7 Z>/A^^:^2^ (S&^s
 
 AN 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 THE EMPIRE OF MAROCGO, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE DISTRICT OF SUSE; 
 
 V. 
 
 COMPILED FROM 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING A LONG RESIDENCE IN, 
 AND VARIOUS JOURNIES THROUGH, THESE COUNTRIES. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED, 
 
 AN ACCURATE AND INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF 
 
 T I M B U C T O O, 
 
 THE GREAT EMPORIUM OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 
 
 BY JAMES GREY JACKSON, ESQ. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, 
 
 BY W. BULMER AND CO. CLEVELAND-ROW, ST. JAMEs's ; 
 
 AND SOLD BY G.AND W. NICOL, BOOKSELLERS TO IllS MAJESTY, 
 
 PALL-MALL. 
 
 1809.
 
 TO 
 HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS 
 
 GEORGE, 
 PRINCE OF WALES, 
 
 &c. &c. &c. &c. 
 THIS ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 THE EMPIRE OF MAROCCO, 
 
 IS, 
 WITH PERMISSION, 
 
 RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY 
 
 HIS ROYAL HIGHNESSES 
 
 MOST OBEDIENT, 
 MOST HUMBLE, AND MOST DEVOTED SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Bloonisburi/square, 
 May 30, I8O9.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 1 HE following sheets have been compiled from various 
 notes and observations made during a residence of sixteen 
 years in different parts of the Empire of Marocco, in the 
 successive reigns of Cidi Mohammed ben Abdallah ben 
 Israael, Mulej Yezzid, Muley el Hesham, and Muley Soliman 
 ben Mohammed; and which were originally intended merely 
 as memoranda for my own use; but shortly after m}^ last 
 arrival in England, I had the honour to converse with a 
 distinguished Nobleman* on the subject of African know- 
 ledge, and from his Lordship's suggestions I first determined to 
 submit to the public such information as a long intercourse mith 
 the natives of Barbary, as well in a political as a commercial 
 capacity, and a thorough knowledge of the languages of North 
 Africa, had e?iabled me to obtain. 
 
 It was justly observed by Mr. Matra, our late consul at 
 Marocco, that " there are more books written on Barbary 
 than on any other country, and yet there is no country with 
 
 • The Right Hon. the Earl of Moira.
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 which we are so little acquainted." The cause of this is to 
 be found in the superficial knowledge which the authors of 
 such books possessed respecting, this part of the world ; hav- 
 ing been generally men who came suddenly into the country, 
 and travelled through it without knowing any thing either of 
 the manners, character, customs, or language of the people. 
 Indeed, the greater part of the compositions respecting North 
 Africa, are narratives of journies of Ambassadors, &c. to the 
 Emperor's court, generally for the purpose of redeeming cap- 
 tives, compiled by some person attached to the embassy, Avho, 
 however faithfully he may relate what passes under his own 
 eye, is, nevertheless from his situation, and usual short stay, 
 unable to collect any satisfactory information respecting the 
 country in general, and what he does collect, is too often 
 from some illiterate interpreter, ever jealous of aflfording in- 
 formation to Europeans even on the most trifling subjects. 
 
 Leo Africanus is, with very few exceptions, perhaps the 
 only author who has depicted the country in its true light; 
 and although he has committed some errors, chiefly geogra- 
 phical, yet Marmol, as well as many moderns, have servilely 
 copied him. There is some original matter contained in a 
 book, entitled, " A Journey to Mequenez, on the occasion 
 of Commodore Stuart's Embassy, &c. &c." London, 1725. 
 Lempri^re's Marocco contains an interesting description of the 
 Horem, or the Seraglio ; but the rest of his account has many
 
 PREFACE. VH 
 
 errors ; the map appears to be copied chiefl}' from Chenier, 
 some of whose orthographical errors he has adopted. The 
 work of the last mentioned author is the best I have seen, 
 and this is to be attributed to his having resided in the coun- 
 try several years ; and though his ridiculous pride did not 
 
 4 
 
 allow him to associate generally with the Moors, yet a 
 partial knowledge of their language, and his natural penetra- 
 tion and judgment, enabled him to make many useful obser- 
 vations derived from experience. 
 
 It must be obvious to every one, that a considerable por- 
 tion of time and study is requisite to obtain a thorough 
 acquaintance with the moral and political character of any 
 nation, but particularly with one which differs in every 
 respect from our own, as does that of Marocco ; he therefore 
 who would be thoroughly acquainted with that country, must 
 reside in it for a length of time; he must possess opportunities of 
 penetrating into the councils of the State^ as well as of studying 
 the genius of the people; he must view them in war and in 
 peace ; in public and in domestic life ; note their military skilly 
 and their commercial systetn ; and finally, and above all, he must 
 have an accurate and practical knowledge of their language, in 
 order to cut off one otherwise universal source of error ^ miscon- 
 ception, and misrepresentation. 
 
 Certainly no country has of late occupied so much atten-
 
 Viii PREFACE. 
 
 tion as Africa, and the exertions of the African Association 
 to explore the interior of this interesting quarter of the 
 wlobe, do them the hisjhest credit; and if their emissaries 
 have not always been successful, or obtained information 
 onl}^ of minor importance, compared with the great object 
 of their researches, it is to be attributed to their want of a 
 sufficient knowledge of the nature of the country, and the 
 character and prejudices of its inhabitants, without which, 
 science to a traveller in these regions, is comparatively of 
 little value. When we consider the disadvantages under 
 which ]\Ir. Parke laboured in this respect, and that he tra- 
 velled in an European dress, it is really astonishing that that 
 gentleman should have penetrated so far as he did, in his 
 first mission; and we are not so much surprised at the perils 
 he endured, as that he should have returned in safety to his 
 native country. Had he previously resided a short time in 
 Barbary, and obtained there a tolerable proficiency in the 
 African Arabic, and with the customs adopted the dress 
 of the country, what might we not have expected from iiis 
 perseverance and enterprising spirit ? Whatever plans future 
 travellers may adopt, I would recommend to them to lay 
 aside the dress of Europe ; for, besides its being a badge of 
 Christianity wherever he goes, it inevitably exposes him to 
 danger; and it is so indecent in the eyes of the Arabs and
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 Moors, ihat a man with no other clotliing than a piece 
 of linen round his middle, would excite in taeai less indig- 
 nation. 
 
 ]\lr. Horncnian, in the above respects, certainly set out 
 with a more probable chance of success ; though I much 
 fear the expectations which he raised will never be fulfilled. 
 From his Journal, indeed, he appears to have been of far too 
 sanguine a disposition, and to have relied too much on the 
 fair professions of Ins African fellow-travellers, an instance- 
 of which occurs in his letter from Mourzouk. where he says, 
 " Under protection of two great Shereefs I have the best 
 hopes of success in my undertaking." Here the hopes of 
 success originate in the very cause that would induce a man 
 versed in the character and springs of action of the Africans, 
 to despair of success. It was the promises of these people 
 that led Major Houghton to his ruin; and the fair repre- 
 sentations made by some of them to the first emissaries 
 of the African Association have been proved to be false by 
 the difficulties and dangers which their successors had to 
 encounter, in attempting to penetrate to Timbuctoo. The 
 Shereefs are very plausible people ; many of them possess 
 uncommon suavity of manners, which is too apt to throw the 
 confiding European off his guard, and make him the victim 
 of their artful designs; as to their information, it is not to be 
 
 b
 
 X PREFACE. 
 
 depended on ; tbey will say every thing to mislead, an in- 
 stance of which will be presently mentioned in the case of 
 Mr. J"'arke. In another place Mr. Ilorneman says, " In 
 respect to my astronomical instruments, I shall lake special 
 care never to be discovered in ihe act of observation ; shoald 
 these instruments, however, attract notice, the answer is 
 ready, they are articles of sale, nor is there fear I shouM be 
 deprived of them whilst master of my price." Nothing can 
 evince greater ignorance of the peoj)lc than this; indeed I 
 am surprised JSIr. Ilorneman could entertain such an idea. 
 The mode of travelling in Africa will prevent the possibihty 
 of his availinghimself of these precautions; there is no cafilah, 
 or caravan of itinerant merchants and traders in that country, 
 which does not contain some person who has either been to 
 sea, or has seen nautical instruments, and knows their use. 
 'I'hal they are articles for sale would indeed sound very well for 
 a person going through Europe, but there are no purchasers 
 for such things in Africa; besides, no people under lieaven 
 are more jealous, or suspicious of every thing which they do 
 not comprehend, than the Africans. The description of them 
 b}' Sallust holds at this day, and is perhaps a better drawn 
 character of the modern African (although it alludes to their 
 ancestors) than any description which has hitherto been 
 given ot this extraordinary people. These ignorant, barbarous
 
 PREFACE. XI 
 
 savages, as we call them, are much more sagacious, and 
 possess much better intellects, than we have yet been aware of. 
 The error above alluded to, into which IVIr. Parke was led 
 by a Shereef, was in regard to the distance from INIarocco 
 through Sueerah, or IMogodor, to AVedinoon, which he makes 
 tweniy da3's,* when it is in reality but ten^ as I have repeat- 
 edly travelled the distance; viz. IMarocco to Sueerah, or 
 Mogodor, three days ; to Agadeer, of Santa Cruz, three; to 
 Wedinoon four. There is also another error in the same 
 gentleman's book, which it is proper to notice ; he says, iSa- 
 heel signifies the north count ri/ ; nothing but an ignorance of 
 Arabic could have thus misled him ; Sahee! in that lanauao-e 
 signif)'ing nothing more than an extensive plain ; thus the 
 extensive plains south-east of the river Suse are called Sa- 
 heel ; the low country near El Waladia is called Saheel; 
 and if an Arab were to pass over Salisbury Plain, he would 
 term it Saheel. In these few notices respecting the travels 
 of two of the hitherto most successful emissaries of the Afri- 
 can Association, I have no other object in view than to point 
 out errors which may mislead those who follow them, and I 
 therefore hope, that they will be favourably received by that 
 respectable body, and by tlie authors themselves, should 
 they happily return to this country. I had written several 
 
 •See Parke's Traveli, 4to eJit. page 141.
 
 Xii PRr.FACE. 
 
 remarks on Mr. Ilorneman's Journal, wliich I intended to 
 give in an appendix, hut as they might create ill-will, and 
 involve fne in useless controversy, I have suj)pre3scd them. 
 
 Willi regard to the following Work, it has been my endea- 
 vour throughout, to give the reader a clear account of the 
 present state of the Empire of Marocco, and of its commer- 
 cial relations Avilh the interior, as well as with Europe: on 
 the latter some readers may perhaps think 1 have enlarged 
 too much ; but it was my wish to be particular, on that sub- 
 ject, and to shew the advantages which this country might, 
 and oxight to derive from an extensive trade with Barbary. 
 In other respects, I have been as concise as possible, intro- 
 ducing little or nothing of what has been satisfactorily detailed 
 by late writers on the same subject. In the Map of Marocco, 
 I have given the encampments of the various tribes of Arabs, 
 and omitted such towns and villages as are found in modern 
 maps, but which now no longer exist. The track of the cara- 
 vans through the Desert to Timbuctoo, is, together with the 
 account of that city and the adjacent country, given from 
 sources of information Avhich may be relied upon as authen- 
 tic. The engravings are from drawings made on the spot by 
 myself; but from the extreme jealousy of the natives, pai- 
 ticularly those of the interior provinces, and the consequent 
 difficulty of taking views without being discovered, trifling
 
 PREFACE. XIU 
 
 inaccuracies may have been committed in some of tliem. 
 Some apology ought perhaps to be made for my language ; 
 but any defect in this respect, will, I trust, be excused, 
 when it is recollected that a plain relation of facts, and not 
 an elegant composition, was all I had in view. Some readers, 
 probably may express surprise, that I have said nothing of 
 the political history of the country; but this I have reserved 
 for a future publication should the present one meet with the 
 approbation of the public.
 
 LIST OF PLATES, c5-c. 
 
 Pag. 
 
 1. Map of the Empire of Marocco to face the title 
 
 2. View of the Atlas as seen from tlie Terraces at Mogodor 10 
 
 3. Locust - -------51 
 
 4. Buskah ----57 
 
 5. El Efah - - - - » 58 
 
 6. Euphorbium Plant --^- __81 
 
 7. Feshook ditto 83 
 
 8. Dibben Feshook 83 
 
 9. View of the Plains of Akkurmute and Jibbel Heddid 107 
 
 10. View of Mogodor 108 
 
 11. View of the Port and Entrance of ditto - - - 109 
 
 12. View of the City of Marocco and Atlas Mountains - 117 
 
 13. Map, shewing the track of Caravans across Sahara - 237
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. Page. 
 
 Geographical Divisions of the Empire of Marocco - - 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Rivers of Marocco - - - - - - 4 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 Mountains, Climate, See. of llie Empire of Marocco _ _ lo 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Of the Soil, Culture, and Produce of Marocco - - - 18 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Zpology . . _ - _ ,^ 25 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Metallic, Mineral, and Vegetable Productions - - - 73 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Population of the Empire of Marocco. Account of its Sea-ports, 
 
 and principal inliind Towns - - - - 87 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 .Description of the Inhabitants of West llarbary — their Dress — Re- 
 ligious Customs and Opinions — their Character — IMa'iners and 
 Customs — Diseases, &c. 8tc, - - - - 134 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Some Observations on the Mohammedan Religion - - Jig 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Lanffuaofes of Africa — Various Dialects of the Arabic Lanijuaiie — Dif- 
 ference between tiie Berebber and Shelluh Languages — Sj'ecimin 
 of the Mandinga - - - - - 173
 
 Xvi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. Page. 
 
 General Commerce of Marocco— An iiiiul Exports and Imports of Uie 
 Port of Mogodor — Importance and Advantages of a Trade w4th 
 the Empire of Marocco. — Cause of its Decline. — Present State of 
 our Relations with the Barbary Powers - - . 193 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 Sliipwrecks on tlie Western Coast of Africa about Wedinoon and 
 Sahara ; State of the British and other Captives whilst in possession 
 of the Saharawans, or Roving Arabs of the Desert — Mode of 
 their Redemption ----- 226 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ComQierclal Relations of the Empire of Marocco with Timbuctoo^ 
 and otlier Districts of Soudan — Route of the Caravans to, and 
 from Soudan — Of the City of Timbuctoo — The Productive Gold 
 Mines in its Vicinage — Of the navigable Intercourse between Jin- 
 nie and Timbuctoo; and from the latter to Cairo in Egypt: the 
 whole being collected from the most authentic and corroborating 
 testimonies of the Guides of the Caravans, Itinerant Merchants of 
 Soudan, and other creditable sources of Intelligence - - 237 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Pome Account of a peculiar species of Plague, which depopulated 
 West Barbary in 1799 and 1800, and to the effects of which the 
 Author was an eye-witness - - _ . - gfiQ 
 
 Addendum to Chapter X. - _ - _ 287
 
 AN ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 THE EMPIRE OF MAROCGO, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE DISTRICT OF SUSE, &c. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Geographical Divisions of the Empire of Morocco. 
 
 1 HE empire of Marocco, including Tafilelt,* is bounded 
 on the north by the Mediterranean sea ; on the east by 
 Tlemsen,-f- the Desert of Angad, Sejin Messa,:]: and Bled- 
 el-jerrede;§ on the south by Sahara (or the Great Desert); 
 and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It may be divided 
 into four grand divisions. 
 
 1st, The northern division, which contains the provinces of 
 Erreef, El Garb, Benihassen, Temsena, Shawia, Tedla, and 
 the district of Fas;|| these are inhabited by Arabs of various 
 tribes, living in tents, whose original stock inhabit Sahara; 
 
 • Commonly called Tafilet. + la many maps called Treniecin. 
 
 X Commonly called Sigelmessa. § Commonly called Bilcdulgerid. 
 
 H Commonly called Fez.
 
 2 Geographical Divisions. 
 
 to wliich may be added the various tribes of Berebbeis, in- 
 habiting the mountains of Atlas,* and the intermedial plains, 
 of which the chief clans or kabyles are the Guwan, Ait 
 Imure, Zian,-f- Gibbellah, and Zimurh-Shelluh. 
 
 The principal towns of this division are Fas (old and new 
 city, called by the Arabs Fas Jeddcde and Fas el Balie), 
 Mekinas or Mequinas, Tetuan, Tangier, Arzilla, Fil Araiche, 
 Sla or Salee, Rabat, Al Kasser, Fedalla, Dar-el-beida, and 
 the Sanctuary of Muley Dris Zerone, where the Moiiamme- 
 dan religion was first planted in West Barbary. 
 
 2d, The central division ; which contains the provinces 
 of Dukella or Duquella, Abda, Shedma, Haha, and the dis- 
 trict of Marocco. J The chief towns being Marocco, Fruga, 
 Azamore, Mazagan, Tet, Al Waladia, Asfie or SafFee, Sueerah 
 or Mogodor.§ 
 
 3d, The southern division ; containing the provinces of 
 Draha and 8 use ; w^hich latter is inhnbited by many powerful 
 tribes or kabyles, the chief of which are Howara, Emsekiua, 
 Exima, Idautenan, Idaullit, Ait-Alter, Wedinoon, Kitiwa, 
 
 * The Atlas mountains are called in Arabic Jibbel Attils, i. e. the moan- 
 tains of snow ; hence probably the word Atlas. 
 
 + Zian is a warlike tribe ; it lately opposed an imperial army of upwards of 
 thirty thousand men. This kabyle is defended from attacks by rugged and 
 almost inaccessible passes. 
 
 % Called by the Arabs Maroksh. By the negligence of authors Marocco 
 has been called Morocco, as Mohammed or Muhammcd has been transformed 
 to Mahoinmed, and Mohammedan to Maliommedan. 
 
 § Sueersih is the proper name ; Europeans have called it Mogodor, from a 
 saint who was buried a mile from the town called Sidy Mogodool, wliich last 
 word from oral tradition has been corrupted to Mogador, and sometimes to 
 Mogadore.
 
 Geographical Divismis. 3 
 
 Ait-Bamaran, Messa, and Shtuka ; of these Howara, Wedi- 
 noon, and half of Ait-Bamaran are Arabs; the other kabyles 
 are Shelluhs. The principal towns of this division are Tero- 
 dant, Agadeer,* or Santa Cruz, Inoon or Noon, Ifran or 
 Ufran, Akka, Talta, Messa, and Dar-Delemie. 
 
 4th, Tiie eastern division, which Hes lo the east of the 
 Atlas, and is called Tafilelt ; was formerly a separate king- 
 dom. A rivevof thesanie name passes through this territory, 
 on the banks of which the present Emperor's father, Sidi 
 Mohanmied ben Abdallah, built a magnificent palace. 
 There are many other adjacent buildings and houses inha- 
 bited by sherreefs, or Mohammedan princes of the present 
 dynasty, with their respective establishments.-!- 
 
 • Agadeer is the Arabian name, Gueiigiiesseni the ancient African name, 
 and Santa Cruz is llie Portngueze appellation. 
 
 •f The modern Arabs divide Northern Africa into three grand divisions : the 
 first extends from tiie Equiitor to the Nile £i Abeede, or river of Nigritia, and 
 is called Soudan, which is an African word indicative of blai-k, the inhabitants 
 being of that colour : the second extends from the river of Soudan to liled-el- 
 jerrede, and isdenominated Sahara, from the aridity and flatness of the land : 
 the third division comprises Bled-el jerrede, the maritime states of Barbary, 
 Egypt, and Abyssinia, Some authors have affirmed that Bled-el jerrede signi- 
 fies the country of dates; others, that it signifies the country of locusts ; dales 
 abound there, but the name does not imply dates. Jeraad is the Arabic for lo- 
 custs ; but it is radically a different word from Jerrede, which signifies dry.
 
 [4] 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Rivers of Morocco . 
 
 The following are the principal rivers in the empire of 
 JVJarocco : 
 
 The Muluwia, which separates tlie empire from Angad and 
 Tlemsen ; it is a deep and impetuous stream, impassable in 
 (Liaii) the period behveen the 20th of December and 30th 
 of January inclusive, or the forty shortest days, as computed 
 by the old style; in summer it is not only fordable, but 
 often quite dry, and is called from that circumstance EI 
 Bahar billa ma, or a sea without water. 
 
 El Kose, or Luccos, at El Araiche, so called from its arched 
 •windings. El Kose signifying in the Arabic of the western 
 Arabs an arch. Ships of 100 or 150 tons may enter this river 
 at high water; it abounds in the fish called shebbel. 
 
 The Baht rises in the Atlas, and partly loses itself in the 
 swamps and lakes of the province of El Garb; the other 
 branch probably falls into the river Seboo. 
 
 The Seboo is the largest river in West Barbary ; it rises in 
 a piece of water situated in the midst of a forest, near the 
 foot of Atlas, eastward of the cities of Fas and Mequinas, 
 and winding through the plains, passes within six miles of 
 Fas. Another stream proceeding from the south of Fas passes 
 through the city and discharges itself into this river ; this 
 stream is of so much value to the Fasees, from supplying the
 
 Hkers of Morocco. 5 
 
 town with water, that it is called (Wed El Juhor) the river of 
 pearls, a term indicative of ils value. Some auxiliary streams 
 proceeding from the territory of Tezza fall into the Seboo in 
 Liali (the period before mentioned). This river is impassable 
 except in boats or on rafts. At Meheduma or Mamora, 
 where it enters the ocean, it is a large deep and navigable 
 river; but the port being evacuated, foreign commerce is 
 annihilated, and little shipping has been admitted since the 
 Portugueze quitted the place. This river abounds more than 
 any other in that rich and delicate fish called shebbel. If 
 there were any encouragement to industry in this country, 
 corn might be conveyed up the Seboo river to Fas at a very 
 low charge, whereas it is now transported to that populous 
 city by camels, the exjiensc of the hire of which often ex- 
 ceeds the original cost of the grain. 
 
 The Bu Begreg. — This river rises in one of the mountains 
 of Atlas, and proceeding through the woods and vallics of the 
 territory of Fas, traverses the plains of the province of Bent 
 Hassen, and discharges itself into the ocean between the 
 towns of Salce and Kabat, the former being on the northern, 
 the latter on the southern bank : here some of the Emperor's 
 sloops of war, which are denominated by his subjects frigates, 
 are laid up for the winter. 
 
 The Morheya also rises in the Atlas mountains, and dividing 
 the territory of Fas from the province of Tedia, passes through 
 a part of Shawia, and afterwards divides that province and 
 Temsena from Duquella ; dividing that partof the empire west 
 of Atlas into two divisions. There was a bridge over thi? river 
 a short distance from the pass called Bulawan, built by Ivlule/ 
 Bel Hassen, a prince of the Mareen family ; at this jiass the
 
 6 Rivers of Morocco. 
 
 river is crossed on rafls of rushes and reeds, and on others 
 consisting of goat skins. Westward of this pass, the river 
 meanders through the phiins, dividing Duquelhi from Tem- 
 sena, and enters the ocean at the port of Azamor. The 
 Morbeya abounds in the fish called shebbel, the season for 
 which is in the spring. 
 
 The Tensift* — This river rises in the Atlas, east of Marocco, 
 and passing about five miles north of that city, it proceeds 
 through the territory of Marocco, Rahamena, and nearly di- 
 vides the two maritime provinces of Shedma and Abda, dis- 
 charwino- itself into the ocean about sixteen miles south of the 
 town of Saffy. This r'l^ev receives in its course some tributary 
 streams issuing from Atlas, the principal of which is the Wed 
 Niffis, which flowing from the south enters it, after taking a 
 northerly course through the plains of Marocco or Sheshawia. 
 The Tensift is an impetuous stream during the Liali, but in 
 summer is fordable in several places; and at the ferry near 
 the mouth of the river, at low water, reaches as high as the stir- 
 rups. In many [)laces it is extremely deep and dangerous to 
 cross without a guide ; about six miles from Marocco a bridge 
 crosses it, which was erected by Muley El Mansor ; it is very 
 strong but flat, Avith many arches. One of the Kings of 
 Marocco attempted to destroy this bridge, to prevent the 
 passage of an hostile army, but the cement was so hard that 
 
 ♦ This river is vulgarly called Wed Marakosli, or the river of Marocco, be- 
 cause it passes ihrougii tiie district of that name ; but the proper name is Wed 
 Tensift, or the river Tensift ; and this is the name given it by Leo Africanus 
 (Book IX.), the only author who has hitherto spelt the word correctly ; 
 he has however committed a considerable error in aftlrming that it dis- 
 charges itself into the ocean at Safly, from which it is about sixteen milei 
 distant.
 
 Rkers of Marocco. 7 
 
 men with pick axes were employed several days before they 
 could sever the stones ; and they had not time to ctVect its 
 destruction, before the army passed. The shebbel of the 
 Tensift is much esteemed, as is also the water, which is ex- 
 tremely salubrious, and aids considcrabl}' the powers of di- 
 gestion, which, from the intense heat of this climate, are 
 often weakened and relaxed. 
 
 There is a small stream two miles south of Mogodor, from 
 whence that town is supplied ; and about twelve or fourteen 
 miles more to the south we reach 
 
 The River of Tidsi, which discharges itself into the ocean 
 a few miles south of Tegrewelt, or Cape Ossem, In the plains 
 at the foot of that branch of Atlas which forms Afainie, or 
 the lofty Cape de Geer,* we meet the river Benitamer, which, 
 with the before mentioned branch of Atlas, divides the pro- 
 vinces of Haha and Suse. 
 
 Tarther to the south is another river called fVed Tatiiaract, 
 and about sixteen or seventeen miles south of that place the 
 majestic 
 
 Rivej- Suse dischargeth itself into the ocean. This fine river 
 rises at Ras-el-Wed, about thirty miles from the city ofTero- 
 dant, at the foot of Atlas; the (fulahs) cullivators of land, 
 and gardeners of Suse have so nmch drained off this river 
 
 • A Shelluh name, expressive of a quick wind, because there is always wind 
 at this Cape, but ships should be exlremcly careful not to approach it, in 
 going down the coast, not but the water is very deep, as the cape rises almost 
 perpendicularly from the ocean, but because the land is so extremely high 
 that those ships wi)ich approach within a league of it, are almost always be- 
 calmed on the south side of it, and are in consequence three days getting 
 down to Agadeer, whilst other vessels which keep more to the west, reach that 
 port in a few hours. This Cape is a western branch of the Atlas.
 
 8 Rivers of Murocco. 
 
 in its passage through the plains of Howaia and Exima, that 
 it is fordable at its mouth at low water in summer : it enters 
 the ocean about six miles south of the town of Santa Cruz: 
 at its mouth is a bar of sand which at low water almost sepa- 
 rates it from the ocean.* We may presume that anciently it 
 was navigable as far as Terodant, as there are still in the walls 
 of the castle of that city immense large iron rings, such as 
 we see in maritime towns in Europe, for the purpose of fas- 
 tening ships instead of anchors and cables. 
 
 Draha. — The river of this name flows from the north-east 
 of Atlas to the south, and passing through the province of 
 Draha it disappears in the absorbing sands of Sahara. A great 
 part of the country through which it passes being a saline 
 earth, its waters have a brackish taste, like most of the rivers 
 proceeding from Atlas which take their course eastward. It 
 is small in summer, but impetuous and impassable in winter, 
 or at least during Liali. 
 
 Biver of Messa, called Wed Messa, flows from Atlas ; it is 
 a separate stream from the river Suse, and is drained off by 
 the (fulah) cultivators or farmers during its passage; at low 
 water it is separated from the ocean by a bar of sand. It was 
 navigated by the Portugueze before they abandoned this 
 place for the New World. Leo Africanus has committed 
 another eiror, and other writers-j- have copied him, in calling 
 the river of Messa the river Suse, :|: which I ascertained to be 
 quite a different stream when I was at Messa. 
 
 * See fiiilher respecting this rirer, in the description of the province of Suse. 
 t Vide Hiooks's Gazetteer 12th edition, title Mtssa. 
 
 :f Througii the three small to«ni of Messa runneth a certa u great rive» 
 ciilltd bus. Vide Leo Afiicaaus, '2d book, title Town of Messa.
 
 Rivers of Morocco. g 
 
 , Rker Akassa. — ^This river is navigable to Noon, ahove 
 which it becomes a small stream ; it has been called bv some 
 Wed Noon, i. e. the river of Noon, but the proper name is 
 Wed Akassa ; the word Wedinoon ji| applied to the adjacent 
 territory.
 
 [10] 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Mountains, Climate, ^c. of the Empire of Morocco. 
 
 The mountains of West and South Barbar}' are the Atlas 
 and its various branches, which receive different names, ac- 
 cording to the provinces in which they are situated. The 
 greater Atlas, or main chain of these mountains, extends 
 Trom (Jibbel d'Zatute) Ape's Hill to Shtuka and Ait Ba- 
 niaran in Lower Suse, passing about thirty miles eastward 
 of the city of Marocco, where they are immensely high, and 
 throughout the year covered with snow. On a clear day, this 
 part of the Atlas appears at Mogodor, a distance of about a 
 hundred and forty miles, in the form of a saddle ; and is vi- 
 sible at sea, several leagues off the coast. These mountains 
 are extremely fertile in many places, and produce excellent 
 fruits; having the advantage of various chmates, according 
 to the ascent towards the snow, which contrasted with the 
 verdure beneath has a singular and picturesque effect. In 
 the branches of the Atlas east of Marocco, are mines of cop- 
 per; and those which pass through the province of Suse 
 produce, besides copper, iron, lead, silver, sulphur, and salt- 
 petre : there are also mines of gold, mixed with antimony and 
 lead ore. The inhabitants of the upper region of Atlas live 
 four months of the year in excavations in the mountains; 
 viz. from November to February inclusive. 
 
 Ihe climate of Marocco is healthy and invigorating; from
 
 Mountains, Climate, ^c. 11 
 
 March to September the atmosphere is scarcely ever charged 
 with clouds ; and even in the rainy season, viz. from Sep- 
 tember till March, there is seldom a day wherein the sun is 
 not seen at some interval. Tiie inhabitants are robust; and 
 some live to a great age. The Shelluhs, or inhabitants of the 
 mountains of Atlas, south of Marocco, are however a meagre 
 people, which proceeds in a great measure from their abste- 
 mious diet, living for the most part on barley gruel, bread, 
 honey, and but seldom indulging in animal food: the Arabs, 
 the Moors, and the Berebbers, on the contrary, live in a hos- 
 pitable manner, and eat more nutritious food, preferring the 
 farinaceous kind.
 
 [12] 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Of the Soil, Culture, and Produce of Morocco. 
 
 I N describing the soil and produce of this extensive empire, 
 we will proceed through tlie various provinces, beginning 
 with the northern, called 
 
 ERREEF, or RIF. 
 
 This province, extending along the shore of the Mediterra- 
 nean sea, produces corn and cattle in abundance; that 
 part of it contiguous to Tetuan produces the most delicious 
 oranges in the world ; also figs, grapes, melons, apricots, 
 plums, strawberries, apples, pears, pomgranates, citrous, le- 
 mons, limes, and the refreshing fruit of the opuntia, or prickly 
 pear, called by the Arabs (Kermuse Ensarrah) Christian fig. 
 This fruit was probably first brought into the country from 
 the Canary Islands, as it abounds in Suse, and is called by the 
 •■ Shelluhs of South Atlas (Takanarite) the Canary fruit. 
 
 EL GARB. 
 
 The next province is called El Garb,* (g guttural.) It is of the 
 same nature with that already described ; from the port of El 
 Araiche, eastward, as far as the foot of Atlas, is a fine cam- 
 paign country, extremely abundant in wheat and barley : here 
 
 * This is the westernmost province of Marocco northward, as its name 
 denotes, El Garb signifying the West. There is a tradition among the Ara- 
 bians, that it was originally united to Trafalgar and Gibraltar, shutting up the 
 ^lediterranean sea, the waters from which passed into the western ocean 
 by a subterraneous passage; and at this day they call Trafalgar Traf-el-garb, 
 i. e. the piece or part of El Garb ; and Gibraltar JibbtUtraf, i, e. the moun- 
 taiu of the piece, or part of El Garb,
 
 District of Fas. 13 
 
 are the extensive plains of Emsharrah Rumellab, famous for 
 the camp of Muley Ismael, great grandfather of the present 
 Emperor Sohnian, where he retained his arm}^ of Bukairie 
 Blacks to the amount of one hundred thousand horse. This 
 army possessed the finest horses in the empire. The remains 
 of the habitations are still discernible. There is a forest east- 
 ward of El Arraiche of considerable extent, consisting chiefly 
 of oak, with some cork, and other valuable large trees; more 
 to the southward and eastward, we discover a forest of cork 
 alone, the trees of which are as large as full grown oaks. From 
 Mequinas to Muley Idris Zerone, the renowned sanctuary at 
 the foot of Atlas, east of the city of Mequinas, the country is 
 fiat, with gentle hillsoccasionally, and inhabited by the tribe of 
 Ait Imure, a kabj'le which dwells in straggling tents, and a 
 Avarlike tribe of Berebbers. -The Emperor Seedy Mohammed, 
 father to the reigning Emperor Soliman, used to denominate 
 the Ait Imure the English of Barbary.* 
 
 THE DISTRICT OF FAS, AND PKOVINCE OF BENIHASSEN. 
 
 The country between Fas and Mequinas, and from thence to 
 Salee, is of the same description with the foregoing; a rich 
 campaign countr}', abounding prodigiously in corn, and in- 
 habited altogether by Arabs, with the exception however of 
 the Zimur'h Sheiluii, another kabyle of Berebbers. In short, 
 the whole northern -j- division of this empire is an uninterrupted 
 
 * The ignorance of the Mohammedans in geography, added to their vanity, 
 induces them to imagine that the empire of Marocco is nearly as large as all 
 Europe, and they accordingly ascribe lo the various provinces the character of 
 some European nation : thus the warlike Ait Imure are compared to the En- 
 glish, the people of Duquella to Spain, Shawia to Russia. 
 
 + The country north of the river Morbeya See the Map.
 
 14 Tetnsena, Shawia, Duqiiella, ^-c. 
 
 corn field; a rich black, sometimes a red soil, without stones 
 or clay, and scarcely any trees (the forests before mentioned, 
 and the olive plantations and gardens about the cities of Fas 
 and Mequinas excepted), but incalculably productive. The 
 inhabitants do not regularly use dung, but reap the corn high 
 from the ground, and burn the stubble in lieu of manure: 
 they throw the grain on the ground, and afterwards plough it. 
 Oats they make no use of: beans, peas, caravances, and In- 
 dian corn, are cultivated occasionally in lands adjacent to 
 rivers : the fruits are similar to those before described, and are 
 in great abundance, oranges being sold at a dollar a thousand 
 at Tetuan, Salee, and someother places; grapes, melons, and 
 figs of various kinds, and other fruits, are proportionally abun- 
 dant. Cotton of a superiorquality is grown in the environs of 
 Salee and Rabat, also hemp. The tobacco called Mequinasi, 
 so much esteemed for making snuiF, is the produce of the pro- 
 vince of Benihassen, as well as the country adjacent to the 
 city of Mequinas. 
 
 PROVINCES OF TEMSENA, SHA WI A, DUQUELLA, ABDA; AND 
 THE DISTRICT OF MAROCCO. 
 
 These are most productive in corn ; the crop of one year 
 would be suflftcient for the consumption of the whole em- 
 pire, provided all the ground capable of producing wheat 
 and barley were to be sown. These fine provinces abound 
 in horses and horned cattle; their flocks are numerous, 
 and the horses of Abda are of the most select breed in the 
 country. The cavalry of Temsena is the best appointed of 
 the empire, excepting the black troops of the Emperor, 
 called Abeed Seedy Bukarrie.
 
 Province of Shed ma. 15 
 
 Two falls of rain in Abda are sufficient to bring to ma^ ' 
 turity a good crop of wheat; nor does the soil require 
 more. The water-melons of Duquella are of a prodigious 
 size, and indeed every thing thrives in this prolific province: 
 horses, horned cattle, the flocks, nay even the dogs and cats, 
 all appear in good condition. The inhabitants are for the 
 most part, a laborious and trading people, and great specu- 
 lators: they grow tobacco for the markets of Soudan and 
 Timbuctoo. Nearly between SafFee and Marocco is a large 
 salt lake, from which many camels are daily loaded with salt 
 for the interior. 
 
 PROVINCE OF SHEDMA. 
 
 The province of Shedma produces wheat and barley; its 
 fruits are not so rich as those of the north, or of Suse ; it 
 abounds however in cattle. Of goats it furnishes annually an 
 incalculable number, the skins of which form a principal 
 article of exportation from the port of Mogodor ; and such 
 is the animosity and opposition often among the merchants 
 there, that they have sometimes given as much for the skin, 
 as the animal itself was sold for. Honey, wax, and tobacco 
 are produced in this province; the two former in great abun- 
 dance ; also gum arable, called by the Arabs alk tolh, but 
 of an inferior quality to that of the Marocco district. 
 
 PROVINCE OF HAHA. 
 
 Haha is a country of great extent, interspersed with moun- 
 tains and vallies, hills and dales, and inhabited by twelve ka- 
 byles of Shelluhs. This is the first province from the shores of 
 the Mediterranean, in which villages and walled habitations
 
 ] 6 Province of Haha. 
 
 are met with, scattered through the country ; the before-men- 
 tioned provinces (with the exception of the sea-port towns and 
 the cities of Fas,Mequinas, Marocco, and Muley Idris Zerone) 
 being altogether inhabited byArabshvingin tents. The houses 
 of Haha are built of stone, each having a tower, and are erec- 
 ted on elevated situations, forming a pleasing view to the 
 traveller. Here we find forests of the argan tree, which pro- 
 duces olives, from the kernel of which the Shelluhs express 
 an oil,* much superior to butter for frying fish ; it is also em- 
 ployed economically for lamps, a pint of it burning nearly as 
 long as double the quantity of olive or sallad oil. Wax, gum- 
 sandrac and arabic, almonds, bitter and sweet, and oil of olives, 
 are the productions of this picturesque province, besidesgrapes, 
 water-melons, citrons, pomgranates, oranges, lemons, limes, 
 peai's, apricots, and other fruit. Barley is more abundant 
 than wheat. The Shelluhs of Haha are physiognomically dis- 
 tinguishable (by a person who has resided any time among 
 them) from the Arabs of the plains, from the JSIoors of the 
 towns, and from the Berebbers of North Atlas, and even from 
 the Shelluhs of Suse, though in their language, manners, and - 
 mode of living they resemble the latter. The mountains of 
 Haha produce the famous wood called Arar, which is proof 
 against rot or the worm. Some beams of this wood taken 
 down from the roof of my dwelling-house at Agadeer,which 
 had been up fifty years, were found perfectly sound and free 
 from decay. 
 
 * This oil possesses a powerful smell, wliicli is extracted from it by boiling 
 with it an onion and the crumb of a loaf; without this preparation it is said to 
 posssess qualities productive of leprous affection.
 
 Trovince of Susc. 17 
 
 PROVINCE OF SUSE. 
 
 We now come to Suse, the most extensive, and, excepting 
 grain, the richest province of the empire. The ohve, the 
 ahnond, the date, the orange, the grape, and all the other 
 fruits produced in the northern provinces abound here, par- 
 ticularl}' about the city of Terodant (the capital of Suse, 
 and formerly a kingdom), Ras-el-Wed, and in the mountains 
 of Edautcnan.* The grapes of Edautenan are exquisitely 
 rich. 
 
 Suse contains many warlike tribes, among which are 
 Howara, Woled Abbusebah, and Ait Bamaran; these are 
 Arabs; — ^Shluka, Elala, Edaultit, Ait Alter Kitiwa, Msegina, 
 and Idautenan, who are Shelluhs. 
 
 There is not perhaps a finer climate in the world than 
 that of Suse. It is said that at Akka rain never falls ; it is ex- 
 tremely hot in the months of June, July, and August; about 
 the beginning of September the (Shume) hot wind from Sa- 
 hara blows with violence during three, seven, fourteen, or 
 twenty-one days.-f- One year, however, whilst I resided at 
 
 • North of Santa Cruz, and south-east of Cape de Geer, are several lofty 
 inaccessible mountains, proceeding from the main chain of Atlas, which form 
 some intermediate plains, inhabited by a bold and warlike race of Shelluhs, 
 denominated Edautenan, On account of certain essential services afforded hy 
 this people to Muley Ismael, or some ancient Emperor of Marocco, they are 
 free from all imposts and taxes, and this privilege is confirmed to them, when- 
 ever a new Emperor ascends the throne of Marocco. They wear their hair 
 long behind, but shaved or short before; they have an interesting and warlike 
 appearance. 
 
 •|- If it blow more than three days, it is expected to continue seven ; and if 
 it exceed seven, it is said to continue fourteen, and so on. During the years 
 that 1 was in the country, it never blew at Mogodor more than three or seven. 
 
 D
 
 18 Province of Suse. 
 
 (Agadcer) Santa Cruz, it blew twenty-eight days; but this 
 was an extraordinary instance.* The heat is so extreme 
 durinof the prevalence of the Shume, that it is not possible to 
 ■walk out; the ground burns the feet; and the terraced roofs 
 of the houses are frequently peeled oft' by the parching heat 
 of the wind, which resembles the heat from the mouth of 
 an oven: clothes are oppressive. These violent winds intro- 
 duce the rainy season. 
 
 The (Lukseb) sugar cane grows spontaneously about Tero- 
 dant. Cotton, indigo, gum, and various kinds of medicinal 
 herbs are produced here. The stick liquorice is so abundant 
 that it is called (Ark Suse) the root of Suse. The olive plan- 
 tations in different parts of Suse are extensive and extremely 
 productive: about Ras-el-Wed andTerodant a traveller may 
 proceed two days through these plantations, which form an 
 uninterrupted shade impenetrable to the rays of tlie sun; the 
 same may be said of the plantations of the almond, which 
 also abound in this province. Of corn they only sow sufficient 
 for their own annual consumption; and although the whole 
 country might be made one continued vineyard, yet the}' 
 plant but few vines; for wine being prohibited, they require 
 no more grapes than they can consume themselves, or dis- 
 pose of in the natural slate. The Jews, however, make a little 
 wine and brandy from the grape, as well as from the raisin. 
 The date, which here begins to produce a luxurious fruit, is 
 found in perfection on the confines of the desert in Lower 
 Suse. At Akka and Tatta the palm or date tree is very small, 
 but extremely productive; and although the fruit be not 
 
 * The Bashaw ihen informed me that he had never before known it lo con- 
 tinue more than twenty-oae days.
 
 River Stise. 19 
 
 made an article of trade, as at Tafilelt, it is exquisitely fla- 
 voured, and possesses various qualities. The most esteemed 
 kind of date is the Butube, the next is the Buskrie. 
 
 Suse produces more almonds and oil of olives than all the 
 other provinces collectively. (Gum Amarad) a r^d gum par- 
 taking of the intermediate quality between the (tolh gum) 
 gum arable and the (Aurwar, or Alk Soudan) Senegal gum, 
 is first found in this province. Wax is produced in great 
 abundance; also gum euphorbium, gum sandrac, wild thyme, 
 worm-seed, orriss root, orchilla weed, and coloquinth. Anti- 
 mony, salt-petre (of a superior quality), copper, and silver 
 are found here; the two latter in abundance about Elala, 
 and in Shtuka. 
 
 The river Suse, which rises at the foot of Atlas, at Ras-el- 
 Wed, passes through Terodant, and winding through the pro- 
 vince, discharges itself into the ocean about six miles south 
 of Agadeer or Santa Cruz ;* during its course it is so much 
 
 * Leo Africanus, who undoubtedly has given us the best description of 
 Africa, commits an error, however, in describing this river. " The great river 
 " of Sus, flowing out of the mountains of Atlas, that separate the two pro- 
 " vinces of Hea and Sus (Haha and Suse) in sunder, runneth southward among 
 " the said mountains, stretching unto the fields of the foresaid region, and 
 " from thence lending westward unto a place called Guartguessen,t where it 
 " dischargeth itself into the m.ain ocean." See 9th book of Leo Africanus. 
 The Cape de Geer was formerly the separation of the provinces of Haha and 
 Suse, but now the river ofTamaract may be called the boundary, which is 
 fifteen miles to the northward of the mouth of the river Suse; and Guart- 
 guessen, or Agadeer^.pr Santa Cruz, is six miles north of the river Suse. Had 
 I not resided three years at Santa Cruz, ia sight of the river Suse, I should not 
 hare presumed to dispute Leo's assertion. 
 
 t The ancient name of Agadeer or Santa Cruz iu Leo's time.
 
 20 River Suse. 
 
 drained ofibj ihe husbandmen to irrigate the adjacent grounds, 
 which are planted with Indian corn, caravances, &c. that at 
 ebb tide it is reduced to a fordable stream at its entrance 
 into the ocean; so that camels, horses, and mules are ena- 
 bled to cross it with the burdens on their backs. The river 
 of Messa,* although once considerable, is now also much 
 drained olTfor the purposes of agriculture; it is fordable at 
 Messa, in several places, and at low water is separated from 
 the ocean by a bar of sand. The river Akassa, which passes 
 through the district of Wedinoon, is navigable as far as the 
 town of Noon, and afterwards becomes a small stream ford- 
 able in various places. Between the mouth of the river 
 Messa and that of Suse is a roadstead called Tomee; the 
 country is inhabited by the Woled Abbusebah Arabs, who 
 informed mc, when 1 went there, during the interregnum, 
 with the (Khalif) Vice-regent Mohammed ben Delemy, by 
 order of the (Sherreef ) Prince Mul}^ Abd' Salem, that British 
 and other vessels often took in water there: it is called by 
 the Arabs (Sebah biure) the place of seven wells, of which 
 wells three only remain, and these we found to contain 
 excellent water. After inspecting the place, and the nature 
 of the roadstead, we returned to the Vice-regent's castle in 
 Shtuka. Concerning this remarkable sea-port I am not at 
 present authorized to disclose more. 
 
 * This has been supposed by some authors to be the same river wiih ihe 
 river Suse; they are, however, separate streams, and thirty miles-distant from 
 each other. See the Map.
 
 Draha and TuJileU. Jl 
 
 DRAIIA AND TAFILELT. 
 
 Draha and Tafilelt produce a superior breed of goats, and 
 a great abundance of dales; the countries situated near the 
 banks of the rivers of Draha and Tafilelt have several plan- 
 tations of Indian corn, rice, and indigo. There are upwards 
 of thirty sorts of dates in this part of Bled-el-jerrede;* the 
 best and most esteemed is that called Butube, which is sel- 
 dom brought to Europe, as it will not keep so long as the 
 Admoh date, the kind imported into England, but consi- 
 dered by the natives of Tafilelt so inferior, that it is givei> 
 only to the cattle; it is of a very indigestive quality: when 
 a Filelly-j- Arab has eaten too many dales, and finds them 
 oppressive, he has recourse to dried fish, which, it is said, 
 counteracts their ill eftbcts, and promotes digestion. This fruit 
 forms the principal food of the inhabitants of Bled-el-jerrede, 
 of which Tafilelt is a part ; the produce of one plantation 
 near the imperial palace :|: at Tafilelt sold some iew years past 
 for five thousand dollars, although they are so abundant there 
 that a camel load, or three quintal, is sold for two dollars. The 
 face of the country from the Ruins of Pharoah to the palace 
 of Tafilelt is as follows : 
 
 * Bled-cl-jenede is the country situated between tlie maritime states of 
 Barbary and Sahara, or the Desert. 
 
 ■f- Filelly is the term given to the natives of Tafilelt, as Drahawie is to 
 those of Draha. 
 
 X The father of the present Sultan Soliman built a magnificent palace on 
 the banks of the river of Tafilelt, which bounds his dominions to the eastward ; 
 the pillars are of marble, and were many of them transported across the Atlas, 
 having been collected from the (Ukser Farawan) Ruins of Pharoah, near to 
 the sanctuary of Muley Dris Zerone, west of Atlas.
 
 22 Description of TqfileU. 
 
 Tafilelt is eight (erhellat* de lowd) days journey on horse- 
 back from the Ruins of Pliaroah; proceeding eastward from 
 these ruins, the traveller immediately ascends the lofty Atlas, 
 and on the third day, about sun-set, reaches the plains on the 
 other side ; the remaining five days journey is through a Avide 
 extended plain totally destitute of vegetation, and on which 
 rain never falls; the soil is a whitish clay, which when mois- 
 tened resembles soap. A river, which rises in the Atlas, 
 passes through this vast plain from the south-west to the 
 north-east; at Tafilelt it is described to be as wide as the 
 Morbeya at Azamor in West Barbary, that is, about the width 
 of the Thames at Putney ; the Avater of this river receives a 
 brackish taste, by passing through the saline plains : after 
 running a course of fifteen erhellat,-j- or four hundred and fifty 
 miles, it is lost by absorption in the desert of Angad. It has 
 several (I'uksebbat) castles of terrace wall on its banks, inha- 
 bited by the (Sherreefs) princes of the reigning family of ISIa- 
 rocco. Wheat and barley have been cultivated near the 
 river and the castles, but it is only lately that these species 
 of grain have been known there. The food of the inhabi- 
 tants, who are Arabs, consists for the most part (as already 
 observed) in dates ; their principal meal is after sun-set, the 
 heat being so intolerable as not to suffer them to eat any 
 thino; substantial while the sun is above the horizon. 
 
 There is another river, inferior to the one before mentioned, 
 which rises in the plains north of Tafilelt, and fiowing in a 
 southerly direction, is absorbed in the great desert, or Sahara: 
 the water of this river is so very brackish, as to be unfit for 
 
 * A horse erhella is thirt^'-five miles English. 
 f An ordinary erhella is thirty English miles.
 
 Trade arid Manufactures ofTaJileU. 23 
 
 culinary purposes; it is of a colour similar to chalk and water, 
 but/if left to stand in a vessel during the night it becomes 
 clear by the morning, though it is still too salt to drink. 
 These extensive plains abound every where in water, Avhich 
 is found at the depth of two cubits,* but so brackish as to 
 be palatable only to those who have been long accustomed 
 to the use of it. 
 
 The people have among themselves a strict sense of 
 honour ; a robbery has scarcely been known in the memory 
 of the oldest man, though they use no locks. Commercial 
 transactions being for the most part in the way of barter or 
 exchange, they need but little specie ; gold dust is the cir- 
 culating medium in all transactions of magnitude. They live 
 in the simple patriarchal manner of the Arabs, differing from 
 them only in having walled habitations, Avhich are invariably 
 near the river. 
 
 It is intensely hot during a great part of the year, the 
 (shume) wind from Sahara blowing tempestuously in July, 
 August, and September, carrying with it particles of earth, 
 and sand, which are very pernicious to the eyes, and produce 
 ophthalmia. 
 
 A considerable trade is carried on from this place to Tim- 
 buctoo, Houssa, and Jinnie, south of Sahara, and to Marocco, 
 Fas, Suse, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Indigo abounds here, 
 but from the indolence of the cultivators it is of an inferior 
 quality. There are mines of antimony and lead ore: the 
 Elkahol fillely, so much used by the Arabs and African 
 women to give a softness to the eyes, and to blacken the eye- 
 brows, is the produce of this country. The common dress of 
 * A cubit i» twenty-one inches.
 
 24 Population of the Plains of Tafklt. 
 
 the inhabitants consists of a loose shirt of blue cotton, M'ith 
 a shawl or belt round the waist. 
 
 An Akkabah or accumulated caravan goes annually froni 
 hence to Timbuctoo. 
 
 Woollen hayks* for garments are manufactured here of a 
 curious texture, extremely light and fine, called El Haik 
 Filelly. 
 
 If we except the habitations and castles near the river, the 
 population of the plains, from a neglect of agriculture, is very 
 inconsiderable: a few tents of the Arabs whose original stock 
 inhabit Sahara, are occasionally discovered, which serve to 
 break the uniformity of the unvaried horizon. A person who 
 imagines a vast plain, bounded by an even horizon, similar to 
 the sea out of sight of land, will have an accurate idea of this 
 country. 
 
 The goats of Tafilelt are uncommonly large; there is a 
 breed of them preserved by the Emperor of Marocco on the 
 island of Mogodor. 
 
 * The hayk of the Arabs is a plain piece of clothj of wool, cotton, or 
 silk, and is thrown over their under dressj somewhat similar to the Roman 
 toga.
 
 [25] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Zoology. 
 
 
 1 HE horses of West Barbaiy are renowned for fleetness 
 and activit}'; the breed, however, has been much neglected, 
 except in Abda, and about Marocco at a place called Aim 
 Toga ; these horses have stronger sinews than those of Eu- 
 rope, and after a little management are extremely tractable. 
 The stallions only are rode, the mares being kept for breed- 
 ing ; except among the Shelluhs, who use them for riding. 
 Geldings arc unknown in Mohammedan countries; a Moosel- 
 min will neither castrate, nor sell the skin of the beast of the 
 Prophet, the noblest of animals. Mules and asses abound 
 every where, also camels, and horned cattle. In the Atlas, 
 and in the forests near Mequinas, there are lions, panthers, 
 wild hogs, hyeenas, apes, jackals, foxes, hares, serpents, lizards, 
 and camelions. 
 
 The birds are, ostriches, pelicans, eagles, flamingoes, storks, 
 herons, bustards, wild geese, wood pigeons, pigeons, turtle- 
 doves, ring-doves, partridges, red ducks, wild ducks, plovers, 
 tibibs, larks, nightingales, black birds, starlings, and various 
 others. 
 
 The same varieties of fish that are found in the Mediterra- 
 nean are taken on the shores of West Barbary ; mullet, red and 
 gray, brim, anchovies, sardines, herrings, mackarel, rock cod, 
 skaite, soles, plaice, turbot, turtles, besides a fish peculiar to 
 the coastj, called by the Shelluhs Azalimgi,Tasargalt, and Irgal, 
 
 E
 
 26 Thakh, or Red Fox, ami the Deeh. 
 
 which are very abundant in the bay of Agadeer, and are pre- 
 pared in the ovens of Aguram, a town at the foot of the 
 mountain whereon Agadeer stands, for the purpose of being 
 conveyed to the interior, to Bled-ed-jerrede, and Sahara; 
 these fish form a considerable article of commerce, and are 
 much esteemed in Bled-el-jeirede. 
 
 As there is no country in the world so little explored as 
 Africa, nor any that produces such a variety of animals, a few 
 observations ou some of the most remarkable may not be 
 imacceptable. 
 
 QUADRUPEDS. 
 
 The Tholeb. — The animal called thalcb* is the red fox ; it 
 emits the same strong scent as the fox of Europe, and is 
 found in all parts of the country ; but is far from being so 
 common as the deeb, which some have compared to the 
 jackal, others to the brown fox. It is certain, that the deeb 
 emits no offensive smell; it is a very cunning animal, and its 
 name is applied metaphorically to signify craft, which it pos- 
 sesses in a greater degree than any other animal : this cir- 
 cumstance alone seems to ally it to the fox species. It is 
 very fond of poultry; and at night, a little after dark, the still 
 air of the country is pierced with its cries, which alternately 
 resemble those of children, and that of the fox. They as- 
 semble in numbers, and abound all over the country, parti- 
 cularly in the environs of plantations of melons and other 
 
 * Buffon informs us, ihat Biuce lold bitn this animal was common in Bar- 
 bary, where il was called Taleb; but Pennant observes, that Bruce should have 
 given it a more characteristic appellation, for taleb, or thaleb, is no more than 
 the Arabic name for the common i'ox, whith is also frequent iu that countrj. 
 See Eng% Encjclopedia, 180JU
 
 Tiie Ilyana, if 
 
 vinous plants. Some of these deebs have longer hair than 
 others, and their skins are particularly soft and handsome. 
 The provinces of Shedma, Haha, and Suse abound with this 
 animal: tlie Arabs hunt it, and bring the skins to the Mogo- 
 dor market. 
 
 The (Duhhah) Hyaiui. — Tlie Dubbah, a term which de- 
 signates the hyaena among the Arabs, is an animal of a fero- 
 cious countenance ; but in its disposition, more stupid than 
 fierce; it is found in all the mountains of Barbary, and 
 wherever rocks and caverns are seen ; this extraordinary ani- . 
 mal has the opposite quality of the deeb,* having a vague 
 and stupid stare, insomuch that a heavy dull person is de- 
 signated by the term dubbah.-f' The flesh of this animal is 
 not eaten, except in cases of extreme hunger: those, how- 
 ever, who have tasted it assert, that it causes stupefaction for 
 a certain time; hence, when a person display's extraordinary 
 stupidity, the Arabs say (kulu ras Duhhah )y he has been eat- 
 ing the head of a hyaena. 
 
 The mode of hunting this animal is singular; a party of 
 ten or twelve persons, accompanied with as many dogs of 
 various kinds, go to the cavern which they have previously 
 ascertained to be the haunt of the hysiena; one of tlie party 
 then strips himself naked, and taking the end of a rope with 
 
 * The dubbah and the deeb are so totally different, that 1 cannot account 
 for the error of Bruce in saying they are the same animal ; for besides various 
 other differences, the dubbah is more than twice as large as the deeb. It is 
 surprising that Mr. Bruce, who appears to have been a great sportsman, did 
 not perceive this. Vide Select Passages of Natural History collected in Travels 
 to discover the Source of the Nile. Title Hytena, Vol. V. p. 1 10. 
 
 + M'dubbah, stupified or hyaenaized, from the word dubbah.
 
 28 The Hi/a'iui. 
 
 a noose to it in one hand, he advances gradually into the 
 cave, speaking gently, and in an insinuating tone of voice, 
 -])retending to fascinate the hyaena bywords; when he reaches 
 the animal, he strokes him down the back, which appears 
 to soothe him ; he then dexterously slips the noose round his 
 neck, and instantly pulling the rope to indicate to those on 
 the outside of the cave, who hold the other end, that it is 
 fixed, he retires behind, throwing a handkerchief or cloth 
 over the eyes of the hyaena ; the men then pull the rope from 
 Avithout, whilst he who fixes the noose urges the animal for- 
 ward, when the dogs attack him. Some of the Shelluhs are 
 very expert at securing the hyaena in this manner, and al- 
 though there may be some danger in case the rope breaks, 
 yet the inan who enters the cave always carries a dagger, or 
 large knife with him, with which he has considerably the ad- 
 vantage, for this animal is by no means so ferocious as he 
 appears to be : in the southern Atlas I have seen them led 
 about by the boys ; a rope being fastened round the animal's 
 neck, and a communicating rope attached to it on either 
 side, three or four yards long, the end of each being held by 
 a boy, keep him perfectly secure. It is confinement that is 
 inimical to a hyaena,* and which increases his ferocity. There 
 
 * Bruce, in speaking of this animal, observes that most of the animals con- 
 founded with him, are about six limes smaller than he is. The want of a 
 critical knowledge of the Arabic language, and of natural history at the same 
 lime, has, in some measure, been the occasion of these errors among the mo- 
 derns. Bochart discusses the several errors of the ancients with great judgment, 
 and the Count de Bufibn, in a very elegant and pleasant manner, hath nearly 
 exhausted the whole. See Select Specimens of Nat. Hist, collected in Travels 
 to discover the Source of the Mile, Vol. V, Appendix, p. 108. Title Hysnu.
 
 The Gazel 29 
 
 are other modes of hunting this stupid animal, either in the 
 night with dogs, or by shooting him ; but he never comes 
 out of his cave in the day-time, but sits at the further end of 
 it, staring with his eyes fixed. Tlieir general character is not 
 to be afraid of man, nor indeed to attack or avoid him ; they 
 will, however, attack and destroy sheep, goats, poultry, asses, 
 and mules, and are very fond of the intoxicating herb called 
 Hashisha.* Tiie hyajna is said to live to a great age. 
 
 The dubbah and the deeb resemble each other in their pro- 
 pensity to devour dead bodies ; so that whilst the plague 
 ravaged West Barbary in 1799 and 1800, these animals were 
 constant visitors of the cemeteries. The drawing of the hyoena 
 in the fifth volume of the work just quoted is very correct. 
 An error of Bruce in page 110, Volume V. of Specimens of 
 Natural History, &c. is evident ; for he says, the hycena is 
 known by two names in the East, deeb and dubbah. Nothing 
 but a want of knowledge of the Arabic language could have 
 induced him to suppose a similarity : they are in fact as dif- 
 ferent in signification, and more diflerent perhaps in sound, 
 than the two English words art and heart: in other respects 
 this animal has been so well described and delineated in the 
 book before quoted, that the reader is referred to it. 
 
