Muley Shereef Ben Ali-el-Hoseinee, andassumed sovereign power at Tafilett in 1648, from which country heextended his authority over all the provinces of that empire. Thus theShereefs began their reign in the middle of the seventeenth century, andhave now wielded the sword of the Prophet as Caliph of the West theselast two hundred years. I have not heard that there is anywhere adynasty of Shereefs except in this country. They are, therefore, profoundly venerated by all true Mussulmen. It was a great error tosuppose that Abd-el-Kader could have succeeded in dethroning the Emperorduring the hostilities of the Emir against the lineal representative ofthe Prophet. Abd-el-Kader is a marabout warrior, greatly revered andidolized by all enthusiastic Mussulmen throughout North Africa, moreespecially in Morocco, the _terre classique_ of holy-fighting men; butthough the Maroquines were disaffected, groaning under the avarice oftheir Shereefian Lord, and occasionally do revolt, nevertheless theywould not deliberately set aside the dynasty of the Shereefs, theveritable root and branch of the Prophet of God, for an adventurer ofother blood, however powerful in arms and in sanctity. 

Morocco is the only independent Mussulman kingdom remaining, founded bythe Saracens when they conquered North Africa. Tunis and Tripoli areregencies of the Port of Tunis, having an hereditary Bey, while Tripoliis a simple Pasha, removable at pleasure. Algeria has now become anintegral portion of France by the Republic. 

Muley Abd Errahman was nominated to the throne by the solemn and dyingrequest of his uncle, Muley Suleiman, to the detriment of his ownchildren. 

He belonged to one of the most illustrious branches of the reigningdynasty. In the natural order of succession, he ought to have takenpossession of the Shereefian crown at the end of the last age; but, being a child, his uncle was preferred; for Mahometan sovereigns andempire are exposed to convulsions enough, without the additional dangersand elements of strife attendant on regencies. 

In transmitting the sceptre to him, Muley Suleiman, therefore, onlyperformed an act of justice. 

Muley Abd Errahman, during his long reign, rendered the imperialauthority more solid than formerly, and established a species ofconservative government in a semi-barbarous country, and exposed tocontinual commotions, like all Asiatic and African states. In governingthe multitudinous and heterogeneous tribes of his empire, his grandmaxim has ever been, like Austria, with her various states and hostileinterests of different people, "Divide et empera. " When will sovereignslearn to govern their people upon principles of homogenity of interests, natural good will, and fraternal feeling? Alas! we have reason to fear, never. It seems nations are to be governed always by setting up oneportion of the people against the other. 

Muley Abd Errahman was chosen by his uncle, on account of his pacificand frugal habits, educated as he was by being made in early life theadministrator of the customs in Mogador, and as a prince likely topreserve and consolidate the empire. The anticipations of the uncle havebeen abundantly realized by the nephew, for Muley Abd Errahman, with theexception of the short period of the French hostilities, (which was nothis own work and happened in spite of him), has preserved the intactwithout, and quiet during the many years he has occupied the throne. 

His Moorish Majesty, who is advanced in life, is a man of middlestature. He has dark and expressive eyes, and, as already observed, is amulatto of a fifth caste. Colour excites no prejudices either in thesovereign or in the subject. This Emperor is so simple in his habits anddress, that he can only be distinguished from his officers and governorsof provinces by the _thall_, or parasol, the Shereefian emblem ofroyalty. The Emperor's son, when out on a military expedition, is alsohonoured by the presence of the Imperial parasol, which was found inSidi Mohammed's tent at the Battle of Isly. Muley Abd Errahman is notgiven to excesses of any kind, (unless avarice is so considered), thoughhis three harems of Fas, Miknas, and Morocco may be _stocked_, or morepolitely, adorned, with a thousand ladies or so, and the treasures ofthe empire are at his disposal. He is not a man of blood; [4] he rarelydecapitates a minister or a governor, notwithstanding that he frequentlyconfiscates their property, and sometimes imprisons them to discovertheir treasures, and drain them of their last farthing. The Emperorlives on good terms with the rest of his family. He has one son, Governor of Fez (Sidi Mohammed), and another son, Governor of Rabat. Thegreater part of the royal family reside at Tafilett, the ancient countryof the _Sherfah_, or Shereefs, and is still especially appropriated fortheir residence. Ali Bey reported as the information of his time, thatthere were at Tafilett no less than two thousand Shereefs, who allpretended to have a right to the throne of Morocco, and who, for thatreasons enjoyed certain gratifications paid them by the reigning Sultan. He adds that, during an interregnum, many of them took up arms and threwthe empire into anarchy. This state of things is happily past, and, asto the number of the Shereefs at Tafilett, all that we know is, there isa small fortified town, inhabited entirely by Shereefs, living inmoderate, if not impoverished circumstances. 

The Shereefian Sultans of Morocco are not only the successors of theArabian Sovereigns of Spain, but may justly dispute the Caliphat withthe Osmanlis, or Turkish Sultans. Their right to be the chiefs ofIslamism is better founded than the pretended Apostolic successors atRome, who, in matters of religion, they in some points resemble. 

I introduce here, with some unimportant variations, a translation fromGräberg de Hëmso of the Imperial Shereefian pedigree, to correspond withthe genealogical tableaux, which the reader will find in succeedingpages, of the Moorish dynasties of Tunis and Tripoli. 

GENEALOGY OF THE REIGNING DYNASTY OF MOROCCO. 

1. Ali-Ben-Abou-Thaleb; died in 661 of the Christian Era; surnamed "Theaccepted of God, " of the most ancient tribe of Hashem, and husband ofFatima, styled Ey-Zarah, or, "The Pearl, " only daughter of Mahomet. 

2. Hosein, or El-Hosein-es-Sebet, _i. E. _ "The Nephew;" died in 1680;from him was derived the patronymic El-Hoseinee, which all the Shereefsbear, 3. Hasan-el-Muthna, _i. E. _ "The Striker;" died in 719; brother ofMohammed, from whom pretended to descend, in the 16th degree, MohammedBen Tumert, founder of the dynasty of the Almohadi, in 1120. 

4. Abdullah-el-Kamel, _i. E. _ "The Perfect;" in 752, father of Edris, theprogenitor or founder of the dynasty of the Edristi in Morocco, and whohad six brothers. 

5. Mohammed, surnamed "The pious and just soul;" in 784, had fivechildren who were the branches of a numerous family. (Between Mohammedand El-Hasem who follows, some assert that three gererations succeeded). 

6. El-Kasem, in 852; brother of Abdullah, from whom it is said theCaliphs of Egypt and Morocco are descended. 

7. Ismail; about 890. 

8. Ahmed; in 901. 

9. El-Hasan; in 943. 

10. Ali; in 970, (excluded from the genealogy published by Ali Bey, butnoted by several good authorities). 

11. Abubekr; 996. 

12. El-Husan, in 1012. 

13. Abubekr El-Arfat, _i. E. _ "The Knower, " in 1043. 

14. Mohammed, in 1071. 

15. Abdullah, in 1109. 

16. Hasan, in 1132; brother of a Mohammed, who emigrated to Morocco. 

17. Mohammed, in 1174. 

18. Abou-el-Kasem Abd Errahman, in 1207. 

19. Mohammed, in 1236. 

20. El-Kaseru, in 1271, brother of Ahmed, who also emigrated intoAfrica, and was father of eight children, one of whom was:

21. El-Hasan, who, in 1266, upon the demand of a tribe of Berbers ofMoghrawa, was sent by his father into the kingdom of Segelmesa (nowTafilett) and Draha, where, through his descendants, he became thecommon progenitor of the Maroquine Shereefs. 

22. Mohammed, in 1367. 

23. El-Hasan, in 1391, by his son, Mohammed, he became grandfather ofHosem, who, during 1507, founded the first dynasty of the HoseineeShereefs in Segelmesa, and the extreme south of Morocco, which dynasty, after twelve years, made itself master of the kingdom of Morocco. 

24. Ali-es-Shereef, _i. E. _ "The noble, " died in 1437, was the first toassume this name, and had, after forty years elapsed, two sons, thefirst, Muley Mahommed, by a concubine, and the second:

25. Yousef, by a legitimate wife; he retired into Arabia, where he diedin 1485. It was said of Yousef, that no child was born to him until hiseightieth year, when he had five children, the first born of which was, 26. Ali, who died in 1527, and had at least, eighty male children. 

27. Mohammed, in 1691, brother of Muley Meherrez, a famous brigand, andafterwards a king of Tafilett: this Mohammed was father of manychildren, and among the rest--

28. Ali, who was called by his uncle from Zambo (?) intoMoghrele-el-Aksa Morocco about the year 1620, and died in 1632, afterhaving founded the second, and present, dynasty of the HoseineeShereefs, surnamed the _Filei_, 29. Muley Shereeff, died in 1652; he had eighty sons, and a hundredand twenty-four daughters. 

30. Muley Ismail, in 1727. 

31. Muley Abdullah, in 1757. 

32. Sidi Mohammed, in 1789. 

33. Muley Yezeed, who assumed the surname of El-Mahdee _i. E. _ "thedirector, " in 1792. 

34. Muley Hisham, in 1794. 

35. Muley Suleiman, in 1822. 

36. Muley Abd Errahman, nephew of Muley Suleiman and eldest son ofMuley Hisham, the reigning Shereefian prince. [5]

In the Shereefian lineage of Muley Suleiman, copied for Ali Bey by theEmperor himself, and which is very meagre and unsatisfactory, we missthe names of the two brothers, the Princes Yezeed and Hisham, whodisputed the succession on the death of their father, Sidi Mohammedwhich happened in April 1790 or 1789, when the Emperor was on a militaryexpedition to quell the rebellion of his son, Yezeed--the tyrant whosebad fame and detestable cruelties filled with horror all the NorthAfrican world. The Emperor Suleiman evidently suppressed these names, asdisfiguring the lustre of the holy pedigree; although Yezeed was thehereditary prince, and succeeded his father three days after his death, being proclaimed Sultan at Salee with accustomed pomp and magnificence. This monster in human shape, having excited a civil war against himselfby his horrid barbarities, was mortally wounded by a poisoned arrow, shot from a secret hand, and died in February 1792, the 22nd month ofhis reign, and 44th year of his age. 

On being struck with the fatal weapon, he was carried to his palace atDar-el-Beida, where he only survived a single day; but yet during thisbrief period, and whilst in the agony of dissolution, it is said, thetyrant committed more crimes and outrages, and caused more people to besacrificed, than in his whole lifetime, determining with the vengeanceof a pure fiend, that if his people would not weep for his death theyshould mourn for the loss of their friends and relations, like the oldtyrant Herod. How instinctively imitative is crime! Yezeed was ofcourse, not buried at the cross-roads, (Heaven forefend!) or in acemetery for criminals and infidels, for being a Shereef, and divine(not royal) blood running in his veins, he was interred with greatsolemnities at the mosque of _Kobah Sherfah_ (tombs of the Shereefs), beside the mausoleums wherein repose the awful ashes of the princes andkings, who, in ages gone by, have devastated the Empire of Morocco, andinflicted incalculable miseries on its unfortunate inhabitants, whilstplenarily exercising their divine right, to do wrong as sovereigns, oras invested with inviolable Shereefian privileges as lineal successorsof the Prophets of God! [6]

A civil war still followed this monster's death, and the empire was rentand partitioned into three portions, in each of which a pretenderdisputed for the possession of the Shereefian throne. The poor peoplehad now three tyrants for one. The two grand competitors, however, wereMuley Hisham, who was proclaimed Sultan in the south at Morrocco andSous, and Muley Suleiman, who was saluted as Emperor in the north atFez. In 1795, Hisham retired to a sanctuary where he soon died, and thenMuley Suleimau was proclaimed in the southern provincesEmir-el-Monmeneen, and Sultan of the whole empire. 

Muley Suleiman proved to be a good and patriotic prince, "the Shereef ofShereefs, " whilst he maintained, by a just administration, tranquilityin his own state, and cultivated peace with Europe. During his longreign of a quarter of a century, at a period when all the Christianpowers were convulsed with war, he wisely remained neutral, and hissubjects were happy in the enjoyment of peace and prosperity. He died onthe 28th March 1820, about the 50th year of his age, after having, withhis last breath declared his nephew, Muley Abd Errahman, the legitimateand hereditary successor of the Shereefs, and so restoring the linealdescent of these celebrated Mussulman sovereigns. The most glorious aswell as the most beneficent and acceptable act of the reign of MuleySuleiman, so far as European nations were concerned, was the abolitionof Christian slavery in his States. In former times, the MaroquineMoors, smarting under the ills inflicted upon them by Spain andbreathing revenge, subjected their Christian captives to more cruelbondage, than, ever were experienced by the same victims of the Corsairsin Algeria, the stronghold of this nefarious trade. 

The Shereefs have been accustomed to wrap themselves up in their sublimeindifference, as to the fate and fortunes of Europe. During latecenturies, their diplomatic intercourse with European princes has beenscarcely relieved by a single interesting event, beyond their piraticalwars and our complaisant redemptions of their prisoners. But, in thereign of Louis XIV. , Muley Ismail having heard an extremely seductiveaccount of the Princesse de Conti (Mademoiselle de Blois), naturaldaughter of the Grand Monarch and Mademoiselle de la Valliere, by meansof his ambassador, Abdullah Ben Aissa, had the chivalrous temerity todemand her in marriage. "Our Sultan, " said the ambassador, "will marryher according to the law of God and the Prophet, but she shall not beforced to abandon her religion, or manner of living; and she will beable to find all that her heart desires in the palace of mysovereign--if it please God. "

This request, of course, could not be granted, but the "king ofChristian kings" replied very graciously, "that the difference alone ofreligion prevented the consummation of the happiness of the Shereef ofShereefs. " This humble demand of the hand of the princess mightilyamused "the Court of Courts, " and its hireling poets taxed their wit tothe utmost in chanting the praises of the royal virgin, who had attackedthe regards (or the growls) of the Numidian Tiger, as Muley Ismail waspolitely designated. Take this as a specimen, --

 "Votre beauté, grande princesse, Porte les traits dont elle blesse Jusques aux plus sauvages lieux: L'Afrique avec vous capitule, Et les conquêtes de vos yeux Vont plus loin que celles d'Hercule. "

The Maroquine ambassador, who was also grand admiral of the Moorishnavy, witnessing all the wonders of Paris at the epoch of the GreatMonarch, was dazzled with its beauty and magnificence; nevertheless, heremained a good Mussulman. He was besides a grateful man, for he saw ourJames II. In exile, who had given the admiral liberty without ransomwhen he had been captured by English cruisers, and heartily thanked thefallen prince for his own freedom whilst he condoled with him in hismisfortunes. But the Moorish envoy, in spite of his great influence, wasunable to conclude the treaty of peace, which was desired by France. Onhis return to Morocco, the ambassador had so advanced in European ideasof convenience, or civilization, that he attempted to introduce a tastefor Parisian luxury among his own countrymen. 

As in many other parts of the Mediterranean, France and England haveincessantly contended for influence at the Court of Morocco. Variousirregular missions to this Court have been undertaken by Europeanpowers, from the first establishment of the Moorish empire of the West. The French entered regularly into relations with the western Moorsshortly after us; their flag, indeed, began to appear at their ports in1555, under Francis I. They succeeded in gaining the favour of the Moorswhilst we occupied Tangier, and Louis XIV. Encouraged them in theirefforts to attack or harass our garrison. The nature of our struggleswith the Moors of Morocco can be at once conjectured from the titles ofthe pamphlets published in those times, viz. 

"_Great_ and _bloody_ news of Tangier, " (London 1680), and "The Moors_blasted_, being a discourse concerning Tangier, especially when it wasunder the Earl of Teviot, " (London, 1681). But, after the peace ofUtrecht, conceding Gibraltar to England, and which more than compensatedus for the loss of Tangier, the influence of France in Morocco began towane, and the trade of this empire was absorbed by the British duringthe 18th century. Then, in the beginning of our own age, the battle ofTrafalgar, and the fall of Napoleon, established the supremacy ofBritish influence over the minds of the Shereefs, which has not been yetentirely effaced. 

Our diplomatic intercouse has been more frequent and interesting withthe Western Moors since the French occupation of Algeria, and we haveexerted our utmost to neutralize the spirit of the war party in Fez, seconding the naturally pacific mind of Muley Abd Errahman, in order toremove every pretext of the French for invading this country. How wesucceeded in a critical period will be mentioned at the close of thepresent work. [7] But this port, and our influence receiving thereby agreat shock, I am happy to state that the latest account from this mostinteresting Moorish country, represents Muley Abd Errahman as steadilypursuing, by the assistance of his new vizier, Bouseilam, the mostpacific policy. This minister, being very rich, is enabled toconsolidate his power by frequent presents to his royal master, thusgratifying the most darling passion of Muley Abd Errahman, and Vizierand Sultan amuse themselves by undertaking plundering expeditionsagainst insurrectionary tribes, whose sedition they first stimulate, andthen quell, that is to say, by receiving from the unlucky rebels ahandsome gratification. 

The late Mr. Hay entered into a correspondence with the Shereefian Courtfor the purpose of drawing its attention to the subject of theslave-trade, and I shall make an extract or two from the letters, bearing as they do on my present mission. 

From three letters addressed by the Sultan to Mr. Hay, I extract thefollowing passages. "Be it known to you, that the traffic in slaves is amatter on which all sects and nations have agreed from the time of thesons of Adam, (on whom be the peace of God up to this day). And we arenot yet aware of its being prohibited by the laws of any sect, and noone need ask this question, the same being manifest to both high andlow, and requires no more demonstration than the light of the day. "

The Apostle of God is quoted as enforcing upon the master to give hisslave the same clothing as himself, and not to exact more labour fromhim than he can perform. 

Another letter. "It has been prohibited to sell a Muslem, the sacred_misshaf_, and a young person to an unbeliever, " that is to any one whodoes not profess the faith of Islam, whether Christian, Jew, or Majousy. To make a present, or to give as in alms is held in the same light as asale. The said Sheikh Khalil also says, "a slave is emancipated by thelaw if ill-treated, that is, whether he intends or does actuallyill-treat him. But whether a slave can take with him what he possessesof property or no, is a matter yet undecided by the doctors of the law. "

Another. "Be it known to you, that the religion of Islam--may God exaltit! has a solid foundation, of which the corner stones are well secured, and the perfection whereof has been made known to us by God, to whombelongs all praise in his book, the Forkam (or Koran, ) which admitsneither of addition nor diminution. As regards the making of slaves andtrading therewith, it is confirmed by our book, as also of the _Sunnat_(or traditions) of our Prophet. There is no controversy among the_Oulamma_ (doctors) on the subject. No one can allow what is prohibitedor prohibit that which is lawful. "

These extracts shew the _animus_ of the Shereefian correspondence. Toattack the Shereefs on this point of slavery, is to besiege the citadelof their religion, or that is the interpretation which they are pleasedto put upon the matter; but all forms of bigotry and false principleswill ultimately succumb to the force of truth. 

It is necessary to persevere, to persevere always, and the end will beobtained. 

I shall add a word or two on our treaties, or capitulations, as they aredisgracefully called, with the Empire of Morocco, intimating, as theydo, our former submission to the arrogant, piratical demands of theBarbary Powers in the days of their corsair glory. Our politicalrelations with Morocco officially commenced in the times of Elizabeth, or Charles I; but the formal treaty of peace was not concluded until thelast year of the reign of George I, which was ratified in 1729 by GeorgeII, and by the Sultan Muley Ahmed-elt-Thabceby "The golden. " Thenfollowed various other treaties for the security of persons and trade, and against piracy. All, however, of any value, are embodied in thetreaty between Great Britain and Morocco, signed at Fez, 14th June 1801, and confirmed, 19th January 1824 by the Sultan Muley Suleiman, which isconsidered as still in force, and from which I shall extract two orthree articles, appending observations, for the purpose of shewing itsspirit and bearing on European commerce and civilization. Common sensetells us that trade can only flourish where there is security for lifeand property. We have to examine, whether this security is fullyguaranteed to British subjects, residing in and trading with the empireto Morocco, by the treaty of 1801 and 1824. 

This treaty begins with consuls, and sufficiently provides for theirhonour and safety. It then states the privilege of British subjects, andmore particulary of merchants, residing in, and wishing to engage incommercial speculations in Morocco. These privileges are, on the whole, also explicitly stated. Afterwards follows two articles on "disputes, "which clauses were amended and explained in January 1824, when thetreaty was confirmed. These are:--

"VII. Disputes between Moorish subjects and English subjects, shall bedecided in the presence of the English Consuls, provided the decision becomformable to the Moorish law, in which case the English subject shallnot go before the Kady or Hakem, as the Consul's decision shall suffice. 

"VIII. Should any dispute occur between English subjects and Moors, andthat dispute should occasion a complaint from either of the parties, theEmperor of Morocco shall only decide the matter. If the English subjectbe guilty, he shall not be punished with more severity than a Moor wouldbe; should he escape, no other subject of the English nation shall bearrested in his stead, and if the escape be made after the decision, inorder to avoid punishment, he shall be sentenced as a Moor would be whohad committed the same crime. Should any dispute occur in the Englishterritories, between a Moor and an English subject, it shall be decidedby an equal number of the Moors residing there and of Christians, according to the custom of the place, if not contrary to the Moorishlaw. "

In the amended clause of Article VIII. We have for any complaint, substituted serious personal injury, and I cannot but observe that themaking of the Emperor the final judge, in such case, is a stretch of toogreat confidence in Moorish justice. 

Not that a Sultan of Morocco is necessarily bad or worse than anEuropean Sovereign, but because a personage of such power and character, armed with unbounded attributes of despotism over his own subjects, whoare considered his Abeed, or slaves, whilst feebly aided by theperception of the common rights of men, and imperfectly acquainted withEuropean civilization, can never, unless, indeed by accident or miracle, justly decide upon the case of an Englishman, or upon a dispute betweenhis own and a foreign subject; for besides the ideas and education ofthe Emperor, there is the necessity which his Imperial Highness feels, despot as he is, of exhibiting himself before his people as theirundoubted friend and partial judge. 

So strongly have Sultans of Morocco felt this, that many anecdotes mightbe cited where the Emperor has indemnified the foreigner for injury doneto him by his own subjects, whilst he has represented to them that hehas decided the case against the stranger. It is surprising how aBritish Government could surrender the settlement of the dispute oftheir subjects to the final appeal of the Court of Morocco in thenineteenth century, and, moreover, allow them to be decided, accordingto the maxims of the Mohammedan code, or comformable to the Moorish law!It is not long ago since, indeed just before my arrival in Morocco, thatthe Emperor decided a dispute in rather a summary manner, without eventhe usual Moorish forms of judicial proceedure by decapitating, aquasi--European Jew, under French protection, and who once acted as theConsul of France. 

There is something singularly deficient and wrong, although to personsunacquainted with Barbary, it looks sufficiently fair and just, in theprovision--"he (the English guilty subject) shall not be punished withmore severity than a Moor could be, " fairly made? In the first place, although this does not come under the idea of "serious personal injury, "would the English people approve of their countrymen suffering the samepunishment as the Moors for theft, by cutting off their right hand?Moors and Arabs have been so maimed for life, on being convicted ofstealing property to the value of a single shilling! Who will take uponhimself to enumerate the punishments, which may be, and are inflictedfor grave offences? It may be replied that this stipulation of punishingBritish subjects, like Moorish, is only on paper, and we have noexamples of its being put into execution. I rejoin, without attemptingto cite proof, that, whilst such an article exists in a treaty, said tobe binding on the Government of England as well as Morocco, there can beno real security for British subjects in this country; for in the eventof the Maroquines acting strictly upon the articles of this treaty, whatmode of inculpation, or what colour of right, can the British Governmentadopt or shew against them? and what are treaties made for, if they donot bind both parties?

In illustration of the way in which British subjects have their disputessometimes settled, according to Articles VII and VIII, I take theliberty of introducing the case of Mr. Saferty, a respectable Gibraltarmerchant, settled at Mogador. A few months before my arrival in thatplace, this gentleman was adjudged, in the presence of his Consul, Mr. Willshire, and the Governor of Mogador, for repelling an insult offeredto him by a Moor, and sentenced to be imprisoned with felons andcut-throats in a horrible dungeon. However, Mr. Saferty was attended bya numerous body of his friends; so when the sentence was given, a cry ofindignation arose, a scuffle ensued, and the prisoner was rescued fromthe Moorish police-officers. Mr. Willshire found the means of patchingup the business with the Moorish authorities, and the case was soonforgotten. "All's well that ends well. "

I do not say that the Moors are determinedly vindictive, or seekquarrels with Europeans; on the contrary, I believe the cause of thedispute frequently rests with the European, and the bonâ-fide agressor, some adventurer whose conduct was so bad in his own country, that hesought Barbary as a refuge from the pursuit of the minister of justice. What I wish to lay stress on is, the enormous power given to theEmperor, by a solemn treaty, in making him the final judge, and theimminent exposure of British subjects to the barbarous punishments of asemi-civilized people. 

Article X is a most singular one. "Renegades from the English nation, orsubjects who change their religion to embrace the Moorish, they being ofunsound mind at the time of turning Moors, shall not be admitted asMoors, and may again return to their former religion; but if theyafterwards resolve to be Moors, they must abide by their own decision, and their excuses will not be accepted. "

It was a wonderful discovery of our modern morale, that a renegade, being a madman, should not be considered a renegade in earnest, orresponsible for his actions. Nevertheless, these unfortunate beings, should they have better thoughts, or as mad-doctors have it, "a lucidinterval, " and leave the profession of the Mahometan faith, andafterwards again relapse into madness, and turn Mahometans once more, are doomed to irretrievable slavery, or if they relapse, to deathitself; the Mahometan law, punishes relapsing renegades with death. Thiscurious clause says, "that though being madmen, they must abide theirdecision (of unreason) and their excuses will not be accepted. " Thissaid article was confirmed as late as the year 1824 by theplenipotentiary of a nation, which boasts of being the most free andcivilized of Europe, and whose people spend annually millions for theconversion of the heathen, and the extinction of the slave-trade. 

The last clause of Article IV also demands our attention, viz. "And ifany English merchant should happen to have a vessel in or outside theport, he may go on board himself, or any of his people, without beingliable to pay anything whatever. "

Now in spite of this (but of course forgotten) stipulation, themerchants of Mogador are not permitted to visit their own vessels, northose of other persons which may happen to be in or outside the port. Itis true, the authorities plead the reason of their refusal to be, "Themerchants are indebted to the Emperor:" neither will the authoritiestake any security, and arbitrarily, and insolently prohibit, under anycircumstances, the merchants from visiting their vessels. I have saidenough to shew that our treaties (I beg the reader's pardon, "capitulations") with the Emperor of Morocco, require immediaterevision, and to be amended with articles more suited to the spirit ofthe age, and European civilization, as likewise more consistent with thedignity of Great Britian. 

The treaty for the supply of provisions, especially cattle, to thegarrison of Gibraltar is either a verbal one, or a secret arrangement, for no mention is made of it in the published state paper documents. Itis probably a mere verbal unwritten understanding, but, neverthelesss ismore potent in its working than the written treaties. This is not thefirst time that the unwritten has proved stronger than the writtenengagement. 

CHAPTER III. 

The two different aspects by which the strength and resources of theEmpire of Morocco may be viewed or estimated. --Native appellation ofMorocco. --Geographical limits of this country. --Historical review of theinhabitants of North Africa, and the manner in which this region wassuccessively peopled and conquered. --The distinct varieties of the humanrace, as found in Morocco. --Nature of the soil and climate of thiscountry. --Derem, or the Atlas chain of mountains. --Naturalproducts. --The Shebbel, or Barbary salmon; different characters ofexports of the Northern and Southern provinces. --The ElæonderronArgan. --Various trees and plants. --Mines. --The Sherb-Errech, orDesert-horse. 

The empire of Morocco may be considered under two aspects, as to itsextent, and as to its influence. It may be greatly circumscribed orexpanded to an almost indefinite extent, according to the feelings, orimagination, of the writer, or speaker. A resident here gave me a meagre_tableau_, something like this, The city of Morocco 50, 000 souls. " Fez 40, 000 " " Mequinez 25, 000 " ------- 115, 000 "

The maritime cities contain little more than 100, 000 inhabitants, makingaltogether about 220, 000. Over the provinces of the south, Sous andWadnoun, the Sultan has no real power; so the south is cut off as anintegral portion of the empire. Over the Rif, or the northern Berberprovinces, the Sultan exercises a precarious sovereignty, every man'sgun or knife is there his law and authority. Fez contains a disaffectedpopulation, teeming some years since with the adherents of Abd-el-Kader. Then the Atlas is full of quasi-independent Berber tribes, who detestequally the Arabs and the Moorish government; finally, Tafilett and theprovinces on the eastern side of the Atlas, are too remote to feel theinfluence of the central government. 

As to military force, the Emperor's standing army does not amount tomore than 20 or 30, 000 Nigritian troops, and all cavalry. The irregularand contingent cavalry and infantry can never be depended upon, evenunder such a chief as Abd-el-Kader was. They must always be fed, butthey will not, at any summons, leave the cultivation of their fields, ortheir wives and children defenceless. 

As to the commerce of the Empire, with fifty ships visiting Mogador andother maritime cities, the amount, per annum, does not exceed fortymillions of francs, or about a million and a half sterling includingimports and exports. Such is the view of the Empire on the depreciatingside. 

Another resident of this country gives the opposite or more favourableview. 

The Sultan is the head of the orthodox religion of the Mussulmen of theWest, and more firmly established on his throne than the Sultan of theOttomans. His influence, as a sovereign Shereef, spreads throughoutWestern Barbary and Central Africa, wherever there is a Mussulman to befound. In the event of an enemy appearing in the shape of a Christian, or Infidel, all would unite, including the most disjointed and hostiletribes against the common foe of Islamism. 

