CHAPTER VI.

FOOTNOTES:[70]This budra is preserved in earthen pots under ground, many, sometimes 20 or 30 years, as it is said, to improve by age; it is of so subtile and penetrating a nature, that it quickly passes to the capillary vessels of the body, and being rubbed on the inside of the hand, is quickly absorbed through the pores into the blood.[71]Ida dez el Herka fee el bled wa kan trek harushe el Zirg ce herse el hager eladi fee’h.[72]A small bird unknown in Europe, similar to a sparrow.[73]Buffon informs us, that Bruce told him this animal was common in Barbary, where it 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 fox, which is also frequent in that country. See Eng. Encyclopedia, 1802.[74]The dubbah and the deeb are so totally different, that I 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 Hyæna, Vol V. p. 110.[75]M’dubbah, stupified or hyænaized, from the word dubbah.[76]Bruce, in speaking of this animal, observes that most of the animals confounded with him, are about six times smaller than he is. The want of a critical knowledge of the Arabic language, and of natural history at the same time, has, in some measure, been the occasion of these errors among the moderns. Bochart discusses the several errors of the ancients with great judgment, and the Count de Buffon, 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 Nile, Vol. V. Appendix, p. 108. Title Hyæna.[77]A description of this herb will be given in its proper place.[78]Andik aineen el Gazel ia Lella. Beek zin el Gazel ia Lella. You possess the eyes 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.[79]Horrehsignifies any thing pure and free; thus a free-born man, (having a handsome person and virtuous mind,) is called RajelHorreh; a horse of high breed is called Aoud elHorreh; it is also opposed toAbd, which signifies a slave.[80]Possiblybizoarmay be a corruption ofBide el Horreh.[81]A shrub of Atlas used in tanning.[82]Sir Joseph Banks.[83]The Saharawan lizard is also called Dubb by the Arabs (See underReptiles), and from the similitude of name, the conjecture that bears are found in Africa may have originated.[84]The mountain at Ceuta is called Jibbel D’Zatute, the Mountain of Apes.[85]Job, ch. 39, v. 9, 10.[86]I met with a very intelligent Shelluh in Shtuka, whilst I was staying at the castle of the Khalif Mohammed ben Delemy, who had been thirty years travelling through various countries of the interior; he had frequently seen the Aoudad, the Horreh, the hippopotamus, the rhinoceros, the elephant, the hyæna, and various other animals, but he declared he had never seen an animal resembling a horse or mare, having one horn, nor had he ever heard, in the different Kaffer countries (as he called them) he had visited, that such an animal existed.[87]These heirie riders will travel three days without food; or a few pipes of tobacco, or a handful of dates, will furnish their meal; so that a regiment of Arabs would subsist on less than would be sufficient to maintain a company of English soldiers.[88]On the journey, a man who had been travelling with the caravan asked me for bread. “How long have you been without it?” said I. Two days was the reply. “And how long without water?” “I drank water last night.” This was at sun-set, after we had been marching all day in the heat of the sun. See Brown’s Travels in Africa, &c. Vol. II. p. 288.[89]Incredible stories are told of them, as that they will hold out for twenty-four hours together, travelling constantly at the rate of ten miles an hour. See Brown’s Travels in Africa, &c. Vol. II. p. 259.[90]Marocco is about one hundred miles from Mogodor.[91]On this subject M. de Florial aptly observes, that “le plus part des hommes mesurant leur foi par leur connoissance acquise, croyent à fort peu de choses.”[92]This term literally signifies Wind-sucker; the animal is so called from his hanging out his tongue at one side of his mouth, when in speed, and as it were sucking in the air.[93]The straw being trodden out by cattle to separate it from the corn, is similar to chopped straw, and is the only substitute for hay.[94]It is to the fashion of the saddle, stirrups, and bridle, that the Arabs are considerably indebted for their agility in horsemanship, and for their dexterous management of the horse.[95]A food of extraordinary and incredible nourishment, and a sovereign remedy for consumption.[96]It is called (Adû el hensh) the serpent’s enemy.[97]Even the Bo’ah, or desert serpent (described in a subsequent page), is not venomous.[98]The river called Luccos should be El Kos, so named from its winding through the country in semi-circular forms; El Kos in Arabic signifies a bow or arch.