 The Gazel (antelope). — The gazel is that pretty light and 
 elegant animal, swift as the wind, timid as a virgin, with 
 a soft, beautiful, large, and prominent black eye, which 
 seems to interest you in its favour. In its general appear- 
 ance, the gazel resembles our deer; it is however much 
 smaller, and has straight black horns, curving a little back- 
 wards. The eye and figure of the gazel, so well known to- 
 * A description of this heib will be givea in its proper place.
 
 30 The Gazel 
 
 nil Arabian poets, are cmblcmalical of beauty, and the 
 greatest compliment that can be paid to a beautiful woman, 
 is to compare her e^-'es to those of the gazel.* Much art is 
 employed by the Arabian females to make their eyes appear 
 like those of this delicate animal. Eyes originally black and 
 lively, are made to appear larger and more languishing by 
 tinging ihe outer corner widi El Kaholjiklhj, a preparation of 
 lead ore procured from Tafilelt, which gives an apparent elon- 
 gation to the eye. The eye-lashes and eye-brows being also 
 blackened widi this composition, they appear peculiarly soft 
 and languishing ; it is said also to improve and strengthen 
 the sight. Every one who has accurately observed the eye 
 of the African gazel will acquiesce in the aptness of the simile 
 before alluded to. The word angel, so often employed by 
 our poets to designate a beautiful female, is, with the Arabs, 
 transformed to gazel : thu^ the Arabian sonnet : 
 
 ^JWi (J^\j ^_^s^ lP^ 
 
 * Andik aineen el Gazel ia Leila. Beek zin el Gazel ia Leila. You possess 
 the ej'es of an antelope, O Lady — You possess the beauty of a gazel, O Lady, 
 are irresistible compliments with the Arabs. Again, Zin el mikkumule, and Zin 
 el Gazel, perfect beauty, and gazel beauty, are synonymous terms.
 
 The Gazel. 31 
 
 Kul el gazelli r&k 
 
 Kulitini nerjak 
 
 Kif el m'amul mak 
 
 Asli lieliti wa ash amelli 
 
 Rafki billi ihuak 
 
 la taj miriamme gazelli. 
 
 Say, thou Antelope in beauty, 
 
 Since permitted to return, 
 Say, Avhat is a lover's duly, 
 
 Who with ardent fire doth burn. 
 Sympathize with him who loves you, 
 
 Crown of all my hopes and joys, 
 'Tis 3'our constant swain approves you, 
 
 His Gazel all his soul employs. 
 
 Great numbers of gazels are found in all those extensive 
 plains situated at the foot of the Atlas mountains; in the 
 plains of Fruga, south of Marocco, after descending the Atlas, 
 I have seen a hundred together; they also abound in the 
 plains of Sheshawa near Anek Junmel. Wild as the hare, 
 and more fleet than the Barbary courser, they are seen 
 bounding over the plains in large numbers. The antelope, 
 however, soon fatigues, so that the horses of the Arabs gain 
 on it, and the dogs are enabled finally to come up with it; 
 it is hunted rather for the meat, which is similar to venison, 
 than for any regular sport, the Arabs having little desire to 
 hunt merely for amusement. They kill and cut the throats 
 of as many animals as they can procure. They often hunt 
 the gazcl with the (slogie) African greyhound, a peculiarly
 
 52 The Horreh. 
 
 fine breed of which is produced in the province of Suse. The 
 -Arabs and Moors whilst hunting the antelope, often throw 
 (zerwata) thick sticks about two feet long at their legs, to 
 break them, and thereby incapacitate them from running; 
 a cruel device, at which the natural predilection for this 
 delicate and beautiful anin)al recoils. 
 
 ElHorreh. — This, as its name implies,* is reckoned among 
 the Arabs the prince of animals, and the emblem of clean- 
 liness. It is an inhabitant of Sahara and its confines, and is 
 not found north of the river Suse. It is somewhat sinnlar to 
 the gazel in its form and size ; the colour of its back and 
 head is of a light red, inclining to that of a fawn; the belly 
 is of a beautiful and delicate white, insomuch that its bril- 
 liancy aft'ects the eyes in a similar manner to the sensation 
 produced in them by looking stedfastly at fine scarlet. 
 
 This animal, according to the tradition of the Arabs, never 
 lies down, lest it should deface the colour of its belly, of the 
 beauty of which it appears to be conscious. The stone call- 
 ed in Europe, bizoar stone, is produced by the horreh, but 
 whether it be a concretion formed in its stomach, or an egg, 
 or the testicle, is probably not accurately ascertained. The 
 Bide el horreh, or egg of the horreh, signifies also the testicle 
 of the animal, and I am inclined to think it is either the 
 testicle, or a peculiar concretion formed in its stomach, all 
 those which I have seen being nearly of the same size and 
 form, similar to a pigeon's egg. This stone is scraped and 
 
 * Horreh signifies aoy thing pure and free; thus a free-born man, having 
 a handsome person and virtuous mind, is called Rajel Horreh; a horse of high 
 •blood is called Aoud el Horreh; it is also opposed to .<iirf, which signifies a 
 jslave.
 
 The AoudacL 33 
 
 taken as an anlidote against poison. Some whimsical people 
 carry it about with tliem, taking it frequently in tea. 
 
 From this rare and beautiful animal's being an emblem of 
 purity, ils skin (Jild el Horreh) is held in great estimation 
 by the Bashaws, and men of rank, who prefer it to every 
 ether substance, to prostrate themselves upon at prayers. 
 The Bashaws generally have an attendant with them, who 
 carries this skin, which is cured or prepared with allum and 
 tizra,* and assumes a white colour when it comes from the 
 tanners. 
 
 The Aoudad. — This animal is to be found only in the very 
 steep and inaccessible cliffs, and in the woods and forests, 
 of the mountains of Atlas, south of Marocco and Lower Suse, 
 except when it descends to the rivers to drink. It throws 
 itself from lofty precipices into the plains below, alighting 
 generally on its horns or shoulders. 
 
 None of them have ever been caught in a state to allow of 
 their being kept alive, being so very Avild that it is not 
 possible to approach them without great danger. In size and 
 colour the Aoudad is similar to a calf; it has a beautiful 
 long mane or beard, growing from the lower part of the neck ; 
 ils teeth are very strong, and indicative of its longevity ; the 
 horns are about twelve inches in length, curved, of a dark 
 colour, and are used for a arious purposes. 
 
 I believe I am correct when 1 affirm that the only two skins 
 of this animal which ever came to Europe, I had the honour 
 of sending to the Riglit Honourable President of the Royal 
 Society ;-f- the horns and teeth were with one of them. 
 
 » 
 
 A shmb of Atlas used in tanning. t Sir Joseph Banks.
 
 5i The Wild Boar. 
 
 whicli' I had much difficulty in procuring from a Shcliuh 
 merchant, wlio luiving inadvertently observed to some of his 
 friends tlje interest I took in procuring it, the jealousy of the 
 Moors was raised, and they conceiving it to be some rich 
 treasiu'e, the officers of the Custom-house obliged me to 
 pay an enormous duty for it. No other skin of this hitherto 
 undescribed animal has been brought to Europe since; nor do 
 I apprehend we shall know more respecting the animal itself, 
 whilst the present imperfect knowledge of Africa continues. 
 Emissaries, whether commercial or philosophical, to that 
 countr}", should furnish themselves with a general and prac- 
 tical knowledive of the Arabic lano-uao-e, without which little 
 progress can be expected in its discovery. 
 - TlieJVUd Boar. — This animal, the hunting of which affords 
 so much sport, is by the Arabs called El Kunjar, or EI 
 Helloof; they abound in the Shelluh province of Haha, and in 
 Suse, where they are called Amuren ; they are so plentiful 
 about Agadeer, that it is not unusual to catch two or three 
 before mid-day ; one day we saw seven. They will sometimes 
 run by a group of men without appearing at all alarmed; an 
 instance of which happened once, as I remember, near 
 Agadeer, where at a pic-nic party under some high trees, 
 some Europeans who were present were not a little alarmed 
 at seeing two wild hogs pass close by them ; but they never 
 attack a person unless wounded by him. In hunting this 
 animal, whose strength is proverbial, the dogs should be 
 good, and strong enough to keep him at bay; for if he be 
 fired at and wounded by a man on foot, he will immediately 
 make up to him, if he discovers from whence the wound was
 
 The Nimmer. 35 
 
 inflicted ; but in the mean time he is either attacked by the 
 dogs, diverted from his object by a stratagem, or brought 
 down by some other shot. A boar will sometimes rip open 
 the dogs as well as the horses with their tusks ; but this 
 rarely happens when the hunt is well appointed : a strong 
 dog of the greyhound breed is the best and most effectual in 
 securing this ferocious animal. The slogies of Suse, of the 
 third breed, always attack the boar on the nape of the neck, 
 and never quit their hold. 
 
 17ie Nm?nci'.— The word Nimmer may be translated Leopard: 
 it is spotted rather than striped, and in size resembles the 
 roval tioer of Asia. The strenoth and ao-ility of this animal 
 is wonderful ; I have seen one receive nine balls, before he 
 fell. When the Nimmer is known to be in any particular 
 district, deep holes are made in the ground and covered 
 lightly over, on which if he happen to tread, the ground 
 sinks, and he falls in. The sides of the hole being formed 
 like an inverted cone, the animal cannot get out, though 
 he will make many efforts to regain his liberty ; in the mean 
 time the hunters come up and shoot him. At other places 
 where he is supposed likely to pass, they build up a wall, and 
 cover it over, making a hole or two sufficiently large to 
 admit a musket-barrel, and here the patient Shelluh will 
 wait whole days for his enemy, living all the time on (Hassowa) 
 barley-meal mixed with water. After building a few of these 
 walls enclosed like rooms, several Shelluhs will go in quest of 
 the Nimmer, each taking his station either in these buildings, 
 or in some lofty tree, and waiting a favourable opportunity 
 to get a shot at him. 
 
 The Lion is too well known to need a particular description.
 
 36 The Sibsih. 
 
 in this place: he is hunted by the Africans in the same 
 manner as the Ninimcr ; but they do not consider the chase 
 to be so dangerous : the hon is not so active, nor does he 
 chnib as the Niinmer does. The Arabs say that if a person 
 unarmed meet the Nimmer he is sure of being destroyed ; but 
 that if, on the sight of a hon, he let his garnienls drop off, and 
 stand before him undaunted, seeming to defy him, the lion 
 ^\\\\ turn round and quietly walk off. Few people would be 
 inclined to try the experiment for the purpose of ascertaining 
 the truth of this assertion. In the forests near the city of 
 Mequinas the lions are very fierce, and have frequently been 
 known so to infest the roads as to render it impracticable for 
 the caravans to pass. They are seen also at the foot of the 
 Atlas, where the country is well wooded. 
 
 The Bear. — Various conjectures have been formed re- 
 specting this animal's being a native of Africa : from the 
 concurrent testimony of the inhabitants, I am of opinion that 
 it does not exist in West Barbary ; it ma}" however have been 
 seen (as I have heard it has) in the upper regions of Atlas 
 Avhich are covered with snow during the whole year. The 
 name given by the Arabs to this animal is Dubb. 
 
 The Sibsib, — This animal appears to be of an intermediate 
 species between the rat and the squirrel ; it is somewhat 
 similar to the ichneumon in form, but not half its size; it 
 inhabits the Atlas, and lives in holes among the stones and 
 caverns of the mountains; it has brown hair, and a beautiful 
 tail (resembling that of the squirrel) about the length of its 
 body. The Shelluhs and Arabs eat this animal, and consider 
 it a delicacy: and it is the only one the IMohammedans tor- 
 ment before death ; this is done by taking hold of its fore and
 
 The Ape. 37 
 
 hind legs, and rubbing its back on a stone or flat surface for 
 a few minutes, which causes the animal to scream out ; they 
 then cut its throat according to the Mohammedan custom. 
 Seeing some Shelluhs in South Atlas performing this opera- 
 tion, and asking their motives for it, they informed me that 
 the rubbing made the flesh eat tender; that in taste it resem- 
 bled a rabbit, but that without the friction it was not pa- 
 latable. Being a subterraneous animal, it is prohibited food; 
 but the eating of any forbidden thing becomes lawful to the 
 Mohammedan by ascribing to it some medicinal property ; 
 it is then denominated (DCiah) medicine, and not food : by 
 this evasion, wine is drunk by many who are not rigorous 
 mooselmin. 
 
 I never saw the sibsib north of the province of Suse, but 
 it abounds in the mountains of that district. Its motions are 
 so excessively quick that it is extremely difficult to shoot it. 
 
 Wild Cat. — El Cat el berranie is the Arabic name for this 
 animal ; it is much larger than the domestic cat, but similar 
 in form ; the back, neck, and forepart of the legs are of a 
 dirty grey, inclining to brown; the belly is of a dirty while 
 spotted with brown; and the tail is long and handsome. 
 The wild cat is so fierce, that when pressed with hunger it will 
 sometimes attack a man. 
 
 The Ape. — This animal, which appears to form the inter- 
 mediate link betAveen the human and the brute creation, 
 is found of a very large size in North Atlas and also about 
 Ceuta ;* its face as well as feet and hands resemble those 
 of the human species; they live upon fruits, grass, and 
 corn, and are often seen in great numbers in the fields, 
 • The mountain at Ceuta is called Gibbel D'Zatute, the mountain of apes.
 
 38 The Rliihoceros. 
 
 having a centiiiel to keep walch on some eminence; and 
 when any person appears he gives the alarm, and they all 
 run off together to the woods, climbing the trees. The fe- 
 males will jump from one branch to another with their young 
 on their shoulders; they are very subtle and vindictive, though 
 easily appeased. 
 
 The Blihwcej OS. — Reem is the Arabic name of the Rhinoce- 
 ros. Various and contradictory have been the accounts of both 
 the ancients and moderns respecting the beast with one horn, 
 called the Unicorn, which is probably no other than the young 
 rhinoceros, the Reem being reported by the Arabs to have 
 but one horn till a certain age, when a second appears, and 
 some affirm that a third appears when the animal grows 
 old. The horn of the Reem is called Kirkadune by the Arabs, 
 and figuratively, gurn min gurn,i. e. horn of horns, being ex- 
 tremely hard and fine-grained, and receiving a high polish; it 
 is sold at a most enormous price, and is used for the hilts of 
 swords. With regard to the animal called by our heralds the uni- 
 corn, and represented in armorial bearings,! doubt if ever such 
 an animal existed; the Reem* is called also liuaddee, which 
 signifies the beast of one horn, xVouda signifies a mare, hence 
 perhaps, by an easy corruption of names, the Aouda has been 
 mistaken for Huaddce, and the figure of a horse with a horn 
 has been adopted as the figure of the Reem in our heraldic 
 supporters; for I have frequently conversed with men Mho had 
 been twenty years in the different countries of the interior of 
 Africa, but never could learn that a beast with one horn existed, 
 in figure resemblmg a horse. The Reem is also figuratively 
 denominated boh girn el harsh i. e. the father of the hard horn. 
 
 * Job, c. 39, T. 9, 10.
 
 El Heirie, or Erragual. 59 
 
 Jiimars — The reputed offspring of the ass and the bull, or 
 cow, is an animal whose existence is still doubted ; I have 
 never, in any of my travels, seen such a one ; but I was once 
 informed by Sid Mohammed E — s— 1 — m, that such a beast 
 was sometimes seen in Bled-el-jerrede ; he had not however 
 seen it himself. Dr. Shaw has described one that he saw in 
 Barbar}' ; notwithstanding which, the Count de Buffon dis- 
 putes its existence. 
 
 These observations on the more remarkable wild animals 
 may serve as a clue to future travellers ; their names iri 
 the language of the country being accuratel}' given, it 
 will not be difficult to procure some of the natives to di- 
 rect where to find them, by which means their respective 
 species may be ascertained by those avIio may be desirous 
 of elucidating natural history. 1 shall now mention the most 
 particular domestic quadrupeds, or such as are subservient to 
 the use of man. 
 
 El Heirie, or Erragual Nature, ever provident, and seeing 
 
 the difficulty of communication, from the immense tracts of 
 desert country in Sahara, has afibrded theSaharawans a means, 
 upon any emergenc}', of crossing the great African desert in 
 a few days; mounted upon the (Heirie) desert camel (which 
 is in figure similar to the camel of burden, but more ele- 
 gantly formed), the Arab, with his loins, breast, and ears 
 bound round, to prevent the percussion of air proceeding 
 from a quick motion, rapidly traverses, upon the back of 
 this abstemious animal, the scorching desert, the fiery atmo- 
 sphere of which parches, and impedes respiration so as 
 almost to produce suflbcalion. The motion of the heirie is vi- 
 olent, and can be endured only by those, patient, abstemious.
 
 40 El Hcii-ie, or Erragual. 
 
 and hardy Arabs who are accustomed to it.* The most inferio 
 kind of heirie are called Talalayee, a term expressive of their 
 "oins; the distance of three days journey in one : the next 
 kind is called Sebayee, a term appropriated to that which 
 coes seven da3's journey in one, and this is the general cha- 
 racter ; there is also one called Tasayee, or the heirie of nine 
 days; these are extremely rare. The Arabs affirm that the 
 Sebayee does not always produce another Sebayee, but some- 
 times a talatayee, and sometimes a tasayee ; and that its class is 
 ascertained by the period which elapses before the young one 
 takes the teat of the mother ; thus, if it be three days, it is 
 considered to be a talatayee, if seven days, a sebayee, and if 
 nine days, it proves to be a heirie of nine days journey. If it 
 prove a tasayee there are great rejoicings, it bemg an acces- 
 sion of wealth to the proprietor, as a tasajee is bartered for 
 two hundred camels ; the sebayee for one hundred ; and the 
 talatayee for thirty, or thereabout. 
 
 This valuable and useful animal has a ring put through its 
 upper lip, to which is fixed a leathern strap which answers 
 the purposes of a bridle; the saddle is similar to that used 
 by the Moors, or what the mountaineers of Andalusia make 
 use of. With a goat skin or (a bakull) a porous earthen 
 pitcher filled with water, a few dates, and some ground bar- 
 ley, the Arab travels from I'inibuetoo to Tafilelt, feeding his 
 heirie but once, at the station of Azawad ;-f- for these camels 
 on an emergency will abstain from drinking seven days. 
 
 ♦ Tliese heirie riders will travel three days without food ; or a few pipes of 
 tobacco, or a handful of dales will furnish their meal ; so that (a Mehellali) a 
 regiment of Arabs, consisting of a thousand men, would subsist ou less than 
 would be sufficient to maintain a company of one hundred Englishmen. 
 
 •|- Azawad is a watering-place or oasis, in Sahara, about half way betweea 
 Timbucloo and Tatiieit, or Marocco.
 
 El Ileirie, or Etraguai. 41 
 
 A journey of thirty-five days caravan travelling will be 
 ])erfbrmed by a sebayee in five days; they go from Tim- 
 buctoo to Tafilelt in seven daj's. One of these animals once 
 came from Fort St. Joseph on the Senegal river to the house 
 of Messrs. Cabane and Depras at Mogodor, in seven days. 
 
 In the great desert of Africa, where cultivation is so rare 
 that one may travel several days on an ordinary camel with 
 baggage, without seeing any habitation, the use of the heirie 
 must be evident, for it is more abstemious, and bears a longer 
 continuation of fatigue than the (Sh'rubah Er'reeh) desert 
 horse, afterwards described. 
 
 The self-exiled Muley Abdrahaman, a prince of undaunted 
 courage and great penetration, son of the old Emperor, 
 Seedy Mohammed bn Abdallah bn Ismael, of the Tafilelt 
 dynasty, whilst residing among the Arab clan of Howara 
 in Suse, kept, night and day, at the gate of his (keyma) 
 tent, two heiries, ready caparisoned, one having a load of 
 gold dust and jewels, and the other for riding, in case of a 
 sudden surprise, that he might pass into tiie desert out of 
 the reach of his father's power, whose soldiers, by their 
 master's order, having treated his highness's woman in a 
 manner disgracefid to a mooselmin, he had retired to the 
 confines of Sahara for more security. 
 
 The swiftness of the heirie is thus described by the Arabs 
 in their figurative style: " When thou sludt meet a heirie, 
 and say to the rider, Salem Alick, ere he shall have answered 
 •thee, Alick Salcm, he will be afar off, and nearly out of sight, 
 for his swiftness is like the wind." 
 
 Talking with an Arab of Suse, on the subject of these fleet 
 camels, and the desert horse, he assured me that he knew a 
 
 G
 
 42 The Sh'ruhali Erreeh. 
 
 young man who was passionately fond of a lovely young girl, 
 ^hom nothing would satisfy but some oranges ; these were 
 not to be procured at Mogodor, and as the lady wanted the 
 best fruit, nothing less than Morocco oranges would satisfy 
 her; the Arab mounted his heirie at the dawn of day, went 
 to ]\Iarocco, * purchased the oranges, and returned that 
 night after the gates were shut, and sent the oranges to the 
 lady by a guard of one of the batteries. I am aware in re- 
 lating this circumstance, that I shall incur the imputation of 
 credulity; but Mr. Bruce, who related many things very 
 common in Africa, was lampooned by Munchausen ; much 
 however, of what was doubted, has been confirmed by other 
 travellers after him, and 1 am persuaded that in a short time, 
 much more will be ascertained to be fact, which he has, by 
 the ignorant and presuming, been censured for relating. If 
 transactions and facts well known by the African be incom- 
 patible with the European's ideas of probability, and, on tliat 
 account rejected as fables, it is not the fault of the former, 
 but of the latter, Avho has neglected to investigate a neigh- 
 bouring quarter of the globe; for the nearest point of Africa 
 is in sight of Europe. 
 
 The Sh'ruhah Erreeh,\ or Desert horse, is to the common 
 horse what the desert camel is to the camel of burden; this 
 animal does not however answer the purpose so well for 
 crossing the barren desert, as he requires a feed of camel's 
 milk once every day, which is his only sustenance, so that 
 there must necessarily be two she camels wherever he goes 
 
 * Marocco is about one hundred miles from Mogodor. 
 
 t This term literally signifies Wiud-sucker ; the animal is so called from his 
 hanging out his tongue at one side of his nioulh,vvhen in speed, and ui it were 
 sucking in the air.
 
 The Sliriibah Erreeh. 43 
 
 to afford this supply ; for he will touch neither barley, or 
 wheat (oats are never given to horses in Africa), hay, straw, 
 nor indeed any other thing but camel's milk. 
 
 When the desert horses are brought to Marocco, as they 
 sometimes are, they fall away ; and if obliged ultimately from 
 hunger to eat barley and straw, the ]\Ioorish provender, thej 
 recover, gradually fill up, and become handsome to the 
 sight, but lose entirely their usual speed : they are employed 
 chiefly to hunt the ostrich, at which sport they are verjr 
 expert. 
 
 Alkaid Omar ben Daudy, an Arab of Rahammenah, when 
 Governorof Mogodor, had two Saharawan horses in hisstables; 
 but finding it inconveniezit to feed them constantly on camel's 
 milk, he resolved to try them on the usual food given to 
 Barbary horses; he accordingly had their food gradually 
 changed, and in a short time fed them altogether* with 
 barley, and occasionally wheat and straw : the}^ grew fat, and 
 looked better than before (for those of Sahara of this particular 
 breed are by no means handsome ; they have a small slender 
 body, formed like that of the greyhound, a powerful broad 
 chest, and small legs), but they lost their speed, and soon 
 afterwards died, as if nature had designed them to be ap- 
 propriated solely to that district, whose arid and extensive 
 plains render their use essentially necessary. 
 
 A person unaccustomed to ride the Sh'rubah Er'reeh, finds 
 its motion uneasy at first; but the saddle forms a safe seat, 
 and a man who never rode before acquires a facility in these 
 saddles, in a few days ; the puiimiel rises perpendicularly in 
 
 * The straw being trodden out by cattle to separate it from tiie corn, is si- 
 milar to chopped straw, and is the only substitute lor haj.
 
 44 The Sn'ruhan Er'reeTt. 
 
 front, and the back part rises reclining a little from a per- 
 pendicular, and supports the back as high as the loins ; 
 the slirrups are placed far back, and give the rider a firn> 
 hold,* inducing him to grasp the horse's sides with the 
 knees, as, from the form and disposition of the stirrups and 
 the seat, the legs and knees naturally incline inwards, and 
 press the horse, so that the rider can, by this means, turn 
 the animal whichever way he pleases, without using the 
 reins; the stirrup is broad at the bottom and receives the 
 whole length of the foot; at the heel of the stirrup is hung 
 loosely a spike, six inches long, which is the Moorish spur, a 
 barbarous looking weapon, which a person unacquainted with 
 the dexterous manner of using it would expect to rip open 
 the horse's sides ; but a good horseman seldom uses it in a 
 Avay to hurt the horse ; it is sufficient that he shake it against 
 the stirrups, to animate him. The whole art of riding is con- 
 fined to the dexterous management of the spurs, and a good 
 rider is distinguished from a novice by their position, as the 
 points should never be nearer to the flank than about four 
 inches; sometimes they are not within eight. I have seen one 
 of the wild Arabs of the warlike and powerful province of 
 Shawi^M, whilst mounted and the horse curvetting, mark his 
 name in Arabic characters, with the spur, on the horse's side i. 
 this is accounted the perfection of horsemanship among the 
 Shawiyans, who are acknowledged to be the first horsemen 
 in Marocco, and not inferior to tl>e Bukarie cavalry of the 
 Emperor's life guard, both of whom consider the Mamu- 
 lukes as veiy inferior to them, in every thing but their 
 
 * It is lo the fashion of the saddle, stirrups, and bridle that the Arabs are 
 considerably indebted for their agility in horsemanship, and for their dexterous 
 uianagemcut ol the hors(^.
 
 Sheep. 45 
 
 gaudy trappings : their exercise of cavalry consists in what 
 they call El Harka, which is running full speed, about a 
 quarter of a mile or less, till they come to a wall, when the 
 rider fires his musquet, and stops his horse short, turning him 
 at ihe same time ; this amusement, of which they are ridi- 
 coulously fond, they continue several hours, wasting much 
 powder to little purpose, as they do not improve in the di- 
 rection of their piece, having no ball with the charge, nor 
 mark to fire at ; their pieces have nothing in them but gun- 
 powder rammed down, for if they had wadding, many acci- 
 dents would happen from their discharging them close to 
 one anothers faces. Ten or twenty horsemen suddenly dart off 
 at full speed, one half turning to the right, and the other half 
 to the left, after firing, so as not to interfere with each other. 
 
 The men who ride these Sh'rubah Er'reeh, as well as the 
 Arabs who ride the Heiries, have their bowels relaxed at the 
 termination of their journey; for which, on leaving the 
 Desert, they drink a draught of camel's milk,* called Hallib 
 Niag, which being rejected by the stomach, they drink 
 again; this second draught, after remaining a longer time, is 
 sometimes also rejected ; the third draft, finding the tone of 
 the stomach somewhat restored, remains, and turns to nourishr 
 ment. 
 
 Sheep. — This useful animal is found in all parts of west 
 Barbary, even to the confines of Sahara, where their flesh is 
 of a peculiarly fine flavour, which is occasioned by the 
 aromatic herbs on which they feed. About the mountains 
 of Lower Suse the mutton is of such a superior flavour 
 
 ♦ A food of extraordinary and incredible nourishment, and a sovereign re- 
 medy for consumption..
 
 46 Sheep. 
 
 as to be often sent as presents to the Emperoi- from WecU- 
 noon, when he is at his palace at Marocco, As the aromatic 
 herbs of Africa are much stronger scented than those of 
 Europe, the flesh of the Wedinoon sheep has also more of 
 the aromatic flavour than those of the Sussex South Down ; 
 they are larger than the ordinary sheep ; the ewes are very pro- 
 lific, yeaning twice a year, and having often two lambs at a 
 time. I sent a ram of this breed to England, where it did not 
 (with the change of climate) lose altogether its prolific nature, 
 for the ewes to which he was admitted produced two lambs 
 each. 
 
 The wool of these sheep varies considerably, that of some 
 being very coarse, Avhilst that of others is extremely fine ; no 
 care is taken of the quality, but nature is left in this respect 
 (as in all others in this country) to take its course. 
 
 Tedla, a rich province bordering on Atlas, north of Ma- 
 rocco, abounds in sheep, whose wool is so fine, that no 
 silk is softer ; itis used in the manufacture of caps, worn by 
 the opulent, and is sold at Fas for a \ery high price ; its ex- 
 portation being prohibited, it is consumed by the inhabitants. 
 A breed of these sheep would be an acquisition in Europe, 
 and they might be procured. The average price of a fleece of 
 wool in Barbary is (wahud drahim) one ounce, or five-pence 
 English, that of a sheep is one Mexico dollar. Wool was, 
 till lately, exported to Europe ; particularly to Marseilles, 
 and other ports in the INIediterranean, to Amsterdam, Ham- 
 burgh, and London, but a very inferior quality being sent to 
 the latter place, it got a bad name ; the demand however 
 from other places was so great that the Emperor had repre- 
 sentations made to him, that wearing apparel of the Barbary
 
 Goats. 47 
 
 nianufacture was rising in value, in consequence of the unli- 
 mited exportation of wool, and an order was in consequence 
 issued, prohibiting it; and the Emperor, to pacify his people, 
 assured them that for the future he would never suffer it to 
 be carried out of the country. 
 
 Goats. — Every lady in England has contributed to the 
 Emperor of Marocco's treasury, by consuming the leather 
 which is made from the skin of the goat ; that denominated 
 Spanish leather being prepared from the Marocco goat skins. 
 
 The goats of Africa are very prolific, particularly those of 
 Tafilelt, which is one cause of such an immense number 
 being exported : the duty on this article of commerce forms 
 a considerable part of the custom-house revenue. They 
 have young twice a year, and often one goat is followed by 
 six or seven kids of her own, the production of nine months. 
 
 The goats of the Arab province of Shedma, and the 
 Shclluh province of Haha, are the finest in West Barbary, 
 but the Tafilelt goats, as before observed, surpass them in size 
 and quality ; their milk is richer and more abundant. 
 
 The (jild Filelly) Tafilelt leather is the softest and the finest 
 in the world, and much superior to that of Marocco, or even 
 to that of Terodant: soft and pliable as silk, it is impervious 
 to water. The tanners of Tafilelt use the leaves of a shrub 
 called tizra, which grows in the Atlas mountains; which, it ie? 
 pretended, gives their leather that peculiar softness which 
 makes it so much esteemed; this however is doubtful, as the 
 tanners, above all people, are cautious of discovering to 
 strangers their art of tanning. Some quality in the air and 
 water possibly may contribute to give the leather that extra-^ 
 ordinary pliabiUty.
 
 48 The Camelion. 
 
 REPTILES, IN^SECTS, SERPENTS, «ScC. 
 
 The Camelion. — Talta is the Arabic, and Tayuh the Slielluli 
 name for this extraordinary and compHcated animal ; its head 
 resembles that of a fish, the body that of a beast, the tail that 
 of a serpent, and the legs and feet are somewhat similar to 
 the arms and hands of a human being ; the tongue is pointed 
 like that of a serpent, and is so instantaneous in its motion, 
 that the human sight can scarcely perceive it when it darts it 
 out to the length of its body, to catch flies (its ordinary food); 
 in doing this it never misses its mark, so that I imagine there 
 must be some glutinous substance which attaches the fly to 
 the tongue, or else it pierces the insect with its point, which 
 is very sharp. I have often admired the velocity with which the 
 camelion thus secures its food, but never could discover whe- 
 tlier it wer€ to be attributed to the former, or the latter cause. 
 
 The length of the camelion when full grown is ten or twelve 
 inches, including the tail. When suddenly discovered and 
 pursued, it runs fast, forgetting its wonted caution, which is 
 never to trust to the tread of the foot, the toes of which grasp 
 the object they tread on ; in its ordinary movements, its step 
 is geometrically exact; it looks carefully around to discover 
 the state of the surrounding place, and to ascertain if every 
 thing be safe, one eye looking behind, the other before, and 
 in all transverse directions; for this organ is a perfect hemi- 
 sphere, projecting from the head, and moving in various and 
 independant directions ; having ascertained that its feet are 
 safe, and that the substance on which they are fixed is firm, 
 the camelion disengages its tail, and proceeds on, with the 
 same caution, again fastening the tail, by twisting it round
 
 The Camelion. 49 
 
 some branch or twig, till it has ascertained the safet}' of the 
 next step. 
 
 Many doubts have arisen with resrard to the caniehon's 
 mode of changing its colour; from the various and repeated 
 observations which I have from time to time made on this 
 most extraordinary animal, in a confined as well as in a free 
 state, I have been enabled to ascertain, that in gardens (its 
 ordinary resort), it gradually changes its colour, assuming 
 that of the substance over which it passes, and to do this it 
 requires two or three minutes ; the change beginning by the 
 body becoming covered with small spots of the colour of the 
 substance over which it actually passes, and which gradually 
 increase, till it is altogether of that particular colour; green 
 appears its favourite, or at least it assumes that hue more dis- 
 tinctly^ than any other, for I have seen it on vines so perfectly 
 green, that it was scarcely distinguishable from the leaves ; 
 when it assumes a white or black colour, these are not clear, 
 but of a dirty hue, inclining to brown. When irritated, it wuU 
 gradually assume a dirty blackish colour, which it retains 
 whilst the irritation lasts, swelling its sides, and hissing like 
 a serpent; when asleep, or inclined to rest, it is of a whitish 
 cast. In the course of the various experiments which my 
 curiosity and admiration of the camelion induced me to 
 make, I discovered that it never drinks, and that it always 
 avoids wet and rain. I kept three in a cage for the period 
 of four months, during which time I never gave them any 
 food ; they appeared withered and thin. Others, which I 
 kept in a small confined garden, retained their original size 
 and appearance; consequently it is to be supposed that they 
 feed on the leaves of vegetables ; those confined in the cage
 
 50 The Dub. 
 
 did not vary their colour much, appearing generally that of 
 the cage ; but if any thing green, such as vegetables, were 
 placed near it, they would assume that hue ; those confined 
 in the garden assumed so much the colour of the object over 
 which they progressively passed as to render it difficult to 
 discover them. Various medicinal qualities are assigned to 
 the flesh of the camelion; and many whimsical effects are 
 attributed to fumigation with it when dried ; debilitated per- 
 sons have recourse to il, and it is accordingly sold in all the 
 drug shops at Marocco, Fas, and other places, which shops are 
 named Hanute ElAttari: the smell arising from the fumiga- 
 tion is by no means grateful ; but what scent will prevent an 
 African from using that remedy which credulity or supersti- 
 tion has persuaded him will give strength to the impotent! 
 
 The Arabs assert, that the camelion is the only animal which 
 destroys the serpent,* and it is said to do it in the following- 
 manner : it proceeds cautiously on the bough of some tree, 
 under which the serpent sleeps, and placing itself perpendi- 
 cularly over its head, discharges a glutinous thread of saliva, 
 having a while drop at the end, which falling on the serpent's 
 head, soon kills him. This assertion being general and uncon- 
 troverted, among the Arabs, I have mentioned it, as a hint to 
 future travellers, whomay be desirous of investigating its truth. 
 
 The camelion is, by some persons, said to be venomous ; 
 but I never knew any harm done by them, though the boys 
 sometimes carry them in their bosoms for a whole day. 
 
 The Dub, or Saharawan Lizard. — This animal always aA'oids 
 water; it is about eighteen inches long, and three or four 
 inches broad across the back; it is not poisonous, being an 
 
 • It is called (Adu el-hensh) ihe serpent's enemy.
 
 ' Locusts. 51 
 
 inhabitant of Sahara, which, Hke Ireland, contains no venom- 
 ous animals :* it lays eggs like the tortoise; it is very swift, 
 and if hunted, will hide itself in the earth, which it perforates 
 with its nose, and nothing can extricate it, but digging up the 
 ground. The similarity between the name of this reptile, and 
 the Arabic name of the bear (Dubb), has probably led some 
 persons to assert, that there are bears in Africa. 
 
 Locusts (Jeraad). — ^This destructive creature, which the 
 French call sauterelle, confounding it with the common grass- 
 hopper, differs very much from that insect, in the direful 
 effects and devastation it causes in the countries it visits. Dr. 
 Johnson, in his translation of Lobo's Abyssinia, has rendered 
 it grasshopper, although it evidently should have been trans- 
 lated locust. 
 
 Locusts are produced from some unknown physical cause, 
 and proceed from the Desert, always coming from the south. 
 When they visit a country, it behoves every individual to lay 
 in a provision against a famine; for they are said to slay 
 three, five, or seven years. During my residence in West and 
 Sou*h Barbary, those countries suffered a visitation from 
 them during seven years. They have a government among 
 themselves, similar to that of the bees and ants; and when 
 the (Sultan Jerraad) king of the locusts rises, the whole 
 body follow him, not one solitary straggler being left behind 
 to witness the devastation. When they have eaten all other 
 vegetation, they attack the trees, consuming first the leaves, 
 and then the bark, so that the country, in the midst of sum- 
 mer, from their unsparing rapacity, bears the face of winter. 
 
 • Even the Bo'ah or desert serpent (described in a subsequent page), is not 
 venemous.
 
 53 Locusts. " 
 
 lu mj travels, I have seen them so thick on the ground, as 
 sometimes actually to have covered my horse's hoofs, as he 
 went along; it is very annoying to travel through a host of 
 them, as they are continually flying in your face, and settling 
 on your hands and clothes. At a distance, they appear, in 
 the air, like an immense cloud, darkening the sun ; and whilst 
 employed in devouring the produce of the land, it has been 
 observed that they uniformly proceed one way, as regularly 
 as a disciplined army on its march; nor will it be possible ta 
 discover a single one going a different way from the rest. In 
 travelling from Mogodor to Tangier, before the plague in 1799> 
 the country was covered with them : a singular incident then 
 occurred at El Araiche; the whole country from the confines 
 of Sahara to that place was ravaged by them, but after crossing 
 the river El Kos,* they were not to be seen, though there was 
 nothing to prevent them from flying across it ; moreover, they 
 were all moving that way, that is to the north ; but when 
 they reached the banks of the river, they proceeded east- 
 ward, so that the gardens and fields north of El Araiche were 
 full of vegetables, fruits, and grain. The Arabs of the pro- 
 vince of El Garb-f- considered this remarkable circumstance,, 
 as an evident interposition of Providence. 
 
 This curse of heaven can only be conceived by those who 
 have seen the dismal effects of their devastation: the poor 
 people by living on them, become meagre and indolent, for 
 no labour will yield fruit, whilst the locusts continue increas- 
 
 * The river called Luccos should be El Kos, so named from ils winding 
 through the country in semi-circular forms : El Kos in Arabic signifies a bow 
 or arch. 
 
 t El Garb (the g guttural) signifies in Arabic the west ; this is the western 
 province.
 
 Locusts. 53 
 
 ing in numbers. In the rainy season they partially disappear, 
 and at the opening of the spring the ground is covered with 
 their young ; those crops of corn which are first mature, and 
 the crram which becomes hardened before the locust attains 
 its full growth, are likely to escape, provided there be other 
 crops less forward for them to feed upon. 
 
 In the year 17995 these destructive insects were carried away 
 into the Western Ocean by a violent hurricane; and the shores 
 were afterwards covered with their dead bodies, which in many 
 places emitted a pestilential smell ; that is, wherever the land 
 was low, or where the salt water had not washed them ;* to 
 this event succeeded a most abundant crop of corn, the lands 
 which had lain fallow for 3'ears, being now cultivated ; but the 
 produce of the cultivation Avas accompanied wath a most in- 
 fectious and deadly plague, a calamity of which the locusts 
 have often been observed to be the fore-runners.-j- The Saha- 
 
 * See the author's observations on the Plague in Barbary, in Gentleman's 
 MagazinCj February, 1805, page 123. 
 
 f In the consulship of Marcus Plautius Hypsacus, and Marcus Fulvius Flac- 
 cus, Africa scarce breathing from bloody wars, a terrible and extraordinary de- 
 struction ensued ; for now throughout Africa an infinite multitude of locusts 
 were collected, and having devoured the growing corn, and consumed the ve- 
 getables, and leaves of the trees, their tender boughs, and their bark, they were 
 finally driven, by a sudden and tempestuous wind, into the air, and being driven 
 by the wind through the air, at length were drowned in the sea: their carcases, 
 loathsome and putrified, being cast up by the waves of the sea in immense 
 heaps, and in all parts of the shore, bred an incredible and infectious smell, 
 after which followed so general a pestilence of all living creatures, that the 
 dead bodies of cattle, wild beasts, and fowls, corrupted by dissolution, filled the 
 atmosphere with a contagious miasma, and augmented the fury of the plague; 
 but how great and extraordinary a death of men there was, I cannot but tremble 
 to report : in Numidia, where Micipsa was the king, died eighty thousand per- 
 sons; on the sea-coast, near Carthage and Utica, about Mo hundred thousand'
 
 ^ Locusts. 
 
 rawans, or Arabs of the Desert, rejoice to see the clouds of 
 locusts proceeding towards the north, anticipating therefrom 
 a general mortality, which they call (el-khere) the good, or the 
 henedid'mi ; for after depopulating the rich plains of Barbary, 
 it affords to them an opportunity of emanating from their 
 arid recesses in the Desert, to pitch their tents ia the deso- 
 lated plains, or along the banks of some river ; as was done 
 by one of the kabyles of Tuat, after the plague had depopu- 
 lated Barbary in the summer and autumn of 1799t a»d the 
 spring of 1800, when these wild Arabs poured into Draha 
 from Sahara, and settled along the banks of the river of that 
 devastated country. 
 
 Locusts are esteemed a great delicacy, and during the 
 above periods dishes of them were generally served up at the 
 principal repasts ; there are various ways of dressing them ; 
 that usually adopted, was to boil them in water half an hour; 
 then sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and fry them, adding 
 a little vinegar; the head, wings, and legs are thrown away, 
 the rest of the body is eaten, and resembles the taste of prawns. 
 
 are reported to have perished ; from the city of Utica itself were, by this means, 
 swept from the face of the earth, thirty thousand soldiers, who were appointed 
 to be the garrison of Africa, and the destruction was so violent, according to 
 report, that from one gate of Utica were carried to be buried, in one and the 
 same day, the bodies of above fifteen hundred of the aforesaid soldiers ; so that 
 by the grace of God (through whose mercy, and in confidence of whom I 
 speak of these events) I boldly affirm that sometimes, even in our days, the 
 locusts do much mischief, yet never before happened, in the time of the Chris- 
 tians, a calamity so insupportable, as this scourge of locusts, which, when alive, 
 are insuflerable, and after their death, produced much more pernicious conse- 
 quences, which, if they had lived would have destroyed every vegetable ihing; 
 but being dead, destroyed, through the plague which they produced, all earthly 
 creatures. Vide Paulus Orosius contra Pagaaos, Lib. V, Cap. ii.
 
 The Scoi'pion. 55 
 
 As the criterion of goodness in all eatables among the Moors, 
 is regulated by the stimulating qualities which they possess, so 
 these locusts are preferred to pigeons, because supposed to 
 be more * invigorating. A person may eat a plate full of them, 
 containing two or three hundred, without any ill effects. 
 
 When the locust is young, it is green ; as it grows, it as- 
 sumes a yellow hue, and lastly becomes brown. I was in- 
 formed by an Arab, who had seen the (Sultan Jeraad) king 
 of the locusts, that it was larger and more beautifully coloured 
 than the ordinary one; but I never myself could procure a 
 sight of it. 
 
 A drawing of this devouring insect will be found i n 
 Plate II. 
 
 The Scorpion (El Akarh). — The scorpion is generally two 
 inches in length, and resembles so much the lobster in its 
 form, that the latter is called by the Arabs (Akerb d'elbahar) 
 the sea-scorpion : it has several joints or divisions in its tail, 
 which are supposed to be indicative of its age, thus, if it have 
 five, it is considered to be five years old. The poison of this 
 reptile is in its tail, at the end of which is a small, curved, 
 sharp-pointed sting, similar to the prickle of a buck-thorn 
 tree; the curve being downwards, it turns its tail upwards 
 when it strikes a blow. 
 
 The scorpion delights in stony places, and in old ruins ; 
 in some stony parts of the district of Haha they abound so 
 much, that on turning up the stones, three or four will be 
 found under each. Some are of a yellow colour, others 
 brown, and some black ; the yeHow possess the strongest 
 poison, but the venom of each afiects the j>art wounded with 
 • TLis invigorating q^uality is expressed by the lerna Skoon, the k guttural.
 
 a 
 
 6 Musqiiitos. 
 
 frigidily; whicli takes place soon after ilie sling lias been in- 
 flicted. 
 
 During- the summer, the city of Marocco is so infested with 
 this venomous reptile, that it is not uncommon to find them 
 in the beds ; all .persons, therefore, who visit Marocco at this 
 season of the year, should have the feet of their bedsteads 
 placed in tubs or pans of water; this precaution will also 
 prevent the attack of bugs, which in summer are a perfect 
 nuisance ; but the inhabitants are accustomed to all these 
 sorts of inconveniences, and care not about them. 
 
 Most families in Marocco keep a bottle of scorpions in- 
 fused in olive oil, which is used whenever any person is stung 
 by them ; for although the scorpion carries an antidote in it- 
 self, it is not always to be caught, as it often stings a person 
 whilst asleep, and disappears before he awakes, or thinks of 
 looking for it ; in which event the body of the live scorpion 
 cannot of course be procured. It is necessary to bind the part, 
 if possible, above the place stung, then to cauterize, and after- 
 wards to scarify the puncture, to prevent the venom from per- 
 vading the system ; this method is sometimes effectual, and 
 sometimes not, according to the situation of the part wounded, 
 and the nature of the scorpion, some being more poisonous 
 than others ; but where the flesh of the reptile can be ob- 
 tained, the cure is certain and effectual. 
 
 Miisquitos (NatnuseJ. — Musquitos, gnats, and various 
 other kinds of annoying insects, appear to have made the 
 lakes of West Barbary their general rendezvous. I was once 
 necessitated to encamp, during the night, on the banks of the 
 lake of Mamora (having travelled on horseback, a fatiguing 
 day's journey of fifty-six miles), when I was intolerably
 
 Serpents. 57 
 
 tormented with the musquilos; it being suggested, that they 
 were attracted by the lights in the tents, these were extin- 
 guished, but without aflfording any relief: fatigued as I was, 
 as well as every one else. I endeavoured in vain to sleep, and 
 was at length obliged to cause the tents to be struck, llie 
 camels loaded, and to proceed on my way in the night, al! 
 which the servants and Arabs cheerfully performed, thougii 
 nearly exhausted with the heat of the preceding day. In the 
 morning, I found my face and hands in a most deplorable 
 condition, being similar to those of a person in the worst stage 
 of the small-pox. 
 
 The mustjuitos and other insects attack strangers with great 
 keenness, biting them, and sucking their blood in a most dis- 
 tressing manner. The thick skins of the Arabs, exposed daily 
 to the scorching heat of the sun, are impenetrable to their 
 bite, otherwise they would not be able to exist; for although 
 the country is productive, and the soil good, yet nothing can 
 compensate for the vexation arising from the unremitted at- 
 tacks of these irritadno- insects. 
 
 Cricket. — Tliis insect abounds in the Atlas mountains, 
 piercing the still air of night with its incessant noise. The}' are 
 very large, having beautiful gray wings, coVered with several 
 gold-coloured spots ; the back is yellow, variegated with 
 green. 
 
 Set-petits (Heniishe). — El Hensh is thegenerical name for a 
 serpent. El Ilenusht the plural. Of these there are various 
 species in Barbary, but two only are extremely venomous ; 
 the one is of a black colour, about seven or eight feet long, 
 with a small head, which it expands frequenll}' to four times its 
 ordinary size, when about to attack any object. This serpent 
 
 I
 
 u 
 
 8 The Boah. 
 
 is called Bihka, and is the only one that will attack travellers: 
 in doing wliicli, it coils itself up, and darls to a great distance, 
 by the elasticity of its body and tail. I have seen it coil itself, 
 and erect its head about twelve or eighteen inches above the 
 ground, expanding it at the same time, when it darted forward. 
 The wound inflicted by the bile is small, but the surroundings 
 [)iirl immediately turns black, which colour soon pervades the 
 whole body, and the sufferer expires in a very short time. 
 This serpent is carried about by the (Aisawie) charmers of 
 serpents, of whom we shall speak hereafter. 
 
 El Effah is the name of the other serpent remarkable for 
 its quick and penetrating poison ; it is about two feet long, 
 and as thick as a man's arm, beautifully spotted with yellow 
 and brown, and sprinkled over with blackish specks, similar 
 to the horn-nosed snake. These mortal enemies to mankind 
 are collected by the Aisawie before-mentioned, in a desert 
 of Suse, where their holes are so numerous, that it is diflicult 
 for a horse to pass over them without stumbling. 
 
 The Boah, or desert snake, is an enormous monster, from 
 twenty to eighty feet long, as thick as a man's body, and of 
 a dingy colour : this inhabitant of Sahara is not venomous, 
 though it is not less destructive : the Arabs (speaking of it 
 figuratively*), affirm, that as it passes along the desert it fires 
 the ground with the velocity of its motion. It is impossible 
 to escape it; it will twist itself round an ox, and after crush- 
 ing its bones, will swallow it gradually, after which it lies su- 
 pinely on the ground two or three days, unable to proceed 
 till the animal be digested. Two of these monsters stationed 
 themselves near the road from Marocco to Terodant, near to 
 * Ky Iveik el bled beshuelliu*
 
 'Die Tortoise. ' 39 
 
 the latter city, a few years since ; one of them was killed, the 
 other remained there several days, and prevented travellers 
 from passing the road : they were both young ones, being 
 about twenty feet long. Various stories are related by the 
 Arabs of Sahara respecting the Boahs; but they are mostly 
 ingenious fables, originally intended to inculcate some moral 
 truth, or trait of human nature, which, by the embellishments 
 of tradition, added to the credulity of the Arabs, are now 
 related as facts. Without speaking of all the various kinds 
 of serpents which are either timid, harmless, or not venomous, 
 I must observe, that 
 
 The Domestic Serpents claim some attention. In the city of 
 Marocco these animals abound ; there is scarcely a house 
 without its domestic serpent, which is sometimes seen moving 
 along the roofs of the apartments ; ihey are never molested 
 by the family, who would not hurt them on any consideration, 
 conceiving them a benediction on the household ; they have 
 been known to suck jhe breasts of women whilst asleep, 
 and retire without offering any further injury. They are 
 so susceptible as to be sensible of enmity towards them, and 
 it is thought imprudent to incur their displeasure ; for this 
 reason the inhabitants of Marocco treat them kindly, and as 
 members of the family, not Avishing to disturb an animal 
 that claims the rights of hospitality by settling in their 
 house. 
 
 The Tortoise (Fackrone). Land-tortoises of a very large 
 size abound in Barbary and in Suse, where, in the afternoon of 
 a hot day, one may collect a dozen in the course of an hour. 
 They are esteemed good eating by the French, and the inha-
 
 60 The Ostrich. 
 
 hitants of tlie shores of the Mediterranean.* The wonderful 
 geomclriciil constrnction of this animal is such that it will 
 bear a ton weight on its back. 
 
 In Sahara the turpins, or land-tortoises, are reported to be 
 very large, weighing four, five, or six hundred weight; but I 
 never heard of any like those found at the time I.eo Africanus 
 wrote, who mentions a man who had seen one as big as a tun, 
 and he himself says he saw one the size of a barrel- 
 
 BIRDS. 
 
 The Ostrich. — Ennaam is the name given by the Western 
 Arabs to the ostrich ; it is found on the confines of Sahara, 
 in every part from Wedinoon on the western ocean as far as 
 Senaar ; those which are taken about Wedinoon and Cape 
 Bojador are the largest in the world, and have the finest plu- 
 mage; the feathers of the male bird are the best, being thicker 
 and more tufted than those of the female : the black feathers are 
 taken from the tail ; the fine long white plumes used b}' our fe- 
 males of fashion are from the fore part of the wings : the smaller 
 feathers of the wing are also, sometimes, black. I have seen 
 ostriches from Cape Bojador eight feet high from the foot to 
 the beak, when the neck Avas erect, which is the natural posi- 
 tion. The ostrich appears to be a stupid bird, and indifterent 
 to every thing ; taking no notice of persons, except they have 
 metal buttons on iheir clothes, at which they will eagerly 
 snap ; it is not however to be credited that they digest iron 
 
 * The turtle called ihe Hawk's-bill is excellent on this coast ; I never eat 
 any superior in Europe; they are plentiful at Agadeer, but as the natives do 
 not eat them, they care not about catching them, except when emj)loyed by 
 jiicne European.
 
 The Ostrich. 6'1 
 
 or any other metal, as pieces of such are often found in their 
 stoniachs, when cut up by the hunters. 
 
 The ostrich forms the intermediate 2;radalion between tlie 
 bird and the beftst, for it neither simply flics nor runs, but 
 rather does both, never rising however from the ground, but 
 is assisted considerably by its wings, in its progress through 
 the desert, running over many hundred miles of ground in 
 a short time. They are sometimes seen in Sahara by the 
 Akkabahs of Soudan, in great numbers, appearing at a dis- 
 tance, at twilight, like a host of plundering Arabs. 
 
 The ostrich lays several eggs of the size of an African citron, 
 or a six-and-thirty pound shot, white, and of an oval form, 
 weighing from eight to ten pounds; after laying these eggs, 
 the bird goes away, forgetting or forsaking them, and if some 
 other ostrich discover them she hatches them, as if they were 
 her own, forgetting probably wdielher they are or are not; so 
 deficient is the recollection of this bird. In addition to their 
 usual food they swallow, stones, gravel, sand, and metals ; it 
 is not ascertained w-hether they^drink or not. 
 
 Among the various animals which the Arabs hunt for sport 
 or profit, that which most fully rewards their exertions, is the 
 ostrich : a party of about twenty Arabs mounted on the de- 
 sert horses already described,* set out together, riding gently 
 against the Avind, one after the other, at the distance of about 
 half a mile asunder ; they walk on, tracing the foot-marks, 
 till they discover those of the ostrich, which they then follow ; 
 when they come in sight of their game, they rush towards it 
 at full speed, always keeping nearly the same distance as 
 at first; the bird finding her wings an impediment to her 
 
 * See the description, page 42.
 
 62 The Ostrich. 
 
 progress against the wind, turns towards the horsemen, and 
 allcr escaping the first and second, is perhaps shot, or 
 brought down by the third or fourth, or some of those that 
 folloAv; they are however often a whole day in the chase 
 before they secure their bird. Were it not for this stratagem, 
 aided by the stupidity of the oslrich, it would be impossible 
 to take it; thus we see, that Providence, whenever it gives 
 any extraordinary quality to an animal, gives also another 
 to neutralize that quality, and thereby to bring it under the 
 power of man. The Saharawans carry muskets, but in hunt- 
 ing the ostrich they rarely use them, trusting rather to their 
 Zerwata, which is a stick about two feet long and three inches 
 in circumference, taken from the X\k Soudan tree, or the tree 
 that produces the Senegal gum, being a hard close-grained, 
 heavy wood ; this Zerwata they throw with extraordinary 
 dexterity at the legs of the birds, and by breaking or maim- 
 ing them, impede their progress, and by that means secure 
 tliem. Having cut the throat according to the Moliammedan 
 practice, they pluck off the feathers and divide them, as well as 
 the carcase, into different portions : on the^e occasions, as 
 on all others, whether in hunting, pillaging, or attacking 
 (the Akkabahs) accumulated caravans from Soudan, they 
 divide the booty into as many shares as there are persons to 
 partake, caring but little about the equality of them ; then 
 each person taking something that he has about him (such 
 as a key, a knife, or a piece of money), he puts it into the 
 corner of a hayk or garment, and covers it over, waiting till 
 some stranger or uninteresled person appears, whom they 
 engage to take out of the garment before mentioned, the 
 difilerent articles deposited therein, and to place one on each
 
 The Ostrich. 63 
 
 of tlie parcels or lots of feathers and meat, when each person 
 takes up that portion on which the article belonging to him 
 is placed ; they then separate, and retire to their respective 
 douas, where they regale themselves and their families with 
 the produce of their sport. The flesh of the ostrich is by no 
 means palatable to an European ; it is a dark-coloured and 
 strong meat; the fat is much esteemed in medicine for all 
 kinds of bruises and sprains, and is sold at a very high price ; 
 but money will not always procure it, friendship or hospi- 
 tality being more powerful in these regions" than even money 
 itself; this medicine, therefore, is often procurable only 
 through the former. The feathers are sold by the hunters 
 to the agents of the merchants of Mogodor established at 
 Wedinoon, for the purpose of transportation finally to Europe,, 
 to adorn the heads of our fashionaI)le females. 
 
 Writing as I am for the information of merchants as well 
 as others, it may not be unacceptable to my readers, some 
 of whom may perha[)s be induced to form establishmenls in 
 those unknown regions, to learn the method of purchasing 
 ostrich feathers in West and Soulh Barbary. It is as follows : 
 
 A (|uintal or 100 lbs. weight, is thus distributed according 
 to custom from time immemorial; 
 75lb. small black feathers. 
 
 C Zumar. '\ 
 
 25Vo. < Lobar. >of each one-third. 
 
 (^ Long black. J 
 
 N. B. The feathers denominated Zumar, are preferable 
 to Long Black, and these are preferable to Lobar. To this 
 quintal of assorted feathers is added 6 lb. 4 oz. of passable or 
 fine feathers, which are delivered in the following proportions :;
 
 §4 The Ostrich. 
 
 No. 1. Surplus face feathers, called Uguh, No. 1. 2lb. 
 
 2. Fine face feathers, of which three count 
 
 for two of No. 1. so that 3lb. of No 2. 
 being delivered count for - - 2 
 
 3. Face feathers valued 2 for one surplus 
 
 face, so that 41b. count for 
 
 4. Basto face 31b. count for one 
 
 for 
 
 - 
 
 
 - 
 
 
 2- 
 
 : one 
 
 
 
 lb. 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 to each 
 
 quir 
 
 ital 
 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 Surplus 12 oz. 
 
 These 12 oz. over the quintal are brought into imaginary 
 pieces, or single feathers, thus ; 4 surplus face feathers 
 are calculated to one ounce, so that 12 oz. will make fifty- 
 four feathers; the contract will therefore stand thus : 
 
 100 lb. at 90 drahims per lb. is 9000, or 900 Mexico dollars. 
 54 pieces at 900 per piece is 486 
 
 9486 drahims, 
 which is equal to 9'i'8 -^~ IMexico dollars. 
 
 4i surplus face feathers are calculated at 1 oz. 
 100 ditto ditto ditto 22 \ oz. 
 
 But custom makes 100 feathers count for 22 oz. without 
 the fraction before mentioned. 
 
 This explanation may give some idea of the. mode of pur- 
 chasing this article of commerce, which requires much 
 practice and experience, before the purchaser will be free 
 from imposition. There arc but two or three persons at 
 Mogodor who perfectly understand it, and the method of 
 passing them at the custom-house.
 
 The Eas-le. Q5 
 
 "O 
 
 The price here affixed is the average. The competition 
 among the Jews, and the almost entire monopohzation of 
 the Marocco trade by those people, has latterly enhanced 
 the price; for by contriving to exclude the English, and the 
 Christians in general, as much as possible from this com- 
 merce, they are too often induced to trade beyond their 
 capital, and by frequently overstocking the market, make a 
 forced trade, thereby throwing the profits, which before wei'e 
 reaped by the European, into the hands of the natives ; the 
 consequence of this is, that the Emperor, displeased at his 
 subjects becoming too suddenly rich, exacts an additional 
 duty on the exportation of the article, when its price in the 
 country immediately falls, and the surplus of profit is, by this 
 policy, thrown into the imperial exchequer. 
 