The Sultan, upon an emergency or insurrection in his own empire, by thepolitic distribution of titles of _Marabout_ (often used as a species ofdegree of D. D. ) and other honours attached to the Shereefian Parasol, can likewise easily excite one chief against another, and consolidatehis power over their intestine divisions. His Moorish Majesty, at anyrate, has always actual possession in his favour; and, whether he reallygoverns the whole Empire or not, or to the extent which he has presumedto mark out its boundaries, he can always proclaim to his disjointedprovinces that he does so govern it and exercise authority; and, ingeneral, he does succeed in making both his own people and foreignnations believe in his pretensions, and acknowledge his power. 

The truth lies, perhaps, between these extremes. The Shereefs oncepretended to exercise authority over all Western Sahara as far asTimbuctoo, that is to say, all that region of the great desert lyingwest of the Touaricks. 

The account of the expedition of the Shereef Mohammed, who penetrated asfar as Wadnoun, and which took place more than three centuries ago, asrelated by Marmol, leaves no doubt of the ancient ambition of thesovereign of Morocco. And although this pretension has now been givenup, they still claim sovereignty over the oases of Touat, a month'sjourney in the Sahara. Formerly, indeed, the authority of the MaroquineSultans over Touat and the south appears to have been more real andeffective. 

Diego de Torres relates that, in his time, the Shereefs maintained aforce of ten thousand cavalry in the provinces of Draha, Tafilett andJaguriri, and Monsieur Mouette counts Touat as one of the provinces ofthe Empire. The Sheikh Haj Kasem, in the itinerary which he dictated toMonsieur Delaporte, says that, about forty years ago, Agobli andTaoudeni depended on Morocco. This, however, is what the people ofGhadames told me, whilst they admitted that the oases neither didcontain a single officer of the Emperor, nor did the people pay hisShereefian Highness the smallest impost. The Sultan's authority is nowindeed purely nominal, and the French look forward to the time whenthese fine and centrally placed oases will form "une dependance del'Algérie. "

The only countries in the South which now pay a regular impost to theEmperor, are Tafilett, limited to the valley of Fez, Wad-Draha as far asthe lake Ed-Debaia, and Sous. The countries of Sidi, Hashem, and Wadnounnominally acknowledge the Emperor, and occasionally send a present; butthe most mountainous, between Sous and Wad-Draha, which has been calledGuezoula or Gouzoula, and is said to be peopled by a Berber race, sprangfrom the ancient Gelulir, is entirely independent. In the north and westare also many quasi-independent tribes, but still the Emperor keeps up asort of authority over them; and, if nothing more, is content simplywith being called their Sultan. 

Maroquine Moors call their country El-Gharb, "The West, " and sometimesMogrel-el-Aksa, that is "The far West:" [8] the name seems to haveoriginated something in the same way among the Saracenic conquerors, asthe "Far West" with the Anglo-Americans, arising from an apprehensivefeeling of indefinite extent of unexplored country. Among the Moorsgenerally, Morocco is now often called, "Blad Muley Abd Errahman", or"Country of the Sultan Muley Abd Errahman. " The northwestern portion ofMorocco was first conquered; Morocco Proper, Sous and Tafilett wereadded with the progress of conquest. But scarcely a century has elapsedsince their union under one common Sultan, whilst the diverse populationof the four States are solely kept together by the interests andfeelings of a common religion. 

The Maroquine Empire, with its present limits, is bounded on the northby the Mediterranean Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar, on the west bythe Atlantic Ocean and the Canary and Madeira Islands, on the south bythe deserts of Noun Draha and the Sahara, on the east by Algeria, theAtlas, and Tafilett, on the borders of Sahara beyond their easternslopes. The greatest length from north to south is about five hundredmiles, with a breadth from east to west varying considerably at anaverage of two hundred, containing an available or really _dependent_territory of some 137, 400 square miles, or nearly as large as Spain; andthe whole is situate between the 28° and 40° N. Latitude. MonsieurBenou, in his "Description Géographique de l'Empire de Maroc" saysMorocco "comprend une superficie d'environ 5, 775 myriamètres carrés, unpeu plus grande, par conséquant, que celle de la France, qui équivaut à5, 300. " This then is the available and immediate territory of Morocco, not comprising distant dependencies, where the Shereefs exercise aprecarious or nominal sovereignty. 

Previously to particularizing the population of Morocco, I shall takethe liberty of introducing some general observations on the whole of theinhabitants of North Africa, and the manner in which this country wassuccessively peopled and conquered. Greek and Roman classics containonly meagre and confused notions of the aborigines of North Africa, although they have left us a mass of details on the Punic wars, and thestruggles which ensued between the Romans and the ancient Libyans, before the domination of the Latin Republic could be firmly established. Herodotus cites the names of a number of people who inhabited NorthAfrica, mostly confining himself to repeat the fables or the moreinteresting facts, of which they were the object. 

The nomenclature of Strabo is neither so extensive, nor does it containmore precise or correct information. He mentions the celebrated oasis ofAmmonium and the nation of the Nasamones. Farther west, behind Carthageand the Numidians, he also notices the Getulians, and after them theGaramantes, a people who appear to have colonized both the oasis ofGhadames and the oases of Fezzan. Ptolemy makes the whole of theMauritania, including Algeria and Morocco, to be bounded on the south bytribes, called Gaetuliae and Melanogaeluti, on the south the latterevidently having contracted alliance of blood with the negroes. 

According to Sallust, who supports himself upon the authority ofHeimpsal, the Carthaginian historian, "North Africa was first occupiedby Libyans and Getulians, who were a barbarous people, a heterogeneousmass, or agglomeration of people of different races, without any form ofreligion or government, nourishing themselves on herbs, or devouring theraw flesh of animals killed in the chase; for first amongst these werefound Blacks, probably some from the interior of Africa, and belongingto the great negro family; then whites, issue of the Semitic stock, whoapparently constituted, even at that early period, the dominant race orcaste. Later, but at an epoch absolutely unknown, a new horde ofAsiatics, " says Sallust, "of Medes, Persians, and Armenians, invaded thecountries of the Atlas, and, led on by Hercules, pushed their conquestsas far as Spain. " [9]

The Persians, mixing themselves with the former inhabitants of thecoast, formed the tribes called Numides, or Numidians (which embrace theprovinces of Tunis and Constantina), whilst the Medes and the Armenians, allying themselves with the Libyans, nearer to Spain, it is pretended, gave existence to a race of Moors, the term Medes being changed intothat of Moors. [10]

As to the Getulians confined in the valleys of the Atlas, they resistedall alliance with the new immigrants, and formed the principal nucleusof those tribes who have ever remained in North Africa, rebels to aforeign civilization, or rather determined champions of nationalfreedom, and whom, imitating the Romans and Arabs, we are pleased tocall Barbarians or Berbers (Barbari Brâber [11]), and whence is derivedthe name of the Barbary States. But the Romans likewise called theaboriginal tribes of North Africa, Moors, or Mauri, and some contendthat Moors and Berbers are but two different names for the aboriginaltribes, the former being of Greek and the latter of African origin. TheRomans might, however, confound the African term berber with barbari, which latter they applied, like the Greeks, to all strangers andforeigners. The revolutions of Africa cast a new tribe of emigrants uponthe North African coast, who, if we are to believe the Byzantinehistorian, Procopius, of the sixth century, were no other thanCanaanites, expelled from Palestine by the victorious arms of Joshua, when he established the Israelites in that country. Procopius affirmsthat, in his time, there was a column standing at Tigisis, on which wasthis inscription:--"We are those who fled from the robber Joshua, son ofNun. " [12] Now whether Tigisis was in Algeria, or was modern Tangier, assome suppose, it is certain there are several traditions among theBerber tribes of Morocco, which relate that their ancestors were drivenout of Palestine. Also, the Berber historian, Ebn-Khal-Doun, whoflourished in the fourteenth century, makes all the Berbers descend fromone Bar, the son of Mayigh, son of Canaan. However, what may be thetruths of these traditions of Sallust or Procopius, there is nodifficulty in believing that North Africa was peopled by fugitive androving tribes, and that the first settlers should be exposed to beplundered by succeeding hordes; for such has been the history of themigrations of all the tribes of the human race. 

But the most ancient historical fact on which we can depend is, theinvasion, or more properly, the successive invasions of North Africa bythe Phoenicians. Their definite establishment on these shores took placetowards the foundation of Carthage, about 820 years before our era. Yetwe know little of their intercourse or relations with the aboriginaltribes. When the Romans, a century and a half before Christ, received, or wrested, the rule of Africa from the Phoenicians, or Carthaginians, they found before them an indigenous people, whom they indifferentlycalled Moors, Berbers, or Barbarians. A part of these people were calledalso Nudides, which is perhaps considered the same term as nomades. 

Some ages later, the Romans, too weak to resist a vigorous invasion ofother conquerors, were subjugated by the Vandals, who, during a century, held possession of North Africa; but, after this time, the Romans againraised their heads, and completely expelled or extirpated the Vandals, so that, as before, there were found only two people or races in Africa:the Romans and the Moors, or aborigines. 

Towards the middle of the seventh century after Christ, and a few yearsafter the death of Mahomet, the Romans, in the decline of their power, had to meet the shock of the victorious arms of the Arabians, who pouredin upon them triumphant from the East; but, too weak to resist this newtide of invasion, they opposed to them the aborigines, which latter weresoon obliged to continue alone the struggle. 

The Arabian historians, who recount these wars, speak of _Roumi_ orRomans (of the Byzantine empire) and the Brâber--evidently theaboriginal tribes--who promptly submitted to the Arabs to rid themselvesof the yoke of the Romans; but, after the retreat of their ancientmasters, they revolted and remained a long time in arms against theirnew conquerors--a rule of action which all subjugated nations have beenwont to follow. Were we English now to attempt to expel the French fromAlgeria, we, undoubtedly, should be joined by the Arabs; but who would, most probably, soon also revolt against us, were we to attempt toconsolidate our dominion over them. 

In the first years of the eighth century, and at the end of the firstcentury of the Hegira, the conquering Arabs passed over to Spain, and, inasmuch as they came from Mauritania, the people of Spain gave them thename of Moors (that of the aborigines of North Africa), although theyhad, perhaps, nothing in common with them, if we except their Asiaticorigin. Another and most singular name was also given to these Arabwarriors in France and other parts of Europe--that of Saracens--whoseetymology is extremely obscure. [13] From this time the Spaniards havealways given the names of Moors (_los Moros_), not only to the Arabs ofSpain, but to all the Arabs; and, confounding farther these twodenominations, they have bestowed the name of _Moros_ upon the Arabs ofMorocco and those in the environs of Senegal. 

The Arabs who invaded Northern Africa about 650, were all natives ofAsia, belonging to various provinces of Arabia, and were divided intoIsmaelites, Amalekites, Koushites, &c. They were all warriors; and it isconsidered a title of nobility to have belonged to their first irruptionof the enthusiastic sons of the Prophet. 

A second invasion took place towards the end of the ninth century--anepoch full of wars--during which, the Caliph Kaïm transported the seatof his government from Kairwan to Cairo, ending in the completesubmission of Morocco to the power of Yousef Ben Tashfin. One cannnotnow distinguish which tribe of Arabs belong to the first or the secondinvasion, but all who can shew the slightest proof, claim to belong tothe first, as ranking among a band of noble and triumphant warriors. 

After eight centuries of rule, the Arabs being expelled from Spain, tookrefuge in Barbary, but instead of finding the hospitality and protectionof their brethren, the greater part of them were pillaged or massacred. The remnant of these wretched fugitives settled along the coast; and itis to their industry and intelligence that we owe the increase, or thefoundation of many of the maritime cities. Here, considered as strangersand enemies by the natives, whom they detested, the new colonists soughtfor, and formed relations with Turks and renegades of all nations, whilst they kept themselves separate from the Arabs and Berbers. This, then, is the _bonâ-fide_ origin of the people whom we now generally callMoors. History furnishes us with a striking example of how the expelledArabs of Spain united with various adventurers against the Berber andNorth African Arabs. In the year 1500, a thousand Andalusian cavaliers, who had emigrated to Algiers, formed an alliance with the Barbarossasand their fleet of pirates; and, after expelling the native prince, built the modern city of Algiers. And such was the origin of theAlgerine Corsairs. 

The general result of these observations would, therefore, lead us toconsider the Moors of the Romans, as the Berbers or aborigines of NorthAfrica, and the Moors of the Spaniards, as pure Arabians; and if, indeed, these Arabian cavaliers marshalled with them Berbers, asauxiliaries, for the conquest of Spain, this fact does not militateagainst the broad assumption. 

The so-called Moors of Senegal and the Sahara, as well as those ofMorocco, are chiefly a mixture of Berbers, Arabs and Negroes; but thepresent Moors located in the northern coast of Africa, are rather thedescendants from the various conquering nations, and especially fromrenegades and Christian slaves. 

The term Moors is not known to the natives themselves. The people speakdefinitely enough of Arabs and of various Berber tribes. The populationof the towns and cities are called generally after the names of thesetowns and cities, whilst Tuniseen and Tripoline is applied to all theinhabitants of the great towns of Tunis and Tripoli. Europeans residentin Barbary, as a general rule, call all the inhabitants of towns--Moors, and the peasants or people residents in tents--Arabs. But, in Tripoli, Ifound whole villages inhabited by Arabs, and these I thought might bedistinguished as town Arabs. Then the mountains of Tripoli are coveredwith Arab villages, and some few considerable towns are inhabited bypeople who are _bonâ-fide_ Arabs. Finally, the capitals of North Africaare filled with every class of people found in the country. 

The question is then where shall we draw the line of distinction in thecase of nationalities? or can we, with any degree of precision, definethe limits which distinguish the various races in North Africa? Withregard to the Blacks or negro tribes, there can be no great difficulty. The Jews are also easily distinguished from the rest of the people aswell by their national features as by their dress and habits or customsof living. But, when we come to the Berbers, Arabs, Moors and Turks, wecan only distinguish them in their usual and ordinary occupations andmanners of life. Whenever they are intermixed, or whenever they changetheir position, that is to say, whenever the Arab or Berber comes todwell in a town, or a Moor or a Turk goes to reside in the country, adopting the Arab or Berber dress and mode of living, it is no longerpossible to distinguish the one from the other, or mark the limitationof races. 

And since it is seen that the aborigines of Northern Africa consisted, with the exception of the Negro tribes, of the Asiatics of the Caucasianrace or variety, many of whom, like the Phoenicians, have peopledvarious cities and provinces of Europe, it is therefore not astonishingwe should find all the large towns and cities of North Africa, where thehuman being becomes _policed_, refined and civilized sooner than inremote and thinly-inhabited districts, teeming with a population, whichat once challenges an European type, and a corresponding origin with thegreat European family of nations. 

North Africa is wonderfully homogeneous in the matter of religion. Thepeople, indeed, have but one religion. Even the extraneous Judaism isthe same in its Deism--depression of the female--circumcision and manyof the religious customs, festivals and traditions. And this has asurprising effect in assimilating the opposite character and sharpestpeculiarities of various races of otherwise distinct and independantorigin. 

The population of Morocco presents five distant races and classes ofpeople; Berbers, Arabs, Moors, Jews and Negroes. Turks are not found inMorocco, and do not come so far west; but sons of Turks by Moorish womenin Kouroglies are included among the Moors, that have emigrated fromAlgeria. Maroquine Berbers, include the varieties of the Amayeegh [14]and the Shelouh, who mostly are located in the mountains, while theArabs are settled on the plains. 

The Moors are the inhabitants of towns and cities, consisting of amixture of nearly all races, a great proportion of them being of thedescendants of the Moors expelled from Spain. All these races have been, and will still be, farther noticed in the progress of the work. Theproximate amount of this population is six millions. The greater numberof the towns and cities are situate on the coast, excepting the three orfour capitals, or imperial cities. The other towns of the interiorshould be considered rather as forts to awe neighbouring tribes, or asmarket villages (_souks_), where the people collect together for thedisposal and exchange of their produce. Numerous tribes, located in theAtlas, escape the notice of the imposts of imperial authority. Theirvarieties and amount of population are equally unknown. In the immensegroup of Gibel Thelge (snowy mountains), some of the tribes are said tohave their faces shaved, like Christians, and to wear boots. We canunderstand why a people inhabiting a cold region of rain and mists andperpetual snow should wear boots; but as to their shaving likeChristians, this is rather vague. But it is not impossible the Atlascontains the descendants of some European refugees. 

The nature of the soil and climate of Morocco are not unlike those ofSpain and Portugal; and though Morocco does not materially differ fromother parts of Barbary, its greater extent of coast on the Atlantic, along which the tradewind of the north coast blows nine months out oftwelve, and its loftier ridges of the Atlas, so temper its variedsurface of hill and plain and vast declivities that, together with theabsence of those marshy districts which in hot climates engender fataldisease, this country may be pronounced, excepting perhaps Tunis, themost healthy in all Africa. 

In the northern provinces, the climate is nearly the same as that ofSpain; in the southern there is less rain and more of the desert heat, but this is compensated for by the greater fertility in the productionof valuable staple articles of commerce. Nevertheless, Morocco has itsextremes of heat and cold, like all the North African coast. 

The most striking object of this portion of the crust of the globe, isthe vast Atlas chain of mountains [15], which traverses Morocco fromnorth-east to south-west, whose present ascertained culminating point, Miltsin, is upwards of 15, 000 feet above the level of the sea, or equalto the highest peaks of the Pyrenees. The Maroquine portion of the Atlascontains its highest peaks, which stretch from the east of Tripoli tothe Atlantic Ocean, at Santa Cruz; and we find no mountains of equalheight, except in the tenth degree of North latitude, or 18, 000 milessouth, or 30, 000 south, south-east. The Rif coast has a mountainouschain of some considerable height, but the Atlantic coast offers chieflyridges of hills. The coasts of Morocco are not much indented, andconsequently have few ports, and these offer poor protection from theocean. 

The general surface of Morocco presents a large ridge or lock, with twoimmense declivities, one sloping N. W. To the ocean, with various riversand streams descending from this enormous back-bone of the Atlas, andthe other fulling towards the Sahara, S. E. , feeding the streams andaffluents of Wad Draha, and other rivers, which are lost in the sands ofthe Desert. This shape of the country prevents the formation of thosevast _Sebhahas_, or salt lakes, so frequent in Algeria and the south ofTunis. We are acquainted only with two lakes of fresh or sweetwater--that of Debaia, traversed by Wad Draha, --and that ofGibel-Akhder, which Leo compares to Lake Bolsena. The height of themountains, and the uniformity of their slopes, produce large andnumerous rivers; indeed, the most considerable of all North Africa. These rivers of the North are shortest, but have the largest volume ofwater; those of the South are larger, but are nearly dry the greaterpart of the year. None of them are navigable far inland. Some aboundwith fish, particularly the Shebbel, or Barbary salmon. It is neither sorich nor so large as our salmon, and is whitefleshed; it tastessomething like herring, but is of a finer and more delicate flavour. They are abundant in the market of Mogudor. The Shebbel, converted bythe Spaniards Sabalo, is found in the Guadalquivir. 

The products of the soil are nearly the same as in other parts ofBarbary. On the plains, or in the open country, the great cultivation iswheat and barley; in suburban districts, vegetables and fruits arepropagated. In a commercial point of view, the North exports cattle, grain, bark, leeches, and skins; and the South exports gums, almonds, ostrich-feathers, wax, wool, and skins, as principle staple produce. When the rains cease or fail, the cultivation is kept up by irrigation, and an excellent variety of fruits and esculent vegetables are produced;indeed, nearly all the vegetables and fruit-trees of Southern Europe arehere abundantly and successfully cultivated, besides those peculiar toan African clime and soil. In the south, grows a tree peculiar to thiscountry, the Eloeondenron Argan, so called from its Arabic name Argan. This tree produces fruit resembling the olive, whose egg-shaped, brown, smooth and very hard stone, encloses a flat almond, of a white colour, and of a very disagreeable taste, which, when crushed, produces a rancidoil, used commonly as a substitute for olive-oil. The tree itself isbushy and large, and sometimes grows of the size to a wide-spreadingoak. Not far from Mogador are several Argan forests. The level countryof the north is covered with forests of dwarfish oak; some bear sweet, and others bitter acorns, and also the cork-tree, whose bark is aconsiderable object of commerce. In the Atlas, has been found themagnificent cedar of Lebanon. This tree has also been met with inAlgeria, but only on the mountains, some forty thousand feet above thelevel of the sea. 

In the South there is, of course, growing in all its Saharan vigour, thenoble date-palm, and by its side, squats the palmetto, or dwarf-palm (inArabic _dauma_). Of trees and plants, the usual tinzah, and snouber orpine of Aleppo, are used for preparing the fine leathers of Morocco. Many plants are also deleteriously employed for exciting intoxication, or inflaming the passions. 

Morocco has its mines of gold, silver, lead, iron, tin, sulphur, mineral, salt, and antimony; but nearly all are neglected, or unworked. Government will not encourage the industry of the people, for fear ofexciting the cupidity of foreigners. A Frenchman, a short time ago, reported a silver mine in the south, and Government immediately bribedhim to make another statement that there was no such mine. At Elala andStouka, in the province of Sous, are several rich silver mines. Gold isfound in the Atlas and the Lower Sous. But this country is especiallyrich in copper mines. A great number of ancient and modern authors speakof these mines, which are situate in the mountainous country comprisedbetween Aghadir, Morocco, Talda, Tamkrout, and Akka. The mines mostworked, are those of Tedsi and Afran. At the foot of the Atlas, nearTaroudant, is a great quantity of sulphur. In the neighbourhood ofMorocco, saltpetre is found. In the province of Abda is an extensivesalt lake, and salt has been exported from this country to Timbuctoo. Ofprecious stones, some fine specimens of amethyst have been discovered. 

There are scarcely any animals peculiar to Morocco, or which are notfound in other parts of North Africa. Davidson mentions some curiousfacts relative to the desert horse; "_sherb-errech_, wind-bibber, ordrinker of the wind, " a variety of this animal, which is not to be metwith in the Saharan regions of Tunis, or Tripoli. 

This horse is fed only on camel's milk, and is principally used forhunting ostriches, which are run down by it, and then captured. [16] The_sherb-errech_ will continue running three or four days together withoutany food. It is a slight and spare-formed animal, mostly in wretchedcondition, with ugly thick legs, and devoid of beauty as a horse. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Division of Morocco into kingdoms or States, and zones or regions. --Description of the towns and cities on the Maroquine coasts of theMediterranean and Atlantic waters. --The Zafarine Isles. --Melilla. --Alhucemas. --Penon de Velez. --Tegaza. --Provinces of Rif and Garet. --Tetouan. --Ceuta. --Arzila. --El Araish. --Mehedia. --Salee. --Rabat. --Fidallah. --Dar-el-Beidah. --Azamour. --Mazagran. --Saffee. --Waladia. 

Morocco has been divided into States, or kingdoms by Europeans, althoughsuch divisions scarcely exist in the administration of the nativeprinces. The ancient division mentioned by Leo was that of two largeprovinces of Morocco and Fez, separated by the river Bouragrag, whichempties itself into the sea between Rabat and Salee; and, indeed, forseveral centuries, these districts were separated and governed byindependent princes. Tafilett always, and Sous occasionally, were unitedto Morocco, while Fez itself formed a powerful kingdom, extending itselfeastward as far as the gates of Tlemsen. 

The modern division adopted by several authors, is--

Northern, or the kingdom of Fez. Central, or the kingdom of Morocco. Eastern, or the Province of Tafilett. Southern, or the province of Sous. Some add to this latter, the Province of Draha. 

Then, a great number of districts are enumerated as comprehended inthese large and general divisions; but the true division of allMussulman States is into tribes. There is besides another, which moreapproaches to European government, viz, into kaidats, or jurisdictions. The name of a district is usually that of its chief tribe, and mountainsare denominated after the tribes that inhabit them. There is, of course, a natural division, sometimes called a dividing into zones or specificregions, which has already been alluded to in enumerating the naturalresources of Morocco, and which besides corresponds with the presentpolitical divisions. 

I. The North of the Atlas: coming first, the Rif, or mountainous region, which borders the Mediterranean from the river Moulwia to Tangier, comprising the districts of Hashbat west, and Gharet and Aklaia east. Then the intermediate zone of plains and hills, which extends from themiddle course of the Moulwia to Tangier on one coast, and to Mogador onthe other. 

II. The Central Region, or the great chain of the Atlas. The Deren [17]of the natives, from the frontiers of Algeria east to Cape Gheer, on thesouth-west. This includes the various districts of the Gharb, Temsna, Beni Hasan, Shawia, Fez, Todla, Dukala, Shragno, Abda, Haha, Shedma, Khamna, Morocco, &c. 

III. South of the Atlas: or quasi-Saharan region, comprising the variousprovinces and districts of Sous, Sidi Hisham, Wadnoun, Guezoula, Draha(Drâa), Tafilett, and a large portion of the Sahara, south-east of theAtlas. 

As to statistics of population I am inclined fully to admit thestatement of Signor Balbi that, the term of African statistics ought tobe rejected as absurd. Count Hemo de Gräberg, who was a long time Consulat Tangier, and wrote a statistical and geographical account of theempire of Morocco, states the number of the inhabitants of the town ofMazagran to be two thousand. Mr. Elton who resided there several months, assured me it does not contain more than one hundred. Another gentlemanwho dwelt there says, three hundred. This case is a fair sample of thestyle in which the statistics of population in Morocco are and have beencalculated. 

Before the occupation of Algeria by the French, all the cities werevulgarly calculated at double, or treble their amount of population. This has also been the case even in India, where we could obtain, withcare, tolerably correct statistics. The prejudices of oriental andAfrico-eastern people are wholly set against statistics, or numberingthe population. No mother knows the age of her own child. It isill-omened, if not an affront, to ask a man how many children he has;and to demand the amount of the population of a city, is eitherconstructed as an infringement upon the prerogative of the omnipotentCreator, who knows how many people he creates, and how to take care ofthem, or it is the question of a spy, who is seeking to ascertain thestrength or weakness of the country. Europeans can, therefore, rarelyobtain any correct statistical information in Morocco: all is proximateand conjectural. [18] I am anxious, nevertheless, to give someparticulars respecting the population, in order that we may really havea proximate idea of the strength and resources of this importantcountry. In describing the towns and cities of the various provinces, Ishall divide them into, 1. Towns and cities of the coast. 

2. Capital or royal cities. 

3. Other towns and remarkable places in the interior [19]. 

The towns and ports, on the Mediterranean, are of considerable interest, but our information is very scanty, except as far as relates to the_praesidios_ of Spain, or the well-known and much frequented towns ofTetuan and Tangier. 

Near the mouth of the Malwia (or fifteen miles distant), is the littletown of Kalat-el-wad, with a castle in which the Governor resides. Whether the river is navigable up to this place, I have not been able todiscover. The water-communication of the interior of North Africa is notworth the name. Zaffarinds or Jafarines, are three isles lying off thewest of the river Mulweeah, at a short distance, or near its mouth. These belong to Spain, and have recently been additionally fortified, but why, or for what reason, is not so obvious. Opposite to them, thereis said to be a small town, situate on the mainland. The Spaniards, inthe utter feebleness and decadence of their power, have lately dubbedsome one or other "Captain-general of the Spanish possessions, &c. InNorth Africa. "

Melilla or Melilah is a very ancient city, founded by the Carthaginians, built near a cape called by the Romans, _Rusadir_ (now Tres-Forcas) thename afterwards given to the city, and which it still retains in theform of Ras-ed-Dir, (Head of the mountain). This town is the capital ofthe province of Garet, and is said to contain 3, 000 souls. It is situateamidst a vast tract of fine country, abounding in minerals, and mostdelicious honey, from which it is pretended the place receives its name. 

On an isle near, and joined to the mainland by a draw-bridge, is theSpanish _praesidio_, or convict-settlement called also Melilla, containing a population of 2, 244 according to the Spanish, but Rabbi andGräberg do not give it more than a thousand. At a short distance, towards the east, is an exceedingly spacious bay, of twenty-two miles incircumference, where, they say, a thousand ships of war could beanchored in perfect safety, and where the ancient galleys of Venicecarried on a lucrative trade with Fez. Within the bay, three milesinland, are the ruins of the ancient city of Eazaza, once a celebratedplace. 

Alhucemos, is another small island and _praesidio_ of the Spaniards, containing five or six hundred inhabitants; it commands the bay of thesame name, and is situate at the mouth of the river Wad Nechor, wherethere is also the Islet of Ed-Housh. Near the bay, is the ancientcapital, Mezemma, now in ruins; it had, however, some commercialimportance in the times of Louis XIV. , and carried on trade with France. 

Peñon de Velez is the third _praesidio_-island, a convict settlement ofthe Spaniards on this coast, and a very strong position, situateopposite the mouths of the river Gomera, which disembogues in theMediterranean. The garrison contains some nine hundred inhabitants. Sofar as natural resources are concerned, Peñon de Velez is a mere rock, and a part of the year is obliged to be supplied with fresh water fromthe mainland. Immediately opposite to the continent is the city ofGomera (or Badis), the ancient Parientina, or perhaps the Acra ofPtolemy, afterwards called Belis, and by the Spaniards, Velez de laGomera. The name Gomera, according to J. A. Conde, is derived from thecelebrated Arab tribe of the Gomeres, who flourished in Africa and Spainuntil the last Moorish kings of Granada. Count Graberg pretends Gomeranow contains three thousand inhabitants! whilst other writers, and oflater date, represent this ancient city, which has flourished and playedan important part through many ages, as entirely abandoned, and theabode of serpents and hyaenas. Gellis is a small port, six miles east ofVelez de Gomera. 

Tegaza is a small town and port, at two miles or less from the sea nearPescadores Point, inhabited mostly by fishermen, and containing athousand souls. 