[99]El Garb (the g guttural) signifies in Arabic the west; this is the western province.[100]See the Author’s observations on the Plague in Barbary, in the Gentleman’s Magazine, February 1805, page 123.[101]In the consulship of Marcus Plautius Hypsæus, and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus, Africa scarce breathing from bloody wars, a terrible and extraordinary destruction ensued; for now throughout Africa an infinite multitude of locusts were collected, and having devoured the growing corn, and consumed the vegetables, 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, 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 persons: on the sea-coast, near Carthage and Utica, about two hundred thousand 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 Christians, a calamity so insupportable, as this scourge of locusts, which, when alive, were insufferable, and after their death, produced much more pernicious consequences, which, if they had lived, would have destroyed every vegetable thing; but being dead, destroyed, through the plague which they produced, all earthly creatures. Vide Paulus Orosius contra Paganos, Lib. V. Cap. ii.[102]This invigorating quality is expressed by the term Skoon, the k guttural.[103]These Aisawie have a considerable sanctuary at Fas. They go to Suse in large bodies about the month of July to collect serpents, which they pretend to render harmless by a certain form of words, incantation, or invocation to (Seedy ben Aisah[a]) their tutelary saint. They have an annual feast, at which time they dance and shake their heads quickly, during a certain period, till they become giddy, when they run about the towns frantic, attacking any person that may have a black or dark dress on; they bite, scratch, and devour any thing that comes in their way. They will attack an Unjumma, or portable fire, and tear the lighted charcoal to pieces with their hands and mouths. I have seen them take the serpents, which they carry about, and devour them alive, the blood streaming down their clothes. The incredible accounts of their feats would fill a volume; the following observations may suffice to give the reader an idea of these extraordinary fanatics. The Bûska and the El Effah here described, are enticed out of their holes by them; they handle them with impunity, though their bite is ascertained to be mortal; they put them into a cane basket, and throw it over their shoulders: these serpents they carry about the country, and exhibit them to the people. I have seen them play with them, and suffer them to twist round their bodies in all directions, without receiving any injury from them. I have often enquired how they managed to do this, but never could get any direct or satisfactory answer; they assure you, however, that faith in their saint, and the powerful influence of the name of the Divinity,Isim Allah, enables them to work these miracles: they maintain themselves in a miserable way, by donations from the spectators before whom they exhibit. This art of fascinating serpents was known by the ancient Africans, as appears from the Marii and Psylli, who were Africans, and shewed proofs of it at Rome.[a]Aisah signifies Jesus: thus Jesus Christ is denominated by the Mohammedans, Seedna Aisah, i.e. Our Lord Jesus.[104]Ky herk el bled beshuelhu.[105]The turtle called the 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 employed so to do by some European.[106]See the description,page 94.[107]Vide Sonini’s Travels in Egypt, page 217.[108]I cannot 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 dazzling whiteness (so interesting an emblem of candour and virginity), constituted the most beautiful ornament of the banks of the Nile, were the Ibis or Curlews of the ancients; birds on which antiquity conferred the highest honours. Whatever I could say, they would not relinquish their opinion. Vide Sonini’s Travels.[109]This is the plural; the singular is Bukula.[110]Mr. Wynne.[111]Those who go to Mecca, receive on their return, the title of El Hage, to which (whatever their rank in life may be) is prefixed the appellation of Seedy, or Monsieur.[112]During my stay at Messa, I saw two enormous jaw-bones of a whale erected in the form of an arch, and on enquiring how they came there, was informed that they had been there (min zeman) from time immemorial, and that the fish was thrown on the shore, having a man in his belly, whose name was recorded to be Jonah. Having laughed heartily at this whimsical story, I was surprized 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! See Brookes’s Gazetteer, title Messa.