 The Vulture {Ncsser). — Excepting the ostrich, this is the 
 largest bird in Africa ; it is common in all places where the 
 gum ammoniac plant grows, and it is said to feed on the 
 horned beetle which lives upon that plant. In the plains 
 east of El Araiche, where the plant abounds, I have seen at 
 least twenty of these birds in the air at once, darting down 
 on the insects with astonishing rapidity. The}' build their 
 nests on loftv precipices, high rocks, and in dreary parts of 
 the mountains. Mr. Bruce calls this bird the Nessir, or 
 golden eagle, but I apprehend he has committed an error in 
 denominating it an eagle, the generical name of which, in 
 the Arabic lansfuafje, is El Bezz. 
 
 The Ea2:Ie. — Bezz el Horreh desisinates the largest 
 species of eagle, with undescribably clear and beautiful 
 eyes of an orange colour. I shot one of these birds in 
 crossing the Atlas mountains between Marocco and Tero- 
 
 K
 
 G6 Herons. 
 
 flant, and altempled to preserve it for the purpose of sending 
 it to Europe, but it died on the third day. This is the bird 
 which is reported by the Africans to engender the dragon on 
 the female hyaena; a chimera originating undoubtedly in 
 some Arabian fable or allegorical tradition, though generally 
 credited by the inhabitants of Atlas, who athrin the dragon 
 thus engendered to have the wings and beak of an eagle, a 
 serpent's tail, and short feet like a hytena, the eye- lids never 
 closed, and that it lives in caves, like the hya?na. 
 
 Jfliite Herans (Bufiillel). — The white heron differs from the 
 (garde boeufs*) ox-keepers; it is called bufula in the singular 
 nun)bcr; the garde boeuf is called by the Arabs Teer el 
 bukkera, which signifies the. cow bird, as the large red-spotted 
 hiJard is called Erdara el bukkera, because it sucks the 
 cows' milk. A person might, however, easily mistake the 
 garde boeuf, for the white heron, as I did once myself; 
 but having killed about a hundred at diiferent times, I have 
 often shot the former for the latter; the Arabs always per- 
 suaded me they were not the same; and in fact so 1 found, 
 for I never saw a heron killed near a cow ; they are found 
 on the banks of rivers, where they feed on worms ; at a dis- 
 tance of fifty yards, thej'^are exactly the same in appearance; 
 the heron however, when examined, appears to differ in the 
 colour of the legs, which are black, whereas those of the garde 
 breuf are yellowish, or brown : the heron has two long narrow 
 feathers on the crown of the head, hanging over the neck, the 
 garde boeuf has none; the heron has from twenty to a hun- 
 dred aigrette feathers on its back ; the garde boeuf has noae. 
 
 • Vide Sonini's Travels in Egypt, page 217.
 
 The Stork, 67 
 
 With regard to what is said in the note below,* it may be ob- 
 served that the transposition or omission of one point or dot, 
 in the Arabiclanguage is sufficient to make bufula, bukula; 
 nay more, what is bukula in the west, is written the same in 
 the east, and pronounced bufula, for the k of the western 
 Arabs is ihe/of the eastern. But the curlew is called bukula, 
 and the white heron, or egret, bufula in the east, as well as in 
 the west. 
 
 The Stork (B'elharge.) — The general colour of the stork's 
 plumage is white, the extremities of the wings being tipped 
 with black ; they are from two to three feet in height from 
 the feet to the bill. During the summer, the old towns of 
 West Baibary are frequented b}^ these birds, which go gener- 
 ally in pairs : they are migratory, and when they do not re- 
 turn to their usual haunts at the accustomed season, it is con- 
 sidered ominous of evil. Any person that should presume 
 to shoot this sacred bird, would incur the resentment of the 
 V whole cil}^ and be accounted a sacrilegious infidel ; for 
 besides being of the greatest utility in destroying serpents 
 and other noxious reptiles, they are also emblematical of 
 faith and conjugal aifeclion, and on that account held in the 
 highest estimation by all true Mooselmin. They build their 
 nests, which are curious, on the lop of some old tower or 
 
 * I cannol suppress a smile when I recollect a trifling adventure to which 
 the egrets gave occasion in my journey from Rosetta to Alexandria with M. 
 Tott ; he took with him a surgeon, puffed up with folly and conceit, and 
 combining their knowledge of natural history', they had decided that the 
 numerous egrets, whose dazzthig whiteness (so interesting an emblem of 
 ' candour and virginity), consliluled the most beautiful ornament of the banks 
 of the Nile, were the Ibis or Curlews of the ancients; birds on which anti- 
 quity conferred the highest honours. Whatever 1 could say, tliey would not 
 relinquish ihelr opinion. Side Soniiii's Travels.
 
 68 The El Ro^r. 
 
 »' 
 
 castle, or on ihe terraces of uninhabited houses, where they 
 constantly watch their young, exposed to the scorching rays 
 of the sun. They will not suffer any one to approach their 
 nests. 
 
 The cities and towns of Mequinas, Fas, Marocco, Muley 
 Driss Zerone, Rabat, Salee, El Araiche, Azamore, and Saffy, 
 are annually visited by the stork ; there are none at Mogodor, 
 it being not only a new town, but situated on a peninsula, at 
 the extremity of vast heaj)s of moving sand, which separate 
 it from the cultivated country, and prevent serpents or other 
 noxious animals from harbourins there. 
 
 The Partridge. — This beautiful bird abounds in every part 
 of West Barbary ; it is larger, and finer feathered than that 
 of Europe; the legs are red. 'J'he Moors liave a peculiar 
 manner of hunting the partridge : in the plains of Akkermute 
 and Gibbel Hedded, in Shedma, they take various kinds of 
 dogs with them, from the greyhound to the shepherd's dog, 
 and following the birds, on horseback, and allowing them no 
 time to rest, they soon fatigue them, when they are taken 
 by the dogs : but as the Mooselmin eats nothing but what 
 has had its throat cut, he takes out his knife, and exclaiming 
 (Bismillah), " In the name of God," cuts the throat of the 
 game, and by letting it bleed destroys the tlavour; for this 
 reason game is not esteemed at the repasts of the Arabs, 
 where mutton and beef are preferred ; lamb and veal are un- 
 lawful, it being an injunction of the Mohammedan law to 
 eat nothing till it is full grown, which is one cause of the great 
 quantity of cattle which feed in the plains. 
 
 El Rogr. — This bird is similar to the English partridge, 
 having however darker plumage ; it is found only in arid
 
 Curlews. 69 
 
 stony places, where the shrubs are stunted, and in all (harushe) 
 plains or places covered with basaltic rocks ; but I believe no 
 where else, except when on the wing to drink at some river, 
 which they do regularly at noon and at sun-set ; basking 
 in the sun all the da}', and pecking at the harsh stunted shrubs 
 found in the above mentioned situations. The Rogr is un- 
 known in Europe, according to Dr. Broussonet, an eminent 
 botanist, for whom I shot some during his residence at 
 Mogodor, in the quality of French Charge des Affaires. 
 
 Pigeons. — Pigeons, denominated El Hammem by the Arabs, 
 are in prodigious numbers all over West Barbary, tame as 
 well as wild : the turtle dove (called El Imam) also abounds 
 in all the woods and gardens, adding considerably, by their 
 plaintive notes, to the soothing pleasures of the country. 
 There are immense quantities of wild pigeons in the island of 
 Mogodor, Avhich build their nests in the holes, and excavated 
 rocks of the island ; and as it is unlawful to shoot there, it 
 being the state prison of the empire, they are harmless and 
 domesticated. Early in the morning, they fly in immense 
 flocks, to the adjacent province of Halia, where they feed on 
 the corn and vegetables, during the day, and return about an 
 hour before sun-set. 
 
 The beautiful cream coloured dove, with a black ring round 
 its neck, is a native of Marocco and Terodant. 
 
 Curlews {Bukullel *). — These birds abound in various parts 
 of West Barbary, and are so numerous at El Waladia that 
 one would imagine it was the roosting-place for all the 
 curlews on the earth ; the peninsula which encompasses the 
 large bay of water at this place, being rocky and uninhabited,. 
 
 * Thisrts the pjuial ; the siiiguiiu- is Bukula.
 
 70 El Hage. 
 
 is full of all kinds of them; it is a very delicious bird when 
 the throat is not cut, and the blood thereby lost. 
 
 Tibih. — The sparrow, denominated Zuzuli, is rare in most 
 parts of Barbary, but the Tibib, which resembles it, is very 
 common; this little bird visits the houses ever}"^ morning, 
 coming into the rooms undismayed. It is originally an inha- 
 bitant of Atlas, from Avhence it Avas brought by an English 
 merchant* about twenty years since, to Mogodor, where the 
 breed has continued to multiply ever since. 
 
 The Crested Lark is common also in this country. 
 
 The Cuckoo, Deekuke, as it is called by the Arabs, is a 
 gray bird, with large black spots, having much feather, and 
 long wings, with a small and short body. They are esteemed 
 a delicacy by the Arabs. I shot some one day for the pur- 
 pose of tasting them, and I found them extremely delicate, 
 and not inferior to a partridge. 
 
 El Hage. — This is a small cinereous coloured bird, and 
 scarcely so large as the common blackbird : it lives upon 
 beetles and other insects of a similar kind, which it never eats 
 till they begin to putrify ; it frequents thorn}- bushes, on 
 the upper thorns of which it slicks the beetles, where remain- 
 ing till they begin to decay, the Hage, in passing through the 
 air, is attracted by their scent, and feeds upon them. The 
 argan-tree is the favourite resort of this bird ; on the top, 
 or some conspicuous part of which, it is generally seen, and 
 often alone, without its female. It is called El Hage, because 
 it accompanies the caravans to Mccca;-f- it is' therefore held 
 to be a sacred bird ; on this account it would be imprudent 
 
 * Mr. Wynne. 
 
 t Those who go lo Jilecca receive on their return, the title of El Hage, lo
 
 Fish. 71 
 
 to shoot it in presence of any Mooselrain. As they destroy 
 beetles and vermin they are certainly entitled to the deference 
 paid to them ; and are canonized, perhaps, from liaving 
 visited the tomb of Mohammed. 
 
 The Owl. — The owl of Africa (called Muka) is similar to 
 that of Europe, having the eye of a bright yellow. The 
 screech owl (called Saher,) is an ominious bird, and is super- 
 stitiously thought to be the forerunner of evih 
 
 risii. 
 
 The same variety of fish that is found in the Mediterranean 
 is caught on the shores of West and South Barbary.* Of the 
 fresh water fish, 
 
 Shebbel — is in most request ; it is similar to our salmon, 
 but neither so large nor so red in the flesh, though extremely 
 rich and delicate. Immense quantities are caught in the 
 rivers of Barbary, particularly those of El Kos, Mamora, 
 Tensift, and Suse : they are salted, or baked and preserved 
 for the supply of Bled-el-jerrede, and other places of the in- 
 terior, even as far as Soudan ; but the greatest consumption 
 of the dried shebbel is in Bled-el-jerrede, where the inhabitants 
 live for the most part on dates, as these fish are accounted 
 a corrective of any ill effects produced from eating immo- 
 derately of that fruit. 
 
 The people who catch the shebbel give to the Emperor a 
 per centage by way of duly. 
 
 Whales. — About the coast of Africa, from Agadeer to Ar- 
 guin, whales are frequently cast on shore,-f deluded perhaps,. 
 
 which (whatever their runk in life may be) is prefixed the appellation of Seedy,. 
 or Monsieur. 
 
 * Vide page 25. 
 
 + During my stay at MesRa, I saw two enormous jaw-bones of a whale 
 erected in the form of an arch, and on enquiring how lliey came ll»«re, was in-
 
 72 Fish. 
 
 like the unfortunate mariners, who being led away imper- 
 ceptibly by the impetuosity of a deceitful current, are ashore 
 before they are aware of being near the land. Whenever the 
 whale is cast ashore, ambergris is found on the land, and is 
 brought to Agadeer for sale. The Moors being very partial 
 to this perfume, consume all that comes to market; so that 
 none is sent to Europe. It is called in Arabic El Amber, 
 and is supposed to possess highly stimulating qualities, for 
 which purpose it is often infused in tea by the African Arabs. 
 
 formed that ihey had been there (min zeman) from time immemorial, and that 
 the fish was thrown on tlie shore, having a man in his belly, whose name was 
 recorded to be Jonah. Having laughed heartily at this whimsical story, I was 
 surprised to find my informant not only very serious, but desirous to impress my 
 mind with a belief, that there was no doubt of the fact. It has been handed 
 down, said he, by tradition, and nobody but a Christian would doubt the fact!
 
 [75] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Metallic, Mineral, and Vegetable Productions. 
 
 METALS AND MINERALS. 
 
 Cjold ond Silver Mines are found in several parts of the 
 Empire uf Marocco; but more particularly about Messa in 
 the province of Suse. Being once on a visit to the Vice- 
 gerent of this province, Alkaid Mohammed ben Delemy, at 
 Shtuka, and desirous to examine the country in the vicinity 
 of Messa, together with its mines, I requested an escort from 
 the Vice-gerent, to accompany me thither, which he readily 
 granted. On my arrival at Messa, I proceeded to the 
 southern banks of the river, where I was shown a gold mine, 
 which, I was informed, had been worked by the Portuguese, 
 Avhen they were in possession of this district, and who, pre- 
 vious to their departure, had thrown stones into the aperture, 
 which the Shelluhs had frequently attempted, in vain to re- 
 move. These stones were of an immense size, and it 
 would have required considerable mechanical powers to ef- 
 fect their removal. 1 was next conducted through the bed 
 of the river, when I discovered, on a bluish soil, two separate 
 strata of blue sand intermixed with silver dust ; of this I 
 collected a small quantity, and sent it to England to be 
 analyzed ; but such is the disposition of the people, that 
 they will not allow the sand to be taken away in any (juan- 
 tity for the purpose of extracting the metal ; though they 
 
 L
 
 74 Gold and Silver Mines. 
 
 make no use of it themselves, being unacquainted with the 
 proper method of refining it. 
 
 Near Elala and Shtuka, in the same province, there is a 
 very rich silver mine; but being situated between two elans, 
 they are continually fighting about it, and by this means 
 both parties are deprived of the benefit it ofiers. 
 
 There is another silver mine in the plains of Msegina, near 
 Santa Cru?: this was reported to the Emperor Seedi Mo- 
 hammed, to be extremely rich, and he accordinglj; sent some 
 persons conversant in minerals to inspect, and report upon 
 it. Previous to their departure, however, they were secretly 
 informed from the Emperor, that he wished to discourage the 
 working of this mine, lest the province might be thereby ren- 
 dered too rich and powerful, and the people be enabled to 
 throw off their allegiance. In consequence of this, after a 
 formal examination had been made, the mine was reported 
 to be good for nothing, and that it would not pay for the ex- 
 pense of working it. The entrance was then broken in, and the 
 Shelluhs, discouraged by thisunfavourable report, and not sus- 
 pecting the motive for destroying the mine, paid no further 
 attention to it. This mine had probably being worked by the 
 Portuguese, when they were in possession of Santa Cruz, and 
 Agurem. 
 
 Gold is also found in the Atlas mountains, and in Lower 
 Suse, but the mines are not worked.* 
 
 Suse also produces iron, copper, and lead ore. In the 
 
 * I procured many specimens of gold and siWer ores, from the different minei 
 in this empire, which 1 sent to Europe to be analyzed ; but the smallness of the 
 quantity precluded any considerable advantage from theanalyzation, and I had 
 aot a favourable opportunity afterwards of repeating the trial to a larger extent.
 
 Mineral Salt. 75 
 
 mountains of Adaultil, they have iron, which they ma- 
 nufacture theniseh'es into gun-barrels, and other articles. 
 At Tesellerst the copper n)ines are extremely abundant ; but 
 they work them only as they want the ore. The country 
 contiguous to Marocco produces salt-petre. In Tafilelt are 
 mines of antimony of a peculiarly fine quality; it abounds 
 also in lead ore. 
 
 Mineral Salt. — West Barbary, Blcd-el-jerrede, and parts 
 of Sahara, abound in mineral salt,* of a red colour, which is 
 dug from (juarries and mines. In the province of Abda there 
 is a very extensive lake, which furnishes salt of a superior 
 quality to the mineral; they are both exceedingly strong, 
 and are not fit to prepare meat with, having been frequently 
 tried ; this, however, may be owing to the unskilfulness of the 
 Moors in curing meat. 
 
 Near the cities of Fas and Mequinaz a similar salt is alsa 
 found; and a beautifully white and pure kind is procured 
 among the rocks, which bind many parts of the coast ; this 
 is produced by the summer sun, exhaling the salt water 
 "which lodges in the cavities. 
 
 Vast quantilies of salt are conveyed by the Akkabas to 
 Soudan, where none is produced, and on that account is so 
 valuable at Timbuctoo, that a pound weight is frequently bar- 
 tered for an ounce of gold dust. 
 
 Salt-petre. — This article, now prohibited from exportation, 
 
 * In many places are found mineral springs, some warm^ some hot, and 
 many of sulphureous, chalybeate, and other medicinal qualities ; at Fas there 
 is a mineral spring, said to be an infallible cure for the venereal disease, if per- 
 severed in during forty days successively; and it is accordingly resorted to by 
 people in all stages of that disorder, and, as 1 have heard, with complete effecL
 
 76 Figs. 
 
 except under certain restriclions, and particular gran Is, is the 
 produce of Fas, Marocco, and Terodant ; that of ^J'crodant or 
 Suse is the best, purest, and strongest, and in its unrefined 
 state is equal to that of Marocco when refined.* 
 
 yliUimomj (El Kahol). — There are two kinds of this mine- 
 ral; that Avhich is the best and most esteemed sells for double 
 the price of the common kind, and is the basis of the black 
 substance used by the African ladies to tinge their ej'cs, eye- 
 brows, and eye-lashes. The Atlas mountains abound with 
 ■ this antimony, particularly the eastern side of them, towards 
 Fighig and Tafilelt. The best kind is called El Kahol Filelly 
 (i. e. antimony of Tafilelt.) 
 
 Sulphur. — Before this mineral was imported from the Me- 
 diterranean, it was dug from the foot of Atlas, opposite to 
 Terodant, where there are immense quantities.-^ 
 
 FRUITS, PLANTS, &C. 
 
 Figs, called by the Western Arabs, Kermuse; there arc many 
 kir^s of this fruit, some of which are purple, others green ; 
 they are esteemed wholesome, and abound in every part of 
 the empire. At Terodant, Marocco, Fas, and Tetuan, they 
 are uncommonly fine, and of a sweet and delicious flavour ; 
 
 * It is probably owing to the deficiency of knowledge in African languages 
 among Europeans (which not only impedes, but often renders abortive, our 
 negociations with the Emperor) that we have been hitherto prevented from ob- 
 taining very considerable supplies as well of this as of many other useful 
 aricles, such as naval stores and provisions, from West Barbary. 
 
 f The Arabs of Woled Abussebali manufacture gun-powder of a quality 
 far superior to that of Europe; but they keep the process a secret. That 
 which is made by the Moors is, in general, of a very inferior quality, having 
 neither strength nor qui:kness.
 
 A Imontls. 77 
 
 those of Mogodor, however, are very inferior, as are most of 
 the fruits that grow in the environs of that arid and sandy 
 counlr}'. The Jews extract (mahayha,) an ardent spirit, fron\ 
 figs, which they drink im moderately whilst hot from the 
 alenibick ; but when they have patience to keep it a year or 
 two, it becomes a good spirit, and loses its heating and per- 
 nicious quality. 
 
 Indian Fig, or Pricklj/ Pear (Cactus Opuntia), called 
 Takanareete, by the Shelluhs, and Kermuse d'Ensarrah, by the 
 Arabs and Moors. The tree which produces this fruit grows 
 from ten to twenty feet in height ; its leaves, from the sides of 
 which the fruit springs, are thick and succulent, and impreg- 
 nated with a transparent mucilaginous juice, which, from its 
 peculiarly cooling and anti-inflammatory qualities, was much 
 used with gum ammoniac, during the plague, for cataplasms, 
 and fumigations. The Indian fig is very different from other 
 figs; wlien ripe, it is of an oval form, and of a colour inclin- 
 ing to ycliow; it has a thick succulent rind, so covered with 
 fine sharp prickles, as to render gloves, or some other sub- 
 stitute necessary, when peeling it. This fruit is of an extra- 
 ordinary refrigerating quality, and is, on that account, eaten 
 in the early part of the morning by the people of Haha and 
 Susc, where it abounds. In hot weather it is a grateful resto- 
 rative to the relaxed state of the bowels. The tree grows in 
 stony ai-id situations, and frequently affords refreshment to the 
 traveller, when he least expects to find so cooling a fruit. 
 
 Almonds. — The quantities of this fruit produced in the 
 province of Suse is incalculable, and have, latterly, been 
 much increased. A very small portion is exported, com-
 
 yS Hashisha, and Kief. 
 
 pared with what is consumed by the Arabs of the plains 
 south and east of Atlas. 
 
 Gum Sandrac-tvee. — Thuya, Arar, or Sandrac-tree, is pro- 
 bably the Arbor vitae of Theophrastus: it is similar in leaf to 
 the iuniper, and, besides producing the gum sandrac, the 
 wood IS invaluable, being somewhat like cedar, having a simi- 
 lar smell, and being impenetrable to the worna ; it is however 
 a harder wood, and would be a great acquisition in ship 
 building ; and there are means of procuring it. The roofs of 
 houses, and cielings of rooms are made of this wood.* 
 
 El Rassid. — A small plant little known, but used by the 
 tanners in the preparation of leather. 
 
 Tizi-a^ or Seuhai/ha. — A shrub about three feet high, used 
 also in the preparation of leather ; it grows near the Gibbel 
 Heddid in the plains-f- of Akkeermule, in the province of 
 Shedma. (Seethe map of West Barbary.) 
 
 Hashisha, and Kief. — The plant called Hashisha is the 
 African hemp plant; it grows in all the gardens; and is 
 reared in the plains at Marocco, for the manufacture of string ; 
 but in most parts of the country it is cultivated for the ex- 
 traordinary and pleasing voluptuous vacuity of mind which 
 it produces in those who smoke it: unlike the intoxication 
 from wine, a fascinating stupor pervades the mind, and the 
 dreams are agreeable. The kief, which is the flower and 
 seeds of the plant, is the strongest, and a pipe of it half th& 
 
 * See page l6. 
 
 t Harushe is a name applied in Africa lo all plains or places covered with 
 basaltic stones, bearing marks of some ancient convulsion of nature. These 
 places are interspersed ovev the Desert, or Sahara, and in other parts of Africa.
 
 Lotus. 79 
 
 si^^c of a common English tobacco-pipe, is sufficient lo intoxi- 
 cate. The infatuation of those who use it, is such, that they 
 cannot exist without it. The kief is usually pounded, and 
 mixed with (El Mogin), an invigorating confection, which is 
 sold at an enormous price ; a piece of tliis as big as a wal- 
 nut will for a time entirely deprive a man of all reason and 
 intellect : they prefer it to opium from the voluptuous sen- 
 sations which it never fails to produce. Wine or brandy, 
 they sajs does not stand in competition with it. The Hashisha, 
 or leaves of the plant, are dried and cut like tobacco, with 
 which they are smoked, in very small pipes; but when the 
 person wishes lo indulge in the sensual stupor it occasions, 
 he smokes the Hashisha pure, and in less than half an hour 
 it operates; the person under its influence is said to expe- 
 rience pleasing images: he fancies himself in company with 
 beautiful womem ; he dreams that he is an emperor, or a 
 bashaw, and that the world is at his nod. There are other 
 plants which possess a similar exhili rating quality, among 
 which is a species of the Palma Christi, the nuts of which, 
 mixed with any kind of food, affect a person for three hours, 
 and then pass ofl^. These they often use when they wish 
 to discover the mind of a person, or what occupies his 
 thoughts. 
 
 Snohar. — This is a plant much used by the tanners in the 
 preparation of leather : it grows on Mount Atlas and about 
 Tetuan. 
 
 Lotus. — The Lotus, or water lily, grows in the rivers and 
 streams of El Garb ; it is called by the Arabs Nufar. The 
 lotus, or nymphaea lotus, has often been mistaken for a very
 
 80 Tniffles. 
 
 different plant, called by tlie ancients Loiits, or Rhamnua Lotus, 
 and which served formerly for food to a certain people in 
 Africa thence named Lotophagi : this plant has no resem- 
 blance to the nymphoea lotus, which is a shrub similar in 
 appearance to the wild jujube, or buckthorn, and grows 
 about the Atlas mountains east of Marocco and 1 erodant. 
 It has been described by Mr. Mungo Park in his Travels ift. 
 Africa. 
 
 Mallows. — This herb is much used by the Arabian doctors; 
 and the fruit is eaten by the Arabs as antifebrile : the gene- 
 rical name is Kubbaiza.* The garden Jew's mallow, called 
 Melokia, is also much esteemed as a strong incentive to venery. 
 
 Surnag. — This vegetable grows on the declivities of the 
 Atlas mountains. The Moors drink a decoction of it for the 
 purpose of inciting them to venereal pleasure. 
 
 Truffles. — Tliis root, called by the Arabs Terfez, is some- 
 what similar to the potatoe, and about the size of a lemon; 
 it grows in sandy places, near the surface of the earth, Avhere 
 it is discovered by the light soil appearing swelled and 
 cracked. It is not planted, but grows spontaneously; some 
 are black, others white, but the former are the best; both 
 however, have a black rind, which does not peel off like 
 that of a potatoe, but is cut or pared like that of an apple. 
 
 * Sonini, in his travels in Egypt, called it hobez^; there is however no h in 
 the word but a guttural A; ( j^) an error originating in a partial, and but an orai» 
 knowledge of the Arabic language ; or possibly he had seen the word written 
 by a professed Arabian scholar, who frequently omils the puncutation, 
 wliicli he can make out by the tenour of the discourse : in this case the word 
 would have been written with the leller h (^).
 
 lEupJtoilium. 81 
 
 The Arabs, Moors, Shelluhs, and Jews, equally prize the 
 truffle; it is therefore in great demand, and used in all made 
 dishes, and is a very delicate, nutritious, and wholesome 
 food; Ihey are also highly stimulating, on which account 
 they are more esteemed among this amorous people, than 
 for their delicate taste; they are particularly palatable 
 with wine, and often introduced in the desert. They are 
 very good boiled in water or in steam. In Suse, Abda, and 
 Bled-el-jerrede, they are found in great abundance. The 
 season for them is March, when the storms of thunder pre- 
 vail. After a storm, the people repair to the sandy plains,, 
 and dig them up ; they then bring them to the towns, where, 
 from the great demand for them, they sell at a much higher 
 price than grapes, or any other fruit or vegetable. 
 
 GUMS, OILS, &C. 
 
 Eiiphorbium Fiirbiiine is the Arabic name of this gum, 
 
 which is produced by a very curious succulent plant, grow- 
 ing on the Atlas mountains, and called by the Shelluhs and 
 Arabs, Dergjmise ;* in its general form, it resembles a large 
 goblet (see Plate VII.), and is somewhat like a wild thistle. 
 From the main body of the plant proceed several solid leaf- 
 less branches, about three inches in circumference, and one in 
 diameter, from the top of which shoot out similar ones, eacli 
 bearing on its summit a vivid crimson flower ; these branches 
 are scolloped, and have on their outer sides small knots, from 
 which grow five extremely sharp, pointed thorns, about one- 
 third o^f an inch in length.f The stalk is at first soft" and- 
 
 * Probably the Euphorbiuin officinalis of Linnaeus. 
 
 t These adhere to every thing which louches them, and seem to have been; 
 
 M
 
 82 Euphorhhim. 
 
 succulent, but becomes hard in a iew 3'ears, when the plant 
 assumes the above mentioned form, and may then be consi- 
 dered at its maturity ; if cut in this state wilh a sword, it emits 
 a large quantity of corrosive, lacteous juice, which, if 
 squeezed between the fingers, will excoriate ; when old, the 
 plant widiers, and this juice becomes dry, and turns to pow- 
 der. The inhabitants of those parts of the lower regions of 
 Atlas, make incisions in the branches of the plants with a 
 knife, whence the juice issues, which, after being heated by 
 the sun, becomes a substance of a whitish yellow colour, and 
 in the month of September drops off, and forms the gum 
 Euphorbium. The plants produce abundantly only once in 
 four years, but this fourth year's produce is more than all 
 Europe can consume; for being a very powerful cathartic, 
 it is there little used. The people who collect the gum, are 
 obliged to lie a cloth over their mouth and nostrils, to prevent 
 the small dusty particles from annoying them, as they pro- 
 duce incessant sneezing. 
 
 The branches of the plant are brought to IMogodor, for the 
 use of the tanners, by the boats which go from thence to 
 Agadeer (where it abounds), and to it probably the Marocco 
 leather owes its reputed pre-eminence. It is also in great re- 
 quest among the women, as a depilatory. Though the plant 
 abounds at Agadeer, yet, either from the nature of the soil, 
 or the climate not being sufficiently hot, it is stunted, and 
 never comes to perfection. During the three years I resided 
 there, I never saw any gum attached to it. It flourishes in 
 
 inlended by nature, to prevent cattle from eating this caustic plant, which they 
 always avoid, on account of its prickles.
 
 rL,: 
 
 . J/^r// - ^//,y//V'/^vV Z/^^/// ■ 7///////W^f7/- . AO/ . 
 
 A /t^mt fJ ^ JC S^m^itrr 
 
 laf»Jor, I'tU'ii^fu^ Jla>tAj^m9 ^ S.leWyffioff.Fai/ MaU
 
 
 '/^'/// ■ //////// v/^J'( ■ . ^^w/f7^. 
 
 
 Mi.-'.-.Z' Pl^if M.J/
 
 Gwn Arabic. 83 
 
 stony mountiiinous situations, interspersed with rocks, whose 
 interstices are filled with a black loam of decomposed vege- 
 table earth. 
 
 Ammomacum, called Feshook in Arabic, is produced from 
 a plant similar to the European fennel, but much larger. In 
 most of the plains of the interior, and particularly about 
 El Araiche, and M'sharrah Runimellah, it grows 10 feethigh. 
 The Gum Ammoniac is procuied by incisions in the branches, 
 which, when pricked, emit a lacteous, glutinous juice, which 
 being hardened by the heat of the sun, falls on the ground, 
 and mixes with the red earth below ; hence the reason that 
 Gum Ammoniac of Barbary does not suit the London 
 market. It might, however, with a little trouble, be pro- 
 cured j)erfectly pure ; but when a prejudice is once esta- 
 blished against any particidar article, it is difficult to efface 
 it. The gum in the above-mentioned slate, is used in all 
 parts of the country for cataplasms and fumigations. The 
 sandy light soil which produces the Gum Ammoniac, al)ounds 
 in the north of Marocco. It is remarkable, that neither 
 bird nor beast is seen Avhere this plant grows, the vulture 
 only excepted.* It is, however, attacked by a beetle)- hav- 
 ing a long horn proceeding from its nose, with which it per- 
 forates the plant, and makes the incisions whence the gum 
 oozes out. 
 
 Gum Arabic. — The gum called Marocco or Barbarv gum, 
 is produced from a high thorny tree called Attalch, having 
 leaves similar to the Arar, or Gum Sandrac tree, and the 
 juniper. The best kind of Barbary gum is procured from 
 the trees of Marocco, Ras-el-wed, in the province of Suse, 
 
 * See page fi,5. 
 
 t See Plate IX. where it is represented of the natural size.
 
 84; Oil of Olives. 
 
 and Bled-lunnmer, in the province of Abda ; the secondary 
 qualities are the produce of Shedma, Duquella, and other 
 provinces; the tree groAVS abundantly in the Atlas moun- 
 tains, and is found also in Bled-el-jerrede. The gum, when 
 new, emits a faint smell, and when stowed in the ware-house, 
 it is heard to crack spontaneously for several weeks ; and 
 this cracking is the surest criterion of new gum, as it never 
 does so when old ; there is, however, scarcely any ditference 
 in the quality. The Attaleh is not so large a tree as the Arar, 
 which produces the Sandrac gum, nor does it reach the size 
 of the Aurwar tree, which produces the gum Senegal. It 
 has a low crooked stem, and its branches, from the narrow- 
 ness of its leaves (long and scanty), have a harsh, withered, 
 and unhealthy appearance, at the time it yields the most gum, 
 that is, during the hot and parching heatof July and August; 
 but although not an ornamental tree, it is a most useful plant, 
 and will always be considered valuable. Its wood is hard, and 
 takes a good polish ; its seeds, which are enclosed in a pcri- 
 carpium, resemble those of the lupin, yield a reddish dye, 
 and are used by the tanners in the preparation of leather. 
 These seeds attract the goals, who are verj' fond of eating 
 them. 'I'he more sickly the tree appears, the more gum it 
 yields; and the liotter the weather, the more prolific it is. 
 A wet winter and a cool or mild summer are unfavourable 
 to gum. 
 
 Oil of Olives. — The province of Suse produces great abun- 
 dance of this oil,* The people of Ras-el-wed make two 
 
 * The plantations of olive-trees in this province arc very numeroys: there 
 ii an extensive one in llic neiglibouiliood of Messa, the trees of which are of 
 great size and beauty, and are planted m a very whimsical and peculiar 
 manner. When I visited Messa, I enquired the cause of llicir being so ni-
 
 Oil of Olives. 85 
 
 «orts; Tabaluht, andZit-el-aud;* the former is made from the 
 olives when green, and nearly ripe, uith which they fre- 
 quently grind limes, or wild thyme. This oil is very rich, 
 and white, and not inferior to the best Lucca or Florence oil, 
 and might, with due attention, be made a considerable article 
 of commerce to this country. The Zit-cl-oud, is made from 
 the olives when quite ripe, and after they have laid on the 
 ground some tiiMe ; in this stale, they yield the greatest 
 quantity of oil, but it has a strong, and often a rancid taste, 
 which is not, however, disliked by the natives. It is used ia 
 Europe in the woollen and soap manufactories. , 
 
 ranged, and learnt from the viceroy's aide-de-camp, who attended me, lliat 
 one of ilie kings of the dynast^' of Saddia, being on iiis journey to Soud;ui, 
 encamped here, with his army ; that the pegs with whicii the cavalry ptckele^ 
 their horses, were cut from the olive-trees in the neigiibourhood, and ihat these 
 pegs being left in the ground on account of some sudden cause of departure of 
 the army, tiie olive trees in question sprung up from ihcm. I conftss, while L 
 acknowledged the ingenuity of the idea, (for ihe disposition of the trees exactly 
 resembled the arrangement of cavalry in an encampment), I treated it as fabu- 
 lous ; sometime afterwards, however, the following circimisiance occurred, 
 which induced me to think the story was not only plausible, but very credible ; 
 Having occasion to send for some plants for a garden which I had at Agadeer, 
 or Santa Cruz, the(fouliih) gardener brought, amongst other things, a few bits 
 of wood without an}- root or leaf, about 1-8 inches long, and three in circum- 
 ference, which he with a large stone knocked into tlie ground. Seeing the fel- 
 low thus employed, [ asked him what he meant by trifling in that way ? '' I 
 am not trifling,'' said he, " but planting ycur pomegranate trees." 1 began 
 to take them oat of the ground ; but some persons wao were near assuring me 
 that it was the mode in which tlicy were always planted, and that they would 
 (with the blessing of God) ti.ke root, and shoot forth leaves the ne.\t year, I 
 was at length prevailed on to leave a few in the ground, merely for experiment, 
 and they certainly did take root, and were in a fair way of becoming good \Jtci 
 »hen I left Santa Cruz ! 
 
 * Zil is the Arabic for oil, Zilitiic for olives.
 
 86 ritch. 
 
 Oil Arganic is also in abundance in Suse : it is much used 
 for frjing fish,* and burning in lamps. 
 
 Pitch. — The pitch of the Arabs, called Kitran, is obtained 
 from the wild juniper, which abounds in the Atlas mountains, 
 as well as in many parts of the champaign country : the man- 
 ner of obtaining it is thus: they dig a large and deep round 
 hole, in the side of which, near the bottom, they excavate 
 another in the form of a cauldron, which they plaister round ; 
 they then fill up the communicating aperture with stones or 
 bricks, leaving a small channel of communication ; the large 
 hole is then filled with the boughs of the wild juniper, which, 
 they call Togo, broken into small pieces, after which the 
 mouth of the furnace is closed up, and fire set to the wood ; 
 the sap, which forms the pitch, then oozes out of the burn- 
 ing boughs, and runs into the communicating hole ; when 
 the whole is cooled, it is taken out, and put into skins or 
 bladders. 
 
 * When used for frying fish, a quart of it should be boiled with a large 
 onion cut in quarters; and when it boils, a piece of tlie inside of a loaf, about 
 the size of an orange, should be put in, after which it should be taken off the 
 fire, and let stand to cool ; and when quite cold, should be strained through 
 a sieve; without this precaution, it is supposed to possess qualities which pro- 
 mote leprosy. Doctor Bareata.
 
 [87] 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Population of the Empire of Morocco. — Account of its Sea- 
 ports, and principal inland Towns. 
 
 Various and contradictory statements have been made 
 by travellers, of the population of this country. From all 
 the accounts which I have been able to collect on the sub- 
 ject, from authentic information, extracted from the Imperial 
 Register, of the inhabitants of each province, I think the 
 following as correct a statement as can possibly be made : 
 
 Inhabitants. 
 
 The city of INIarocco 
 
 Fas, old and new city 
 
 Mequinas 
 
 IMuley Driss Zerone 
 
 Teluan 
 
 Tangier 
 
 Arzilla 
 
 El Araiche 
 
 Ma mora 
 
 Salee 
 
 Rabat 
 
 270,000 
 
 380,000 
 
 110,000 
 
 12,000 
 
 16,000 
 
 6,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 3,000 
 
 300 
 
 I8,0(X) 
 
 25,000 
 
 Total 
 
 84I,3(;0
 
 88 
 
 Population. 
 
 Brnuoht over 
 El Mensoria, Fedalla, and .EI Kasser| 
 Kabeer J 
 
 Dar el Beida - - > 
 
 i\zamor _ _ _ _ 
 
 Mazagan, Tet, and El Woladia 
 SafFy, or Asfce . « _ 
 
 Mogodor, or Suerah 
 Santa Cruz, or Agadeer 
 Terodant _ _ - - 
 
 Messa . - - - - 
 
 Total population of the towns 
 
 The Province of Erreef 
 El Garb 
 Benihassen 
 Tedla 
 District of Fas, exclusive of the "1 
 cities or towns J 
 Duquella 
 
 Temsena, and Shawia 
 Abda 
 Shed ma 
 District of Marocco 
 Haha 
 Draha 
 
 Inliabitants, 
 
 841,300 
 1,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 " 1,000 
 
 5,000 
 
 • 12,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 300 
 
 25,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 895,600 
 
 200,000 
 20'),000 
 300,000 
 450,000 
 
 1,280,000 
 
 966,000 
 1,160,000 
 500,000 
 550,000 
 1 ,250,000 
 708,000 
 350,000 
 
 Carried forward 
 
 7,914,000
 
 Fopulation. 
 
 89 
 
 
 
 
 iDhahitants. 
 
 Brought forward, 
 
 - 
 
 7,914,000 
 
 
 Suse, viz. 
 
 
 
 Benitamer, 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 1 1 ,000 
 
 Idautcnan, 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 10,000 
 
 Msegina 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 87,000 
 
 Exima, 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 11,000 
 
 Howara 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 80,(.'00 
 
 Kitiwa 
 
 f 
 
 ■» 
 
 50,000 
 
 Shtuka 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 380,000 
 
 Ait Bamaran - 
 
 V m 
 
 - 
 
 300,000 
 
 Wedinoon 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 200,000 
 
 Ras el Wed 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 80,000 
 
 Elala - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 25,000 
 
 Seedi Hamed O Musa 
 
 sanctuary and d 
 
 istrict 20,000 
 
 Akka, and territory 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 10,000 
 
 Tatta, and ditto 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 10,000 
 
 Ufran, or Ifran 
 
 - 
 
 m 
 
 10,000 
 
 Ilirgh 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 10,000 
 
 Messa, and territory 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 10,000 
 
 Tesselerst 
 
 - 
 
 M 
 
 25,000 
 
 Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, and its district. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 includinii TiJdi, Tadderl, and 
 
 "i 
 
 maract. 
 Woled Busebbah, the part of that Ka- 
 
 byle, which now inhabits Suse 
 Ait Atter - _ . 
 
 Idaultit, - - - . 
 
 I 
 
 1,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 360,000 
 400,000 
 
 Carried over 
 
 10,005,000 
 
 N
 
 90 Population. 
 
 Ir)l)abIt.Tnt3, 
 
 Brought over - - 10,005,000 
 
 Inferior Kabjies, forming other parts) 
 of Suse, not specified } 
 
 336,000 
 
 lO.S-iljOOO 
 
 "} 
 
 3,000,000 
 
 Total. 
 The tribes of the Berebbers of North 
 
 Atlas altogether 
 District of Tafilelt - - - 650,000 
 
 Provinces of the Marocco Empire, West 1 
 
 of Atlas ] '"•'^'•'^ 
 
 Inland cities, towns, and ports - - 895,600 
 
 Total population of the whole empire, 1 , „„„ ^ 
 
 • 1 I T fii u 14,886,600 
 
 incJudmg lanlelt J 
 
 Persons who liave travelled through the country, unac- 
 quainted with the mode of living of the inhabitants, ma}^ 
 probably, consider the above as an exaggerated statement; 
 but it should be understood, that a stranger, in such cases, 
 sees little of the population, as the various douars of Arabs 
 are at a considerable distance from the roads, from Mhich 
 they always retire, to avoid the visits of travellers, whom they 
 are compelled, by the laws of hosplality, to furnish with 
 necessary provisions for three days, widiout receiving any 
 pecuniary remuneration ; of this fact travellers in general 
 have not been apprised, and have, in consequence, formed 
 calcula tionswhich represent the population very inferior 
 to what it actually is.
 
 Melilla. — Beilis de Gomaira. 91 
 
 The western coast of Marocco is defended with numerous 
 rocks, level witli the surface of the water, which extend 
 along llie shore in various parts, from the Streights of Gib- 
 raltar to Agadccr; wc find, however, occasionally, in the 
 intermediate places, an extensive beach, where the water is 
 shallow, and the surf runs high. The empire of Marocco 
 is separated from the regency of Algiers by the river JNJu- 
 luwia, which falls into the Meditcrranncan sea, in long. W. 
 from London, 1° iio'. 
 
 The seaports of this empire have but a limited commerce 
 with foreign nations; and are consequently neither very 
 extensive nor populous. 
 
 Proceeding along the coast of the Mediterranean, we come 
 to the town of Melilla, (the ancient Ryssadirium,) called by 
 the Arabs Melilla, in possession of the Spaniards, who have 
 a garrison here; the country, in its vicinity, abounds with 
 wax and honey, which latter is equal to that of Minorca, and 
 when kept a year, is nearly as hard and white as loaf sugar. 
 The Goths, in whose possession it was when the Arabs in- 
 vaded the country, abandoned it, and the latter, after retain- 
 ing it some years, forsook it to dwell in their teuls. The 
 Spaniards took possession of it about the beginning of the 
 15th century. It was besieged by Seedy Mohammed ben 
 Abdallah, Emperor of Marocco, in the year 17 74, but with- 
 out efi'ect. 
 
 The next town worthy of notice is Bedis de Gomaira, situ- 
 ated between two mountains, attl.e bottom of which there was 
 anciently a cily called Bedis, supposed to have been founded 
 by the Carthaginians. The Arabs call it Belis, and some 
 Europeans, by a corruption of the word, \'elis, the name
 
 92 Tetitan. 
 
 given it in most of our maps and charts. In the neiglibour- 
 hood of this place are forests of cxccllenl timber, with wliich 
 the Moors, before the Spaniard-, obtained possession of it, 
 built fishing vessels. 
 
 Proceeding from hence westward, we discover the river 
 Busega, near Tetuan, or Tctawan, as it is called by the 
 Arabs, where some of the Emperor's gallics occasionally 
 winter. About four miles inland from the roadstead, stands 
 the town of Tetuan, in the province of El Garb, inha- 
 bited by Moors and Jews, who, for the most part, s[)eak a 
 corrupt Spanish, in which language their commercial nego- 
 ciations are transacted. The environs of Tetuan abound in 
 gardens of the most delicious fruits ; here are grown the finest 
 oranges in the world, and they arc in great abundance] the 
 adjacent country abounds also in vineyards, the grapes of 
 which are exquisite, and in great variet}-. From the raisins 
 and figs the Jev^-s distil an ardent spiiit (called mahaya), 
 which, when a year old, is similar to the Irish usquebah, and 
 they prefer it to European brandy or rum, because it does not 
 (as they pretend) heat the blood : they drink immoderately 
 of this spirit, and generall}^ take a glass of it bt;fore eating. 
 
 Tetuan was founded, according to repoit, by the Africans, 
 and was a populous town at the time the Moors were driven 
 out of Spain. It was the place of residence for many of the 
 consuls of the European powers, till ihe year 17 70, when an 
 Englishman having shot or wounded a Moor, all the Euro- 
 peans were ordered to quit the place, and the Emperor Seedy 
 Mohammed declared, he would never suffer an European to 
 settle there again. It is remarkable, that in this declaration 
 he literally kept his word.
 
 Ceula — Tangier, 93' 
 
 This port carried on a considerable trade in provisions 
 with Gibraltar, as vessels are obliged to come here in pre- 
 ference to Tangier, whenever the wind is in the west, and 
 does not permit them to make the latter place; at this time 
 ships may lie in security, and our Heets ol'len water and vic- 
 tual here, as did that of the immortal Nelson, previous to his 
 victory in Aboukeer bay. 
 
 We next come to Cibta, or Ccuta, as it is called by Euro- 
 peans, which belongs to the Spaniards; it is situated near 
 (Jibbel D'Zatute) Apes mountain, called by the ancients 
 Abyla, one of the pillars of Hercules. 
 
 The town of Ceuta is probably of Carthaginian origin; 
 the Romans colonized it; it afterwards became the metro- 
 polis of the places which the Goths held in Hispania Trans- 
 Jrctana ; was next occupied by the Arabs ; and, in 1415, taken 
 by the Portugueze ; it is now in the possession of Spain. If 
 the Emperor Yezzed had succeeded in taking this place, which 
 he twice besieged about the close of the last century', without 
 success, his intention was to harass the trade of the European 
 nations, by fitting out gallies and rovers, for the purpose of 
 capturing and carrying the merchant ships into 'J'angier, 
 Tetuan, and Ceuta, as they passed through the Streights; but 
 the place is capable, on the land side, of resisting every at- 
 tack that ma}' be made upon it by the Mohammedans, unless 
 they were aided by some naval force. 
 
 The whole coast from hence to 'J'angier, the next town we 
 come to, is rugged, and interspersed with projecting cliffs, 
 Tangier, anciently called Tinjis, andTingia, and now, by the 
 Arabs, Tinjiah, is situated at the western mouth of the 
 Streights, and a day's journey distant from Tetuan. This
 
 P4i Tangier. — Arzilla. 
 
 town was first possessed by the Romans, next by the Goths, 
 and was given up by Count Julian to the Mohammedans. 
 It was taken in the iotlj century by the Crown of Portugal, 
 ■which ga\ e i», in l{/62, as a marriage portion with the princess 
 Cath(rine of P(irtugal, to Charles the Second of England. 
 The Engl.sh, however, finding the expenses of keeping it to 
 exceed the advantages derived from the possession of it, 
 abandoned it in iSs-i, after destroying the mole and fi>rlifi- 
 cations. It still retains some batteries in good condition, 
 facing the bay ; at the bottom of which is a river, and the 
 remains of the bridge of Old Tangier ; but the sand has so 
 accumulated at the mouth of this river, that tlie bridge, iiad 
 it stood, would have been now useless. 
 
 Tangier is favourable to Moorish piracy, even Avithout the 
 possession of Ceuta, being the narrowest part of the Streights ; 
 but it will never be a commercial town, having but few pro- 
 ductions in its vicinage. The Spaniards here ship eggs, fowls, 
 vegetables, and some fruits, but the chief exports are cattle 
 and edible vegetables, which are carried to Gibraltar for the 
 supply of the garrison : this supply is allowed by the Em- 
 peror, not perhaps from an}' predilection towards ns, (al- 
 though he apparently prefers the English to any other Euro- 
 pean power,) but because it was a grant from his great grand- 
 father J\J uley Ismael, whose successors have not infringed on 
 the ordinances of their renowned ancestor, the Mohammedans 
 having a great respect for the deeds of their forefathers. 
 
 Westward of Tangier is Cape Spartel, tlie headland which 
 divides the Streights from the western ocean ; after doubling 
 this Cape, at the distance of 15 miles, stands the little town 
 of Arzilla, called by the Carthaginians Zilia, and by the
 
 El Araiche. ' 95 
 
 Romans, who had a garrison here, Julia Traducta ; it belonged 
 afterwards t(^ the Goths, and hitlerly to the Alohamniedans. 
 Alphonso of Portugal, took it in llil ; but about the end of 
 the I6lh century, it was abandoned by the Portuguese, and 
 again fell into the liands of the Moors. A river discharges 
 itself at this place into the ocean ; but there is no trade car- 
 ried on. 
 
 Proceeding down the coast southward, we discover, at the 
 distance of 33 miles, the town of El Araiche, standing on the 
 river El Kos. El Araice, whence its name is derived, sig- 
 nifies, in the Arabic, flower, or pleasure gardens.* This was 
 formerly a town of some commerce; remains of the com- 
 mercial houses, which appear to have been large and spacious, 
 still exist. The adjacent country is very fine and productive, 
 and furnishes corn, wax, and oil, the two former in abun- 
 dance ; it also contains woods of full-grown trees, fit for ship 
 building. The river El Kos has a bar of sand at its entrance, 
 but is sufficiently deep to admit ships of 100 tons. The gar- 
 dens of the Ilesperides have been supposed to have been 
 situated here. 
 
 El Araiche was fortified about the end of the iGlh century 
 by Muley ben Nassar ; in 1610 it was given up to Spain, 
 and in 1 689 retaken by Muley Ismael. There is an excellent 
 market-place in the town : the castle, which commands the 
 entrance of the road, is in good repair, and the guns well 
 mounted, an uncommon thing in this country, and it is further 
 strengthened by several batteries on the banks of the river. 
 The French entered the river in 1765, but by a feint of the 
 Moors, they were induced to go too far up, when they were 
 
 * In distinction from El Bahaiia, whicli implies a kitchen garckn.
 
 gQ Majuora. 
 
 surrounded by superior numbers, and fell victims to their 
 own impetuosity. 
 
 Some foreign commerce was carried on by the nations of 
 Europe so late as the year 17 80 when the Emperor Seedy 
 Mohammed, for some reason unavowed, caused it to be eva- 
 cuated, and ordered the Europeans to quit it; some of whom 
 went to Mogodor, and others to Europe. 
 
 The larger vessels of the Emperor, which, however, are 
 but small, when compared to our ships of the line, generally 
 winter in a cove on the north side of the river, where there 
 are magazines of naval stores, sufficient for the equipment 
 of such force. The soil is sandy, and too loose to admit of 
 the erection of stocks for ship building. The road is not secure 
 in winter when the winds blow from the south and west, but 
 from A\)n\ to September inclusive, it is a safe anchorage. El 
 Araiche stands in 35° 1 i' N. lat. 
 
 Proceeding southward from El Araiche, we reach JMahe- 
 duma (or Mamora, as it is called by Europeans), distant sixty- 
 five miles, 'i'liis town is situated on an eminence, close to 
 the river, near the southern banks; it is a poor neglected place, 
 the ferrymen and the inhabitants of which subsist b}' fish- 
 ing for (Shebbel) a species of salmon, of which they take an 
 incredible quantity, for the supply of the interior, as well as 
 the neighbouring country, from the autumn till the spring. 
 
 The country hereabouts is a continued plain, in which are 
 three fresh-water lakes, one of which is 2,0 miles in length. 
 This country was formerly populous, but the incalculable 
 number of musquitos, gnats, nippers, and other annoj'ing in- 
 sects,* have obliged the inhabitants to quit the place. These 
 
 * See page 56,
 
 I 
 
 Sake. 97 
 
 lakes abound in eels, which are taken and saUed for preser^ 
 vation and sale; ducks and all kinds of water-fowl also abound 
 on them. Skiffs made of the fan palm and of rushes, about 
 T feet long, and 2 broad, are used by the tisherman, who 
 guides ihem with a pole, and pierces the eels with a lance, 
 or long dart, when he sees them in the water, which is not 
 deep. There are a few insulated spots in the largest lake, on 
 which are (Zawiat) sanctuaries, inhabited by the Alaraboots, 
 who are held in veneration by ihe inhabitants of the plains. 
 The plains and valUes are delightfully pleasant in the months 
 of March and April, but in June, July, and August, when 
 musquitoes are so indescribably troublesome, they are parched 
 up. On an eminence, at the southern extremity towards the 
 river Seboo, is a sanctuary and asylum for travellers, annexed 
 to which are several gardens and plantations of olives and 
 ©Imonds. The sand bank at the mouth of the Seboo has 
 partially disappeared, and perhaps a little nautical expe- 
 rience might make the river navigable with safety to ships of 
 200 tons burden. 
 
 Travelling to the south from Meheduma, at the distance 
 of 16 miles we reach Slaa, or Salee, on die northern bank of 
 the river Avhich is formed by the junction of the streams of 
 the Buregregb and Wieroo ; the river at Salee was formerly 
 capable of receiving large vessels; when going thence, how- 
 ever, a few years since, to Mogodor, the vessel which con*- 
 veyed me, being about 150 tons burden, struck three times 
 on the bar, and as the sand continues to accumulate, it is 
 hkely that in another century there will be a separation from 
 the ocean at ebb tide, as is the case in some of the rivers of 
 Haha and Susc, particularly that of Messa. 
 
 Salee is a walled town, having a battery of 2-i pieces of 
 
 o
 
 98 Rabat. 
 
 cannon, which commands the entrance of the river. To the 
 north of the town, in the plains, are the remains of many 
 gardens, and the ruins of a town, built by Mulej^ Ismael for 
 his (Abeed Seedy Bukaree) black troops. When I visited 
 Salee, I was conducted to the subterraneous apartment, 
 ivhere the Europeans were formerly confined, who had the 
 misfortune to fall into the hands of those miscreants :* it is 
 a miserable dungeon, though spacious. Salee stands in 
 34-^ 2' N. lat. 
 
 After crossing the river we enter the town of Rabat, which 
 is rather larger than Salee. European factories have been 
 established at diiferent times, in Rabat, but have been fre- 
 quently quitted, or altogether abandoned, on account of 
 some new order from the Emperor, the instability of whose 
 decrees, whenever they relate to commerce, is but too well 
 known; at other times these establishments have been ne-^ 
 glected from the insufficieny of supplies from Europe, owing 
 to a want of confidence in the security of property in a coun 
 try whose aflairs are directed too frequently by the momentary 
 impulse of a despotic fanatic, who often orders, judges, and 
 executes, without considering cause or consequence. Near 
 the entrance of the river, at Rabat, on an eminence, are to 
 be seen the ruins of an old castle, built by the Sultan EI 
 JMonsor, in the 12th century: some subterraneous maga- 
 i'ines, remarkable for their strength, being bomb proof, are 
 still preserved : there is also the remains of a small battery, 
 which defended the entrance of the river. Some batteries 
 were rebuilt here in 1774, on a more extensive plan, but 
 
 * It is well known that the vessels formerly fitted out by the town of Salee, 
 for the purpose of capturing the defencelesfi merchant ships of Europe, were 
 navigated by desperate banditti.
 
 Rabat. 99 
 
 the engineer has made the embrasures so close, that it 
 would be inconvenient to work the guns against an attack- 
 ing enemj'. At a short distance south of the castle, on an 
 elevated situation, is a square fort erected by Muley £1 
 Arshecd. The walls were built by the Sultan El Monsor, when 
 he resided here; they are about two miles in circuit, and 
 strengthened by square towers ; they enclose the castle, the 
 town of Rabat, and a large space of ground, where a palace, 
 and the mausoleum of Seedy ISIohammcd, the reigning Em- 
 peror's father, stand ; fakeers are continually praying, with 
 a loud voice, under the colonnade which surrounds the latter 
 building. 
 
 The town and walls of Rabat having been built by Spanish 
 •laves, taken by the Sultan El Monsor, in his wars with Spain, 
 arc not very strong; and it has even been reported that the 
 Christians expressly built the houses weak, that the roofs 
 might fall on the Moors, which, it is also said, actually hap- 
 pened, and the Emperor, in retaliation, ordered the same 
 Spaniards to be decapitated at the iron gate.* 
 
 This Sultan repaired the Roman well at Sheila, and built 
 a spacious mosque at Rabat, thereof of which was supported 
 by 360 columns of marble; toward the east were apartments 
 for those who had employment in tlie mosque. Many of 
 the rough marble columns are still remaining, broken and 
 scattered about ; there are also the remains of a large (milfere) 
 subterranean cistern, which was attached to the mosque, 
 the tower of which is called (Sma Hassen,) the tower of Beni 
 Hassen, so named from the province in which it stands. I 
 have frequently visited this curious tower, and once went to 
 ihe top of it with a very ingenious Frenchman, the Comle de 
 * One of the eD trances of the town.
 
 100 Bahaf. 
 
 Fourban ;* it is built of hewn stone, and is 180 feet in height; 
 the view from it is pleasing and extensive. It has a gradual 
 ascent to the top, made of a mixture of lime and sand, which 
 time has so hardened, that when the Emperor Seedy Moham- 
 med ordered the building to be destroyed (he having been 
 informed that it was a place of assignation to gratify illicit 
 passions), the workmen, after hammering at it for several days, 
 were able only to destroy a few cubits of the terraced floor ; 
 tlie Emperor afterwards came to Rabat, and having been 
 informed of the slow progress of the workmen, he himself vi- 
 sited the tower, and was so struck with the durability of the 
 work, that he ordered them to desist, and caused the entrance 
 to be closed up, which, however, has since been opened. A 
 man on horseback, may ride up to the top of this building. 
 At every two or three circles of the terrace are apartments, 
 built of solid stone. It is reported that this tower, the grand 
 tower at Marocco, and the tower of Seville in Spain, were 
 built after the same plan, and by the same architect, in the 
 J 2th century. At a small distance to the north of it, are 
 lo be seen the ruins of an ancient wall, on which were for- 
 merly erected a battery and castle. 
 
 The country, in the neighbourhood, is planted with vines, 
 oranges, and cotton of an excellent quality; at Rabat there 
 is a manufactory of cotton cloth, which is made more for 
 durability than sale. There are docks for ship building at 
 Salee, as well as at Rabat ; at the latter place, when I was 
 last there, the hulls of two sloops of war were nearly finished; 
 I went aboard of them, and was astonished to learn that they 
 
 * The Count was nephew to the Duke de Crillon, and had been confined in 
 Prance during the reign of Robespierre, but had eflecled his escape ; the rigour 
 his coafinement, however; brought on a disorder which carjied him off.
 
 Sheila. 101 
 
 had been built by a man who must have had a natural genius 
 for ship-building, as he built them 6// the ei/e, without the 
 use of rules and compasses, a circumstance which appeared 
 to me very extraordinary and incredible ; but I was re- 
 peatedly informed by many of the inhabitants of Rabat, 
 Moors, Jews, and Christians, that it was a known fact, and 
 might be ascertained by going to see the dail}^ progress made 
 in the building of them. 
 
 The road of Salee is dangerous for shipping, and the 
 accumulation of sand at the entrance, will scarcely permit a 
 vessel of 100 tons to enter the river without danger. Vessels 
 may lie in safety out of the river, near Rabat, from April till 
 September inclusive; but they are not secure the rest of the 
 year, the wind blowing from the southern quarter, and often 
 obliging them to quit their moorings. The best anchorage in 
 this season, is between the Mosque of Rabat and the old 
 Tower of Hassen, havin" the latter to the north. A ijreat 
 number of anchors having been lost, much attention must be 
 paid to the cables and buoys. Rabat stands in 34° 3' N. lat. 
 
