Plate 2.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.A Distant View of the Atlas Mountains East of the City of Maroccoas they appear from Mogodor on a clear morning before the rising Sun taken from the Terras of the British Vice Consuls House.1Mosque of Seedy Usif.3Genoese Consuls Tower.2Atlas Mountains, distant 140 Miles.4Sand Hills.London Published June 4. 1811. by W. & G. Nicholl Pall Mall.
Plate 2.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.A Distant View of the Atlas Mountains East of the City of Maroccoas they appear from Mogodor on a clear morning before the rising Sun taken from the Terras of the British Vice Consuls House.1Mosque of Seedy Usif.3Genoese Consuls Tower.2Atlas Mountains, distant 140 Miles.4Sand Hills.London Published June 4. 1811. by W. & G. Nicholl Pall Mall.
Plate 2.
A Distant View of the Atlas Mountains East of the City of Maroccoas they appear from Mogodor on a clear morning before the rising Sun taken from the Terras of the British Vice Consuls House.
London Published June 4. 1811. by W. & G. Nicholl Pall Mall.
In many places the mountains are uninhabited, and form immense chasms, as if they had been rent asunder by some convulsion of nature; this is the case throughout the ridge that intersects the plains which separate Marocco from Terodant. In this part is a narrow pass, called Bebawan, having a chain of mountains on one side, ascending almost perpendicularly; and on the other side, a precipice as steep as Dover Cliff, but more than ten times the heighth. When the army which I accompanied to Marocco crossed this defile, they were obliged to pass rank and file, the cavalry dismounted: two mules missed their step, and were precipitated into the abyss: the path was not more than fifteen inches wide, cut out of a rock of marble, in some parts extremely smooth and slippery, in others rugged.
In the branches of the Atlas east of Marocco, are mines of copper; 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, together with their herds (which would otherwise perish in the snow), live four months of the year in excavations in the mountains; viz. from November to February, inclusive.
The climate of Marocco is healthy and invigorating; from March to September the atmosphere is scarcely ever charged with clouds; and even in the rainy season, viz. from September till March, there is seldom a day wherein the sun is not seen atsome interval. The heat is cooled by sea-breezes during the former period; in the interior, however, the heat is intense. The rainy season, which begins about October, ends in March; but if it continue longer, it is generally accompanied with contagious fevers. The trade winds (which begin to blow about March, and continue till September or October) are sometimes so violent, as to effect the nerves and limbs of the natives who inhabit the coast. The 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 abstemious diet, seldom indulging in animal food, and living for the most part on barley gruel, bread, and honey: the Arabs, the Moors, and the Berebbers, on the contrary, live in a hospitable manner, and eat more nutritious food, though they prefer the farinaceous kind.
FOOTNOTES:[20]This river is vulgarly called Wed Marakosh, or the river of Marocco, because it passes through the 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 affirming that it discharges itself into the ocean at Saffy.[21]A Shelluh name, expressive of a quick wind, because there is always wind at this Cape; but ships should be extremely careful not to approach it, in going down the coast; not but that 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 which approach within a league of it, are almost always becalmed on the south side of it, and are in consequence three days in 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.[22]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 provinces 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 tending westward unto a place called Guartguessen,[a]where it dischargeth itself into the main 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 of Tamaract may be called the boundary, which is fifteen miles to the northward of the mouth of the river Suse; and Guartguessen, or Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, is six miles north of the river Suse. Had I not resided three years at Santa Cruz, in sight of the river Suse, which I have repeatedly forded in various parts, I should not have presumed to dispute Leo’s assertion.[a]The ancient name of Agadeer or Santa Cruz in Leo’s time.[23]Vide Brooks’s Gazeteer, 12th edition, title Messa.[24]Through the three small towns of Messa runneth a certain great river called Sus. Vide Leo Africanus, 2d book, title Town of Messa.
FOOTNOTES:
[20]This river is vulgarly called Wed Marakosh, or the river of Marocco, because it passes through the 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 affirming that it discharges itself into the ocean at Saffy.
[20]This river is vulgarly called Wed Marakosh, or the river of Marocco, because it passes through the 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 affirming that it discharges itself into the ocean at Saffy.
[21]A Shelluh name, expressive of a quick wind, because there is always wind at this Cape; but ships should be extremely careful not to approach it, in going down the coast; not but that 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 which approach within a league of it, are almost always becalmed on the south side of it, and are in consequence three days in 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.