FOOTNOTES:

[70]This budra is preserved in earthen pots under ground, many, sometimes 20 or 30 years, as it is said, to improve by age; it is of so subtile and penetrating a nature, that it quickly passes to the capillary vessels of the body, and being rubbed on the inside of the hand, is quickly absorbed through the pores into the blood.

[71]Ida dez el Herka fee el bled wa kan trek harushe el Zirg ce herse el hager eladi fee’h.

[72]A small bird unknown in Europe, similar to a sparrow.

[73]Buffon informs us, that Bruce told him this animal was common in Barbary, where it 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 fox, which is also frequent in that country. See Eng. Encyclopedia, 1802.

[74]The dubbah and the deeb are so totally different, that I 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 Hyæna, Vol V. p. 110.

[75]M’dubbah, stupified or hyænaized, from the word dubbah.

[76]Bruce, in speaking of this animal, observes that most of the animals confounded with him, are about six times smaller than he is. The want of a critical knowledge of the Arabic language, and of natural history at the same time, has, in some measure, been the occasion of these errors among the moderns. Bochart discusses the several errors of the ancients with great judgment, and the Count de Buffon, 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 Nile, Vol. V. Appendix, p. 108. Title Hyæna.

[77]A description of this herb will be given in its proper place.

[78]Andik aineen el Gazel ia Lella. Beek zin el Gazel ia Lella. You possess the eyes 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.

[79]Horrehsignifies any thing pure and free; thus a free-born man, (having a handsome person and virtuous mind,) is called RajelHorreh; a horse of high breed is called Aoud elHorreh; it is also opposed toAbd, which signifies a slave.

[80]Possiblybizoarmay be a corruption ofBide el Horreh.

[81]A shrub of Atlas used in tanning.

[82]Sir Joseph Banks.

[83]The Saharawan lizard is also called Dubb by the Arabs (See underReptiles), and from the similitude of name, the conjecture that bears are found in Africa may have originated.

[84]The mountain at Ceuta is called Jibbel D’Zatute, the Mountain of Apes.

[85]Job, ch. 39, v. 9, 10.

[86]I met with a very intelligent Shelluh in Shtuka, whilst I was staying at the castle of the Khalif Mohammed ben Delemy, who had been thirty years travelling through various countries of the interior; he had frequently seen the Aoudad, the Horreh, the hippopotamus, the rhinoceros, the elephant, the hyæna, and various other animals, but he declared he had never seen an animal resembling a horse or mare, having one horn, nor had he ever heard, in the different Kaffer countries (as he called them) he had visited, that such an animal existed.

[87]These heirie riders will travel three days without food; or a few pipes of tobacco, or a handful of dates, will furnish their meal; so that a regiment of Arabs would subsist on less than would be sufficient to maintain a company of English soldiers.

[88]On the journey, a man who had been travelling with the caravan asked me for bread. “How long have you been without it?” said I. Two days was the reply. “And how long without water?” “I drank water last night.” This was at sun-set, after we had been marching all day in the heat of the sun. See Brown’s Travels in Africa, &c. Vol. II. p. 288.

[89]Incredible stories are told of them, as that they will hold out for twenty-four hours together, travelling constantly at the rate of ten miles an hour. See Brown’s Travels in Africa, &c. Vol. II. p. 259.

[90]Marocco is about one hundred miles from Mogodor.

[91]On this subject M. de Florial aptly observes, that “le plus part des hommes mesurant leur foi par leur connoissance acquise, croyent à fort peu de choses.”

[92]This term literally signifies Wind-sucker; the animal is so called from his hanging out his tongue at one side of his mouth, when in speed, and as it were sucking in the air.