The provinces of Rif and Garet, containing these maritime towns are richand highly cultivated, but inhabited by a warlike and semi-barbarousrace of Berbers, over whom the Emperor exercises an extremely precariousauthority. Among these tribes, Abd-el-Kader sought refuge and supportwhen he was obliged to retire from Algeria, and, where he defied all thepower of the Imperial government for several months. Had the Emirchosen, he could have remained in Rif till this time; but he determinedto try his strength with the Sultan in a pitch battle, which shoulddecide his fate. 

The savage Rifians assemble for barter and trade on market-days, whichare occasions of fierce and incessant quarrels among themselves, when itis not unusual for two or three persons to be left dead on the spot. Should any unfortunate vessel strike on these coasts, the crew findthemselves in the hands of inhuman wreckers. No European traveller hasever visited these provinces, and we may state positively thatjourneying here is more dangerous than in the farthest wastes of theSahara. Spanish renegades, however, are found among them, who haveescaped from the _praesidios_, or penal settlements. The Rif country isfull of mines, and is bounded south by one of the lesser chains of theAtlas running parallel with the coast. Forests of cork clothe themountain-slopes; the Berbers graze their herds and flocks in the deepgreen valleys, and export quantities of skins. 

Tetuan, the Yagath of the Romans, situate at the opening of the Straitsof Gibraltar, four or five miles from the sea, upon the declivity of ahill and within two small ranges of mountains, is a fine, large, richand mercantile city of the province of Hasbat. It has a residentgovernor of considerable power and consequence, the name of the presentfunctionary being Hash-Hash, who has long held the appointment, andenjoys great influence near the Sultan. Half a mile east of the citypasses from the south Wad Marteen, (the Cus of Marmol) which disemboguesinto the sea; on its banks is the little port of Marteen or Marteel, notquite two miles distant from the coast, and about three from the city, where a good deal of commerce is carried on, small vessels, laden withthe produce of Barbary, sailing thence to Spain, Gibraltar, and evenFrance and Italy. The population of Tetouan is from nine to twelvethousand souls, including, besides Moors and Arabs, four thousand Jews, two thousand Negroes, and eight thousand Berbers. The streets aregenerally formed into arcades, or covered bazaars. 

The Jews have a separate quarter; their women are celebrated for theirbeauty. The suburbs are adorned with fine gardens, and olive and vineplantations. Orange groves, or rather orange forests, extend for milesaround, yielding their golden treasures. A great export of oranges couldbe established here, which might be conveyed overland to India. Altogether, Tetuan is one of the most respectable coast-cities ofMorocco, though it has no port immediately adjoining it. Itsfortifications are only strong enough to resist the attack of hostileBerbers. The town is about two-thirds of a day's journey from Tangier, south-east. A fair day's journey would be, in Morocco, upwards of thirtyEnglish miles, but a good deal depends upon the season of the year whenyou travel. 

Ceuta is considered to be Esilissa of Ptolemy, and was once the capitalof Mauritania Tingitana. The Arabs call it Sebât and Sebta, _i. E. _, "seven, " after the Romans, who called it _Septem fratres_, and theGreeks the same, apparently on account of the seven mountains, which arein the neighbourhood. Ceuta, or Sebta, is evidently the modern form ofthis classic name. It is a very ancient city and celebrated fortress, situate fourteen miles south of Gibraltar, nearly opposite to it, as aspecies of rival stronghold, and placed upon a peninsula, which detachesitself from the continent on the east, and turns then to the north. Thecity extends over the tongue of land nearest the continent; the citadeloccupies Monte-del-Acho, called formerly Jibel-el-Mina, a name stillpreserved in Almina, a suburb to the south-east. 

In the beginning of the eighth century, Ceuta, which was inhabited bythe Goths, passed into the hands of the Arabs, who made it a point ofdeparture for the expeditions into Spain. It was conquered by thepowerful Arab family of the Ben-Hamed, one of whom, called MohammedEdris, invaded Spain, and, after several conquests, was proclaimed Kingof Cordova, in A. D. 1, 000, On 21st of August, 1415, the Portuguese conquered it, and it was thefirst place which they occupied in Africa. In 1578, at the death of DonSebastian, Ceuta passed with Portugal and the rest of the colonies intothe power of Spain; and when, in 1640, the Portuguese recovered theirindependence, the Spaniards were left masters of Ceuta, which continuesstill in their hands, but is of no utility to them except as a_praesidio_, which makes the fourth penal settlement possessed by themon this coast. 

Ceuta contains a garrison of two or three thousand men. The freepopulation amounts to some five or six thousand. It has a small andinsecure port. Here is the famed Gibel Zaterit, "Monkey's promontory, "or "Ape's Hill, " which has occasioned the ingenious fable, that, inasmuch as there are no monkeys in any part of Europe except Gibraltar, directly opposite to this rock, where also monkeys are found, there mustnecessarily be a subterranean passage beneath the sea, by which theypass and re-pass to opposite sides of the Straits, and maintain afriendly and uninterrupted intercourse between the brethren of Africaand Europe. Anciently, the mountains hereabouts formed the Africanpillars of Hercules opposite to Gibraltar, which may be considered theEuropean pillar of that respectable hero of antiquity. 

Passing Tangier after a day's journey, we come to Arzila or Asila, inthe province of Hasbat, which is an ancient Berber city, and which, whenconquered by the Romans, was named first Zilia and afterwards Zulia, _Constantia Zilis_. It is placed on the naked shores of the Atlantic, and has a little port. Whilst possessed by the Portuguese, it was aplace of considerable strength, but its fortifications being, as usual, neglected by the Moors, are now rapidly decaying. [20] The population isabout one thousand. The country around produces good tobacco. The nexttown on the Atlantic, after another day's journey southwards, is ElAraish, _i. E. _, the trellices of vines; vulgarly called Laratsh. Thiscity replaces the ancient Liscas or Lixus and Lixa, whose ruins arenear. The Arabs call it El-Araish Beai-Arous, _i. E. _, the vineyards ofthe Beni-Arous, a powerful tribe, who populate the greater part of thedistrict of Azgar, of which it is the capital and the residence of theGovernor. It was, probably, built by this tribe about 1, 200 or 1, 300, AD. El-Araish contains a population of 2, 700 Moors, and 1, 300 Jews, or4, 000 souls; but others give only 2, 000 for the whole amount, of which250 are Jews. It has a garrison of 500 troops. The town is situate upona small promontory stretching into the sea, and along the mouth of theriver Cos, or Luccos (Loukkos), which forms a secure port, but of sodifficult access, that vessels of two hundred tons can scarcely enterit. In winter, the roadstead is very bad; [21] the houses aresubstantially built; and the fortifications are good, because made bythe Spaniards, who captured this place in 1610, but it was re-taken byMuley Ishmael in 1689. The climate is soft and delicious. In theenvirons, cotton is cultivated, and charcoal is made from the Araishforest of cork-trees. El-Araish exports cork, wool, skins, bark, beans, and grain, and receives in exchange iron, cloth, cottons, muslins, sugarand tea. The lions and panthers of the mountains of Beni Arasissometimes descend to the plains to drink, or carry off a supper of asheep or bullock. Azgar, the name of this district, connects it with oneof the powerful tribes of the Touaricks; and, probably, a section ofthis tribe of Berbers were resident here at a very early period (at thesame time the Berber term _ayghar_ corresponds to the Arabic _bahira_, and signifies "plain. ")

The ancient Lixus deserves farther mention on account of the interestattached to its coins, a few of which remain, although but very recentlydeciphered by archeologists. There are five classes of them, and allPhoenician, although the city now under Roman rule, represents thevineyard riches of this part of ancient Mauritania by two bunches ofgrapes, so that, after nearly three thousand years, the place hasretained its peculiarity of producing abundant vines, El-Araish, being"the vine trellices;" others have stamped on them "two ears of corn" and"two fishes, " representing the fields of corn waving on the plains ofMorocco, and the fish (shebbel especially) which fills its northernrivers. 

Strabo says:--"Mauritania generally, excepting a small part desert, isrich and fertile, well watered with rivers and washed with lakes;abounding in all things, and producing trees of great dimensions. "Another writer adds "this country produces a species of the vine whosetrunk the extended arms of two men cannot embrace, and which yieldsgrapes of a cubit's length. " "At this city, " says Pliny, "was the palaceof Antaeus, and his combat with Hercules and the gardens of Hesperides. "

Mehedia or Mâmora, and sometimes, Nuova Mamora, is situate upon thenorth-western slope of a great hill, some four feet above the sea, uponthe left bank of the mouth of the Sebon, and at the edge of thecelebrated plain and forest of Mamora, belonging to the province ofBeni-Hassan. According to Marmol, Mamora was built by Jakob-el-Mansourto defend the embouchure of the river. It was captured by the Spaniardsin 1614, and retaken by the Moors in 1681. The Corsairs formerly tookrefuge here. It is now a weak and miserable place, commanded by an oldcrumbling-down castle. There are five or six hundred fishermen, occupying one hundred and fifty cabins, who make a good trade of theShebbel salmon; it has a very small garrison. The forest of Mamora, contains about sixty acres of fine trees, among which are some splendidoaks, all suitable for naval construction. 

Salee or Sala, a name which this place bore antecedently to the Romanoccupation, is a very ancient city, situate upon the right bank of theriver Bouragrag, and near its mouth. This place was captured in 1263, byAlphonso the Wise, King of Castille, who was a short time afterdispossessed of his conquest by the King of Fez; and the Moorish Sultanshave kept it to the present time, though the city itself has oftenattempted to throw off the imperial yoke. The modern Salee is a largecommercial and well-fortified city of the province of Beni-Hassan. Itsport is sufficiently large, but, on account of the little depth ofwater, vessels of large burden cannot enter it. The houses and publicplaces are tolerably well-built. The town is fortified by a battery oftwenty-four pieces of cannon fronting the sea, and a redoubt at theentrance of the river. What navy the Maroquines have, is still laid uphere, but the dock-yard is now nearly deserted, and the few remainingships are unserviceable. The population, all of whom are Mahometans, arenow, as in Corsair times, the bitterest and most determined enemies ofChristians, and will not permit a Christian or Jew to reside among them. The amount of this population, and that of Rabat, is thus given, _Salee Rabat_ Gräberg 23, 000 27, 000 Washington 9, 000 21, 000 Arlett 14, 000 24, 000

but it is probably greatly exaggerated. 

A resident of this country reduces the population of Salee as low as twoor three thousand. For many years, the port of Salee was the rendezvousof the notorious pirates of Morocco, who, together with the city ofRabat, formed a species of military republic almost independent of theSultan; these Salee rovers were at once the most ferocious andcourageous in the world. Time was, when these audacious freebooters layunder Lundy Island in the British Channel, waiting to intercept Britishtraders! "Salee, " says Lemprière, "was a place of good commerce, till, addicting itself entirely to piracy, and revolting from the allegianceto its Sovereign, Muley Zidan, that prince in the year 1648, dispatchedan embassy to King Charles 1, of England, requesting him to send asquadron of men-of-war to lie before the town, while he attacked byland. " This request being acceded to, the city was soon reduced, thefortifications demolished, and the leaders of the rebellion put todeath. The year following, the Emperor sent another ambassador toEngland, with a present of Barbary horses and three hundred Christianslaves. 

Rabat, or Er-Rabat, and on some of the foreign maps Nuova Sale, is amodern city of considerable extent, densely populated, strong andwell-built, belonging to the province of Temsna. It is situated on thedeclivity of a hill, opposite to Salee, on the other side of the river, or left side of the Bouragrag, which is as broad as the Thames atLondon Bridge, and might be considered as a great suburb, or anotherquarter of the same city. It was built by the famous Yakob-el-Mansour, nephew of Abd-el-Moumen, and named by him Rabat-el-Fatah, _i. E. _, "campof victory, " by which name it is now often mentioned. 

The walls of Rabat enclose a large space of ground, and the town isdefended on the seaside by three forts, erected some years ago by anEnglish renegade, and furnished with ordnance from Gibraltar. Among thepopulation are three or four thousand Jews, some of them of great wealthand consequence. The merchants are active and intelligent, carrying oncommerce with Fez, and other places of the interior, as also with theforeign ports of Genoa, Gibraltar, and Marseilles. In the middle ages, the Genoese had a great trade with Rabat, but this trade is now removedto Mogador, Many beautiful gardens and plantations adorn the suburbs, deserving even the name of "an earthly paradise. "

The Moors of Rabat are mostly from Spain, expelled thence by theSpaniards. The famous Sultan, Almanzor, intended that Rabat should behis capital. His untenanted mausoleum is placed here, in a separate andsacred quarter. This prince, surnamed "the victorious, " (Elmansor, ) washe who expelled the Moravedi from Spain. He is the Nero of WesternAfrica, as Keatinge says, their "King Arthur. " Tradition has it thatElmansor went in disguise to Mecca, and returned no more. Mankind lovethis indefinite and obscure end of their heroes. Moses went up to themountain to die there in eternal mystery. At a short distance from Rabatis Shella, or its ruins, a small suburb situated on the summit of ahill, which contains the tombs of the royal family of the Beni-Merini, and the founder of Rabat, and is a place of inviolate sanctity, noinfidel being permitted to enter therein. Monsieur Chenier supposesShella to have been the site of the metropolis of the Carthaginiancolonies. 

Of these two cities, on the banks of the Wad-Bouragrag, Salee was, according to D'Anville, always a place of note as at the present time, and the farthest Roman city on the coast of the Atlantic, being thefrontier town of the ancient Mauritania Tingitana. Some pretend that allthe civilization which has extended itself beyond this point is eitherMoorish, or derived from European colonists. The river Wad-Bouragrag issomewhat a natural line of demarcation, and the products and animals ofthe one side differ materially from those of the other, owing to thenumber and less rapid descent of the streams on the side of the north, and so producing more humidity, whilst the south side, on the contrary, is of a higher and drier soil. 

Fidallah, or Seid Allah, _i. E_. , "grace, " or "gift of God, " is amaritime village of the province of Temsa, founded by the SultanMohammed in 1773. It is a strong place, and surrounded with walls. Fidallah is situated on a vast plain, near the river Wad Millah, wherethere is a small port, or roadstead, to which the corsairs were wont toresort when they could not reach Salee, long before the village wasbuilt, called Mersa Fidallah. The place contains a thousand souls, mostly in a wretched condition. Sidi Mohammed, before he built Mogador, had the idea of building a city here; the situation is indeeddelightful, surrounded with fertility. 

Dar-el-Beida (or Casa-Blanco, "white house, ") is a small town, formerlyin possession of the Portuguese, who built it upon the ruins of Anfa orAnafa, [22] which they destroyed in 1468. They, however, scarcelyfinished it when they abandoned it in 1515. Dar-el-Beida is situate onthe borders of the fertile plains of the province of Shawiya, and has asmall port, formed by a river and a spacious bay on the Atlantic. TheRomans are said to have built the ancient Anafa, in whose time it was aconsiderable place, but now it scarcely contains above a thousandinhabitants, and some reduce them to two hundred. Sidi Mohammedattempted this place, and the present Sultan endeavoured to follow upthese efforts. A little commerce with Europe is carried on here. The baywill admit of vessels of large burden anchoring in safety, except whenthe wind blows strong from the north-west. Casa Blanco is two daysjourney from Rabat, and two from Azamor, or Azemmour, which is anancient and fine city of the province of Dukaila, built by the AmazighBerbers, in whose language it signifies "olives. " It is situate upon ahill, about one hundred feet above the sea, and distant half a mile fromthe shore, not far from the mouth of the Wad-Omm-er-Rbia (or Omm-Erbegh)on its southern bank, and is everywhere surrounded by a most fertilesoil. Azamor contains now about eight or nine hundred inhabitants, butformerly was much more populated. The Shebbel salmon is the principalcommerce, and a source of immense profit to the town. The river is verydeep and rapid, so that the passage with boats is both difficult anddangerous. It is frequently of a red colour, and charged with slime likethe Nile at the period of its inundations. The tide is felt five or sixleagues up the river, according to Chénier. Formerly, vessels of everysize entered the river, but now its mouth has a most difficult bar ofsand, preventing large vessels going up, like nearly all the Maroquineports situate on the mouths, or within the rivers. 

Azamor was taken by the Portuguese under the command of the Duke ofBraganza in 1513 who strengthened it by fortifications, the walls ofwhich are still standing; but it was abandoned a century afterwards, theIndies having opened a more lucrative field of enterprise than thesebarren though honourable conquests on the Maroquine coast. This place ishalf a day's journey, or about fourteen miles from Mazagran, _i. E_. Theabove Amayeeghs, an extremely ancient and strong castle, erected on apeninsula at the bottom of a spacious and excellent bay. It was rebuiltby the Portuguese in 1506, who gave it the name of Castillo Real. Thesite has been a centre of population from the remotest period, chieflyBerbers, whose name it still bears. The Arabs, however, call itEl-Bureeja, i. E. , "the citadel. " The Portuguese abandoned it in 1769;Mazagran was the last stronghold which they possessed in Morocco. Thetown is well constructed, and has a wall twelve feet thick, strengthenedwith bastions. There is a small port, or dock, on the north side of thetown, capable of admitting small vessels, and the roadstead is good, where large vessels can anchor about two miles off the shore. Itstraffic is principally with Rabat, but there is also some export tradeto foreign parts. Its population is two or three hundred. [23] Afterproceeding two days south-west, you arrive at Saffee, or properlyAsafee, called by the natives Asfee, and anciently Soffia or Saffia, isa city of great antiquity, belonging to the province of Abda, and wasbuilt by the Carthaginians near Cape Pantin. Its site lies between twohills, in a valley which is exposed to frequent inundations. Theroadstead of Saffee is good and safe during summer, and its shippingonce enabled it to be the centre of European commerce on the Atlanticcoast. The population amounts to about one thousand, including a numberof miserable Jews. The walls of Saffee are massy and high. ThePortuguese captured this city in 1508, voluntarily abandoning it in1641. The country around is not much cultivated, and presents melancholydeserts; but there is still a quantity of corn grown. About forty milesdistant, S. E. , is a large salt lake. Saffee is one and a half day'sjourney from Mogador. 

Equidistant between Mazagran and Saffee is the small town of El-Waladia, situate on an extensive plain. Persons report that near this spot is aspacious harbour, or lagune, sufficiently capacious to contain four orfive hundred sail of the line; but, unfortunately, the entrance isobstructed by some rocks, which, however, it is added, might easily beblown up. The lagune is also exposed to winds direct for the ocean. Thetown, enclosed within a square wall, and containing very fewinhabitants, is supposed to have been built in the middle of theseventeenth century by the Sultan Waleed. After whom it was named. 

This brings us to Mogador, which, with Aghadir, have already beendescribed. 

CHAPTER V. 

Description of the Imperial Cities or Capitals of the Empire. --El-Kesar. --Mequinez. --Fez. --Morocco. --The province of Tafilett, thebirth-place of the present dynasty of the Shereefs. 

The royal or capitals of the interior now demand our attention, whichare El-Kesar, Mequinez, Fez, and Morocco. 

El-Kesar, or Al-Kesar, [24] styled also El-Kesue-Kesar, is so named anddistinguished because it owes its enlargement to the famous Sultan ofFez, Almansor, who improved and beautified it about the year 1180, anddesigned this city as a magazine and rendezvous of troops for the greatpreparations he was making at the time for the conquest of Granada. El-Kesar is in the province of the Gharb, and situate on the southernbank of the Luccos; here is a deep and rapid stream, flowing W. 1/4 N. W. The town is nearly as large as Tetuan, but the streets are dirty andnarrow, and many of the houses in a ruinous condition, This fortifiedplace was once adorned by some fifteen mosques, but only two or threeare now fit for service. The population does not exceed four or fivethousand souls, and some think this number over-estimated. 

The surrounding country is flat meadowland, but flooded after the rains, and producing fatal fevers, though dry and hot enough in summer. Thesuburban fields are covered with gardens and orchards. It was atEl-Kesar, where, in A. D. 1578, the great battle of The Three Kings cameoff, because, besides the Portuguese King, Don Sebastian, two Moorishprinces perished on this fatal day. But one of them, Muley Moluc, diedvery ill in a litter, and was not killed in the fight; his death, however, was kept a secret till the close of the battle, in order thatthe Moors might not be discouraged. With their prince, Don Sebastian, perished the flower of the Portuguese nobility and chivalry of thattime. War, indeed, was found "a dangerous game" on that woeful day: bothfor princes and nobles, and many a poor soul was swept away

 "Floating in a purple tide. "

But the "trade of war" has been carried on ever since, and theselessons, written in blood, are as useless to mankind as those dashed offby the harmless pen of the sentimental moralist. El-Kesar is placed inLatitude, 35° 1 10" N. ; Longitude, 5° 49' 30" W. 

Mequinez, [25] in Arabic, Miknas (or Miknasa), is a royal residence, andcity of the province of Fez, situate upon a hill in the midst of awell-watered and most pleasant town, blessed with a pure and serene air. The city of Miknas is both large and finely built, of considerableinterest and of great antiquity. It was founded by the tribe of BerbersMeknâsab, a fraction of the Zenatah, in the middle of the tenth century, and called Miknasat, hence is derived its present name. The modern townis surrounded with a triple wall thirteen feet high and three thick, enclosing a spacious area. This wall is mounted with batteries to awethe Berbers of the neighbouring mountains. The population amounts toabout twenty thousand souls, (some say forty or fifty thousand) in whichare included about nine thousand Negro troops, constituting the greaterportion of the Imperial guard. Two thousand of these black troops are incharge of the royal treasures, estimated at some fifty millions ofdollars, and always increasing. These treasures consist of jewels, barsof gold and silver, and money in the two precious metals, the greaterpart being Spanish and Mexican dollars. 

The inhabitants are represented as being the most polished of the Moors, kind and hospitable to strangers. The palace of the Emperor is extremelysimple and elegant, all the walls of which are _embroidered_ with thebeautiful stucco-work of Arabesque patterns, as pure and chaste as thefinest lace. The marble for the pillars was furnished from the ruinsadjacent, called Kesar Farâoun, "Castle of Pharoah" (a name given tomost of the old ruins of Morocco, of whose origin there is any doubt). 

During the times of piracy, there was here, as also at Morocco, aSpanish hospitium for the ransom and recovery of Christian slaves. Evenbefore Mequinez was constituted a royal city, it was a place ofconsiderable trade and riches. Nothing of any peculiar value has beendiscovered among the extensive and ancient ruins about a mile distant, and which have furnished materials for the building of several royalcities; they are, however, supposed to be Roman. Scarcely a day'sjourney separates Mequinez from Fez. It is not usual for two royalcities to be placed so near together, but which must render theirfortunes inseparable. 

Fez, or Fas. According to some, the name Fas, which signifies in Arabiaa pickaxe, was given to it because one was found in digging itsfoundations. Others derive it from Fetha, silver. It is no longer themarvellous city described by Leo Africanus, yet its learning, wealth, and industry place it in the first rank of the cities of Morocco. Duringthe eighth century, the Arabs, masters of Tunis, of all Algeria, and themaritime cities of Morocco, seemed to think only of invading Europe andconsolidating their power in Spain; but at this epoch, a descendant ofAli and Fatima, Edris Ben Abdalluh, quitted Arabia, passed into Morocco, and established himself at Oualili, the capital, where he remained tillhis death, and where he was buried. His character was generally knownand venerated for its sanctity, and drew upon him the affectionateregard of the people, and all instinctively placed themselves near himas a leader of the Faithful, likely to put an end to anarchy, andestablish order in the Mussulman world. His son, Edris-Ben-Edris, whoinherited his virtues and influence, offering a species of ancientprototype to Abd-el Kader and his venerable father, Mahadin, was thefirst _bona-fide_ Mussulman sovereign of the Maroquine empire, andfounded Fez. 

Fez is a most ancient centre of population, and had long been a famedcity, before Muley Edris, in the year A. D. 807 (others in 793), gave itits present form and character. 

From that period, however, Fez [26] dates its modern celebrity and rankamong the Mahometan capitals of the world, and especially as being thesecond city of Islamism, and the "palace of the Mussulmen Princes of theWest. " That the Spanish philologists should make Fut, of the ProphetNahum, to be the ancient capital of Fez, is not remarkable, consideringthe numerous bands of emigrants, who, emerging from the coast, wanderedas far as the pillars of Hercules; and, besides, in a country like NorthAfrica, the theatre of so many revolutions, almost every noted city ofthe present period has had its ancient form, from which it has beensuccessively changed. 

The modern capital is placed in a valley upon the gentle slope ofseveral hills by which it is surrounded, and whose heights are crownedwith lovely gardens breathing odoriferous sweets. Close by is a littleriver, or a branch of the Tebou, named Wad-el-Juhor, or "streamlet, "which supplies the city with excellent water. 

The present buildings are divided into old and new Fez. The streets areso narrow that two men on horseback could scarcely ride abreast; theyare, besides, very dark, and often arched over. Colonel Scott representssome of the streets, however, as a mile in length. The houses are high, but not handsome. The shops are numerous and much frequented, though notvery fine in appearance. Fez contains no less than seven hundredmosques, fifty of which are superb, and ornamented with fine columns ofmarble; there is, besides, a hundred or more of very small and ill-builtmosques, or rather, houses of prayer. The most famous of these templesof worship is El-Karoubin (or El-Karouïin), supported by three hundredpillars. In this is preserved the celebrated library of antiquity, where, it is pretended, ancient Greek and Latin authors are to be foundin abundance with the lost books of Titus Livy. 

This appears to be mere conjecture. [27] But the mosque the morefrequented and venerated, is that dedicated to the founder of the city, Muley Edris, whose ashes repose within its sacred enclosure. Soexcessive is this "hero-worship" for this great sultan, that the peopleconstantly invoke his name in their prayers instead of that of theDeity. The mausoleum of this sacro-santo prince is inviolable andunapproachable. The university of Fez was formally much celebrated, butlittle of its learning now remains. Its once high-minded orthodox mulahsare now succeeded by a fanatic and ignorant race of marabouts. Nevertheless, the few _hommes de lettres_ found in Morocco arecongregated here, and the literature of the empire is concentrated inthis city. Seven large public schools are in full activity, besidesnumbers of private seminaries of instruction. The low humour of thetalebs, and the fanaticism of the people, are unitedly preserved anddeveloped in this notorious doggerel couplet, universally diffusedthroughout Morocco:--

 _Ensara fee Senara Elhoud fee Sefoud_

 "Christians on the hook Jews on the spit, " or

 "Let Christians be hooked, And let Jews be cooked. "

The great division of the Arabic into eastern and western dialects makeslittle real difference in a practical point of view. The Mogrebbin, orwestern, is well understood by all travellers, and, of course, by allscholars from the East. 

The palace of the Sultan is not large, but is handsome. There arenumerous baths, and an hospital for the mad or incurable. The populationwas estimated, not long ago, at 88, 000 souls, of which there were 60, 000Moors and Arabs (the Moors being chiefly immigrants from Spain), 10, 000Berbers, 8, 000 Jews, and 10, 000 Negroes. But this amount has beenreduced to 40, 000, or even 30, 000; and the probability is, the presentpopulation of Fez does not by any means, exceed 50, 000, if it reachesthat number. Nearly all the Jews reside in the new city, which, by itsposition, dominates the old one. The inhabitants of Fez, in spite oftheir learning and commerce, are distinguished for their fanaticism; andan European, without an escort of troops, cannot walk in the streetsunless disguised. It was lately the head-quarters of the fanatics whopreached "the holy war, " and involved the Emperor in hostilities withthe French. 

The immense trade of every kind carried on at Fez gives it almost theair of an European city. In the great square, called Al-Kaisseriah, isexhibited all the commerce of Europe and Africa--nay, even of the wholeworld. The crowd of traffickers here assemble every day as at a fair. Fez has two annual caravans; one leaves for Central Africa, orTimbuctoo; and another for Mecca, or the caravan of pilgrims. The twogreat stations and rendezvous points of the African caravan are Tafilettand Touat. The journey from Fez to Timbuctoo occupies about ninety days. The Mecca caravan proceeds the same route as far as Touat, and thenturns bank north-east to Ghadames, Fezzan, and Angelah, and thence toAlexandria, which it accomplishes in four or five, to six months. Alldepends on the inclination of the Shereef, or Commandant, of thecaravan; but the journey from Fez to Alexandria cannot, by the quickestcaravan, be accomplished in much less time than three months and a half, or one hundred days. The value of the investments in this caravan hasbeen estimated at a million of dollars; for the faithful followers ofthe Prophet believe, with us, that godliness is profitable in the lifethat now is, as well as in that which is to come. 

Fez is surrounded with a vast wall, but which is in decay. What is thisdecay! It applies almost to every Moorish city and public building inNorth Africa. And yet the faith of the false prophet is as strong asever, and with time and hoary age seems to strike its roots deeper intothe hearts of its simple, but enthusiastic and duped devotees!

The city has seven gates, and two castles, at the east and west, formits main defence. These castles are very ancient, and are formed andsupported by square walls about sixty feet in front, Ali Bey says, subterraneous passages are reported to exist between these castles andthe city; and, whenever the people revolt against the Sultan, cannon areplanted on the castles with a few soldiers as their guard. Thefortifications, or Bastiles, of Paris, we see, therefore, were no newinvention of Louis Philippe to awe the populace. The maxims of a subtlepolicy are instructive in despotism of every description. 

The constituted authorities of Fez are like those of every city ofMorocco. The Governor is the lieutenant of the sovereign, exercising theexecutive power; the Kady, or supreme judge, is charged with theadministration of the law, and the Al-Motassen fixes the price ofprovisions, and decides all the questions of trade and customs. Thereare but few troops at Fez, for it is not a strong military possession;on the contrary, it is commanded by accessible heights and is exposed toa _coup-de-main_. 