 On the eastern side of Rabat is a walled town named 
 Sheila : this is sacred ground, and contains many Moorish 
 tombs, held in great veneration ; the town is a sacred asylum, 
 and is entered only by Mohammedans. Once, however, 
 when I was staying at Salce, an English captain dressed 
 himself in the Arabian habit, and accompanied by a confi- 
 dential friend, entered this sacred town, and viewed what 
 his guide told him were the tombs of two Roman generals ; 
 but he had not time to examine the inscriptions thereon for 
 fear of exciting observation. Sheila v.-as probably the Car- 
 thaginian metropolis on the coast of the ocean. Various 
 Roman and ancient African coins used to be continually dug
 
 103 Fedala. 
 
 up here, but the exorbitant price given for them by some 
 agents of European antiquarians, induced the Jews to imi- 
 tate them, which they did so correctly, that these amateurs 
 Avere deceived; and lately people have fallen into the oppo- 
 site extreme, being now so over cautious as to dispute even 
 the antiques themselves ; for this reason the Moors often 
 «ell them to the silver and goldsmiths, for their Aveight in 
 silver. The last time I was in Africa, I collected a number of 
 these coins, but the vessel, in which I was coming to England, 
 sprung a leak, and foundered ; and although I saved some 
 clothes, I could not get at the coins, which wei'e stowed 
 away in a secret part of the ship, to be secure from discovery 
 in the event of our falling in with any French privateer. 
 
 About twenty-five miles south of Rabat is a square build- 
 ing called (El Monsoria) the Building of El Monsor, it hav- 
 ing been erected by that sultan in the 12th century, as a 
 refuge for travellers during the night; as the adjacent country 
 is favourable to the depredations of robbers, and the people 
 of this neighbourhood have been noted, from time immemo- 
 rial, as mischievous plunderers. 
 
 Following the coast southward for 25 miles more, we 
 reach Fedala; where a peninsula, -which forms an indif- 
 ferent shelter to small vessels, has been called in some maps 
 an island. The Emperor Seedy Mohammed, before he 
 founded Mogodor, was desirous of building a city here. 
 The situation, as to country and produce, is delightful ; and 
 to encourage commerce, he caused the corn to be brought 
 from the Malamores* of the adjacent provinces, and allowed 
 it to be shipped here; it being cheap, he induced the mer- 
 
 * Subterraneous Taulls^ or holes made in the form of a cone, where corn is 
 /deposited, and being closed at the opening, it will keep thirty years or more.
 
 Bar el Beida. 103 
 
 chants to build houses, as a condition of their being alloAved 
 to export it ; but the place, although an excellent situation, 
 was abandoned soon after the corn was shipped, owing to 
 some ni'w whim of the Emperor; for such is the fickle insta- 
 bility of the Moors, that it is no uncommon thing in this 
 extraordinary country, to see a town deserted before the 
 buildings are all completed, and such indeed was the case 
 with this delightful place- The road here is, I believe, 
 with the exception of that of Agadeer, the only one where 
 ships may ride at anchor in security in winter, which is owing 
 to the land, south of the peninsula before mentioned, pro- 
 jecting into the ocean towards the west. 
 
 About twdve miles to the south of Fedala, is Dar el 
 Beida,* a town formerly belonging to Portugal, but now 
 in ruins, and consisting only of several huts. The plains in 
 the vicinage of Dar el Beida are so abundant in grain, that 
 when the old Emperor (Seedy Mohammed) reigned, he re- 
 ceived annually for duties on corn shipped at this place, five 
 or six hundred thousand Mexico dollars; but since the 
 accession of the present Emperor, and the consequent pro- 
 hibition of the exportation of grain, the soil here and elsewhere 
 lias lain fallow, as it Avould be useless for a people, whosN 
 mode of life renders their wants so fevf, to sow corn, without 
 having a market to sell it at ; and I myself know, that in 
 consequence of this prohibition, corn had become so cheap, 
 that many husbandmen, after the famine and plague in 
 1800 had subsided, let their crops stand, rather than be at the 
 expense of reaping them. 
 
 • Formerly called Anafa, probably from the quantity of anise-secd grown ia 
 tlie neighbourhood, anafa being ibe African word for anise-seed.-
 
 lO* Azamore.-^Mazagan. 
 
 Forty-four miles south of Dar el Beida, stands the town 
 of Azamore, in the Arab province of Duquella, at some dis* 
 tance from the mouth of the river iVIorbeya; the entrance to 
 this river being dangerous, the town of Azamore is not 
 adapted to commerce. The walls built here by the Por- 
 tuguese are still standing. It was beseiged in 1513 by the 
 Duke of Braganza, but abandoned by the Portuguese about 
 a century afterwards. 
 
 There is an immense quantity of storks here, insomuch 
 that they considerably exceed the number of inhabitants. 
 The air is very salubrious. 
 
 A little to the south of Azamore, on the northern extre- 
 mity of the bay of Mazagan, are the ruins of T^t, which sig- 
 nifies in Arabic Titus, and is therefore supposed to be the 
 ruins of the ancient city of Titus, founded by the Cartha- 
 ginians. On the southern extremity of this bay stands the 
 town of Mazagan, built in 1506 by the Portuguese, and 
 called by them Castillo Real, or the Royal Castle. There is 
 a dock on the north side of the town, capable of admitting 
 small vessels, but large vessels anchor about two miles from 
 the shore, on account of the Cape of Azamore stretching so 
 far westward, as, in the event of a south-west wind blowing, 
 they would not be able to clear it, if they lay nearer. 
 
 Mazagan was besieged by the Moors in 1562 inetfectually, 
 and in 1769 the Portuguese had resolved to abandon it, 
 when the Emperor Seedy INlohammed ben Abdallah laid 
 siege to it, and took it, the Portuguese having previously 
 evacuated it. The air of Mazagan is peculiarly salubrious; 
 the water is also excellent, and has a great etiect on horses 
 soon after their arrival here, after passing a country where
 
 El JValadia. 105 
 
 that element is very indifferent, and is taken up in buckets 
 from wells about 100 feet deep. 
 
 There still exists in this town a subterranean cistern, con- 
 structed b}' the Portuguese in a very elegant style, sufficiently 
 large to supply the garrison with water, which is collected 
 in the rainy season from the terraces of the houses, which 
 are made with a gentle inclination towards the cistern ; this 
 water becomes extremely clear, and the lime brought with it 
 from the terraces, clarifies and preserves it from worms and 
 corruption ; the cistern was somewhat damaged by the bombs 
 thrown into the town during the siege in 1769, but it still 
 serves the purpose of preserving the water. The vaulted roof 
 is supported by twenty-four columns of the Tuscan order; 
 and the descent is by stairs. 
 
 The exportation of corn and wax from this place was very 
 considerable in the time of Seedy Mohammed ben Ab- 
 dallah.* 
 
 At a short distance south-west of Mazagan, is an ancient 
 town, called Bureeja, whence the Moorish name Bureeja, 
 which they give to Mazagan. 
 
 Thirty-five miles south of Mazagan, is the town of El Wa- 
 ladia, situated in an extensive plain. Here is a very spacious 
 harbour sufficiently extensive to contain 500 sail of the line : 
 but the entrance is obstructed by a rock or two, which, it is 
 said, might be blown up; if this could be effected, it would be 
 one of the finest harbours for shipping in the world. The coast 
 of El \^'aladia is lined with rocks, at the bottom of which, and 
 between them and the ocean, is a table land, almost even 
 with the surface of the water, abounding with springs, where 
 
 • Father of Soliman the reigning Emperor. 
 P
 
 106 !Saffij. 
 
 every necessary and luxury of life is reared in abundance. 
 The view of this land from the plains above the rocks, is 
 extremely beautiful and picturesque. 
 
 The town of El Waladia is small, and encompassed by 
 a square wall ; it contains but few inhabitants. It may have 
 been built towards the middle of the 17th century by Muley 
 El Waled, as the name seems to indicate. 
 
 To the south of this, at the extremity of Cape Cantin, are 
 the ruins of an ancient town, called by the Africans Cantin, 
 probably the Conte of Leo Africanus. 
 
 Twenty-five miles south of El Waladia, we discover the 
 ancient town of SafFy, situated between two hills, which ren- 
 der it intolerably hot, and in winter very disagreeable, as 
 the waters from the neighbouring mountains, occasioned by 
 the rains, discharge themselves through the main-street into 
 the ocean, deluging the lower apartments of the houses ; and 
 this happens sometimes so suddenly and unexpectedly, that 
 the inhabitants have not time to remove their property from 
 the stores. 
 
 The walls of Saffy are extremely thick and high ; it was 
 probably built by the Carthaginians ; but in the beginning 
 of the 16th century it was taken by the Portuguese, who 
 voluntarily quitted it in 1641, after having resisted every 
 effort of the Mooselmin princes, who endeavoured to take it. 
 The road is safe in summer; but in winter, when the winds 
 blow from the south or south-west, vessels are obliged to run 
 to sea, which I have known some to do several times in the 
 course of a month whilst taking in their cai^goes. 
 
 There are many sanctuaries in the envir6ns of Saffy, on 
 Tvhich account the Jews are obliged to enter the town bare-
 
 /Vk// hm^f//r '^///e/^y/^T^f'f//^^^^ \y/m't^^P^/^///^///J /?yv// /)(<• A/r/i^J //Sf////m//yf' 
 
 \ 
 
 IN THE Province of Shedma . 
 
 I Ciri'iilar niiiiiiipnmit ••t'Aitih.t 
 -:. Tfiinif.l Jhuii ,'r\'lie/aaTiiiitr 
 .h-.xi,-,-,,;! f.i (he ploffii. 
 
 3 (uviiliu- •7munfi'inil I'r'.hu/'x at •i tIi.Tf.mcr: 
 
 4 r.ilm Pr-D.rfr Ti\-r.f 
 
 h Simriitmy ut ihr Ay •>t' tht Sim 2hituibiina. 
 
 •n,iit /\ti-bifiiJMirirl,i^ig09 fy ll'6JtH*ult fnU-X^. 
 
 L
 
 River Tensift. 10 7 
 
 footed, taking off their sandals, when they approach these 
 consecrated places, and if riding they must descend frouj 
 their mule, and enter the town on foot. Tlie people of Saffy, 
 although it has been a place of considerable trade, particu- 
 larly in corn, are inimical to Kuroj)eans, fanatical, and bi- 
 gotted, insomuch that till lately. Christians found it an un- 
 pleasant residence. The sui rounding country abounds in 
 corn, and two falls of rain a vcar are sufficient to brinw the 
 crops to maturity. 
 
 South of Saffy, we come to a defile close to the road, 
 where only one person can pass, called (Jerf el Eudee) the 
 Jew's Cliff, so named, as it is reported, from a Jew, who, ia 
 passing, slipped, and fell down the cavity, which is some 
 hundred feet deep. 
 
 Sixteen miles south of Saffy, we reach the river Tensift, 
 which rises in the Atlas mountains north-east of the city of 
 Marocco, and meanders through the country, till it dis- 
 charges itself into the ocean, near an old ruined town called 
 Suera, now uninhabited. Travellers pass the Tensift in sum- 
 mer on horseback; but in the rainy season, when the banks 
 are inundated, a number of inflated goat skins are fixed upon 
 reeds, and attached together with (shreet) ropes made of 
 the fan pahn, or bastard date tree, on which the baggage 
 and people are placed, and, in passing, drift down to a sijuare 
 fort, surrounded by trees, on the opposite side of the river, 
 built by Mulcy Ismael, for the accommodation of travellers. 
 Proceeding through the plains of Akkeernmte, we discover 
 the ruins of a laruc town near the foot of Jibbel el IJeddid,* 
 
 • These moiinlaiiis are said to abound in iron, and are covered with red 
 bole.
 
 J 08 Mogodor. 
 
 depopulated by the plague about 50 years since ; and after 
 a journey of 48 miles from the river, we reach Mogodor, 
 built by the Emperor Seedy Mohammed ben Abdallah ben 
 Ismael, in 1760, and so named from a sanctuary in the ad- 
 jacent sands, called Seedi Mogodol; but the proper name is 
 Saweera, a name given by the Emperor in allusion to its 
 beaut}', it being the only town altogether of geometrical 
 construction in the empire. 
 
 Mogodor is built on a low flat desert of accumulating 
 sand, which separates it from the cultivated country, and is 
 defended from the encroachment of the sea by rocks, which 
 extend from the northern to the southern gate, though at 
 spring tides it is almost surrounded. There are two towns, 
 or rather a citadel, and an outer town ; the citadel (Luksebba) 
 contains the custom-house, treasury, the residence of the AI- 
 kaid, and the houses of the foreign merchants, together with 
 those of some of the civil officers, &:c. The Jews who are 
 not foreign merchants are obliged to reside in the outer 
 town, which is walled in, and protected by batteries and 
 cannon, as well as the citadel. 
 
 The wind being high all the summer, with little intermis- 
 sion, nothing will grow here in sufficient quantity to supply 
 the inhabitants, all kinds of fruits and vegetables are therefore 
 brought from gardens from four to twelve miles distant; and 
 the cattle and poultry are also brought from the other side 
 of the sandy hills, where the country, although interspersed 
 with (Harushe) stony spots, is yet capable of producing every 
 necessary of life. The insulated situation of Mogodor, and 
 the want of fresh water, which is brought from the river a mile 
 and a half distant, deprive the inhabitants of all resource,
 
 1
 
 Mogodor. 109 
 
 except that of commerce, so that every individual is sup- 
 ported directly or indirectly by it: in this respect it differs 
 from every other port on the coast. The island which lies 
 southward of the town is about two miles in circumference, 
 between which and the main-land is a passage of water, 
 where the ships anchor; but as there is but ten or twelve 
 feet at ebb tide, ships of war, or those of great burden, 
 do not enter the port, but lie at anchor about a mile and a 
 half west of the (Skalla) Long Battery, Avhich extends along 
 the west side of the town towards the sea. This battery was 
 constructed by a Genoese, and is perhaps more remarkable 
 for beauty than strength, and better calculated for olTensive 
 than defensive operations. Proceeding southward, towards 
 the entrance of the road, we come to a circular battery, on 
 which is a curious gun taken by General Lord Healhfield, 
 during the siege of Gibraltar; the carriage is in the form of 
 a lion, opens in the middle, and contains the gun within it.* 
 
 Within the harbour, at the landing-place, are two long 
 batteries mounted with very handsome brass eighteen 
 pounders, which were presented to the Emperor Seedy 
 Mohammed, by the Dutch government. The town is de- 
 fended on the land-side by a battery of considerable force 
 to the eastward of it, and is fully adequate to keep the 
 Arabs at a distance. 
 
 Various opinions have been given of the strength of Mo- 
 godor by the different naval officers who have visited it, and 
 with whom I have gone round the fortifications by permis- 
 sion of tlie Governor of the citadel ; 1 think the best one is, 
 
 * A ship-load of corn, free of duty, was given hy the Emperor to the person 
 who presented him with this gun.
 
 1 10 Mogoilor. 
 
 that if the works were all completely mounted, and well 
 manned, it would require six or seven large frigates to cap- 
 ture, or rather destroy the place ;* for if it were entered by 
 storm, a dreadful slaughter would be made among the as- 
 sailants by the inhabitants from the tops of the houses, 
 every house being a battery from whence the most de- 
 structive fire might be kept up with small arms. This was 
 the case when the Arabs of Shedma, headed by their 
 Sheiks, entered the town one Friday afternoon after prayers.-f- 
 The cause was this: some persons in the town being dissa- 
 tisfied with the Governor, who was a Bukarie black, or 
 slave, and not a (horreh) freeman, engaged the Bashaw of 
 Shedma :;}: to enter the town with the chiefs of his province, 
 assuring him, the people were well disposed towards him, 
 and would, in the event of his forcing an entrance, give up 
 
 • When Commodore Crosby, iu his Majesty's ship Trusty, accompanied by 
 three small frigates, came down to Mogodor, he anchored off the Long Bat- 
 tery, at about a mile and a half distant; at this time the town was so little 
 prepared for defence, that the guns were not mounted, and when they began 
 to do this, they were half an hour in mounting one ! It was under:>tood that 
 the Commodore's orders were indefinite; he was to act according to cir- 
 cumstances ; but the Governor was apprised by the Emperor of the probabilitj 
 of a visit from the English, and had received orders at the same time to treat 
 them in a friendly manner ; cattle and other provisions were accordingly sent 
 off to the ships, and all hostile operations were thus prevented; the Com- 
 modore departed on the third day after his arrival; and the two nations con- 
 tinued on friendly terms wilh each other. 
 
 <f- In all Mohammedan countries in Africa, the gates of the town are shut on 
 the Friday during prayers, on account of an ancient superstitious tradition 
 among the people, that their country will be attacked by the Christians, and 
 taken from them by surprise, at that time. 
 
 X The Bashaw Billa.
 
 Mogndor. 1 1 1 
 
 the government to him, thereby securing to the town the 
 necessary supphcs of provisions, with which it had of late 
 been but ili su|)pHecl, owing to the enmity between the 
 Alkaid of the town, and the Basliaw of the neifhbourinf' 
 province. Things being ripe for execution, the army of 
 Arabs secreted themselves behind the loose sand hills in 
 the hollows, about a mile from the town, whilst the Bashaw 
 and chiefs rode in, and reached the entrance gale, just as it 
 was opened after prayers, and secured the gate keepers, 
 until about 17 or 18 of the chief Arabs of the province 
 had passed into the town ; by this time the inhabitants 
 made a desperate push, and got the gate closed again, and 
 the chiefs running about the streets, were fired upon by the 
 armed populace from the tops of the houses, until the whole 
 Avere killed. The Bashaw took refus-e in an old house near 
 the Haha gate, and offered a large sum of money if they 
 would spare his life, but to no purpose ; he was shot by the 
 rabble. In the mean time the scouts from the army secreted 
 in the bottoms seeing no signal from the town for their ap- 
 proach, were dismayed, and too soon found it necessary to 
 return to their homes, with the loss of the flower of the pro- 
 vince, the most undaunted warriors, who had so often sig- 
 nalized themselves against their neighbours, the Abda and 
 Haha clans. The Arabs entered the town one by one, with 
 fixed bayonets, a very unusual thing in that country, and the 
 whole was conducted in so private a manner, that whilst I 
 was walking round the town with Mr. C. Layton, we met 
 the Bashaw, who saluted us (for he was attached to the En- 
 glish) and said we had nothing to fear, that all would termi- 
 nate to our satisfaction before the morning. As the balls were
 
 112 Mogodor. 
 
 flying in all directions, we went to the battery at the landing- 
 place, and there remained till the tumult was over; and when 
 we returned again into the town, were received by the Go- 
 vernor wiih compliments of congratulation on our escape. 
 
 The houses at Mogodor are built as in other towns of 
 the empire; but those of the foreign merchants are more 
 spacious, having from eight to twelve rooms on a floor, 
 which are square or long, and open into a gallery which 
 goes round the house on the inside, forming an opening in the 
 centre, which is appropriated to the transacting of business, 
 and warehousing of goods. The roofs are flat and beat down 
 with terrace, a composition of lime and small stones, and 
 when this is properly done, it will remain several years with- 
 out admitting the rain, provided it be washed over once 
 every autumn with lime white-wash: these terraces serve to 
 walk on to take the air, and are preferable to the walks out 
 of the town, where there is nothing but barren sands drifting 
 with the wind. When however the trade-wind does not blow 
 strong, which is but seldom the case, during the summer 
 months, one may walk without being annoyed with the sand. 
 
 Mogodor has a very beautiful appearance at a distance, 
 and particularly from the sea, the houses being all of stone, 
 and white : but on entering the streets, which cross each other 
 at right angles, we are greatly disappointed, for they are 
 narrow, and the houses having few windows towards the 
 street, they have a sombre appearance. 
 
 In case of an attack, Mogodor would find some difficulty 
 in procuring water, which is brought from the river ; there 
 is a very spacious cistern under the battery, at the water- 
 port gate, which is never used but on emergency ; it is filled
 
 Agadccr. 113 
 
 "by the rain water, which falls into it from the various com- 
 municating terraces. 
 
 The Emperor Seedy Mohammed, to impress on the minds 
 of his subjects, his desire to make Mogodor the principal com- 
 mercial port on the ocean, ordered the Bashaw Ben Amaran, 
 and others of the great officers about his person, to bring him 
 mortar and stones, whilst he with his own hands began to build 
 a wall, which is still to be seen on the rocks west of the town ; 
 and, in order to encourage the merchants to erect substantial 
 houses, gave them ground to build on, and allowed them to 
 ship produce free of dut}', by way of remuneration for their 
 expenses. This is the only port which maintains a regular and 
 uninterrupted commercial intercourse with Europe. 
 
 A winter seldom passes but some ships are driven ashore 
 here by the south-west winds, and this happens generally 
 between the 20th of December, and the 30lli of January, 
 old style, the season called Liali by the Arabs, and is the 
 only period dangerous to shipping in the bay. 
 
 Proceeding to the south along the coast, the next port we 
 reach is Agadecr, or Santa Cruz, called in the lime of Leo 
 Africanus, Guertguessem ; it is the last port in the Emperor's 
 dominions, on the shores of the Atlantic. The tovrn, which 
 stands on the summit of the mountain, is strong by nalure, 
 and its walls are also defended by batteries ; but the principal 
 battery is at a short distance from the town, down the moun- 
 tain, and was originally intended to protect a fine spring of 
 fresh water, close to the sea; this battery also connnands the 
 approach to the town, both from the north and south, and 
 the shipping in the bay. The town called by the Portuguese 
 Fontc, is still standing at the foot of the mountain, and the 
 
 Q
 
 Hi Agadecr. 
 
 arms of that nation are yet to be seen in a building erected 
 over the spring. 
 
 Santa Cruz was walled round and strengthened by bat- 
 teries in 1503, by Emanuel, king of Portugal, but it Mas 
 taken from the Portuguese by the Moors in Jo36\ 
 
 The bay of Agadecr is probably the best road for vessels 
 in the empire, being large, and well defended on every side 
 from all winds : it abounds in fish, immense quantities of 
 which are caught by the inhabitants of the town, and pre- 
 pared in ovens, for transportation to the interior.* 
 
 In the reign of Muley Ismael, Agadeer was the centre of 
 a very extensive commerce, whither the Arabs of the De- 
 sert, and the people of Soudan, resorted to purchase various 
 kinds of merchandize for the markets of the interior of 
 Africa ; and caravans Avere constantly passing to and from 
 Timbuctoo. The natural strength of the place, however, 
 its imposing situation, and capability of resisting any force, 
 excited the jealousy of the Emperors, which was confirmed 
 in 177s by the inhabitants becoming refractor}', and Talb 
 Solh, the governor, refusing to deliver it up. On learning 
 this, the Emperor Seedy Mohammed immediately levied an 
 army, and marched from Marocco against it; the place did 
 not make a long resistance, for the rebellious governor, find- 
 ing it impossible to withstand the imperial army, yielded to 
 the persuasions of the chiefs to accept an invitation the 
 Emperor had sent him to come and declare his allegiance, 
 as on doing that he should receive his pardon ; he accord- 
 ingly repaired to Taraaract, but found, too late, that this was 
 
 * T have seen the fishertnen draw more fish at one haul of the net, than a. 
 boat could carry.
 
 JVedinoon. 115 
 
 only a stratagem to seize his person, as he was immediately 
 imprisoned ; but procuring, by the assistance of a friend, a 
 pen-knife, which was sent to him, baked in a loaf of bread, 
 be with this terminated his existence, and the town soon 
 after surrendered. The merchants were allowed but a short 
 lime to collect together their effects, when they were ordered 
 to proceed to Mogodor, where the Emperor, as before men- 
 tioned, encouraged them to build houses. 
 
 Bn/ond Saiiia Cruz there is no port frequented by shipping : 
 thae is a tract of coast, however, which holds old great encou- 
 ragement to commercial enterprize, and secure establishments 
 might be effected upon it, which xcould amplij remunerale the 
 cnterprizing speculator ; the people of Suse are also well disposed 
 tozcards Europeans, particularly the English ; and the commu- 
 nication, and short distance, between this place and the provinces, 
 or districts, zchere most of the valuable products of Barbary are 
 raised, render it peculiarly adapted to trade. 
 
 From Santa Cruz southward the sovereignty of the Em- 
 peror slackens, so that at Wedinoon it is scarcely acknow- 
 ledged, and the ditficully of passing an army over that 
 branch of the Atlas which separates Suse from Haha, secures 
 to the Wedinoonees their arrogated inde[)endence. There 
 are but two roads fit for shipping between Santa Cnv/. and 
 Cape Bojador, an extent of coast, for the most part desert, 
 of seventy leagues, the whole of which is inhabited by va- 
 rious tribes of Arabs, who have emigrated at ditl'erent pe- 
 riods from the interior of Sahara, and pitched their tents 
 wherever they could find a spot capable of aflbrding pasuirc 
 to their flocks. All alono- this danu;erous and deceitful coast, 
 there are rocks even with, or very near, the surface of the
 
 1 1 6 Wedinoon. 
 
 > 
 
 water, over which the waves break violently; and the rapi- 
 dity of the currents which invariably set in towards the land, 
 too often drive vessels ashore here.* 
 
 In these southern climates the people are more super- 
 stitious than in the northern provinces, the heat intlaming 
 the imagination, ijiuUipiies the number of fanatics, who un- 
 der the name of Fakeers, or saints, impose on the credulity 
 of the people ; lliey have but few mosques, and therefore pray 
 in the open air, or in their tents. Here we see horses, camels, 
 and other beasts, living together with men, women, and chil- 
 dren indiscriminately. When they are in Avant of water for 
 their religious ablutions, they substitute the use of sand. 
 These restless people are continually at war with their neigh- 
 bours, which originates in family quarrels ; plunder keeps 
 them incessantly in motion, and they traverse the Desert to 
 Soudan, Tin)buctoo, and Wangara, with as little preparation 
 as we should make to go from London to Ilampstead ! 
 
 Wedinoon is a kind of intermediate depot for merchan- 
 dize on its way to Soudan, and for the produce of Soudan 
 going to INIogodor. Gums and wax are produced here in 
 abundance; and the people living in indepcndance, indulge 
 in the luxuries of dress, and u3e many European commo- 
 dities. A great quantity of gold dust is bought and sold 
 at Wedinoon. They trade sometimes to Mogodor, but pre- 
 fer selling their merchandize on the spot, not wishing to trust 
 their persons and property within the territory of the Emperor 
 of Marocco. With Timbuctoo, however,, they carry on a con- 
 stant and advantageous trade, and many of the Arabs are 
 immensely rich ; they also supply the Moors of Marocca 
 
 * See Ch.'ipter XIH.
 
 Morocco. 117 
 
 uith (statas) convoys through the Desert, in their travels to 
 Tiiiibuctoo. 
 
 Some of the more enlightened merchants of JNIogodor, 
 towards the close of the last century, had a great opinion of 
 an establishment somewhere on this coast, between the lati- 
 tude 21° and 30° north ; but a famine, and afterwards a most 
 destructive plague, added to various other incidents, con- 
 spired to prevent the execution of the plan. It is certain 
 that a very profitable commerce might be carried on with 
 these people; and most probably Bonaparte, if he succeed 
 in the final conquest of Spain, will turn his mind decidedly 
 to an extensive factory somewhere here, which (besides many 
 advantages, which existing circumstances prevent me ex- 
 plaining here) would etfectually open a direct communicatioa 
 ■with Timbuctoo, and Soudan, and supply that immense ter- 
 ritory with European manufactures at the second hand, 
 ■which they now receive at the fifth and sixth. 
 
 Ilavina: said duis much about the coast, we will proceed 
 to describe the principal inland towns, viz. Marocco, Me- 
 quinas, Fas, and Terodant. 
 
 MAROCCO. 
 
 The city of Marocco is situated in a fruitful plain, abound- 
 ing in grain, and all the other necessaries of life, and depas- 
 tured by sheep and cattle, and horses of a sujierior breed, 
 called (sift Ain Toga) the breed of Ain Toga. At a distance, 
 the city has a beautiful and romantic appearance, the adja- 
 cent country being interspersed with groves of the lolty 
 palm, and the towering snow-topped mountains of Alias, ia
 
 1 1 8 Tresent State of the CUy of Morocco. 
 
 the back-ground, seem to cool the parched and wcaiv a- 
 veller reposing in tlie plains; for although none 
 
 " Can hold a fire in his hand, 
 
 " By thinking on the fiosty Caucasus," Shakspearii. 
 
 yet, in the sultry season, the traveller, by viewing these 
 mountains, experiences a sensation difficult to bedescribed. 
 The lily of the valley, the tleur-de-lis, lupins, roses, jonquils, 
 mignonct, jasmines, violels, the orange and citron flowers, 
 and many others, grow here spontaneously ; and in the 
 months of March and April, the air in tlie morning is 
 strongly perfumed with their grateful and delicious odours. 
 The fruits are, oranges of the finest flavour, figs of various 
 kinds, water and musk mellons, apricots, peaches, and va- 
 rious kinds of grapes, pears, dates, plums, and pomgranates. 
 The city of Marocco was founded in the 424th year of the 
 Hejira* (1052) by Jusuf Teshfin, of the family of Luntuna, a 
 tribe of Arabs inhabiting the plains east of Atlas, on the way 
 to Tafilclt; and in the time of his grandson, Aly ben Yusif, 
 it is said to have contained a million of inhabitants ; latterly, 
 however, it has been much depopulated, and owing to the 
 devastations of succeeding conquerors, retains little of its 
 ancient magnificence, except its general form ; and the accu- 
 mulated ruins of houses and gardens within the town, which 
 were once the sites of habitations, indicate its decay. It is 
 surrounded by extremely thick walls, formed of a cement of 
 
 * It appears from the testimony of the Moors as well as the Berebhers, that 
 Marocco is a more ancient town than Fas: we have not, however^ any written 
 account of it previous to the 424th year of the Hejira.
 
 riM^ i 
 
 /I'tliTH ^. -I'./aM.-, 
 
 '^/?,j r/ 
 
 ^ M. 
 
 WJ .
 
 > 
 
 1 (intitiWmetunpmfTit "f -inth^f 'Irntr 
 
 ^ drove orTabn orlhite Ti>..t 
 
 .1 ^Mi.f S^0iuititin.r .
 
 Imperial Palace and Gardens of Morocco. 119 
 
 lime and sandy earth,* put in cases, and beaten together with 
 square rammers. These walls were in many places broken, 
 and decayed, so that horses might pass through them ; but 
 the breaches were repaired previous to the siege and capture 
 of the city by ]\Iuley Yezzid, in February, 1792. Some of 
 the houses are built with much elegance and taste, but beinjj 
 all behind high walls, they are not visible from the street; 
 and these outer walls are of the rudest construction, for 
 every individual here is anxious to conceal his wealth, and to 
 impress the public and the Slate with an idea that he is poor 
 and distressed ! 
 
 The imperial palace of jNlarocco, which faces Mount At- 
 las, is built of hewn stone, ornamented with marble. It is 
 not so niagnificent a building as that of Mequinas; the ar- 
 chitecture of the principal gates is Gothic, embellished with 
 various ornaments in the Arabescjue taste; the walls of 
 some of die rooms are of filligree-work, and others of ezzulia, 
 or glazed tiles, similar to the Chinese tiles, which are fixed 
 in the walls with much art, and have a cool effect. Three 
 gardens are attached to the palace, the first and largest is 
 called Jinen el Erdoua, the second Jinen el Afia, and the 
 third, which is the smallest, and situated at a private door, 
 Jinen Nile, or the Garden of the Nile, so named from its 
 containing the fruits and plants of the Nile, Timbuctoo, and 
 Soudan, wilh many others the produce of Barbary. In 
 the two former of these gardens, the Emperor allows the 
 foreign merchants to pitch their tents whenever they visit 
 hiu), which is generally every time he goes to Marocco, and 
 
 ♦ This cement is called Tabia by the Moors. Livj tells us that llie walls of 
 Sogunluin were built wilh moitar made ofearllu.
 
 1 20 Imperial Palace and Gardens of Marocco. 
 
 in ihe Jineii Nile they have their audience of business, that 
 is, tlie second audience, the Grst being an interview of cere- 
 mony, and tlie third, an audience of leave to depart. The 
 two first gardens abound uilh ohves, changes, grapes of va- 
 rious kinds, apricots, peaches, pomegranates, water melons, 
 citrons, limes, &c. ; these, however, are surpassed in richness 
 by the Jinen Nile, the orange trees of which are small, but 
 very fruitful, and the flowers extremely odoriferous; the 
 roses, in particular, are unequalled, and mattrasses are made 
 of their leaves for the men of rank to recline upon. In 
 these gardens are (Kobba) pavilions about 40 feet square, 
 with pyramidal roofs covered with glazed tiles of various 
 colours, and lighted from four lofty and spacious doors, 
 which are opened according to the position of the sun ; ihey 
 are painted and gilt in the Arabesque style, and ornamented 
 with square compartments containing passages from the 
 Koran, in a sort of Arabic short-hand, understood only by 
 the first scholars. As the luxury and convenience of tables, 
 chairs, and curtains are unknown in this country, the furni- 
 ture of these apartments is very simple, consisting of a couple 
 of sofas or couches, some china, and tea equipage, a clock, 
 a few arras hung round the walls, a water-pot, and carpets 
 to kneel upon in prayers. Here the Emperor takes coftee or 
 tea, and transacts business with his courtiers. 
 
 The grand pavilion in the middle of the enclosure is ap- 
 propriated to the women ; it is a very spacious building, and 
 fitted up in the same style of neatness and simplicity as the 
 others.* 
 
 * The Emperor, Seedy Mohammed, who died ia 1790, after reigning 33 
 jears, showed a great predilection for the city of Marocco, and caused several
 
 Mosques at Morocco. 121 
 
 Near to the palace is ihc M'shoar, or Place of Audience, 
 an extensive quadrangle, walled in, but open to the sky, in 
 ■which the Emperor gives audience to his subjects, hears their 
 complaints, and administers justice. 
 
 In ISIarocco are many temj)les, sanctuaries, and mosques ; 
 of these, the most curious is one in the middle of the city, 
 called Jamaa Sidi Yusif, built by a prince named Muley el 
 Mumen, on the site of one erected by Sidi Yusif, which he 
 destroyed with a view to obliterate ihat prince's name; in 
 this, however, he was disappointed, for though he expended 
 great sums in the ei^ection of the present building, and called 
 it after himself, for the purpose of transmitting his own name 
 to posterity, yet the people continued to call it by the old 
 name, which it relains to the present time. 
 
 There is another mosque, said to have been built by Muley 
 el Monsore ;* the body of it is supported by many pillars of 
 marble, and under it is a (mitfere) cistern, which holds a 
 large quantity of water, collected in the rainy season, and 
 used by the Mohammedans for their ablutions. 'J'lie tower, 
 is square, and built like that of Sevdle in Spain, and the one 
 near Rabat already described ;-f the walls are four Icel thick, 
 and it has seven stories, in each of which are windows, 
 
 regular pavilious to be built by Europeans in tlie niidsl. of the palace gardens ; 
 these are of hewn stone, and finished in a plain substantial style. There are 
 many private gardens in the city, containing the most delicious IVuils, and 
 having pavilions decorated much in the style of those above described, which 
 form a curious contrast with the real, or apparent wretchedness of the sur- 
 rounding buildings. 
 
 * This is the man to whom Rhazes, the Arabian physician, dedicated liii 
 book de Variolis et Morbillis. 
 
 t See page 100. 
 
 R
 
 122 Extensive View from Morocco — Jews. 
 
 narrow on the oulside, but wide within, which renders the 
 interior light and airy; the ascent is not by stairs, but by a 
 gradually winding terrace composed of Ume and small stones, 
 so firmly cemented together as to be nearly as hard as iron. 
 On the summit of the tower is a turret in the form of a square 
 lantern, hence called (Smda el Fannarh) the Lantern Tower, 
 which commands a most extensive prospect, and from 
 whence Cape Cantin, dislant about 120 miles, is distinctly 
 visible. The roofs of the different chambers in this building, 
 which are all quadrangular, are very ingeniously vaulted ; 
 and indeed the whole workmanship is of the most excellent 
 — kind. Prayers are performed here every Friday in presence 
 of the Emperor. That part of the city adjoining this edifice 
 is quite a heap of ruins. 
 
 .» There is another tower in the city, which may be men- 
 tioned, from the circumstance of its having three golden 
 balls on its top, weighing together, it is said, 10 quintals, 
 equal to ISOolbs. avoirdupois. Several kings, when in want 
 of monej^ have attempted to take them down, but without 
 
 • success, as they are very firmly and artfully fixed ; the super- 
 stitious people say they are fixed by magic, that (jinn) a 
 spirit guards them from all injury, and that all those who 
 have attempted their removal, were soon after killed. There 
 is a tradition, that the wife of Muley el Mumen, desirous 
 of ornamenting the temple built by her husband, caused 
 these globes to be made of the gold melted down from the 
 jewels which the king gave her. 
 
 At the extremity of the city, towards the Atlas, and near 
 the imperial palace, is the department for the Jews, called 
 Erl Millah, the gates of which are shut at night ; these people
 
 Aqueduct at Marocco. 125 
 
 have an Alcaid appointed over them, to whom they apply 
 for protection against insult. Not more than two thousand 
 Jewish families now reside here, great numbers having been 
 induced, from various causes, to emigrate to the adjacent 
 mountains, where they are free from oppression. 
 
 In this quarter stands the Spanish convent, which, till 
 lately, was inhabited by two or three friars; but it is no^r 
 deserted. 
 
 The Kasseria, or department for trade, is an oblong build- 
 ing surrounded with shops of a small size, filled with silks, 
 cloths, linens, and other valuable articles for sale. Here the 
 people resort to transact business, hear ihe news, &c. much 
 in the same manner as is done on ihe exchanges of Euro- 
 pean towns; and independent gentlemen, who have no occu- 
 pation at couri, often hire one of these shops, merely for the 
 purpose of passing the morning here in conversation on po- 
 litics, and other subjects. 
 
 The city of Marocco is suj)plied with water from numerous 
 wells and springs anjongst the ditierent olive plantations, 
 and the rich procure it from the river Tensift, which Hows at 
 a short distance from the city; this water is very salubrious, 
 and antibilious, and is drank in cases of indigestion. There 
 . is also a subterraneous aqueduct built of l)rick, which goes 
 round the town, twenty feet below the surface, and from 
 which, at about every hundred yards, pipes of brick-work 
 branch off, and convey the water into the different houses; 
 over each of these branches are excavations from the surface, 
 through which persons descend to repair any injuries below ; 
 but this aqueduct is now much neglected and out of repair. 
 
 This city being now on the decline, little can be said of
 
 124 Air of Morocco. 
 
 its cleanliness; the streets are mostly filled with ruins of 
 houses which have gone to decay ; and in the INlillah, or Jew's 
 quarter, heaps of dung and other filth are seen, as high as 
 the houses. The Moors, however, from a natural desire of 
 cleanliness, in which the Jews are scandalously deficient, pay 
 more attention to the streets in which they reside. The 
 houses being almost all old, they swarm with vermin, parti- 
 cularly bugs, which, in the summer season, are literally a 
 j)lague, the walls being covered with them; at this jteriod 
 also, the inhabitants are much annoyed with scorpions, 
 which are frequently found in the beds, and other places;* 
 to these may be added the domestic serpent, but this is 
 rather considered as an object of veneration, than a nui- 
 sance.-j- 
 
 The air about Marocco is generally calm ; the neighbour- 
 ing mountains of Atlas defend the plain in which it stands 
 from the scorching Shume or hot wind which blows from 
 Tafilelt and Sahara, by arresting its progress, and the snow 
 with which they are always covered, imparts a coolness to 
 the surrounding atmosphere ; in summer, however, the heat 
 is intense, though the nights during that period are cool : in 
 winter the cold is very sensibly felt; but the climate is ex- 
 tremely healthy. The inhabitants, particularly the Jews, 
 are, however, aft'ected with opthalmia. 
 
 On the death of Aly ben Yusif, a private individual named 
 El Meheddi, a man of ambitious character, sprung up in the 
 
 * See before page 55. 
 
 •\ See before, Zoology, page 59. Though not now woishipped, ihe serpent 
 was probably one of the deities previous to the introduction of Mohamme- 
 dunisni,
 
 Morocco besieged by Midey el Mamune, and tal;c7i. 125 
 
 Atlas mountains, and levying a large army proceeded to 
 Marocco, and laid siege to the town, which was then com- 
 manded by Muley Bryliiin, successor to Aly ben Yusif, who 
 collecting his forces marched out to give El Meheddi battle; 
 but being completely overpowered and defealed, he tied to 
 Imsmise in the Atlas east of Marocco. El Meheddi not 
 satisfied with his escape, ordered his general in chief to pur- 
 sue him with one half of his numerous army, whilst he took 
 possession of Marocco with the other; the general pursued 
 the King so closely that he arrived immediately after him 
 at Oran, where the laller, finding no support, and being 
 driven to despair, mounted his horse in the night, and placing 
 his queen behind him, rode out of the place, and clapping 
 spurs to the horse, passed over a precipice, and was, toge- 
 ther with his queen, dashed to pieces. His body being disco- 
 vered, the general, who was a prince, and named JNIuley el 
 ISlamune, rclurncd with the army lo the city of Marocco, 
 where, on his arrival, finding El Meheddi dead, and succeeded 
 by his son, he attacked the city, and after a year's !»iege took 
 it; irritated at being so opposed, he put El Meheddi's son to 
 death, and a dreadful massacre of the army and citizens en- 
 sued, after which he was proclaimed Sultan and Amer el 
 Mumenine,* and established the first Diwan, which consisted 
 of ten men learned in the Arabic lano;uaoe and in the laws 
 of the Koran. This El Mamune's posterity reigned at 
 Marocco from the 5l6lh to the 668th year of the lleju-a-j-, 
 and then were dispossessed by a kmg of the tribe of Mann, 
 
 * An Arabic title implying commander of the faithful, 
 t The year of the Mohaaimedaiis is lunar. The Hcjira bi'gan in July 
 62-2 A. C.
 
 J 26 Mcqiiinns. 
 
 whose ])oslerity reigned with despotic sway till the year 785 
 of the Ilejira. 
 
 MEQUINAS. 
 
 The city of Mequinas stands in a beautiful valley about 
 sixty miles from Salee, near the sanctuary of Muley Dris 
 Zerone ; and is surrounded by gentle eminences, and highly 
 cultivated vales, ornamented with plantations of dates, grapes, 
 figs, pomgranates, oranges, olives, &c. all which grow in abun- 
 dance, the surrounding country being well watered by vari- 
 ous springs and streams. 
 
 This city owes its present extent and consequence to the 
 Sultan Muley Ismael, who, after having secured to himself 
 the undisputed sovereignty of the small kingdoms which now 
 form the empire of Marocco, determined, in order to keep 
 his people in more complete subjection, to have two impe- 
 rial cities, and in consequence made Marocco the capital of 
 the south, and Mequinas that of the north; he at the same 
 time considerably enlarged the city to the westward, and 
 erected a beautiful palace, whieh is defended by two bas- 
 tions mounted with a few guns of small calibre. 
 
 In the plain, on that side of the city towards the Atlas 
 mountains, is a wall of circMmvallation about six feet in 
 height, which was built as a defence against the Berebbers, 
 whose attacks, though impetuous, are momentary, and do 
 not require a long defence. Muley Ismael, and his suc- 
 cessor, Muley Abdallah, have repeatedly defended them- 
 selves in this city against these people, when, in attempting 
 to bring them under their yoke, they have been routed, and 
 their armies pursued to its very walls.
 
 Mequinas. 127 
 
 At the south end of the city stands the palace (which 
 encloses the Iloreni, or seraglio), a very extensive quadrangu- 
 lar edifice, built by Isinael, after his own design ; it contains 
 several gardens admirably laid out, and watered by nume- 
 rous streams from the adjacent country. I obtained per- 
 mission to view this building from the Emperor's brother, as 
 no person is suffered to enter it without leave. In the cen- 
 tre of the enclosure is the horem, within which is a spacious 
 garden, planted Avith tall cypress trees ; it is surrounded by a 
 gallery supported by columns, which communicates with the 
 adjoining apartments, the largest of Avhich are appropriated 
 to the women (the smaller rooms being for the eunuchs and 
 female attendants), and terminate in a hall, or large cham- 
 ber, built on a causeway which divides the gardens ; here 
 the females look through the iron-latticed windows, and take 
 the air, which, in the summer, is perfumed with the smell 
 of violets, jasmins, roses, wild thyme, and other delectable 
 odours. The palace is also interspersed with buildings called 
 Kobbahs, Avhich contain a spacious square room, the roof of 
 which is pyramidical, and on the inside curiously carved and 
 ornamented with painting and gilding. 
 
 This extensive palace is rendered more spacious by be- 
 inof built altoiiether on the o-round tioor ; the rooms are 
 lonii and loftv, but narrow, being about 12 feet wide, 18 
 high, and 2.5 long ; the walls are inlaid with gla/ed tiles 
 of bright colours, which give an air of coolness to the 
 a|)artmenls; and the light is communicated by means of 
 two large folding doors, which are opened more or less, 
 according to the degree of light required in the room. 
 Between the ditierent suites of apartments are courts re-
 
 1^8 Mequ'mas. 
 
 gularly paved with squares of black and white marble ; and 
 in the centre of some of these stands a marble fountain. 
 
 The Millah, or that part of the city inhabited by the 
 Jews, is walled round, and is extensive, and in good repair. 
 Many of the Jews live in affluence. 
 
 Contiouous to the Millah is another enclosure called the 
 Negroes quarter, built by Isniael for the residence of the fa- 
 milies of his black troops;* of this, however, nothing re- 
 mains but the walls. 
 
 In this city was an hospitium, or convent of Spanish monks, 
 founded about a century since by the king of Spain, for the 
 relief and spiritual comfort of Catholic captives, and Chris- 
 tian travellers; this convent, and that at Marocco, were 
 much respected by the Mooselmin, from the essential ser- 
 vice afforded by the monks to the poor, whom ihey used 
 to supply with medicines gratis ; but, after a long practice, 
 they found their prescriptions were grossly abused by the 
 Moors, who took them without any regard to regimen; they 
 Mere therefore obliged to make a general medicine for all 
 applicants, comj)osed of a decoction of simples with honey, 
 and this they denominated the dua sheriff, or princely re- 
 medy. This convent M^as deserted by the monks previous 
 to the accession of Soliman, the present Emperor. 
 
 The streets of Mequinas are not paved, and on this ac- 
 count it is a very disagreeable place in winter, as the rains 
 cause the mud to accumulate, which renders walking abroad 
 very unpleasant. The inhabitants are extremely hospitable; 
 they invite strangers to their gardens, and entertain them 
 
 * He built a town for the same purpose in the plains of M'shairah Ru- 
 inellah, and in other places^ all which are now in ruins.
 
 Fas, 129 
 
 sumptuously ; indeed, the manners of the people in this part 
 of the empire, are more mild, perhaps, than in any other. 
 
 Nature seems to have favoured the women of Mequinas, 
 for they are handsome without exception, and to a fair com- 
 plexion, with expressive black eyes, and dark hair, they 
 unite a suavity of manners rarely to be met with even in the 
 most polished nations of Europe. 
 
 FAS. 
 
 This city (which is divided into old and new, called Fas 
 Jedide, and Fas El BAlee) is the most celebrated in West 
 Barbary ; it was founded about the 185lh year of the He- 
 jira (A. C. 786) by Idris,* a descendant of Mohammed. It 
 stands for the most part upon gentle hills, except the centre, 
 which is low, and in winter very wet and dirty. It is not so 
 extensive as Marocco, but the houses being more lofty and 
 spacious, it contains more inhabitants. The houses have flat 
 roofs ingeniously worked in wood, and covered with terrace, 
 on which the inhabitants spread carpets in summer, to re- 
 cline upon, and enjoy the cool breezes of evening; a small 
 turret, containing a room or two, is also erected upon them 
 for the use of the females of the family, who resort thither 
 for amusement and pastime. In the centre of each house is 
 an open quadrangle surrounded by a gallery, which commu- 
 
 • This prince fled from Medina in Arabia, to avoid the persecution of the 
 Kbalif Abd Allah, and retiring into Africa, penetrated to the west of the At- 
 las, where, being struck witii the beauty of the adjoining plains, he founded the 
 city of Fas, having previously propagated the religion of the Arabian prophet 
 at the place now called the Sanctuary of Muley Dris Zerone, in the Atlas 
 mountains, west of the city of Mequinas. 
 
 S
 
 J 30 Fas. 
 
 nicates with tlie stair-case, and into which the doors of the 
 different apartments open ; these doors are both wide and 
 lofty, and are made of curiously carved wood painted in 
 various colours. The beams of the roofs of the different 
 apartments are whimsically painted with gay colours in the 
 arab&sque style. The portals of the houses are supported 
 with pillars of brick plaistered over. The princij>al houses 
 have (milferes), cisterns under them, containing water used in 
 the baths, which are built of marble or stone. Every house 
 is also supplied with water from a river which rises in the 
 Atlas, and enters the town by covered channels in two dif- 
 ferent places. 
 
 In the city are a great number of mosques, sanctuaries, 
 and other public buildings ; about fifty of these are very 
 sumptuous edifices, being ornamented with a kind of mar- 
 ble, unknown in Europe, procured in the Atlas mountains.* 
 
 The maintenance of professors and students in the mosques, 
 has lately become very scanty, the wars having destroyed 
 many of the possessions by which learning was promoted. 
 The students are mostly employed in reading the Koran ; if. 
 any one read a text which he does not understand, the pro- 
 fessor explains it to him in public ; at other times they dis- 
 pute among themselves, and the professor finally explains 
 the passage. 
 
 A public bath is attached to each mosque, for religious 
 ablutions; there are also public baths in various parts of the 
 town, whither the common people resort j-f the men at one 
 
 ♦ There are many other kinds of marble in this country, similar to what is 
 found in different parts of Italy, and the rest of Europe. 
 t Most of the principal inhabitants have baths in their own houses.
 
 Fas. 131 
 
 hour and the women at another; when occupied by the 
 latter, a rope is suspended from the ciehng of the first apart- 
 ment, as a signal to the stranger not to proceed farther ; and 
 so particular are they in this respect, that a man would not 
 be here permitted to speak to his own wife, such regard have 
 they for their reputation. These baths produce a consider- 
 able sum annually. 
 
 The hospitals which have been mentioned by early writers 
 as being in Fas, must have iallcn greatly into decay, as there 
 are now very few ; in these the poor are fed, but no surgeon 
 or physician is attached to them ; women attend the infirm 
 and sick till they recover, or death terminate their sufferings. 
 There is a Muristan, or mad-house, where deranged people 
 are confined ; they are chained down, and superintended by 
 men who use them very harshly ; their apartments are dis- 
 gustingly filthy- 
 There are nearly two hundred caravanseras or inns, called 
 Fondaque, in this city ; these buildings are three stories high, 
 and contain from 50 to 100 apartments, in each of which is 
 a waler-cock to supply water for ablution and various other 
 purposes. As the mode of travelling is to carry bedding with 
 one, they do not provide beds in these inns, but leave you 
 to make use of what you have got, providing only a mat; 
 and if you want any refreshment you cannot order a meal, 
 but must purchase it at a cook's shop, or procure it at the 
 butcher's, and get it dressed vourself, paying so much per 
 day for your apartment. 
 
 There are a great many corn-mills in Fas ; for the inha- 
 bitants being mostly poor, and unable to lay up corn suf- 
 ficient in store, they purchase meal of the millers, who make
 
 132 Fas. 
 
 wreat profit by it. The rich buy their own corn, and send it 
 to the mills to be ground. 
 
 Each trade or occupation has its separate department al- 
 lotted to it ; in one place are seen several shops occupied 
 by notaries or scriveners, two in each shop ; in another sta- 
 tioners ; in another shoe-makers ; here a fruit market, there 
 wax chandlers ; another part is allotted to those who fry 
 meat, and make a light kind of bread called Sfinge, fried in 
 oil, and eaten with honey. Animals are not suffered to be 
 slaughtered in the city ; this is done at a distance from it, 
 near the river, and the meat is sent from thence to the dif- 
 ferent shops in the town, but first to the Mutasseb, or of- 
 ficer who superintends the price of provisions, who, after ex- 
 amining it, sets a price upon it on a piece of paper ; this tlie 
 venders show to the people, who buy at the rale affixed. 
 
 The inhabitants of Fas are fond of poultry, which they 
 rear in cages to prevent them from running about the house, 
 and dining the rooms. 
 
 The Kasseria is a square place walled round, and divided 
 into 1-2 wards, two of which are allotted to the shoe-makers, 
 who work for the princes and gendemcn ; the others con- 
 sist of silk sellers, and cloth and linen shops. There are 
 sixty criers, or itinerant auctioneers, who receive from the 
 various shops pieces of cloth, linen, &;c. and going about 
 crying (al ziada) " who bids more ?" sell the lot to the high- 
 est bidder. 
 
 Fas Jedide, or New Fas, which lies contiguous to Old Fas, 
 is a well built town, in which are the looms and other ma- 
 chinery for the different trades. The gardens here abound 
 with all sorts of delicious fruits ; and roses and other odori-
 
 Terodant. 133 
 
 ferous flowers perfume the serene air, so that it is justly 
 called a paradise. Westward, towards the Emperor's palace, 
 stands a casllc built by one of the princes of the Luntuna 
 family, wherein the kings of Fas (before the palace was built) 
 kept their court; but when New Fas was begun by the sove- 
 reigns of the Marin dj'nasty, the castle was made the resi- 
 dence of the governor of the city. 
 
 TERODANT. 
 
 This is the metropolis of the south, and was formerly that 
 of the kingdom of Suse : the town is extensive and ancient. 
 There is a noble palace here, adorned with gardens con- 
 taining the most dehcious fruits. The population has de- 
 creased considerably ; and it is now famous only for salt- 
 petre of a superior quality, for the manufacture of leather 
 and saddles, and for dyemg. The town is watered by the 
 river Suse, which passes through it; and it is reported that 
 ships formerly took in their cargoes here, as a proof of which 
 they shew massive iron rings in the castle walls. Terodant 
 has stood several sieges, and in the last, the inhabitants 
 were reduced to the necessity of eating rats, and burning 
 their doors for fuel.
 
 [ 134] 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Description of the Inhabitants of West Barbary — their Dress — 
 Religious Ceremonies and Opinions — their Character — Man- 
 ners and Custo7ns — Diseases, ^c. 4"^- 
 
 1 H E inhabitants of the Emperor of MarocCo's dominions, 
 may be divided into four classes, namely, Moors, Arabs, 
 Berebbers, (which latter are probably the aborigines,) and 
 Shelluhs. 
 
 The Moors are the descendants of those who were driven 
 out of Spain ; they inhabit the cities of Marocco, Fas, Me- 
 quinas, and all the coast towns, as far southward as the pro- 
 vince of Haha. Their language is a corrupt Arabic inter- 
 mixed with Spanish. 
 
 The ^ra&s have their original stock in Sahara, from whence 
 they emigrate to the plains of Marocco, whenever the plague, 
 famine, or any other calamity depopulates the country so as 
 to admit of a new colony, without injuring the territory of 
 the former inhabitants. These Arabs live in tents, and speak 
 the language of the Koran, somewhat corrupted. They are 
 a restless and turbulent people, continually at war with 
 each other : in one province a rebellious kabyle, or clan, will 
 fight against a neighbouring loyal one, and will thus plunder 
 and destroy one another, till, fatigued by the toils of war, they 
 mutually cease, when, the next year perhaps, the rebellious 
 clan will be found fighting for the Emperor against the for- 
 mer loyal one, now become rebellious. This plan of setting
 
 Berebbcrs — Shelluhs. 155 
 
 one tribe against another is an act of policy of the Emperor, 
 because, if he did not, in this manner, quell the broils con- 
 tinually breaking out amongst them, he would be con)pellcd, 
 in order to preserve tranquillity in his dominions, to employ 
 his own army for that purpose, which is generally occupied 
 in more important business. 
 
 The Berebbers inhabit the mountains of Atlas north of the 
 city of Marocco, living generally in tents; ihey are a ro- 
 bust, nervous people, having a language peculiar to them- 
 selves, which differs more from the y\rabic, or general lan- 
 guage of Africa, than any two languages of Europe ditler 
 from each other ; it is probably a dialect of the ancient Car- 
 thaginian. In travelling through the Berebber Kabyles of 
 Ait Imure, and Zemure Shelluh, I noticed many who pos- 
 sessed the old Roman physiognomy. The general occupa- 
 tion of these people is husbandry, and the rearing of bees 
 for honey and wax. 
 
 The Shelluhs inhabit the Atlas mountains, and their va- 
 rious branches south of Marocco ; they live generally in 
 towns, and arc, for the most part occupied in husbandry like 
 the Berebbers, though differing from them in their language, 
 dress, and manners; they Uve almost entirely on (Assoua) 
 barley meal made into gruel, and barley roasted or gra- 
 nulated, jvhich they mix with cold water, when travelling : 
 this is called Zitneta. They occasionally indulge in cuscasoe, 
 a nutritive farinaceous food, made of granulated flour, and 
 afterwards boiled by steam, and mixed with butter, mutton, 
 fowls, and vegetables. Many families among these people 
 are reported to be descended from the Portuguese, who for- 
 merly possessed all the ports on the coast ; but who, after
 
 136 Description of the People. 
 
 the discovery of America, gradually withdrew thither. East 
 of Marocco, near Dimenet, on the Atlas mountains, there is 
 still remaining a church, having inscriptions in Lali^ over 
 the entrance, supposed to have been built by them, which, 
 being superstitiously reported to be haunted, has escaped 
 destruction. Their language is called Amazirk, 
 
 The Moors as well as the other natives of this country 
 are generally of a middle stature ; they have not so much 
 nerve as the Europeans, and are, for the most part, thick 
 and clumsy about the legs and ancles, insomuch that a well- 
 formed leg is seldom seen among them ; this may proceed 
 from their constantly sitting cross-legged, with their legs 
 under them, like the tailors of Europe, or perhaps from 
 their wearing no covering to their legs, which are thus ex- 
 posed to all weathers. Deformed persons are rarely met 
 with ; the loose Arabian dress covers deformity, and their 
 mode of bringing up children, (every thing being left to fol- 
 low nature,) generally prevents it. Corns and deformed feet 
 are unknown ; the toes take their natural growth, and are 
 as useful to the mechanics as their fingers. Lame people 
 are seldom seen ; but the blind are more numerous than in 
 Europe. Both sexes have very fine teelh. Their complex- 
 ion, from frequent intermarriage, or intercourse with the 
 Soudanic race, is of all shades, from black to white. The 
 women of Fas are as fair as the Europeans, with the excep- 
 tion of their eyes and hair, which are universally dark.* 
 Those of Mequinas are in general so handsome, that it is 
 a rare thing to see a young woman in that city, who is not 
 
 * Whenever a blue, or giiiy-eyed Mooress is seen, she is always suspectecl 
 to b€ ihe descendant of some Christian renegade.
 
 I 
 
 Dnss. 1 3 7 
 
 pretty. With large, black, and expressive sparkling eyes, 
 they possess a healthy countenance, uniting the colours of 
 the lily and the rose, that beautiful red and while so much 
 admired by foreigners in our English ladies; indeed their 
 beauly is proverbial, as the term Mequhiasia* is apj)licd to 
 any beautiful woman of elegant form, with black sparkling 
 eyes, and white teeth; they also possess a modesty and 
 suavity of manners rarely met with elsewhere. It is extra- 
 ordinary that the inhabitants of two great and populous ci- 
 ties, situated within a day's journey of each olhcr, should 
 discover such a physiognomical dill'erence, as is apparent 
 between the females of Fas, and those of INIequinas, the 
 former being generally of a sallow or pale complexion. The 
 women of Ducpiella are ordinary and diminutive, whilst the 
 men are the reverse; being tall, and well-limbed, with re- 
 gular features. The men of Temsena, and Shawia, are a 
 strong, robust race, of a copper colour : their women pos- 
 sess much beauty, and have features highly expressive ; and 
 the animation of the countenance is encreased by the use of 
 El kahol tilelly, with which they tinge their eye lashes and 
 eye brows, as already described -f- In these provinces they 
 are particularly fonil of dying their hands and feet with a 
 preparation of the herb Henna, which gives tiiem a beautiful 
 orano-e colour, and, in hot weather, imparts a pleasing cool- 
 ness and softness to the hands, by preventing, in a consider- 
 able degree, the quickness of perspiration. 
 