[21]A Shelluh name, expressive of a quick wind, because there is always wind at this Cape; but ships should be extremely careful not to approach it, in going down the coast; not but that 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 which approach within a league of it, are almost always becalmed on the south side of it, and are in consequence three days in 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.
[22]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 provinces 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 tending westward unto a place called Guartguessen,[a]where it dischargeth itself into the main 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 of Tamaract may be called the boundary, which is fifteen miles to the northward of the mouth of the river Suse; and Guartguessen, or Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, is six miles north of the river Suse. Had I not resided three years at Santa Cruz, in sight of the river Suse, which I have repeatedly forded in various parts, I should not have presumed to dispute Leo’s assertion.
[22]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 provinces 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 tending westward unto a place called Guartguessen,[a]where it dischargeth itself into the main 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 of Tamaract may be called the boundary, which is fifteen miles to the northward of the mouth of the river Suse; and Guartguessen, or Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, is six miles north of the river Suse. Had I not resided three years at Santa Cruz, in sight of the river Suse, which I have repeatedly forded in various parts, I should not have presumed to dispute Leo’s assertion.
[a]The ancient name of Agadeer or Santa Cruz in Leo’s time.
[a]The ancient name of Agadeer or Santa Cruz in Leo’s time.
[23]Vide Brooks’s Gazeteer, 12th edition, title Messa.
[23]Vide Brooks’s Gazeteer, 12th edition, title Messa.
[24]Through the three small towns of Messa runneth a certain great river called Sus. Vide Leo Africanus, 2d book, title Town of Messa.
[24]Through the three small towns of Messa runneth a certain great river called Sus. Vide Leo Africanus, 2d book, title Town of Messa.
Description of the different Provinces, their Soil, Culture, and Produce.
Indescribing the soil and produce of this extensive empire, we will proceed through the various provinces, beginning with the northern, called
This province extending along the shore of the Mediterranean 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, citrons, lemons, 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. A ridge of mountains passes from Tangier, along this province to the eastward, as far as Bona, in Algiers; these mountains are called Jibbel Erreef by the natives, and the Lesser Atlas by Europeans.
The next province is called El Garb[25](g guttural.) It is of thesame nature with that already described; from the port of El Araiche, eastward, as far as the foot of Atlas, is a fine champaign country, extremely abundant in wheat and barley: here are the extensive plains of Emsharrah Rumellah, famous for the camp of Muley Ismael, great grandfather of the present Emperor Soliman, where he retained his army of Bukarrie 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 eastward of El Araiche 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 only, 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 flat, with gentle hills occasionally, and inhabited by the tribe of Ait Imure, a Kabyle which dwells in straggling tents, and a warlike tribe of Berebbers. The Emperor Seedy Mohammed, father to the reigning Emperor Soliman, used to denominate the Ait Imure the English of Barbary.[26]
The country between Fas and Mequinas, and from thence to Salée, is of the same description as the foregoing; a rich champaign, abounding prodigiously in corn, and inhabited altogether by Arabs, with the exception, however, of the Zimur’h Shelluh, another Kabyle of Berebbers. In short, the whole northern[27]division of this empire is an uninterrupted corn field; a rich black, and sometimes red soil, without stones or clay, with scarcely any wood upon it (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 use dung, but reap the corn high from the ground, and burn the stubble, the ashes of which serve as manure. During this period of the year, viz. August, enormous clouds of smoke are seen mounting the declivities of hills and mountains, penetrating without resistance the woods, and leaving nothing behind but black ashes and cinders: these fires heat the atmosphere considerably, as they continue burning during two months. In sowing, the husbandmen throw the grain on the ground, and afterwards plough it in. Oats they make no use of: beans, peas, caravances, and Indian 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 ducket or a dollar a thousand, at Tetuan, Salée, and some other places; grapes, melons, and figs of various kinds, and other fruits, are proportionally abundant. Cotton of a superior quality is grown in the environs of Salée and Rabat,also hemp. The tobacco called Mequinasi, so much esteemed for making snuff, is the produce of the province of Benihassen, as well as the country adjacent to the city of Mequinas.
These are most productive in corn; the crop of one year would be sufficient for the consumption of the whole empire, 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.
Two falls of rain in Abda are sufficient to bring to maturity a good crop of wheat; nor does the soil require more. The water-melons of Duquella are of a prodigious size, and indeed everything 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 speculators: they grow tobacco for the markets of Soudan and Timbuctoo. Nearly midway between Saffee and Marocco is a large salt lake, from which many camels are daily loaded with salt for the interior.