[93]The straw being trodden out by cattle to separate it from the corn, is similar to chopped straw, and is the only substitute for hay.

[94]It is to the fashion of the saddle, stirrups, and bridle, that the Arabs are considerably indebted for their agility in horsemanship, and for their dexterous management of the horse.

[95]A food of extraordinary and incredible nourishment, and a sovereign remedy for consumption.

[96]It is called (Adû el hensh) the serpent’s enemy.

[97]Even the Bo’ah, or desert serpent (described in a subsequent page), is not venomous.

[98]The river called Luccos should be El Kos, so named from its winding through the country in semi-circular forms; El Kos in Arabic signifies a bow or arch.

[99]El Garb (the g guttural) signifies in Arabic the west; this is the western province.

[100]See the Author’s observations on the Plague in Barbary, in the Gentleman’s Magazine, February 1805, page 123.

[101]In the consulship of Marcus Plautius Hypsæus, and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus, Africa scarce breathing from bloody wars, a terrible and extraordinary destruction ensued; for now throughout Africa an infinite multitude of locusts were collected, and having devoured the growing corn, and consumed the vegetables, 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, 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 persons: on the sea-coast, near Carthage and Utica, about two hundred thousand 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 Christians, a calamity so insupportable, as this scourge of locusts, which, when alive, were insufferable, and after their death, produced much more pernicious consequences, which, if they had lived, would have destroyed every vegetable thing; but being dead, destroyed, through the plague which they produced, all earthly creatures. Vide Paulus Orosius contra Paganos, Lib. V. Cap. ii.

[102]This invigorating quality is expressed by the term Skoon, the k guttural.

[103]These Aisawie have a considerable sanctuary at Fas. They go to Suse in large bodies about the month of July to collect serpents, which they pretend to render harmless by a certain form of words, incantation, or invocation to (Seedy ben Aisah[a]) their tutelary saint. They have an annual feast, at which time they dance and shake their heads quickly, during a certain period, till they become giddy, when they run about the towns frantic, attacking any person that may have a black or dark dress on; they bite, scratch, and devour any thing that comes in their way. They will attack an Unjumma, or portable fire, and tear the lighted charcoal to pieces with their hands and mouths. I have seen them take the serpents, which they carry about, and devour them alive, the blood streaming down their clothes. The incredible accounts of their feats would fill a volume; the following observations may suffice to give the reader an idea of these extraordinary fanatics. The Bûska and the El Effah here described, are enticed out of their holes by them; they handle them with impunity, though their bite is ascertained to be mortal; they put them into a cane basket, and throw it over their shoulders: these serpents they carry about the country, and exhibit them to the people. I have seen them play with them, and suffer them to twist round their bodies in all directions, without receiving any injury from them. I have often enquired how they managed to do this, but never could get any direct or satisfactory answer; they assure you, however, that faith in their saint, and the powerful influence of the name of the Divinity,Isim Allah, enables them to work these miracles: they maintain themselves in a miserable way, by donations from the spectators before whom they exhibit. This art of fascinating serpents was known by the ancient Africans, as appears from the Marii and Psylli, who were Africans, and shewed proofs of it at Rome.

[a]Aisah signifies Jesus: thus Jesus Christ is denominated by the Mohammedans, Seedna Aisah, i.e. Our Lord Jesus.

[104]Ky herk el bled beshuelhu.

[105]The turtle called the 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 employed so to do by some European.

[106]See the description,page 94.

[107]Vide Sonini’s Travels in Egypt, page 217.

[108]I cannot 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 dazzling whiteness (so interesting an emblem of candour and virginity), constituted the most beautiful ornament of the banks of the Nile, were the Ibis or Curlews of the ancients; birds on which antiquity conferred the highest honours. Whatever I could say, they would not relinquish their opinion. Vide Sonini’s Travels.

[109]This is the plural; the singular is Bukula.

[110]Mr. Wynne.