 The Moorish dress resembles that of the ancient patri- 
 archs, as represented in paintings ; that of the men consists of 
 a red cap and turban, a (Kumja) shirt, which hangs ouisido 
 
 • Mcqiiiiiasia, a woman of Mequiiias. f Sec page 30, 
 
 T
 
 158 Dress. 
 
 of the drawers, and comes down below the knee, a (Caftan) 
 coat, which buttons close before, and down to the bottom, 
 with large open sleeves; over which, when they go out of 
 doors, they throw carelessly, and sometimes elegantly, a 
 hayk or garment of white cotton, silk, or wool, five or six 
 yards long, and five feet wide : the Arabs often dispense with 
 the caftan, and even with the shirt, wearing nothing but the 
 liayk. The Berebbers wear drawers, and a cloak of dark 
 blue cloth, called a Silham. The poor and penurious are con- 
 tented with the Burnose, or black cloak of woollen cloth, of 
 a close texture, made so as to resist the rain. To this dress is 
 added a pair of yellow sandals. The dress of the women 
 nearly resembles that of the men, except in the adjustment of 
 the hayk, or surtout covering, and in the (Rahayat) slippers, 
 which are scarlet or red. The hair is concealed in a black 
 silk handkerchief, over which they wear shawls or handker- 
 chiefs of various gay colours ; they wear bracelets, and arm- 
 lets above the elbow, and massive rings of silver round their 
 ancles; their ear-rings are of gold, about the thickness of a 
 goose's quill, and set with precious stones, or coloured glass, 
 the ring being about six inches in circumference : they wear 
 also a number of necklaces, some large, and others small, 
 and a variety of rings on their fingers. 
 
 In their dress, they are very fond of striped silks and cot- 
 tons of peculiar patterns. 
 
 The people belonging to the court have a particular dress, 
 never appearing before the Emperor in a hayk, but in a silham, 
 or large cloak of white woollen cloth ; and in presence of a 
 bashaw, or governor, the hayk is thrown over the shoulders, 
 which at other times is thrown loosely over the cap, a mode
 
 Religious Opinions and Ceremonies. 139 
 
 of salutation similar to that of takint; off the hat among Eu- 
 rojjcans. 
 
 The religion of the Emperor of Marocco's dominions is 
 Islaemism, or Mohammedism,* which was first planted in 
 West Barbary by the renowned Muley Dris Zcrone, on the 
 spot where the town and sanctuary of that name is built, 
 being east of Mequinas, at the western foot of the Atlas, 
 near an ancient and magnificent ruin, called by the Arabs 
 (Kassar Farawan) the Ruins of Pharaoh ; from hence assum- 
 ing the name of (Decne-el-\\'asah) the unconfined law, it 
 quickly spread itself to the shores of the Atlantic ocean, to 
 Bled-cl-jerrcde, Sigin Messa, Suse, and Sahara. At the 
 beginning of the present reign of Seedy Soliman ben Mo- 
 hammed, a very considerable body of people who professed 
 Deism, sprung up, and spread themselves over the northern 
 provinces, exclaiming (la lllah ila Allah) There is no God but 
 the true God ; in distinction to the Islaem or Mohammedan, 
 whose creed is (la lllah ila Allah, wa Mohammed, arrasule. 
 Allah), Tiiere is no God but the true God, and Mohammed 
 is his prophet. The Emperor, however, by discouraging such 
 tenets, found no difficulty in silencing this sect. 
 
 Throughout the country are discovered buildings of an 
 octagonal form, with domes of stone, or plastered with lime ; 
 these are called (Zawiat) Sanctuaries ; and attached to each 
 is a piece of ground, uninclosed, for the interment of the 
 dead. The priest or saint, who is called el fakeer, or ma- 
 raboot, superintends divine service and the burial of the 
 dead, and is often referred to for the adjusting of disputes or 
 controversies. Criminals taking refuge in these consecrated 
 
 * See some observations on this religion in the foliowing chapter.
 
 HO Contempt for Bells. 
 
 places are screened from the hand of juslice; and the opulent 
 men of the country often, for security, deposit their trea- 
 sure in them. Tlie toleration of the western Arabs and Moors 
 is such, that the Emperor (although religiously disposed him- 
 self) will allow, on proper application being made, any sect 
 which does not acknowledge a plurality of gods, to appro- 
 priate a place to public worship ;* and even the more igno" 
 rant and bigotted Mohammedans maintain, that every man 
 should be allowed to worship God according to his own con- 
 science, or agreeably to the religion of his ancestors. They 
 have a rooted contempt for all who change their religion, 
 even if it be to Islaemism ; such people are distinguished by 
 the appellation of (el Aluge) Renegades, who, after having 
 embraced the Mohammedan faith, are obliged to practise a 
 system of dissimulation, and to affect more than ordinary 
 contempt for Christians, in order to appear islaemized, and 
 to prevent their being harassed and upraided for their want 
 of faith in Mohammed. 
 
 This people have a particular aversion to the sound of 
 bells, originating perhaps from their being peculiar to the 
 (Ajemi) Barbarians,-^- as they denominate Christians; or be- 
 cause Mohammed reprobated the ancient trumpet of the 
 Jews, as well as the rattle of the oriental Christians, and sub- 
 stituted the human voice to call people to prayer: accord- 
 ingly a man (denominated El Muden) goes to the top of the 
 
 ♦ Besides the Catholic establishments in Maiocco and Mequinas, before 
 mentioned, there is one at Tangier, and another at Mogodor. 
 
 •f Ajeui in Arabic signifies Barbarian. Ajemi in the same language signi- 
 fies the Europeans ; Wosh kat donee bel Ajemi i Do you speak the Barba- 
 rian or European language i
 
 Stated Times for Pvai/er. 141 
 
 tower of each (Jaiiiaa) mosciuc, and exclaims uitli a loud 
 voice, first to the east, or towards JVIecca, {ind then to the 
 south, west, and north, the following words (Allah kabeer ! 
 A'shcd en la ilia ila Allah Mohammed arrasule, Allah; hai 
 ala cssla, Allah kabeer, Allah) God is great; witness that 
 there is no God but one God, and Mohanuned is his pro- 
 phet : come to prayers : God is great. God 1* 
 
 This religious ceremony is performed several limes a day, 
 and the different prayers are called (Sala'at el fejir) prayers 
 at the dawn of day ; (Sala'at el dohor) prayers at half past 
 one o'clock, P. M. ; (Sala'at el assnr) prayers at four o'clock, 
 P. M. ; (Sala'at el mogorb) prayers at sun-setting; and (Sa- 
 la'at el ashaw) prayers an hour and an half after sun-selling. 
 The principal of these prayers is the Sala'at el dohor, when 
 all such as are desirous of beins; lhou<rht true Mohammedans 
 go to the (Jamaa) mosque, on entering which, every one 
 must take of his slippers. Every (Jma)-j- Friday the Mnfli 
 preaches a discourse on religion, similar to the sermons of 
 Christian priests. The mosques have square towers adjoin- 
 ing the body of the building ; the principal side faces Mecca, 
 
 * Mohauimedans utter the word Alhili with great respect, sounding it long, 
 and making a full stop after uttering it; ihey never use the pronoun to signify 
 the Supreme Being, but always repeat the noun, and generally begin and end 
 all religious sentences with the word Allah. 
 
 t J ma is the Arabic name approprialtd to Friday, or the Mohammedan day 
 of rest; from ti)e radical word Jauiaa, to collect or gather together. The 
 Mohammedans name the days of the week, first day, second day, and so on, 
 calling Sunday El hed, i. e. the first day ; £1 ihenine the second day, or Mon- 
 day, Sic. They do not entirely shut their shops on Friday, but work less 
 than on any other day; they refuse, however, aliogeilier to work for Chris- 
 tians, unless particularly or clandestinely feed, when they will condescend ti* 
 do'aluiostany thing.
 
 142 Administration of Just ice. 
 
 on which is creeled a flag-stafF: and a white flag called (el 
 Alem) the Signal, is hoisted every day at twelve o'clock, to 
 warn the people out of hearing, or at a great distance, to 
 jirepare by the necessary preliminary ablutions,* to prostrate 
 themselves before God at the Dohor service of prayer. At 
 the dawn of day on every (Jma) Friday, the (^luden) mau 
 who announces the prayers from the summit of the principal 
 mosque, chants a h3'mn out of the Koran, which being sci- 
 entifically sung, and in the stillness of the morning, makes a 
 wonderful impression on the mind. This hymn is concluded 
 with the annunciation of the unity of God, and the glory of 
 heaven, impressing the mind of the JNIohammedan with that 
 grand fundamental principle of Islaeisin, the unity of God. 
 
 The people of this empire being born subjects of an ar- 
 bitrary despot, they may be said to have no established laws ; 
 they know no other than the will of the prince, and if this 
 should deviate, as it sometimes does, from the moral prin- 
 ciples laid down in the Koran, it must be obeyed. Where 
 the Emperor resides, he administers justice, in person, ge- 
 nerally twice, and sometimes four times a week, in the 
 (M'shoire) place of audience, whither all complaints are 
 carried : -f here access is easy ; he listens to every one, fo- 
 reigners or subjects, men or women, rich or poor ; there is no 
 distinction, every one has a right to appear before him, and 
 
 * O believers ! before ye pray, wash your faces, your hands, and your arms 
 to the elbovvsj and wipe yourselves from head to feet. Vide Koran, 
 
 f It is customary here, as in the East, for every person to accompany his 
 complaint with (el Heddia) a present suited to his condition; and none must 
 appear without something, as it would be not only contrary to the established 
 usages, but liighly disrespectful: even such a trifle as three -or more eggs is 
 accepted.
 
 Tyranny of the Basharci, ^c. 143 
 
 boldly to explain the nature of his case; and although his 
 person is considered as sacred, and establislied custom obliges 
 the subject to prostrate himself, and to pay him rather ado- 
 ration than respect, yet every complainant may tell his story 
 without the least hesitation or timidity ; indeed, if any one is 
 abashed, or appears diffident, his cause is weakened in pro- 
 portion. Judgment is always prompt, decisive, plausible, 
 and generally correct. 
 
 In places remote from the Emperor's court, the (Kalif) 
 vice-regent, or bashaw, has his IM'shoire,* where he admi- 
 nisters justice, sometimes according to the laws of the Ko- 
 ran, and at others, as his caprice dictates ; for the same im- 
 perious despotism which the Emperor too frequently exer- 
 cises over his bashaws and alkaids, is exercised by them 
 over those who fall under their government; and the same is 
 donq again by their subalterns, when they have it in their 
 power; thus tjTanny proceeds progressively from the prince 
 to the lowest of his officers: these petty tyrants are dis- 
 persed over the whole empire, and otj^^n give sanction to 
 their extortions by effecting them in the name of their mas- 
 ter ; the accumulation of wealth is the grand object of all 
 their desires; when they learn from their emissaries, or spies, 
 that an individual has acquired considerable property, they 
 contrive to find out some cause of accusation against him, 
 and by that means extort money from him. It often hap- 
 pens, however, that those who amass the greatest sums in 
 
 * In the citj' of Faz, the governor regulates the police, and decides all mili- 
 tary disputes; justice is adininistered by ihe cadi, or chief judge, who is guided 
 by tlio laws ot the Koran ; he has under him several (I'likil) aUornies, some of 
 whom manage civil controversies, others misdemeanours, and others matters 
 relatmg to religion, marriages^ and divorces.
 
 14i Character of the Moors. 
 
 this way enjoy them but a very short time ; some unexpected 
 order from the Emperor, accusing them of crimes or misde- 
 meanors, is made a pretext for depriving them, in their turn, - 
 of iheir ill-goltcn wealth, which his majesty never fails to 
 inform them can be of no use to them, being more than suf- 
 ficient to procure the necessaries of life, and ought therefore 
 to belong to the (Diet el Mel el Mooselmin) Mohammedan 
 treasury, into which it is accordingly delivered, never more 
 to return to its former possessor ! 
 
 The influence of this mode of government, upon the peo- 
 ple is such as might naturally be expected ; they are suspi- 
 cious, deceitful, and cruel ; they have no respect for their 
 neighbours, but will plunder one another whenever it is in 
 their power ; they are strangers to every social tie and affec- 
 tion ; for their hearts are scarcely susceptible of one tender 
 impression ; the father fears the son, the son the father ; and 
 this lamentable mistrust, and want of confidence diffuses 
 itself throughout the whole community. 
 
 The pride and arrogance of the Moors is unparalleled ; for 
 though they live in the most deplorable slate of ignorance, 
 slavery, and barbarism, yet they consider themselves the first 
 people in the world, and contemptuously term all others bar- 
 barians. Their sensuality knows no bounds: by the laws of 
 the Koran, they are allowed four wives, and as many concu- 
 bines as they are able to support, but such is their wretched 
 depravity, that they indulge in the most uimatural and abo- 
 minable propensities;* in short, every vice that is disgrace- 
 ful and degrading to human nature, is to be found amongst 
 them. 
 
 • By the laws of the KoraOj these crimes are punishable by deatii ; but they 
 are so generally indulged in, as to be mutually connived at.
 
 Fortitude under Misfortune. 145 
 
 It must be confessed, however, that some of the well edu- 
 cated Moors are courteous and polite, and are possessed of 
 great suavity of manners. They are aft'able and communi- 
 cative where they repose confidence ; and if in conversa- 
 tion, the subject of discussion be serious, and the parties 
 become warm in dispute, they have generally the prudence 
 to turn the subject in a delicate manner; they are slow 
 at taking offence, but when irritated, are noisy and im- 
 placable. 
 
 There is one noble trait in the character of this people 
 which I cannot avoid mentioning, that is fortitude under 
 misfortune; this the Moor possesses in an eminent degree; 
 he never despairs; no bodily sutlcring, no calamity however 
 great, will make him complain ; he is resigned in all things 
 to the will of God, and waits in patient hope for an ameli- 
 oration of his condition. In illustration of this, I will take 
 the liberty to relate the following anecdote, as it will also 
 tend to show the great risks to which merchants are exposed 
 in traversing this country: 
 
 A Fas merchant (with whom I had considerable transac- 
 tions) went, wilh all his property, on a commercial specula- 
 tion from Fas to Timbuctoo ; and after remaining at the lat- 
 ter place a sufficient time to dispose of and barter his ctiects 
 for gold dust and gum of Soudan, he set out on his return to 
 Fas; after passing the Desert, he began to congratulate him- 
 self on his good fortune and great success, when suddenly a 
 parly of Arabs attacked the (catiia) caravan, and plundered 
 all who belonged to it, leaving the Fas merchant destitute of 
 every thing but what clothes he had on his back. During the 
 interregnum, between the death of the Sultan Yezzid and tlie 
 
 V
 
 146 Bqiiality of JtcmJc. 
 
 proclamation of the present Sultan Soliman, this man was 
 plundered again on his way to Mogodor, whiiher he was 
 going to discharge some debts, and to dispose of gum and 
 other Soudanic produce. Four wives and a numerous fa- 
 mily of children rendered his case peculiarly distressing; yet, 
 when condoling with him a few days after his niisforlunes 
 had happened, he very patiently observed (Ash men doua, 
 Allah bra; u la illah, ila Allah), What remedy is there? Cod 
 willed it so. and there is none but God. This man after- 
 wards collected together what merchandize he could procure 
 on credit, and proceeded again to 'J'imbuctoo, where he rea- 
 lized much property, and travelling therewith through Wan- 
 gara and Houssa to Egypt, he was plundered a third time 
 of all he possessed, near Cairo, and reduced to the greatest 
 distress : this last misfortune he bore with the same fortitude 
 as the former. He is now, however, one of the principal 
 merchants established at Timbuctoo. 
 
 The INIoors are equal by birth ; they know no difference of 
 rank except such as is derived from otficial employments,* 
 on resigning which the individual mixes again with the com- 
 mon class of citizens; the meanest man in the nation may 
 
 * Persons bearing the name of Moliammed, which is generally given to the 
 first male child born in marriage, are always ad'-lressed by the title. of Seedy, 
 which answcis to Signor, or Monsieur ; even the Emperor himself observes this 
 towards the meanest subject that may happen to appear before him ; wheu 
 the name is Achniet, Aly, Said, Kossem, &.c. this honourable distinction is 
 observed or not, according to the situation and character of the person ad- 
 dressed. The Jews, liowever, whatever their condition, must address every 
 Mooselmin wilh the term Seedy, or incur the danger of being knocked down f 
 while, on tlie other hand, the lowest Mooselmin would consider it a degrad:t- 
 tion to address a Jew of the highest rank or respectability by this title.
 
 Cleanliness of the Moors. 147 
 
 thus aspire, \\illiout presumplion, to llie hand of tlie daiiglitcr 
 of the most opulent, and aceident, or the caprice of the 
 prince, may precipitate the latter into misery, and elevate 
 tlie former to prosperity and honour. 
 
 The children, whose mode of education is equal ihrougliout 
 the empire, on attaining the eighth year (not eighth day, as 
 some have asserted,) are circumcised, ^nd then begin to study 
 the Koran, to learn the useful arts, the care of flocks, the 
 tillage of the soil, or the exercise of arms ; those engaged in 
 the latter are particularly noticed by the Emperor, and if 
 they discover a IVIachiavellian or despotic policy, they are 
 generally promoted to the government of some province or 
 town. 
 
 The Moors are, for the most part, more cleanly in their 
 persons, than in their garments. They wash their hands 
 before every meal, which, as they use no knives or forks, 
 they eat with their fingers: half a dozen persons sit round a 
 large bowl of cuscasoe, and, after the usual ejaculalicni (Bis- 
 miliah) " In the name of God!" each person puts his hand 
 to the bowl, and taking up the food, puts it by a dexterous 
 icrk, into his mouth, without suffering his fingers to touch the 
 lij)s. However repugnant this may be to our ideas of clean- 
 liness, yet the hand being always washed, and never touch- 
 ing the mouth in the act of eating, these people arc by no 
 means so dirty as Europeans have sometimes hastily ima- 
 gined. They have no chairs or tables in their houses, but 
 sit cross-legged on carpets and cushions; and at meals, the 
 dish or bowl of provisions is placed on the floor. 
 
 The women are not less cleanly than the men; for besides 
 performing the usual ablutions before and at\er meals, they
 
 148 Marriages, <^-c. 
 
 Avash their face, hands, arms, legs, and feet, two or three 
 times a day, which contributes greatly to heighten their 
 beauty. The poorer classes, however, look deplorable, and 
 excite disgust. The faces of the old women appear shri- 
 velled, from the immoderate use of cosmetics and paint dur- 
 ii)g their youth. 
 
 'J'he usual games are leap-frog, jumping, and foot ball; 
 the last is the favourite diversion, at which they do not seek 
 to send the ball to a goal, but kick it up, and amuse them- 
 selves with it, without any definitive purpose. 
 
 Of their military exercises the (lab el Borode) riding full 
 speed, and firing, is the only one ; this is performed by alt 
 those who keep horses : a party starts off together, and run- 
 ning full gallop, fire their muskets, and stop short close to 
 some wall, those being considered the best horsemen Avho ap- 
 proach nearest the wall, and stop shortest ; they then return, 
 load again, and renew the race. But the Moors are not very 
 fond of games or diversions; they are often seen sitting in 
 the streets for hours together, sometimes in a dull letharoic 
 humour, at others so vociferous with each other, that a per- 
 son unacquainted with their manner, would suppose they 
 were going to fight. 
 
 When a Mooselmin is inclined to marry he makes enquiry 
 of some confidential servant respecting the person of her 
 mistress, and if he receive a satisfactory description of the 
 lady, an opportunity is sometimes procured to see her at a 
 window, or other place; this interview generally determines 
 whether the parties are to continue their regards ; if the suitor 
 be satisfied with the lady, he seeks an occasion of com- 
 municating his passion to the father, and proposes to marry
 
 Marria£(es, f^c. 149 
 
 his daughter. TliC father's consent being obtained, he send;? 
 presents to the lady, according to his circumstances, which 
 being accepted, the parties are supposed to be betrothed, 
 and niarriase follows. 
 
 Of the marriage ceremony much has been said by various 
 authors. The bridegroom is mounted on a horse, with his 
 face covered, surrounded by his friends, and those of the pa- 
 rents ; who run their horses; and fire their muskets at the 
 feet, or face of the bridegroom ; the (Tabla) kettle drum, the 
 triangle, (the Erb'eb) an instrument similar to the Greek lyre, 
 having however but two strin<:s, and a rude kind of flute, 
 form the band of music ; whilst the friends of the married 
 parly dance and jump about, twirling their muskets in the 
 air, and otherwise discovering their satisfaction. This cere- 
 mony being terminated, the parties go to the house of feast- 
 ing, where the evening is passed in conviviality, till the bride 
 and bridegroom retire to rest. The sheets are afterwards, 
 produced somewhat indecently, as a proof of the virginity of 
 the bride, and exhibited in triumph to the relations. 
 
 It is not expected that the woman should have a fortune, 
 or a settlement; but if the father be rich, he o-cnerallv 2;ives 
 a dowry to his daughter, and a quantity of pearls, rubies, 
 diamonds, &c. The dowry remains the property of the fe- 
 male, and in case of a separation, by consent of the hus- 
 band, is returned to her : these separations proceed from va« 
 rious causes, as barrenness, the disappointment of expec- 
 tation, or incompatability of disposition. Separation, how- 
 e\er, not originating in the above causes, is reprobated as 
 immoral and disreputable. A plurality of wives is allowed
 
 J 50 > State of Vohjgatny. 
 
 in all Alolmmmedan countries ; the lawful number is limited 
 by the Koran to four, in addition to which, they arc allowed 
 as many concubines as they can support ; in this latitude of 
 luxury, however, they seldom indulge. The Emperor, the 
 princes, and some of the bashaws, have often four wives, ■ 
 but even with than this number encreases gradualhj ; thus, 
 the first wife, after having had a child, or when her bloom 
 has passed, or the marks of age appear, makes way for a 
 young one, who is taught to respect the former, ^^•ho still 
 remains mistress of the household; when the second lady 
 loses her bloom, she is supplanted by a third, and the third 
 by a fourth; so that the rich and independant Mooselmin, 
 however old he be himself, has generally a young wife, or a 
 young concubine,* to cherish him ; and this, they say, enables 
 them to enjoy life longer than the Christians ; for, they main- 
 tain, that as an old woman destroys the vigour of a man, a 
 young woman encreases it; but these luxurious debauchees, 
 these devotees to the pleasures of the fair sex, from their 
 irregular excesses, are often, about the age of fifty, and 
 sometimes before, totally incapable of performing the du- 
 ties of the matrimonial contract ; under these circumstances, 
 stimulating drugs, and aromatic compositions are in vain 
 resorted to, and the wretched man becomes at once the 
 victim of inflamed desire, and impotency. 
 
 It must not, however, be imagined, that this insatiable de- 
 sire for young females pervades the mass of the people; 
 Mooselmin, in general, are satisfied with one wife, and, in a 
 
 * These young wives and concubines often find opportunities clandeslinely 
 to cuckold their men or husbands.
 
 Treatment of the Women. 151 
 
 tract of country possessing a populalioii of one hundred 
 thousand souls, a hundred men will scarcely be found who 
 keep four. Such is the stale of polygamy in this country. 
 
 "Willi regard to the (Kadeem*) concubines, they are gene- 
 rally black women, purchased originally 'at Timbuctoo ; they 
 reside in the house with the wives, performing the menial 
 offices of the domestic eslablishment. The children of ihese 
 concubines, when nol ihc master's offspring, are born slaves, 
 and inherited by him, who cither keeps them for the pur- 
 pose of marrying them to some black slave of his own, or 
 sells them in ihe public nuirkel; this latler mode of dispos- 
 ing of them, however, is seldom practised, except in cases of 
 necessity ; for although the law gives great lalituile to masters 
 having slaves, yet the children are generally brought up 
 under the mother's rare, and become members of the family ; 
 by serving at an early age in domestic occupations, they 
 earn their living by their work; for in a country where the 
 necessaries of life are prohibited from exportalion,-f- for tiie 
 purpose of enabling the subjects to live comfortably with a 
 hide income, the expense of maintenance is inconsiderable: 
 so tiiat a large and numerous family is a blessing, and the 
 more numerous, the greater the blessing. Living on simple 
 food, for the most part of the farinacious kind, their ap- 
 peliles are easily satisfied; their wants are lew; and their 
 resources many. 
 
 The women are not so much confined as has been gene- 
 nerally imagined ; they frequently visit their relalrons and 
 
 * The k guUuial, lor wlien not guttural, llic word signifies oW, or uorn out. 
 \ The supply of the garrison of Gibraltar, with bullocks, &c. excepted.
 
 352 Treatment of the Women. 
 
 friends,* and have various ways of facilitating intrigues; 
 thus, if a lady's (raliayat) sandals be seen at the door of an 
 apartment, the husband himself dare not enter; he retires 
 into another room, and directs the female slave to inform 
 him when her (Lela) lady is disengaged, which is known by 
 the sandals being taken awa}^ 
 
 When an ill-disposed husband becomes jealous or discon- 
 tented with his wife, he has too many opportunities of treat- 
 ing her cruelly ; he may t^'rannize over her without control ; 
 no one can go to her assistance, for no one is authorised lo 
 enter his Horem without permission. Jealousy or hatred 
 rises so high in the breast of a Moor, that death is often the 
 consequence to the wretched female who has excited, per- 
 haps innocently, the anger of her husband. The fate of 
 those women who are not so fortunate as to bear a male child 
 is too often to be lamented ; those who do, are treated with 
 extraordinary respect, the father being careful not to ill-treat 
 the mother of his son or heir. A father, however fond of 
 his daughter, cannot assist her, even if informed of the ill- 
 treatment she suffers; the husband alone is lord paramount: 
 if, however, he should be convicted of murdering his wife, 
 he would suffer death, but this is difficult to ascertain, even 
 should she bear on her the marks of his cruelty, or dastardly 
 conduct, for who is to detect it ? Instances have been known 
 where the woman has been cruelly beaten and put to death, 
 
 * Women of rank, who reside in the towns, seldom walic abroad, it being 
 considered a degradation lo the wife of a gentleman to be seen walking in the 
 street; when, however, they are going to pay a visit, they have a servant, or 
 slave to accompany them.
 
 Diseases. J53 
 
 and tlie parents have been informed of licr decease as if it 
 had been occasioned by sickness, and she has been buried 
 accordingly: bul this difficulty of bringing the men to jus- 
 tice, l)olds only an)ong the powerful bashaws, and persons 
 in the higest stations : and these, to avoid a retaliation of 
 similar practices on their children, sonjctiines prefer giving 
 their dnughiers in marriage to men of an inferior station in 
 life, who are more amenable to justice. 
 
 The inhabitants of this cmpiic are subject to many loath- 
 some and distressing diseases. Children are frequently af- 
 fected with baldness and the falling sickness, which, however, 
 gradually leave them as they grow up : the women are very 
 subject to the latter, which ihey call m'jinen, that is, pos- 
 sessed with a spirit. 
 
 The head-ache is common, but it is only temporary, aris- 
 ing usually from a sudden stoppage of perspiration, and goes 
 oft" asain on using exercise, which in this hot climate im- 
 mediately causes perspiration. The stomach is often re- 
 laxed with llie heat, and becomes extremely painful ; this 
 they call improperly (ugah el kulleb) the pain of the heart. 
 They are frequently complaining of gripings, and universal 
 weakness, which are caused probably by the water they con- 
 tinually drink; tliey complain also of (ugah el adem) the 
 bone-ache, which is occasioned by their always silting on the 
 ground without shoes. 
 
 Schirrous ulcers, and other eruptions frequently break out 
 on their limbs and bodies, from the heated state of the blood, 
 which is increased by their too constant use of stimulants, 
 for whenever they sil down to meat, the first enquiry is (wash 
 
 X
 
 154 Diseases. 
 
 skunc) is it stimulating ? and if they are answered in the 
 iiegalive, thej will not touch it, be it ever so good and sa- 
 voury. Tlicse eruptions in time turn to leprous affections. 
 
 The most general disorder, however, is the venereal dis- 
 ease, which is said to have been unknown among them, till 
 the period when Ferdinand King of Castille expelled the 
 Jews from Spain, who coming over to Marocco, and suffer- 
 ing the Africans to cohabit with their wives and daughters, 
 the whole empire was as it were inoculated w iih the dreadful 
 distemper; they call it the great disease,* or the woman's dis^ 
 order; and it has now spread itself into so many varieties, 
 that, I am fully persuaded, there is scarcely a Moor in Bar- 
 bary who has not more or less of the virus in his blood ; they 
 have no effectual remedy for it ; they know nothing of the 
 specific mercury ; but usually follow a course of vegetable 
 diet for 40 days, drinking during that time decoctions of 
 sarsaparilla, which afford them a temporary relief. As the 
 heat of the climate keeps up a constant perspiration, those 
 who have this disorder, do not suffer so much from it as per- 
 sons do in Europe ; and this, added to their abstaining in 
 general from wine, and all fermented liquors, may be the 
 cause of their being enabled to drag through life, without 
 undergoing a radical cure, though they are occasionally af- 
 flicted with aches and pains till their dissolution. I have 
 heard many of them complain, that they had never enjoyed 
 health or tranquillity since the}' were first infected. If any 
 European surgeon happen to prescribe the specific remedy, 
 they generally from some inaccuracy of interpretation, want 
 
 * In Arabic, el murd el kabeer, or el murd En's&h.
 
 Diseases. 155 
 
 of confidence, or other cause, neglect to follow the necessary 
 regimen ; this aggravates the symptoms, and they then dis- 
 continue the medicine, from a presumption of its inefficacy. 
 
 Leprosy, called Jeddeni, or Murd Jeddem, is very pre- 
 valent in Barbary ; people affected with it are common in 
 the province of Haha, where oil argannick is much used, 
 which, when not properly prepared, is said to be a great 
 heater of the blood* The lepers of Ilaha are seen in par- 
 ties of 10 or 20 together, and approach travellers, lo beg 
 charity. In the city of Marocco, there is a separate (luarler, 
 outside of the walls, inhabited by lepers only. In passing 
 through this place, I observed that its inhabitants were by 
 no means disfigured in personal appearance, excepting that 
 they generally have no eye-brows; the women, when young, 
 are extremely handso ne: they are sometimes flushed in the 
 face, and at others pale : Avhen they appear abroad, they as- 
 sist their complexion with (el akkcr) rouge, and (el kahol) 
 lead ore, with which latter they blacken their eye-lashes and 
 eye-brows, and puncture the chin from the tip to the middle 
 of the lower lip ; but this practice, which they think increases 
 their beauty, certainly disfigures them. 
 
 Leprosy being considered epidemical, those who are af- 
 fected with it are obliged to wear a badge of distinction when- 
 ever they leave their habitations, so that a straw hat with a 
 very wide brim, tied on in a particular manner, is the signal 
 for persons not to approach the wearer ; the lepers are seen 
 in various parts of Barbary sitting on the ground with a 
 wooden bowl before them, begging, and in this way they 
 collect sometimes a considerable sum for such a country : 
 
 • See page 86.
 
 156 ' Diseases. 
 
 thev intermarry with each other, and although the whole 
 system is said to be contaminated, 3'et they do not discover 
 any external marks of disease, except the before-mentioned 
 paucity or total want of eye-brows. On any change of wea- 
 ther, and particularly if the sky be overcast, and the air damp, 
 they will be seen sitting round a fire, warming their bones, as 
 they term it, for they ache all over till the weather resumes 
 its wonted salubrity. The elephantiasis has been thought a 
 species of leprosy, for it desiccates and hardens the epidermis 
 of the legs, which swell, and appear rugous. 
 
 Persons affected with the elephantiasis and hydrocele, are 
 frequently met with, particularly about Tangier, the water 
 of which is said to occasion the latter; and those who are 
 recently affected with it, affirm, that it leaves them on re- 
 moving from the place.* During my^stay once at Tangier, 
 after travelling through the country, I observed one of my 
 servants labouring under the disorder; on speaking to him 
 about it, and regretting that there was no physician to afford 
 him relief, he laughed, and made lijrlit of it, saying he hoped 
 I would not stay long in 'J'angier, as it was occasioned by 
 the water of the place, and would leave him as soon as we 
 departed ; which was actually the case, for two days after 
 our departure, it had almost entirely subsided. 
 
 Cases of dropsy and hernia are sometimes met with, though 
 the latter is not so frequent as in Europe. They have no 
 effectual remedy for any of the before mentioned diseases; 
 their whole materia medica consists, with little exception, of 
 
 * I onl)' mention tliis, from its l)eing the popular, and gener.nlly received 
 opinion of the nalives; the case of my servant would, indeed, seem to favour 
 guch an opinion, but iiis cure was probably owing to other causes. 
 
 ^
 
 Funerals. 1 5 7 
 
 herbs and other vegetables, from their knowledge of the vir- 
 tues of which much might be learned by European phy- 
 sicians. 
 
 Gun-shot wounds are cured b^ the actual cautery. 
 
 The plague, which appears necessary to carry off" the over- 
 plus of increasing population, visits this country about once 
 in every 20 years: the last visitation was in 1799, and was 
 more fatal than almost any ever before known.* 
 
 The Mohammedans never postpone burying their dead 
 more than twenty-four hours; in summer it would be ofltn- 
 sive to keep them longer, for which reason they often inter 
 the body a few hours after death ; they first wash it, then lay 
 it on a wooden tra}', without any coffin, but covered with a 
 shroud of cotton clolh; it is thus borne to the grave by four 
 men, followed by the relations and friends of the deceased, 
 chaunting (La Allah ilia Allah wa Mohammed rassul Allah.) 
 There is no God but the true God, and Mohammed is his pro- 
 phet. The head is placed in the grave towards Mecca, and 
 the head and foot of it are marked b}' two stones. It is un- 
 lawful to take fees at an interment; the bier belongs to the 
 (Jamaa) Mosque, and is used, free of expense, by those ap- 
 plying for it. The cemetery is a piece of ground 7inenclosed, 
 attached to some sanctnar}', outside of the town, for the Mo- 
 hammedans do not allow the dead to be buried among the 
 habitations of the living, or in towns; they highly venerate 
 the burying-places, and, whenever they pass them, pray for 
 the dead. 
 
 * The leader will 6nd a particular account of this plague in Appendix, 
 No. I,
 
 158 Etiquette of the Court. 
 
 The etiquette of the court of Marocco does not allow 
 any man to mention the word Death to the Emperor, so that 
 if it be necessary to communicate to him the news of any 
 Mohammedan's decease, they say (Ufah Ameruh) " he has 
 completed his destiny/' or his life, to which (Allah e^ erham- 
 moh) " God be merciful to him," is the reply. When a Jew 
 dies, the Moors express it by (Maat bel Karan) «* the son of a 
 cuckold is dead ;" on the death of a Christian who bore a 
 good character, they say (Maat Mesquin) " the inoffensive, 
 or negative man is dead ;" but if he was unpopular, or dis« 
 liked, (Maat el Kaffer) « the infidel is dead."
 
 r 159 ] 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Some Observations on the Mohammedan Keliaion. 
 
 JVIany writers have endeavoured to vilify the Moham- 
 medan rehgion, by exposing the worst side of it, blackened 
 by various fables, invented for divers sinister purposes; these 
 representations, indeed, have been transmitted to posterity, 
 by enthusiasts who have been anxious to acquire ecclesias- 
 tical fame, or by men who appear to have known but little of 
 the original language of Mohammedans, and whose object 
 was to abuse and calumniate;* but we shall, on a minute ex- 
 amination of the doctrines contained in the Koran, find that 
 it approaches nearer to the Christian religion in its moral pre- 
 cepts, than any other with which we are acquainted. In- 
 deed, were there as many absurdities in this religion as some 
 persons have atrributed to it, it is probable that it would not 
 have extended itself over so great a portion of the habitable 
 globe; for we find it embraced, with little exception, from 
 the shores of West Barbary, to the most eastern part of Chi- 
 nese Tartary, an extent of upwards of 8000 miles ; and from 
 the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope, with the 
 exception of a few nations of Pagans ; neither is there any 
 
 * It ma)' be necessary to observe, tbal I by no means intend here lo defend 
 llie Mohammedan religion ; my only intention is to notice, impartially, a few 
 of its leading tenets, and to correct the errors, and misrepresentations of some 
 of those writers who have treated the subject.
 
 ]G0 Of the Mohammedan Rc/ig'mi. 
 
 language spoken and nnderslood by so great a proportion of 
 the population of tiie world as that in which it is promul- 
 »aled • of this, however, I shall speak more particularly in 
 the next chapter. 
 
 Koran, chap. vii. — " Forgive easily: command nothing 
 but what is just: dispute not with the ignorant." 
 
 Koran, chap. xi. — " O earth, swallow up thy waters: O 
 «« heaven, withhold thy rain ; immediately the waters sub- 
 « sided, the ark rested on Mount A\ Judi, and these words 
 " were heard : Wo to the wicked nation." 
 
 Chap. xiii. — " They who do good for evil shall obtain pa- 
 " radise for their reward." 
 
 From these extracts we see that the Mohammedans have 
 some of the same moral precepts laid down for their gui- 
 dance which are inculcated by the Gospel of Christ. They 
 believe in the flood; they teach forgiveness of injuries; jus- 
 tice, and rendering good for evil. The nations which fol- 
 lowed paganism were taught by Mohammed the unity of 
 God. He exhorted them to believe with the heart, that there 
 is only one God, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eter- 
 nal, and that he is spiritual. That the angels are subtle, 
 pure bodies, formed of light; neither eating, drinking, or 
 sleeping; not of different sexes; having no carnal desires; 
 nor degrees of relationship, and are of various forms. 
 
 Mohammed maintained that Jesus Christ was a prophet, 
 and that those who believed it not were infidels. He says> 
 the sacred books are 104, of which the Almighty gave 
 To Adam - - - 10 
 To Seth - - . 50 
 To Idris, or Enoch - 30
 
 Of the Mohammedan Helicon, 151 
 
 To Abraham - - 10 
 To Moses - - - I , ^^•hich is the Law 
 
 To David - - . I 
 
 To Jesus - - - 1, which is the Gospel 
 
 To Mohammed - - 1, the Koran; 
 
 and he asserts, that whoever rejects, or calls in question, 
 the divine inspiration of any of the foregoing books, is an 
 infidel. He says also, that he who can lay his hand on his 
 heart and say, " I fear not the resurrection, nor am I in any 
 " concern about hell, and care not for heaven," is an incor- 
 rigible infidel. 
 
 The Mohammedans are fatalists, consequently they bear 
 all kinds of misfortune with fortitude; if the Mooselmin be 
 plunged from the higest prosperity to the lowest state of 
 adversity, he exclaims; " God's will is supreme, there is none 
 but God !"* 
 
 Islaemism, or Mohammedanism, he maintains, is submis- 
 sion to God; that all are born in Islaim, or in submission to 
 God, but afterwards swerve throusli bad education. 
 
 The Mooselmin maintain, that reason without failh can- 
 not distinguish truth from error; and add, that a steady ad- 
 herence to its suggestions, is the road to impiely. 
 
 Religion and the State are considered as twins, insepar- 
 able; if one die, the other cannot survive. 
 
 The most refined and intelligent Mohammedans are not, 
 however, of opinion, that God is the author of all good and 
 evil; but maintain that every man who follows the direct or 
 good way, has the protecting eye of God upon him, and 
 that God is with him ; but that, if he withdraw his influence 
 
 • See page 145. 
 
 T
 
 162 Of the Mohammedan Beligion. 
 
 from any one, then evil or misfortune ensues; not actively 
 from God, but passively from the withdrawing of that protect- 
 ing influence ; that this is an act of the Almighty, which can- 
 not be easily comprehended by our weak reason; and that it 
 is not willed by him with approbation, but necessarily. The 
 Mohammedan thinks himself unworthy to prostrate himself 
 before God, until he be clean and undefiled : this opinion 
 makes ablutions so necessary ; of which there are three kinds ; 
 the first is El-gasul (the g pronounced guttural), which is an 
 immersion of the whole body, and is performed by the af- 
 fluent, or those in easy circumstances; the second is El- 
 woden, which is a washing of the hands, fingers, and arms 
 up to the elbows, the feet, face, and head, the sexual parts, 
 the mouth and nostrils, the toes, separately and singly ; and 
 this should be repeated three times : the third mode of puri- 
 fication is practised only in the Desert, Avhere the difference 
 is the substitution of sand for water, as the latter can sel- 
 dom be procured there. 
 
 Charity is considered a cardinal virtue, and an indispen- 
 sible duty : those, however, who possess not 5 camels, or 30 
 sheep, and 200 pieces of silver, are not considered as obli- 
 gated to give alms ; for it is held, that the alms-giver must 
 not injure himself; or, as we express it, charity begins at 
 home. It is expected that a person of good property ought 
 to give a muzuna* in a raitkal, which is equivalent to 6d. in 
 the pound, to the poor, out of his annual profits, which being 
 calculated at the end of the sacred month of Ramadan, the 
 people have ten days to prepare their donations, when the 
 feast of L'ashora commences, and the poor go about to the 
 
 * Forty muzuna make one mitkal.
 
 Of the Mohammedan Religion. 1 63 
 
 houses, and collect what they call (ml^a Allah) God's pro- 
 pcrty. * 
 
 During the fast of the moon, or month of Ramadan, which, 
 from their years being lunar, happens at various periods of 
 the year, they are very rigorous ; it is necessary that the fast 
 should be begun with an intention in the heart, to please 
 God : during this month they do not eat, nor even smell food, 
 drink, smoke, nor communicate with women, from the rising 
 to the setting sun ; but at night they eat plentifully. Even 
 those who indulge in wine at other limes, refrain iVom it in 
 the sacred month of Ramadan. 
 
 Mohammed declared that the Jews, Christians, and Pa- 
 gans, cannot be saved, so long as they remain in infidelity 
 and idolatry ; of which last, the Mohammedans accuse the 
 Roman Catholics, who worship a cross, or an image, carved 
 by the hands of man : as to the English, they seem not to 
 have determined what denomination to give them ; they are 
 commonly called infidels, who never pray ; this opinion hav- 
 ing obtained among them because Protestants have no pub- 
 lic chapels in the Mohammedan towns, in Africa, which the 
 Catholics have, as already mentioned. They have it on re- 
 cord, that the sultan of the English (Richard Cocur de Lion) 
 received from the Sultan Solhadcn or Saladine, or from Mo- 
 hammed himself, the letter admitting him and his followers 
 
 • In the evening of the feast of L'ashora, they have a masquerade, during 
 which the masquers proceed through the ditl'erenl streets, and go to the liouses, 
 to collect chiirity : their masks are made in a rude way, but the characters are 
 well represented throughout. Amongst them we generally find an English 
 sailor, a French soldier, a cooper, a lawyer, an apothecary, and a sheik or 
 alkaid, who determines all disputes, and whose decree is absolute.
 
 164 Of the Mohammedan Religion. 
 
 as Mohammedans; but that various busmess engaging the En- 
 glish king during his stay in Palestine, he did not give so much 
 attention to the letter as was expected, and that after return- 
 inof to England, he still doubted whether he should embrace 
 the Mohanmiedan doctrine, or remain a Christian!* 
 
 It is highly probable, in that age of fanaticism, when the 
 holy wars were undertaken, that the Sultan Saladine, appre- 
 hensive for the cause of Mohammedanism, did make over- 
 tures to Richard ; for it was tlie custom in the days of Mo- 
 hammed, and afterwards in the days of those enthusiasts, to 
 invite all powerful princes to embrace their religion. 
 
 The 2nd 5th and 9th chapters of the Koran declare a be- 
 liever to be one who embraces the Mohammedan faith (i. e. a 
 belief in the divine inspiration of the Prophets, of Jesus, and 
 of Mohammed) ; this and Islaemisra are synonymous terras. 
 
 Koran, chap. v. — " If Jews and Christians believe, they 
 « shall be admitted into paradise." 
 
 1. Beheve, implies a belief in one God, and of the day of 
 judgment, the two grand pillars of Islaemism. 
 
 2. Believe in Islaemism ; this admits of various interpre- 
 tations ; Islaem is performing obedience and prostration be- 
 fore God ; in another interpretation it implies Mohamme- 
 danism, or a belief in the divine mission of Mohammed. 
 
 The generality of religions, which have made any progress 
 in the world, make it indispensable to believe in its own te- 
 nets : Mohammed, although he naturally gives the preference 
 to the religion of his own forming, yet he has the hberality to 
 
 * Tliey assert, El English andhume muzzel el kitab Emta Seedna Moham- 
 med — the English retain to this day the letter of the prophet Mohammed 
 (entitling them to be Mohammedans).
 
 Of the Mohammedan Religion, 165 
 
 acknowledge, that those who have professed other reUgions 
 may be saved ; after sufTcring a degree of chastisement or 
 damage in the Hfe to come, as it is termed by him. 
 
 " Whoever shall have professed any religion except Islaem- 
 ism, his belief shall not be acceptable to God, and he shall 
 receive damage in the life to come, or be not so well re- 
 ceived, as if he had professed Islaemism, or the law of 
 peace and obedience." 
 
 Although the Prophet found fault with the Jews as well as 
 the Clnistians, whom he accused of perverting the Scriptures, 
 yet he took care to keep up the latitudinarian principle of 
 his own law, called Dene-el-^Yasah (the extended doctrine), 
 by believing the divine inspiration of both the Old and New 
 Testament, thus giving an opportunity to the expounders of 
 the Law, to regulate themselves according to circumstances. 
 
 The Mohammedans, when disputing with Christians, which 
 they rarely do, say, that Christians believe faith will save the 
 soul : they also believe so ; and that if their religion is the 
 true one, they will go to Paradise ; they tell us, if your's be 
 the true one, we both shall go there, because we believe in 
 the divinity of Christ, but you do not believe in that of Mo- 
 hammed ; therefore, if faith save the soul, we have the ad- 
 vantage of you in being, in any case, on the safe side.* 
 
 The Mooselmin's ideas of the Creator are grand and ele- 
 vated. Whatever is, exists either necessarily and of itself, 
 and is God, or has not its being from itself, and does not exist 
 necessarily, and is of two sorts: substance and accidents; 
 
 • This is similar to the Catholic lady, who, worshipping the picture of Sa- 
 tan allernalely wiih that of the Virgiu, declared that her object was to secure 
 
 a Irieud oa both sides
 
 1C6 Of the MoJunnmedan Tteligiott. 
 
 substances are of two kinds, abstract and concrete ; abstract 
 substances are, all spirits and intellectual beings; concrete, 
 beinor the matter and form. 
 
 Whenever God is spoken of by the Moliammedans, as hav- 
 ing form, eyes, &c. it is meant allegorically, to convey the 
 idea of some particular attribute. 
 
 They deny that Christ was crucified ; so good a man, they 
 assert, could not have been crucified ; God would not permit 
 it : but he confounded the Jews, and one of the thieves, they 
 assert, was made to personate him. 
 
 Finally, the Mohammedan religion recommends tolera- 
 tion ; and all liberal Mohammedans insist that every man 
 ought to worship God according to the lav>^ of his forefathers. 
 " If it pleased God," say they, "all men would believe; 
 why then should a worm, a wretched mortal, be so foolish 
 as to pretend to force other men to believe ? The soul be- 
 lieves only hi/ the rcUl of God : these are the true principles 
 of Mohammedans." 
 
 It must, however, be observed, that the principles here 
 laid down are not always the rule of action, any more than 
 the sublime truths inculcated by the Christian religion, are 
 altogether acted upon by its professors. 
 
 Bolh religions acknowledge the greatness of God, and yet 
 bigotry is so prevalent at Old Fas, that if a Christian were 
 there to exclaim Allah k'becr, God is great, he would be in- 
 vited immediately to add to it, and Mohammed is his pro- 
 phet, which, if he were inadvertently to utter before wit- 
 nesses, he would be irretrievably made a Mohanuncdan, and 
 circumcised accordingly; so that Europeans should be ex- 
 tremely cautious, when unprotected, or not in the suite of an
 
 Of the Mohammedan Religion. I67 
 
 ambassador, what words they ever rc[)eat after a JSIohara- 
 nicdan, even if ignorant of the meaning thereof. 
 
 Martin Martinius, the Jesuit, and Abraham Ecchellensis, 
 professor of Oriental languages at Rome in the 1 7th century, 
 tax the Koran with asserting, that Cod himself prays for 
 Mohammed; this absurdity has j)robably originated in an 
 incorrect translation of the Koran published about 270 years 
 since, which translates " may the blessing of God be upon 
 thee, may the prayers of God be upon thee:" the same Ara- 
 bic word (Sollah) which signifies peace or blessing, when ap- 
 plied to a man, signifies prayer. Sollah Allah ala Seedna 
 Mohammed signifies, " pray to God through our master 
 Mohammed," not, " the prayers of God are upon Moham- 
 med." 
 
 Jt has been said by Maccarius in his Thcolog. Polemic, 
 p. 119, that Mohammed does not acknowledge any hell. 
 Why then docs he explain the seven gates of hell, mentioned 
 in the Koran, chap. xv. ? which are an emblem of the seven 
 deadly sins, and of their various punishments ; for, according 
 to the Arabian prophet, hell has seven gates, allegorically, and 
 heaven has seven heavens, or degrees of happiness; the highest 
 and chiefest of which, according to the Mohammedans, is 
 to see God. The (Gehennume,) hell of Mohammed is not 
 an eternal punishment. 
 
 Monsieur de St. Olon, ambassador from the King of France 
 at Marocco, says, in his description of the kingdom of Ma- 
 rocco, chap. ii. — " The Mohammedans maintain that by 
 washing their head, hands, and feet, they are purified from 
 all sin:" but this is an error, and I may presume, from the 
 nature of the assertion, that the Ambassador, like many
 
 l68 Of the Mohammedan Religion. 
 
 others, who are sent to Mohammedan countries, knew nothing 
 of the Arabic language, and that he was obliged to negociate 
 through some Jewish interpreter, a character whose impu- 
 dence is but too often surpassed only by his ignorance. The 
 washing is merely a necessary ceremony, and is similar to our 
 custom of going washed and clean to church; it is a purifying 
 of the shell, or the outward man, prayers are a purifying of 
 the kernel or inward man ; as by purifying the kernel, the 
 amendment of the heart is implied. 
 
 With regard to spirits or devils (called Jin, Sing, and Ji- 
 nune (pi.) ; Sale translates Genii, which is the word Jin, with 
 the vowel point thus, ^^js^ jinee), Philip Guadagnolo,* in his 
 apology for the Christian religion, p. 291, asserts, that the 
 Koran is full of contradictions, from what it says about de- 
 vils in the chapter called the chapter of Devils ; but this is 
 really the chapter of spirits (Genii, spirits), for of these Mo- 
 hammedans admit three kinds, besides the departed souls of 
 men, called Roh Benadam, viz. 
 
 J. Lucifer, the chief of the devils, is called Shetan. 
 
 2. All rebellious or deformed spirits belonging to Shetan 
 are called Iblis. 
 
 The 3d kind are called Genii, in Arabic Jinnune ; they 
 are both good and bad, offensive and inotfensive, and assume 
 various forms. The good are called Melik. 
 
 Of sins, the Mooselmin affirm envi/ to have been the first 
 committed in heaven and on earth; they say Iblis envied 
 Adam ; when God ordered all Angels to honour him, he 
 tacitly coudemned God; and expostulated with him on or- 
 dering him, who was made of fire, to adore or honour the first 
 
 * He translated tJie Bible into Arabic in 167I.
 
 Of the Mohammedan Tleligion. I69 
 
 man, who was made from earth. * Now,' said the wretch 
 Ibhs, ' it is not jiist that the superior being shouhl honour 
 the inferior;' and he was cast down from heaven for his dis- 
 obedience ; thus envy was the first sin in heaven." 
 
 Kabel and I label (tlio Arabic names of Cain and Abel) 
 oflbred sacrifice to (iod ; the oftcrings of Ilabel met with a 
 more favourable reception ; Kabel envied him and killed 
 him; so envy first occasioned infidelity in heaven, and mur- 
 der on earth. 
 
 The heighth of the celestial happiness is to see God ; all 
 those elegant descriptions of beautiful virgins, rivers flowing 
 with honey, gardens of delicious fruits, «Scc. which are said 
 by some to compose the happiness of the Mohammedan pa- 
 radise, are nothing more than allegorical descriptions, in- 
 vented to make an impression on the minds of men. 
 
 Chap. xl. — " Whoever shall believe and do good works, 
 " whether man or woman, shall enter {)aradise." 
 
 Thus we see that the fate of the Mohammedan women is 
 not altogether so deplorable as some Christians have made it. 
 
 Peter Ccvaller, in his Zclus Christi contra Saracenos, p. 137j 
 speaking of Mohammed, says — " This madman places lia- 
 " man in the time of Pharaoh, which is such a proof of his 
 " ignorance, as ought to put him and all his beastly followers 
 " to an eternal silence." 
 
 Peter Cevaller, it appears, was not apprised that Pharaoh 
 was a general name for all the kings of the Pharaoh ilynasty, 
 which continued to reign in Egypt many centuries. The 
 Mohammedans, moreover, have niany traditions about a 
 man of the name of Ilaman, who was a general of one of 
 the Pharaohs. 
 
 z
 
 170 Of the Mohammedan "Religion. 
 
 Bartholomew of Edcssa, in p. 442 of the Varia Sacra, pub- 
 lished by Stephen le Moine, reproaches Mohammed with 
 saying, that the blessed Virgin became pregnant by eating 
 dates : 
 
 Koran, chap. xix. — " Remember what is written of IMary, 
 We sent to her our spirit, (or angel,) in the shape of a man; 
 she was frigiiiened, but thfe angel said to her, O Mary I I am 
 the messenger of your Lord, and your God, who will give 
 you an active and prudent son. She answered, How shall I 
 have a son without knowing any man ? The angel replied, 
 God has said it, the thing shall happen; it is easy to your 
 Lord, and your son himself shall be a proof of the almighty 
 power of God. Then she conceived, and retired for some 
 time into a solitary place, near a date-tree, and her labour- 
 pains began forthwith ; but the angel said, Do not afflict 
 thyself; shake the date-tree, and gather the dates; eat 
 them, drink water, and wash your eyes." Now this passage, 
 which is the one alluded to, does not say that the pregnancy 
 proceeded from the eating of the dates, although the dates 
 eased the pains of pregnancy. Hence, probably, that super- 
 stitious African tradition, that when the V' irgin Mary was in 
 pain, she exclaimed, O that I had some dates ! and imme- 
 diately the exclamation, or letter O, was marked on the stone 
 of the fruit.* 
 
 Dog and hog are synonymous terms of contempt or degra- 
 dation among the Mohammedans: they are the two unclean 
 animals ; and if either of them drink out of a cup, it must be 
 washed seven times. They will not sit down where a dog 
 has been, nor will they wear the skin of the animal, even if 
 
 * All date-stones have a circular mark od them^ like the letter O.
 
 Of the Mohammedan Religion. 17 1 
 
 made inlo leallur. Some men of rank, however, keep grey- 
 hounds, and olhcr dogs for hunting ; but seldom let ihcni go 
 into those apartments of their houses, where the women are, 
 for they say, no angel or benediction comes to any place 
 where a dog is. 
 
 In the xivih chnp. of the Koran Mohammed makes 
 Abraham beg of God to protect Mecca, and to make it a 
 place of peace or safety (aman ^^U*5^ in the original) lo all 
 the world. The learned Rcjbert of Retz, who translated the 
 Koran in the lOlh century, has rendered this word, Aman or 
 Hammon, and hence the Prophet has absolutely been ac- 
 cused of placing Mecca in the country of the Hammonites, 
 and consequently abused for his geographical ignorance, as if 
 any man of common understanding could so far mistake the 
 place of his birlh, a place he had lived in so long, had con- 
 quered, and from whence he had made so many eruptions 
 against his neighbours. NVhat man of sense can believe such 
 absurdity ? 'J"he word Aman in the original is a consecrated 
 place, . or place of faith, of safett/, of refuge, of protection. 
 Birds, fish, or animals, are not allowed to be killed in such 
 places, as blood is not to be spill therein. 
 
 The Prophet has also been accused of contradicting him- 
 self, in saying, sometimes, that he could read, and at others, 
 that he could not ; and the following passage of the Koran 
 (ch. xlvii.) is thence produced as evidence that he could read : 
 God is introduced as saying to Mohammed — " God knows 
 ** what you do, and what you read."* But the whole is a 
 mistake, both of the version and of the annolator, for in the 
 original Arabic, God does not speak to Mohammed, but the 
 
 * Robert de lletz's trauslatioo.
 
 172 Of the Mohammedan Religion. 
 
 latter speaks to other men, and says, " God knows what ye 
 « do, and what ye meditate," (not read). 
 
 With reward to marriage, the Koran (chap, iv.) allows four 
 ■wives : " Receive in marriage such women as you like, two, 
 three, or four wives, at the most. If you think j'ou cannot 
 maintain them equally, marry only one." This subject has 
 been elucidated in the preceding chapter, it is therefore un- 
 necessary to say any thing further upon it here. 
 
 It has been said by Eulhymius Zygabenus, and an anony- 
 mous author, who wrote Mohammed's life, in Sylburgh's Sa- 
 racen, p. 6'0, that Mohammed, in his Koran, placed Moses 
 amongst the damned ; but whoever has the least knowledge 
 of Arabic, must know, by consulting the Koran, that Moses 
 is every where mentioned with great respect, and the Mo- 
 hammedans call him Seedna, i. e. our Lord, or Master. 
 
 From the foregoing observations, it will be perceived that 
 the principles of the Mohammedan religion are neither so 
 pernicious nor so absurd as many have imagined. They 
 have sometimes been vilified either from error, or for the pur- 
 pose of exalting the Christian doctrine; but that doctrine 
 is too pure and celestial to need any such aids.
 
 [ 173] 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Languages of Africa — Various Dialects of the Arabic Lan- 
 guage — Difference hetzrcen the Derebbcr and Shelluh Lan- 
 guages — Specimen of the Mandinga. 
 
 1 AUEB, the son of Kohtan,* is said to have been the first 
 who spoke Arabic, and the Mohammedans contend that it is 
 the most eloquent language spoken in any part of the globe, 
 and that it is the one whicli will be used at the day of judg- 
 ment. To write a long dissertation on this copious and ener- 
 getic language, would be only to repeat what many learned 
 men have said before; a few observations, however, may not 
 be superfluous to the generality of readers. The Arabic lan- 
 guage is spoken by a greater proportion of the inhabitants of 
 the known world than any other: a person having a practical 
 knowledge of it, may travel from the shores of the Medi- 
 terranean sea to the Cape of Good Hope, and nolhwith- 
 standing that in such a journey he must pass through many 
 kingdoms and empires of blacks, speaking distinct languages, 
 yet he would find men in all those countries versed in Moham- 
 medan learning, and therefore acquainted with the Arabic ; 
 again, he might cross the widest part of the African continent 
 from west to east, and would every where meet with persons 
 
 • This Kohtan is the Yoctan, son of Eber, brother to Phalcg, mentioned in 
 Genesis.
 
 174 Languages of Africa. 
 
 acquainted with it, more particularly if be should follow the 
 course of the great river called the Nile of the Negroes, on 
 the banks of which, from Jinnie and Timbuctoo, to the con- 
 fines of Lower Egypt, are innumerable cities and towns of 
 Arabs and Moors, all speaking the Arabic. Again, were a 
 traveller to proceed from Marocco to the farthest shore of 
 Asia, opposite the islands of Japan, he would find the Ara- 
 bic generally spoken or understood wherever he came. In 
 Turkey, in Syria, in Arabia, in Persia, and in India, it is 
 understood by all men of education ; and any one possessing 
 a knowledge of the Korannick Arabic, might, in a very short 
 time, make himself master of the Hindostannee, and of every 
 other dialect of the former. 
 
 The letters of this language are formed in fiaur distinct 
 ways, according to their situation at the beginning, middle 
 or end of words, as well as when standing alone ; the greatest 
 difficulty, however, to be overcome, is the acquiring a just 
 pronunciation, (without which no living language can be 
 essentially useful), and to attain which, the learner should be 
 able to exj)ress the difference of power and sound between 
 what may be denominated the synonymous letters, such as ^ 
 and <JL> with O ; ^with \ ; ^^ with (^; ^jo and is M-ith 5; * 
 with -. ; cJ and £=> with ^ ; p with^. 
 