Fez, indeed, could make no _bonâ-fide_ resistance to an European army. The manufactures are principally woollen haiks, silk handkerchiefs, slippers and shoes of excellent leather, and red caps of felt, commonlycalled the fez; the first fabrication of these red caps appears to havebeen in this city. The Spanish Moorish immigrants introduced the mode ofdressing goat and sheep-skins, at first known by the name of Cordovanfrom Cordova; but, since the Moorish forced immigration, they haveacquired the celebrated name of Morocco. The chief food of the people isthe national Moorish dish of _cuscasou_, a fine grained paste, cooked bysteam, with melted fat, oil, or other liquids poured upon the dish, andsometimes garnished with pieces of fowl and other meat. A good deal ofanimal food is consumed, but few vegetables. The climate is mild in thewinter, but suffocating with heat in the summer. This city is placed inlatittude 34° 6' 3" N. Longitude 4° 38" 15'W. 

Morocco, or strictly in Arabic, _Maraksh_, which signifies "adorned, "is the capital of the South, and frequently denominated the capital ofthe Empire, but it is only a _triste_ shadow of its former greatness. Itis sometimes honoured with the title of "the great city, " or "country. "Morocco occupies an immense area of ground, being seven miles incircumference, the interior of which is covered with heaps of ruins ormore pleasantly converted into gardens. Morocco was built in 1072 or1073 by the famous Yousel-Ben-Tashfin, King of Samtuna, and of thedynasty of the Almoravedi, or Marabouts. Its site is that of an ancientcity, Martok, founded in the remotest periods of the primitive Africans, or aboriginal Berbers, in whose language it signifies a place whereeverything good and pleasant was to be found in abundance. 

Bocanum Hermerum of the Ancients was also near the site of this capital, Morocco attained its greatest prosperity shortly after its foundation, and since then it has only declined. In the twelfth century, under thereign of Jâkoub Almanzor, there were 10, 000 houses and 700, 000 souls, (if indeed we can trust their statistics); but, at the present time, there are only some forty to fifty thousand inhabitants, including 4, 000Shelouhs and 5, 000 Jews. Ali Bey, in 1804, estimates its population atonly 30, 000, and Captain Washington in 1830 at 80, or 100, 000. This vastcity lies at the foot of the Atlas, or about fourteen miles distant, spread over a wide and most lovely plain of the province of Rhamma, watered by the river Tensift, six miles from the gates of the capital. 

The mosques are numerous and rich, the principal of which areEl-Kirtubeeah, of elegant architecture with an extremely lofty minaret;El-Maazin, which is three hundred years old, and a magnificent building;and Benious, built nearly seven hundred years ago of singularconstruction, uniting modern and ancient architecture. The mosque of thepatron saint is Sidi Belabbess. Nine gates open in the city-walls; theseare strong and high, and flanked with towers, except on the south eastwhere the Sultan's palace stands. The streets are crooked, of unevenwidth, unpaved, and dirty in winter, and full of dust in summer. 

There are several public squares and marketplaces. The Kaessaria, orcommercial quarter, is extensive, exhibiting every species ofmanufacture and natural product. 

The manufactures of this, as of other large places, are principally, silks, embroidery, and leather. The merchants of Mogador have magazineshere; this capital has also its caravans, which trade to the interior, passing through Wadnoun to the south. 

The Imperial palace is without the city and fortified with strong walls. There are large gardens attached, in one of which the Emperor receiveshis merchants and the diplomatic agents. The air of the country, at thefoot of the Atlas, is pure and salubrious. The city is well suppliedwith water from an aqueduct, connecting it with the river Tensift, whichflows from the gorges of the Atlas. But the inhabitants, although theyenjoy this inestimable blessing in an African climate, are not famousfor their cleanliness; Morocco, if possessing any particular character, still must be considered as a commercial city, for its learning is at avery low ebb. Its interior wears a deeply dejected, nay a profoundlygloomy aspect. 

 "Horrendum incultumque specus. "

and the European merchants, when they come up here are glad to get awayas soon as possible. 

Outside the city, there is a suburb appropriated to lepers, aLazar-house of leprosy, which afflicting and loathsome disease descendsfrom father to son through unbroken generations; the afflicted cannotenter the city, and no one dare approach their habitations. The Emperorusually resides for a third portion of his time at Morocco the rest atFez and Mequinez. Whenever his Imperial Highness has anythingdisagreeable with foreign European powers, he comes down from Fez toMorocco, to get out of the way. Occasionally, he travels from town totown of the interior, to awe by his presence the ever restlessdisaflfection of the tribes, or excite their loyalty for the Shereefianthrone. 

Morocco is placed in Lat. 31° 37" 31' N. And Long. 7° 35" 30', W. 

Tafilett consists of a group of towns or villages, situate on thesouth-eastern side of the Atlas, which may he added to the royal cities, being inhabited in part by the Imperial family, and is the birth-placeof their sovereign power--emphatically called Beladesh-Sherfa, "countryof the Shereefs. " The country was anciently called Sedjelmasa, andretained this name up to 1530 A. D. , when the principal city acquired theapellation of Tafilett, said to be derived from an Arab immigrant, called Filal, who improved the culture of dates, and whose name on thisaccount, under the Berber form of Tafilett, was given to a plantation ofdates cultivated by him, and then passed to the surrounding districts. 

At the present time, Tafilett consists of a group of fortified orcastle-built villages, environed by walls mounted with square towers, which extend on both sides of the river Zig. There is also a castle, orrather small town, upon the left side of the river, called by theordinary name of Kesar, which is in the hands of the Shereefs, andinhabited entirely by the family of the Prophet. The principal and mostflourishing place was a long time called Tafilett, but is now accordingto Callie, Ghourlan, and the residence of the Governor of the provinceof Ressant, a town distinguished by a magnificent gateway surroundedwith various coloured Dutch tiles, symmetrically arranged in a diamondpattern. This traveller calls the district of Tafilett, Afile or Afilel. 

It is probable that from the rains of the ancient Sedjelmasa, some ofthe modern villages have been constructed. The towns and districts ofTafilett once formed an independent kingdom. The present population hasbeen estimated at some ten thousand, but this is entirely conjectural. Callié mentions the four towns of Ghourlan, L'Eksebi, Sosso and Boheimas containing eleven or twelve thousand souls. The soil of Tafilett islevel, composed of sand of an ashy grey, productive of corn, and allsorts of European fruits and vegetables. The natives have fine sheep, with remarkably white wool. The manufactures, which are in woollen andsilk, are called Tafiletes. 

Besides being a rendezvous of caravans, radiating through all parts ofthe Sahara, Tafilett is a great mart of traffic in the natural productsof the surrounding countries. A fine bridge spans the Zig, built by aSpaniard. When the Sultan of Morocco finds any portion of his familyinclined to be naughty, he sends them to Tafilett, as we are wont tosend troublesome people to "Jericho. " This, at any rate, is better thancutting off their heads, which, from time immemorial, has been theinvariable practice of African and Oriental despots. The Maroquineprinces may be thankful they have Tafilett as a place of exile. TheEmperors never visit Tafilett except as dethroned exiles. A journey tosuch a place is always attended with danger; and were the Sultan toescape, he would find, on his return, the whole country in revolt. 

Regarding these royal cities, we sum up our observations. The destiniesof Fez and Mequinez are inseparable. United, they contain one hundredthousand inhabitants, the most polished and learned in the Empire. Fezis the city of arts and learning, that is of what remains of the oncefamous and profound Moorish doctors of Spain. Mequinez is the strongplace of the Empire, an emporium of arms and imperial Cretsures. Fez isthe rival of Morocco. The two cities are the capitals of two kingdoms, never yet amalgamated. The present dynasty belongs not to Fez, but toMorocco; though a dynasty of Shereefs, they are Shereefs of the south, and African blood flows in their veins. 

The Sultan generally is obliged to give a preference to Fez for aresidence, because his presence is necessary to maintain the allegianceof the north country, and to curb its powerful warparty, his son in themeanwhile being left Governor during his absence. But all these royalcities are on the decline, the "sere and yellow leaf" of a well nighdefunct civilization. Morocco is a huge shell of its former greatness, amonster of Moresque dilapidations. France may awaken the slumberingenergies of the population of these once flourishing and august cities, but left to themselves they are powerless, sinking under their ownweight and uncouth encumbrances, and will rise no more tillreconstructed by European hands. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Description of the towns and cities of the Interior, and those of theKingdom of Fez. --Seisouan. --Wazen. --Zawiat. --Muley Dris. --Sofru. --Dubdu. --Taza. --Oushdah. --Agla. --Nakbila. --Meshra. --Khaluf. --The Placesdistinguished in. Morocco, including Sous, Draka, and Tafilett. --Tefza. --Pitideb. --Ghuer. --Tyijet. --Bulawan. --Soubeit--Meramer. --El-Medina. --Tagodast. --Dimenet. --Aghmat. --Fronga. --Tedmest. --Tekonlet. --Tesegdelt. --Tagawost. --Tedsi Beneali. --Beni Sabih. --Tatta and Akka. --Mesah orAssah. --Talent. --Shtouka. --General observations on the statistics ofpopulation. --The Maroquine Sahara. 

We have briefly to notice the remaining towns and cities of theinterior, with some other remarkable places. 

First, these distinguished and well ascertained places in the kingdom ofFez. 

Seisouan, or Sousan, is the capital of the Rif province, situate also onthe borders of the province of the Habat, and by the sources of a littleriver which runs into the Mediterranean, near Cape Mazari. The town issmall, but full of artizans and merchants. The country around isfertile, being well irrigated with streams. Sousan is the mostbeautifully picturesque of all the Atlas range. 

Sofou, or Sofron, is a fine walled city, southeast of Fez, situate uponthe river Guizo; in a vast and well-watered plain near, are rich minesof fossil salt. 

Wazen, or Wazein, in the province of Azgar, and the region of the Gharb, is a small city without Walls, celebrated for being the residence ofthe High Priest, or Grand Marabout of the Empire. This title ishereditary, and is now (or up to lately) possessed by the famousSidi-el-Haj-el-Araby-Ben-Ali, who, in his district, lives in a state ofnearly absolute independence, besides exercising great influence overpublic affairs. This saint, or priest, has, however, a rival at Tedda. The two popes together pretend to decide the fate of the Empire. Thedistricts where these Grand Marabouts reside, are without governors, and the inhabitants pay no tribute into the imperial coffers, they areruled by their two priests under a species of theocracy. The Emperornever attempts or dares to contest their privileges. Occasionally theyappear abroad, exciting the people, and declaiming against the vices ofthe times. His Moorish Majesty then feels himself ill at ease, untilthey retire to their sanctuaries, and employs all his arts to effectthe object, protesting that he will be wholly guided by their councilsin the future administration of the Empire. With this humiliation ofthe Shereefs, they are satisfied, and kennel themselves into theirsanctum-sanctorums. 

Zawiat-Muley-Driss, which means, retirement of our master, Lord Edris(Enoch) and sometimes called Muley Edris, is a far famed city of theprovince of Fez, and placed at the foot of the lofty mountains ofTerhoun, about twenty-eight miles from Fez, north-west, amidst a mostbeautiful country, producing all the necessaries and luxuries of humanlife. The site anciently called Tuilet, was perhaps also the Volubilisof the ancients. Here is a sanctuary dedicated to the memory of Edris, progenitor and founder of the dynasty of Edrisiti. 

The population, given by Gräberg, is nine thousand, but this isevidently exaggerated. Not far off, towards the west, are somemagnificent ruins of an ancient city, called Kesar Farâoun, or "Castleof Pharoah. "

Dubdu, called also Doubouton, is an ancient, large city, of the districtof Shaous, and once the residence of an independent prince, but nowfallen into decay on account of the sterility of its site, which is uponthe sides of a barren mountain. Dubdu is three days' journey southeastof Fez, and one day from Taza, in the region of the Mulweeah. Taza isthe capital of the well-watered district of Haiaina, and one of thefinest cities in Morocco, in a most romantic situation, placed on a rockwhich is shaped like an island, and in presence of the lofty mountainsof Zibel Medghara, to the south-west. Perhaps it is the Babba of theancients; a river runs round the town. The houses and streets arespacious, and there is a large mosque. The air is pure, and provisionsare excellent. The population is estimated at ten or twelve thousand, who are hospitable, and carry on a good deal of commerce with Tlemsenand Fez. Taza is two days from Fez, and four from Oushda. 

Oushda is the well-known frontier town, on the north-east, whichacquired some celebrity during the late war. It is enclosed by the wallsof its gardens, and is protected by a large fortress. The place containsa population of from six hundred to one thousand Moors and Arabs. Thereis a mosque, as well as three chapels, dedicated to Santous. The houses, built of clay, are low and of a wretched appearance; the streets arewinding, and covered with flints. The fortress, where the Kaed resides, is guarded in ordinary times by a dozen soldiers; but, were this forceincreased, it could not be defended, in consequence of its dilapidatedcondition. A spring of excellent water, at a little distance fromOushda, keeps up the whole year round freshness and verdure in thegardens, by means of irrigation. Cattle hereabouts is of fine quality. Oushda is a species of oasis of the Desert of Angad, and the aridity ofthe surrounding country makes these gardens appear delicious, melons, olives, and figs being produced in abundance. 

The distance between Tlemsen and Oushda is sixteen leagues, or aboutsixteen hours' march for troops; Oushda is also four or five days fromOran, and six days from Fez. The Desert commences beyond the Mulweeah, at more than forty leagues from Tlemsen. Like the Algerian Angad, whichextends to the south of Tlemsen, it is of frightful sterility, particularly in summer. In this season, one may march for six or eighthours without finding any water. It is impossible to carry on militaryoperations in such a country during summer. On this account, MarshalBugeaud soon excavated Oushda and returned to the Tlemsen territory. 

Aghla is a town, or rather large village, of the district of Fez, wherethe late Muley Suleiman occasionally resided. It is situated along theriver Wad Vergha, in a spacious and well-cultivated district. A greatmarket of cattle, wool, and bees'-wax, is held in the neighbourhood. Thecountry abounds in lions; but, it is pretended, of such a cowardly race, that a child can frighten them away. Hence the proverb addressed to apusillanimous individual, "You are as brave as the lions of Aghla, whosetails the calves eat. " The Arabs certainly do occasionally run afterlions with sticks, or throw stones at them, as we are accustomed tothrow stones at dogs. 

Nakhila, _i. E. _, "little palm, " is a little town of the province ofTemsna, placed in the river Gueer; very ancient, and formerly rich andthickly populated. A great mart, or souk, is annually held at thisplace. It is the site of the ancient Occath. 

Meshru Khaluf, _i. E. _, "ford, or watering-place of the wild-boar, " inthe district of the Beni-Miskeen, is a populated village, and situatedon the right bank of the Ovad Omm-Erbergh, lying on the route of many ofthe chief cities. Here is the ford of Meshra Khaluf, forty-five feetwide, from which the village derives its name. 

On the map will be seen many places called Souk. The interior tribesresort thither to purchase and exchange commodities. The market-placesform groups of villages. It is not a part of my plan to give anyparticular description of them. 

Second, those places distinguished in the kingdom of Morocco, includingSous, Draha, and Tafilett. 

Tefza, a Berber name, which, according to some, signifies "sand, " and toothers, "a bundle of straw, " is the capital of the province of Todla, built by the aborigines on the slope of the Atlas, who surrounded itwith a high wall of sandstone (called, also, Tefza. ) At two miles eastof this is the smaller town of Efza, which is a species of suburb, divided from Tefza by the river Derna. The latter place is inhabitedcertainly by Berbers, whose women are famous for their woollen works andweaving. Tefza is also celebrated for its native black and white woollenmanufactures. The population of the two places is stated at upwards of10, 000, including 2, 000 Jews. 

Pitideb, or Sitideb, is another fine town in the neighbourhood, built bythe Amazirghs on the top of a high mountain. The inhabitants areesteemed the most civilized of their nation, and governed by their ownelders and chiefs, they live in a state of almost republicanindependence. Some good native manufactures are produced, and a largecommerce with strangers is carried on. The women are reputed as beingextremely fair and fascinating. 

Ghuer, or Gheu, (War, _i. E. _, "difficult?") is a citadel, or rather astrong, massive rock, and the most inaccessible of all in Morocco, forming a portion of the mountains of Jedla, near the sources of the WadOmm-Erbegh. This rocky fort is the residence of the supreme Amrgar, orchief of the Amazirghs, who rendered himself renowned through the empireby fighting a pitch-battle with the Imperial troops in 1819. Such chiefsand tribes occasion the weakness of the interior; for, whenever theSultan has been embroiled with European Powers, these aboriginalAmazirghs invariably seized the opportunity of avenging their wrongs andancient grudges. The Shereefs always compound with them, if they can, these primitive tribes being so many centres of an _imperium imperio_, or of revolt and disaffection. 

Tijijet in the province of Dukkalah, situate on the left bank of theriver Omm-Erbegh, along the route from Fez to Morocco, is a small town, but was formerly of considerable importance. 

A famous market for grain is held here, which is attended by the tribeof the Atlas: the country abounds in grain and cattle of the finestbreed. 

Bulawan or Bou-el-Awan, "father of commodious ways or journeys, " is asmall town of 300 houses, with an old castle, formerly a place ofconsequence; and lying on an arm of the river Omm-Erbegh _en route_ fromMorocco to Salee and Mequinez and commanding the passage of the river. It is 80 miles from Morocco, and 110 from Salee. On the opposite side ofthe river, is the village of Taboulaunt, peopled mostly with Jews andferrymen. 

Soubeit is a very ancient city on the left bank of the Omm-Erbegh, surrounded with walls, and situate twenty miles from El-Medina in amountainous region abounding with hares; it is inhabited by a tribe ofthe same name, or probably Sbeita, which is also the name of a tribesouth of Tangier. 

Meramer is a city built by the Goths on a fertile plain, near MountBeni-Megher, about fourteen miles east of Saffee, in the province ofDukkala, and carrying on a great commerce in oil and grain. 

El-Medina is a large walled populous city of merchants and artizans, andcapital of the district of Haskowra; the men are seditious, turbulentand inhospitable; the women are reputed to be fair and pretty, butdisposed, when opportunity offers, to confer their favours on strangers. 

There is another place four miles distant of nearly the same name. 

Tagodast is another equally large and rich city of the province ofHaskowra crowning the heights of a lofty mountain surrounded by fourother mountains, but near a plain of six miles in extent, covered withrich vegetation producing an immense quantity of Argan oil, and thefinest fruits. 

This place contains about 7, 000 inhabitants, who are a noble andhospitable race. Besides, Argan oil, Tagodast is celebrated for its redgrapes, which are said to be as large as hen's eggs--the honey ofTagodast is the finest in Africa. The inhabitants trade mostly with thesouth. 

Dimenet or Demnet is a considerable town, almost entirely populated bythe Shelouhs and Caraaite Jews; it is situate upon the slopes of amountain of the same name, or Adimmei, in the district of Damnat, fifteen miles distant from Wad Tescout, which falls into the Tensift. The inhabitants are reputed to be of a bad and malignant character, but, nevertheless, learned in Mussulman theology, and fond of disputing withforeigners. Orthodoxy and morality are frequently enemies of oneanother, whilst good-hearted and honest people are often hetherodox intheir opinions. 

Aghmat, formerly a great and flourishing city and capital of theprovince of Rhamna, built by the Berbers, and well fortified--is nowfallen into decay, and consists only of a miserable village inhabited bysome sixty families, among which are a few Jews--Aghmat lies at the footof Mount Atlas, on the road which conducts to Tafilett, near a river ofthe same name, and in the midst of a fine country abounding in orchardsand vine-yards; Aghmat was the first capital of the Marabout dynasty. 

Fronga is a town densely populated almost entirely by Shelouhs and Jews, lying about fifteen miles from the Atlas range upon an immense plainwhich produces the finest grain in Morocco. 

Tednest, the ancient capital of the province of Shedmah, and built bythe Berbers, is deliciously placed upon a paridisical plain, and wasonce the residence of the Shereefs. It contains a population of fourthousand souls, one thousand eight hundred being Jews occupied withcommerce, whilst the rest cultivate the land. This is a division oflabour amongst Mahometans and Israelites not unfrequent in North Africa. But, as in Europe, the Jew is the trader, not the husbandman. 

Tekoulet is a small and pretty town, rising a short distance from thesea, by the mouth of the stream Dwira, in the province of Hhaha. Thewater is reckoned the best in the province, and the people are honestand friendly; the Jews inhabit one hundred houses. 

Tesegdelt, is another city of the province of Hhaha, very large andrich, perched high upon a mountain, and that fortified by nature. Theprincipal mosque is one of the finest in the empire. 

Tagawost is a city, perhaps the most ancient, and indeed the largest ofthe province of Sous. It is distant ten miles from the great river Sous, and fifty from the Atlas. The suburbs are surrounded with huge blocks ofstone. Togawost contains a number of shops and manufactories of goodworkmen, who are divided into three distinct classes of people, allengaged in continual hostilities with one another. The men are, however, honest and laborious, while the women are pretty and coquettish. Peoplebelieve St. Augustine, whom the Mahometans have dubbed a Marabout, wasborn in this city. Their trade is with the Sahara and Timbuctoo. 

Fedsi is another considerable city, anciently the capital of Sous, reclining upon a large arm of the river Sous, amidst a fruitful soil, and contains about fourteen thousand inhabitants, who are governed byrepublican institutions. It is twenty miles E. N. E. Of Taroudant. 

Beneali is a town placed near to the source of the river Draha, in theAtlas. It is the residence of the chief of the Berbers of Hadrar, on thesouthern Atlas. 

Beni-Sabih, Moussabal, or Draha, is the capital of the province ofDraha, and a small place, but populated and commercial. On the river ofthe same name, was the Draha of ancient geography. 

Tatta and Akka, are two towns or villages of the province of Draha, situate on the southern confines of Morocco, and points of rendezvousfor the caravans in their route over the Great Desert. 

Tatta is four days direct east from Akka, and placed in 28° 3' lat. And90° 20' long. West of Paris. Akka consists of two hundred houses, inhabited by Mussulmen, and fifty by Jews. The environs are highlycultivated. Akka is two days east of Wadnoun, situate on a plain at thefoot of Gibel-Tizintit, and is placed in 28° 3' lat. And 10° 51' long. West of Paris. 

Messah, or Assah. Messa is, according to Gräberg, a walled city, builtby the Berbers, not far from the river Sous, and divided like nearly allthe cities of Sous, into three parts, or quarters, each inhabited byrespective classes of Shelouhs, Moors, and Jews. Cities are also dividedin this manner in the provinces of Guzzala and Draha. The sea on thecoast of Sous throws up a very fine quantity of amber. Male whales areoccasionally visitors here. The population is three thousand, but Mr. Davidson's account differs materially. The town is named Assah, anddistant about two miles from the sea, there being a few scattered houseson each side of the river, to within half a mile of the sea. The placeis of no importance, famed only for having near it a market on Tuesday, to which many people resort. The population may be one hundred. Assah isalso the name of the district though which the Sous river flows. TheBas-el-wad (or head of the river) is very properly the name of the upperpart of the river; when passing through Taroudant it takes the name ofSous. Fifteen miles from Assah is the town of Aghoulon, containing aboutsix hundred people. 

Talent, or Tilin, the difference only is the adding of the Berbertermination. The other consonants are the same, perhaps, as Mr. Davidsonincidentally mentions. It is a strong city, and capital of the provinceof Sous-el-Aksa, or the extreme part of Sous. This province is sometimescalled Tesset, or Tissert. A portion of it is also denominatedBlad-Sidi-Hasham, and forms a free and quasi-independant state, foundedin 1810 by the Emir Hasham, son of the Shereef Ahmed Ben Mousa. Thisprince was the bug-bear of Captain Riley. The district contains upwardsof twenty-five thousand Shelouhs and industrious Arabs. Talent is theresidence of the prince, and is situate on the declivity of a hill, notfar from the river Wad-el-Mesah, or Messa, and a mile from Ilekh, orIlirgh, a populous village, where there is a famous sanctuary, resortedto by the Mahometans of the surrounding regions, of the name of SidiHamed-ou-Mousa, (probably Ben Mousa). The singularity of this sacredvillage is, that Jews constitute the majority of the population. Butthey seem absolutely necessary to the very existence of the Mussulmen ofNorth Africa, who cannot live without them, or make profitable exchangeof the products of the soil, or of native industry, for Europeanarticles of use and luxury. 

Shtouka, or Stuka, is, according to some, a large town or village; or, as stated by Davidson, a _district_. The fact is, many African districtsare called by the name of a principal town or village in them, and _viceversâ_. This place stands on the banks of the Wad-el-Mesah, and isinhabited by some fifteen hundred Shelouhs, who are governed by aSheikh, nearly independent of Morocco. 

On Talent and Shtouka, Mr. Davidson remarks. "There is no town calledStuka; it is a district; none that I can find called Talent; there isTilin. The Mesah flows through Stuka, in which district are twentysettlements, or rather towns, some of which are large. They are known ingeneral by the names of the Sheikhs who inhabit them. I stopped atSheikh Hamed's. Tilin was distant from this spot a day's journey in themountains towards the source of the river. If by Talent, Tissert ismeant, Oferen (a town) is distant six miles. "

On the province of Sous generally, Don J. A. Conde has this note:--

"In this region (Sous) near the sea, is the temple erected in honour ofthe prophet Jonas; it was there he was cast out of the belly of thewhale. " This temple, says Assed Ifriki, is made of the bones of whaleswhich perish on this coast. A little further on, he alludes to thebreaking of horses, and being skilful in bodily exercises, for the Moorsand Numidians have always been renowned in that respect. 

In the lesser and more remote towns, I have followed generally theenumeration of Count Gräberg, but there are many other places on themaps, with varieties of names or differences of position. Our geographyof the interior of Morocco, especially in the South, is still veryobscure, and I have only selected those towns and places of whosepresent existence there is no question. My object, in the aboveenumeration, has been simply to give the reader a proximate estimate ofthe population and resources of this country. Of the strength and numberof the tribes of the interior, we know scarcely anything. The names ofthe towns and villages of the South, so frequently beginning and endingwith T. , sufficiently indicate the preponderance of the Berberpopulation, under the names of Shelouh or Amazirgh, whilst the greaterror of writers has been to represent the Arabs as more numerous thanthis aboriginal population. 

Monsieur E. Renou, in his geographical description of the Empire ofMorocco (Vol. VIII. Of the "Exploration Scientifique, " &c. ) foolishlyobserves that there is no way of arriving at correct statistics of thisempire, except by comparing it with Algeria; and then remarks, which istrue enough, "Malheureusement, la population de l'Algérie n'est pasencore bien connue. " When, however, he asserts that the numbers ofpopulation given by Jackson and Gräberg are gross, and almostunpardonable exaggerations, given at hazard, I am obliged to agree withhim from the personal experience I had in Morocco, and these Barbarycountries generally. 

Jackson makes the whole of the population to amount to almost fifteenmillions, or nearly two thirds more than it probably amounts to. Gräbergestimates it at eight millions and a half. But how, or why, orwherefore, such estimates are made is not so easy to determine. Certainit is, that the whole number of cities which I have enumerated, scarcelyrepresent one million of inhabitants. But for those who like to seesomething more definite in statistics, however exaggerated may be theestimate, I shall give the more moderate calculations of Gräberg, thoseof Jackson being beyond all rhyme or reason. Gräberg thus classifies andestimates the population. 

 Amazirghs, Berbers, and Touaricks 2, 300, 000 Amazirghs, Shelouhs and Arabs 1, 450, 000 Arabs, mixed Moors, &c. 3, 550, 000 Arabs pure, Bedouins, &c. 740, 000 Israelites, Rabbinists, and Caraites 339, 500 Negroes, Fullans, and Mandingoes 120, 000 Europeans and Christians 300 Renegades 200 ---------- Total 8, 500, 000

If two millions are deducted from this amount, perhaps the reader willhave something like a probable estimate of the population of Morocco. Itis hardly correct to classify Moors as mixed Arabs, many of them beingsimply descendants of the aboriginal Amazirghs. I am quite sure thereare no Touaricks in the Empire of Morocco. 

Of the Maroquine Sahara, I have only space to mention the interestingcluster of oases of Figheegh, or Figuiq. Shaw mentions them as "a knotof villagers, " noted for their plantations of palm-trees, supplying thewestern province of Algeria with dates. We have now more ampleinformation of Figheegh, finding this Saharan district to consist of anagglomeration of twelve villages, the more considerable of which areMaiz, counting eight hundred houses, El-Wadghir five hundred, and Zenegatwelve hundred. The others vary from one or two hundred houses. Thevillages are more or less connected together, never farther apart than aquarter of a league, and placed on the descent of Wal-el-Khalouf ("riverof the wild boar") whence water is procured for the gardens, containingvarieties of fruit-trees and abundance of date-palms, all hedged roundwith prickly-pears. Madder-root and tobacco are also cultivated, besidesbarley sufficient for consumption. The wheat is brought from the Teli. The Wad-el-Khalouf is dry, except in winter, but its bed is bored withinexhaustible wells, whose waters are distributed among the gardens bymeans of a _clepsydra_, or a vessel which drops so much water in anhour. The ancients measured time by the dropping of water, like thefalling of sand in the hour-glass. 

Some of the houses in these villages have two stories, and are wellbuilt; each place has its mosque, its school, its kady, and its sheikh, and the whole agglomeration of oases is governed by a Sheikh Kebir, appointed by the Sultan of Morocco. These Saharan villages are eternallyin strife with one another, and sometimes take up arms. On this account, they are surrounded by crenated walls, defended by towers solidly built. The immediate cause of discord here is water, that precious element ofall life in the desert. But the imaginations of the people are notsatisfied with this simple reason, and they are right, for the causelies deeply in the human heart. They say, however, their ancestors werecursed by a Marabout, to punish them for their laxity in religion, andthis was his anathema, "God make you, until the day of judgment, likewool-comber's cards, the one gnawing the other!"

Their wars, in fact, are most cruel, for they destroy the noble andfruitful palms, which, by a tacit convention, are spared in other partsof the Sahara when these quarrels proceed to bloodshed. They have, besides, great tact in mining, and their reputation as miners has been along time established. But, happily, they are addicted to commerce andvarious branches of industry, as well as war, having commercialrelations with Fez, Tafilett and Touat, and the people are, therefore, generally prosperous. 