[111]Those who go to Mecca, receive on their return, the title of El Hage, to which (whatever their rank in life may be) is prefixed the appellation of Seedy, or Monsieur.

[112]During my stay at Messa, I saw two enormous jaw-bones of a whale erected in the form of an arch, and on enquiring how they came there, was informed that they had been there (min zeman) from time immemorial, and that the fish was thrown on the shore, having a man in his belly, whose name was recorded to be Jonah. Having laughed heartily at this whimsical story, I was surprized 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! See Brookes’s Gazetteer, title Messa.

Metallic, Mineral, and Vegetable Productions.

Goldand Silver Minesare found in several parts of the Empire of Marocco; but more particularly about Messa in the province of Suse. Being once on a visit to the Vicegerent 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 Vicegerent, 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 shewn a gold mine, which, I was informed, had been worked by the Portuguese, when they were in possession of this district, and who, previous to their departure, had thrown stones into the aperture, which the Shelluhs had frequently attempted in vain to remove. These stones were of an immense size, and it would have required considerable mechanical powers to effect their removal. I 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 quantity for the purpose of extracting the metal; thoughthey 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 clans, they are continually fighting about it, and by this means both parties are deprived of the benefit it offers. I have purchased lumps of this silver, which had been refined by the natives, and it was more pure than the silver of Spanish dollars.

There is another silver mine in the plains of Msegina, near Santa Cruz: this was reported to the Emperor Seedi Mohammed, to be extremely rich, and he accordingly sent some persons conversant in minerals to inspect, and report upon it. Previous to their departure, however, they were secretly informed, that he wished to discourage the working of this mine, lest the province might be thereby rendered 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, it was reported that the mine would not pay for the expense of working it. The entrance was then broken in, and the Shelluhs, discouraged by this unfavourable report, and not suspecting the motive for destroying the mine, paid no further attention to it. This mine had probably been 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.[113]

Suse also produces iron, copper, and lead ore. In the mountains of Idaultit, they have iron, which they manufacture themselves into gun-barrels, and other articles. At Tesellergt the copper mines are extremely abundant; but they work them only as they want the metal. In Tafilelt are mines of antimony; it abounds also in lead ore.

Mineral Salt.—West Barbary, Bled-el-jerrêde, and parts of Sahara, abound in mineral salt, of a red colour, which is dug from quarries 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 unskilfullness of the Moors in curing meat.

Near the cities of Fas and Mequinas a similar salt is also 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 effulgence of the meridian sun, exhaling the water from the salt which remains in the cavities.

Vast quantities of salt are conveyed by the Akkabahs to Soudan, where none is produced, and on that account is so valuable at Timbuctoo, that a pound weight is frequently bartered for an ounce of gold dust.

Salt-petre.—This article, now prohibited from exportation, except under certain restrictions, and particular grants, is the produce of Fas, Marocco, and Terodant; that of Terodant or Suse is the best, purest, and strongest, and in its unrefined state is equal to that of Marocco when refined.[114]

Lead Ore (El Kahol).—There are two kinds of this mineral; that which 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 eyes, eye-brows, and eye-lashes. The Atlas mountains abound with this lead ore, particularly the eastern side of them, towards Fighig and Tafilelt. The best kind, as already observed, is called El Kahol Filelly (i.e. lead ore of Tafilelt).

Sulphur.—Before this mineral was imported from the Mediterranean, it was dug from the foot of Atlas, opposite to Terodant, where there are immense quantities.[115]

Figs, called by the Western Arabs, Kermuse; there are many kinds 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 an exquisite flavour; those of Mogodor, however, are very inferior, as are most of the fruits that grow in the environs of that arid and sandy country. The Jews extract (mahaya) an ardent spirit from figs, which they drink immoderately whilst hot from the alembic; but whenthey have patience to keep it a year or two, it becomes a mild spirit, losing its heating and pernicious quality.