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 animosityand 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 abundance; also gum arabic, called by the Arabs Alk Tolh, but of an inferior quality to that of the Marocco district.
Haha is a country of great extent, interspersed with mountains and valleys, hills and dales, and inhabited by twelve Kabyles of Shelluhs. This is the first province, from the shores of the Mediterranean, in which villages and walled habitations are met with, scattered through the country; the before mentioned provinces (with the exception of the sea-port towns and the cities of Fas, Mequinas, Marocco, and Muley Idris Zerone) being altogether inhabited by Arabs living in tents. The houses of Haha are built of stone, each having a tower, and are erected on elevated situations, forming a pleasing view to the traveller. Here we find forests of the argan tree, which produces olives, from the kernel of which the Shelluhs express an oil,[28]much superior to butter for frying fish; it is also employed 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, besides grapes, water-melons, citrons, pomgranates, oranges, lemons, limes, pears, apricots, and other fruits. Barley is more abundant than wheat.The Shelluhs of Haha are physiognomically distinguishable (by a person who has resided any time among them) from the Arabs of the plains, from the Moors 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.
We now come to Suse, the most extensive, and, excepting grain, the richest province of the empire. The olive, the almond, the date, the orange, the grape, and all the other fruits produced in the northern provinces abound here, particularly about the city of Terodant (the capital of Suse, formerly a kingdom), Ras-el-Wed, and in the mountains of Edautenan.[29]The grapes of Edautenan are exquisitely rich. Indigo grows wild in all the low lands, and is of a vivid blue; but the natives do not perfectly understand the preparation of it for the purpose of dying.
Suse contains many warlike tribes, among which are Howara, Woled Abbusebah, and Ait Bamaran; these are Arabs;—Shtuka, Elala, Edaultit, Ait Atter, Kitiwa, Msegina, and Idautenan, who are Shelluhs.
There is not, perhaps, a finer climate in the world than that of Suse, generally, if we except the disagreable season of the hot winds. It is said, however, and it is a phenomenon, that at Akka rain never falls; it is extremely hot there in the months of June, July, and August; about the beginning of September the (Shume) hot wind from Sahara blows with violence during three, seven, fourteen, or twenty-one days.[30]One year, however, whilst I resided at (Agadeer) Santa Cruz, it blew twenty-eight days; but this was an extraordinary instance.[31]The heat is so extreme during 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 off by the parching heat of the wind, which resembles that which proceeds from the mouth of an oven: at this time clothes are oppressive. These violent winds introduce the rainy season.
The (Lukseb) sugar-cane grows spontaneously about Terodant. 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 plantations in different parts of Suse are extensive, and extremely productive; about Ras-el-Wed and Terodant a traveller may proceed two days through these plantations, which form an uninterruptedshade impenetrable to the rays of the sun; the same may be said of the plantations of the almond, which also abound in this province. Of corn they sow sufficient only for their own annual consumption; and although the whole country might be made one continued vineyard, yet they plant but few vines; for wine being prohibited, they require no more grapes than they can consume themselves, or dispose of in the natural state. 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 made an article of trade, as at Tafilelt, it is exquisitely flavoured, 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 red gum partaking of the intermediate quality between the (tolh gum) gum arabic 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, orchillo weed, and coloquinth. Antimony, salt-petre of a superior quality, copper, and silver, are found here; the two latter in abundance about Elala, and in Shtuka.