CHAPTER VII. 

London Jew-boys. --Excursion to the Emperor's garden, and the ArganForests. --Another interview with the Governor of Mogador on theAnti-Slavery Address. --Opinion of the Moors on the Abolition of Slavery. 

We have at times imported into Mogador a stray London Jew or so, of thelower lemon-selling sort. These lads from the Minories, are highlyexasperated against the Moors for treating them with so much contempt. Indeed, a high-spirited London Jew-boy will not stop at Mogador, thoughthe adult merchant will, to get money, for mankind often learn basenesswith age, and pass to it through a golden door. One of these Jew-boys, being cursed by a man, naturally cursed him again, "an eye for an eye, atooth for a tooth. " Mr. Willshire did not think so; and, on thecomplaint of the Moor, the British Consul threw the British Jew-boy intoa Moorish prison, where he remained for some days. This is one moreinstance of the disadvantage of having commercial consuls, whereeverything is sacrificed to keep on good terms with governmentauthorities. 

A fire happened the other night, breaking out in the house of one of therich Jewish merchants; but it was soon extinguished, the houses beingbuilt chiefly of mortar and stone, with very little wood. The Governorgot up, and went to the scene of "conflagration;" he cracked a few jokeswith the people and went home to bed. The Moors were sorry the fire didnot extend itself, wanting to have an opportunity of appropriating a fewof the merchant's goods. 

I accompanied Mr. And Mrs. Elton, with other friends, to spend the dayin the pleasant valley of the Saneeates-Sultan, (Garden of the Emperor)sometimes called Gharset-es-Sultan, three or four hours' ride south fromMogador. The small river of Wad-el-Kesab, (overlooked by the village ofDeeabat, where watch-dogs were barking apparently all day long as wellas night), lay in our way, and was with difficulty forded, heavy rainhaving fallen up the country, though none on the coast. These Barbarystreams are very deceptive, illustrating the metaphor of the book ofJob, "deceitful as a brook. " To-day, their beds are perfectly dry;to-morrow, a sheet of turbid water dashing and foaming to the ocean, covers them and the country round, whilst the immediate cause isconcealed. Abrupt and sudden overflowings occur in all rivers havingtheir source in mountains. The book of Job may also refer to thedisappointment of Saharan travellers, who, on arriving weary andthirsty, dying for water, at the stream of the Desert, find it dried up, and so perish. 

The country in the valley of the Emperor's garden offers nothingremarkable. Bushes of underwood covering sandy mounds, a few palmettosand Argan trees, in which wild doves fluttered and flew about, were allthat broke the monotony of a perfect waste. There were no cultivatedlands hereabouts, and I was told that a great part of Morocco presentsthis desolate aspect. We visited, however, the celebrated Argan tree, which the people pretend was planted by the lieutenant of the Prophet, the mighty Okba, who, having spurred his horse in the roaring rebellioussurge of the Atlantic, wept and wailed before Heaven that there were nomore nations in whose heart to plunge his awful scimitar--so teachingthem the mercy of God! Alas! the old hoary tree, with a most peacefulpatriarchal look, seemed to belie the honour, stretching out its broadsinewy arm to shelter a hundred people from the darting fires of anAfrican sun. A more noble object of inanimate nature is not to becontemplated than a large and lofty branching tree; in its boughs andleaves, endlessly varying, matted together and intersecting each other, we see the palpable image of infinity. But in the dry and hot climate ofAfrica, this tree is a luxury which cannot be appreciated in Europe. 

We sat under its fresh shade awhile, gazing with security at the brightfires of the sun, radiating over and through all visible nature. Tocheck our enthusiasm, we had strewn at our feet old broken bottles andcrockery, the _débris_ and classic relics of former visitors, who wereequally attentive to creature-comforts as to the grandeur of the Arganmonarch of the surrounding forest. 

The Emperor's garden contains a well of water and a few fruit-trees, onthe trunk of one of which, a fine fig-tree, were carved, in durablebark, the names of European visitors. Among the rest, that of a famous_belle_, whose gallant worshippers had cut her name over all its broadtrunk, though they may have failed to cut their own on the plastic andindia-rubber tablet of the fair one's heart. This carving on thefig-tree is the sum of all that Europeans have done in Morocco duringseveral ages. We rather adopt Moorish habits, and descend to theiranimal gratifications than inculcate our own, or the intellectualpleasures of Christian nations. European females brought up in thiscountry, few excepted, adopt with gusto the lascivious dances of theMooresses; and if this may be said of them, what may we not think of themale class, who frequently throw off all restraint in the indulgence oftheir passions?

While reposing under the umbrageous shade of the Argan tree, a Moorrelated to us wondrous sprite and elfin tales of the forests of of thesewilds. At one period, the Argan woods were full of enchantresses, whoprevented good Mussulmen from saying their prayers, by dancing beforethem in all their natural charms, to the sounds of melodious andvoluptuous music; and if a poor son of the Prophet, perchance, passedthis way at the stated times of prayer, he found it impossible to attendto his devotions, being pestered to death by these naughty houries. 

On another occasion, when it was high summer and the sun burnt everyleaf of the black Argan foliage to a yellow red, and whilst the aridearth opened her mouth in horrid gaps, crystal springs of water wereseen to bubble forth from the bowels of the earth, and run in rillsamong _parterres_ of roses and jessamines. The boughs of the Argan treealso suddenly changed into _jereeds_ of the date-palm burdened withluscious fruit; but, on weary travellers descending to slake theirparching thirst and refresh themselves, they fell headlong into thegaping holes of the ground, and disappeared in the abyss of the darkentrails of the world. 

These Argan forests continued under the fearful ban of the enchantressand wicked jinns, until a holy man was brought from the farthest desertupon the back of a flying camel, who set free the spell-bound wood bytying on each bewitched tree a small piece of cork bark on which wasinscribed the sacred name of the Deity. The legends of these hauntedArgan forests remind us of the enchanted wood of Tasso, whoseenchantment was dissolved by the gallant knight, Rinaldo, and whichenabled the Crusaders to procure wood for the machines of war to assaultand capture the Holy City. Two quotations will shew the universality andpermanence of superstition, begotten of human hopes and fears. Such isthe beautiful imagery devoted to superstitious musings, by theillustrious bard:--

 "While, like the rest, the knight expects to hear Loud peals of thunder breaking on his ear, A dulcet symphony his sense invades, Of nymphs, or dryads, warbling through the shades. Soft sighs the breeze, soft purls the silver rill. The feathered choir the woods with music fill; The tuneful swan in dying notes complains; The mourning nightingale repeats her strains, Timbrels and harps and human voices join, And in one concert all the sounds combine!"

Then for the streamlets and flowerets--

 "Where'er he treads, the earth her tribute pours, In gushing springs, or voluntary flowers. Here blooms the lily; there the fragrant rose; Here spouts a fountain; there a riv'let flows; From every spray the liquid manna trills, And honey from the softening bark distills. Again the strange the pleasing sound he hears, Of plaints and music mingling in his ears; Yet naught appears that mortal voice can frame. Nor harp, nor timbrel, whence the music came. "

I had another interview with the Governor on Anti-Slavery subjects. Mr. Treppass accompanied me, and assisted to interpret. His Excellency wasvery condescending, and even joked about his own slaves, asking me howmuch I would give him for them. He then continued:--"I am happy to seeyou before your departure. Whilst you have been here, I have heardnothing of your conduct but what was just and proper. You are a quietand prudent man, [28] and I am sorry I could not assist you in yourbusiness (abolition). The Sultan will be glad that you and I have notquarrelled, but are friends. " I then asked His Excellency if a personwere to come direct from our Government, with larger powers andpresents, he would have a better chance of success. The Governorreplied, "Not the least whatever. You have done all that could have beendone. We look at the subject, not the persons. The Sultan will neverlisten to anybody on this subject. You may cut off his head, but cannotconvince him. If all the Christians of the world were to come and takethis country, then, of course, the Mussulmen would yield the question tosuperior force, to the decree of God, but not till then. "

Myself. --"How is it, Sidi, that the Bey of Tunis, and the Imaum ofMuscat have entered into engagements with Christians for the suppressionof slavery, they being Mussulmen?"

The Governor. --"I'll tell you; we Mussulmen are as bad as you Christians. We are full of divisions and sects. Some of our people go to one mosque, and will not go to another. They are foolish (_mahboul_). So it is withthe subject of slaves. Some are with you, but most are with me. The Beyof Tunis, and the Imaum have a different opinion from us. They thinkthey are right, and we think we are right; but we are as good as they. "

Myself. --"Sidi, does not the Koran encourage the abolition of slavery, and command it as a duty to all pious Mussulmen?"

The Governor. --"No, it does not command it, but those who voluntarilyliberate their slaves are therein commended, and have the blessing ofGod on them. " [29]

Myself. --"Sidi, is it in my power to do anything for you in London?"

The Governor. --"Speak well of me, that is all. Tell your friends I didall I could for you. "

I may mention the opinions of the more respectable Moors, as to themission. They said, "If you had managed your mission well, the Sultanwould have received your Address; your Consul is slack; the FrenchConsul is more active, because he is not the Sultan's merchant. OurSultan must receive every person, even a beggar, because God receivesall. You would not have obtained the liberation of our slaves, but theSultan would have promised you everything. All that emanates from theEnglish people is good this we are certain of; but it would have beenbetter had you come with letters from the Bey of Tunis, shewing what hadbeen done in that country. " Mr. Treppass is also of the opinion, that adeputation of several persons, accompanied with some presents for theEmperor and his ministers, would have produced a better effect, bymaking an appearance of shew and authority, suitable to the ideas of thepeople. [30] If coming direct from Government, it would have greaterweight. 

He thinks, besides, there are a good number of Moors who are favourableto abolition. Of the connexion between the east and Morocco, he says, all the Barbary States look up to the Sultan of Constantinople as to agreat authority, and during the last few years, an activecorrespondence, on religious matters, has been carried on betweenMorocco and Constantinople, chiefly through a celebrated doctor of thename of Yousef. If the Turkish Sultan, therefore, would _bonâ-fide_abolish the slave-markets, I have no doubt this would produce animpression in Morocco favourable to abolition. 

During the time I was in Morocco, I distributed some Arabic tracts, translated from the English by Professor Lee of Cambridge, on theabolition of slavery. A few Arabic Bibles and Hebrew New Testaments werealso placed at my disposal for circulation by the Societies. I alsowrote an Anti-slavery circular to the British merchants of Mogador, onLord Brougham's Act. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

El-Jereed, the Country of Dates. --Its hard soil. --Salt Lake. Its vastextent. --Beautiful Palm-trees. --The Dates, a staple article of Food. --Some Account of the Date-Palm. --Made of Culture. --Delicious Beverage. --Tapping the Palm. --Meal formed from the Dates. --Baskets made of theBranches of the Tree. --Poetry of the Palm. --Its Irrigation. --Palm-Groves. --Collection of Tribute by the "Bey of the Camp. "

El-Jereed, or Belad-el-Jereed, the country of dates, or literally, thecountry of the palm branches, is a part of the Sahara, or the hot drycountry lying in the immediate vicinity of the Great Desert. Itsprincipal features of soil and climate offer nothing different fromother portions of the Sahara, or the Saharan regions of Algeria andMorocco. The Belad-el-Jereed, therefore, may be properly called theTunisian Sahara. Shaw observes generally of Jereed:--"This part of thecountry, and indeed the whole tract of land which lies between theAtlantic and Egypt, is by most of the modern geographers, calledBiledulgerid, a name which they seem to have borrowed fromBloid-el-Jeridde, of the Arabians, who merely signify the dry country;though, if we except the Jeridde, a small portion of it which is situateon this side of Lesser Syrtis, and belongs to the Tunisians, all therest of it is known by no other general name than the Sahara or Sahra, among those Arabs, at least, whom I have conversed with. "

Besides the grand natural feature of innumerable lofty and branchingpalms, whose dark depending slender leaves, are depicted by the Arabianpoet as hanging gracefully like the dishevelled ringlets of a beautifulwoman in distress, there is the vast salt lake, El-Sibhah, or literallythe "salt plain, " and called by some modern geographers theSibhah-el-Soudeeat, or Lake of Marks, from having certain marks made ofthe trunks of the palm, to assist the caravans in their marches acrossits monotonous samelike surface. 

This vast lake, or salt plain, was divided by the ancients into threeparts, and denominated respectively, Palus Tritonis, Palus Pallas, andPalus Libya. The first is derived from the river Triton, which accordingto Ptolemy and other ancient geographers, is made to pass through thislake in its course to the sea, but which is the present river Ghobs, where it falls into the Mediterranean. The name Pallas is derived fromthe tradition of Pallas having accompanied Sesostris in his Asiaticexpeditions with the Lybian women, and she may have been a native of theJereed. The lake measures from north-east to south-west about seventyEnglish miles, with a third of the breadth, but it is not one collectionof water; there being several dry places, like so many islands, interspersed over its surface, depending however, as to their number andextent upon the season of the year, and upon the quantity of water inthe particular season. 

"At first, on crossing it, " says a tourist, "the grass and bushes becomegradually scarcer; then follows a tract of sand, which some way beyond, becomes in parts covered with a thin layer of salt. This, as youadvance, is thicker and more united; then we find it a compact andunbroken mass or sheet, which can, however, be penetrated by a sword, orother sharp instrument, and here it was found to be eleven inches indepth; and finally in the centre, it became so hard, deep, andconcentrated, as to baffle all attempts at breaking its surface exceptwith a pickaxe. The horse's shoe, in fact, makes no impression upon itsstone-like surface. "

The salt of the lake is considerably weaker than that of the sea, andnot adapted for preserving provisions, though its flavour is veryagreeable; it is not exported, nor made in any way an article ofcommerce. 

The Jereed, from the existence in it of a few antiquities, such aspieces of granite and marble, and occasionally a name or a classicinscription, is proved to have been in the possession of the Romans, andundoubtedly of the Carthaginians before them, who could have had nodifficulty in holding this flat and exposed country. 

The trade and resources of this country consist principally in dates. The quantity exported to other parts of the Regency, as well as toforeign countries, where their fine quality is well known, is in roundnumbers on an average from three to four thousand quintals per annum. But in Jereed itself, twenty thousand people live six months of the yearentirely on dates. 

"A great number of poles, " says Sir Grenville Temple, "are arrangedacross the rooms at the height of eight or nine feet from the ground, and from these are suspended rich and large bunches of dates, whichcompose the winter store of the inhabitants; and in one corner of theroom is one or more large earthern jars about six or seven feet high, also filled with dates pressed close together, and at the bottom of thejar is a cock, from which is drawn the juice in the form of a thickluscious syrup. It is scarcely possible to imagine anything morepalatable than this 'sweet of sweets. '"

As we are writing of the country of dates, _par excellence_, I mustneeds give some description of the palm, but it will be understood thatthe information is Tunisian, or collected in Tunis, and may differ insome respects from details collected in other parts of North Africa. Thedate-palm abounds in the maritime as well as in the inland districts ofNorth Africa. They are usually propagated from shoots of full growntrees, which if transplanted and taken care of, will yield in six orseven years, whilst those raised immediately from the stone requiresixteen years to produce fruit. 

The date-palm is male and female, or _dioecious_, and requirescommunication, otherwise the fruit is dry and insipid. The age of thepalm, in its greatest vigour, is about thirty years, according to theTunisians, after planting, and will continue in vigour for seventyyears, bearing anually fifteen or twenty clusters of dates, each of themfifteen or twenty pounds in weight; after this long period, they begingradually to wither away. But the Saharan Tripolitans will tell you thatthe date-palm does not attain its age of full vigour till it reaches ahundred years, and then will flourish two or or three centuries beforeit withers!

The only culture requisite, is to be well watered at the roots once infour or five days, and to have the lower boughs cut off when they beginto droop and wither. Much rain, however, injures the dates, and we knowthat the countries in which they flourish, are mostly without rain. Inmany localities in Africa, date-palms can never be watered in the dryseason; it is nevertheless observable that generally wherever a palmgrows and thrives water may usually be obtained by boring. The sap, orhoney of the palm is a delicious and wholesome beverage when drunk quitefresh; but if allowed to remain for some hours, it acquires a sharptaste, something like cider, and becomes very intoxicating. It is calledpoetically _leghma_, "tears" of the dates. When a tree is found not toproduce much fruit, the head is cut off, and a bowl or cavity scoopedout of the summit, in which the rising sap is collected, and this isdrunk in its pure state without any other preparation. If the tree benot exhausted by draining, in five or six months it grows afresh; and, at the end of two or three years, may again be cut or tapped. The palmis capable of undergoing this operation five or six times, and it may beeasily known how often a tree has been cut by the number of rings of anarrow diameter which are seen towards its summit; but, if the sap isallowed to flow too long, it will perish entirely at the end of a year. This sap, by distillation, produces an agreeable spirit called _Arâky_or _Arâk_: from the fruit also the Jews distil a spirit called _bokka_, or what we should call _toddy_. It is usual for persons of distinctionto entertain their friends upon a marriage, or the birth of a child, with this pure sap, and a tree is usually tapped for the purpose. Itwould appear that tapping the palm was known to the ancients, for acornelian _intaglio_ of Roman antiquity, has been found in the Jereed, representing a tree in this state, and the jars in which the juice wasplaced. 

Dates are likewise dried in the sun, and reduced into a kind of meal, which will keep for any length of time, and which thus becomes a mostvaluable resource for travellers crossing the deserts, who frequentlymake it their only food, moistening a handful of it with a little water. Certain preparations are made of the male plant, to which medicinalvirtues are attributed; the younger leaves, eaten with salt, vinegar, and oil, make an excellent salad. The heart of the tree, which lies attop between the fruit branches, and weighs from ten to twenty pounds, iseaten only on grand occasions, as those already mentioned, and possessesa delicious flavour between that of a banana and a pine-apple. 

The palm, besides these valuable uses to which it is applied, superseding or supplying the place of all other vegetables to the tribesof the Jereed, is, nevertheless, still useful for a great variety ofother purposes. The most beautiful baskets, and a hundred othernick-nackery of the wickery sort are made of its branches; ropes aremade and vestments wove from the long fibres, and its wood, also, whenhardened by age, is used for building. Indeed, we may say, it is the alland everything of the Jereed, and, as it is said of the camel and thedesert, _the palm is made for the Jereed, and the Jereed is made for thepalm_. 

The Mussulmen make out a complete case of piety and superstition in thepalm, and pretend that _they are made for the palm, and the palm is madefor them_, alleging that, as soon as the Turks conquered Constantinople, the palm raised its graceful flowing head over the domes of the formerinfidel city, whilst when the Moors evacuated Spain, the palm pinedaway, and died. "God, " adds the pious Mussulman, "has given us the palm;amongst the Christians, it will not grow!" But the poetry of the palm isan inseparable appendage in the North African landscape, and even townscenery. The Moor and the Arab, whose minds are naturally imbued withthe great images of nature, so glowingly represented also in the sacredleaves of the Koran, cannot imagine a mosque or the dome-roof of ahermitage, without the dark leaf of the palm overshadowing it; but theserenest, loveliest object on the face of the landscape is _the lonelypalm_, either thrown by chance on the brow of some savage hill orplanted by design to adorn some sacred spot of mother-earth. 

I must still give some other information which I have omitted respectingthis extraordinary tree. And, after this, I further refer the reader toa Tour in the Jereed of which some details are given in succeedingpages. A palm-grove is really a beautiful object, and requires scarcelyless attention than a vineyard. The trees are generally planted in a_quincunx_, or at times without any regular order; but at distances fromeach other of four or five yards. The situation selected is mostly onthe banks of some stream or rivulet, running from the neighbouringhills, and the more abundant the supply of water, the healthier theplants and the finer the fruit. For this tree, which loves a warmclimate, and a sandy soil, is yet wonderfully improved by frequentirrigation, and, singularly, the _quality_ of the water appears oflittle consequence, being salt or sweet, or impregnated with nitre, asin the Jereed. 

Irrigation is performed in the spring, and through the whole summer. Thewater is drawn by small channels from the stream to each individualtree, around the stalk and root of which a little basin is made andfenced round with clay, so that the water, when received, is detainedthere until it soaks into the earth. (All irrigation is, indeed, effected in this way. ) As to the abundance of the plantations, the fruitof one plantation alone producing fifteen hundred camels' loads ofdates, or four thousand five hundred quintals, three quintals to theload, is not unfrequently sold for one thousand dollars. Besides theJereed, Tafilett, in Morocco, is a great date-country. Mr. Jackson says, "We found the country covered with most magnificent plantations, andextensive forests of the lofty date, exhibiting the most elegant andpicturesque appearance that nature on a plain surface can present to theadmiring eye. In these forests, there is no underwood, so that ahorseman may gallop through them without impediment. "

Our readers will see, when they come to the Tour, that this descriptionof the palm-groves agrees entirely with that of Mr. Reade and CaptainBalfour. I have already mentioned that the palm is male and female, or, as botanists say, _dioecious_; the Moors, however, pretend that the palmin this respect is just like the human being. The _female_ palm aloneproduces fruit and is cultivated, but the presence or vicinity of the_male_ is required, and in many oriental countries there is a law thatthose who own a palm-wood must have a certain number of _male_ plants inproportion. In Barbary they seem to trust to chance, relying on the maleplants which grow wild in the Desert. They hang and shake them over thefemale plants, usually in February or March. Koempfe says, that the maleflowers, if plucked when ripe, and cautiously dried, will even, in thisstate, perform their office, though kept to the following year. 

The Jereed is a very important portion of the Tunisian territory, Government deriving a large revenue from its inhabitants. It is visitedevery year by the "Bey of the Camp, " who administers affairs in thiscountry as a sovereign; and who, indeed, is heir-apparent to theTunisian throne. Immediately on the decease of the reigning Bey, the"Bey of the Camp" occupies the hereditary beylick, and nominates hissuccessor to the camp and the throne, usually the eldest of the othermembers of the royal family, the beylick not being transmitted fromfather to son, only on the principle of age. At least, this has been thegeneral rule of succession for many years. 

The duties of the "Bey of the Camp" is to visit with a "flying-camp, "for the purpose of collecting tribute, the two circuits or divisions ofthe Regency. 

I now introduce to the reader the narrative of a Tour to the Jereed, extracted from the notebooks of the tourists, together with variousobservations of my own interspersed, and some additional account ofToser, Nefta, and Ghafsa. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Tour in the Jereed of Captain Balfour and Mr. Reade. --Sidi Mohammed. --Plain of Manouba. --Tunis. --Tfeefleeah. --The Bastinado. --TurkishInfantry. --Kairwan. --Sidi Amour Abeda. --Saints. --A French Spy--Administration of Justice. --The Bey's presents. --The Hobara. --Ghafsa. Hot streams containing Fish. --Snakes. --Incantation. --Moorish Village. 

The tourists were Captain Balfour, of the 88th Regiment, and Mr. RichardReade, eldest son of Sir Thomas Reade. 

The morning before starting from Tunis they went to the Bardo to paytheir respects to Sidi Mohammed, "Bey of the Camp, " and to thank him forhis condescending kindness in taking them with him to the Jereed. TheBey told him to send their baggage to Giovanni, "Guarda-pipa, " whichthey did in the evening. 

At nine A. M. Sidi Mohammed left the Bardo under a salute from the guns, one of the wads of which nearly hit Captain Balfour on the head. The Beyproceeded across the plain of Manouba, mounted on a beautiful baycharger, in front of the colours, towards Beereen, the greater part ofthe troops of the expedition following, whilst the entire plain wascovered with baggage-camels, horses, mules, and detached parties ofattendants, in glorious confusion. 

 The force of the camp consisted of--Mamelukes of the Seraglio, superbly mounted 20

 Mamelukes of the Skeefah, or those who guard the entrance of the Bey's palace, or tent, and are all Levantines 20

 Boabs, another sort of guard of the Bey, who are always about the Bey's tent, and must be of this country 20

 Turkish Infantry 300 Spahis, o. Mounted Arab guards 300 Camp followers (Arabs) 2, 000 ----- Total 2, 660

This is certainly not a large force, but in several places of the marchthey were joined for a short time by additional Arab troops, a sort ofhonorary welcome for the Bey. As they proceeded, the force of thecamp-followers increased; but, in returning, it gradually decreased, theparties going home to their respective tribes. We may notice the totalabsence of any of the new corps, the Nithàlm. This may have been toavoid exciting the prejudices of the people; however, the smallness ofthe force shows that the districts of the Jereed are well-affected. Thesummer camp to Beja has a somewhat larger force, the Arabs of that andother neighbouring districts not being so loyal to the Government. 

Besides the above-named troops, there were two pieces of artillery. Theband attendant on these troops consisted of two or three flageolets, kettle-drums, and trumpets made of cow-horns, which, according to thereport of our tourists, when in full play produced the most diabolicaldiscord. 

After a ride of about three hours, we pitched our tents at Beereen. Through the whole of the route we marched on an average of about fourmiles per hour, the horses, camels, &c. , walking at a good pace. TheTurkish infantry always came up about two hours after the mountedtroops. Immediately on the tents being pitched, we went to pay ourrespects to the Bey, accompanied by Giovanni, "Guardapipa, " asinterpreter. His Highness received us very affably, and bade us ask foranything we wanted. Afterwards, we took some luncheon with the Bey'sdoctor, Signore Nunez Vaise, a Tuscan Jew, of whose kindness during ourwhole tour it is impossible to speak too highly. The doctor had with himan assistant, and tent to himself. Haj Kador, Sidi Shakeer, and severalother Moors, were of our luncheon-party, which was a very merry one. 

About half-way to Beereen, the Bey stopped at a marabet, a small squarewhite house, with a dome roof, to pay his devotions to a great Marabout, or saint, and to ask his parting blessing on the expedition. They toldus to go on, and joined us soon after. Two hours after us, the TurkishAgha arrived, accompanied with colours, music, and some thirty men. TheBey received the venerable old gentleman under an immense tent in theshape of an umbrella, surrounded with his mamelukes and officers ofstate. After their meeting and saluting, three guns were fired. The Aghawas saluted every day in the same manner, as he came up with hisinfantry after us. We retired for the night at about eight o'clock. 

The form of the whole camp, when pitched, consisting of about a dozenvery large tents, was as follows:--The Bey's tent in the centre, whichwas surrounded at a distance of about forty feet with those of theBash-Hamba [31] of the Arabs, the Agha of the Arabs, the Sahab-el-Tabah, Haznadar or treasurer, the Bash-Boab, and that of the English tourists;then further off were the tents of the Katibs and Bash-Katib, theBash-Hamba of the Turks, the doctors, and the domestics of the Bey, withthe cookery establishment. Among the attendants of the Bey were the"guarda-pipa, " guard of the pipe, "guarda-fusile, " guard of the gun, "guarda-café, " guard of the coffee, "guarda-scarpe, " guard of the shoes, [32] and "guarda-acqua, " guard of water. A man followed the Bey aboutholding in his hand a golden cup, and leading a mule, having two panierson its back full of water, which was brought from Tunis by camels. Therewas also a story-teller, who entertained the Bey every night with themost extraordinary stories, some of them frightfully absurd. The Bey didnot smoke--a thing extraordinary, as nearly all men smoke in Tunis. HisHighness always dined alone. None of his ladies ever accompany him inthese expeditions. 

The tents had in them from twenty to fifty men each. Our tent consistedof our two selves, a Boab to guard the baggage, two Arabs to tend thehorses and camels, and another Moor of all work, besides CaptainBalfour's Maltese, called Michael. We had three camels for our baggage. The first night we found very cold; but having abundance of clothing, weslept soundly, in spite of the perpetual wild shoutings of the Arabsentries, stationed round the camp, the roaring and grumbling of thecamels, the neighing and coughing of the horses, all doing their utmostto drive away slumber from our eyelids. 

We halted on the morrow, which gave us an opportunity of getting a fewthings from Tunis which we had neglected to bring. But before returning, we ate some sweetmeats sent us by the guarda-pipa, with a cup of coffee. The guarda-pipa is also a dragoman interpreter of his Highness, and aGenoese by birth, but now a renegade. In this country they do not knowwhat a good breakfast is; they take a cup of coffee in the morningearly, and wait till twelve or one o'clock, when they take a heartymeal, and then sup in the evening, late or early, according to theseason. Before returning to Tunis, we called upon his Highness, and toldhim our object. We afterwards called to see the Bey every morning, topay our respects to him, as was befitting on these occasions. HisHighness entered into the most familiar conversation with us. 

On coming back again from Tunis, it rained hard, which continued allnight. In the evening the welcome news was proclaimed that the tentswould not be struck until daylight: previously, the camp was alwaysstruck at 3 o'clock, about three hours before daylight, which gave riseto great confusion, besides being without shelter during the coldestpart of the night (three hours before sun-rise) was a very serious trialfor the health of the men. The reason, however, was, to enable thecamels to get up to the new encampment; their progress, though regularand continual, is very slow. 

Of a morning the music played off the _réveil_ an hour before sunrise. The camp presented an animated appearance, with the striking of tents, packing camels, mounting horses, &c. We paid our respects to hisHighness, who was sitting in an Arab tent, his own being down. The musicwas incessantly grating upon our ears, but was in harmony with theirregular marching and movements of the Arabs, one of them occasionallyrushing out of the line of march, charging, wheeling about, firing, reloading, shouting furiously, and making the air ring with his cries. 

The order of march was as follows:--The Bey mounts, and, going alongabout one hundred yards from the spot, he salutes the Arab guards, whofollow behind him; then, about five or six miles further, overtaking theTurkish soldiers, who, on his coming up, are drawn up on each side ofthe road, his Highness salutes them; and then afterwards thewater-carriers are saluted, being most important personages in the drycountries of this circuit, and last of all, the gunners; after allwhich, the Bey sends forward a mameluke, who returns with the Commander, or Agha of the Arabs, to his Highness. This done, the Bey gallops off tothe right or left from the line of march, on whichsoever side is mostgame--the Bey going every day to shoot, whilst the Agha takes his placeand marches to the next halting-place. 