Indian Fig, orPrickly Pear (Cactus Opuntia), calledTakanareele, by the Shelluhs, andKermuse 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 impregnated 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; when ripe, it is of an oval form, and of a colour inclining to orange or yellow; it has a thick succulent rind, so covered with fine sharp prickles, as to render leather gloves, or some other substitute necessary, when peeling it. This fruit is of an extraordinary refrigerating quality, and is, on that account, eaten in the early part of the morning by the people of Haha and Suse, where it abounds. In hot weather it is a grateful restorative to the relaxed state of the bowels. The tree grows in stony arid 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 are incalculable, and have, latterly, been much increased. The bitter kind is exported to Europe; but the sweet, being an article of food, has been, by the present Emperor, prohibited from exportation, which has recently diminished considerably the cultivation of this nutritious fruit.

Gum Sandrac Tree.—Thuya, Arar, or Sandrac-tree, is probably the Arbor vitæ of Theophrastus: it is similar in leaf to the juniper, and, besides producing the gum sandrac, the woodis invaluable, being somewhat like cedar, having a similar smell, and being impenetrable to the worm; it is, however, a harder wood, and would be a great acquisition in ship-building; andthere aremeans of procuring it. The roofs of houses, and cielings of rooms, are made of this unperishable wood.

El Rassul.—A small plant little known, but used by the tanners in the preparation of leather.

Tizra, orSeuhayha.—A shrub about three feet high, used also in the preparation of leather; it grows near the Jibbel Heddid in the plains[116]of Akkermute, in the province of Shedma. (See themap of West Barbary).

Hashisha, andKief.—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 twine: but in most parts of the country it is cultivated for the extraordinary 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 the size of a common English tobacco-pipe, is sufficient to intoxicate. The infatuation of those who use it is such, that they cannot exist without it. The kief is often pounded, and mixed with (El Majune), an invigorating confection, which is sold at an enormous price; a piece of this as big as a walnut will for a time entirely deprive a man of all reason and intellect; they prefer it to opium, from the voluptuoussensations which it never fails to produce. Wine or brandy, they say, 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 to 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 experience pleasing images: he fancies himself in company with beautiful women; 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 exhilirating 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 off. These they often use when they wish to discover the mind of a person, or what occupies his thoughts.

Snobar.—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 nymphæa lotus, has often been mistaken for a very different plant, called by the ancientsLotus, orRhamnus Lotus, and which served formerly for food to a certain people in Africa, thence named Lotophagi; this plant, which is a shrub similar in appearance to the wild jujube, or buckthorn, is called by the ArabsSeedra, and grows about the Atlas mountains east of Marocco and Terodant. It has been described by Mr. Mungo Park in his Travels in Africa.

Mallows.—This herb is much used by the Arabian doctors; and the fruit is eaten by the Arabs as antifebrile: the genericalname is Kubbaiza.[117]The garden Jew’s mallow, calledMelokia, is also much esteemed as a strong incentive to venery.

Coloquintida, called by the Arabs El Hendal, is found along the coast, on the sandy shore above the high water mark from Agadeer to Wedinoon, an extent of about two hundred miles: it had never been imported into this country till last year, by myself, when it sold at 3s.8d.per lb. Throughout this fertile country roses, and various beautiful flowers which are carefully reared in hot houses with us, grow spontaneously in the plains: of these I have seen in Temsena, and about Rabat, and in Suse, lupins, jonquils, wall-flowers and hyacinths of various colours and exquisite fragrance (of the latter there is a beautiful kind, being a Spanish brown, inclining to scarlet.) The roses about Marocco grow in the streams and ditches. At Tafilelt they have a powerful fragrance: it is from the leaves of the Worde Fillelly, or Tafilelt rose, that the celebratedAttarof roses (commonly calledOttoof roses) is extracted: the wordAttaris an Arabic word signifying a distillation or filtration.[118]

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.—This root, called by the Arabs Terfez, is somewhat similar to the potatoe, and about the size of a lemon; itgrows in sandy places, near the surface of the earth, where 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. 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: they 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 dessert. They are very good boiled in water or in steam. In Suse, Abda, and Bled-el-jerrêde, they are found in great abundance. The season for them is March, when the storms of thunder prevail. After a storm, the people repair to the sandy plains, dig them up, and bring them to the towns, where, being in great demand, they sell at a costly price.