Draha and Tafilelt produce a superior breed of goats, and a great abundance of dates: the countries situated near the banks of the rivers of Draha and Tafilelt have several plantations ofIndian corn, rice, and indigo. There are upwards of thirty sorts of dates in this part of Bled-el-jerrêde;[32]the best and most esteemed is that called Butube, which is seldom brought to Europe, as it will not keep so long as the Admoh date, the kind imported into England, but considered by the natives of Tafilelt so inferior, that it is given only to the cattle; it is of a very indigestive quality: when a Filelly[33]Arab has eaten too many dates, and finds them oppressive, he has recourse to dried fish, which, it is said, counteracts their ill effects. This fruit forms the principal food of the inhabitants of Bled-el-jerrêde, of which Tafilelt is a part; the produce of one plantation near the imperial palace[34]at Tafilelt sold some few years past for five thousand dollars, although they are so abundant there that a camel load, or three quintals, is sold for two dollars. The face of the country from the Ruins of Pharoah to the palace of Tafilelt is as follows:
Tafilelt is eight (erhellat[35]de lowd) days journey on horseback from the Ruins of Pharoah; 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 wide extended plain totally destitute of vegetation, and on whichrain never falls; the soil is a whitish clay, impregnated with salt, which when moistened 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 water of this river receives a brackish taste, by passing through the saline plains: after running a course of fifteen erhellat,[36]or four hundred and fifty miles, it is absorbed in the desert of Angad. It has several (l’uksebbat) castles of terrace wall on its banks, inhabited by the (Sherreefs) princes of the reigning family of Marocco. Latterly wheat and barley have been cultivated near the river and the castles. The food of the inhabitants, 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 thing 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 flowing in a southerly direction, is absorbed in the great desert, of Sahara: the water of this river is so very brackish, as to be unfit for 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, which is found at the depth of two cubits,[37]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 or bars. Commercial transactions being for the most part in the way of barter or exchange, they need but little specie: gold dust is the circulating medium in all transactions of magnitude. They live in the simple patriarchal manner of the Arabs, differing from them only in having walled habitations, which are invariably near the river.
It is intensely hot here, 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 Timbuctoo, 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 Filelly,[38]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 the inhabitants consists of a loose shirt of blue cotton, with a shawl or belt round the waist.
An Akkabah, or accumulated caravan, goes annually from hence to Timbuctoo.
Woollen hayks[39]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 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.
FOOTNOTES:[25]This is the westernmost province of Marocco northward, as its name denotes, El Garb signifying the West. There is a tradition among the Arabians, that it was originally united to Trafalgar and Gibraltar, shutting up the Mediterranean sea, the waters from which passed into the western ocean by a subterraneous passage; and at this day they call TrafalgarTraf-el-garb, i.e. the piece or part of El Garb; and GibraltarJibbel-traf, i.e. the mountain of the piece, or part of El Garb.[26]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 to the inhabitants of the various provinces the character of some European nation: thus the warlike Ait Imure are compared to the English, the people of Duquella to the Spaniards, and those of Shawia to the Russians.[27]The country north of the river Morbeya. See theMap.[28]This oil possesses a powerful smell, which is extracted from it by boiling with it an onion and the crumb of a loaf; without this preparation it is said to possess qualities productive of leprous affection.[29]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 by this people to Muley Ismael, or some ancient Emperor of Marocco, they are free from all imposts and taxes, a privilege which is confirmed to them, whenever 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.[30]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 I was in the country, it never blew at Mogodor more than three or seven.[31]The Bashaw then informed me that he had never before known it to continue more than twenty-one days, and he was a man of seventy, and a native of Suse.[32]Bled-el-jerrêde is the country situated between the maritime states of Barbary and Sahara, or the Desert.[33]Filelly is the term given to the natives of Tafilelt, as Drahawie is to those of Draha.[34]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.[35]A horse erhella (or day’s journey) is thirty-five miles English.[36]An ordinary erhella is thirty English miles.[37]A cubit is twenty-one inches.[38]Elkahol Filelly signifies lead ore of Tafilelt.[39]The hayk of the Arabs is a plain piece of cloth, of wool, cotton, or silk, and is thrown over their under dress, somewhat similar to the Roman toga.
FOOTNOTES:
[25]This is the westernmost province of Marocco northward, as its name denotes, El Garb signifying the West. There is a tradition among the Arabians, that it was originally united to Trafalgar and Gibraltar, shutting up the Mediterranean sea, the waters from which passed into the western ocean by a subterraneous passage; and at this day they call TrafalgarTraf-el-garb, i.e. the piece or part of El Garb; and GibraltarJibbel-traf, i.e. the mountain of the piece, or part of El Garb.
[25]This is the westernmost province of Marocco northward, as its name denotes, El Garb signifying the West. There is a tradition among the Arabians, that it was originally united to Trafalgar and Gibraltar, shutting up the Mediterranean sea, the waters from which passed into the western ocean by a subterraneous passage; and at this day they call TrafalgarTraf-el-garb, i.e. the piece or part of El Garb; and GibraltarJibbel-traf, i.e. the mountain of the piece, or part of El Garb.