One morning the Bey shot two partridges while on horseback. "In fact, "says Mr. Rade, "he is the best shot on horseback I ever saw--he seldommissed his game. " As Captain B. Was riding along with the doctor, theyremarked a cannon-ball among some ruins; but, being told a saint wasburied there, they got out of the way as quick as if a deadly serpenthad been discovered. Stretching away to the left, we saw a portion ofthe remains of the Carthaginian aqueduct. The march was only from six toeight miles, and the encampment at Tfeefleeah. At day-break, at noon, at3 o'clock, P. M. And at sunset, the Muezzen called from outside and nearthe door of the Bey's tent the hour of prayer. An aide-de-camp alsoproclaimed, at the same place, whether we should halt, or march, on themorrow, The Arabs consider fat dogs a great delicacy, and kill and eatthem whenever they can lay hands upon them. Captain B. Was fortunate innot bringing his fat pointer, otherwise he would have lost him. TheArabs eat also foxes and wolves, and many animals of the chase notpartaken of by us. The French in Algiers kill all the fat cats, and turnthem into hares by dexterous cooking. The mornings and evenings we foundcold, but mid-day very hot and sultry. 

We left Tfeefleeah early, and went in search of wild-boar; found onlytheir tracks, but saw plenty of partridges and hares; the ground beingcovered with brushwood and heath, we soonæ lost sight of them. The Arabswere seen on a sudden running and galloping in all directions, shoutingand pointing to a hill, when a huge beast was put up, bristling andbellowing, which turned out to be a hyæna. He was shot by a mameluke, SiSmyle, and fell in a thicket, wallowing in his blood. He was a finefellow, and had an immense bead, like a bull-dog. They put him on amule, and carried him in triumph to the Bey. When R. Arrived at thecamp, the Bey sent him the skin and the head as a present, begging thathe would not eat the brain. There is a superstitious belief among theMoors that, if a person eats the brain of a hyæna he immediately becomesmad. The hyæna is not the savage beast commonly represented; he rarelyattacks any person, and becomes untameably ferocious by being onlychained up. He is principally remarkable for his stupidity when at largein the woods. The animal abounds in the forests of the Morocco Atlas. Our tourists saw no lions _en route_, or in the Jereed; the lion doesnot like the sandy and open country of the plain. Very thick brushwood, and ground broken with rocks, like the ravines of the Atlas, are hishaunts. 

Several Arabs were flogged for having stolen the barley of which theyhad charge. The bastinado was inflicted by two inferior mamelukes, standing one on each side of the culprit, who had his hands and his feettied behind him. In general, it may be said that bastinadoing in Tunisis a matter of form, many of the strokes ordered to be inflicted beingnever performed, and those given being so many taps or scratches. It isvery rare to see a man bleeding from the bastinado; I (the author) neverdid. It is merely threatened as a terror; whilst it is not to beoverlooked, that the soles of the feet of Arabs, and the lower classesin this country, are like iron, from the constant habit of goingbarefoot upon the sharpest stones. Severe punishments of any kind arerarely inflicted in Tunis. 

The country was nearly all flat desert, with scarcely an inhabitant todissipate its savage appearance. The women of a few Arab horsehair tents(waterproof when in good repair) saluted us as we passed with theirshrill looloos. There appeared a great want of water. We passed theruins of several towns and other remains. The camels were always driveninto camp at sunset, and hobbled along, their two fore-legs being tied, or one of them being tied up to the knee, by which the poor animals aremade to cut a more melancholy figure than with their usual awkward gaitand moody character. 

We continued our march about ten miles in nearly a southern direction, and encamped at a place called Heelet-el-Gazlen. 

One morning shortly after starting, we came to a small stream with veryhigh and precipitous banks, over which one arch of a fine bridgeremained, but the other being wanting, we had to make a considerable_détour_ before we could cross; the carriages had still greaterdifficulty. Here we have an almost inexcusable instance of thedisinclination of the Moors to repairs, for had the stream been swollen, the camp would have been obliged to make a round-about march by the wayof Hamman-el-Enf, of some thirty miles; and all for the want of an archwhich would scarcely cost a thousand piastres! This stream or river isthe same as that which passes near Hamman-el-Enf, and the extensiveplain through which it meanders is well cultivated, with douwars, orcircular villages of the Arabs dotted about. We saw hares, but, theground being difficult running for the dogs, we caught but few. Beviesof partridges got up, but we were unprepared for them. In the evening, the Bey sent a present of a very fine bay horse to R. Marched about tenmiles, and halted at Ben Sayden. 

The following day after starting, we left the line of march to shoot;saw one boar, plenty of foxes and wolves, and we put up another hyæna, but the bag consisted principally of partridges, the red-leggedpartridge or _perdix ruffa_, killed, by the Bey, who is a dead-shot. Ourride lay among hills; there was very little water, which accounted forthe few inhabitants. After dinner, went out shooting near Jebanah, andbagged a few partridges, but, not returning before the sun went down, the Bey sent a dozen fellows bawling out our names, fearing some harmhad befallen us. 

On leaving the hills, there lay stretched at our feet a boundless plain, on which is situate Kairwan, extending also to Susa, and leagues around. North Africa, is a country of hills and plains--such was the case alongour entire route. We saw a large herd of gazelles feeding, as well asseveral single ones, but they have the speed of the greyhound, so we didnot grace our supper with any. Saw several birds called Kader, about thesize of a partridge, but we shot none. A good many hares and partridgeseither crossed our path or whirred over our heads. Passed over a runningstream called Zebharah, where we saw the remains of an ancient bridge, but in the place where the baggage went over there was a fine one ingood repair. Here was a small dome-topped chapel, called Sidi Farhat, inwhich are laid the ashes of a saint. We had seen many such in the hills;indeed these gubbah abound all over Barbary, and are placed morefrequently on elevations. We noticed particularly the 300 Turkishinfantry; they were irregulars with a vengeance, though regularscompared to the Arabs. On overtaking them, they drew up on each side, and some dozen of them kept up a running sham fight with their swordsand small wooden and metal shields before the Bey. The officers kissedthe hand of the Bey, and his treasurer tipped their band, for so we mustcall their tumtums and squeaking-pipes. This ceremony took place everymorning, and they were received in the camp with all the honours. Theykept guard during the night, and did all they could to keep us awake bytheir eternal cry of "Alleya, " which means, "Be off, " or "Keep yourdistance!" These troops had not been recruited for eight years, and willsoon die off; and yet we see that the Bey treats these remnants of theonce formidable Turkish Tunisian Janissaries with great respect; ofcourse, in an affair with the Arabs, their fidelity to the Bey would bemost unshaken. 

As we journeyed onward, we saw much less vegetation and very littlecultivation. An immense plain lay before and around us, in which, however, there was some undulating ground. Passed a good stone bridge;were supplied with water near a large Arab encampment, around which weremany droves of camels; turned up several hares, partridges, andgazelles. One of the last gave us a good chase, but the greyhoundscaught him; in the first half mile, he certainly beat them by a goodhalf of the instance, but having taken a turn which enabled the dogs tomake a short cut, and being blown, they pulled the swift delicatecreature savagely down. There were several good courses after hares, though her pursuers gave puss no fair play, firing at her before thedogs and heading her in every possible way. 

Rode to Kairwan. Few Christians arrive in this city. Prince PücklerMuskau was the fourth when he visited it in 1835. The town is clean, butmany houses are in ruins. The greater part of a regiment of the Nithamare quartered here. The famous mosque, of course, we were not allowed toenter, but many of its marble pillars and other ornaments, we heard fromGiovanni, were the spoils of Christian churches and Pagan temples. Thehouse of the Kaëd was a good specimen of dwellings in this country. Going along a street, we were greatly surprised at seeing ourattendants, among whom were Si Smyle (a very intelligent and learnedman, and who taught Mr. R. Arabic during the tour) and the Bash-Boab, jumping off their horses, and, running up to an old-looking Moor, andthen seizing his hand, kissed it; and for some time they would not leavethe ragged ruffian-like saint. 

At last, having joined us, they said he was Sidi Amour Abeda, a man ofexceeding sanctity, and that if the Bey had met the saint, his Highnessmust have done the same. The saint accompanied us to the Kaëd's house;and, on entering, we saw the old Kaëd himself, who was ill and weepingon account of the arrival of his son, the commander of a portion of theguards of the camp. We went up stairs, and sat down to some sweetmeatswhich had been prepared for us, together with Si Smyle and Hamda, but, as we were commencing, the saint, who was present, laid hold of thesweets with his hands, and blessed them, mumbling _bismillas_ [33] andother jargon. We afterwards saw a little house, in course of erection byorder of the Bey, where the remains of Sidi Amour Abeda are to bedeposited at his death, so that the old gentleman can have the pleasureof visiting his future burial-place. In this city, a lineal descendantof the Prophet, and a lucky guesser in the way of divining, are theessential ingredients in the composition of a Moorish saint. Saints ofone order or another are as thick here as ordinary priests in Malta, whom the late facetious Major Wright was accustomed to call_crows_--from their black dress--but better, cormorants, as agreeingwith their habits of fleecing the poor people. Sidi Amour Abeda's handsought to be lily-white, for every one who meets him kisses them withdevout and slavering obeisance. The renegade doctor of the Bey told usthat the old dervish now in question would like nothing better than tosee us English infidels burnt alive. Fanaticism seems to be the nativegrowth of the human heart!

We afterwards visited the Jabeah, or well, which they show as acuriosity, as also the camel which turns round the buckets and brings upthe water, being all sanctified, like the wells of Mecca, and thedrinking of the waters forming an indispensable part of the pilgrimageto all holy Mohammedan cities. 

We returned to the Kaëd's, and sat down to a capital dinner. The oldGovernor was a great fanatic, and when R. Ran up to shake hands withhim, the mamelukes stopped R. For fear he might be insulted. We visitedthe fortress, which was in course of repair, our _cicerone_ being SidiReschid, an artillery-officer. We then returned to the camp, and foundSanta Maria, the French officer, had arrived, who, during the tour, employed himself in taking sketches and making scientific observations. He was evidently a French spy on the resources of the Bey. It was givenout, however, that he was employed to draw charts of Algiers, Tunis, andTripoli, by his Government. He endeavoured to make himself as unpopularas some persons try to make themselves agreeable, being very jealous ofus, and every little thing that we had he used to cry for it and beg itlike a child, sometimes actually going to the Bey's tent in person, andasking his Highness for the things which he saw had been given to us. 

We went to see his Highness administer justice, which he always did, morning and evening, whilst at Kairwan. There were many plaintiffs, butno defendants brought up; most of them were turned out in a very summarymanner. To some, orders were given, which we supposed enabled them toobtain redress; others were referred to the kadys and chiefs. The Bey, being in want of camels, parties were sent out in search of them, whodrove in all the finest that they could find, which were then marked("tabâ, ") _à la Bey_, and immediately became the Bey's property. It wasa curious sight to see the poor animals thrown over, and the red-hotiron put to their legs, amidst the cries and curses of their latedifferent owners--all which were not in the least attended to, the wantsof the Bey, or Government, being superior on such occasions ofnecessity, or what not, to all complaint, law, or justice. About twohundred changed hands in this way. 

The Bey of Tunis has an immense number of camels which he farms out. Hehas overseers in certain districts, to whom he gives so many camels;these let them out to other persons for mills and agricultural labours, at so much per head. The overseers annually render an account of them toGovernment, and, when called upon, supply the number required. At thistime, owing to a disorder which had caused a great mortality, camels hadbeen very scarce, and this was the reason of the extensive seizure justmentioned. If an Arab commits manslaughter, his tribe is mulctedthirty-three camels; and, as the crime is rather common in the Bedouindistricts, the Bey's acquisition in this way is considerable. A fewyears ago, a Sicilian nobleman exported from Tunis to Sicily some eightycamels, the duty for which the Bey remitted. The camel, if ever sohealthy and thriving in the islands of the Mediterranean, could neversupersede the labour of mules. The camel is only useful where there arevast plains to travel, as in North Africa, Arabia, Persia, Australasia, and some parts of the East Indies. 

A hundred more Arabs joined, who passed in a single file before the Beyfor inspection: they came rushing into the camp by twos and threes, firing off their long guns. 

We crossed large plains, over which ran troops of gazelles, and had manygallops after them; but they go much faster than the greyhound, and, unless headed and bullied, there is little chance of taking them, exceptfound asleep. On coming on a troop unawares, R. Shot one, which the dogscaught. R. Went up afterwards to cut its throat _à la Moresque_, when hewas insulted by an Arab. R. Noticed the fellow, and afterwards told theBey, who instantly ordered him to receive two hundred bastinadoes, andto be put in chains; but, just as they had begun to whip him, R. Went upand generously begged him off. This is the end of most bastinados in thecountry. We passed a stream which they said had swallowed up somepersons, and was very dangerous. A muddy stream, they add, is often veryfatal to travellers. The Bey surprised Captain B. By sending him ahandsome black horse as a present; he also sent a grey one to theFrenchman, who, when complaining of it, saying that it was a bad one, tothe Bey's mamelukes, his Highness sent for it, and gave him another. Under such circumstances, Saint Mary ought to have looked very foolish. The Bey shot a kader, a handsome bird, rather larger than a partridge, with black wings, and flies like a plover. We had a largehawking-establishment with us, some twenty birds, very fine falconry, which sometimes carried off hares, and even attacked young goat-kids. Marched to a place called Gilma, near which the road passes through anancient town. Shaw says, "Gilma, the ancient Cilma, or OppidumChilmanenense, is six leagues to the east-south-east of Spaitla. We havehere the remains of a large city, with the area of a temple, and someother fragments of large buildings. According to the tradition of theArabs, this place received its name in consequence of a miraclepretended to have been wrought by one of their marabouts, in bringinghither the river of Spaitla, after it was lost underground. For Ja Elmasignifies, in their language, 'The water comes!' an expression we are toimagine of surprise at the arrival of the stream. "

During our tour, the mornings were generally cold. We proceeded abouttwenty miles, and encamped near a place called Wady Tuckah. This rivercomes from the hills about three or four miles off, and when the camparrives at Kairwan, the Bey sends an order to the Arabs of the districtto let the water run down to the place where the tents are pitched. Whenwe arrived, the water had just come. We saw warrens of hares, and caughtmany with the dogs. Troops of gazelles were also surprised; one wasfired at, and went off scampering on three legs. The hawks caught abeautiful bird called hobara, or habary, [34] about the size of thesmall hen-turkey, lily white on the back, light brown brindle, tuft oflong white feathers on its head, and ruffle of long black feathers, which they stretch out at pleasure, with a large grey eye. A curiousprickly plant grows about here, something like a dwarf broom, if itsleaves were sharp thorns, it is called Kardert. The Bey made R. Apresent of the hobara. 

One day three gazelles were caught, and also a fox, by R. 's greyhound, which behaved extremely well, and left the other dogs in the rear, everynow and then attacking him in the hind-quarters. Saw seven or eighthobaras, but too windy for the hawks to be flown. Captain B. Chased agazelle himself, and had the good fortune to catch him. As soon as anArab secures an animal, he immediately cuts its throat, repeating"Bismillah, Allah Akbar, " "In the name (of God), God is great. "

We marched seventeen miles to a place called Aly Ben Own, the name ofthe saint buried close by. The plain we crossed must have been oncethickly inhabited, as there were many remains. We were joined by moreArabs, and our force continued to augment. The Bey, being in want ofhorses, the same system of seizing them was adopted as with the camels. 

One splendid morning that broke over our encampment we had anopportunity of witnessing Africa's most gorgeous scenery. [35] Plenty ofhobaras; they fly like a goose. The hawks took two or three of them, also some hares. The poor hare does not know what to make of the hawks;after a little running, it gives itself up for death, only first dodgingout of the bird's pounce, or hiding itself in a tuft of grass or a bush, but which it is not long allowed to do, for the Arabs soon drive it outfrom its vain retreat. The hawk, when he seizes the hare with one claw, catches hold of any tuft of grass or irregularity of the ground with theother; a strong leather strap is also fastened from one leg to theother, to prevent them from being pulled open or strained. We came upona herd of small deer, called ebba, which are a little larger than thegazelle, but they soon bounded beyond our pursuit, leaving us scarcelytime to admire their delicate make and unapproachable speed. 

We crossed a range of hills into another plain, at the extremity ofwhich lies Ghafsa. The surface was naked, with the exception of tufts ofstrong, rushy grass, almost a sure indication of hares, and of which westarted a great number. We saw another description of bird, calledrhaad, [36] with white wings, which flew like a pigeon, but moreswiftly. Near our tract were the remains of a large tank of ancientRoman construction. The Bey shot a fox. Marched fourteen or fifteenmiles to Zwaneah, which means "little garden, " though there is no signof such thing, unless it be the few oranges, dates, and pomegranateswhich they find here. We had water from a tank of modern construction;some remains were close to the camp, the ancient cistern and stone ductleading from the hills. We had two thousand camels with the camp andfollowing it, for which not a single atom of provender is carried, thecamels subsisting scantily upon the coarse grass, weeds or thorns, whichthe soil barely affords. The camel is very fond of sharp, pricklythorns. You look upon the animal, with its apparently most tender mouth, chopping the sharpest thorns it can find, full of amazement! Some of thechiefs who have lately joined us, have brought their wives with them, riding on camels in a sort of palanquin or shut-up machine. Thesepalanquins have a kind of mast and shrouds, from which a bell is slung, tinkling with the swinging motion of the camel. This rude contrivancemakes the camel more than ever "the ship of the Desert. " Several finehorses were brought in as presents to the Bey, one a very fine mare. 

Our next march was towards Ghafsa, about twenty miles off. We werejoined by a considerable number of fresh Arabs, who "played at powder, "and kept firing and galloping before the Bey the whole day; some of themmanaged themselves and their arms and horses with great address, balancing the firelock on their heads, firing it, twisting it round, throwing it into the air, and catching it again, and all without oncelosing the command of their horses. An accident happened amidst the fun;two of the parties came in contact, and one of them received a dreadfulgash on the forehead. The dresses of some of them were very rich, andlooked very graceful on horseback. A ride over sand-hills brought us inview of the town, embedded in olive and date-trees, looking fresh andgreen after our hot and dusty march; it lay stretched at the foot of arange of hills, which formed the boundaries of another extensive plain. 

We halted at Ghafsa, [37] which is almost a mass of rubbish filled withdirty people, although there are plenty of springs about, principallyhot and mineral waters. Although the Moors, by their religion, areenjoined the constant use of the bath, yet because they do not changetheir linen and other clothes, they are always very dirty. They do not, however, exceed the Maltese and Sicilians, and many other people of theneighbourhood, in filth, and perhaps the Moors are cleaner in theirhahits than they. The Arabs are extremely disgusting, and their womenare often seen in a cold winter's evening, standing with their legsextended over a smoky wood fire, holding up their petticoats, andcontinuing in this indelicate position for hours together. 

In these Thermæ, or hot, sulphurous, and other mineral springs, is thephenomenon of the existence of fish and small snakes. These wereobserved by our tourists, but I shall give three other authoritiesbesides them. Shaw says: "'The Ouri-el-Nout, ' _i. E_. , 'Well of Fish, 'and the springs of Ghasa and Toser, nourish a number of small fishes ofthe mullet and perch kind, and are of an easy digestion. Of the likequality are the other waters of the Jereed, all of them, after theybecome cold, being the common drink of the inhabitants. " Sir GrenvilleTemple remarks: "The thermometer in the water marked ninety-fivedegrees; and, what is curious, a considerable number of fish is found inthis stream, which measure from four to six inches in length, andresemble, in some degree, the gudgeon, having a delicate flavour. Brucementions a similar fact, but he says he saw it in the springs ofFeriana. Part of the ancient structure of these baths still exists, andpieces of inscriptions are observed in different places. "

Mr. Honneger has made a sketch of this fish. The wood-cut represents itone half the natural size:

[Illustration]

The snake, not noticed by former tourists, has been observed by Mr. Honneger, which nourishes itself entirely upon the fish. The wood-cutrepresents the snake half its natural size:

[Illustration]

The fish and the snake live together, though not very amicably, in thehot-springs. Prince Pükler Muskau, who travelled in Tunis, narratesthat, "Near the ruins of Utica was a warm spring, in whose almost hotwaters we found several turtles, _which seemed to inhabit this basin_. "

However, perhaps, there is no such extraordinary difficulty in theapprehension of this phenomenon, for "The Gulf Stream, " on leaving theGulf of Mexico, "has a temperature of more than 27° (centigrade), or80-6/10 degrees of Fahrenheit. " [38]

Many a fish must pass through and live in this stream. And after all, since water is the element of fish, and is hotter or colder in allregions, like the air, the element of man, which he breathes, warmer orcooler, according to clime and local circumstances--there appear to beno physical objections in the way of giving implicit credence to ourtourists. 

Water is so abundant, that the adjoining plain might be easilyirrigated, and planted with ten thousand palms and forests of olives. God is bountiful in the Desert, but man wilfully neglects these aqueousriches springing up eternally to repair the ravages of the burningsimoum! In one of the groves we met a dervish, who immediately set aboutcharming our Boab. He began by an incantation, then seized him round themiddle, and, stooping a little, lifted him on his shoulders, continuingthe while the incantation. He then put him on his feet again, and, afterseveral attempts, appeared to succeed in bringing off his stomachsomething in the shape of leaden bullets, which he then, with an air ofholy swagger, presented to the astonished guard of the Bey. The dervishnext spat on his patient's hands, closed them in his own, then smoothedhim down the back like a mountebank smooths his pony, and stroked alsohis head and beard; and, after further gentle and comely ceremonies ofthis sort, the charming of the charmer finished, and the Boab presentedthe holy man with his fee. We dined at the Kaëd's house; thisfunctionary was a very venerable man, a perfect picture of a patriarchof the olden Scriptural times of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There wasnot a single article of furniture in the room, except a humble sofa, upon which he sat. 

We inspected the old Kasbah at Ghafsa, which is in nearly a state ofruin, and looked as if it would soon be down about our ears. It is anirregular square, and built chiefly of the remains of ancient edifices. It was guarded by fifty Turks, whose broken-down appearance was inperfect harmony with the citadel they inhabited. The square in abuilding is the favourite form of the Moors and Mohammedans generally;the Kaaba of Mecca, the _sanctum sanctorum_, is a square. The Moorsendeavour to imitate the sacred objects of their religion in every way, even in the commonest affairs of human existence, whilst likewise theirtroops of wives and concubines are only an earthly foretaste and anearnest of the celestial ladies they expect to meet hereafter. 

We saw them making oil, which was in a very primitive fashion. Theoil-makers were nearly all women. The olives were first ground betweenstones worked by the hands, until they became of the consistence ofpaste, which was then taken down to the stream and put into a wooden tubwith water. On being stirred up, the oil rises to the top, which theyskim off with their hands and put into skins or jars; when thus skimmed, they pass the grounds or refuse through a sieve, the water running off;the stones and pulp are then saved for firing. But in this way much ofthe oil is lost, as may be seen by the greasy surface of the water belowwhere this rude process is going on. Among the oil-women, we noticed agirl who would have been very pretty and fascinating had she washedherself instead of the olives. We entered an Arab house inhabited bysome twenty persons, chiefly women, who forthwith unceremoniously tookoff our caps, examined very minutely all our clothes with an excitedcuriosity, laughed heartily when we put our hands in our pockets, andwished to do the same, and then pulled our hair, looking under our faceswith amorous glances. On the hill overlooking the town, we also met twowomen screaming frightfully and tearing their faces; we learned that oneof them had lost her child. The women make the best blankets here withhandlooms, and do the principal heavy work. 

We saw some hobaras, also a bird called getah, smaller than a partridge, something like a ptarmigan, with its summer feathers, and head shapedlike a quail. The Bey sent two live ones to R. , besides a couple oflarge jerboahs of this part, called here, _gundy_. They are much likethe guinea-pig, but of a sandy colour, and very soft and fine, like ayoung hare. The jerboahs in the neighbourhood of Tunis are certainlymore like the rat. The other day, near the south-west gates, we fell inwith a whole colony of them--which, however, were the lesser animal, orJerd species--who occupied an entire eminence to themselves, thesovereignty of which seemed to have been conceded to them by the Bey ofTunis. They looked upon us as intruders, and came very near to us, as ifasking us why we had the audacity to disturb the tranquillity of theirrepublic. The ground here in many places was covered with a substancelike the rime of a frosty morning; it tastes like salt, and from it theyget nitre. Captain B. Thinks it was salt. The water which we drank wasbrought from Ghafsa: the Bey drinks water brought from Tunis. We marchedacross a vast plain, covered with the salt just mentioned, which wascongealed in shining heaps around bushes or tufts of grass, and amongwhich also scampered a few hares. We encamped at a place calledGhorbatah. Close to the camp was a small shallow stream, on each side ofwhich grew many canes; we bathed in the stream, and felt much refreshed. The evening was pleasantly cool, like a summer evening in England, andreminded us of the dear land of our birth. Numerous plains in NorthAfrica are covered with saline and nitrous efflorescence; to thepresence of these minerals is owing the inexhaustible fertility of thesoil, which hardly ever receives any manure, only a little stubble beingoccasionally burnt. 

We saw flights of the getah, and of another bird called the gedur, nearly the same, but rather lighter in colour. When they rise from theground, they make a curious noise, something like a partridge. We wereunusually surprised by a flight of locusts, not unlike grasshoppers, ofabout two inches long, and of a reddish colour. Saw also gazelles. Halted by the dry bed of a river, called Furfouwy. A pool supplied thecamp: in the mountains, at a distance, there was, however, a deliciousspring, a stream of liquid pearls in these thirsty lands! A bird calledmokha appeared now and then; it is about the size of a nightingale, andof a white light-brown colour. We seldom heard such sweet notes as thisbird possesses. Its flying is beautifully novel and curious; it runs onthe ground, and now and then stops and rises about fifteen feet from thesurface, giving, as it ascends, two or three short slow whistles, whenit opens its graceful tail and darts down to the ground, utteringanother series of melodious whistles, but much quicker than when itrises. 

We continued our march over nearly the same sort of country, but all wasnow flat as far as the eye could see, the hills being left behind us. About eight miles from Furfouwy, we came to a large patch of date-trees, watered by many springs, but all of them hot. Under the grateful shadeof the lofty palm were flowers and fruits in commingled sweetness andbeauty. Here was the village of Dra-el-Hammah, surrounded, like all thetowns of the Jereed, with date-groves and gardens. The houses were mosthumbly built of mud and bricks. After a scorching march, we encampedjust beyond, having made only ten miles. Saw quantities of bright softspar, called talc. Here also the ground was covered with a salineeffloresence. Near us were put up about a dozen blue cranes, the onlybirds seen to-day. A gazelle was caught, and others chased. Weparticularly observed huge patches of ground covered with salt, which, at a distance, appeared just like water. 

CHAPTER X. 

Toser. --The Bey's Palace. --Blue Doves. --The town described. --Industryof the People. --Sheikh Tahid imprisoned and punished. --Leghorn. --TheBoo-habeeba. --A Domestic Picture. --The Bey's Diversions. --The Bastinado. --Concealed Treasure. --Nefta. --The Two Saints. --Departure of Santa Maria. --Snake-charmers. --Wedyen. --Deer Stalking. --Splendid view of the Sahara. --Revolting Acts. --Qhortabah. --Ghafsa. --Byrlafee. --Mortality among theCamels--Aqueduct. --Remains of Udina. --Arrival at Tunis. --The Boab'sWives. --Curiosities. --Tribute Collected. --Author takes leave of theGovernor of Mogador, and embarks for England. --Rough Weather. --Arrivalin London. 

Leaving Dra-el-Hammah, after a hot march of five or six miles, wearrived at the top of a rising ground, at the base of which was situatethe famous Toser, the head-quarters of the camp in the Jereed, and asfar as it goes. Behind the city was a forest of date-trees, and beyondthese and all around, as far as the eye could wander, was animmeasurable waste--an ocean of sand--a great part of which we couldhave sworn was water, unless told to the contrary. We were met, beforeentering Toser, with some five or six hundred Arabs, who galloped beforethe Bey, and fired as usual. The people stared at us Christians withopen mouths; our dress apparently astonished them. At Toser, the Beyleft his tent and entered his palace, so called in courtesy to hisHighness, but a large barn of a house, without any pretensions. We hadalso a room allotted to us in this palace, which was the best to befound in the town, though a small dark affair. Toser is a miserableassemblage of mud and brick huts, of very small dimensions, the beamsand the doors being all of date-wood. The gardens, however, under thedate-trees are beautiful, and abundantly watered with copious streams, all of which are warm, and in one of which we bathed ourselves and feltnew vigour run through our veins. We took a walk in the gardens, andwere surprised at the quantities of doves fluttering among thedate-trees; they were the common blue or Barbary doves. In the environsof Mogador, these doves are the principal birds shot. 

Toser, or Touzer, the _Tisurus_ of ancient geography, is a considerabletown of about six thousand souls, with several villages in itsneighbourhood. 

The impression of Toser made upon our tourists agrees with that of thetraveller, Desfontaines, who writes of it in 1784:--"The Bey pitched histent on the right side of the city, if such can be called a mass of_mud-houses_. " The description corresponds also with that of Dr. Shaw, who says that "the villages of the Jereed are built of mud-walls andrafters of palm-trees. " Evidently, however, some improvement has beenmade of late years. The Arabs of Toser, on the contrary, and which verynatural, protested to the French scientific commission that Toser wasthe finest city in El-Jereed. They pretend that it has an area as largeas Algiers, surrounded with a mud wall, twelve or fifteen feet high, andcrenated. In the centre is a vast open space, which serves for amarket-place. Toser has mosques, schools, Moorish baths--a luxury rareon the confines of the Desert, fondouks or inns, &c. The houses haveflat terraces, and are generally well-constructed, the greater partbuilt from the ruins of a Roman town; but many are now dilapidated fromthe common superstitious cause of not repairing or rebuilding oldhouses. The choice material for building is brick, mostly unbaked orsun-dried. 