Euphorbium.—Furbiuneis the Arabic name of this gum, which is produced by a very curious succulent plant, growing on the Atlas mountains, and called by the Shelluhs and Arabs,Dergmuse;[119]in its general form, it resembles a large goblet (see thePlate), and is somewhat like a wild thistle. From the main body of the plant proceed several solid leafless branches, about three inches in circumference, and one in diameter, from the top of which shoot out similar ones, each bearing on its summit a vivid crimson flower; these branches are scolloped, and haveon their outer sides small knots, from which grow five extremely sharp pointed thorns, about one-third of an inch in length.[120]The stalk is at first soft and succulent, but becomes hard in a few years, when the plant assumes the above mentioned form, and may then be considered at its maturity; if cut in this state with a sword, it emits a large quantity of corrosive, lacteous juice, which, if squeezed between the fingers, will excoriate; when old, the plant withers, and this juice becomes dry, and turns to powder. 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 once only in four years, but this fourth year’s produce is more than all Europe can consume; it being a very powerful cathartic. The people who collect the gum, are obliged to tie a cloth over their mouth and nostrils, to prevent the small dusty particles from annoying them, as they produce incessant sneezing.

Plate 6.(Dergmuse)Gum Euphorbium Plant.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 6.

(Dergmuse)Gum Euphorbium Plant.

London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

The branches of the plant are brought to Mogodor, 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 request among the women, as adepilatory. 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 anygum attached to it. It flourishes in stony mountainous situations, interspersed with rocks, whose interstices are filled with a black loam of decomposed vegetable earth.

Ammoniacum, calledFeshookin Arabick, 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 Rummellah, it grows ten feet high. The Gum Ammoniac is procured 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 procured perfectly pure, by spreading mats under the shrubs to receive the gum as it falls. The gum in the above mentioned state, is used in all parts of the country for cataplasms and fumigations. The sandy light soil which produces the Gum Ammoniac, abounds in the north of Marocco. It is remarkable, that neither bird nor beast is seen where this plant grows, the vulture only excepted.[121]It is, however, attacked by a beetle,[122]having a long horn proceeding from its nose, with which it perforates the plant, and makes the incisions whence the gum oozes out.

Plate 7.(Fashook)Gum Ammoniac Plant.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 7.

(Fashook)Gum Ammoniac Plant.

London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 8.(Dibben Fashook,) Gum Ammoniac Fly.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 8.

(Dibben Fashook,) Gum Ammoniac Fly.

London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Gum Arabic.—The gum called Marocco or Barbary gum, is produced from a high thorny tree called Attaleh, 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 and Bled-hummer, in the province of Abda; the secondary qualities are the produce ofShedma, Duquella, and other provinces; the tree grows abundantly in the Atlas mountains, and is found also in Bled-el-jerrêde. The gum, when new, emits a faint smell, and when stowed in the warehouse, 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 difference 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 narrowness 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 months of 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 pericarpium, resemble those of the lupin, yield a reddish dye, and are used by the tanners in the preparation of leather. These seeds attract goats, who are very fond of eating them. The more sickly the tree appears, the more gum it yields; and the hotter the weather, the more prolific it is. A wet winter and a cool or mild summer are unfavourable to the production of gum.

Oil of Olives.—The province of Suse produces great abundance of this oil.[123]The people of Ras-el-wed make two sorts,Tabaluht, andZit-el-aud;[124]the former is made from the olives when green, and nearly ripe, with which they frequently 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. TheZit-el-aud, is made from the olives when quite ripe, and alter they have laid on the ground some time; in this state 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 in Europe in the woollen and soap manufactories.