 Besides these, there are other letters, whose power is ex- 
 tremely difficult to be acquired by an European, because no 
 language in Europe possesses sounds similar to the Arabic 
 letters P^^7-> nor has any language, except, perhaps, the 
 English, a letter with the power of the Arabian tl). Those 
 who travel into Asia or Africa scarcely ever become suffici-
 
 Languages of Africa. 175 
 
 ently masters of the Arabic to speak it fluently, which radical 
 defect proceeds altogether from their not learning, while 
 studying it, the peculiar distinction of the synonymous let- 
 ters. No European, perhaps, ever knew more of the theory 
 of this language than the late Sir William Jones, but slill he 
 could not converse with an Arabian, a circumstance of which 
 he was not conscious until he went to India. This great 
 man, however, had he been told that his knowledge of this 
 popular eastern language was so far deficient, that he was 
 ignorant of the separate powers of its synonymous letters, 
 and consequently inadequate to converse intelligibly with a 
 native Arab, he would certainly have considered it an asper- 
 sion, and have disputed aUogether that such was the fact. 
 Considering how much we are indebted to the Arabians for 
 the preservation of many of the works of the ancients, which 
 would otherwise have never, perhaps, been known to us, it 
 is really surprismg that their language should be so little 
 known in Europe. It is certainly very difficult and abstruse, 
 (to learners particularly), but this difficulty is rendered insur- 
 mountable by the European professors knowing it only as a 
 dead language, and teaching it without due attention to 
 the pronunciation of the before mentioned synonymous let- 
 ters, a defect which is not likely to be remedied, and which 
 will always subject the speaker to incessant errors. 
 
 To shew the Arabic student the ditference between the 
 Oriental and Occidental order of the letters of the alphabet, 
 1 shall here give them opposite each other.
 
 176 
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 Oriental Order of the Alphabet. 
 
 Occidental Order of the 
 
 Alphabet 
 
 1 
 
 AHf 
 
 \ 
 
 
 I 
 
 AHf 
 
 \ 
 
 2 
 
 Ba 
 
 CJ 
 
 
 2 
 
 Ba 
 
 C_J 
 
 3 
 
 ta 
 
 Cl) 
 
 — 
 
 3 
 
 ta 
 
 O 
 
 4 
 
 thsa 
 
 tl) 
 
 
 4 
 
 iha 
 
 ul> 
 
 5 
 
 jira 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 5 
 
 jim 
 
 Z. 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 hha 
 kha 
 dal 
 
 t 
 
 3 
 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 hha 
 kha 
 dal 
 
 3 
 
 9 
 
 dsal 
 
 3 
 
 
 9 
 
 dth'al 
 
 » 
 
 10 
 
 ra 
 
 J 
 
 — 
 
 10 
 
 ra 
 
 J 
 
 11 
 
 za 
 
 « 
 
 
 11 
 
 zain 
 
 • 
 
 J 
 
 12 
 
 sin 
 
 u- 
 
 
 12 
 
 ta 
 
 h 
 
 li 
 
 shin 
 
 c^ 
 
 — 
 
 13 
 
 da 
 
 li 
 
 14 
 
 sad 
 
 u* 
 
 — 
 
 14 
 
 kef 
 
 (^ 
 
 15 
 
 dad 
 
 l> 
 
 
 15 
 
 lam 
 
 J 
 
 16 
 
 ta 
 
 i. 
 
 — 
 
 16 
 
 mim 
 
 r 
 
 17 
 
 da 
 
 li 
 
 
 17 
 
 nunc 
 
 1 
 
 18 
 
 ain 
 
 t 
 
 
 IS 
 
 sad 
 
 u^ 
 
 19 
 
 gain 
 
 t 
 
 
 19 
 
 dad- 
 
 c> 
 
 ,20 
 
 fa 
 
 * 
 
 
 20 
 
 ain 
 
 t 
 
 21 
 
 kaf 
 
 J 
 
 — 
 
 21 
 
 r'gain 
 
 t 
 us 
 
 22 
 
 kef 
 
 c^ 
 
 
 22 
 
 fa 
 
 23 
 
 lem 
 
 J 
 
 — 
 
 23 
 
 kaf 
 
 • 
 
 U9 
 
 24 
 
 mim 
 
 (* 
 
 
 24 
 
 sin 
 
 u- 
 
 25 
 
 nun 
 
 u 
 
 
 25 
 
 shin 
 
 ui 
 
 26 
 
 ■waw 
 
 J 
 
 — 
 
 26 
 
 hha 
 
 ^ 
 
 27 
 
 he 
 
 s 
 
 — 
 
 27 
 
 wow 
 
 J 
 
 28 
 
 ya 
 
 L$ 
 
 
 28 
 
 ia 
 
 c5 
 
 29 
 
 lam-alif 
 
 i^J 
 
 
 29 
 
 lam-alif 
 
 Xc
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Besides this difference of the anangenienicnt of the two 
 alphabets, tlie student will observe that there is also a dif- 
 ference in the punctuation of two of the letters : thus — 
 
 Oriental, Occidental, 
 
 fa C-» fa <__d 
 
 kaf fj kaf cJ 
 
 Among the Western Arabs, the ancient Arabic figures are 
 used, viz. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ?» 8, 9; they olten write 100 
 thus, 1..— 200, 2.. 
 
 To explain the force of the synonymous letters on paper 
 would be impossible ; the reader, however, may form some 
 idea of the indispensable necessity of knowing the distinction 
 by the few words here selected, which to one unaccustomed 
 to liear the Arabic language spoken, would appear similar 
 and undibtinguishable. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 1 
 
 ARABIC 
 
 Rendereil as near to Furopean pro. 
 nunciaicn as ihe Englisli Al- 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 
 phabet will admiu 
 
 
 A horse 
 
 Aoud 
 
 V 
 
 Wood 
 
 Awad 
 
 sy\ 
 
 To repeat 
 
 Aoud 
 
 M 
 
 Fish 
 
 Hout 
 
 cjjL 
 
 A gun 
 
 Mokalla 
 
 
 A foolish woman 
 
 Mokeela 
 
 iL^ 
 
 A frying-pan 
 
 Makeela 
 
 >• 
 
 A lion 
 
 Sebah 
 
 ^^1 
 
 Morning 
 
 Sebah 
 
 tri' 
 
 Seventh 
 
 Sebah 
 
 '5^1 
 
 A ▲
 
 178 
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 
 ARABIC 
 
 Rendered as near to European pro* 
 nunciaiioo asthe English Al- 
 phabet vrill admit. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 Hatred 
 
 
 Hassed 
 
 
 <.\..i«>,\ 
 
 Harvest 
 
 
 Hassed 
 
 
 tX*CU=w\ 
 
 Learning 
 
 } 
 
 Alem, or 
 Alem 
 
 1 
 
 pU31 or jJL 
 
 A flag 
 
 
 El Alem 
 
 
 ^'U'i\ 
 
 Granulated 
 paste 
 
 } 
 
 Kuscasoe 
 
 } 
 
 
 The dish it 
 made in 
 
 1 
 
 Kuscas 
 
 } 
 
 ^\£a*-£p 
 
 Heart 
 
 
 Kul'b 
 
 
 • 
 
 Dog 
 
 
 Kil'b 
 
 
 cU^ 
 
 Mould 
 
 
 Kal'b 
 
 
 i^lj 
 
 Captain 
 
 
 Rice 
 
 
 i.^)} 
 
 Feathers 
 
 
 Rish 
 
 
 ^0^ 
 
 Mud 
 
 
 Ris 
 
 
 u-^\ 
 
 Smell 
 
 
 Shim 
 
 
 H' 
 
 Poison 
 
 
 Sim 
 
 
 j^)* 
 
 Absent 
 
 R'gaib 
 
 c— o 
 
 .\i)\ 
 
 • The African Jews find it very difficult in speaking, to distinguish between 
 iUm and sim.for they cannot pronounce the sh,{^) but sound it like « (<^); 
 the very tew who have studied the art of reading the language, have, however, 
 coD4uered this difficulty.
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 179 
 
 tNCI.ISH. 
 
 
 ATIABIC 
 
 
 Rfndcrrd 
 
 nunciati 
 
 as near to European pro- 
 ,ina< ihcKiijiMsh Alpha- 
 bet will admit. 
 
 Butter milk 
 
 
 Raib 
 
 White 
 
 
 Bead 
 
 A black 
 
 
 El Abd 
 
 ^gg^ 
 
 
 Baid 
 
 Atar-off 
 
 
 Baid 
 
 A pig 
 
 
 Helloof 
 
 An oath 
 
 
 Ilellef 
 
 Feed for horses 
 
 
 Alf 
 
 A thousand 
 
 
 Alf 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 :^\ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 It is difficult for any one who has not accurately stu- 
 died the Arabic language, to imagine the many gross errors 
 which an European falls into in speaking it, when self-taught, 
 or even when taught in Europe. Soon after my arrival in 
 Africa, when 1 had not attained the age of eighteen, I hap- 
 pened one clay to be in the house of an Euroj)ean gentleman 
 who had then been in the country twenty years ; an Arab 
 of the province of Tcdla came in, when the former (at all 
 times desirous of exhibiting his knowledge of their language) 
 addressed him, and after making u long sjjcerh, the Arab 
 very coolly replied, " 1 entreat ihee to s()eak Arabic that 
 I may understand thee (tkillan Eaiulie h'/orbea bcsh en fhe- 
 mikj." Tliis was interpreted to n\r. by a frieml, who was 
 present, and it made such a strong imj)ressioii on my 
 mind, thai 1 resolved to apply myself assiduously to discover 
 the reason why a person who spoke the language tolerably 
 quick, should be altogether so lilllc understood, and 1 was
 
 180 Languages of Africa. 
 
 some time afterwards, by making various observations and 
 trials, convinced that the deficiency originated in the inac- 
 curacy of the apphcation of the synonymous letters. 
 
 The ain P and the P r'gain cannot be accurately pro- 
 nounced by Europeans, who have not studied the language 
 grammatically when young, and under a native; 1 have, 
 however, heard an Irishman,* who did not understand it 
 grammatically, but had acquired it by ear, pronounce the lat- 
 ter equally as correct as any Arabian ; but this was a rare 
 instance. He was in England whilst Elfie Bey was here, who, 
 as I was afterwards informed, had declared, that he was the 
 only European whose Arabic he could easily understand. The 
 aspirated h, and the hard s, in the word for mornings (se- 
 bah) are so much like their synonymes, that few Europeans 
 can discern the difference; the one is in consequence, often 
 ipistaken for the other ; and I have known a beautiful sentence 
 turned into the niost ridiculous nonsence through an inacca- 
 racy of this kind. In the v/ords rendered Hatred and Har- 
 vest, the two synonymes of ^j- and (^,or s hard and s 
 soft, are indiscriminalely used by Europeans in their Arabic 
 conversations, a circumstance sufficient to do away the force 
 and meaning of any sentence or discourse. 
 
 The poetry as well as prose of the Arabians is well known, 
 and has been so often discussed by learned men, that it would 
 be irrelevant here to expatiate on the subject; but as the fol- 
 lowing description of the noblest passion of the human breast, 
 cannot but be interesting to the generality of readers, and 
 without any exception to the fair sex, I will transcribe it. 
 
 " Love (c,Ct,.T}\) bcginnelh in contemplation, passeth to 
 meditation ; hence proceeds desire ; then the spark bursts 
 
 * Mr. Hugh Cahill.
 
 Languages of Africa. 181 
 
 iorth into a flame, the head swims, the body wastes, the soul 
 turns giddy and decays. If we look on the bright side 
 of love we must acknowledge that it has at least one ad- 
 vantage; it annihilates pride and immoderate self-love: true 
 love, whose aim is the happiness and equality of the beloved 
 object, being incompatible with those feelings. 
 
 " Lust is so different from true love (CixJLxM), and so far 
 from a perfection, that it is always a species of punishment 
 sent by God, because man has abandoned the path of his 
 pure love." 
 
 In their epistolary writing, the Arabs have generally a regu- 
 lar and particular style, beginning and ending all their letters 
 wilh the name of God, symbolically, because God is the be- 
 ginning and end of all things. The following short spe- 
 cimen will illustrate this : 
 
 Translation of a letter written in the Korannick Arabic by 
 Seedy Soliman ben Mohammed ben Ismael, Sultan of Ma- 
 rocco, to his Bashaw of Suse, &c. &c. 
 
 " Praise be to the only God ! for there is neither power, nor 
 strength, without the great and eternal God." 
 
 [L. S. containing the Emperor's name and titles, as 
 Soliman ben Mohanmied ben Abdallah, &c. &c.] 
 
 " Our servant, Alkaid AbdJmelk ben Bchie Mulud, God 
 assist, and peace be with thee, and the mercy and grace of 
 God be upon thee I 
 
 « We command thee forthwith to procure and send to our 
 exalted presence every Englishman that has been wrecked 
 on the coast of Wedinoon, and to forward ihem hither with-
 
 1 82 Languages of Africa. 
 
 out delay, and diligently to succour and attend to ihcm, and 
 may the eye of God be upon ihee !" 
 
 20"th of the lunar month Safter, year of the Ilejira Jii2I. 
 (May 1806.)* 
 
 The accuracy of punctuation in the Arabic language is a 
 matter that ought to be strictly attended to ; thus they main- 
 tain writing to be the first qualification of a scholar, and that, 
 from a want of a due knowledge of punctuation, the Chris- 
 tians have misunderstood the word of God, which says, " I 
 have begotten thee, and thou art my son." I'his passage, 
 they say, originally stood as follows, (which if the Scriptures 
 had been first written in Arabic would have had some plau- 
 sibility): 
 
 " I have adopted thee, and thou art my prophet." The 
 difference of punctuation in one word makes all this differ- 
 ence in signification, for — 
 
 (_y, without punctuation, thus j)ointcd ^ signifies son, 
 and 
 c^-o, without punctuation, thus pointed u^ signifies j;?'o/j/ic/. 
 
 It has been already observed, that the Mohammedans 
 believe in Jesus Christ, and that he was a pro|>het sent 
 from God ; but they acknowledge no equal with God. 
 The doctrine of the Trinity is incomprehensible to them, 
 hence they will not admit of the punctuation ^, but allow 
 that of (_^. 
 
 The foregoing observations will serve to prove the insuffi- 
 
 * Wlien they write to any other but Mohamnieclans, they never salute 
 tlieni willi the words " I'eace l>e with thee," but substitute — " I'eace l)e to 
 those who f'»llow tlie palli of the true GotI," Salem ahi luia itaba el Uda.
 
 Languages of Africa, 183 
 
 cicncy of a knowledge of this language, as professed or 
 studied in Great liiilain wlien unaccompanied with a prac- 
 tical knowledge. 
 
 If the present ardour for discovery in Africa be persevered 
 in, ihc learned world may expect, in the course of a few 
 years, to receive histories and other works of Greek and Ro- 
 man authors, which were tran>laled into the Arabic lan- 
 guage, when Arabian literature was in its zenith, and have 
 ever since been confined to some private libraries in the 
 cities of the interior of Africa, and in Arabia. Bonaparte, 
 aware of the political importance of a practical knowledge 
 of this laniiuaiie, has of late given unremittinn; attention to 
 the subject, and if we may believe the mutilated accounts 
 which we receive occasionally from France, he is likely to 
 obtain from Africa in a short period relics of ancient learn- 
 ing of considerable value, which have escaped the wreck 
 of nations. 
 
 Having said thus much with regard to the Arabic of 
 the western Arabs, which, wilh little variation, is spoken 
 throushout all the finest districts of North Africa, I shall 
 proceed to say a few words respecting the other languages 
 spoken north of Sahara : these are the Berebber and its 
 dialects, viz. the Zyan and Girwan, and Ait Imure; the 
 Shelluh of Suse aud South Atlas, all which, though lat- 
 terly supposed by some learned men to be the same, dif- 
 fer in many respects; any one possessing a knowledge of 
 the Berebber language might, with little difficulty, niake 
 himself understood by the Zyan of Atlas, the Girwan, or the 
 Ait Imure; but the Shelluh is a different language, and 
 each so different from the Arabic, that there is not the
 
 1 84 Languages of Africa. 
 
 smallest resemblance, as the following specimen will demon- 
 strate : 
 
 2YAN k GIRWAN, 
 
 SHELLUH. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 Tumtoot 
 
 Tayelt 
 
 Ibhira 
 
 A girl 
 
 Ajurode 
 
 Ayol 
 
 Ishire 
 
 A boy 
 
 BEREBBER. 
 
 SHELLUH. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 Askan 
 
 Tarousa 
 
 Hajar 
 
 A thing 
 
 Aram 
 
 Algrom 
 
 Jimmel 
 
 Camel 
 
 Tamtute 
 
 Tamraut 
 
 Murrah 
 
 A woman 
 
 Ishiar 
 
 Issemg'h 
 
 L'abd 
 
 A slave 
 
 Aouli 
 
 Izimer 
 
 Kibsh 
 
 A sheep 
 
 Taddert 
 
 Tikimie 
 
 Dar 
 
 House 
 
 Ikshuden 
 
 Asroen 
 
 Lawad 
 
 Wood 
 
 Eekeel 
 
 Akfai 
 
 Hellib 
 
 Milk 
 
 Tifihie 
 
 Uksume 
 
 El Ham 
 
 Meat 
 
 Buelkiel 
 
 Amuran 
 
 Helloof 
 
 A hog 
 
 Abreede 
 
 Agares 
 
 Trek 
 
 A road 
 
 Bishce 
 
 Fikihie 
 
 Ara 
 
 Give me 
 
 Adude 
 
 Asht 
 
 Agi 
 
 Come 
 
 Alkam 
 
 Aftooh 
 
 Cire 
 
 Go 
 
 Kajm 
 
 Gauze 
 
 Jils 
 
 Sit down 
 
 Imile 
 
 Imeek 
 
 Serire 
 
 Little 
 
 SPECIMEN OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ARABIC 
 AND SHELLUH LANGUAGES. 
 
 SHELLUH. ARABIC. ENGLISH. 
 
 Is sin Tamazirkt Wash katarf Shelluh Do you understand 
 
 Shelluh ?
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 185 
 
 SHEI.LUH. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 ENCttSH. 
 
 Uree sin 
 
 Man avf huh 
 
 I do not understand 
 
 it? 
 How are you ? 
 
 Matshrult 
 
 Kif enta 
 
 Is tekeete Marokshe Wash gite min 
 
 Are you come from 
 
 
 Marockshe 
 
 Marocco ? 
 
 Egan ras 
 
 Mihah 
 
 Good 
 
 Maigan 
 
 Ala'sh 
 
 Wherefore ? 
 
 Misimmink 
 
 As'mek 
 
 What is your name ? 
 
 Mensh kat dirk 
 
 Shall andik 
 
 How much have you 
 got? 
 
 Tasardunt 
 
 Borella 
 
 A mule 
 
 Romi 
 
 Romi 
 
 An European 
 
 Takannarit 
 
 Nasarani 
 
 A Christian 
 
 Romi 
 
 Kaffer 
 
 An infidel 
 
 Misem Bebans 
 
 Ashkune mula 
 
 Who is the owner? 
 
 Is'lkit Tegriwelt 
 
 AVash jile min Te- Are you come from 
 
 
 griwclt 
 
 Cape Ossem ? 
 
 Auweete Imkelli 
 
 Jib Liftor 
 
 Bring the dinner 
 
 Efoulkie 
 
 Meziana 
 
 Handsome 
 
 Ayeese 
 
 El aoud 
 
 A horse 
 
 Tikellinc 
 
 El Baid 
 
 Eggs 
 
 Amuraii 
 
 Helloof 
 
 Hog 
 
 Tayuh 
 
 Tatta 
 
 Camelion 
 
 Tasaniuniiat 
 
 Adda 
 
 Green lizard 
 
 Tandaraman 
 
 Ertella b'hairie 
 
 Venemous spider 
 
 Tenawine 
 
 Sfune 
 
 Ships 
 
 IMarmol says, 
 
 the Shell uhs and Bercbbers write and speak 
 
 one language, ca 
 
 lied Killem Abimalick,* the name of the per- 
 
 * Killein Abimalick signifies the Language of Abimalick. 
 
 
 B B 

 
 1S6 Languages of Africa. 
 
 son who was accounted the hiventor of Arabic letters ; but the 
 foregoing specimen, the accuracy of which may be de- 
 pended on, clearly proves this assertion to be erroneous, as 
 vreU as that of many moderns who have formed their opinion, 
 in all probability, on the above authority. Now although the 
 Shelluh and Berebber languages are so totally dissimilar, that 
 there is not one word in the foregoing vocabulary which re- 
 sembles its corresponding word in the other language, yet, 
 from the prejudice which Marmol has established, it will 
 still be difficult perhaps to persuade the learned that such 
 an author could be mistaken on such a subject. My ac- 
 count therefore must remain for a future age to determine 
 upon, when the languages of Africa shall be better known 
 than they are at present ; for it is not a few travellers occa- 
 sionally sent out on a limitted plan that can ascertain facts, 
 the attainment of which requires a long residence, and familiar 
 intercourse with the natives. Marmol has also misled the 
 world in saying that they write a different language ; the fact 
 is, that when they write any thing of consequence, it is in the 
 Arabic, but any trifling subject is written in the Berebber 
 words, though in the Arabic character. If they had any pe- 
 culiar character in the time of Marmol, they have none now ; 
 for I have conversed with hundreds of them, as well as with 
 the Shelluhs, and have had ihem staying at my house for 
 , a considerable time together, but never could learn from 
 any that a character different from the Arabic had ever been 
 in use among them. 
 
 In addition to these languages, there is another spoken at 
 the Oasis of Ammon, or Siwah, called in Arabic (j_^\*)\ r-\pl) 
 
 El Wah El Garble, which appears to be a mixture of Bereb-
 
 Languages of Afrka. \ 87 
 
 ber and Shclluli,as will appear by referring to the vocabulary 
 of tlie language in IIorncDian's Travels. 
 
 South of the Desert we find other languages spoken by the 
 blacks; and are told by Arabs who have frequently per- 
 formed the journey from Jinnie to Cairo, and the Red Sea, 
 that thirty-three different Negroe languages are met with in 
 the course of that route, but that the Arabic is spoken by the 
 intelligent part of the people, and the IMohammedan religion 
 is known and followed by many; their writings are uniformly 
 in Arabic. 
 
 It may not be improper in this place, seeing the many errors 
 and mutilated translations which appear from time to time of 
 Arabic, Turkish, and Persian papers, to give a list of the 
 Mohammedan moons or lunar months, used by all those 
 nations, which begin with the first appearance of the new 
 moon, that is, the day following, or sometimes two days after 
 the change, and continue till they see the next new moon ; 
 these have been so ignoranlly mutilated in all our English 
 translations, that I shall give them, in the original Arabic 
 character, and as they ought to be spelt and pronounced in 
 the English character, and a clue whereby to calculate the 
 correspondence between our year and theirs. They divide 
 the year into 12 months, which contain 29 or 30 days, ac- 
 cording as they see the new moon; the first month is termed 
 J\3^\ i^j Ras Elanie, i. e. the beginning of the year. 
 
 As we are more used to the Asiatic mode of punctuation, 
 that will be observed in these words : 
 
 Muharam ^la^ Arabea Elule ^^\ ^SJ^ 
 
 Asaffer ^lo^ Arabea Atlhenie J\l)\ j^^^
 
 188 
 
 La>iguages of Africa. 
 
 
 Jumad Elule 
 
 jjj}^ -^^jT^ Ramadan 
 
 (^I'tVej. 
 
 Jumad AtLenie 
 
 S'2\<Uj:^ Shual 
 
 J!>r 
 
 Rajeb 
 
 \ Du'elkada 
 
 '^tVtif^S 
 
 Shaban 
 
 Jk.xJL Du Elliagah 
 
 ^us 
 
 The first of Muliarram, year of the Hejira 1221, answers to 
 the 19th March of the Christian fera 1806. 
 
 Among the various languages spoken south of the Desert, 
 or Sahara, we have ah'eady observed that there are thirty- 
 three different ones between the Western Ocean and the Red 
 Sea, following the shores of the Nile El Abide, or Niger: 
 among all these nations and empires, a man practically ac- 
 quainted with the Arabic may always make himself under- 
 stood, and indeed it is the language most requisite to be 
 known for every traveller in these extensive regions. 
 
 The Mandinga is spoken from the banks of the Gambia, 
 "where that river takes a course from the Jibel Kumera to the 
 north, to the kingdom of Timbuctoo ; the Wangareen tongue 
 is a different one; and the Houssonians speak a language 
 differing again from that. 
 
 Specimen of the difference heiween the Arahic and Mandinga 
 language; the u-ords of the latter extracted from the vocabu- 
 laries of Seedi Mohaffimed ben Amer Soudani. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 MANDINGA. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 One 
 
 Kalen 
 
 Wahud 
 
 Two 
 
 Fula 
 
 Thanine 
 
 Three 
 
 Seba 
 
 Thalata 
 
 Four 
 
 Nani 
 
 Arba 
 
 Five 
 
 Lulu 
 
 Kumsa
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 189 
 
 ENXLISH. 
 
 MANDINGA. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 Six 
 
 Uruh 
 
 Setta 
 
 Seven 
 
 Urn'klu 
 
 Sebba 
 
 Eight 
 
 Saee 
 
 Timinia 
 
 Nine 
 
 ' Kanuntee 
 
 Taseud 
 
 Ten 
 
 Dan 
 
 Ashra 
 
 Eleven 
 
 Dan kalen 
 
 Ahud ash 
 
 Twelve 
 
 Dan fula 
 
 Atenashe 
 
 Thirteen 
 
 Dan seba 
 
 Teltashe 
 
 Nineteen 
 
 Dan kanartee 
 
 Tasatash 
 
 Twenty 
 
 Mulu 
 
 Ashreen 
 
 Thirty 
 
 Mulu nintau 
 
 Thalateen 
 
 Forty - 
 
 IVIulu fula 
 
 Arba'in 
 
 Fifty 
 
 Mulu fula neentan 
 
 Kuniseen 
 
 Sixty 
 
 Mulu sebaa 
 
 Setteen 
 
 Seventy 
 
 Mulu sebaa nintan 
 
 Seba in 
 
 Eighty 
 
 Mulu nani 
 
 T'amana'een 
 
 Ninety 
 
 Mulunanineentaan 
 
 Tasa'een 
 
 One hundred 
 
 Kemi 
 
 Mia 
 
 One thousand 
 
 UJi 
 
 Elf 
 
 This 
 
 Neen 
 
 Hadda 
 
 That 
 
 Waleem 
 
 Hadduk 
 
 Great 
 
 Bawa 
 
 Kabeer 
 
 Little 
 
 Nadeen 
 
 Sereer 
 
 Handsome 
 
 Nimawa 
 
 Zin 
 
 Ugly 
 
 Nuta 
 
 Uksheen (k guttural) 
 
 While 
 
 Kie 
 
 Bead 
 
 Black 
 
 Feen 
 
 Abecd, or khal 
 
 Red 
 
 Williamma 
 
 Hummer 
 
 How do vou do ? Nimbana mountania Kii'Cnta
 
 190 
 
 Languages of Afi-ica. 
 
 ; ENGLISH. 
 
 MANPINGA. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 Well 
 
 Kan tee 
 
 Aia-khere 
 
 Not well 
 
 Moon kanti 
 
 Murrcde 
 
 What do you ^rant Ala feeta niatume 
 
 Ash-bright 
 
 Sit down 
 
 Siduma 
 
 Jils. 
 
 Get up 
 
 Ounilee 
 
 Node 
 
 Sour 
 
 Akkumula 
 
 Hamd 
 
 Sweet 
 
 Timiata 
 
 Helluh 
 
 True 
 
 Aituliala 
 
 Hack 
 
 False 
 
 Funiala 
 
 Kadube 
 
 Good 
 
 Abatee 
 
 Miliah 
 
 Bad 
 
 Minbatee 
 
 Kubiah 
 
 A witch 
 
 Bua 
 
 Sahar 
 
 A lion 
 
 Jatta 
 
 Sebaa 
 
 An elephant 
 
 Sam ma 
 
 El fele 
 
 A hyaena 
 
 Salua 
 
 Dubbah 
 
 A wild boar 
 
 Siwa 
 
 EI kunjer 
 
 A water horse 
 
 Mali 
 
 Aoud d'Elma 
 
 A horse 
 
 Suhuwa 
 
 Aoud 
 
 A camel 
 
 Kumaniun 
 
 Jimmel 
 
 A dog 
 
 Wallee 
 
 Killeb 
 
 Hel el Killeborthe 
 
 
 
 dog-faced race 
 
 Hel Wallee 
 
 Plel El Killeb 
 
 A gazel 
 
 Tankeen 
 
 Gazel (g guttural) 
 
 A cat 
 
 Niankune 
 
 El mish 
 
 A goat 
 
 Baa 
 
 El mdize 
 
 A sheep 
 
 Kurenal* 
 
 Kibsh 
 
 A bull 
 
 Nisakia 
 
 To6r 
 
 A serpent 
 
 Sad 
 
 Hensh 
 
 A camelion 
 
 Mineer 
 
 Tatta
 
 Languages of Africa 
 
 191 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 An ape 
 
 A fowl or chicken 
 
 A duck 
 
 A fish 
 
 Butter 
 
 Milk 
 
 Bread 
 
 Corn 
 
 Wine 
 
 Honey 
 
 Sugar 
 
 Salt 
 
 Ambergris 
 
 Brass 
 
 Silver 
 
 Gold dust 
 
 Pewter 
 
 A bow 
 
 An arrow 
 
 A knife 
 
 A spoon 
 
 Abed 
 
 A lamp 
 
 A house 
 
 A room 
 
 A light hole or 
 
 window 
 A door 
 A town 
 
 MANDINCA. 
 
 Ku'nee 
 
 Susee 
 
 Beruee 
 
 Hihu 
 
 Tulu 
 
 Nunn 
 
 Mengu 
 
 Nieu 
 
 Tangee 
 
 Alee 
 
 Tobabualee 
 
 Kuee 
 
 Anber 
 
 Tass . 
 
 Kudee 
 
 Teber 
 
 Tass ki 
 
 Kula 
 
 Binia 
 
 Muru 
 
 Kulia 
 
 El arun 
 
 El kundeel 
 
 Su 
 
 Bune 
 
 Jinneel 
 
 Daa 
 
 Kinda 
 
 ARABie. 
 
 Dzatute 
 Djez 
 El Weese 
 El hout 
 Zibda 
 Ei hellib 
 
 El khubs(k guttural) 
 Zra 
 
 Kummer(k guttural) 
 Asel 
 Sukar 
 Mil'h 
 Anber 
 Tass 
 Nukra 
 Tiber 
 Kusdeer 
 Elkos 
 Zerag 
 Jenui 
 Mogerfa 
 El ferrashe 
 El kundeel 
 Ed dar 
 El beet 
 
 Reeh^ha 
 Beb 
 
 Midina
 
 193 
 
 Languages of Africa. 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 MANDINCA. 
 
 ARABIC. 
 
 
 Smoke 
 
 Seezee 
 
 Tkan (k guttural) 
 
 Heat 
 
 Kandia 
 
 Skanna (k guttural) 
 
 Cold 
 
 Nini 
 
 Berd 
 
 
 Sea 
 
 Bedu'baha 
 
 Bahar 
 
 
 Eiver 
 
 Bedu 
 
 Wed 
 
 
 A rock 
 
 Berri 
 
 Jerf 
 
 
 Sand 
 
 Kinnikanni 
 
 Rummel 
 
 
 The earth 
 
 Binku 
 
 Dunia 
 
 
 Mountain 
 
 Kuanku 
 
 Jibbel 
 
 
 Island 
 
 Juchiii 
 
 Dzeera 
 
 
 Eain 
 
 Sanjukalaeen 
 
 Shta 
 
 
 God 
 
 Allah 
 
 Allah 
 
 
 Father 
 
 Fa 
 
 Ba 
 
 
 Mother 
 
 Ba 
 
 Ma 
 
 
 Hell 
 
 Jahennum 
 
 Jehennume 
 
 
 A man 
 
 Kia 
 
 Rajil 
 
 
 A woman 
 
 Musa 
 
 Murrah 
 
 
 A sister 
 
 Bum musa 
 
 Kat (k guttural) 
 
 A brother 
 
 Bum kia 
 
 Ka 
 
 
 The devil 
 
 Buhau 
 
 Iblis 
 
 
 A white man 
 
 Tebabu 
 
 Rajil biad 
 
 
 A singer 
 
 Jalikea 
 
 Runai (r gutti 
 
 ural) 
 
 A singing woman 
 
 Jalimusa 
 
 Runaiah (rgu 
 
 ittural) 
 
 A slave 
 
 June 
 
 Abeed 
 
 
 A servant 
 
 Bettela 
 
 Mutalim 

 
 [ 193] 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 General Commerce of Morocco . — Annual Exports and Imports 
 of the Port of Mogodor. — Importance and Advantages of a 
 Trade with the Empire of Morocco. — Cause of its Decline. — 
 Present State of our Relations with the Barharrj Powers. 
 
 1 II E city of ]\Iarocco, besides its trade with the various 
 districts of the interior, receives the most considerable sup- 
 plies of European merchandize from the port of Mogodor, 
 which is distant from it four days journey, caravan travelling ;* 
 some of the more valuable articles, however, are transported 
 from Fas to the Marocco market, such as muslins, cambricks, 
 spices, teas, pearls, coral, &c. and the elegant Fas manufac- 
 tures of silk and gold. There is a considerable market held 
 at Marocco every Thursday, called by the Arabs Soke-el- 
 kumise,'|- at which all articles of foreign as well as home 
 manufacture are bought and sold, also horses,:}; horned cattle, 
 
 , ♦ A caravan journey is 24 miles. 
 
 •\ Tlie word kumise signifies tlie 5tli day of the week, 
 
 X The (Deiels) auctioneers, who sell the horses, have a mode of shewing them 
 off to great advantage, so that if a person be not experienced in the purchase 
 of them he will very often be imposed upon; to prevent which, the best 
 judges, even the Arabs, give a small fee to the Delel, by way of purchasing 
 his fidelity ; and when this mode is adopted, he may be depended on as 
 far his judgment extends. W^hen the horse has been rode up and down the 
 market several times in different paces, he is sold to the highest bidder, who is 
 immediately apprised of his purchase : he then repairs to the Cadi, or chief 
 judge, and procures from the court of law a (Akad el beah) declaration of 
 
 C C
 
 194 General Commerce of Marocco. 
 
 slaves, &c. Samples of all kinds of merchandize are carried 
 up and down the market and streets of the city by the Delels, 
 or itinerant auctioneers, who proclaim the price offered, and 
 when no one offers more, the best bidder is apprised of his 
 purchase, the money is paid, and the transaction terminated. 
 The shops of Marocco are filled with merchandize of va- 
 rious kinds, many of which are supplied by the merchants of 
 Mogodor, who receive, in return, for European goods, the va- 
 rious articles of the produce of Barbary for the European 
 markets. The credit which was given by the principal com- 
 mercial houses of Mogodor to the natives has of late consi- 
 derably decreased, owing to the change of system in the go- 
 vernment; for, in the reign of the present Emperor's father, 
 the European merchants were much respected, and their 
 books considered as correct, so that a book debt was seldom 
 disputed, and every encouragement Avas given to commerce 
 by that Emperor; but Muley Soliman's political principles 
 differ so widely from those of his father, that the most trifling 
 transaction should now be confirmed by law, to enable the 
 European to be on equal terms with the Moor, and to entitle 
 him to recover any property, or credit given; these measures 
 have thrown various impediments in the way of commerce, 
 insomuch that credit is either almost annihilated, or trans- 
 formed into barter, which has necessarily thrown the trade 
 into fewer hands, and consequently curtailed it in a great 
 
 sale, which is signed by two (Ukils) attorneys, and confirmed by the Cadi at 
 the bottom or left corner of the paper; the declaration expresses the purchase 
 to be, for better or fcir worse, by the Arabic term Eladem fie el Kunshah, which, 
 if literally rendered into English, means the bones in the sack or skin. The 
 same custom is observed in the sale and purchase of mules, and other animals.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. 195 
 
 degree. For the purpose of showing at once the traffic car- 
 ried on in the port of Mogodor, I shall here give an accurate 
 account of ils exports and imports during the years iSOi, 
 1805, and the first six months of 1806, which are carefully 
 extracted from the in)perial custom-house books, 
 
 IMPORTS INTO MOGODOR IN 1804. 
 
 Yorkshire and If est Country Cloths of various colours. 
 
 From London, 66t pieces, of from 40 to 50 yards each piece, 
 sio pieces, scarlet or media grana, from 40 
 
 to 5o yards each piece. 
 150 pieces, plunkets, about 40 yards each 
 piece. 
 Superfine Cloths. — From London 50 pieces 
 
 Leghorn 1 2 
 Other parts — 
 
 69, pieces. 
 
 Long Ells. — From London 640 pieces, coloured. 
 
 30 scarlet. 
 
 60 embossed. 
 
 Leghorn 300 coloured. 
 
 Druggets. — From London 40 pieces. 
 Red Cloth.— Yiom Amsterdam 17 pieces. 
 
 LINENS. 
 
 Creas. — From London 902 pieces. 
 
 Amsterdam 765 
 
 Leghorn 60 
 
 1115 pieces. 
 
 Plattilias.'^'FTom London 1047 pieces.
 
 1 96 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 PlattUias. — From Amsterdam 4708 
 Leghorn 650 
 
 6405 pieces. 
 
 Brettagnias. — From London 500 pair. 
 
 Amsterdam 400 
 
 900 pair. 
 
 Camhricks. — From London 20 pair. 
 Muslins. — From London 21 
 Amsterdam 20 
 
 41 pieces. 
 
 Indian Blue Linens. — From London 749 pieces. 
 
 Amsterdam 30 
 
 779 pieces. 
 
 Striped India Silk. — From London 40 pieces. 
 Silk Velvets. — From London 131 cubits.* 
 
 Leghorn 250 
 
 381 cubits. 
 
 Damask. — From Leghorn 456 cubits. 
 Amsterdam 150 
 
 ■ 606 cubits. 
 Raw Silk. — From London 1150 lb. 
 Leghorn 1 200 
 Lisbon ^6® 
 
 2910 lb. 
 
 AUum. — From London 95524 lb. 
 Copperas. — From London 91061 lb. 
 Sugar in loaves. — From London $^9^^ 
 
 Amsterdam 9653 
 Lisbon q6oo 
 
 56219 lb. 
 
 • Seven cubits make four yards English measure.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. 197 
 
 Raw Sugar. — From London 7100 
 
 Lisbon 2100 
 
 9200 lb. 
 
 Iro7i. — From London 8871 bars. 
 Amslerdam 1415 
 Leghorn S75 
 
 10661 bars, 522700 lb. 
 
 Gum Beuzom. — From London 14239 lb. 
 Gum Lac. 51800 lb. 
 
 Hardware. — From London 19 cases. 
 
 Amsterdam 4 barrels. 
 Gum Tragagant. — From London 1058 
 
 Amsterdam 370 
 
 1428 lb. 
 
 Pepper. — From London 9231 lb. 
 Cloves. — From London 6448 
 
 Amsterdam 1056 
 
 7504 lb. 
 
 "Nutmegs. — From London 712 lb. 
 Rhubarb. — From London 246 lb. 
 Green Tea. — From London 1310 
 Amsterdam 200 
 
 1510 lb. 
 
 Wrought Pewter. — From London 5 
 
 Amslerdam 7 
 
 12 casks. 
 
 Tin Plates, — From London 60 cases, 13875 pieces. 
 Ifliite Lead. — From London 2530 lb. 
 Copper in sheets From Amsterdam 1035 lb.
 
 ig8 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Thread. — From Leghorn 800 
 Amsterdam 200 
 
 '- — 1000 lb. 
 Mirrors, called in IlolUmd Velt Spiegels. 
 From Amsterdam 7250 dozen. 
 Leghorn 350 
 Mirrors of various sizes. — From Amsterdam 1750 pieces. 
 Earthen Ware. — From Amsterdam 70 cases. 
 
 London 16 crates. 
 Wool Cards — From Amsterdam 210 dozen. 
 Dutch Knives — From Amsterdam 13738 dozen. 
 Brass Pans. — From Amsterdam 550 lb. 
 Osnahurg Linen. — From Amsterdam iSo pieces. 
 Irish Linen.— 'Troni London 170 pieces. 
 
 Leghorn 150 
 
 320 pieces. 
 
 Lunthorns. — Fiom London 100 dozen. 
 Glass. — P'rom London 5 cases 
 Red Lead. — From London 1853 lb. 
 Calamine. — From London 2100 lb. 
 Argol. — From London 3 cases. 
 Taper. — From Leghorn 27 bales. 
 Cotton. — From Leghorn 2400 lb. 
 Tin in bars. — From London 6000 lb. 
 Esjiique Romano. — From Leghorn 3850 
 
 Amsterdam Sooo 
 
 — 68jo lb. 
 
 Coral Beads. — From Leghorn 50 lb. 
 Amber Beads.—^rom Leghorn 150 
 
 Amsterdam 100 
 
 — — 350 lb.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. ipg 
 
 Sal Ammoniac. — From London 1200 lb, 
 
 CItaplets. — From Ix'ghorn 7 barrels, 
 
 Gold Lace. — From Amsterdam 10 lb. 
 
 Looking Glasses, called bulls' ei/es. — From Leghorn 4 barrels. 
 
 Silk Handkerchiefs. — From London 100 
 
 Amsterdam 10 
 
 Leghorn 100 
 
 210 dozen. 
 
 Glasses. — From Amsterdam 20 
 Leghorn 1 
 
 21 cases. 
 
 Corrosive Sublimate. — From Amsterdam 50 
 
 Leghorn 50 
 
 100 lb. 
 
 Venetian Steel — From Leghorn 2500 lb. 
 Hebrew Books — Leghorn 10 cases. 
 Romals. — From London 286 pieces. 
 Baftas. — From London 821 pieces. 
 
 Lisbon 350 
 Bouans. — From Amsterdam 505 pieces. 
 China. — From London 330 dozen cups and saucers. 
 
 Amsterdam 30 dozen ditto. 
 Cochineal. — From London 375 
 Cadiz 700 
 
 Lisbon 230 
 
 13051b. 
 
 JVire. — From Amsterdam 5000 mass. 
 Copper Tea Kettles. — From Amsterdam 1 19 
 Brazil Wood.— From Lisbon 600 lb. 
 
 k
 
 200 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Iron Nmb.— Tiom London 11573 
 Amsterdam 1000 
 Leghorn 1000 
 
 ^3573 lfc>- 
 
 Deals. — From Amsterdam 1886 pieces. 
 
 Empty Cases. — From Amsterdam goo cases. 
 
 Sealing Wax. — From Amsterdam 20 lb. 
 
 Coffee Mills.— From Amsterdam 20 
 
 Buenos Ayres Hides. — From London 350 
 
 Cadiz 300 
 
 650 hides. 
 
 Mexico 
 
 Dollars.- 
 
 - From London 
 
 18000 
 
 
 
 Cadiz 
 
 47000 
 
 
 
 Lisbon 
 
 16000 
 
 
 
 Teneriffe 
 
 10000 
 
 
 
 Amsterdam 
 
 8000 
 
 99000 
 
 Total value of Imports in 1804, £i5U50. 
 
 EXPORTS FROM MOGODOR IN 1804. 
 
 Sweet Almonds.— Ho London 6853 
 
 Amsterdam 231638 
 Leghorn 4505 
 
 Lisbon 15524 
 
 Cadiz 61041 
 
 Teneriffe 2356 
 
 — 321917 lb. 
 
 Bitter Almonds. — To London 233019 lb.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. soi 
 
 Bitter Almonds. — To Amslerdam 126^07 
 
 Leghorn sySo 
 
 Gum Barhary. — To London 994.17 
 
 Amsterdam 21354.0 
 Leghorn 10254, 
 Lisbon 2583 
 
 Marseilles 9'^4.2 
 
 362606 lb. 
 
 335436 Ih. 
 
 Gum Soudan or Senegal, from Timhuctoo, bi/ the caravans. 
 To London 364,16 lb. 
 Amslerdam 59021 lb. 
 Marseilles 519 
 
 9595^ lb. 
 
 Gum Sandrac. — To London 
 
 ^^995 
 
 Anistcrdam 
 
 9056 
 
 Leghorn 
 
 SS"^^ 
 
 Lisbon 
 
 2869 
 
 Bees Wax. — To I ondon 1957 
 
 
 Leghorn 52616 
 
 
 Lisbon \1595 
 
 
 Marseilles 30022 
 
 
 Cadiz 93791 
 
 
 Teneriffe 4878 
 
 . 1 n < fi ;rc 
 
 32234 lb. 
 
 Goat Shns. — To London 12726 dozen. 
 OU of Oiites. — To London 5850 lb. 
 
 Amslerdam 30757 
 
 D D
 
 202 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Oil of Olives.— To L\shon 147^9 
 
 TenerifFe 5900 
 
 57236 lb. 
 
 Cow and Calf Skins. — To London 64376 j 
 
 Leghorn 41611 
 Marseilles 14496 
 
 120483 lb. 
 
 Sheeps Wool To Amsterdam 62972 
 
 Marseilles 29624 
 Teneriffe 5300 
 
 9ySQ6 lb. 
 
 Ostrich Feathers. — To London ^^g lb. 
 Elephants Teeth. — To Amsterdam 800 lb. 
 Fomegranate Peels. — To London 2184 
 
 Amsterdam 44097 
 
 46281 lb. 
 
 Dates, of the quaUty called Adamoh^from Taflelt. 
 To London 1129 
 Lisbon 1305 
 
 24541b. 
 
 Raisins. — To London 200 lb. 
 Worm Seed.— To London 465 
 Lisbon 2468 
 
 2933 lb. 
 
 Rose Leaves. — To Amsterdam 138 lb. 
 Wild Thyme (Zater).— To Amsterdam 2860 
 
 Lisbon 1714 
 
 4574 lb- 
 
 Glue. — ^To Amsterdam 84 lb.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. 20^ 
 
 Anke-seeds. — To London 200 
 
 Anisierdam 4^50 * 
 
 Lisbon 829 
 
 5^79 lb. 
 
 Fennel. — To Amsterdam 856 lb. 
 
 Gingtlin Seed. — To London 460 
 
 Amsterdam 2044 
 
 2j04lb. 
 
 Walnuts. — To Lisbon 240 lb. 
 
 Strazv. — To Lisbon 24 bales. 
 
 Tallow. — To 'J'cneriflTe 1465 lb. 
 
 Tallow Candles. — To Teneritfe 350 lb. 
 
 String.— To 'I'eneriffe 2852 lb. 
 
 Total value of Exports from Mogodor in 1804, in Europe, 
 
 after paying freight, European duties, &c. ^127679. sterling. 
 
 IMPORTS INTO MOGODOR IN 1805. 
 
 WOOLLEN CLOTUS. 
 
 Yorkshire Cloths. 
 
 From London, Scarlet 300 dcnii-pieces from 20 to 25 yards 
 eacli. 
 
 Alto of various colours 970 demi-pieces from 
 ditto to ditto. 
 
 Tier l^lue, or plunkets 80 ditto. 
 
 Superfiuj^ cloths 62 ditto. 
 
 Long Ells 900 ditto. 
 
 Emb(»sscd Purpctts i^^ ditto. 
 
 German Cloths. — From Leghorn and Amaierdatn 22 pieces. 
 Isankeens. — Eroni Lisbon looo pieces
 
 S04, Trade of Mogodor, 
 
 LINENS. 
 
 Plattilias. — From London 1300 
 Amsterdam 6050 
 Leghorn 1395 
 
 8745 pieces. 
 
 Creas. — From London 600 
 Amsterdam 788 
 Leghorn 550 
 
 1938 pieces. 
 
 Rouons. — From Amsterdam 618 
 JBrettagnias. — From London 625 
 
 Amsterdam 1000 
 
 1625 pieces. 
 
 Baftas — From London 1600 pieces. 
 Romais. — From London 1010 
 Leghorn 300 
 
 1310 pieces. 
 
 Muslins. — From London 70 pieces. 
 Blue Linens. — From Amsterdam 117 pieces. 
 Gum Benjamin or Benzoin. — From London 19237 lb. 
 Stick-lack.— From London 18546 
 Amsterdam 7959 
 
 ' 26505 lb. 
 
 Musk. — From London 20 lb. 
 Raw iiugar. — From London 6568 
 
 TenerifFe 10400 
 
 16968 lb. 
 
 Sugar in loaves. — From London 7892 
 
 Amsterdam 3913 lb.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. toj 
 
 Sugar in loaves. — rrom Lisbon 3759 
 
 Green Tea. — From London 1420 
 Amsterdam 350 
 
 1770 lb. 
 
 Cloves. — From London 1094,1 
 
 Amsterdam 21591b 
 Leghorn 476 
 
 13576 lb. 
 
 Sal Ammoniac. — From London 894,1 lb. 
 
 Cochineal. — From London 558 lb. , 
 
 Tin in plates. — From London 295 cases. 
 
 Tin in bars. — From London 5114, lb. 
 
 Wrought Pewter. — From London 7 barrels. 
 
 Amsterdam 5 ditto. 
 Iron. — From London 10753 bars. 
 Amsterdam 2074 
 
 6417561b. 
 
 Copperas. — From London 147882 lb. 
 Allum. — From London 93600 lb, 
 "Raw Silk. — From London 1300 
 Amsterdam 255 
 Leghorn 2478 
 
 4033 lb. 
 
 German Looking-glasses or Mirrors. 
 
 From Amsterdam 18696 
 Leghorn 600 
 
 19296 dozen. 
 
 Dutch Knives. — From Amsterdam 12874 dozen.
 
 205 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Gum Tragacant or Dr a 2,011. 
 
 From Amsterdam 150 
 Leghorn 675 
 
 825 lb. 
 
 Wire. — From Amsterdam 3900 mass. 
 Cowries.— Yvom Amsterdam 3200 lb. 
 Needles. — From Leghorn 200 million. 
 Red and White Lead. — From London 3320 lb. 
 Brass Pans.— From Amsterdam 1000 lb. 
 Thread. — From Leghorn 1050 
 Amsterdam 430 
 
 14,80 lb. 
 
 Arsenic— From London 1872 lb. 
 Silk Handkerchiefs. — From London 93 
 
 Leghorn 100 
 Amsterdam 10 
 
 103 dozen. 
 
 Files. — From London 200 
 Amsterdam 135 
 
 335 dozen. 
 
 Lavender. — From Leghorn 14800 lb. 
 
 Razors. — From Leghorn 500 dozen. 
 
 Box Combs. — From Leghorn 3600 dozen. 
 
 Amber Beads. — From Leghorn 300 lb. 
 
 Coral. — From Leghorn 50 lb. 
 
 Nails. — From Amsterdam 1181 lb. 
 
 Wool Combs.— From Amsterdam 2268 pair. 
 
 Padlocks. — From Amsterdam 515 dozen. 
 
 British China. — From London 40 dozen. 
 
 Osnuburgk Linens, — From Amsterdam 50 pieces.
 
 Trade of Mogoduy. 207 
 
 Swedish Steel. — From Amsterdam 7000 lb. 
 Espiqiio Romano. — From Amsterdam 13088 
 
 Leghorn 5213 
 
 18301 lb. 
 
 Hebrew Bibles. — From Amsterdam 4, cases. 
 Dutch Boxes. 
 
 Green Gin Boxes containing 12 squaie bottles each. 
 
 Case 392 cases full 
 300 do. empty. 
 Potatoes — From London 9000 lb. 
 Bellows. — From London 60 dozen. 
 Copper Kettles. — From London 242 dozen. 
 
 Amsterdam 13 
 
 255 dozen. 
 
 Cotton, — From Tcneriffe 54,00 lb. 
 Vermillion. — From Amsterdam 150 lb. 
 Turners Boxes. — From Amsterdam 1000 nests. 
 Venetian Steel. — From Leghorn 11400 \h. 
 Planks. — From London 886 
 
 Amsterdam 1250 
 
 2136 pieces. 
 
 Coffee From Teneriffe 3600 lb. 
 
 Sarsaparilla. — From Amsterdam 150 lb. 
 
 Scales for Gold. — 48 pair. 
 
 Candlesticks. — 64 pieces. 
 
 Painted Boxes. — From Amsterdam 240 pieces. 
 
 Earthen JVare or British China. — From London 10 crates. 
 
 Sealing Wax. — From Amsterdam 100 lb. 
 
 Medicinal Drugs. — From Amsterdam 1 case. 
 
 Chaplets. — From Leghorn 3 casks
 
 208 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Chopkts. — From Amsterdam i cask. 
 
 — 4 casks. 
 Toys. — From Amsterdam 300 dozen. 
 Capilaire. — From Leghorn 2200 boxes, or 2200 bottles. 
 Confectionary. — From Leghorn 300 boxes. 
 Ivory Combs. — From Leghorn 25 dozen. 
 Quicksilver. — From Amsterdam 50 lb. 
 Mercery. — From Amsterdam 1 case. ' 
 
 Glasses. — From Amsterdam 2 cases. 
 Gold Thread. — From Leghorn 25 lb. 
 Manufactured Silks. — From London 50 pieces 
 
 Amsterdam 239 cubits 
 
 1239 cubits.* 
 
 Hardware. — From London 3 barrels. 
 
 Wrought Copper. — From Amsterdam 1 case. 
 
 Clocks. — From Amsterdam 20. 
 
 
 Mexico Dollars. — From London 
 
 24000 
 
 Amsterdam 
 
 3,200 
 
 Lisbon 
 
 29,500 
 
 Cadiz 
 
 4,000 
 
 Gibraltar 
 
 12,000 
 
 Leo;horn 
 
 12,000 
 
 Tencrifle 
 
 4,000 
 
 88,700. 
 
 As the prices of these merchandize vary considerably, the 
 calculation of their value in West Barbary is omitted. 
 
 * li Cubit = 1 yard.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. 209 
 
 EXPORTS l-ROM MOGODOR IN 1805. 
 
 Sweet Almonds. — To London 24020 lb. 
 
 Amsterdam 474CJ94, 
 
 Barcelona 6*148 
 
 Teneriftb 300 
 
 505^62 lb. 
 
 Bitter Almonds. — To London 188442 
 
 Amsierdam 357198 
 
 Barcelona 2620 
 
 488260 lb. 
 
 Gum Barhary. — To Lon<Ion 277^34 
 
 Amsierdam 111598 lb. 
 
 Lisbon 2409 
 
 Barcelona 8)9 
 
 492350 lb. 
 
 Gum Senegal. — To London 8047 
 
 Amsterdam 23509 
 
 23509. 
 
 Gum Sandarac. — To London 11367 
 
 Amsterdam 27776 
 Other ports 1040 
 
 40183. 
 
 Gum Euphorbium. — To Amstcrdsm 782 lb. 
 Elephants Teeth. — To London 1373 lb. 
 
 Amsterdam 336 lb. 
 
 n 1709 lb. 
 
 Sheeps Wool. — To Amsterdam 29731 lb. 
 
 Cow and Calf Skins. — To London 250783 
 
 Lisbon 9178 
 
 259961 lb. 
 
 E E
 
 «10 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Goat Skins.^-To London 9957 dozen. 
 Lisbon 80 
 
 I0j037 dozen. 
 
 Pomgranate Peak — ^To Amsterdam 65040 lb. 
 Citrons. — To Amslerdan '540 pieces. 
 Olive Oil. — To Teneriffe 35727 
 Lisbon 10217 
 
 45944 lb. 
 
 Worm Seed. — To Amsterdam 12483 lb. 
 
 Fennel— To Tenerifte 1360 lb. 
 
 Tallow. — To Teneriffe 1600 lb. 
 
 Tallow Candles. — 178 lb. , 
 
 Packing Thread. — rTo Teneriffe 3895 lb. 
 
 Marocco Goat Leather. — To Teneriffe 600 skins. 
 
 Morocco Calf Leather. — 300 pieces. 
 
 IMPORTS TO MOGODOR 
 
 During the first Seven Months of I8O6 
 
 Cloths. — 79 pieces Superfine Cloth 
 360 pieces Media Grana 
 230 pieces Alto 
 
 Long Ells. — 120 pieces coloured 
 180 pieces embossed 
 
 Linens, viz. Osnaburgs 50 pieces 
 
 Baftas (India Cottons) 1303 pieces 
 
 Irish Linen — 33 pieces 
 
 India Blue Linens — 784 pieces 
 
 Muslins — 300 pieces 
 
 Platilias — 3224 pieces 
 
 Creas — 1020 pieces
 
 Trade of Mogodor. 2 1 1 
 
 Rouans — 200 pieces 
 
 Striped Silks — 80 pieces 
 
 Brettagnias — 632 pair 
 
 Silk Handkerchiefs — 4,06 dozen 
 
 Romals — 200 pieces 
 
 Raw Silk -68 lb. 
 
 Cloves — 875 lb. 
 
 Gum Benjamin — 51 13 lb. 
 
 Ginger — Gy^ lb. 
 
 Stick-lack — 18600 lb. 
 
 Arsenic — 4876 lb. 
 
 Sal Ammoniac — So29 lb. 
 
 Spianter — 1673 
 
 Mercury — 1 50 lb. 
 
 Vitriol 375 lb. 
 
 Red Lead — 1852 lb. 
 
 Ti?i plates — 70 boxes 
 
 Hardware — viz. Tea-trays, Tea-pots, Candlesticks, 
 
 Knives, &c. — 28 cases. 
 Allum — 378,27 lb. 
 Copperas — 635,00 lb. 
 Pepper — 3123 lb. 
 Sarsaparilla — 400 lb. 
 JVine^ 12 pipes 
 Irofi — 2864, bars 
 Raw Sugar — 5000 lb. 
 Loaf Sugar — 213,4,8 lb. 
 Green Tea — 1074, lb. 
 Taper— ^o bal^s 
 Venetian Steel— iqooq lb.
 
 212 Trade of Mogodor. 
 
 Cochineal — 571 lb. 
 
 Liqueurs — 2 cases 
 
 Coral — 1 case 
 
 Capillaire — 400 bottles 
 
 Razors — 1000 dozen 
 
 Files — 100 dozen 
 
 f^^ire — 2000 mass. 
 
 Wool Cards — 128 dozen pair 
 
 Gum Tragacanth — 801 lb. 
 
 Dutch Looking Glasses called Velt Spiegles — 4950 
 
 dozen 
 Crown Mirrors — 450 pieces 
 Brass Pans — 850 lb. 
 Needles for Tapestry — 9000 thousand 
 Coffee — 1823 lb. 
 Dutch Knives — 875 dozen 
 Spico Romano— 12^6 lb. 
 Turners' Boxes — 4000 nests 
 Coffee Mills — 100 
 Empty Bottles for Tea — 200 
 Mexico Dollars — 78,000. 
 
 EXPORTS OF BARBARY PRODUCE 
 
 From the Port of Mogodor from January 1, to July 31, 18OG. 
 
 Sweet Almonds — 5062,58 lb. 
 
 Bitter Almonds — 2138,11 lb. 
 
 Bees Wax — 2345,55 lb. 
 
 Gufn Barbary, Tolh, or Arabic — 1839,12 lb. 
 
 Gum Sandrac — 270,000 lb. 
 
 Cum Soudan (Senegal) — 6330 lb.
 
 Trade of Mogodor. 2 13 
 
 Calf Skins— 21^0,^0 lb. 
 Raisins — 84,2 lb. 
 Anice-seeds — 3687 lb. 
 Carraway Seeds — 219 lb. 
 Dates (Adamoh) — 1237 
 Pomgtanate Peals — 5155 lb. 
 JVoj-m Seed — 563 lb. 
 Elepha?its Teeth — 5536 lb. 
 Goat Skins — 6480 Dozen 
 Ostrich Feathers — ^56 lb. 
 Cummin Seeds — 2013 lb. 
 Lead Ore — 320 lb. 
 Citrons — 34,0 lb. 
 Capers — 100 lb. 
 Carraway Seeds — 219 lb. 
 Oil of Olives — 5604, lb. 
 Tanned Leather — 2660 lb. 
 Packing Thread — 3900 lb. 
 Tallow — 625 lb. 
 