Most of these houses stand detached. 

Toser, situate in a plain, is commanded from the north-west by a littlerocky mountain, whence an abundant spring takes its source, called_Meshra_, running along the walls of the city southward, divides itselfafterwards in three branches, waters the gardens, and, after havingirrigated the plantations of several other villages, loses itself in thesand at a short distance. The wells within the city of Toser areinsufficient for the consumption of the inhabitants, who fetch waterfrom Wad Meshra. The neighbouring villages are Belad-el-Ader, Zin, Abbus; and the sacred villages are Zaouweeat, of Tounseea, Sidi Ali BouLifu, and Taliraouee. The Arabs of the open country, and who deposittheir grain in and trade with these villages, are Oulad Sidi Sheikh, Oulad Sidi Abeed, and Hammania. The dates of Toser are esteemed of thefinest quality. 

Walked about the town; several of the inhabitants are very wealthy. Thedead saints are, however, here, and perhaps everywhere else in Tunis, more decently lodged, and their marabets are real "whitewashedsepulchres. " They make many burnouses at Toser, and every house presentsthe industrious sight of the needle or shuttle quickly moving. We tastedthe leghma, or "tears of the date, " for the first time, and rather likedit. On going to shoot doves, we, to our astonishment, put up a snipe. The weather was very hot; went to shoot doves in the cool of theevening. The Bey administers justice, morning and evening, whilst in theJereed. An Arab made a present of a fine young ostrich to the Bey, whichhis Highness, after his arrival in Tunis, sent to R. The great man hereis the Sheikh Tahid, who was imprisoned for not having the tribute readyfor the Bey. The tax imposed is equivalent to two bunches for eachdate-tree. The Sheikh has to collect them, paying a certain yearly sumwhen the Bey arrives, a species of farming-out. It was said that he isvery rich, and could well find the money. The dates are almost the onlyfood here, and the streets are literally gravelled with their stones. Santa Maria again returned his horse to the Bey, and got another in itsstead. He is certainly a man of _delicate_ feeling. This gentlemancarried his impudence so far that he even threatened some of the Bey'sofficers with the supreme wrath of the French Government, unless theyattended better to his orders. A new Sheikh was installed, a good thingfor the Bey's officers, as many of them got presents on the occasion. 

We blessed our stars that a roof was over our heads to shield us fromthe burning sun. We blew an ostrich-egg, had the contents cooked, andfound it very good eating. They are sold for fourpence each, and it ispretended that one makes an ample meal for twelve persons. We aresupplied with leghma every morning; it tastes not unlike cocoa-nut milk, but with more body and flavour. R. Very unwell, attributed it to histaking copious draughts of the leghma. Rode out of an evening; there wasa large encampment of Arabs outside the town, thoroughly sun-burnt, hardy-looking fellows, some of them as black as negroes. Many people inToser have sore eyes, and several with the loss of one eye, or nearlyso; opthalmia, indeed, is the most prevalent disease in all Barbary. Theneighbourhood of the Desert, where the greater part of the year the airis filled with hot particles of sand, is very unfavourable to the sight;the dazzling whiteness of the whitewashed houses also greatly injuresthe eyes. But the Moors pretend that lime-washing is necessary to thepreservation of the houses from the weather, as well as from filth ofall sorts. We think really it is useful, by preventing dirty people inmany cases from being eaten up by their own filth and vermin, particularly the Jews, the Tunisian Jews being the dirtiest persons inthe Regency. The lime-wash is the grand _sanitary_ instrument in NorthAfrica. 

There are little birds that frequent the houses, that might be calledJereed sparrows, and which the Arabs name boo-habeeba, or "friend of myfather;" but their dress and language are very different, having reddishbreasts, being of a small size, and singing prettily. Shaw mentions themunder the name of the Capsa-sparrow, but he is quite wrong in makingthem as large as the common house-sparrow. He adds: "It is all over of alark-colour, excepting the breast, which is somewhat lighter, andshineth like that of a pigeon. The boo-habeeba has a note infinitelypreferable to that of the canary, or nightingale. " He says that allattempts to preserve them alive out of the districts of the Jereed havefailed. R. Has brought several home from that country, which were alivewhilst I was in Tunis. There are also many at the Bardo in cages, thatlive in this way as long as other birds. 

Went to see the houses of the inhabitants: they were nearly all thesame, the furniture consisting of a burnouse-loom, a couple ofmillstones, and a quantity of basins, plates, and dishes, hung upon thewalls for effect, seldom being used; there were also some skins ofgrain. The beams across the rooms, which are very high, are hung withonions, dates, and pomegranates; the houses are nearly all of one story. Some of the women are pretty, with large long black eyes and lashes;they colour the lower lid black, which does not add to their beauty, though it shows the bewitching orb more fully and boldly. They wereexceedingly dirty and ragged, wearing, nevertheless, a profusion ofear-rings, armlets, anclets, bracelets, and all sorts of _lets_, with athousand talismanic charms hanging from their necks upon their amplebosoms, which latter, from the habit of not wearing stays, reach as lowdown as their waists. They wrap up the children in swaddling-clothes, and carry them behind their backs when they go out. 

Two men were bastinadoed for stealing a horse, and not telling wherethey put him; every morning they were to be flogged until they divulgedtheir hiding-place. 

A man brought in about a foot of horse's skin, on which was the Bey'smark, for which he received another horse. This is always done when anyanimal dies belonging to the Beys, the man in whose hands the animal is, receiving a new one on producing the part of the skin marked. The Beyand his ministers and mamelukes amused themselves with shooting at amark. The Bey made some good hits. 

The Bey and his mamelukes also took diversion in spoiling the appearanceof a very nice young horse; they daubed hieroglyphics upon his shouldersand loins, and dyed the back where the saddle is placed, and the threelegs below the knee with henna, making the other leg look as white aspossible. Another grey horse, a very fine one, was also cribbed. We mayremark here, that there were very few fine horses to be met with, allthe animals looking poor and miserable, whilst these few fine ones fellinto the hands of the Bey. It is probable, however, that the Arabs kepttheir best and most beautiful horses out of the way, while the camp wasmoving among them. 

The old Sheikh still continued in prison. The bastinadoes with which hehad been treated were inflicted on his bare person, cold water beingapplied thereto, which made the punishment more severe. After receivingone hundred, he said he would shew his hiding-place; and some peoplebeing sent with him, dug a hole where he pointed out, but without comingto anything. This was done several times, but with the same effect. Hewas then locked up in chains till the following morning. Millions ofdollars lie buried by the Arabs at this moment in different parts ofBarbary, especially in Morocco, perhaps the half of which will never befound, the owners of them having died before they could point out theirhoarded treasures to their relatives, as but a single person is usuallyin the secret. Money is in this way buried by tribes, who have nothingwhatever to fear from their sovereigns and their sheikhs; they do itfrom immemorial custom. It is for this reason the Arabs consider thatunder all ancient ruins heaps of money are buried, placed there by menor demons, who hold the shining hoards under their invincible spell. They cannot comprehend how European tourists can undertake such longjourneys, merely for the purpose of examining old heaps of stones, andmaking plans and pictures of such rubbish. When any person attempts toconvince the Arabs that this is the sole object, they only laugh withincredulity. 

Went to Nefta, a ride of about fourteen miles, lying somewhat nearer theSahara than Toser. The country on the right was undulating sand, on theleft an apparently boundless ocean, where lies, as a vast sheet ofliquid fire, when the sun shines on it, the now long celebrated PalusLibya. In this so-called lake no water is visible, except a small marshlike the one near Toser, where we went duck-shooting. Our party was veryrespectable, consisting of the Agha of the Arabs, two or three of theBey's mamelukes, the Kaëd of the Jereed, whose name is Braun, and fiftyor sixty Arab guards, besides ourselves. On entering Nefta, the escortimmediately entered, according to custom, a marabet (that of Sidi BouAly), Captain B. And R. Meanwhile standing outside. 

There were two famous saints here, one of whom was a hundred years ofage. The other, Sidi Mustapha Azouz, had the character of being a veryclever and good man, which also his intelligent and benevolentappearance betokened, and not a fanatic, like Amour Abeda of Kairwan. There were at the time of our visit to him about two hundred people inhis courtyard, who all subsisted on his charities. We were offereddates, kouskousou, [39] and a seed which they call sgougou, and whichhas the appearance of dried apple-seed. The Arabs eat it with honey, first dipping their fingers into the honey, and then into the seed, which deliciously sticks to the honey. The Sheikh's saint alsodistributed beads and rosaries. He gave R. A bag of sgougou-seed, aswell as some beads. These two Sheikhs are objects of most religiousveneration amongst all true believers, and there is nothing which wouldnot be done at their bidding. 

Nefta, the Negeta of the ancients, is the frontier town of the Tunisianterritories from the south, being five days' journey, or aboutthirty-five or forty leagues from the oases of Souf, and fifteen days'from Ghadumes. Nefta is not so much a town as an agglomeration ofvillages, separated from one another by gardens, and occupying an extentof surface twice the size that of the city of Algiers. These villagesare Hal Guema, Mesâba, Zebda Ouled, Sherif, Beni Zeid, Beni Ali, Sherfa, and Zaouweeah Sidi Ahmed. 

The position of Nefta and its environs is very picturesque. Water ishere abundant. The principal source, which, under the name of Wad Nefta, takes its rise at the north of the city, in the midst of a movement ofearth, enters the villages of Sherfa and Sidi Ahmed; divides them intwo, and fecundates its gardens planted with orange-trees, pomegranates, and fig-trees. The same spring, by the means of ducts of earth, waters aforest of date-trees which extends some leagues. A regulator of thewater (kaëd-el-ma) distributes it to each proprietor of the plantation. 

The houses of Nefta are built generally of brick; some with taste andluxury; the interior is ornamented with Dutch tiles brought from Tunis. Each quarter has its mosque and school, and in the centre of the groupof villages is a place called Rebot, on the banks of Wad Nefta, whichserves for a common market. Here are quarters specially devoted to thearistocratic landed proprietors, and others to the busy merchants. TheShereefs are the genuine nobles, or seigneurs of Nefta, from among whomthe Bey is wont to choose the Governors of the city. The complexion ofthe population is dark, from its alliance with Negress slaves, like mosttowns advanced in the Desert. The manners of the people are pure. Theyare strict observers of the law, and very hospitable to strangers. Captain B. , however, thought that, had he not been under the protectionof the Bey, his head would not have been worth much in these districts. Every traveller almost forms a different opinion, and frequently thevery opposite estimate, respecting the strangers amongst whom he issojourning. A few Jewish artizans have always been tolerated here, oncondition of wearing a black handkerchief round their heads, and notmount a horse, &c. Recently the Bey, however, by solemn decrees, hasplaced the Jews exactly on the same footing of rights and privileges asthe rest of his subjects. 

Nefta is the intermediate _entrepôt_ of commerce which Tunis pourstowards the Sahara, and for this reason is called by the Arabs, "thegate of Tunis;" but the restrictive system established by the Turksduring late years at Ghadumes, has greatly damaged the trade between theJereed and the Desert. The movement of the markets and caravans takesplace at the beginning of spring, and at the end of summer. Only aportion of the inhabitants is devoted to commerce, the rich landedproprietory and the Shereefs representing the aristocracy, lead thetranquil life of nobles, the most void of care, and, perhaps, thehappiest of which contemplative philosophy ever dreamed. The oasis ofNefta, indeed, is said to be the most poetic of the Desert; its gardensare delicious; its oranges and lemons sweet; its dates the finest fruitin the "land of dates. " Nearly all the women are pretty, of that beautypeculiar to the Oriental race; and the ladies who do not exposethemselves to the fierce sun of the day, are as fair as Mooresses. 

Santa Maria left for Ghabs, to which place there is not a correct routelaid down in any chart. There are three routes, but the wells of one areonly known to travellers, a knowledge which cannot be dispensed with inthese dry regions. The wells of the other two routes are known to thebordering tribes alone, who, when they have taken a supply of water, cover them up with sand, previously laying a camel-skin over thewell-mouth, to prevent the sand falling into the water, so that, whiledying with thirst, you might be standing on a well and be none thewiser. The Frenchman has taken with him an escort of twelve men. Theweather is cooler, with a great deal of wind, raising and darkening thesky with sand; even among the dategroves our eyes and noses were like somany sand-quarries. 

Sheikh Tahib has been twice subjected to corporal punishment in the sameway as before mentioned, with the addition of fifty, but they cannotmake him bleed as they wish. He declares he has not got the money, andthat he cannot pay them, though they cut him to pieces. As he hascollected a great portion of the tribute of the people, one cannot muchpity the lying rogue. 

We were amused with the snake-charmers. These gentry are a company underthe protection of their great saint Sidi Aysa, who has long goneupwards, but also is now profitably employed in helping the juggling ofthese snake-mountebanks. These fellows take their snakes about in smallbags or boxes, which are perfectly harmless, their teeth and poison-bagsbeing extracted. They carry them in their bosoms, put them in theirmouths, stuffing a long one in of some feet in length, twist them aroundtheir arms, use them as a whip to frighten the people, in the meanwhilescreaming out and crying unto their Heavenly protector for help, thebystanders devoutly joining in their prayers. The snake-charmers usuallyperform other tricks, such as swallowing nails and sticking an iron barin their eyes; and they wear their hair long like women, which givesthem a very wild maniacal look. 

Three of the mamelukes and ourselves went to Wedyen, a town anddate-wood about eight miles from Toser, to the left. The date-grove isextensive, and there are seven villages in it of the same name. We sleptin the house of the Sheikh, who complained that the Frenchman, inpassing that way, had allowed his escort to plunder, and actually boundthe poor Sheikh, threatening him on his remonstrating. What conduct forChristians to teach these people!

One morning before daylight, we were on horseback, and _en route_towards the hills, for the purpose of shooting loted, as they call aspecies of deer found here. The ground in the neighbourhood of Wedyen istossed about like a hay-field, and volcanic looking. About four milesoff we struck into the rocks, on each side of our path, risingperpendicularly in fantastic shapes. On reaching the highest ground, theview was exceedingly wild. Much of the rock appeared as if it had onlyjust been cooled from a state of fusion; there was also a quantity oftuffo rock, similar to that in the neighbourhood of Naples. The firstanimal we saw was a wolf, which, standing on the sky-line of theopposite hill, looked gigantic. The deep valley between, however, prevented our nearer approach. 

We soon after came on a loted, who took to his heels, turning round amass of rock; but, soon after, he almost met as, and we had a view ofhim within forty yards. Several shots were fired at him without effect, and he at last made his escape, with a speed which defied all ourattempts at following him. Dismounting, the Sheikh Ali, of the Arabtribe Hammama, who was with us, and who is the greatest deer-stalker inthe country, preceded us a little distance to look out for deer, themarks of which were here very numerous. After a short time, an Arabbrought information of a herd of some thirty, with a good many youngones; but our endeavours to have a shot at them were fruitless, thoughone of the Arabs got near enough to loose the dogs at them, and agreyhound was kicked over for his pains. We saw no more of them; but ourwant of success was not surprising, silence not being in the leastattended to, and our party was far too large. The Arabs have such ahorrible habit of vociferation, that it is a wonder they ever take anygame at all. About the hills was scattered a great variety of aromaticplants, quantities of shells, and whole oyster-beds, looking almost asfresh as if they had been found by the sea-side. 

On our return from Toser, we had an extensive view of the Sahara, anocean as far as the eye could see, of what one would have taken his oathwas water, the shores, inlets, and bays being clearly defined, but, inreality, nothing but salt scattered on the surface. Several islets wereapparently breaking its watery expanse, but these also were only heapsof sand raised from the surrounding flat. The whole country, hills, plains and deserts, gave us an idea as if the materials had been throwntogether for manufacture, and had never been completed. Neverthelessthese savage deserts of boundless extent are as complete in their kindas the smiling meadows and fertile corn-fields of England, each beingperfect in itself, necessary to the grand whole of creation, and formingan essential portion of the works of Divine Providence. 

The Sheikh Tahib's gardens were sold for 15, 000 piastres, his wife alsoadded to this 1, 000, and he was set at liberty. The dates have beencoming in to a great amount. There are many different kinds. Theprincipal are:--Degalah, the most esteemed, which are very sweet andalmost transparent. Captain B. Preferred the Trungah, another first-ratesort, which are plum-shaped, and taste something like a plum. There arealso the Monachah, which are larger than the other two, dryer and moremealy, and not so sweet as Degalah, and other sorts. The dates were veryfine, though in no very great abundance, the superior state of ripenessbeing attributed to there only being a single day of rain during thepast year in the Jereed. Rain is bad for the dates, but the roots of thetree cannot have too much water. 

The tent-pitchers of the camp went round and performed, in mask, actionsof the most revolting description, some being dressed as women, anddancing in the most lascivious and indecent manner. One fellow went upto R. , who was just on the point of knocking him down, when, seeing theTreasurer of the Bey cracking his sides with laughter, he allowed thebrute to go off under such high patronage. It was even said that thesefellows were patronized by his Highness. But, on all Moorish feastdays, lascivious actions of men and women are an indispensable part of theirentertainment. This is the worst side of the character of the Moors. TheMoorish women were never so profligate as since the arrival of theFrench in Algeria. 

One of the greatest chiefs, Sultan Kaëd, of the Hammama has just died. He was an extremely old man, and it is certain that people live to agood old age in this burning clime. During his life, he had oftendistinguished himself, and lastly against the French, beforeConstantina. Whilst in the hills one day, we came suddenly upon a set ofArabs, about nine in number, who took to their heels on seeing us. A manhas just been killed near this place, probably by the same gang. Forrobbery and murder, no hills could be better fitted, the passes being sointricate, and the winds and turns so sudden and sharp. The Sheikh Alibrought in two loteds, a female and its young one, which he had shot. The head of the loted is like a deer's, but the eye is further up: it isabout a fallowdeer's size. The female has not the beard like a goat, butlong hair, reaching from the head to the bottom of the chest, and overthe fore-legs. These loteds were taken in consequence of an order fromthe Bey, that they should not return without some. 

On our march back to Tunis, we encamped for two days by the foot of arange of hills at Sheesheeah, about ten miles off. The water, broughtfrom some distance, was bad and salt. 

We proceeded to Ghortabah, our old place. Two of the prisoners (abouttwelve of whom we had with us), and one of the Turks, died from theexcessive heat. The two couriers that were sent with despatches for theGovernment were attacked near this place by the Arabs, and the horse ofone was so injured, that it was necessary to kill him; the man who rodethe horse was also shot through the leg. This was probably in revengefor the exactions of the Bey of the Camp on the tribes. 

On our return to Ghafsa, we had rain, hail, and high wind, andexceedingly cold--a Siberian winter's day on the verge of the scorchingdesert. The ground, where there was clay, very slippery; the camelsreeled about as if intoxicated. The consequence was, it was long beforethe tents came up, and we endured much from this sudden change of theweather. Our sufferings were, however, nothing as compared to others, for during the day, ten men were brought in dead, from the cold (threedied four days before from heat), principally Turks; and, had there beenno change in the temperature, we cannot tell how many would have sharedthe same fate. Many of the camels, struggling against the clayey soil, could not come up. 

Eight more men were shortly buried, and three were missing. The suddentransition from the intense heat of the one day to the freezing cold ofthe next, probably gave the latter a treble power, producing thesedisastrous effects, the poor people being sadly ill-clad, and quiteunprepared for such extreme rigour. Besides, on our arrival at the camp, all the money in Europe could not have purchased us the requiredcomforts, or rather necessaries, to preserve our health. Cold makeseverybody very selfish. We were exceedingly touched on hearing of thedeath of a little girl, whom we saw driven out of a kitchen, in whichthe poor helpless little thing had taken refuge from the inclemency ofthe weather. 

Santa Maria arrived from Ghabs without accident, having scarcely seen asoul the whole of the way. He certainly was an enterprizing fellow, worthy of imitation. He calculated the distance from Ghabs to Toser at200 miles. There are a number of towns in the districts of Ghabs betterbuilt than those of Nefta and Toser; Ghabs river is also full of waterand the soil of the country is very fertile. The dates are not so goodas those of the Jereed. Ghabs is about 130 miles from Ghafsa. We heretook our farewell of Santa Maria; he went to Beja, the head-quarters ofthe summer-camp: thence, of course, he would proceed to Algiers, to givean account of his _espionage_. Next season, he said, he would go toTripoli and Ghadames; he had been many years in North Africa, and spokeArabic fluently. 

We next marched to Byrlafee, about twenty miles, and ninety-one fromToser, where there are the ruins of an old town. The weather continuedcold and most wintry. Here is a very ancient well still in use. Fragments of cornices and pillars are strewn about. The foundations ofhouses, and some massive stone towers, which from their having a pipe upthe centre, must have had something to do with regulating the water, areall that remain. 

We had now much wind, but no rain. A great many camels and horsesperished. Altogether, the number of camels that died on the return ofthe camp, was 550. The price of a camel varies from 60 to 200 piastres. Many good ones were sold at the camp for eighty piastres each, or abouttwo pounds ten shillings, English money. A good sheep was disposed offor four or five piastres, or about three shillings. There were alsosome ludicrous sales. A horse in the extremities of nature, or near tothe _articulo mortis_, was sold for a piastre, eight pence; a camel, ina like situation, was sold for a piastre and a half. A tolerably goodhorse in Tunis sells at from 800 to 1000 piastres. 

There are the remains of an aqueduct at Gilma, and several otherbuildings, the capitals of the pillars being elaborately worked. It isseen that nearly the entire surface of Tunis is covered with remains ofaqueducts, Roman, Christian, and Moorish. If railways be applied to thiscountry--the French, are already talking about forming one from Algiersto Blidah, across the Mitidjah--unquestionably along the lines will beconstructed ducts for water, which could thus be distributed over thewhole country. Instead of the camels of the "Bey of the Camp" carryingwater from Tunis to the Jereed, the railway would take from Zazwan, thebest and most delicious water in the Regency, to the dry deserts of theJereed, with the greatest facility. As to railways paying in thiscountry, the resources of Tunis, if developed, could pay anything. 

Marching onwards about eighteen miles, we encamped two or three beyondan old place called Sidi-Ben-Habeeba. A man murdered a woman fromjealousy in the camp, but made his escape. Almost every eminence wepassed was occupied with the remains of some ancient fort, or temple. There was a good deal of corn in small detached patches, but it must beremembered, the north-western provinces are the corn-districts. 

In the course of the following three days, we reached Sidi-Mahammedeah, where are the magnificent remains of Udina. After about an hour's halt, and when all the tents had been comfortably pitched, the Bey astonishedus with an order to continue our march, and we pursued our way toMomakeeah, about thirty miles, which we did not reach until after dark. We passed, for some three or four hours, through a flight of locusts, the air being darkened, and the ground loaded with them. At a littledistance, a flight of locusts has the appearance of a heavy snow-storm. These insects rarely visit the capital; but, since the appearance ofthose near Momakeeah, they have been collected in the neighbourhood ofthe city, cooked, and sold among the people. Momakeeah is a countryhousebelonging to the Bey, to whom, also, belongs a great portion of the landaround. There is a large garden, laid out in the Italian style attachedto this country-seat. 

On arriving at Tunis, we called at the Bardo as we passed, and saw theguard mounting. There was rather a fine band of military music; Moorishmusicians, but playing, after the European style, Italian and Moorishairs. 

We must give here some account of our Boab's domestic concerns. Heboasted that he had had twenty-seven wives, his religion allowing fourat once, which he had bad several times; he was himself of somewhatadvanced years. According to him, if a man quarrels with his wife, hecan put her in prison, but must, at the same time, support her. Acertain quantity of provision is laid down by law, and he must give hertwo suits, or changes, of clothes a year. But he must also visit heronce a week, and the day fixed is Friday. If the wife wishes to beseparated, and to return to her parents, she must first pay the moneywhich he may demand, and must also have his permission, although hehimself may send her to her parents whenever he chooses, withoutassigning any reason. He retains the children, and he may marry again. The woman is generally expected to bring her husband a considerable sumin the way of dowry, but, on separation, she gets nothing back. This wasthe Boab's account, but I think he has overdone the harshness andinjustice of the Mohammedan law of marriage in relating it to ourtourists. It may be observed that the strict law is rarely acted upon, and many respectable Moors have told me that they have but one wife, andfind that quite enough. It is true that many Moors, especially learnedmen, divorce their wives when they get old, feeling the women anembarrassment to them, and no wonder, when we consider these poorcreatures have no education, and, in their old age, neither affordconnubial pleasure nor society to their husbands. With respect todivorce, a woman can demand by law and right to be separated from herhusband, or divorced, whenever he ill-treats her, or estranges himselffrom her. Eunuchs, who have the charge of the women, are allowed tomarry, although they cannot have any family. The chief eunuch of theBardo has the most revolting countenance. 

Our tourists brought home a variety of curious Jereed things: smalldate-baskets full of dates, woollen articles, skins of all sorts, and afew live animals. Sidi Mohammed also made them many handsome presents. Some deer, Jereed goats, an ostrich, &c. , were sent to Mr. R. After hisreturn, and both Captain B. And Mr. R. Have had every reason to beextremely gratified with the hospitality and kind attentions of the "Beyof the Camp. "

It is very difficult to ascertain the amount of tribute collected in theJereed, some of which, however, was not got in, owing to variousimpediments. Our tourists say generally:--

 Camel-loads. [40] Money, dollars, and piastres, (chiefly I imagine, the latter. ) 23

 Burnouses, blankets, and quilts, &c. 6

 Dates (these were collected at Toser, and brought from Nefta and the surrounding districts) 500 ---- Total 529

 It is impossible, with this statement before us, to make out any exact calculation of the amount of tribute. A cantar of dates varies from fifteen to twenty-five shillings, say on an average a pound sterling; this will make the amount of the 500 camel-loads at five cantars per load £2, 500

 Six camel-loads of woollen manufactures, &c. , at sixty pound per load, value 360 ------ Total £2, 860

The money, chiefly piastres, must be left to conjecture. However, Mr. Levy, a large merchant at Tunis, thinks the amount might be from 150 to200, 000 piastres, or, taking the largest sum, £6, 250 sterling:

 Total amount of the tribute of the Jereed: in goods £2, 860 Ditto, in money: 6, 250 ------ Total £9, 110

To this sum may be added the smaller presents of horses, camels, andother beasts of burden. 

 * * * * *

Before leaving Mogador, in company with Mr. Willshire, I saw hisExcellency, the Governor again, when I took formal leave of him. Heaccompanied me down to the port with several of the authorities, waitinguntil I embarked for the Renshaw schooner. Several of the Consuls, andnearly all the Europeans, were also present. On the whole, I wassatisfied with the civilities of the Moorish authorities, and offer mycordial thanks to the Europeans of Mogador for their attentions duringmy residence in that city. 

A little circumstance shews the subjection of our merchants, the Consulnot excepted, to the Moorish Government. One of the merchants wished toaccompany me on board, but was not permitted, on account of hisengagements with the Sultan. 

A merchant cannot even go off the harbour to superintend the stowing ofhis goods. Never were prisoners of war, or political offenders, soclosely watched as the boasted imperial merchants of this city. 

After setting sail, we were soon out of sight of Mogador; and, on thefollowing day, land disappeared altogether. During the next month, wewere at sea, and out of view of the shore. I find an entry in myjournal, when off the Isle of Wight. We had had most tremendous weather, successive gales of foul wind, from north and north-east. Our schoonerwas a beautiful vessel, a fine sailer with a flat bottom, drawing littlewater, made purposely for Barbary ports. She had her bows completelyunder water, and pitched her way for twenty-five succeeding days, through huge rising waves of sea and foam. During the whole of thistime, I never got up, and lived on bread and water with a littlebiscuit. Captain Taylor, who was a capital seaman, and took the mostaccurate observations, lost all patience, and, though a good methodist, would now and then rush on deck, and swear at the perverse gale andwrathful sea. We took on board a fine barb for Mr. Elton, which diedafter a few days at sea, in these tempests. I had a young vulture thatdied a day before the horse, or we should have fed him on the carcase. 

[Illustration]

An aoudad which we conveyed on account of Mr. Willshire to London, forthe Zoological Society, outlived these violent gales, and was safely andcomfortably lodged in the Regent's Park. After my return from Africa, Ipaid my brave and hardy fellow-passenger a visit, and find the air ofsmoky London agrees with him as well as the cloudless region of theMorocco Desert. 

APPENDIX. 

The following account of the bombardment of Mogador by the French, written at the period by an English Resident may be of interest at thepresent time. 

Mogador was bombarded on the 13th of August, 1844. Hostilities began at9 o'clock A. M. , by the Moors firing twenty-one guns before the Frenchhad taken up their position, but the fire was not returned until 2 P. M. The 'Gemappes, ' 100; 'Suffren, ' 99; 'Triton, ' 80; ships of the line. 'Belle Poule, ' 60, frigate; 'Asmodée' and 'Pluton, ' steamers, and somebrigs, constituted the bombarding squadron. The batteries were silenced, and the Moorish authorities with many of the inhabitants fled, leavingthe city unprotected against the wild tribes, who this evening and thenext morning, sacked and fired the city. On the 16th, nine hundredFrench were landed on the isle of Mogador. After a rude encounter withthe garrison, they took possession of it and its forts. Their loss was, after twenty-eight hours' bombarding, trifling, some twenty killed andas many more wounded; the Moors lost some five hundred on the islekilled, besides the casualties in the city. 

The British Consul and his wife, and Mr. And Mrs. Robertson, withothers, were obliged to remain in the town during the bombardment onaccount of their liabilities to the Emperor. The escape of these peoplefrom destruction was most miraculous. 