[26]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 to the inhabitants of the various provinces the character of some European nation: thus the warlike Ait Imure are compared to the English, the people of Duquella to the Spaniards, and those of Shawia to the Russians.
[26]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 to the inhabitants of the various provinces the character of some European nation: thus the warlike Ait Imure are compared to the English, the people of Duquella to the Spaniards, and those of Shawia to the Russians.
[27]The country north of the river Morbeya. See theMap.
[27]The country north of the river Morbeya. See theMap.
[28]This oil possesses a powerful smell, which is extracted from it by boiling with it an onion and the crumb of a loaf; without this preparation it is said to possess qualities productive of leprous affection.
[28]This oil possesses a powerful smell, which is extracted from it by boiling with it an onion and the crumb of a loaf; without this preparation it is said to possess qualities productive of leprous affection.
[29]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 by this people to Muley Ismael, or some ancient Emperor of Marocco, they are free from all imposts and taxes, a privilege which is confirmed to them, whenever 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.
[29]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 by this people to Muley Ismael, or some ancient Emperor of Marocco, they are free from all imposts and taxes, a privilege which is confirmed to them, whenever 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.
[30]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 I was in the country, it never blew at Mogodor more than three or seven.
[30]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 I was in the country, it never blew at Mogodor more than three or seven.
[31]The Bashaw then informed me that he had never before known it to continue more than twenty-one days, and he was a man of seventy, and a native of Suse.
[31]The Bashaw then informed me that he had never before known it to continue more than twenty-one days, and he was a man of seventy, and a native of Suse.
[32]Bled-el-jerrêde is the country situated between the maritime states of Barbary and Sahara, or the Desert.
[32]Bled-el-jerrêde is the country situated between the maritime states of Barbary and Sahara, or the Desert.
[33]Filelly is the term given to the natives of Tafilelt, as Drahawie is to those of Draha.
[33]Filelly is the term given to the natives of Tafilelt, as Drahawie is to those of Draha.
[34]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.
[34]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.
[35]A horse erhella (or day’s journey) is thirty-five miles English.
[35]A horse erhella (or day’s journey) is thirty-five miles English.
[36]An ordinary erhella is thirty English miles.
[36]An ordinary erhella is thirty English miles.
[37]A cubit is twenty-one inches.
[37]A cubit is twenty-one inches.
[38]Elkahol Filelly signifies lead ore of Tafilelt.
[38]Elkahol Filelly signifies lead ore of Tafilelt.
[39]The hayk of the Arabs is a plain piece of cloth, of wool, cotton, or silk, and is thrown over their under dress, somewhat similar to the Roman toga.
[39]The hayk of the Arabs is a plain piece of cloth, of wool, cotton, or silk, and is thrown over their under dress, somewhat similar to the Roman toga.
Population of the Empire of Marocco. — Account of its Sea-ports, Cities, and Towns.
Variousand 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 subject, and 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:
Persons who have travelled through the country, unacquainted with the mode of living of the inhabitants, may, 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 variousdouarsof Arabs are at a considerable distance from the roads, from which they always retire, to avoid the visits of travellers, whom they are compelled, by the laws of hospitality, to furnish with necessary provisions for three days, without receiving any pecuniary remuneration; of this fact travellers, in general, have not been apprised, and have, in consequence, formed calculations which represent the population very inferior to what it actually is.
The western coast of Marocco is defended with numerous rocks, level with the surface of the water, which extend along the shore in various parts, from the Streights of Gibraltar to Agadeer: we 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 Algiers by the river Muluwia, which falls into the Mediterranean sea, in long. W. from London, 1° 30′.
The sea-ports 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 Melilia, 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 Melilla was when the Arabs invaded the country, abandoned it; and the latter, after retaining it some years, forsook it to dwell in their tents. 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 1774, but without effect.
The next town worthy of notice is Bedis de Gomaira, situated between two mountains, at the bottom of which there was anciently a city called Bedis, supposed to have been founded by the Carthaginians. The Arabs call it Belis, and some Europeans, by a corruption of the word, Velis, the name given it in most of our maps and charts. In the neighbourhood of this placeare forests of excellent timber, with which the Moors, before the Spaniards obtained possession of it, built fishing-vessels.