 By a careful perusal of the foregoing account of the ex- 
 ports from, anil imports into, the port of Mogodor, the com- 
 mercial reader will be enabled to form an accurate idea of 
 the trade of that place: there are several things exported in 
 such small quantities, that they cannot be reckoned as 
 articles of trade, but rather as samples ; but being in the 
 custom-house books, they are given here to make the 
 account complete; they shew the produce of the country, 
 and might, if the trade were duly encouraged and protected, 
 form articles of considerable importance in a commercial
 
 2l4f Advantages of a Trade 
 
 view; but, with consuls, who are equally unacqnajnted with 
 the language of the country, and the manners, polilics, and 
 coipplexion of the court, we must not expect that the British 
 merchant will be sufficiently encouraged to make consider- 
 able adventures to ^Vest Barbary ; and hence one reason 
 why the trade has of late years been in a great degree aban- 
 doned by us, and has fallen into the hands of a few Jews, 
 subjects of the Emperor. 
 
 The French, aware of the importance of a trade Avhich 
 carries off manufuctured goods of all kinds, and furnishes in 
 return raw materials, were induced to attempt an establish- 
 ment of considerable, capital; but the British cruizers in the 
 Mediterranean, rendering it almost impossible for their ships 
 to sail to or from Marseilles, have lately obliged them to relin- 
 quish their enterprize for the present, though, there can 
 be no doubt, that in the event of a permanent peace, it will 
 be resumed with additional vigour. The same causes have 
 also compelled the other merchants, natives of countries now 
 under the dominion of France, to remain almost entirely 
 inactive, waiting impatiently for some change that may ena- 
 ble them to resume, with some security, their commercial 
 negociations ; so that, with the exception of two or three 
 houses, there is, at present, no European establishment of 
 any consequence at Mogodor. 
 
 1'hc commerce of JMogodor with America during the years 
 1804 and 1805, was imi)cded by a dispute between that 
 country and the Emperor, which however has been amicably 
 adjusted, and the trade is now resumed. Vessels going from 
 Salem, Boston, and other parts of America with East and 
 West India produce to Mogodor, receive, in return, the
 
 with the Empire of Morocco. 215 
 
 various articles of Barhary produce; and by this means, the 
 agents of the American merchants established at Mogodor are 
 enabled to undersell us in all East and West India goods. 
 
 A close connexion with the empire of Marocco is of the 
 greatest importance to Great Britain both in a political and 
 commercial point of view ; for besides the various articles of 
 trade already enumerated, it affords ample supplies of pro- 
 visions; and if a friendly intercourse between the two na- 
 tions were firmly established, we should never have any dif- 
 ficulty in victualling not only Giijraltar, but also all our dif- 
 ferent fleets which cruize in the Mediterranean, and on the 
 northern coast of Africa, a resource, tvhich, in the present 
 state of things, certainly merits the serious attention of this 
 country. The advantages of a trade with this empire must 
 be evident from what has been detailed in the preceding 
 pages, where it will be seen that nearly the whole of the 
 exports to Marocco consists of manufactured goods, and that 
 the returns for these are entirehf raw materials, xnany of 
 which are essentially necessary in our manufactures. That 
 the present trade is so inconsiderable, arises entirely from 
 the little encouragement and support it meets willi ; for 
 British subjects, finding they had to depend un their own 
 exertions alone, for the protection and safety of their pro- 
 perty embarked in this traffic, have for the most part aban- 
 doned it, and now it is falling into the hands of subjects of 
 Marocco, established in England. This is the more to 
 be regretted, as we have it in our power, by proper repre- 
 sentations and a judicious negociation, to supply, through 
 this channel, a great part of the interior of Africa with our 
 superfluous manufactures, while we might receive in return
 
 216 State of our Relations 
 
 many very valuable and useful articles, such as oil of olives, 
 hides, skins, almonds, gums, wax, silver, and gold, in addi- 
 tion to which may be mentioned oranges and lemons, of 
 which a greater quantity might be procured from two ports 
 in the empire, then is afforded by both Spain and Por- 
 tugal. The oranges of Tetuan are the finest in the world, 
 and are sold for eight drahims, or about 3s. 6d. per thousand. 
 It may, perhaps, be objected by some, who have experienced 
 difficulties in treating with the Emperor, that he would not^ 
 probably, allow fruit to be exported : to this I answer, that 
 it is possible, by proper means, to obtain almost any favour 
 from a Sovereign who is uncontrollable; it is not gold which 
 rules his conduct, though some ingenious persons have ima- 
 gined that to be the only means of procuring any thing from 
 him : had this been the case, he would not have granted me 
 the privilege of exporting mules to the West Indies at half 
 the duty the French house of Messrs. Demellet and Sabatier 
 offered him. In short, nothing is wanting to secure a most 
 extensive and 'lucrative trade with Marocco, but an esta- 
 blished friendship between the two nations, strengthened 
 by a mutual return of good offices and attentions. Indeed 
 the present Emperor, Muley Soliman, may be said to have 
 made overtures of this nature ; but from our impolicy, and 
 inattention, added to the ignorance of the proper mode of 
 treating with him, these overtures have been neglected. 
 
 When we recollect, however, that the envoys to Marocco 
 for the last century, have been men almost wholly unac- 
 quainted with the manners, customs, and religious prejudices 
 of the people, and ignorant of their language, we shall cease 
 to be surprised that our connection Avith that empire has
 
 mth the Barhari/ Powers. 217 
 
 been so limited, and impeded by mutual misunderstanding 
 of each others sentiments, originating, but too often, in defi- 
 ciency and inaccuracy of interpreters. What expectations 
 can be indulged of terminating successfully negocialions with 
 a prince, in conversing with whom some ignorant illilerate 
 interpreter, generally a Jew, and a devoted subject of the 
 Emperor, must be made the confidential servant of the party 
 treating ? besides, every one accjuainted with the nature of 
 the government, and political principles of the Court of 
 Marocco, is well aware, that, even supposing it possible 
 to procure a Jew, capable of interpreting accurately the 
 English into Arabic, and vice versa, yet there are many 
 expressions necessary for an Envoy to use to the Emperor, 
 which no Jew in the country would dare to utter in the 
 imperial presence on pain of losing his head: the gene- 
 ral garrulity of these people, moreover, is such, that they 
 are perhaps unworthy of being entrusted with any secret 
 wherein the interest of a nation is concerned. Of this the 
 Emperor himself is convinced, as was also his father, who 
 frequently, during his reign, expressed his regret to Mr. A. 
 Layton, that no English consul could be found, capable of 
 holdins direct intercourse with him. The weakness and in- 
 stability of our treaties are generally in proportion to the 
 weakness and inaccuracy of the interpreter, their force and 
 meaning being often frittered away by the misplacing of a 
 word through his indecision or fear ; and possessing, probably, 
 but a slight knowledge of the style of writing, he is obliged to 
 have the treaty read by a IVIoor, and explained according to 
 his own manner, in the vulgar Arabic, or Moorish language, 
 which alone is sufiicient, without any additional cause, to
 
 218 State nf our Relations 
 
 do away tlie force and intent of any document, possessing 
 that energy of expression for which the Arabic language is 
 so remarkable. Suppose we were negociating a peace with 
 France, what would be the probable result if there were no 
 person atiaclied to our embassy but a French subject, who 
 understood the French and English languages sutiiciently to 
 convey the aggregate only, but not the precise sense of the 
 stipulations? we should certainly have but little expectation 
 ©f success under such circumstances, and should probably be 
 worse oft" than if no treaty had been concluded, so easy 
 would it be to give a turn to any clause, the force and 
 point of which was not distinctly ascertained. This has been 
 literally our case with Marocco : treaties have been made 
 without being understood, or even translated, till many 
 months after the conclusion of them; how then can we 
 expect to acquire intiuence or consideration at a court, 
 where a man who does not speak the Arabic is considered 
 as an illiterale barbarian (ajenimie m'dollem), and is treated 
 accoidingly ? The Emperor has frequently expressed a wish 
 to communicate with our Sovereign, but the publicity to 
 which his sentiments must be exposed in the present routine 
 of British diplomacy, deters him from it, and restricts or 
 diminishes the Intercourse between the two countries.* 
 
 By way of shewing the extreme disadvantages under which 
 ©ur negociations are carried on with the Barbary powers, I 
 
 * In a conversation with the Minister at Marocco for European affairs, 
 his Excellency asked me if, in the event of his master's writing to his Majesty, 
 the latter would be able to get the letter interpreted: 1 answered in the affir- 
 mative, and a very polite and I'liendly letter was afterwards written, which 
 requested an answer; but it remained here in the Secretary of State's office,^
 
 with the Bavhary Towers. 219 
 
 will relate a circumstance \\\\\c\\ happened during the last 
 embassy to Marocco ; I do not mean to say any thing preju- 
 dicial to Mr. Malra, who conducted that embassy ; he was a 
 man of capacity, and undei-stood the nature of the court, as 
 well as a long residence in the country without a knowledge 
 of the language, could enable him : he was attended by a 
 Jewish interpreter, a subject of Marocco, who was retjuired 
 by the Emperor to wear the dress of his tribe,* but being in 
 
 without any attention being paid to its contents, a mark of disre»pecl which 
 gave great offence to tlie Emperor. 
 
 It appears to me extraordinary, that a language which is spoken over a 
 much greater extent of country than any other on earth — n iuiiguage combin- 
 ing ail the powers and energj' of the Greek and Latin, should be so little un- 
 derstood, that an Arabic letter written by liie present Emperor of Marocco, 
 to the King of Great Britain, actually lay in the Secretary of State's office 
 8onie months without being translated. The circumstance coming to the 
 linowledge of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the Right Hon. Spencer Per- 
 cival) that gentleman expressed a wish to a friend of mine, to have a trans- 
 lation, and the letter w;is transmitted to me for that purpose. Doctor Buff<i, 
 who delivered it, assured me, it had been sent to one, if not both Univeisities, 
 and to the post-office, but that, either from a difference in the punctuation of 
 the characters, or in the language itself, no one could be found c.-ipable of 
 lendering it into English. This statement, however unaccountable it may 
 appear to many, was afterwards farther confirmed, by passports and other 
 papers in African Arabic being sent to me for translations, the want of which 
 Iiad detained vessels in onr ports, and caused merchants in London to suffer 
 from a loss of markets. 
 
 * The Emperor being on horseback in the place of audience one day at 
 Marocco, he perceived a man at a di>tance dressed in an European dress of 
 scarlet and gold : he enquired if he was an Ambassador, and sent some of the 
 Mople in waiting to know his business; he was found to be a Jew, which be- 
 ing reported to the Sultan, he was highly displeased, and ordered him to 
 be stripped, and Jewish clothes put on; this was instantly performed, and 
 orders were issued to every port in his dominions, that Jews should be allowed
 
 220 State of our Jiehiiiom 
 
 the suite of the Ambassador, and his interpreter, Mr. Matra 
 repeated his injunction to the Emperor, alleging, that as he 
 ■was in his immediate service, he was, and ought to be consi- 
 dered as, a British subject, and therefore entitled to wear the 
 dress which the Jews of Great Britain wore: this argument 
 was admitted by the Emperor, and the Jew was accordingly 
 permitted to appear before him in the English dress. Tiiis 
 was certainly a point gained by the Ambassador, and might 
 have been the prelude to more considerable concessions, had 
 it been judiciously followed up ; indeed, the Emperor was 
 desirous to temporise with the English, and treated the Am- 
 bassador and his suite in a better style than he had done 
 any former one, and, as I was crediby informed, even 
 permitted Mr. Matra to sit down by him, an honour never 
 before conferred on any but a prince. Much affability 
 and politeness of this kind was terminated by a long treaty 
 of peace and amity, written in Arabic, but which unluckily 
 nobody in the Ambassador's suite could properly under- 
 stand, except by circuitous and inaccurate explanation by 
 a Aloor to the Jew interpreter, and then from him to the 
 Consul ; the latter, how-ever, being dissatisfied with it, was 
 persuaded to entrust it to a Spanish student, who, instead of 
 giving an accurate translation to the Ambassador, sent one, 
 as it was reported, to Madrid, kept the paper a month, and 
 then returned it, to Mr. Matra, so that the whole treaty 
 
 to appear only in their own dress, in order that they might not, in future, be- 
 niistaiien for ambassadors, alleging, that nothing was more proper and agree- 
 able to reason, than that a Mooselmin should dress in his costume, a Christian 
 in his^ and a Jew also iu his, tliat it might be known, and not concealed, which 
 was which !
 
 with the Bmhanj Pozvers. 221 
 
 was known at Madrid before it was known at London, or 
 even by the Ambassador himself at Tangier ! and in this 
 manner, I am sorry to say, are our affairs conducted at Ala- 
 rocco. In short, I am well persuaded, that so long as gen- 
 tlemen are sent to the liarbary powers as ambassadors or 
 consuls, and remain there four or five years before they can 
 make themselves sufficiently ac(|uainted with the complec* 
 tion of the Mohammedan courts and intrigues, not to say 
 the language, which but very few are at all likely ever to 
 acquire sufficiently to hold colloquial intercourse at Court, 
 we must not expect to gain any considerable commercial or 
 political advantages. 
 
 it may also be necessary here to observe, that there are 
 various expressions, not considered indelicate, among Euro- 
 peans, which ought not to be used before the Ceed, or Em- 
 peror, by any one who is desirous to ncgociale advantage- 
 ously. I have known a negociation totally frustrated by 
 one trifling, or incautious expression. Accuracy of pronun- 
 ciation, and refinement in the Arabic mode of expression, 
 added to easy and affable manners, and a good person, would 
 be attended with incalculable advantages in negociations at 
 this court, the language, as Avell as the manners and cus- 
 toms of which, alliiough fixed and regulated by invariable 
 rules, are unknown and unattended to by the nations of 
 Europe, at least by those of the North ; and this I conceive 
 to be one of the reasons why a negociation with the Court 
 of Marocco seldom or ever terminates advantageously to 
 the European negociator. 
 
 In treaties of peace between any European power and
 
 222 Account of Mr. Laytons Case. 
 
 the Sultan of Marocco, one of the clauses always aftects to 
 protect the sul)ject: so in the English treaties, if an English- 
 man residing in the empire commit any misdemeanor, he is 
 not to be judged by the JMohammedan law, but by that of 
 his own country, and is to be dehvered up to the Consul 
 until satisfaction be given : from the supineness of Consuls, 
 however, this clause, as well as many others, has been often 
 disregarded, and the wording altogether misunderstood or 
 misconstrued. 
 
 As various reports have gone abroad relative to the affair 
 of Mr. A. Layton, a British merchant ai jNIogodor, having 
 had his teeth pulled out by order of the En)peror, it may be 
 interesting to set that transaction in its true light. 
 
 Mr. A. Lajton was the chief partner in a house of consi- 
 derable capital and respectability ; the other partners were 
 Frencimien, who having had official notice given them, that 
 as the King of France h.ad broken off all connection with 
 Marocco, the French merchants should quit the country, or 
 seek some other protection ; accordingly, the affairs of this 
 House being extended in the country, various impediments 
 rose against their quitting their establishment suddenly ; they 
 proposed therefore to take Mr. A. Layton as a partner under 
 the firm of A. Layton and Co, making it by this stratagem 
 an English house. One afternoon the three partners, A. 
 Layton, Secard, and Bane, together with a clerk, went out 
 on horseback with some greyhounds belonging to the for- 
 mer; and in returning towards Mogodor, one of the dogs 
 attacked a calf belonging to a neighbouring village ; a Shel- 
 luh, who was the owner of the calf, shot the dog ; on this
 
 Account of Mr. Lay ton's Case. 223 
 
 a fray ensued, and the village was soon in an uproar; in the 
 scuffle some Shelluh women were seen to throw stones, and 
 Mr. Barre was considerably bruised : Laylon also received 
 and gave several blows. Tlie party returned to Mogodor, 
 when Layton immedial< jy made a C()mj)laint to the Go- 
 vernor, who promised liim justice should be done, and ac- 
 cordingly sent for the parties, who on their part insisted on 
 justice being done to them, alleging, that a woman had had 
 two of her tcrth knocked out by Layton, and called out in 
 the name of God and the Prophet for justice from the Em- 
 peror himself: this appeal obliged the Governor to write to 
 the Emperor, and the parties were ordered up to Marocco: 
 witnesses iiavi ng been brought against Layton, who declared 
 that he had knocked the woman's teeth out with the thick 
 end of his whip, the Emperor was compelled to order two 
 of his teeth to be pulled out as a satisfaction to the lady 
 for the loss of her's : his Majesty, however; did not appear 
 disposed to put the sentence in execution, but the people, 
 who had assembled in immense numbers on this extra- 
 ordinary occasion, exclaimed loudly for retaliation;* when 
 the tooth-drawer approached, Layton rccjuested that he 
 might have two of his back teeth taken out, in lieu of two 
 of his front teeth, wiiich recjuest the Emperor granted. 
 His Majesty was pleased with the courage with which 
 Layton sutl'eretl the operation, and apologized to him 
 the next day, and it was intimated, thai he would not 
 have allowed the sentence of the law to have been exe- 
 
 * The law3 of Moliammed, like those of Moses, adhere strictly to reta- 
 liation — " Aa eye tor an eye, and a toolli for a tooth."
 
 224 Account of Mr. Lnytons Case. 
 
 cuted, had it not been necessary to allay the fury of the 
 peoj)le; he then desired hini to ask any favour, and he 
 would grant it; Layton accordingly requested permission 
 to load a cargo of wheat, which was granted, and, I be- 
 lieve, free of duty ; he afterwards conferred on him similar 
 favours, and wished very much to have him appointed 
 British Consul, but this he declined; the Emperor, how- 
 ever, often repeated to him this wish, alleging the advan- 
 tages of negociating with a person who could converse with 
 him in his own language, and promising, in case of his ac- 
 cepting the appointment, to grant every favour that Eng- 
 land should ask of him. Whether Layton felt himself not 
 sufficiently supported by his country, after this personal 
 outrage, or what other reason he had to refuse the repeated 
 overtures of Seedy Mohammed, is not for me here to declare. 
 Some general remonstrance was made by all the European 
 Consuls collectively respecting this affair, and the Emperor, 
 it appeared, would have made proper apology to the Bri- 
 tish Consul iiad it been demanded with energy and resolu- 
 tion ; the influence of Great Britain sufiered by not support- 
 ing her subject, and ever since this transaction, encroach- 
 ments have been making on the privileges of Europeans, 
 insomuch, that it is now a remark at the Court of Ma- 
 rocco, that, " the European nations will not give themselves 
 the trouble to protect their own subjects, why should we 
 protect them ? The Consuls at Tangier are of no use but 
 to determine disputes of captures amongst the belligerent 
 powers of Europe, which we do not understand, nor wish 
 to interfere in, and if they refuse to adjust these matters,
 
 Account of Mr. Layton's Case. 225 
 
 they may all leave the country, they are of no service to 
 
 us. 
 
 • This observation was made a few years since by the prince Muley Teib, 
 brother of tiie reigning Emperor, and at that time Khalif at Tangier, to shew 
 tlie contempt in which he held the representatives of the European and 
 American powers. 
 
 I 
 
 G C
 
 [22C] 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Shijmrecks on the. Western Coast of Africa about Wcilinoon 
 and Sahara ; State of the British and other Captives whilst 
 in possession of the Sahai-awans, or Roving Arabs of the De- 
 sert — Mode of their Redemption. 
 
 1 HAT part of tlie western coast of Africa, which Hes be- 
 tween the latitudes of 20 and 32 degrees north, has been dif- 
 ferei.'tly laid doAvn in various charts, but, perhaps, never yet 
 accurately. The Spaniards, who fish on this coast eastward 
 of the Canary Islands, assure us that soundings are to be 
 found quite across to the Continent, and there is a tradition 
 among the Arabs, that in very remote ages those islands 
 formed part of the African continent. In support of this 
 tradition, it may be observed, that the aborigines of Lan- 
 cerotta resemble in manners, in physiognomy, and in per- 
 son, the Africans, and retain some, of their customs. 
 
 That part of the coast, which lies between the above-men- 
 tioned latitudes, is a desert country interspersed with im- 
 mense hills of loose sand, which are from time to time driven 
 by the wind into various forms, and so impregnate the air 
 with sand for manv miles out at sea, as to give to the atmos- 
 phere an appearance of hazy weather: navigators not aware 
 of this circumstance, never suspect, during such appear- 
 ances, that they are near land until they discover the breakers 
 on the coast, which is so extremely flat, that one may walk a
 
 Shipwrecks on the Coast. 2^7 
 
 mile into the sea williout being over the knees, so that ships 
 strike when at a very considerable distance (rom the beach; 
 added to this, there is a current, which sets in from the west 
 toward Afrira, with inconceivable force and rajiidity, with 
 which the navigator being generally unacquainted, he loses 
 his reckoning, and in the course of a night, pcrhups, when he 
 expects to clear the African coast in his passage southward, 
 he is alarmed with the appearance of shoal water, and before 
 lie has time to recover himself, finds his ship aground, on a 
 desert shore, where neither habitation nor human being is 
 visible. In this state, his fears are soon cncreased by a per- 
 suasion that he must either perish in fighting a horde of wild 
 Arabs, or submit to become their captive; for soon after a 
 ship strikes, some wandering Arabs strolling from their duar 
 in the Desert, perceive the masts from the sand hills; and 
 without coming to the shore, repair to their horde, perhaps 
 30 or 40 miles off, to apprize them of the wreck ; when they 
 immediately assemble, arming themselves with daggers, guns, 
 and cudgels. Sometimes two or three days or more elapse 
 before they make their appearance on tiie coast, where 
 they await the usual alternative of the crew, either delivering 
 themselves up, rather than perish with hunger, o.r throwing 
 themselves into the sea. When the former takes place, ([uar- 
 rels frequently ensue among the Arabs, about the possession 
 of the sailors, disputing for the captain or mate because he is 
 better dressed, or discovers himself to them in some other 
 way. They afterwards , go in boats, and lake every thing 
 portable from the vessel, and then if the sea do not ilash it 
 to pieces, set fire to it, in order that it may not serve as a 
 warnino- to other ships, which may be so unlortunale as to
 
 228 State of European Captives. 
 
 follow the same course.* Sometimes, in these wrecks, the 
 poor seamen peceiving what savages ihty have to contend 
 with, (though they are far from being so savage and inhos- 
 pitable as their appearance indicates) determine on making 
 resistance, and by means of cannon, small arms, &c. maintain 
 a temporary defence, until a few falling from the superiority 
 of numbers, they at length yield, and deliver themselves up. 
 The Arabs going nearly in a state of nature, wearing no- 
 thing but a cloth or rag to cover their nakedness, immedi- 
 ately strip tlieir unhappy victims, and march them up the 
 country barefooted, like themselves. The feet of Europeans, 
 from their not being accustomed, like the Arabs, to this mode 
 of travelling, soon begin to swell with the heat of the burning 
 sand over which they pass ; the Arab considering only his 
 booty, does not give himself the trouble to enquire into 
 the cause of this, but abstemious and unexhausted himself, 
 he conceives his unfortunate captive will, by dint of fatigue 
 and travelling, become so too. In these marches the Eu- 
 ropeans suffer the pains of fatigue and hunger in a most 
 dreadful degree; for the Arab will go 50 miles a day without 
 tasting food, and at night will content himself with a little 
 barley meal mixed with cold water, miserable fare for an 
 
 * I will here mention a stratagem by which a sailor, a few years since saved 
 a ship on this coast, as it may be of use to some future navigator: — The vessel 
 ivas stranded, and one of the crew being a Spaniard, who had been used to 
 £sh there from the Canaries, advised the Captain to let go an anchor, as if the 
 vessel were riding and in safety ; some Arabs coming on board, the captain told 
 them to bring their gums and other produce, for that they were come to trade 
 with them, and were going away again in a few days; as it happened to be low 
 water, the vessel on the return of the tide floated, they then weighed anchor, 
 ^nd set sailj leaving the astonished Arabs to wonder at their ingenuity.
 
 State of European Cuplives. 229 
 
 English seaman, who (to use tht teri« that is applied to the 
 richest men among the Arabs) eats meat every day. 
 
 They carry the Christian captives about the Desert, to 
 the different markets to sell them, for they very soon dis- 
 cover that their habits of life render lliem allogellier unser- 
 viceable, or very inferior to the black slaves, which they pro- 
 cure from Timbuctoo. After traveUing three days to one 
 market, five to aiiotlier, nay sometimes fourteen, they at 
 length become objects of commercial speculation, and the 
 «, itinerant Jew traders, who wander about from VVedinoon to 
 '^sell their nares, find means to barter for them tobacco, salt, 
 a cloth garment, or any other thing, just as a combination of 
 circumstances may offer, and then return to Wedinoon, 
 with the purchase. If the Jew have a correspondent at 
 Mogodor, he writes to him, that a ship had been wrecked, 
 mentioning the flag or nation she belonged to, and requests 
 him to inform the agent, or consul, of the nation of which 
 the captain is a subject ; in the mean time flattering the poor 
 men, that they will shortly be liberated and sent to Mogodor, 
 where they will meet their countrymen : a long and tedious 
 servitude, ho\vcv«;r, generally follows, for want of a regular 
 fund at Mogodor for the redemption of these people. The 
 agent can dp nothing but write to the consul-general at 
 Tangier; this takes up nearly a month, l)efore an answer is 
 received, and the merchants at Mogodor being so little pro- 
 tected by their respective governmenis, and having various 
 immediate uses for their money, are very unwilling to ad- 
 vance for the European interest of 5 per cent. : so that the 
 time lost in writing to the governmeut of the country to 
 whom the unfortunate captives belong, the necessity of pro-
 
 '230 State of European Ccpihcs, 
 
 curing the money for their purchase previous to their eman- 
 cipation, and various oilier circumstances, form impediments- 
 to their hberation. I knew an instance whore a merchant 
 had advanced the money for one of these captives, who,. 
 had his ransom not been paid, would have been obliged to 
 return to the south, where he would have been sold, or 
 compelled to embrace the Mohammedan religion; for the 
 British Vice-Consul had not the purchase money, nor any 
 orders to redeem him, having previously sent to the Coa« 
 sul General an account of the purchase of the rest of- the 
 crew. This man was delivered up by the merchant who 
 had red<^emed him, to the British Vice-Consul, to whom 
 he looked for payment ; various applications were made 
 to the Consul-General, but the money was not paid two 
 years afterwards, all applications to government having failed ; 
 a representation of the case was next made to a society in 
 London, which has been established ever since the year 1724,* 
 for the redemption of British slaves in Turkey and Barbar^-, 
 which, after deliberating on the matter, agreed to pay llie 
 merchant the money he had advanced. The purchase-money 
 in this case was, including the cost of clothes (for the man 
 was naked when purchased) did not amount altogether to 
 forty pounds ; there was, however, so much trouble attending 
 the accomplishment of the business, that no individual mer- 
 
 * Mr. Thomas BeUon, a Turkey ilnerchant, by will, in 1724, devised to the 
 IionmonifCi's Company in trust about 26,000/. one moiety of the profits lliereof 
 to be perpelually employed in tl)e redemption of British captives from Moorish 
 slavery, and the other half to lie equal.'y distributed between the poor of the 
 Company, and the several chanty schools within the city and liberty thereof. 
 See Maitland's History ofLondon.
 
 Coast oflVcdinoon. 531 
 
 chanl has since vcnlured lo make an advance on a similar 
 securily, for, not to mention the diflicnlt}' of recovering llie 
 principal at the expiration of a long period, the value of mo- 
 nc}' is such at Mogodor that merchants are unwilling to 
 advance it at a low interest, 6 per cent, per month being 
 often paid for it. It is in this manner that the sul)jects of a 
 great maritime power have been neglected in a country 
 where, by adopting a few political regulations, all the hard- 
 ships of bondage might be prevented. 
 
 The coast of Noon or \\ edinoon extends a U)ng way to 
 the southward, nearly as far as Cape Bojador. Tlie Wed 
 Akassa, or river Akassa, which is erroneously called in the 
 maps the river Nun, and in some Daradus, is a large stream 
 from the sea to the town of Noon, which is about fifteen 
 miles inland, and about two miles in circumference; from 
 hence the river becomes shallow and narrow ; it is lo the 
 southward of this river, that the ships are generally wrecked. 
 Between the river Akassa and the province of Ait Bamaran 
 in Suse, is a pcnijisula extending into the ocean, resenibling 
 that on which Mogodor is built, where are the remains of a 
 fort built formerly by the Portuguese, but evacuated by them 
 at the time they discovered America; they afterwards endea- 
 voured to obtain possession of it, for the purj)ose of esta- 
 blishing a commercial factory, but the natives objected to 
 the proposal, wl^ich probably was not made by the governor, 
 but only by some s])ecida4.ing individuals. The French have 
 been endeavouring to establisli a settlement here at the nearest 
 point of coast to Timbnctoo, with which emporium they are anx- 
 ious to become better acquainted. The district of Wed i noon Is 
 nominally in the Emperor of Marocco's dominions, but lalely
 
 222 Treatment of the Beiiegado Christ inns. 
 
 no army hi>ving been sent further south than Terodant, and 
 ihe Ra«ha\v Alkaid Mahotnmed ben Dclemy being deceased, 
 that district has suffered neglect, and the people pay no 
 tenths ;* and tl'.e Emperor has even lately ordered his Bashaw 
 of Haha to purchase the British slaves that had been wrecked 
 there. 'J'his place being only thus nominally in his dominions 
 is another impediment to the redemption of the sailors who 
 happen to be shipwrecked about Wedinoon, for \i the Em- 
 peror had the same authority over this district, that he has 
 over the province north of the river Suse, measures might 
 be adopted by the Consul, acting under his orders, for their 
 delivery, without pecuniary disbursement. 
 
 Whilst the Europeans remain in the hands of the Arabs 
 and Jews, they are employed in various domestic services, 
 such as bringing water, possibly the distance of 9 or 10 miles, 
 to the habitation, and in collecting fire-wood. In performing 
 these offices, their feet, being bare, and treading on the heated 
 sand, become blistered and inflamed, the sandy particles pe- 
 netrate into these blisters when broken, and irritate in such 
 a manner as sometimes to cause mortification, and death. 
 The young lads, of which there are generally two or three in 
 every ship's crew, are often seduced by the Arabs to become 
 Mohammedans ; in this case, the Sheick or chief of the duar 
 adopts him, and initiates him in the Koran, by sending him 
 to the (Mdursa) seminary, where he learns to read the sa- 
 cred volume, and is instructed in the pronunciation of 
 the Arabic language ; he is named after the Sheick who 
 adopts him, after Avhich an Arabian woman is offered to him 
 
 * The established taxes of West Barbary are 10 per cent, on the produce 
 of the land, and 2 per cent, on that of cattle.
 
 I 
 
 Privileges of Christiai\s in Borhari/. 233 
 
 as a wife ; he marries, has a family, and becomes one of the 
 clan, thus abandoning for ever his native country and con- 
 nexions. 
 
 Tiie stale of domestic comfort enjoyed by Christians in 
 West Barbary or Marocco is far from being impeded by 
 those degrading distinctions practised in Egypt and other 
 Mohammedan countries, where they are not allowed to ride 
 on horses (the prophet's beast) to wear green (the prophet's 
 colour), &c. &c. ; here they may do either: they may even 
 enter towns on horseback, a privilege, however, which v. as 
 not granted till of late years : Mr, Chenier, the French con- 
 sul, first broke through the degrading custom, for being 
 opposed by the gate keepers at Satfy, he drew his sword, 
 and forced his entrance, adding, that no one should stop the 
 representative of the King of France: and when I went to 
 Agadeer, by order of the Sultan Muley Yezzid, on my arriv- 
 ing at the gate, the Bashaw's son objected to my entering 
 on horseback, alleging, that it was near a sanctuary, and that 
 Christians had never been allowed to enter the sate on 
 horseback ; I immediately turned my horse, ordered the 
 baggage to be put on board the ship from which I had just 
 landed, and declared, that I would not reside in any town, 
 where I was not on a fooling with the Mooselmin ; but the 
 old Bashaw, El Hayanie, a man of ninety years of age, sent 
 cut two of his sons to rerjuest me to come back: " old customs, 
 said he, (when I afterwards met him at the gate,) are done 
 away ; we wish to see the place flourish with conmierce, as 
 in its former establishment ; enter and go out on hoi-seback 
 Avhenever you please;" accordingly, ever since this circum- 
 stance, Christians (but not Jews) have been allowed to enter 
 
 II u
 
 234 Kumher of Vessels wrecked. 
 
 liie town on horseback : they may ride about the coiintry in 
 safety, and amuse themselves in the sports of the field; 
 they arc not obliged to stop at the approach of a Bashaw or 
 his family, or to alight till the great man has passed ;* it is 
 expected that he salute him in his own country fashion, by 
 taking off his hat, which however is considered by Moosel- 
 min, unaccustomed to Christians, much in the same light 
 that we should a man taking off his wig; for they go un- 
 covered in presence of the Emperor, unless they have a red 
 or Mooris^h cap on, which is a substitute for a wig, their 
 heads being shaved. 
 
 Of the vessels wrecked from time to time on the coast of 
 the Desert, or Sahara, many are probably never heard of, 
 and if any of the crew survive their hardships, they are in- 
 duced, seeing no prospect of emancipation, to become Ma- 
 hommedans, and nothing is afterwards known or heard of 
 them ; the vessel is supposed to have foundered at sea, and 
 all passes into obhvion. Of vessels whose loss have been 
 learnt by accident, (such as the sailors falling into the hands 
 of Wedinoon Jews, or Moors), there may have been from the 
 year 1790 to the year 1806, thirty of different nations, part 
 of whose crews have afterwards found their way to Marocco, 
 and given some account of their catastrophe ; these may be 
 thus divided : 
 
 English 17 
 
 French -------- 5 
 
 * This latlev is expected by a prince of the first dignity ; but I have often 
 passed princes on horseback without being required to alight: on such occa- 
 sions I uncovered, and bowed in the European manner.
 
 Plan for redeeming Captives. 2S5 
 
 American -.-__-. 5 
 Dutch, Danish, Swedish, &c. - 3 
 
 Of the English vessels the crews probably amounted to 
 200 men and boys, who may be thus accounted for : 
 
 Young men and boys either drowned, killed, or in- 
 duced to embrace the Mohammedan religion - - 40 
 
 Old men and others killed by the Arabs in the first 
 scuffle, when making opposition, or defending them- 
 selves; also, drowned in getting ashore - - - - 40 
 
 Dispersed in various parts of the Desert, after a lapse 
 of time, in consequence of the Consul making no 
 offers sufficiently advantageous to induce the Arabs 
 to bring them to Mogodor (which should always be 
 done as soon as possible after the wreck, and a price 
 given superior to that of a native slave) - - - - 40 
 
 120 
 
 Hedeemed after a tedious ciisteiice among the Arabs of 
 from one to five years, originating from various causes, 
 such as a want of application being made through the 
 proper channel, want of remitting money for their pur- 
 chase, ^c. SfC. ------------ 80 
 
 If any nation of Europe ought to enquire into the mode of 
 remedying this evil, it is certainly Great Britain, whose indu- 
 ence at the Court of Marocco might be made very consider- 
 able, and advantageous to the country ; a trifling sum would 
 be sufticieut at Mogodor, if deposited in the hands of the
 
 23Q Plan for Jxedeeming Captives. 
 
 vice-consul, or any merchant of respeclabilily, where it might 
 remain ready to be emjiloyed in the purchase of these unfor- 
 tunate people, and by allowing a sum rather above the price 
 of a black slave, the Arabs would immediately bring them 
 to JMogodor, knowing they could depend on an adequate 
 price; by this means ihey might be procured for half what 
 they now cost; and it would be an infinitely better plan than 
 that of soliciting the Emperor to procure them through the 
 Bashaw of Suse ; for, besides the delay, and consequent pro- 
 tracted suft'erings of the captives, the favour is considered by 
 the Emperor as incalculably more than the cost and charges 
 of their purchase* 
 
 It is generally a month or two before the news of a ship- 
 wreck reaches Mogodor, at which time, if a fund were 
 there deposited, a hundred and fifty dollars would be suffi- 
 cient to purchase each man ; yet, often from the scarcity of 
 specie, and the various demands which the merchants have 
 for their money, they have it not in their power (however 
 charitably disposed) to redeem these poor men ; and if they 
 do, it is at their own risk, and they must wait to know if the 
 government chooses to reimburse their expenses, 
 
 * As a further proof of tlie practicability of establishing an advantageous 
 alliance with the present Emperor, it should be here observed, that his prede- 
 cessors often obliged the English t-o send an ambassador, with presents, &c. 
 to solicit the liberation of British seamen; but Muley Soliman gives them up 
 to the Biilsh consul, without exacting such kind of remuneration.
 
 Pa^r 3J. 
 
 Jilts A- 7'/:>Tlll'CTf)0 , 
 
 J^v- 
 
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 1«09. 
 
 
 
 
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 ^ >° ,' ^^' <iV.^ J) I fen II It Alj o t 
 
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 Tuat AriiA.<- „ !'"'■' /'
 
 [ 237 ] 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Commercial delations of the Empire of Morocco uiih Tim^ 
 hucloo, and other Districts of Soudan — Route of the Cara- 
 vans to, and from Soudan — Of the City of Timbuctoo — The 
 Productive Gold Mines in its Vicinage — Of the naxigahlc 
 Intercourse between Jinnie and Timbuctoo ; and from the 
 latter to Cairo in Egypt: the whole being collected from the 
 most authentic and corroborating testimonies of the Guides 
 of the Caravans, Itinerant Merchants of Soudan, and other 
 creditable sources of Intelligence. 
 
 1 IMBUCTOO, the great emporium of central Africa, has 
 from time immemorial carried on a very extensive and lu- 
 crative trade with the various maritime States of North 
 Africa, viz. Marocco, Tunis, Algier, Tripoli, Egypt, &c. by 
 means of (akkabaahs) accumulated caravans, which cross 
 the great Desert of Sahara, generally between the months of 
 September and April inclusive ; these akkabaahs consist of 
 several hundred loaded camels, accompanied by the Arabs 
 who let them to the merchants, for the transport of their mer- 
 chandize to Fas, Marocco, &c. at a very low rate. During 
 their route, they are often exposed to the attacks of the rov- 
 ing Arabs of Sahara, who generally commit their depreda- 
 tions as they approach the confines of the Desert. 
 
 In this tiresome journey, the akkabaahs do not proceed in
 
 233 Routes of the Caravans 
 
 a direct line across the trackless Desert to the place of their 
 destination, but turn occasionally eastward or westward, ac- 
 cording to the situation of certain fertile, inhabited, and cul- 
 tivated spots, interspersed in various parts of Sahara, like 
 islands in the ocean, called Oas,* or Oases ; these serve as 
 watering-places to the men, as well as to feed, refresh, and 
 replenish the hardy and patient camel: at each of these 
 Oases, the akkabaah sojourns about seven days, and then 
 proceeds on its journey, until it reaches another spot of the 
 same description. In the intermediate journies, the hot 
 winds denominated ShumCj-f- are often so violent, as consi- 
 derably, if not entirely, to exhale the water carried in skins 
 b}' the camels for the use of the passengers and drivers; on 
 
 • ^^\ Elwuh ; this is ihe Arabic name ; Europeans have probably, by ad- 
 fling an s made it wahs or oas, and by the propensity to use this letter, it 
 has been again added to make it plural ; hence the word oasisj or wahsi3. 
 The plural in Arabic is El Wahaht. 
 
 •^ >^\ Asshume, or Sbume ; this wind has been already mentioned ; dur- 
 ing its prevalence, it is impossible to live in the upper rooms of the houses, the 
 inhabitants, therefore, retire to subterraneous apartments, cellars, or warehouses 
 on the ground floor, eating nothing but fruits, as the water melon, and the 
 prickly pear, for animal food at this period is loathsome whilst hot, and has 
 scarcely time to cool before it becomes tainted. The walls of the bed chambers 
 being of stone, buckets of water are thrown against them to render the rooms 
 habitable towards night; and so great is their heat, that in doing this, the effect 
 is similar to what is produced by casting water on hot iron. I have felt the 
 Shume 20 leagues out at sea ; when in lat. north 30°, longitude west 1 1° 30', I 
 astonished the captain of the ship, by directing his attention to particles of sand 
 which fell on the deck; and although the mariners actually collected about a 
 wine glass full of this sand by sweeping the deck, yet he would scarcely credit 
 my assertion, until we reached Agadeer, when he met with many daily proofs 
 of the extraordinary effects of this tremendous wind. I never found any
 
 I 
 
 to and from Tiinhuctoo. SSg 
 
 these occasions the Arabs and people of Soudan aflinn that 
 500 dollars have been given for a draft of water, and liiat 10 
 or 20 are commonly given when a partial exhalation has 
 occurred. 
 
 In 1805, a caravan proceeding from 'JMnibuctoo, lo Tafi- 
 lelt, Avas disappointed, in not finding water at one of the 
 usual watering-places, when, horrible to relate, the whole of 
 the persons belonging to it, 2000 in number, besides ISOO 
 camels, perished of thirst ! Accidents of this sort, account 
 for the vast quantities of human and other bones which are 
 found mingled together in various parts of the Desert. 
 
 The intense heat of the sun, aided by tiie vehement and 
 parching wind driving the loose sand along the boundless 
 plains, gives to the Desert the appearance of a sea, the drift- 
 ing sands resembling exactly the waves of the ocean, and 
 hence aptly denominated by the Arabs (El Bahar billa niaa) 
 a sea without water. 
 
 extreme inconvenience from ibe Shunie north of the province of Suse, al- 
 though at Mogodor it is sometimes felt, but not so severely, during three 
 days. 
 
 The Akkabaah* are sometimes obliged suddenly to strike their tents, and 
 proceed on their journey, from the Shume arising, and drifting the loose sand 
 along the plains, which attaches to every fixed object in its course, and soon 
 buries it. Savary, who often sacrifices truth to the pomp of language, has com- 
 mitted a gross error in describing the Desert ; he says — " Woe to him, whom 
 a whirlwind from the south surprises in the midst of the solitude, if he have 
 not a lent to shelter him ; he is assailed by clouds of burning dust which fills 
 his eyes, ears, and mouth, and deprives him of the faculty of sight and breaih* 
 ing." (See Letters on Egypt.) Now, so far from tents being any permanent 
 protection during these wind*, they are rather an annoyance, for it is impos- 
 sible to k'jcp them upright ; and if they are not immediately struck, ihcy, and 
 all within them, are sood buried in the overwhelming loireulofsand.
 
 240 Routes of the Caravans. 
 
 It is generally affirmed, that the guides, to whom the 
 chcirsre of conduclino- these numerous and accumulated cara- 
 vans is committed, in their routes to and from Marocco, di- 
 rect their course by the scent of the sandy earth ; but I could 
 never discover any reasonable foundation for such an opi- 
 nion, and apprehend it to be an arlful invention of their 
 own, to impose on the credulity of this superstitious and 
 ignorant people, and thus to enhance the value of their 
 knowledge. These guides possess some idea of astrology, 
 and the situation of certain stars, and being enabled by 
 the two pointers to ascertain the polar star, they can by 
 that unvarying guide steer their course with considerable 
 precision, preferring often travelling in the night, rather than 
 under the suftbcating heat of the scorching meridian sun. 
 
 When the akkabaah reaches Akka, the first station on this 
 side of the Desert, and situated on the confines thereof, in 
 Lower Suse, which is a part of Bled-el-jerrede, the camels 
 and guides are discharged, and others there hired to pro- 
 ceed to Fas, Marocco, Terodant, Tafilelt, and other places. 
 
 The akkabaahs perform the traverse of the Desert, includ- 
 ing their sojournments at El-wahs, or Oases, in about 130 
 days. Proceeding from the city of Fas, they go at the rate 
 of 3^ miles an hour, and travel 7 honrs a day; they reach 
 Wedinoon, Tatta, or Akka in eighteen days, where they re- 
 main a month, as the grand accumulated akkabaah proceeds 
 from the latter place. 
 
 In going from Akka to Tagassa* (the g should be pro- 
 
 * A person pronouncing this word in Africa, unless he knows the power and 
 force of the letter ^, and how to pronounce that difficult guttural, would be 
 unable to oiake himself intelligible.
 
 to and from Timhuctoo. 241 
 
 nonnccc! gullural) tlicy employ sixteen days, liere sojourning 
 fifteen clays more to replenish their camels; they then proceed 
 to the Oasis and Well of Taudeny, which they reach in seven 
 days; here again they remain fifteen days; their next route 
 is to Arawan, another watering-place, which they reach in 
 seven days ; here they sojourn fifteen days; and then proceed 
 and reach Timbuctoo the sixth day, making a journey of fifiy- 
 four days actual travelling, and of seventy-five days repose, 
 being altogether, from Fas to Timbuctoo, one hundred and. 
 twenty-nine days, or four lunar months and nine days* 
 
 There is another akkabaah which sets out from Wedi- 
 noon and Sok Assa, and traversing the Desert between the 
 black mountains of Cape Bojador and Gualata, touches at 
 Tagassa, El Garbie (both g's guttural, being the letter p), 
 or West Tagassa, and staying there to collect salt, proceeds 
 to Timbuctoo. The time occupied by this akkabaah is 
 five or six months, as it goes as far as Jibbcl-el-bied, or 
 the White Mountains, near Cape Blanco, through the desert 
 of MograflVa and Woled Abbusebah, to a place called Aga- 
 deen,-f- where it sojourns twenty days. 
 
 The akkabaahs which cross the Desert may be compared 
 to our fleets of merchant vessels under convoy, the (stata) 
 convoy of the Desert being two or more Arabs, belonging to 
 the tribe through whose territory the caravan passes; thus, 
 in passing the territory of Woled Abbusebah, they are ac- 
 companied by two Sebayhees, or people of that country, 
 vi\io on reaching the confines of the territory of Wuled 
 
 • Some akkabaahs perform the journey in less, I myself having, when 
 I had a commercial establishment at Agadeer, received a caravan of gum 
 Soudan from 1 imbuctoo in eighty-two days. \ Arguin in the maps. 
 
 I I
 
 242 Routes of the Caravans 
 
 Deleim, receive a remuneration, and rclurn, delivering 
 ihem to the ])rotection of two chiefs of Woled Delcini ; these 
 again conductino; them to the confines of the territory of the 
 JVIoraffra Arabs, to whose care they dchver them, and so on, 
 till they reach Timbuctoo : any assault made against the ak- 
 kabaah during this journey, is considered as an insult to the 
 ■whole clan to which the (slata) convoy belongs, and for which 
 they never fail to take ample revenge. 
 
 Besides these grand accumulated caravans, there are 
 others which cross the Desert, on any emergency, without a 
 stata, or guard of soldiers : but this is a perilous expedition, 
 and they are too often plundered near the northern confines 
 of the Desert, by two notorious tribes, called Dikna and 
 Emjot.* In the 3'ear 1798, an akkabaah consisting of two 
 thousand camels loaded with Soudanic produce, together with 
 seven hundred slaves, was plundered and dispersed, and many 
 were killed. These desperate attacks are conducted in the 
 following manner : a whole clan picket their horses at the 
 entrance of their tents, and send out scouts to give notice 
 when an akkabaah is likely to pass : these being mounted on 
 the Heirie, or Shrubba Er'reeh,-f quickly communicate the 
 intelligence, and the whole clan mount their horses, taking 
 with them a sufficient number of (niag) female camels, to 
 supply them with food (they living altogether on the milk 
 of that animal) ; they place themselves somewhere in am- 
 bush near an oasis, or watering-place, from whence they 
 issue on the arrival of the akkabaah, which they plunder 
 
 * There is an emigration from this tribe of one hundred families, now resid- 
 ing in several encampments near the city of Marocco. 
 t See before, pages 39 and 42.
 
 to 071(1 from Timhucloo. 243 
 
 of every thing, leaving the unfortunate merchants entirely 
 destitute. 
 
 Those who have philosophy enough to confine their wants 
 solely to what nature requires, would view the individual 
 happiness of the people who compose the caravans, with ap- 
 probation. Their food, dress, and accommodation, are simple 
 and natural ; proscribe 1 from the use of wine, and intoxicating 
 liquors, by their religion, and exhorted by its principles to 
 temperance, lliey are commonly satisfied with a few nou- 
 rishing dates, and a draft of water ; and they will travel for 
 weeks successively without an}' other food ; at other limes, a 
 little barley meal and cold water is the extent of their pro- 
 vision, when they undertake a journey of a few weeks across 
 the Desert ; living in this abstemious manner, they never 
 complain, but solace themselves with a hope of reaching 
 their native country, singing occasionally during the jour- 
 ney, whenever they approach any habitation, or whenever 
 the camels appear fatigued ; these songs are usually sung in 
 trio, and in tiie chorus all the camel drivers, who have a 
 musical voice, join ; it is worthy observation, how much these 
 songs renovate the camels, and the symphony and time they 
 keep surpasses what any one would imagine, who had not 
 heard them. In traversing the Desert, they generally con- 
 trive to terminate the day's journey at I'Asaw, a term 
 which they appropriate to our four o'clock, P. ]\I. so that 
 between that period and the setting sun, the tents are 
 pitched, prayers said, and the (Lashaw) supper got ready ; 
 after which they sit round in a circle, and talk till sleep 
 overcomes them, and next morning, at break of day, they 
 proceed again on their journey.
 
 244 Articles of Trade to Timbuctoo. 
 
 The Arabia language, as spoken by the camel-drivers, is 
 peculiarly sweet and soft ; the guttural and harsh letters are 
 softened, and with all its energy and perspicuity, Avhen pro- 
 nounced by them, is as soft, and more sonorous, than the 
 Italian ; it approaches the ancient Korannick language, 
 and has suffered but little alteration these twelve hun- 
 dred years. The Arabs of Moraffra, and those of Woled 
 Abbusebah, frequently hold an extempore conversation in 
 poetry, at which the women are adepts, and never fail to shew 
 attention to those young Arabs who excel in this intellec- 
 tual and refined amusement.* 
 
 The articles transported by the company of merchants 
 trading from Fas to Timbuctoo, are principally as follows: 
 various kinds of German linens, viz. plattilias, rouans, 
 brettanias, muslins of different qualities, particularly muls, 
 Irish linens, cambricks, fine cloths of particular colours, 
 coral beads, amber beads, pearls, Bengal raw silk, brass 
 nails, coil'ee, fine Hyson teas, refined sugar, and various ma- 
 nufactures of Fas and Tafilelt, viz. shawls and sashes of silk 
 and gold, hayks-f of silk, of cotton and silk mixed, of coUon 
 
 * During my visit to the Vicero3' of Suse, Mohammed ben Delemv, lie in- 
 troduced me to lour Arabs of the Woled Abbusebah tribe, who conversed in 
 our presence on various subjects, in this poetic manner, and it is astonishing 
 what accuracy in measure and expression is acquireil by a long habit in this 
 mode of entertainment. The old Emperor Seedy Mohammed, encouraged 
 this poetic conversation, and wiien any one excelled, he never failed to reward 
 him munificently; for although no scholar himself, he encouraged every one 
 who Contributed to diffuse a knowledge of the Arabic language. 
 
 + A hayk is a piece of cloth, very light and durable, about six feet wide 
 and fourteen long, which is used by the Africans of the north as an outer 
 garment.
 
 Articles of Trade from Tlmbuctoo. i\5 
 
 and of wool; also an immense quantity of (hayk fiklly) 'I'a- 
 lilclt hayks, a particularly liglit and fine manufacture of that 
 place, and admirably adapted to the climate of Soudan ; to 
 these may be added red woollen caps, the general covering 
 of the head, turbans, Italian silks, nutmegs, cloves, ginger, 
 and pepper, Venetian beads, cowries, and a considerable 
 (juantil}' of tobacco and salt, the produce of Barbary and 
 Bled-el-jerrC'de. 
 
 The produce of Soudan, returned by the akkabaahs, for 
 the above articles, consists principally in gold dust, twisted 
 gold rings of Wangara,* gold rings made at Jinnie,-|- bars of 
 gold, elephants' teeth, gum of Soudan, (guza Saharawie) 
 grains of Sahara, called by P2uropcans grains of paradise, 
 odoriferous gums, called el b'korr'h Soudan, mucli esteemed 
 by the Arabs for fumigating, to wliich they ascribe many 
 virtues; a great number of slaves, purchased at Timbucloo, 
 from the Wangarecn, Houssonian, and other slatees,:|: who 
 bring them from those regions which border on the Jibbcl 
 
 • I presented one of these rinfjs fonie years since to Mr. Jaoies Willis of 
 Freshwater-lioiise, in the Isle of AV'ighl; they are of pure gold, twisted, and 
 open at the extremity, fur the purpose of inserting them in the middle 
 cartilage of the nose; and such is the fashion, that it is esteemed more gen- 
 teel to appear in rags with a nose-ring, lh;.n in fine garments williout one. 
 I saw a party of these \\'ang:ireens, wliilsi I was on a visit to the Viceroy of 
 Suse, the Khalif Mohammed ben Delemy, who, when eating, threw the ring 
 upwards, to prevent it from coming in contact with tlicir mouth. 
 
 •\ The Arabs acknowledge the superiority of Europeans iti mechanical arts, 
 and allow that ihcy excel the Africans in geneial, with the exception, however, 
 of the working in gold, in which the natives of Jinnie do must eminently ex- 
 cel. 1 huve seen trinkets, particularly a figure of an eagle, of such workman- 
 ship, as would have been d.fticult to imitate either in England ox I-'rance. 
 
 X Slalee is a slave merchant, or seller of men.
 
 24G Articles of Trade frotn Timhuctoo. 
 
 Kunira,* or Mountains of llie Moon, a chain which, with 
 Jittle or no intermission, runs through the continent of 
 Africa from west to east, viz. from Assentee in tlie west, to 
 Abjssinia in the east. 
 
 Ostrich feathers and ambergris are collected on the con- 
 fines of the Desert, and are added to the merchandize before 
 mentioned. The gold jewels of Jinnie-f- are denominated 
 by the Arabs El Herrez, from the supposed charm they con- 
 tain ; they are invariably of pure gold, and some of them of 
 exquisite workmanship, and of various forms, but hollow in 
 the middle for the purpose of containing the Herrez, or 
 anudet, which consists of passages from the Koran, arrtinged 
 in some geometrical figure, on paper, Avhich being enclosed 
 in the gold jewel, is suspended from the neck, or tied round 
 the arms, legs, or elsewhere. These charms have various 
 and particular powers attributed to them, some insuring the 
 wearer against the efiects of an evil eye, others from an 
 evil mind ; some are intended to secure a continuation of 
 prosperity and happiness, or to avert misfortune, whilst 
 others secure to the wearer health and strength. This super- 
 stition, and predilection for charms, pervades the greater part 
 
 * Sometimes called Jibbel Kumrie, or the White or Lunar coloured Moun- 
 tains (see map the 2d); so a while horse is called by the Arabs a moon- 
 coloured horse (aoud kumri). 
 
 t It may not be irrelevant here to observe, that the air of Jinnie is inimical 
 to all but those of Soiidanic origin, that is negroes, on which account the 
 Arabs, Moors, and others, denominated El Horreh, carefully avoid entering 
 the town, but transact any business in the adjacent plains. The inhabitants, 
 who are universally black, are adepts in the occult sciences, and hither men 
 of all descriptions, who are infected with the worm of superstition, resort to 
 gratify the phantasms of their heated imagination, by purchasing the charms, 
 or incantations mentioned in the text.
 
 Slaves from Timhuctoo. 247 
 
 of Africa : thus, in the norlhern maritime stales, in Suse, and 
 other parts of Bled-cl-jcrrede, the fakeers, or saints, attach 
 half a iiundred herrez (without, however, the gold covering, 
 for which they substitute a leathern one) to diftcrent parts of 
 their body, and even to the horses : at Marocco 1 have seen 
 eleven round one horse's neck.* The inhabitants of these 
 countries imagine no disorder incident to mankind can 
 attack either man or beast without the aid of some (jin) 
 spirit, or departed soul, or (drubba del'ain) an evil eye. 
 
 The slaves brought by the akkabaahs are more or less va- 
 luable in Barbary, according to their beauty and symmetry 
 of person, and also according to their age, and the country 
 from whence they are procured : thus a Wangareen slave is 
 not worth so much as one from Iloussa; the former being 
 a gross, stupid people, little superior in understanding to the 
 brute creation, whilst those of Houssa are intelligent, indus- 
 trious, acute, and possess a peculiarly open and noble coun- 
 tenance, having prominent noses, and expressive black eyes: 
 those of Wangara, on the contrary, have large mouths, thick 
 lips, broad, flat noses, and heavy eyes. A young girl of iloussa, 
 of exquisite beauty, was once sold at Marocco, whilst I was 
 there, for ibur hundred ducats,-f whilst the average price of 
 slaves is about one hundred, so much depends on the fancy, 
 or the imagination of the purchaser ! 
 
 These slaves are treated very diflercntly from the un- 
 happy victims who used to be transported from the coast of 
 
 • In purchasing horses I have cut off these incantations, for which they 
 have lookcil upon me as a desperate infidel. 
 
 + The mitkal, called by Europeans ducat, is worth eighth-tenths of a 
 Mexico dollar, or Ss. 8d. sterling.
 
 243 Treatment of the Slaves. 
 
 Guinea, and our settlements on the Gambia, to the West 
 India islands. After suffering those privations, which all 
 Avho traverse the African Desert must necessarily and equally 
 submit to, masters, as well as servants and slaves, they are 
 conveyed to Fas and Marocco, and after being exhibited in 
 tlic sock, or public market-place, they are sold to the 
 highest bidder, who carries them to his home, where, if 
 found faithful, they are considered as members of the fa- 
 mily, and allowed an intercourse with the (horraht) free-born 
 Avomen of the household. Being in the daily habit of hear- 
 ing the Arabic language spoken, they soon accjuire a par- 
 tial knowledge of it, and the Mohammedan religion leach- 
 ino- the unity of God, they readily reject paganism, and 
 embrace Mohammedanism ; their Moosclmin masters then 
 instil into their vacant minds, ready to receive the first im- 
 pression, the fundamental principles of the Mooselmin doc- 
 trine; the more intelligent learn to read and write, and 
 afterwards acquire a partial knowledge of the Koran ; and 
 such as can read and understand one chapter, from that 
 time procure their emancipation from slavery, and the 
 master exults in having converted an infidel, and in full 
 faith, expects favour from heaven for the action, and for 
 having liberated a slave. When these people do not turn 
 their minds to reading, and learning the principles of Mo- 
 hammedanism, they generally obtain their freedom after 
 eisht or ten years servitude ; for the more conscientious 
 Mooselmin consider them as servants, and purchase them 
 for about the same sum that they would pay in wages to a 
 servant during the above period, at the expiration of which 
 term, by giving them their lioerty, they, according to their
 
 Eunuchs. 249 
 
 religious opinions, acquire a blessing lioni God, for having 
 done an act, which a Mooselman considers more inerilo- 
 rious in the sight of Heaven, than the facnficc of a goat, or 
 even of a camel. This liberation is cnlircly voluntary on the 
 part of the owner; and I have known some slaves so at- 
 tached to their masters from good treatment, that when they 
 have been offered their liberty, they have actually reliised 
 it, preferring to continue in servitude. It should not, how- 
 ever, be supposed, that the Arabs and ISIoors arc always 
 inclined thus to liberate these degraded people ; on the 
 contrary, some of them, particularly the latter, arc obdurate, 
 and make an infamous traffic of them, by purchasing, and 
 afterwards intermarrying them, for the purposes of |)r<)paga- 
 tion and of sale, when tlicy arc placed in the pubhc market- 
 place, and there turned about, and examined in order to 
 ascertain their value. 
 