The bombarding squadron reached on the 10th, the English frigate, 'Warspite, ' on the 13th, and the wind blowing strong from N. E. , andpreventing the commencement of hostilities, afforded opportunity tosave, if possible, the British Consul's family and other detainedEuropeans; but, notwithstanding the strenuous remonstrances of thecaptain of the 'Warspite', nothing whatever could prevail upon theMoorish Deputy-Governor in command, Sidi Abdallah Deleero, to allow theBritish and other Europeans to take their departure. The Governor evenperemptorily refused permission for the wife of the Consul to leave, upon the cruel sophism that, "The Christian religion asserts the husbandand wife to be one, consequently, " added the Governor, "as it is myduty, which I owe to my Emperor, to prevent the Consul from leavingMogador, I must also keep his wife. "

The fact is the Moors, in their stupidity, and perhaps in their revenge, thought the retaining of the British Consul and the Europeans might, insome way or other, contribute to the defence of themselves, save thecity, or mitigate the havoc of the bombardment. At any rate, they wouldsay, "Let the Christians share the same fate and dangers as ourselves. "During the bombardment, the Moors for two hours fought well, but theirbest gunner, a Spanish renegade, Omar Ei-Haj, being killed, they becamedispirited and abandoned the batteries. The Governor and his troops, about sunset, disgracefully and precipitately fled, followed by nearlyall the Moorish population, thereby abandoning Mogador to pillage, andthe European Jews to the merciless wild tribes, who, though levied todefend the town, had, for some hours past, hovered round it like drovesof famished wolves. 

As the Governor fled out, terrified as much at the wild tribes as of theFrench, in rushed these hordes, led on by their desperate chiefs. Thesewretches undismayed, unmoved by the terrors of the bombarding ravagesaround, strove and vied with each other in the committal of every act ofthe most unlicensed ferocity and depredation, breaking open houses, assaulting the inmates, murdering such as shewed resistance, denudingthe more submissive of their clothing, abusing women--particularly inthe Jewish quarter--to all which atrocities the Europeans were likewiseexposed. 

At the most imminent hazard of their lives, the British Consul and hiswife, with a few others, escaped from these ruffians. Truly providentialwas their flight through streets, resounding with the most turbulentconfusion and sanguinary violence. It was late when the plunderersappeared before the Consulates, where, without any ceremony, byhundreds, they fell to work, breaking open bales of goods, ransackingplaces for money and other treasures; and, thus unsatisfied in theirrapacity, they tore and burnt all the account-books and Consulardocuments. 

Other gangs fought over the spoil; some carrying off their booty, andothers setting it on fire. It was a real pandemonium of discord andlicentiousness. During the darkness, and in the midst of such scenes, itwas that the Consul and his wife threaded their precarious flightthrough the streets, and in their way were intercepted by a maraudingband, who attacked them; tore off his coat; and, seizing his wife, insisted upon denuding her, four or five daggers being raised to herthroat, expecting to find money concealed about their persons; nor wouldthe ruffians desist until they ascertained they had none, the Consulhaving prudently resolved to take no money with them. Fortunately, atthis juncture, his wife was able to speak, and in Arabic (being bornhere, and daughter of a former Consul), therefore she could give forceto her entreaties by appealing to them not to imbue their hands in theblood of their countrywomen. This had the desired effect. The chief ofthe party undertook to conduct them to the water-port, when, coming incontact with another party, a conflict about booty ensued, during whichthe Consul's family got out of the town to a place of comparativesecurity. 

Incidents of a similar alarming nature attended the escape of Mr. Robertson, his wife, and four children; one, a baby in arms. In thecrowd, Mr. Robertson, with a child in each hand, lost sight of Mrs. Robertson, with her infant and another child. Distracted by sadforebodings, poor Mr. Robertson forced his way to the water-port, butnot before a savage mountainer--riding furiously by him--aimed asabre-blow at him to cut him down; but, as the murderous arm was poisedabove, Mr. Robertson stooped, and, raising his arm at the time, wardedit off; the miscreant then rode off, being satisfied at this cut at thedetested Nazarene. 

Another ruffian seized one of his little girls, a pretty child of nineyears old, and scratched her arm several times with his dagger, callingout _flous_ (money) at each stroke. At the water-port, Mr. Robertsonjoined his fainting wife, and the British Consul and his wife, with Mr. Lucas and Mr. Allnut. An old Moor never deserted the Consul's family, "faithful among the faithless;" and a Jewess, much attached to thefamily, abandoned them only to return to those allied to her by the tiesof blood. 

Their situation was now still perilous, for, should they be discoveredby the wild Berbers, they all might be murdered. This night, the 15th, was a most anxious one, and their apprehensions were dreadful. Dawn ofday was fast approaching, and every hour's delay rendered theircondition more precarious. In this emergency, Mr. Lucas, who never oncefailed or lost his accustomed suavity and presence of mind amidst theseimminent dangers, resolved upon communicating with the fleet by a mosthazardous experiment. On his way from the town-gate to the water-port, he noticed some deal planks near the beach. The idea struck him ofturning these into a raft, which, supporting him, could enable theirparty to communicate with the squadron. Mr. Lucas fetched the planks, and resolutely set to work. Taking three of them, and luckily finding aquantity of strong grass cordage, he arranged them in the water, andwith some cross-pieces, bound the whole together; and, besides, havingfound two small pieces of board to serve him as paddles, he gallantlylaunched forth alone, and, in about an hour, effected his object, for heexcited the attention of the French brig, 'Canard, ' from which a boatcame and took him on board. 

The officers, being assured there were no Moors on guard at thebatteries, and that the Berbers were wholly occupied in plundering thecity, promptly and generously sent off a boat with Mr. Lucas to therescue of the alarmed and trembling fugitives. The Prince de Joinvilleafterwards ordered them to be conveyed on board the 'Warspite. ' Theself-devotedness, sagacity, and indefatigable exertions of the excellentyoung man, Mr. Lucas, were above all encomiums, and, at the hands of theBritish Government, he deserved some especial mark of favour. 

Poor Mrs. Levy (an English Jewess, married to a Maroquine Jew), and herfamily were left behind, and accompanied the rest of the miserable Jewsand natives, to be maltreated, stripped naked, and, perhaps, murdered, like many poor Jews. Mr. Amrem Elmelek, the greatest native merchant anda Jew, died from fright. Carlos Bolelli, a Roman, perished during thesack of the city. 

Mogador was left a heap of ruins, scarcely one house standing entire, and all tenantless. In the fine elegiac bulletin of the bombardingPrince, "Alas! for thee, Mogador! thy walls are riddled with bullets, and thy mosques of prayer blackened with fire!" (or something likethese words. )

COMMERCE WITH MOROCCO. 

TANGIER. 

Tangier trades almost exclusively with Gibraltar, between which placeand this, an active intercourse is constantly kept up. 

The principal articles of importation into Tangier are, cotton goods ofall kinds, cloth, silk-stuffs, velvets, copper, iron, steel, andhardware of every description; cochineal, indigo, and other dyes; tea, coffee, sulphur, paper, planks, looking-glasses, tin, thread, glass-beads, alum, playing-cards, incense, sarsaparilla, and rum. 

The exports consist in hides, wax, wool, leeches, dates, almonds, oranges, and other fruit, bark, flax, durra, chick-peas, bird-seed, oxenand sheep, henna, and other dyes, woollen sashes, haicks, Moorishslippers, poultry, eggs, flour, &c. 

The value of British and foreign goods imported into Tangier in 1856was: British goods, £101, 773 6_s_. , foreign goods, £33, 793. 

The goods exported from Tangier during the same year was: For Britishports, £63, 580 10_s_. , for foreign ports, £13, 683. 

The following is a statement of the number of British and foreign shipsthat entered and cleared from this port during the same year. Entered:British ships 203, the united tonnage of which was 10, 883; foreign ships110, the total tonnage of which was 4, 780. 

Cleared: British ships 207, the united tonnage of which was 10, 934;foreign ships 110, the total tonnage of which was 4, 780. 

Three thousand head of cattle are annually exported, at a fixed duty offive dollars per head, to Gibraltar, for the use of that garrison, inconformity with the terms of special grants that have, from time totime, been made by the present Sultan and some of his predecessors. Inaddition to the above, about 2, 000 head are, likewise, exportedannually, for the same destination, at a higher rate of duty, varyingfrom eight dollars to ten dollars per head. Gibraltar, also, draws fromthis place large supplies of poultry, eggs, flour, and other kinds ofprovisions. 

MOGADOR. 

From the port of Mogador are exported the richest articles the countryproduces, viz. , almonds, sweet and bitter gums, wool, olive-oil, seedsof various kinds, as cummin, gingelen, aniseed; sheep-skins, calf, andgoat-skins, ostrich-feathers, and occasionally maize. 

The amount of exports in 1855 was: For British ports, £228, 112 3_s_. 2_d_. , for foreign ports, £55, 965 13_s_. 1_d_. 

The imports are Manchester cotton goods, which have entirely supersededthe East India long cloths, formerly in universal use, blue salampores, prints, sugar, tea, coffee, Buenos Ayres slides, iron, steel, spices, drugs, nails, beads and deals, woollen cloth, cotton wool, and mirrorsof small value, partly for consumption in the town, but chiefly for thatof the interior, from Morocco and its environs, as far as Timbuctoo. 

The amount of imports in 1855 was: British goods, £136, 496 7_s_. 6_d_. , foreign goods £31, 222 11_s_. 5_d_. 

The trade last year was greatly increased by the unusually large demandfor olive-oil from all parts, and there is no doubt that, under a moreliberal Government, the commerce might be developed to a vast extent. 

RABAT. 

The principal goods imported at Rabat are, alum, calico of differentqualities, cinnamon, fine cloth, army cloth, cloves, copperas, cottonprints, raw cotton, sewing cotton, cutlery, dimity, domestics, earthenware, ginger, glass, handkerchiefs (silk and cotton), hardware, indigo, iron, linen, madder root, muslin, sugar (refined and raw), tea, and tin plate. 

The before-mentioned articles are imported partly for consumption inRabat and Sallee, and partly for transmission into the interior. 

The value of different articles of produce exported at Rabat during thelast five years amounts to £34, 860 1_s_. 

There can be no doubt that the imports and exports at Rabat wouldgreatly increase, if the present high duties were reduced, andGovernment monopolies abolished. Large quantities of hides were exportedbefore they were a Government monopoly: now the quantity exported isvery inconsiderable. 

MAZAGAN. 

_Goods Imported_. --Brown Domestics, called American White, muslins, rawcotton, cotton-bales, silk and cotton pocket-handkerchiefs; tea, coffee, sugars, iron, copperas, alum; many other articles imported, but in verysmall quantities. 

A small portion of the importations is consumed at Mazagan and Azimore, but the major portions in the interior. 

The amount of the leading goods exported in 1855 was:--Bales of wool, 6, 410; almonds, 200 serons; grain, 642, 930 fanegas. 

No doubt the commerce of this port would be increased under betterfiscal laws than those now established. 

But the primary and immediate thing to be looked after is the wilfulcasting into the anchorage-ground of stone-ballast by foreigners. British masters are under control, but foreigners will persist, chieflySardinian masters. 

THE END

[1] The predecessor of Muley Abd Errahman. 

[2] On account, of their once possessing the throne, the Shereefs have apeculiar jealousy of Marabouts, and which latter have not forgottentheir once being sovereigns of Morocco. The _Moravedi_ were "really adynasty of priests, " as the celebrated Magi, who usurped the throne ofCyrus. The Shereefs, though descended from the Prophet, are not strictlypriests, or, to make the distinction perfectly clear the Shereefs are tobe considered a dynasty corresponding to the type of Melchizdek, unitingin themselves the regal and sacerdotal authority, whilst the_Marabouteen_ were a family of priests like the sons of Aaron. Abd-el-Kader unites in himself the princely and sacerdotal authoritylike the Shereefs, though not of the family of the Prophet. Mankind havealways been jealous of mere theocratic government, and dynasties ofpriests have always been failures in the arts of governing, and theEgyptian priests, though they struggled hard, and were the mostaccomplished of this class of men, could not make themselves thesovereigns of Egypt. 

[3] According to others the Sâdia reigned before the Shereefs. 

[4] I was greatly astonished to read in Mr. Hay's "Western Barbary, " (p. 123), these words--"During one of the late rebellions, a beautiful younggirl was offered up as a propitiatory sacrifice, her throat being cutbefore the tent of the Sultan, and in his presence!" This is anunmitigated libel on the Shereefian prince ruling Morocco. First of all, the sacrifice of human beings is repudiated by every class ofinhabitants in Barbary. Such rites, indeed, are unheard of, nay, unthought of. If the Mahometan religion has been powerful in any onething, it is in that of rooting out from the mind of man every notion ofhuman sacrifice. It is this which makes the sacrifice of the Savioursuch an obnoxious doctrine to Mussulmen. It is true enough, at times, oxen are immolated to God, but not to Moorish princes, "to appease anoffended potentate. " One spring, when there was a great drought, thepeople led up to the hill of Ghamart, near Carthage, a red heifer to beslaughtered, in order to appease the displeasure of Deity; and when theBey's frigate, which, a short time ago, carried a present to herBritannic Majesty, from Tunis to Malta, put back by stress of weather, two sheep were sacrificed to some tutelar saints, and two guns werefired in their honour. The companions of Abd-el-Kader in a storm, duringhis passage from Oran to Toulon, threw handsful of salt to the ragingdeep to appease its wild fury. But as to sacrificing human victims, either to an incensed Deity, or to man, impiously putting himself in theplace of God, the Moors of Barbary have not the least conception of suchan enormity. 

It would seem, unfortunately, that the practice of the gentleman, whotravelled a few miles into the interior of Morocco on a horse-mission, had been to exaggerate everything, and, where effect was wanting, not tohave scrupled to have recourse to unadulterated invention. But thisstyle of writing cannot be defended on any principle, when so serious acase is brought forward as that of sacrificing a human victim to appeasethe wrath of an incensed sovereign, and that prince now living inamicable relations with ourselves. 

[5] Gräberg de Hemso, whilst consul-general for Sweden and Sardinia (atMorocco!) concludes the genealogy of these Mussulman sovereigns withthis strange, but Catholic-spirited rhapsody:--

"Muley Abd-ur-Bakliman, who is now gloriously and happily reigning, whomwe pray Almighty God, all Goodness and Power, to protect and exalt byprolonging his life, glory, and reign in this world and in the next; andgiving him, during eternity, the heavenly beatitude, in order that hissoul, in the same manner as flame to flame, river to sea, may be unitedwith his sweetest, most perfect and ineffable Creator. Amen. "

[6] Yezeed was half-Irish, born of the renegade widow of an Irishsergeant of the corps of Sappers and Miners, who was placed at thedisposition of this government by England, and who died in Morocco. Onhis death, the facile, buxom widow was admitted, "nothing loath, " intothe harem of Sidi-Mohammed, who boasted of having within its sacredenclosure of love and bliss, a woman from every clime. 

Here the daughter of Erin brought forth this ferocious tyrant, whosemaxim of carnage, and of inflicting suffering on humanity was, "Myempire can never be well governed, unless a stream of blood flows fromthe gate of the palace to the gate of the city. " To do Yezeed justice, he followed out the instincts of his birth, and made war on all theworld except the English (or Irish). Tully's Letters on Tripoli give agraphic account of the exploits of Yezeed, who, to his inherent cruelty, added a fondness for practical (Hibernian) jokes. 

His father sent him several times on a pilgrimage to Mecca to expiatehis crimes, when he amused, or alarmed, all the people whose countrieshe passed through, by his terrific vagaries. One day he would cut offthe heads of a couple of his domestics, and play at bowls with them;another day, he would ride across the path of an European, or a consul, and singe his whiskers with the discharge of a pistol-shot; another day, he would collect all the poor of a district, and gorge them with arazzia he had made on the effects of some rich over-fed Bashaw. Themultitude sometimes implored heaven's blessing on the head of Yezeed. Atother times trembled for their own heads. Meanwhile, our Europeanconsuls made profound obeisance to this son of the Shereef, enthroned inthe West. So the tyrant passed the innocent days of his pilgrimage. Sothe godless herd of mankind acquiesced in the divine rights of royalty. 

[7] See Appendix at the end of this volume. 

[8] The middle Western Region consists of Algiers and part of Tunis. 

[9] Pliny, the Elder, confirms this tradition mentioned by Pliny. MarcusYarron reports, "that in all Spain there are spread Iberians, Persians, Phoenicians, Celts, and Carthaginians. " (Lib. Iii. Chap. 2). 

[10] In Latin, Mauri, Maurice, Maurici, Maurusci, and it is supposed, socalled by the Greeks from their dark complexions. 

[11] The more probable derivation of this word is from _bar_, signifyingland, or earth, in contradistinction from the sea, or desert, beyond thecultivable lands to the South. To give the term more force it isdoubled, after the style of the Semitic reduplication. De Haedo de laCaptividad gives a characteristic derivation, like a genuine hidalgo, who proclaimed eternal war against Los Moros. He says--"Moors, Alartes, Cabayles, and some Turks, form all of them a dirty, lazy, inhuman, indomitable nation of beasts, and it is for this reason that, for thelast few years, I have accustomed myself to call that land the land ofBarbary. "

[12] Procopius, de Bello Vandilico, lib. Ii. Cap. 10. 

[13] Some derive it from _Sarak_, an Arabic word which signifies tosteal, and hence, call the conquerors thieves. Others, and with moreprobability, derive it from _Sharak_, the east, and make them Orientals, and others say there is an Arabic word _Saracini_, which means apastoral people, and assert that Saracine is a corruption from it, thenew Arabian immigrants being supposed to have been pastoral tribes. 

[14] Some suppose that _Amayeegh_ means "great, " and the tribes thusdistinguished themselves, as our neighbours are wont to do by the phrase"la grande nation. " The Shoulah are vulgarly considered to be descendedfrom the Philistines, and to have fled before Joshua on the conquest ofPalestine. 

In his translation of the Description of Spain, by the Shereef El-Edris(Madrid, 1799), Don Josef Antonio Conde speaks of the Berbers in anote--

"Masmuda, one of the five principal tribes of Barbaria; the others areZeneta, called Zenetes in our novels and histories, Sanhagha which wename Zenagas; Gomêsa is spelt in our histories Gomares and Gomeles. Huroara, some of these were originally from Arabia; there were others, but not so distinguished. La de Ketâma was, according to tradition, African, one of the most ancient, for having come with Afrikio. 

"Ben Kis Ben Taifi Ben Tebâ, the younger, who came from the king of theAssyrians, to the land of the west. 

"None of these primitive tribes appear to have been known to the Romans, their historians, however, have transmitted to us many names of otheraboriginal tribes, some of which resemble fractions now existing, as theGetules are probably the present Geudala or Geuzoula. But the presentBerbers do not correspond with the names of the five original peoplejust mentioned. In Morocco, there are Amayeegh and Shelouh, in Algeriathe Kabyles, in Tunis the Aoures, sometimes the Shouwiah, and in Saharathe Touarichs. There are, besides, numerous subdivisions and admixturesof these tribes. "

[15] Monsieur Balbi is decidedly the most recent, as well as the bestauthority to apply to for a short and definite description of this mostcelebrated mountain system, called by him "Système Atlantique, " and Ishall therefore annex what he says on this interesting subject, "Orographie. " He says--"Of the 'Système Atlantique, ' which derives itsname from the Mount Atlas, renowned for so many centuries, and still solittle known; we include in this vast system, all the heights of theregion of Maghreb--we mean the mountain of the Barbary States--as wellas the elevations scattered in the immense Sahara or Desert. It appearsthat the most important ridge extends from the neighbourhood of CapeNoun, or the Atlantic, as far as the east of the Great Syrte in theState of Tripoli. In this vast space it crosses the new State ofSidi-Hesdham, the Empire of Morocco, the former State of Algiers, aswell as the State of Tripoli and the Regency of Tunis. It is in theEmpire of Morocco, and especially in the east of the town of Morocco, and in the south-east of Fez, that that ridge presents the greatestheights of the whole system. It goes on diminishing afterwards in heightas it extends towards the east, so that it appears the summits of theterritory of Algiers are higher than those on the territory of Tunis, and the latter are less high than those to be found in the State ofTripoli. Several secondary ridges diverge in different directions fromthe principal chain; we shall name among them the one which ends at theStrait of Gibraltar in the Empire of Morocco. Several intermediarymountains seem to connect with one another the secondary chains whichintersect the territories of Algiers and Tunis. Geographers call LittleAtlas the secondary mountains of the land of Sous, in opposition to thename of Great Atlas, they give to the high mountains of the Empire ofMorocco. In that part of the principal chain called Mount Gharian, inthe south of Tripoli, several low branches branch off and under thenames of Mounts Maray, Black Mount Haroudje, Mount Liberty, MountTiggerandoumma and others less known, furrow the great solitudes of theDesert of Lybia and Sahara Proper. From observations made on the spot byMr. Bruguière in the former state of Algiers, the great chain whichseveral geographers traced beyond the Little Atlas under the name ofGreat Atlas does not exist. The inhabitants of Mediah who werequestioned on the subject by this traveller, told him positively, thatthe way from that town to the Sahara was through a ground more or lesselevated, and slopes more or less steep, and without having any chain ofmountains to cross. The Pass of Teniah which leads from Algiers toMediah is, therefore, included in the principal chain of that part ofthe Regency. 

[16] Xenophon, in his Anabasis, speaks of ostriches in Mesopotamia beingrun down by fleet horses. 

[17] Mount Atlas was called Dyris by the ancient aborigines, or Derem, its name amongst the modern aborigines. This word has been compared tothe Hebrew, signifying the place or aspect of the sun at noon-day, as ifMount Atlas was the back of the world, or the cultivated parts of theglobe, and over which the sun was seen at full noon, in all his fierceand glorious splendour. Bochart connects the term with the Hebrewmeaning 'great' or 'mighty, ' which epithet would be naturally applied tothe Atlas, and all mountains, by either a savage or civilized people. Wehave, also, on the northern coast, Russadirum, the name given by theMoors to Cape Bon, which is evidently a compound of _Ras_, head, and_dirum_, mountain, or the head of the mountain. 

We have again the root of this word in Doa-el-Hamman, Tibet Deera, &c. , the names of separate chains of the mighty Atlas. Any way, the modernDer-en is seen to be the same with the ancient Dir-is. 

[18] The only way of obtaining any information at all, is through theregisters of taxation; and, to the despotism and exactions of these andmost governments, we owe a knowledge of the proximate amount of thenumbers of mankind. 

[19] Tangier, Mogador, Wadnoun, and Sous have already been described, wholly, or in part. 

[20] In 936, Arzila was sacked by the English, and remained for twentyyears uninhabited. 

[21] According to Mr. Hay, a portion of the Salee Rovers seem to havefinally taken refuge here. Up the river El-Kous, the Imperial squadronlay in ordinary, consisting of a corvette, two brigs, (oncemerchant-vessels, and which had been bought of Christians), and aschooner, with some few gun-boats, and even these two or three vesselswere said to be all unfit for sea. But, when Great Britain captured therock of Gibraltar, we, supplanting the Moors became the formidabletoll-keepers of the Herculean Straits, and the Salee rivers have eversince been in our power. If the Shereefs have levied war or tribute onEuropean navies since that periods it has been under our tacit sanction. The opinion of Nelson is not the less true, that, should England engagein war with any maritime State of Europe, Morocco must be our warm andactive friend or enemy, and, if our enemy, we must again possessourselves of our old garrison of Tangier. 

[22] So called, it is supposed, from the quantity of aniseed grown inthe neighbourhood. 

[23] Near Cape Blanco is the ruined town of Tit or Tet, supposed to beof Carthaginian origin, and once also possessed by the Portuguese, whencommerce therein flourished. 

[24] El-Kesar is a very common name of a fortified town, and is usuallywritten by the Spaniards Alcazar, being the name of the celebrated royalpalace at Seville. 

[25] Marmol makes this city to have succeeded the ancient Roman town ofSilda or Gilda. Mequinez has been called Ez-Zetounah, from the immensequantities of olives in its immediate vicinity. 

[26] Don J. A. Conde says--"Fes or sea Fez, the capital of the realm ofthat name; the fables of its origin, and the grandeur of the Moors, whoalways speak of their cities as foundations of heroes, or lords of thewhole world, &c. , a foible of which our historians are guilty. Nasir-Eddin and the same Ullug Beig say, for certain, that Fez is thecourt of the king in the west. I must observe here, that nothing is lessauthentic than the opinions given by Casiri in his Library of theEscurial, that by the word Algarb, they always mean the west of Spain, and by the word Almagreb, the west of Africa; one of these appellationsis generally used for the other. The same Casiri says, with regard toFez, that it was founded by Edno Ben Abdallah, under the reign ofAlmansor Abu Giafar; he is quite satisfied with that assertion, but doesnot perceive that it contains a glaring anachronism. Fez was already avery ancient city before the Mohammed Anuabi of the Mussulmen, andJoseph, in his A. J. , mentions a city of Mauritania; the prophet Nahumspeaks of it also, when he addresses Ninive, he presents it as anexample for No Ammon. He enumerates its districts and cities, and says, Fut and Lubim, Fez and Lybia, &c. 

[27] I imagine we shall never know the truth of this until the Frenchmarch an army into Fez, and sack the library. 

[28] It is true enough what the governor says about _quietness_, but thenovelty of the mission turned the heads of the people, and made a greatnoise among them. The slave-dealers of Sous vowed vengeance against me, and threatened to "rip open my bowels" if I went down there. 

[29] The Sultan's Minister, Ben Oris, addressing our government on thequestion says, "Whosoever sets any person free God will set his soulfree from the fire, " (hell), quoting the Koran. 

[30] A person going to the Emperor without a present, is like a menaceat court, for a present corresponds to our "good morning. "

[31] _Bash_, means chief, as Bash-Mameluke, chief of the Mamelukes. Itis a Turkish term. 

[32] This office answers vulgarly to our _Boots_ at English inns. 

[33] Bismilla, Arabic for "In the name of God!" the Mohammedan gracebefore meat, and also drink. 

[34] Shaw says. --"The hobara is of the bigness of a capon, it feeds uponthe little grubs or insects, and frequents the confines of the Desert. The body is of a light dun or yellowish colour, and marked over withlittle brown touches, whilst the larger feathers of the wing are black, with each of them a white spot near the middle; those of the neck arewhitish with black streaks, and are long and erected when the bird isattacked. The bill is flat like the starling's, nearly an inch and ahalf long, and the legs agree in shape and in the want of the hinder toewith the bustard's, but it is not, as Golins says, the bustard, thatbird being twice as big as the hobara. Nothing can be more entertainingthan to see this bird pursued by the hawk, and what a variety of flightsand stratagems it makes use of to escape. " The French call the hobara, alittle bustard, _poule de Carthage_, or Carthage-fowl. They arefrequently sold in the market of Tunis, as ordinary fowls, but eatsomething like pheasant, and their flesh is red. 

[35] The most grandly beautiful view in Tunis is that from theBelvidere, about a mile north-west from the capital, looking immediatelyover the Marsa road. Here, on a hill of very moderate elevation, youhave the most beautiful as well as the most magnificent panoramic viewof sea and lake, mountain and plain, town and village, in the wholeRegency, or perhaps in any other part of North Africa. There are besidesmany lovely walks around the capital, particularly among and around thecraggy heights of the south-east. But these are little frequented by theEuropean residents, the women especially, who are so stay-at-homeativethat the greater part of them never walked round the suburbs once intheir lives. Europeans generally prefer the Marina, lined on each side, not with pleasant trees, but dead animals, sending forth a mostoffensive smell. 

[36] Shaw says: "The rhaad, or safsaf, is a granivorous and gregariousbird, which wanteth the hinder toe. There are two species, and bothabout and a little larger than the ordinary pullet. The belly of both iswhite, back and wings of a buff colour spotted with brown, tail lighterand marked all along with black transverse streaks, beak and legsstronger than the partridge. The name rhaad, "thunder, " is given to itfrom the noise it makes on the ground when it rises, safsaf, from itsbeating the air, a sound imitating the motion. "

[37] Ghafsa, whose name Bochart derives from the Hebrew "comprimere, "is an ancient city, claiming as its august founder, the LibyanHercules. It was one of the principal towns in the dominions ofJugurtha, and well-fortified, rendered secure by being placed in themidst of immense deserts, fabled to have been inhabited solely bysnakes and serpents. Marius took it by a _coup-de-main_, and put allthe inhabitants to the sword. The modern city is built on a gentleeminence, between two arid mountains, and, in a great part, with thematerials of the ancient one. Ghafsa has no wall of _euceinte_, orrather a ruined wall surrounds it, and is defended by a kasbah, containing a small garrison. This place may be called the gate of theTunisian Sahara; it is the limit of Blad-el-Jereed; the sands begin nowto disappear, and the land becomes better, and more suited to thecultivation of corn. Three villages are situated in the environs, Sala, El-Kesir, and El-Ghetar. A fraction of the tribe of Hammand deposittheir grain in Ghafsa. This town is famous for its manufactories ofbaraeans and blankets ornamented with pretty coloured flowers. There isalso a nitre and powder-manufactory, the former obtained from the earthby a very rude process. 

The environs are beautifully laid out in plantations of the fig, thepomegranate, and the orange, and especially the datepalm, and theolive-tree. The oil made here is of peculiarly good quality, and isexported to Tugurt, and other oases of the Desert. 

[38] Kaemtz's Meteorology, p. 191. 

[39] This is the national dish of Barbary, and is a preparation ofwheat-flour granulated, boiled by the steam of meat. It is mostnutritive, and is eaten with or without meat and vegetables. When thegrains are large, it is called hamza. 

[40] A camel-load is about five cantars, and a cantar is a hundredweight. 

[Transcriber's Note: In this electronic edition, the footnotes werenumbered and relocated to the end of the work. In ch. 3, "Mogrel-el-Aska"was corrected to "Mogrel-el-Aksa"; in ch. 4, "lattely" to "lately"; inch. 7, "book" to "brook"; in ch. 9, "cirumstances" to "circumstances". Also, "Amabasis" was corrected to "Anabasis" in footnote 16. ]