Proceeding from hence westward, we discover the river Busega, near Tetuan, or Tetawan, as it is called by the Arabs, where some of the Emperor’s gallies occasionally winter. About four miles inland from the roadstead, stands the town of Tetuan, in the province of El Garb: this town is built on the declivity of a rocky hill, but is neither large nor strong: its walls are built of mud and mortar, framed in wooden cases, and beaten down with mallets. The inhabitants are rich from commerce, receiving from Spain and Gibraltar dollars, German linens, and cloths, also British manufactures, for which they barter wax, skins, leather, raisins, almonds, olives, oranges, honey, &c. It is inhabited by Moors and Jews, who, for the most part, speak a corrupt Spanish, in which language their commercial negociations 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 are in great abundance; the adjacent country abounds also in vineyards, the grapes of which are exquisite, and in great variety. From the raisins and figs the Jews distil an ardent spirit (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 generally take a glass of it before eating.
Tetuan was founded, according to report, 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 the year 1770, when an Englishmanhaving shot or wounded a Moor, all the Europeans 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.
This port carried on a considerable trade in provisions with Gibraltar, as vessels are obliged to come here in preference 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 fleets often water and victual here, as did that of the immortal Nelson, previous to his victory in Aboukeer Bay.[40]
We next come to Cibta, or Ceuta, as it is called by Europeans; it is situated near (Jibbel d’Zatute) Ape’s 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 metropolis of the places which the Goths held inHispania Transfretana; was next occupied by the Arabs; and, in 1415, taken by the Portugueze; it is now in the possession of Spain. It is celebrated for the strength of its fortifications, its advantageous situation at the entrance of the Mediterranean, being the nearest point to Europe. It is situated on a rising ground, at the foot of the mountain; near it stands the mountain with seven summits, called by the Arabs Sebat Jibbel, and by the ancients, Septem Fratres. If the Emperor Yezzed had succeeded in taking Ceuta, 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 Tangier, Tetuan, and Ceuta, as they passed through the Streights; but the place is capable, on the land side, of resisting every attack that may be made upon it by the Mohammedans, unless they were aided by some European naval force.
The whole coast from hence to Tangier, the next town we come to, is rugged, and interspersed with projecting cliffs. Tangier, anciently called Tinjis, and Tingia, and now, by the Arabs, Tinjiah, is situated at the western mouth of the Streights, and a day’s journey distant from Tetuan. This 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 15th century by the crown of Portugal, which gave it, in 1662, as part of the dowry of the princess Catherine of Portugal, upon her marriage to Charles the Second of England. The English, however, finding the expenses of keeping it to exceed the advantages derived from the possession of it, abandoned it in 1684, after destroying the mole and fortifications. 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 the bridge, had it stood, would have been now useless.
Tangier is favourable to Moorish piracy, even without the possession of Ceuta, being the narrowest part of the Streights; but it will never become a commercial town, having but few productions in its vicinage. The Spaniards here ship eggs, fowls, vegetables, and some fruits; but the chief exports are cattle andedible vegetables, which are carried to Gibraltar for the supply of the garrison: this supply is allowed by the Emperor, not perhaps from any predilection towards us (although he apparently prefers the English to any other European power), but because it was a grant from his great grandfather Muley 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, the 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 Romans, who had a garrison here, Julia Traducta; it belonged afterwards to the Goths, and latterly to the Mohammedans. Alphonso of Portugal took it in 1741; but about the end of the 16th century, it was abandoned by the Portuguese, and again fell into the hands of the Moors. A river discharges itself at this place into the ocean; but there is no trade carried 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, signifies, in the Arabic, flower, or pleasure gardens.[41]This was formerly a town of some commerce; remains of the commercial 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 abundance; 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 deepto admit ships of 100 tons. The gardens of the Hesperides have been supposed to have been situated here.
El Araiche was fortified about the end of the 16th century by Muley ben Nassar; in 1610 it was given up to Spain, and in 1689 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 surrounded by superior numbers, and fell victims to their own impetuosity.
Some foreign commerce was carried on here by the nations of Europe so late as the year 1780, when the Emperor Seedy Mohammed, for some reason unavowed, caused it to be evacuated, 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 April to September inclusive, it is a safe anchorage. El Araiche stands in 35° 11′ N. lat.