 The eunuchs which the Emperor and princes keep to 
 superintend their respective Ilorems, are, for the most part, 
 procured from the vicinage of Senaar in Soudan ; these crea- 
 tures have shrill effeminate voices; they are emasculated in 
 a peculiar manner, and sometimes in such a way, as not to 
 be incapacitated from cohabiting with women;* they are 
 in general very fat and gross, and from the nature of the 
 charge committed to them, become very confidential ser- 
 vants ; indeed their fidelity is surpassed only by their un- 
 bounded insolence. I knew one of these creatures, who was 
 
 * An eunuch of the liorem of Muley Abdclmelk, son of Muley Absalem, 
 whilst at Agadeer, had the audacity to coiiubit with one of the concubines of 
 the hoiem ; the prince hearing of it, was so exasperated, that he ordered a 
 punishment lo be inflicted upon him, which soon terminated his existence. 
 
 K K
 
 250 Expedition of Mulei/ Arsheede 
 
 chief of the eunuchs superintending the horem of Muley Abd 
 iSalain,* at Agadeer, who was one hundred and ten years old ; 
 he was tlien upright, and walked about without a stick. 
 
 Persons unaccustomed to, or unacquainted with, the mode 
 of living in Africa, may imagine the expense and trouble of 
 conveying the slaves across the Desert, would be more than 
 the advantane derivable from their sale; but it must be re- 
 collected that these people are very abstemious, particularly 
 Avhilst travelling; ten dollars expended in rice in Wangara 
 is sufficient for a year's consumption for one person ; the 
 wearing apparel is alike oeconomical, a pair of drawers, and 
 sometimes a vest, forming all the clothing necessary in tra- 
 versins the Desert. 
 
 It is not ascertained when the communication between 
 Barbary and Soudan was first opened, yet it is certain, that 
 the enterprising expedition of Muley Arslieede to the latter 
 country,-}-- tended considerably to increase and encourage the 
 exchange of commodities, and caused the establishment of 
 the company of Fas merchants, at Fas, as well as that of 
 
 * Elder brother to the reigning sultan Soliman. 
 
 t Muiey Aisheede, abcul the year I67O, proceeding to Suse, laid siege to 
 the saiitluury of Seedy Aly ben Aidar, near liirgh ; Seedy Aly, making his 
 escape in disguise, fled to Soudan, whither he was followed by Muley Ar- 
 sheede, who, on his arrival on the confines of Soudan, between Timbuctoo and 
 Jinnie, was met by a numerous host of blacks, of the king of the negroes: 
 the prince demanded Aly ben Aidar, but the negroe prince, who was king of 
 Banibara, leplied, that as he hud claimed his protection, it would be an iu- 
 fiingement on the laws of hospitality to deliver him up, adding, moreover, 
 that he desired to know if the views of Arsheedc were hostile or not; to which 
 llie latter replied, after endeavouring in vain to procure the person of Aly, 
 that he was not come hostilely, but was abuul to return, which he forthwith 
 didj and the Baiubareea king having received from Aly two beautiful re«
 
 to Tiiiil>i(cto9. 251 
 
 their faclory at Timbuctoo, which lias coiilinued to increase 
 and flourish ever since. 
 
 Tiie circulating medium al 'Jnnbucloo is (libber) gold 
 
 negade virgins, was so much flattered witli the present, lliat he promised 
 liim any thing tliat he should ask ; wiierciipon he requested permission to 
 go to Timbnctoo, and to settle there with liis numerous fidlowers, which 
 being granted, he proceeded tliiiher, and having eslabhshed a Moorish 
 garrison, resided tliere several months, and aitorwaids returned to Burbary, 
 bringing with him many thousand Hanibaretn blacks; but on his reaching 
 Suse, lie heard of the dealii of Muley El Arslieede, and having then no fur- 
 ther occasion for the blacks, he dismissed them; they went lo difTLTcnt parts 
 of the country, and served the inhabitants in order to procure subsisiente ; but 
 the politic Muley Ismael, who had then recently been proclaimed, ordered 
 them to be collected together, and incorporated in his black army, which 
 was however before this, very numerous, consisting for the most partof blacks 
 brought away from Soudan by Muley Arslieede the year preceding. Muley 
 Ismael also seized this opportunity of eslnblishing his power al Timbuctoo ; and 
 he met with no opposition in putting that place under contribution : having 
 eent fresh troops to occupy the Moorish garrison there, the inhabitants were 
 glad to make a contribution in exchange for the protection and power which 
 it aflbrded tlienij for previous to this, they had been subject to continual 
 depredations from the Arabs of the adjacent country, lo whom ibey had been 
 compelled to pay tribute as a security for their caravans, which were con- 
 stantly passing the country of these Arabs, who are of the race of Bra- 
 beeshe. 
 
 In the year 1727, when Muley Ismael died, it is reported that he possessed 
 an immense quantity of gold, of the purity of which, some of his gold coins 
 to be seen at this day, at Timbuctoo, bear testimony ; it is also said that the 
 massive bolts in his different palaces were of pure gold, as well as the utensils 
 of his kitchen. After his decease, however, the tribute was not regularly trans- 
 mitted, and his successors having no means of exacting it, it was entirely dis- 
 continued : the Moorish garrison too intermarrying with the natives, and 
 dispersing themselves about the vicinage, has given to the latter that tincture 
 of Mooselmin manners, which they are known lo possess, their descendants 
 forming at tliis period a considerable portion of tlie population of Timbuctoo.
 
 o/^T 
 
 Of the Cily of Timhucloo. 
 
 dust, which is exchanoed for merchandize, thus a plattilia 
 is worlh 20 mizans* of gold : a piece of Irish linen, of 25 
 yards, is worth 30 mizans ; and loaf sugar is worth 40 mi- 
 zans of gold per quintal. 
 
 Having in some measure explained the nature of the trade 
 with Tinibuctoo, we may now proceed to discuss the extent 
 of its territory, and although this does not appear to have 
 been ascertained, yet it may be said to extend northward 
 to the confines of Sahara, or the Desert ; a tract of country 
 about ninety miles in breadth; the western boundary'' is one 
 hundred and thirty miles west of the city, and the eastern 
 extends to the Bahar Soudan, or the Sea of Soudan, which 
 is a lake formed by the Nile El Abcede, whose opposite 
 slu)re is not discernible; this is the descrij^lion given of it 
 by the Soudanees, who have visited it; on its opposite or 
 eastern shore begins the territory of white people hereafter 
 mentioned, denominated by the Arabs (N'sarrath) Chris- 
 tians, or followers of Jesus of Nazareth : south of the river 
 is another territory of immense extent, the boundar}"^ of 
 which extends to Lamlem, or Mclli, which latter is reported 
 to be inhabited by one of the lost, or missing tribes of 
 Israel. 
 
 The city of Timbuctoo is situated on a plain, surrounded 
 by sandy eminences, about twelve miles north of the Nile 
 El Abecde,-!- or Nile of the Blacks, and three (erhellat) days 
 journey from the confines of Sahara : the city is about twelve 
 miles in circumference, but without walls. The town of 
 
 * Twenly-fonr nuaih't make 1 mizan ; 5^'^ niizan is equal to 1 Spanish 
 ounce, or liie weight of a gold dollar, or doubloon. The value of a mizan of 
 gold is iibaiit eleven shillings sterling. f The river Niger.
 
 Of the Ci/i/ of Timhuctoo. 253 
 
 Kabra, situated on the banks of tlie river, is its commercial de- 
 pot, or port. By means of a water carriage east and west of 
 Kabra, great facility is given to the trade of Timbuctoo, from 
 M hence the various articles of European as well as Barbary 
 manufactures brought by the akkabaahs from the north of 
 Africa, are dislributed to the difl'erent empires and states of 
 Soudan, and the south. This great mart is resorted to by all 
 nations, whither they bring the various products of their 
 respective countries, to barter for the European and Bar- 
 bary manufactures. 
 
 The houses of Timbuctoo have for the most part no upper 
 apartments; they are spacious, and of a square form, with 
 an opening in the centre, towards which the doors open ; they 
 have no windows, as the doors, which are lofty and wide admit 
 sufficient light to the rooms when thrown open. Contiguous 
 to the entrance door is a building consisting of two rooms 
 called a Duaria, in which visitors are received and enter- 
 tained, so that they see nothing of the women, who are ex- 
 tremely' handsome; the men are so excessively jealous of 
 their wives, that, when the latter visit a relation, they are 
 muffled up in every possible way to disguise their persons; 
 their face also is covered with their garment, through which 
 they peep with one eye to discover their way. 
 
 The king whose authority has been acknowledged at Tim- 
 buctoo ever since the death of Muley Jsmael, Emperor of 
 Marocco, is the sovereign of Bambarra ; the name of this 
 potentate in ISOO was Woolo; he is a black, and a native of 
 the country which he governs ; his usual place of residence 
 is Jinnie, though he has three palaces in Timbuctoo, which 
 are said to contain an immense quantity of gold. Many of
 
 So-i ^ Of the City of Timhiictoo. 
 
 llie ci\ il appointments at Timbuctoo, since the decease of 
 Muley Jsniacl, before mentioned, and the consequent de- 
 cline of the authority of the Emperor of Marocco, have 
 been filled by Monrs of JNIaroquin origin ;* but the mih- 
 tary appointments since the above period, have been entirely 
 among negroes of Bambarra, appointed by the King Woolo ; 
 the inhabitants are also for the most part Negroes, who pos- 
 sess much of the Arab hospitality, and pride themselves in 
 being attentive to strangers. The various costumes exhi- 
 bited in the market-places and streets, indicate the variety 
 and extent of the commercial intercourse with the difierent 
 rations of central Africa; the individuals being each ha- 
 bited in the dress of his respective country, exhibit a variety 
 both pleasing and interesting to every stranger who goes 
 there. 
 
 The toleration in a country like this is particularly deserving 
 of notice. The Diwan, or L'Alerama, never interfere with 
 the religious tenets of the various religions professed by the 
 different people, who resort hither for commercial or other 
 purposes ; every one is allowed to worship the great Author 
 of his being without restraint, and according to the religion 
 of his father, or in the way wherein he may have been ini- 
 tiated. 
 
 The police of this extraordinary place is extolled, as sur- 
 passing any thing of the kind on this side of the Desert; 
 robberies and house-breaking are scarcely known ; the peace- 
 
 • The person who was Cadi in 1800, was a principal trader at Mogodor^ and 
 son-in-law lo the Governor of that place, who being unsuccessful in his 
 commercial affairs, crossed the Desert, and soon obtained the appointment 
 of Cadi ; he was a shrewd clever man, about 35 years old.
 
 Of the City of Timhuctoo. 2o5 
 
 able inhabitants of the town each following liis resj)eclive 
 avocation, inlcrfcre with nothing but what concerns ihcm. 
 'I'he government of the cily is entrusUd to a IJiwan of 
 twelve Aleinnia, or men learned in (lie Koran, and an um- 
 pire, who retain their appoinlmenls, which they receive from 
 the KiniT of Banibarra, three years. The power of the 
 Alemma is great, and their falling inio the mass of citizens 
 after the expiration of the above period, obliges them lo 
 act njMighlly, as their good or batl administration of justice 
 either accjuils or con(ien)ns them after the expiration of their 
 temporary power. 1 he civil jmisprudencc is directed by a 
 Cadi, wiio decides a7i judicial proceedings according lo the 
 sj)iril ot the Koran ; he has twelve tdbs of the law, or attor- 
 nies, attending him, each of whom has a separate depart- 
 ment of justice lo engage his daily attention. 
 
 It is asserted that until lately no Jews were j)ermitted to 
 enter ihc town, and various conjectures have been made as 
 to the cause of this interdiction. It is also reported that 
 those Jews who (\o now resort thither, are obliged to become 
 Mohammedans, the ibrms of which religion they probably 
 relijupiish on their return lo their native country; but what- 
 ever may be the ostensible, I am inclined lo think the true 
 cause why the Jews are not admitted iiUo 'I'lmbuctoo, is 
 the extreme jealousy of the individuals of the AJoorish fac- 
 torv, whose avarice induces them to exclude every person 
 from sharing their emoluments, whenever a plausible i)retext 
 can be found. 
 
 The climate of Timbuctoo is much extolled as being salu- 
 brit)us and extremely invigorating, insoujuch that it is im- 
 possible for the sexes to exist without iutermarnage, accord- 
 
 I
 
 256 Of the City of Timhuctoo. 
 
 ingly it is said, there is no man of tlie age of eighleen who 
 has not his wives or concubines, all which are allowed by 
 the laws of the country, which are Mohammedan; and it is 
 even a disgrace for a man who has reached the age of pu- 
 berty, to be unmarried. The natives, and those who have 
 resided ihere any considerable time, have an elegance and 
 suavity of manners, which is not observed on this side of 
 Sahara; they possess a great flow of animal spirits, and are 
 generally so much attached to the country, ihat they inva- 
 riably return, wlicn insurmountable difficulties do not pre- 
 vent theni. 
 
 The accommodation for travellers at Timbuctoo is very 
 simple ; camels, horses, drivers, and merchants, rendezvous 
 at a large house, having an open space in the middle, round 
 which are built rooms sufficiently large for a bed and table: 
 these inns, or caravanseras, are called Fondacjue, and each 
 merchant hires a room, or more, until he accommodates him- 
 self with a house, bartering and exchanging his commodities, 
 till he has invested the whole in Soudanic produce, which he 
 endeavours to accomplish by autumn (September), in order 
 to be ready for the akkabaah, .either to proceed to Marocco, 
 Cairo, Jidda,* or elsewhere. 
 
 With regard to the manufactures of different kinds of ap- 
 parel at Timbuctoo, and other places of the interior, they 
 are made for the most part by the women in their respective 
 houses, whenever they cannot procure European cloths and 
 
 * Timbuctoo, but more particulaily Jinnie, carries on a considerable trade 
 to Darbeyta, a port in the Red Sea, in the country of Senaar, from whence 
 they are transported to Jidda, and other parts of (Yemin) Arabia Felix ; 
 among other articles is an immense quantity of the gold trinkets of the macu- 
 facture of Jinnie, already mentioned.
 
 Of the Nile Ei Abeedc. 2j7 
 
 linens, or when there is a great scarcity of Fas and Tafilell 
 niiinufactures of silk, cotton, and woollen. 
 
 It lias been said that there is an extensive library at Tini- 
 biictoo, consisting of manuscripts in a character differing 
 from the Arabic ; this, I am inclined to think, has originated 
 in the fertile imagination of some poet ; or, perhaps, some 
 Arab or ISIoor willing to indulge at the expense of European 
 curiosity, has fabricated sucli a story. In all my encjuiries 
 during many years, I never heard of any such library at Tiiu- 
 buctoo. The state library, which is composed for the most 
 part of manuscripts in the Arabic, contains a few Hebrew, 
 and perhaps Chaldaic books; amongst the Arabic, it is pro- 
 bable tiiere are many translations from Greek and Latin 
 authors at present unknown to Europeans. 
 
 The Nile El Abeede, or Nile of the Negroes, overflows in 
 the same manner as the Nile Massar, or Nile of Egypt,* 
 when the sun enters Cancer; this is the rainy season in the 
 countries, south of the Great Desert, and in Jibbel Kumra, or 
 the Mountains of the Moon, from whence the waters descend, 
 
 • Some writers have thought thai tlie word Nile is Applied to all great 
 rivers; what toundalion ihey may have for this tupposilioii I am not learned 
 enough to asceriain ; but I know that among the /African Arabs, tliere are but 
 two blieiims which are called Nile, and ihese have been made two separate 
 rivers by Europtans only, for in Africa tlure is dccifledly but one opinion 
 respecli ig them, viz. that they are streams which commuuicate with each 
 other, the Nile El Abeede being the greater, and running through a larger tract 
 of territory than the Nile Cham, or Nile Massiir, hence it is called Nile el 
 Kabeer, the greater Nile; the Nile of Egypt, however, is not called the 
 smaller Nile, but always the Nile Cham, or Nile JNliissar, i. e. the Nde of 
 Egypt, Cham being also an Arabic name for Egypt, when united to Syria and 
 other countries. 
 
 L L
 
 258 " " Culiivalion. 
 
 Avhich cause the river to overflow its hanks. Al Kal)ra 
 near Timbuctoo, it becomes a very large stream. Kiver 
 horses arc found in the Nile El Abeede, as well as cri)co- 
 dilcs, and the country contiguous t(^ its southern banks is 
 covered with forests of primeval growth, in which are many 
 trees of great size and beaut}'. These forests abound with 
 elephants of an enormous size. 
 
 The river, according to the concurrent testimony of the 
 Arabs, and the Moors, is about the width of the Tliames at 
 London ; the stream is so very rapid in the middle, as to 
 oblige the boats which navigate to Jinnie, to keep close to 
 the shore ; and the boatmen, instead of oars, push the boat 
 on with long poles.* 
 
 The soil about Timbuctoo is generally fertile, and near the 
 river produces rice, millet, Indian corn, and other grain ; wheat 
 and barley grow in the plains, and are cultivated priaci- 
 paljy by the Arabs of the tribe of Brabeesha.-f- Coffee 
 grows wild here, as does also indigo ; the latter, however, 
 is cuUivaled in some parts, and produces a very fine blue 
 dye, which they use in their various cotton manufactures; 
 a specimen of this colour may be seen in the British Mu- 
 
 * These boats are thirty days in reaching Jitinie ; during the passage the 
 Kile takes a considerable turn to ihe south, iind returns again, forming a semi- 
 circle ; this curve is denominated (Et Kos Nile) the curve,.or bow of the Nile. 
 A large stone is a substitute in these boats for an anchor, which would not 
 hold in the muddy bottom of the river; these are aUached to a cable, and 
 thrown overboard at nighl, dining which, watch i- kept to prevent the Ne- 
 groes from approaching, who often swim to, and plunder the boats, when 
 not kept off by fire arms. • 
 
 + Some tribute is paid by the town of Timbuctoo to this tribe, by way of 
 securing ilieir foibcaraiice from plundering the caravans from the north 
 which pass through their tenitory.
 
 Manufactures. 259 
 
 seum, in a piece of cloth of cotton and silk, whi( h I had the 
 honour to j)rcs('nt to that national depository of curiosities 
 some years since: it is of a chectiuered pattern, similar to a 
 draft board, the squares are alternate blue and white; these 
 pieces of cotton are manufactured at Jinnie and Tind)uctoo, 
 and used as covers to beds ; they are valuable from the 
 strength and dural>ility of the texture, and are therefore sold 
 at a high price in Barbary, according to the quantity of silk 
 that is in them, and the quality of the cotton ; those however 
 which have no silk interwoven, but are simfjly cotton, of blue 
 and white patterns, are not so costly: the width varies from 
 two to twelve inches ; the pieces are sewed together so closely 
 afterwards with silk or thread, that ojie can scarcely j)erceive 
 the seams, the whole appearing as one piece. 
 
 The husbandmen (whom they call fulah) are very expert 
 in the oeconomy of bees ; honey and wax are abundant, 
 but neither is transported across the Desert; first, because 
 the articles abound in Barbary, and secondly, because they 
 are used by the natives of Tin)buctoo, the former as an 
 article of food, and the latter for candles.* 
 
 There is a supply of fish from the river about Kabra, but 
 of what kind I have not been able to learn, as they differ 
 from those of Europe. 
 
 The mines of , gold which lie south of the bed of the river 
 
 • Persons acqiiainteil with the respective value of Afric;in produce, will per- 
 haps ask how it happens thai the akkabaahs transport Gum Soudan from 
 Timbuctoo to Barbary, which is not so valuable as wax? The reason is evi- 
 dent, the wax is useful, and being consumed hy the natives always commands 
 a price; the gura is not of any use or value to tlie Africans, but is collected 
 and transported to Barbary only to be *oi<i to the Luropean laclors on tJie 
 .coast.
 
 260 Gold Mines. 
 
 belong to llie Sultan Woolo, who resides at Jinnie; he has 
 three palaces, or spacious houses at 'liuibuctoo, \yliere his 
 gold is deposited, of which he is said to possess an enoimous 
 quantity. The persons who are daily employed in working 
 the mines are Banibareen negroes, who are extremely rich 
 in gold, for all pieces of ore which they take from the mines 
 not weighing twelve mizans, or about two ounces, become a 
 perquisite to themselves, as a remuneration for their labour, 
 and all pieces of a greater weight belong to the Sultan, and 
 are deposited in his before mentioned palaces. 
 
 It is asserted that the mines are so pure, that lumps 
 of virgin gold are constantly found of several ounces in 
 weight; tliis being admitted, it will not be surprising that 
 the value of this precious metal, here so abundant, should be 
 inconsiderable, and that some articles of small value with us 
 in Europe, such as tobacco, salt, and manufactured brass, 
 should often sell at Timbuctoo for their weight in gold. 
 But here I would wish to be understood as sj)eaking with 
 some latitude, as the precise value of the circulating medium 
 of Soudan is subject to great fluctuation, originating from a 
 compaiiy of enterprising speculators of great capital at Fas, 
 who are extremely jealous of the trade, and particularly 
 cautious in communicating any information respecting it. 
 In my various enquiries on this subject, I have constantly 
 been guarded from receiving any information respecting 
 Soudan from men who have had commercial establishments 
 there ; but have been rather induced to prefer the testimony 
 of those, whom I h?ve frequently met from time to time in 
 my various journies through AVest and South Barbary, who 
 were strangers to the motives of my enquiries, consideiing
 
 Countries adjacent to Timhucioo. 261 
 
 iheni merely as the natural siinrrcsiions of curiosity ; some of 
 these, however, I have by ehanee met with allerwartls at 
 INlogodor and Agadeer, where my eommereial establish- 
 ments were, when finding 1 was ensaiied in loreiixn com- 
 merce, they became very circumspect ami cautious, and 
 apparently regretted liaving communicated intelligence to 
 me concerning their country. 
 
 It would be ridiculous tor me to attempt to give the exact 
 geographical bearing and distance of places from 'runhucloo^ 
 in a country like this, as the Africans are ignorant of geogra- 
 phy or any other science ; but from the several accounts which 
 I have at ditU'rciit times received dnrirlg my residence ia 
 Africa, and which were from respectable people who have 
 resided years at Timbucloo, and had travelled across Africa, 
 it appears to be situated filleen hundred miles SSE of I'as, 
 eleven hundred and. fifty miles about SSE of /\kka, Tatta, 
 and V\ cdinoon ; thirteen hundred miles in nearly the same 
 direction from Marocco; one thousand three hundred and 
 twenty miles from Tafilelt: it is also ab(;ut two* hundred 
 and thirty miles eastward of the city of Jinnie; oue thousand 
 mik's east of Houssa. 
 
 The country north of Timbuctoo is inhabited by a pow- 
 erful tribe of Arabs called Brabeesha, whose original stock 
 emigrated in the 8th century, and took possession of a tract 
 of country bordering on Egy|)t westward ; there are several 
 duars of that kabyle, inhabitants of the western confines of 
 tgypt, who long since emigrated from tiie original stock, on 
 account of lamily dis[)utes ; they are a turbulent, restless, 
 and warlike tribe, but extremely afraid of fire arms, hav- 
 ing no means of defence against such, being armed only
 
 262 Countries adjacent to Tmhuctno. 
 
 V ith (>;rracT;i) tlie huico, and occasionally wiili knives, or 
 datigcife ; hence the inhabitants of the towns, when they go 
 far into the country, cany guns and pistols with then). 
 
 '1 here is anotlier nation situriied many (erhelhit) journies 
 south-east of 'J'inibuctoo, Avho worship the sun, and abstain 
 from animal food, hvinc; on milk and vegetables. One of 
 these peo[)le was at Mogodor alx)ut ten years since, and 
 continued his national custom, nor could all the flattering 
 invitations to Mohammedanism induce him to renounce his 
 doctrine. 
 
 In some part of the country between Timbuctoo and Ca- 
 sina, or Cashna, which is called (Beb Houssa) the Entrance 
 of Houssa, is discovered a race of people, whom the Arabs 
 compare to the English, alleging, that they speak a distinct 
 language of their OAvn, different from all the others known in 
 Africa, and that it resembles the Avhistling of birds, to which 
 they compare the English language. The people ride on 
 saddles, similar to those of England, and wear rowelled spurs, 
 the only nation in Africa that does, without shoes. Their 
 faces are covered to the eyes, by their turbans folding round 
 their necks and faces. Their weapons are swords, bows, ar- 
 rows, and lances. AThen they engage in battle, each man 
 selects an antagonist, they therefore never risk an engage- 
 ment unless they think themselves superior in number, or at 
 least equal to their enemy, resembling, in this respect, the 
 Chinese. They are represented as a grossly superstitious 
 people ; their bodies as well as their horses being covered 
 •with (herre/;) charms, or amulets. 
 
 About fifteen (erhellat) journies east of Timbuctoo, is an 
 immense lake, called (El Bahar Soudan) the Sea of Soudan ;
 
 Navigable Communication rriih Egi/pt. 863 
 
 on which are decked vessels, and the borders of it are inha- 
 bited by the above people: they bronj^ht, in or about the 
 year 1793, some of their decked vessels to Tindjuctoo, and 
 transported thence goods to Jjnnic ; but as they were ascer- 
 tained to be neither Arabs, Woors, Negroes, Shelluhs, nor 
 Eerebbers, the boatnien of Tmibuctoo complained to the 
 Cadi, that if these people were permitted to go to and from 
 Jinnie, they would lose their business, as their boats per- 
 formed the {passage in half the time. On this the Cadi or- 
 dered them out of the country : some report that they were all 
 poisoned, and I heir boats broken to pieces, and that since 
 then none of their vessels have been used westward of the 
 lake: the boats are described to be about forty cubits* in 
 length, and eight in breadth, having the planks fastened 
 together by shreet, or bass rope, and carr}' one Imndred and 
 fifty or two hundred men, and forty tons of goods; they have 
 no sails, but when the wind is favourable, two oars are set 
 up perpendicularly on each side of the boat, to which is fas- 
 tened a large hayk, or spreading garment, which serves as a 
 substitute for a sail: these boats are rowed by sixteen oars: 
 at night they come to anchor by throwing a large stone over- 
 board tied to a rope or cable, as before mentioned, which 
 serves as an anchor. 
 
 With regard to the water communication between Timbuc- 
 too and Cairo, there is no doubt but such a communication 
 exists; it does not, however, facilitate the purposes of trans- 
 port, the expense of land carriage by means of camels being 
 more moderate than that by water; besides the advantages 
 to a traveller of a continue.! succession of rich and lertile 
 
 • Seven cubits m.^ke Lur ydnis.
 
 264 Navigahle Commuuication witli Egypt. 
 
 country, make the journey rather an excursion of plea- 
 sure when compared to the toils of a desert, where heat 
 and thirst are so much dreaded by the weary traveller. 
 In the interior of Africa, and among the rich traders who 
 engage in this traffic across the Continent, there is hut 
 one opinion with regard to the Nile of P^gypt and the 
 Nile of Timbuctoo, and that opinion is, that they are one 
 and the same river, or rather that the latter is the wes- 
 tern branch of the former. It may be further observed, 
 that tlie source of the Nile of Timbuctoo is at the foot of 
 the western brancli of the chain of mountains called Jibbel 
 Kumra, or Mountains of the Moon, where it forms a merja 
 or swamp ; and on the western side of the same mountain is 
 another lake or swamp, which is the source of the Senegal 
 river, hence the established African opinion, that the Senegal 
 and Nile have the same source, aUhough these two meijas 
 are separated by the mountain : the copious springs, which 
 throw the water up with great force, are very numerous, and 
 are found on both sides of the mountain, that is on the eas- 
 tern as well as on the Avestern side. The western stream 
 takes a northerly direction, as does also the eastern stream, 
 which is increased in its course by others issuing from the 
 Jibbel Kumri, more to the east of the source, before de- 
 scribed ; but where the two streams unite (i. e. the Nile of 
 Egypt, and that of Soudan) is not accurately ascertained. 
 It is proper, also, to observe, that the Africans express their 
 astonishment whenever tlie Europeans dispute the connec- 
 tion of these two rivers, and asserf, that is a folly to dispute 
 a thing which the experience of succeeding ages has proved 
 to be true.
 
 Navigable Communication with Egi/pt, 265 
 
 In confirmation of ihc opinion that tliere is a navigable 
 communication between Timbuctoo in Soudan, and Cairo 
 in Egypt, the following circumstance was related to me by 
 a very inlclligent man, who has, at this time, an establish- 
 ment in the former city: 
 
 In tlie year 1780, a party of seventeen Jinnie Negroes 
 proceeded in a canoe, to Timbucloo, on a commercial 
 speculation ; they understood the Arabic language, and 
 could read the Koran ; they bartered their merchandize 
 several times during the passage, and reached Cairo, after 
 a voyage of fourteen months, during which they lived upon 
 rice and other produce, which they procured at the different 
 towns they visited ; they reported that there are twelve 
 hundred cities and towns, widi mosques or towers in them, 
 between Timbuctoo and Cairo, built on or near the banks of 
 (the Nile el Abeede, and the Nile Massar) the Nile of Sou- 
 dan and the'Nile of Egypt. 
 
 During this voyage they remained in many towns several 
 days, when trade, curiosity, or inclination induced them to 
 sojourn : in three places they found the Nile so shallow, by 
 reason of the numerous channels which arc cut from the 
 main-stream, for the purpose of watering the lands of the 
 adjacent country, that tiiey could not proceed in the boat, 
 which they transported over land, till they found the water 
 flowing again in suflicient Ijody to lloat it ; they also met 
 with three considerable cataracts, the principal of which was 
 at the entrance from the west of Wangara ; here also ihey 
 transported the boat by land until passing the fall of water, 
 they tloaled it again in an inunense (merja) lake, whose 
 opposite shore was not visible; at night they threw a large
 
 266 Navigable Communication with Egypt. 
 
 stone overboard as a substitute for an anchor, and walch was 
 regularly kept to guard against the attacks of crocodiles, ele- 
 phants, and river horses, which abound in various parts. 
 "When they arrived at Cairo they joined the great accumu- 
 lated caravan of the west, called Akkabah el Garbie, and 
 proceeded therewith to Marocco, where the3'^joined the Akka 
 caravan, and again reached Jinnie, after an absence of three 
 years and two months. 
 
 From various circumstances mentioned by the author of 
 this narrative, it should appear that the banks of the Nile 
 from Timbuctoo, to the 20th degree of east longitude, are as 
 populous as those of any river in China.
 
 APPENDIX.
 
 [ 269 ] 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Some Account of a ptculiar species of Fl ague which depopulated 
 West Barbanj in 1799 and 1800, and to the efects of rrhich 
 the Author was an eye-witness. 
 
 Trom various circumstances and appearances, and from 
 the character of the epidemical distemper which raged lately 
 in the south of Spain, there is every reason to suppose, it 
 was similar to that distemper or plague which depopulated 
 West Barbary ; for whether we call it by the more recon- 
 cileable appellation of the epidcmy, or yellow fever, it was 
 undoubtedly a plague, and a most destructive one, for 
 wherever it prevailed, it invariably carried oil", in a few 
 months, one-half, or one-third, of the population. 
 
 It does not ajjpear how the plague originated in Fas in the 
 year 1799- Some persons who were there at the time it 
 broke out have conhdenlly ascribed it to infected merchan- 
 dize miported into that place from the East; whilst others, 
 of equal veracity and judgment, have not scrupled to ascribe 
 it to the locusts which had infested West Jiarbary during 
 the seven preceding years,* the destruction of which, was 
 
 • See page 51.
 
 270 Account of the Plague. 
 
 followed by the (jedrie) small-pox, which pervaded the coun- 
 try, and was generally fatal. The jedrie is supposed lo be 
 the forerunner of this species of epideniy, as appears by an 
 ancient Arabic n)anuscript, which gives an account of the 
 same disorder having carried off two-thirds of the inhabi- 
 tan Is of West Barbary about four centuries since. But 
 however this destructive epidemy originated, its leading fea- 
 tures were novel, and its consequences more drea'lful, than 
 the common plague of Turkey, or that of Syria, or Egypt, 
 as will appear by the following observations: 
 
 In the month of April, 1799? a plague of a most destruc- 
 tive nature manifested itself in the city of Old Faz, which 
 soon after communicated itself to the new city, carrjang off 
 one or two the first day, three or four the second day, six or 
 eight the third day, and increasing progressively, until the 
 mortality amounted to two in the hundred of the aggregate 
 population, continuing with wmbated violence, ten, fifteen, or 
 twenty days; being of longer duration in old than in new 
 towns ; then diminishing in a progressive proportion from one 
 thousand a day, to nine hundred, then to eight hundred, and 
 so on until it disappeared. 
 
 Whilst it raged in the town of JNlogodor, a small village 
 (Diabel), situated about two miles south-east of that place, 
 remained uninfected, although the communicalion was open 
 between iheui : on the thirty-fourth day, however, after its 
 first appearance at Mogodor, this village was discovered to 
 be infected, and the disorder raged with great violence, 
 miiking dreadful havock among the human species for 
 twenty-one days, carrying ofl^, during that period, one hun-
 
 Account of the Plague. 2'(\ 
 
 dred persons oui of one hundred and thirly-threc, the original 
 population of the village, before the plague visited it ; none 
 died after this, and those who were infected, recovered in the 
 course of a month or two, some losing an eye, or the use of 
 a leg or an arm. 
 
 Many similar circumstances might be here adduced rela- 
 tive to the numerous and populous villages dispersed through 
 the extensive Shelluh jirovincc of ilaha, all which shared a 
 similar or a worse fate. 'J'ravelling through this province 
 shortly after the plague had exhausted itself, I saw many 
 uninhabited ruins, which I had before witnessed as flourish- 
 ing villages; on making cncpiiry concerning the population 
 of these dismal remains, 1 was informed that in one village, 
 Avhich contained six hundred inhabitants, four pei-sons only 
 had escaped the ravage. Other villages which liad contained 
 four or five hundred had only seven or eight survivors left to 
 relate the calamities they had suflcrcd. Families which had 
 retired to the country to avoid the infection, on returning to 
 town, when all infection had apparently ceased, were gene- 
 rally attacked, and died; a singular instance of this kind 
 happened at Mogodor, where, after the mortality had sub- 
 sided, a corp of troops arrived from the city of Terodant, 
 in the province of Suse, where the plague had been raging, 
 and had subsided ; these troops, after remaining three days 
 at Mogodor, were attacked with the disease, and it raged 
 exclusively among them for about a month, during which it 
 carried ot?" two-thirds of their original number, one hundred 
 men; during this interval the other inhabitants of the town 
 were exempt from the disorder, though these troops were not
 
 272 Account of the P/ague. 
 
 confined to aii}' particular quarter, many of them having had 
 apartments in the houses of the inhabitants of the town. 
 
 The destruction of the human species in the province of 
 Susc was considerably greater than elsewhere ; Terodant, for- 
 merly the metropolis of a kingdom, but now that of Suse, lost, 
 when the infection was at its height, about eight hundred 
 each day; the ruined, but siill extensive and populous citj'of 
 Marocco, lost one thousand each day; the populous cities 
 of Old and New Fas diminished in population twelve or fif- 
 teen hundred each day,* insomuch that in these extensive 
 cities, the mortality was so great, that the living having not 
 time to bury the dead, the bodies were deposited or thrown 
 altogether, into large holes which, when nearly full, were 
 covered over with earth. Young, healthy, and robust persons 
 of full stamina, were for the most part attacked first, then 
 women and children, and laslly, thin, sickly, emaciated, and 
 old people. 
 
 After this deadly calamity had subsided, we beheld a ge- 
 neral alteration in the fortunes and circumstances of men; 
 we saw persons who before the plague, were common la- 
 bourers, now in possession of thousands, and keeping horses 
 without kno ving how to ride them. Parties of this description 
 were met wherever we went, and the men of family called 
 them in derision (el wurata) the inheritors.f- Provisions also 
 became extremely cheap and abundant; the flocks and 
 herds had been left in the fields, and there was now no one 
 
 * There died, iluritig the whole of the above peiiods, in Marocco, 50,000; 
 in Taz, 60,000 ; in Mogodor, 4,500; and in Saffy 5,000: in all 124,500 souls! 
 -j- Des gens parvcnues, as ihc French express it; or upstarts.
 
 Account of the Plague. 273 
 
 to own them ; and the propensity to plunder, so notoriously 
 attached to the character of the Arab, as well as to the Shel- 
 luh and JNJoor, was superseded by a conscientious regard to 
 justice, originating from a continual apprehension of disso- 
 lution, and that the El khere,* as the plague was now called, 
 was a judgment of the Omnipotent on the disobedience of 
 man, and that it behoved every individual to amend his 
 conduct, as a preparation to his departure for paradise. 
 
 The expense of labour at the same lime encreased enor- 
 mously, and never was equality in the human species more 
 conspicuous than at this time ; M'hen corn was to be ground, 
 or bread baked, both were j>erformed in the houses of the 
 affluent, and prepared by themselves, for the very few peo- 
 ple whom the plague had spared, were insufficient to ad- 
 minister to the wants of the rich and independant, and 
 they were accordingly compelled to work for themselves, 
 performing personally the menial offices of their respective 
 families. 
 
 The country being now depopulated, and much of the 
 territory without owners, vast tribes of Arabs emigrated from 
 their abodes in the interior of Sahara, and took possession of 
 the country contiguous to the river Draha, as well as many 
 districts in Suse; and, in short, settling themselves, and 
 pitching their tents wherever they found a fertile country 
 with little or no population. 
 
 The symptoms of this plague varied in diHerent patients; 
 the variety of age and constitution gave it a hke variety of 
 appearance and character ; in some it manifested itself by a 
 sudden and violent shivering, in others by a sudden delirium, 
 
 • The good, or benediclion, 
 N N
 
 274- Account of the Plague. 
 
 succeeded by great and unquenchable thirst. Cold water 
 was eagerly resorted to by the unwary and imprudent, and 
 proved fatal lo those who indulged in its momentary relief. 
 Some had one, two, or more buboes, which formed them- 
 selves, and became often as large as a walnut, in the course 
 of a day ; others had a similar number of carbuncles ; others 
 had both buboes and carbuncles, which generally appeared 
 in the groin, under the arm, or near the breast. 'I'hose who 
 were affected* with a shivering, having no buboe, carbuncle, 
 spots, or any other exterior disfiguration, were invariably 
 carried off in less than twenty-four hours, and the body of 
 the deceased became quickly pulrificd, so that it was in- 
 dispensably necessary to bury it a few hours after dissolu- 
 tion. I recommended Mr. Baldwin's -f- invaluable remedy 
 of olive oil, applied according to his directions; several 
 Jews, and some Mooselmin, were induced to try it, and I 
 
 ♦ M'diob is an idiom in the Arabic langunge somewhat difficiilt to render 
 into English; it is well known lliat the Mohammedans are predestinarians, and 
 that they believe in the existence of spirits, devils, &c. ; their idea of the 
 plague is, that it is a good or blessing sent from God to clear the world of a 
 superfluous population — that no medicine or precaution can euro or prevent 
 it; that every one who is to be a victim to it is (mktubc) recorded in the Book 
 of Fate ; that there are certain Genii who preside over the fate of men, and 
 who sometimes discover themselves in vari'jus forms, having often legs similar 
 to those of fowls; that these Genii are armed with arrows; that when a per- 
 son is attacked by the plague, which is called in Aiabic I'amer, or the de^iiny 
 or decree, he is shot by one of these Genii, and the sensation of the invisible 
 wound is similar to that from a mnsquet-ball ; hence the universal applica- 
 tion of M'drob to a person afflicted with the plague, i. e. he is sJiot ; and 
 if he die, ufah ameruli, his destiny is completed or terminated, (in this world.) 
 I scarcelv ever yet saw the Mooselmin who did not affirm that he had at 
 some lime of his life seen these Genii, and they often appear, they say, in 
 rivers. t Late British Con:ul in Egypt.
 
 Account of the Plague. 275 
 
 was afterwards visited by many, to whom 1 had recom- 
 mended il, and had given them written directions in Ara- 
 bic how to aj)ply it; and I do not know any instance of 
 its faihng when persevered in, even after the infection had 
 manifested itself. 
 
 1 have no doubt but the epideuiy which made its a])pear- 
 ance at Cadiz, and all along the southern shores of iipain, 
 immediately as the plague was subsiding in West liarbary, 
 was the same disorder with the one above described, sul- 
 fering, after its passage to a Christian country, some va- 
 riation, originating from the dirtcrent modes of living, and 
 other circumstances; for nothing can be more opposite than 
 the food, dress, customs, and manners of Mohammedans 
 and Christians, notwithstanding the approximation of Spain 
 to JNlarocco. We have been credibly informed, that it wag 
 communicated originally' to Spain, by two infected persons 
 •who went from 'I angier to Estapona, a small village on the 
 opposite shore ; who, after eluding the vigilance of the 
 guards, reached Cadiz. We have also been assured that it 
 was communicated by some infected persons who landed iu 
 Spain, from a vessel that had loaded produce at L'araichc in 
 West Barbary. Another account was, that a Spanish pri- 
 vateer, whicli had occasion to land its crew for the purpose 
 of procuring water in some part of West Barbary, caught 
 the infection from communicating with I he natives, and 
 afterwards proceeding to Cadiz, spreail it in that town and 
 the adjacent country. 
 
 It should be observed, for the information of those who 
 may be desirous of investigating the nature of this extra- 
 ordinary distem{)er, that, Irom its character and its symp- 
 toms, approximating to the peculiar plague, which (accord-
 
 276 Account of the Plague. 
 
 ing to the before mentioned Arabic record) ravaged and de- 
 pulated West Barbary four centuries since, the Arabs and 
 Moors were of opinion it would subside after the first year, 
 and not appear again the next, as the Egj'ptian plague does; 
 and agreeably to this opinion, it did not re-appear the second 
 year ; neither did St. John's day, or that season, alFect its 
 virulence; but about that period there prevails along the 
 coast of West Barbary a trade wind, which beginning to blow 
 in the month of May, continues throughout the months of 
 June, July, and August, with little intermission. It was 
 apprehended that the influence of this trade wind, added to 
 the superstitious opinion of the plague ceasing on St. John's 
 day, would stop, or at least sensibly diminish the mortality ; 
 but no such thing happened, the wind did set in, as it inva- 
 riably does, about St. John's day ; the disorder, however, 
 encreased at that period, rather than diminished. Some per- 
 sons were of opinion, that the infection maintained its viru- 
 lence till the last; that the decrease of mortality did not 
 originate from a decrease of the iniasynay but from a decrease 
 of population, and a consequent want of subjects to prey 
 upon ; and tliis indeed is a plausible idea, but admitting it 
 to be just, how are we to account for the almost invariable 
 fatality of the disorder, when at its height, and the compa- 
 rative innocence of it when on the decline ? for then, the 
 chance to those who had it, was, that they would recover 
 and survivethe malady. 
 
 The old men seemed to indulge in a superstitious tradition, 
 
 that when this peculiar kind of epidemy attacks a country, 
 
 it does not return or continue for three or more years, but 
 
 disappears altogether (after the first year), and is followed 
 
 the seventh year by contagious rheums and expectoration,
 
 Account of the Plague. 277 
 
 the violence of which lasts from three to seven days, but is 
 not fatal. Whether this opinion be in general founded in truth 
 I cannot determine; but in the spring of the year 1806, 
 which was the seventh year from the appearance of the 
 plague at Fas in 1799, a species of intiuenza pervaded the 
 whole country ; the patient going to bed well, and on rising 
 in the morning, a thick phlegm was expectorated, accompa- 
 nied by a distressing rheum, or cold in the head, with a 
 cough, which quickly reduced those afl'ected to extreme 
 weakness, but was seldom fatal, continuing from three to 
 seven days, with more or less violence, and then gradually 
 disappearing. 
 
 During the plague at Mogodor, the European mercliants 
 shut themselves up in their respective houses, as is tlic prac- 
 tice in the Levant ; I did not take this precaution, but occa- 
 sionally rode out to take exercise on horseback. Riding one 
 day out of the town, I met the Governor's brother, who 
 asked me where I was going, when every other European 
 •was shut up ? " To the garden," I answered. " And are 
 you not aware that the garden and the adjacent country is 
 full of (Genii) departed souls, who are busy in smiting with 
 the plague every one they meet ?" I could not help smil- 
 ino-, but told him, that I trusted to God only, who would 
 not allow any of the Genii to smite me unless it were his 
 sovereign will, and that if it were, he could eflect it with- 
 out the aid of Genii. On my return to town in the evening, 
 the sandy beach from the town-gate to the sanctuary ofSeedi 
 Mogodole* was covered with biers. My daily observations 
 
 • A sanclnary a mile south-east of the town of Mogodor, from whence the 
 town receives its name.
 
 278 Account of the Plague. 
 
 convinced me that the epidemy was not caught by approach, 
 unless that aj^proach was accompanied by an inhahng of the 
 breath, or by touching the infected person ; I therefore had 
 a separation made across the gallery, inside of my house, 
 between the kitchen and dining parlour, of the width of three 
 feet, which is suiliciently wide to prevent the inhaling the 
 breath of a person. From this partition or table of separa- 
 tion I took the dishes, and after dinner returned them to the 
 same place, suffering none of the servants to come near me ; 
 and in the office and counting-house, I had a partition made 
 to prevent the too near approach of any person who might 
 call on business ; and this precaution I firmly believe to be 
 all that is necessary, added to that of receiving money 
 through A'inegar, and taking care not to touch or smell 
 infectious substances. 
 
 Fear had an extraordinary effect in disposing the body to 
 receive the infection, and those wlio were subject thereto 
 invariably caught the malady, which Avas for the most part 
 fatal. At the breaking out of the plague at Mogodor, there 
 were two medical men, an Italian and a Frenchman, the latter, 
 a man of science, a great botanist, and of an acute discrimina- 
 tion ; tliey however did not remain, but took the first oppor- 
 tunity of leaving the place for Tenerifte, so that the few Eu- 
 ropeans had no expectation of any medical assistance except 
 that of the natives. Plaisters of gum amoniacum and the 
 juice of the leaves of the opunlia, or kermuse ensarrah, i. e. 
 prickly pear, were universally applied to the carbuncles, as 
 well as the buboes, which quickly brought them to matu- 
 rity : many of the people of propert_y took copious drafts of 
 coffee and Peruvian bark. The Vinaigre de quatre voleurs
 
 Account^ of Ihc P/ague. 27.'> 
 
 was used by man}-, also camphor, smoking tobacco, or fumi- 
 galions of gum Sandrac; straw was also burned by some, 
 who were of opinion, that any thing which produced abun- 
 dance of smoke was sufficient to purify the air of pesti- 
 lential effluvia. 
 
 During the existence of the plague I had been in the 
 chambers of men on their death bed: I had had Europeans 
 at my table, M-ho were infected, as well as Moors, who actu- 
 ally had buboes on theni ; I took no other precaution than 
 that of separation, carefully avoiding to touch the hand, or 
 inhale the breath; and, notwithstanding what may have 
 been said, I am decidedly of opinion that the plague, at 
 least this peculiar species of it, is not produced by any 
 infectious principle in the atmosphere, but caught solely 
 by touching infected substances, or inhaling the breath of 
 those who are diseased ; and that it must not be con- 
 founded with the common plague of Egypt, or Constanti- 
 nople, being a malady of a much more desperate and de- 
 structive kind. It has been said, by persons who have dis- 
 cussed the nature and character of the plague, that the cul- 
 tivation of a country, the draining of the lands, and other 
 agricultural improvements, tend to eradicate or diminish it; 
 but at the same time, we have seen countries depopulated 
 where there was no morass, or stagnate water tor many days 
 journey, nor even a tree to impede the current of air, or a 
 town, nor any thing but encampments of Arabs, who pro- 
 cured water from wells of a great depth, and inhabited plains 
 so extensive and uniform, that they resemble the sea, and are 
 so similar in appearance after, as well as before sun-rise, that 
 if the eye could abstract itself from the spot immediately
 
 580 Account of the Plague. 
 
 surrounding the spectator, it could not be ascertained whe- 
 ther it were sea or land. 
 
 ]\Iany of the cities and towns of Marocco are visited 
 3'early by malignant epidemics, which the natives call fruit- 
 fevers ; they originate from their indulgence in fruit, which 
 abounds all over this fertile garden of the world. The liuits 
 deemed most febrile are musk mellons, apricots, and all 
 unripe stone fruits. Alpinus, de Medicina Egi/ptionim, says, 
 " Autumno grassanlur febres pestilentiales multas quae sub- 
 dole invadunt, et saepe medicum et aegrum decipiunt." 
 
 I shall now subjoin a few cases for the further elucidation 
 of this distemper, hoping that the medical reader will par- 
 don any inaccuracy originating from my not being a profes- 
 sional man. 
 
 Case J. — One afternoon, I went into the kitchen, and 
 saw the cook making the bread ; he appeared in good health 
 and spirits; I afterwards went into the adjoining parlour, and 
 took up a book to read ; in half an hour the same man came 
 to the door of the room, with his eyes starting from his head, 
 and his bed clothes, &c. in his hands, saying, " open the 
 gate for me, for I am (m'drob) smitten." I was astonished at 
 the sudden transition, and desired him to go out, and I would 
 follow and shut the gate. The next morning he sent his 
 wife out on an errand, and got out of bed, and came to the 
 gate half dressed, saying that he was quite recovered, and 
 desired I would let him in. I did not, however, think it safe 
 to admit him, but told him to go back to his house for a few 
 days, until he should be able to ascertain that he was quite 
 well; he accordingly returned to his apartments, but expired 
 that evening, and before day-break his body was in such a
 
 Account of the Plague. 281 
 
 deplorable state, that his feet were putrefied. His wife, by 
 attending on him, caught the infection, having a carbuncle, 
 and also buboes, and was confined two months before she 
 recovered. 
 
 Case IT. — L'llage Hamed O Bryhim, the old governor of 
 Mogodor, had twelve or more chiklren and four wives, who 
 were all attacked, and died (excepting only one young wife) ; 
 he attended them successively to the grave, and notwith- 
 standing that ho assisted in performing the religious cere- 
 mony of washing the body, he never himself caught the in- 
 fection ; he lived some years afterwards, and out of the whole 
 household, consisting of wives, concubines, children, and 
 slaves, he had but one person left, which was the before 
 mentioned young wife: this ladv, however, had received the 
 infection, and was confined some time before she recovered. 
 
 Case III. — Ilaraed ben A was smitten with the 
 
 plague, which he compared to the sensation of two musket 
 balls fired at him, one in each thigh; a giddiness and deli- 
 rium succeeded, and immediately afterwards a green vomit- 
 ing, and he fell senseless to the ground; a short time after* 
 ■wards, on the two places where he had felt as if shot, biles 
 or buboes formed, and on suppurating, discharged a foetid 
 black pus: a (jimmera) carbuncle on the joint of the arm 
 near the elbow was full of thin ichor, contained in an ele^ 
 vated skin, surrounded by a burning red colour; al'ier three 
 months confinemeuL, being reduced to a skeleton, the dis- 
 order appeared to have exhausted itself, and he began to 
 recover his strength, which in another month was fully 
 re-established. It was an observation tbunded on daily 
 experience, during the prevalence of this disorder, that those 
 
 o o
 
 282 Account of the Plague. 
 
 Avho were attacked with a nausea at the stomach, and a sub- 
 sequent voniiuing of green or yellow bile, recovered alter suf- 
 fering in various degrees, and that those wlio were affected 
 with giddiness, or delirium, followed by a discharge or vomit- 
 ing of black bile, invariably died after lingering, one, two, 
 or three days, their bodies being covered with small black 
 spots similiir to grains of gun powder: ia this state, however, 
 they possessed their intellects, and spoke rationally till their 
 dissolution. 
 
 When the constitution was not disposed, or had not vigour 
 enouoh, to throw the miasma to the surface in the form of 
 biles, buboes, carbuncles, or blackish spots, the virulence is 
 supposed to have operated inwardly, or on the vital parts, 
 and the patient died in less tlian twenty-four hours, without 
 any exterior disfiguration. 
 
 Case IV. — It was reported that the Sultan had the plague 
 twice during the season, as many others had, so that the 
 idea of the plague, like the small-pox, attacking a person 
 but once in his life, is refuted : the Sultan was cured by largo 
 doses of Peruvian bark frequently repeated, and it was said 
 that he found such infinite benefit from it, that he advised 
 his brothers never to travel without liaving a good supply. 
 The Emperor, since the plague, always has by him a suflS- 
 cient quantity of quill bark to supply his, daily emergency. 
 
 Case V. — H. L. was smitten with the plague, which af- 
 fected him by a pain similar to that of a long needle (as he 
 expressed himself) repeatedly plunged into his groin. In 
 an hour or two afterwards, a (jimmera) carbuncle appeared 
 in the groin, which continued enlarging three days, at the 
 expiration of which period, he could neither support the
 
 Account of the ri(i[>-ne. 283 
 
 pain, nor conceal his sensations; he laid himself down on a 
 couch; an Arabian doctor applicil lo the carbuncles the 
 testicles of a rara cut in half, whilst the vital warmth was 
 still in them ; the carbuncle on the third day was encrcased 
 to the size of a small orange ; the btforcnientioned remedy 
 was daily applied during thirty days, after which he resorted 
 to cataplasms of the juice of the (opunlia) prickly pear-tree, 
 (feshook) gum ammoniac, and(zile tl and) oil ofolivcs,uf each 
 one-third; this was intended to promote suppuration, which 
 ■was soon effected ; there remained after the suppuration a 
 large vacuity, which was daily filled witli fine hemp dipped 
 in honey ; by means of this application the wound filled up, 
 and the whole was well in thirty-nine days. 
 
 Case VI. — El II — t — e, a trading icw of Mogodor, was 
 sorely afflicted; he called upon me, and retjuesled some 
 remedy; I advised him to use oil of olives, and having Mr. 
 Baldwin's mode of administering il,* I transcribed it in the 
 Arabic language, and gave it to him ; he followed the pre- 
 scription, and assureil me, about six weeks afterwards, 
 that, with the blessing of God he had preserved his life by that 
 remedy only; he said, that after having been anointed with 
 oil, his skin became harsh and dry like the scales of a fish, 
 but that in half an hour more, a jirofuse perspiration came 
 on, and continued for another half hour, after which he ex- 
 perienced relief: this he repeated forty days, and he was 
 then quite recovered. 
 
 Case VII. — Moh — m'd ben A fell sucKlrnly down 
 
 • Mr. Baldwin observed, that whilst tlie plague ravnged Egypt, the 
 dealers in oil were not affected with tlie epideuiy, and he accordingly reccm- 
 nieiided people lo anoint themselves with oil every day as a remedy.
 
 ^84 Account of the Plague. 
 
 in ihe street; lie was conveyed home; three carbuncles and 
 five buboes appeared the same day in his groin, under the 
 joint of his knee, and arm-pits, and inside the elbow ; he died 
 in three hours after the attack. 
 
 Case VIll. — L. R, was suddenly smitten with this dread- 
 ful calamity, whilst looking over some Marocco leather; lie 
 fell instantaneously ; afterwards, when he had recovered his 
 senses, he described the sensation as that of the pricking of 
 needles, at every part wherein the carbuncles afterwards 
 appeared : he died the same day in spite of medicine. 
 
 Case IX. — Mr. Pacifico, a merchant, was attacked, and 
 felt a pricking pain down the inside of -the thick part of 
 the thigh, near the sinews; he was obliged to go to bed. I 
 visited him the next day, and was going to approach him, 
 but he exclaimed, " Do not come near me, for although I 
 know I have not the prevailing distemper, yet your friends, if 
 you touch me, may persuade you otherwise, and that might 
 alarm you ; I shall, I hope, be well in a few d;iys." I took 
 the hint of Don Pedro de Victoria, a Spanish gentleman, 
 who was in the room, who eftering me a sagar, I smoked it, 
 and then departed ; the next day the patient died. He was 
 attended during his illness by the philanthropic Monsieur 
 Subrcmont, who did not stir from his bed-side, till he ex- 
 pired ; but after exposing himself in this manner, escnped the 
 infection, which proceeded undoubtedly from his constantly 
 having a {)ipe in his mouth. 
 
 Case X. — Two of the principal Jews of the town giving 
 themselves up, and having no hope, were willing to employ 
 the remainder of their life in affording assistance to the dy- 
 ing and the dead, by washiiig the bodies and interring them;
 
 Account of the Plague. 285 
 
 this business they performed during thirty or forty days, 
 washing the bodies of those wiio died of the plague, and 
 putting on them their shrouds, during all which time they 
 were not attacked: when the plague hafl nearly subsided, 
 and they began again to cherish hopes of surviving tlic cala- 
 mity, they were both smitten, but after a few days illness 
 recovered, and are now living. 
 
 From this last case, as well as from many others similar, 
 but too tedious here to recapitulate, it appears that the hu- 
 man constitution requires a certain miasma, to prepare it to 
 receive the pestilential infection. 
 
 General Observation. — When the carbuncles or buboes 
 appeared to have a blackish rim round their base, the 
 case of that patient was desperate, and invariably fatal. 
 Sometimes the whole body was covered with black spots 
 like partridge-shot; such jiatienls always fell victims to 
 the disorder, and those who fell the blow internally, shewing 
 no external disfiguration, did not survive more than a few 
 hours.
 
 [287] 
 
 ADDENDUM TO CHAP. X. 
 
 l* ROM the list of Siwahan words given by Mr. Horneman,* 
 in bis Journal, page 19, I have Hllle doubt that tlie lan- 
 guage of Siwah is the same as that spoken by the ShclUihs 
 of South Atlas. The following comparison will shew tiiis 
 more clearly : 
 
 ENGLISH. 
 
 Sun 
 
 SIWAUAN, 
 •3 given by Mr. Honemaa. 
 
 Itfuct 
 
 SliELLUU. 
 
 Atfuct 
 
 Head 
 
 
 Achfe 
 
 
 Akfie 
 
 Camel 
 
 
 Lguni 
 
 
 Arumc 
 
 Sheep 
 
 
 Jelibb 
 
 
 Jelibb 
 
 Cow 
 
 
 Tfunesl 
 
 
 Tafunest 
 
 Mountain 
 
 
 Iddrarn 
 
 
 Iddraf 
 
 Have you a 
 
 horse ? 
 
 Gorcck 2 
 
 ;\tkiuar 
 
 Is derk AchniarPJ 
 
 Milk 
 
 
 Achi 
 
 
 Ackfie 
 
 Bread 
 
 
 Tagora 
 
 
 Tagora § 
 
 Dates 
 
 
 lena 
 
 
 Tenie (sing.) 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 
 Tena (plural.) 
 
 • III reading Mr. \Villiam Marsdcn's observations on llie language of 
 Siwah, at the end of Hunicinan's Journal, in page 19O, I percejve th.nt the short 
 vocabulary inserted corresponds with a vocabulary of the Shelluli lan:;uage, 
 which 1 had the honour uf presenting to that gentleman some years past. 
 
 t Plural Iddrarn. J Or, Is derk ayeese ? 
 
 § This is applied lo bread when bak?d in a pan, or over the embers of chnr- 
 coalj or other tire, but sshen baked in an oven it is called .Igurom (g guttural.)
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page line 
 17 6 for capital of Suse, and formcily, read capital of Suse, forraerlj 
 
 25 23 for besides a fisli, read besides fish 
 
 26 4 fur Bled-ed-Jeneedc, read Uied-ui-Jerede 
 
 27 23 Jbr strips hiinselt iialied, rend strips hiiuielf 
 31 19 /or Jummel, »fa(/ Jimiiiel 
 
 33 13 for and Lower Suse, read and in Lower Susc 
 40 1 /or inferio read inferior 
 ib. 33 for about half way, read in the way 
 63 4 for DnuiS read DouAT'i 
 75 1 /or Adiiultit, read Idauitit 
 ib. 3 /'or I'esellerst, read 'i'csellergt 
 79 4, for El iMogin, read Majune 
 100 31 J'or rigour his, read rigour of his 
 
 109 23 for eastward of it, and, rend eastward, and 
 
 110 11 for Governor, read military Governor 
 
 176" 10 for J, read J 
 
 187 2-1 for first monih, read the first day of the first month 
 
 1S8' 15 for Gambia, read Sentgal river 
 
 ib. i7 for norlh of ihe kingdom ofTimbuctoo, read northward to the kingdon* 
 
 of Bambara. 
 258 17, and 261, 26 for Brabeesha, read Brabeesh. 
 2ii 30 for that is a folly, read that it is a folly 
 
 London : Printed by W. Bulnncr and Co. 
 Cleveland Row St, James's,
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
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