Proceeding southward from El Araiche, we reach Maheduma (or Mamora, as it is called by Europeans), distant sixty-five miles. This town is situated on an eminence, close to the river, near the southern banks; it is a poor neglected place, theferrymen and the inhabitants of which subsist by fishing 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 20 miles in length. This country was formerly populous, but the incalculable number of musquitos, gnats, nippers, and other annoying insects, have obliged the inhabitants to quit the place. These lakes abound in eels, which are taken and salted for preservation and sale; ducks and all kinds of water-fowl also abound on them. Skiffs made of the fan palm and of rushes, about seven feet long and two broad, are used by the fisherman, who guides them 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 Maraboots, who are held in veneration by the inhabitants of the plains. The plains and valleys are delightfully pleasant in the months of March and April; but in June, July, and August, when musquitos 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 almonds. The sand bank at the mouth of the Seboo has partially disappeared, and perhaps a little nautical skill might make the river navigable with safety to ships of 200 tons burden.
Travelling to the south from Meheduma, at the distance of sixteen miles we reach Slâa, or Salée, on the northern bank of the river, which is formed by the junction of the streams of theBuregreg and Wieroo; the river at Salée was formerly capable of receiving large vessels; when going thence, however, a few years since, to Mogodor, the vessel which conveyed me, being about 150 tons burden, struck three times on the bar; and as the sand continues to accumulate, it is likely 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 Suse already mentioned.
Salée is encompassed by a strong wall, about thirty-five feet high and three feet thick, on the top of which are battlements flanked with towers of considerable strength. At the south-west corner of the town there is a battery of twenty-four pieces of cannon, which commands the entrance of the Buregreg. To the north of the town, in the plains, are the remains of many gardens, and the ruins of a town, built by Muley Ismael for his (Abeed Seedy Bukaree) black troops. When I visited Salée, I was conducted to the subterraneous apartment, where the Europeans were formerly confined, who had the misfortune to fall into the hands of these miscreants:[42]it is a miserable dungeon, though spacious. The streets of Salée, like those of all old towns in this country, are narrow; and the Kasseria, or department for shops and buying and selling, as well as many of the streets, have a canopy which extends across from house to house, which is expedient to the comfort of the people, protecting them from the fierce effulgence of the meridian sun. Salée stands in 34° 2′ N. lat.
After crossing the river we enter the town of Rabat, sometimesdenominated New Salée, which is more modern, and rather larger than Salée. European factories have been established at different times in Rabat, but have been frequently 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 neglected from the insufficiency of the supplies from Europe, owing to a want of confidence in the security of property in a country whose affairs are directed too frequently by the momentary impulse of a despot, who often orders, judges, and executes, without considering cause or consequence. The walls of this town enclose a number of gardens, orchards, and corn-fields. 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 El Monsor, in the 12th century: some subterraneous magazines, 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 the engineer has made the embrasures so close, that it would be inconvenient to work the guns against an attacking enemy. At a short distance south of the castle, on an elevated situation, is a square fort erected by Muley El Arsheed. 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 Mohammed, the reigning Emperor’s father, stand; here lamps are burning night and day, and fakeers are continually praying with a loud voice, under the colonnade surrounding the latterbuilding, which gives an air of solemnity to the place, impressing with awe the minds of the passengers, who halt and repeat an ejaculatory prayer.
The town and walls of Rabat having been built by Spanish slaves, taken by the Sultan El Monsor, in his wars with Spain, are 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 happened, and the Emperor, in retaliation, ordered the same Spaniards to be decapitated at the iron gate.[43]
This Sultan repaired the Roman well at Shella, and built a spacious mosque at Rabat, the roof of which was supported by 360 columns of marble; toward the east were apartments for those who had employment in the mosque. Many of the rough marble columns are still remaining, broken and scattered about; there are also the remains of a large (mitfere) 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 the top of it with a very ingenious Frenchman, the Comte de Fourban;[44]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 Mohammed ordered the building to be destroyed (he having been informed that it was a place ofassignation 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; the Emperor afterwards came to Rabat, and having been informed of the slow progress of the workmen, he himself visited 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 12th century. At a small distance to the north of it, are to be seen the ruins of an ancient wall, on which were formerly erected a battery and a castle.
The country, in the neighbourhood, is planted with vines, olives, figs, pomgranates, almonds, 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 Salée, 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 had been built by a man who must have had a natural genius for ship-building, as he built themby the eye, without the use of rules and compasses, a circumstance which appeared to me very extraordinary and incredible; but I was repeatedly 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 daily progress made in the building of them.
The road of Salée 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, having the latter to the north. A great 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 Shella: 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 Salée, an English captain dressed himself in the Arabian habit, and accompanied by a confidential 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. Shella was probably the Carthaginian metropolis on the coast of the ocean. Various Roman and ancient African coins used to be continually dug up here, but the exorbitant price given for them by some agents of European antiquarians, induced the Jews to imitate them, which they did so correctly, that these amateurs were deceived; and lately people have fallen into the opposite extreme, being now so over cautious as to dispute even the antiques themselves; for this reason the Moors often sell them to the silver and goldsmiths for their weight in silver. The last time I was in Africa, I collected a number of these coins, butthe 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 were 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 building called (El Monsoria) the Building of El Monsor, it having 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 immemorial, as mischievous plunderers.
Following the coast southward for 25 miles more, we reach Fedala; where a peninsula, which forms an indifferent 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 Matamores[45]of the adjacent provinces, and allowed it to be shipped here; it being cheap, he induced the merchants to build houses, as a condition of their being allowed to export it; but the place, although an excellent situation, was abandoned soon after the corn was shipped, owing to some new whim of the Emperor; for such is the fickle instability 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 theexception 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, projecting into the ocean towards the west.
About twelve miles to the south of Fedala, is Dar el Beida,[46]a town formerly belonging to Portugal, but now in ruins, and consisting only of some huts. The plains in the vicinage of Dar el Beida are so abundant in grain, that when the old Emperor (Seedy Mohammed) reigned, he received annually for duties on corn shipped at this place, five or six hundred thousand Mexico dollars; but since the accession of his son, the present Emperor, and the consequent prohibition of the exportation of grain, the soil here and elsewhere has lain fallow, as it would be useless for a people, whose mode of life renders their wants so few, 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, the value of them being insufficient to pay the expense of reaping them.
Forty-four miles south of Dar el Beida, stands the town of Azamore, in the Arab province of Duquella, at some distance from the mouth of the river Morbeya; the entrance to this river being dangerous, the town of Azamore is not adapted to commerce. The walls built here by the Portuguese are still standing. It was besieged 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 extremity of the bay of Mazagan, are the ruins of Têtt, which signifies in Arabic Titus, and is therefore supposed to be the ruins of the ancient city of Titus, founded by the Carthaginians. 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 ineffectually, and in 1769 the Portuguese had resolved to abandon it when the Emperor Seedy Mohammed ben Abdallah laid siege to it, and took it, the Portuguese having previously evacuated it. It is a strong and well built town, having a wall twelve-feet thick, strengthened with bastions mounting cannon. The air of Mazagan is peculiarly salubrious; the water is also excellent, and has a good effect on horses soon after their arrival here, after passing a country where that element is very indifferent, and is taken up in buckets from wells about one hundred feet deep.
There still exists in this town a subterranean cistern, constructed by 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, whichare 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 Abdallah.
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 Waladia, 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 Waladia 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 every necessary and luxury of life grows 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, arethe 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 render 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 do several times in the course of a month whilst taking in their cargoes.
There are many sanctuaries in the environs of Saffy, on which account the Jews are obliged to enter the town barefooted, taking off their sandals, when they approach these consecrated places; and if riding, they must descend from their mule, and enter the town on foot. The people of Saffy, although it has been a place of considerable trade, particularly in corn, are inimical to Europeans, fanatical, and bigotted, insomuch that till lately, Christians found it an unpleasant residence. The surrounding country abounds in corn,and two falls of rain a year are sufficient to bring 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, in passing, slipped, and fell down the cavity, which is some hundred feet deep.
Sixteen miles south of Saffy, we reach the river Tensift, which discharges itself into the ocean, near the ruins of an ancient town, probably theAsamaof Ptolomy. Travellers pass the Tensift on horseback in summer, but on rafts in the rainy season, which, in passing, drift down to a square fort surrounded by trees, on the opposite side of the river, built by Muley Ismael for the accommodation of travellers.
Proceeding through the plains of Akkeermute, we discover the ruins of a large town near the foot of Jibbel el Heddid,[47]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 adjacent sands, called Seedi Mogodol; but the proper name is Saweera,[48]a name given by the Emperor in allusion to its beauty, it being the only town altogether of geometrical construction in the empire.
Mogodor is built on a sandy beach forming a peninsula, the foundation of which is rocky adjoining to a chain of lofty hills, of moveable sand impelled by the wind into waves continuallychanging their position, resembling the billows of the ocean, and hence aptly denominated a sea of sand, which sandy sea separates it from the cultivated country. The town 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 Alkaid, 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.