Oil Arganicis also in abundance in Suse: it is much used for frying fish,[125]and burning in lamps.

Pitch.—The pitch of the Arabs, calledKitran, is obtained from the wild juniper, which abounds in the Atlas mountains, as well as in many parts of the champaign country: the manner 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 callToga, 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 burning boughs, and runs into the communicating hole; when the whole is cooled, it is taken out, and put into skins or bladders.

FOOTNOTES:[113]I procured several specimens of gold and silver ores from the various mines in this province, which I sent to Europe to be analyzed; but the smallness of the quantity precluded any considerable advantage from the analyzation, and I had not an opportunity afterwards of repeating the trial to a larger extent.[114]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 obtaining very considerable supplies as well of this as of many other useful articles, such as naval stores and provisions, from West Barbary.[115]The Arabs of Woled Abussebah manufacture gun-powder of a quality far superior to that of Europe; for if it be immersed in water during a night, and then taken out, it is perfectly dry and fit for use; 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 quickness.[116]Harushe is a name applied in Africa to all plains or places covered with basaltic stones, bearing marks of some ancient convulsion of nature. These places are interspersed over the Desert, or Sahara, and in other parts of Africa.[117]Sonini, in his travels in Egypt, called it hobezé; there is, however, nohin the word, but a gutturalk(خ) an error originating in a partial, and but an oral, knowledge of the Arabic language; or possibly he had seen the word written by a professed Arabian scholar, who frequently omits the punctuation, which he can make out by the tenour of the discourse; in this case the word would have been written with the letterh(ح).[118]In passing these plains, where such a variety of beautiful flowers grow spontaneously, it has often occurred to me that this country was once in a considerably higher degree of cultivation than it is at present.[119]Probably the Euphorbium officinalis of Linnæus.[120]These adhere to every thing which touches them, and seem to have been intended by nature, to prevent cattle from eating this caustic plant, which they always avoid on account of its prickles.[121]Seepage 118.[122]See theplate,where it is represented of the natural size.[123]The plantations of olive-trees in this province are very numerous: there is an extensive one in the neighbourhood of Messa, the trees of which are of great size and beauty, and are planted in a very whimsical and peculiar manner. When I visited Messa, I enquired the cause of their being so arranged, and learnt from the viceroy’s aide-de-camp, who attended me, that one of the kings of the dynasty of Saddia, being on his journey to Soudan, encamped here, with his army; that the pegs with which the cavalry picketed their horses, were cut from the olive-trees in the neighbourhood, and that these pegs being left in the ground on account of some sudden cause of departure of the army, the olive-trees in question sprung up from them. I confess, while I acknowledged the ingenuity of the idea, (for the disposition of the trees exactly resembled the arrangement of cavalry in an encampment), I treated it as fabulous; some time afterwards, however, the following circumstance 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 gardener brought, amongst other things, a few bits of wood without any root or leaf, about eighteen inches long, and three in circumference, which he with a large stone knocked into the ground. Seeing the fellow thus employed, I asked him what he meant by trifling in that way? “I am not trifling,” said he, “but planting your pomegranate trees.” I began to take them out of the ground; but some persons who were near assuring me that it was the mode in which they were always planted, and that they would (with the blessing of God) take root, and shoot forth leaves the next 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 trees when I left Santa Cruz![124]Zitis the Arabic for oil;Zitunefor olives.[125]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 the 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 promote leprosy.Doctor Barrata.

FOOTNOTES:

[113]I procured several specimens of gold and silver ores from the various mines in this province, which I sent to Europe to be analyzed; but the smallness of the quantity precluded any considerable advantage from the analyzation, and I had not an opportunity afterwards of repeating the trial to a larger extent.

[114]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 obtaining very considerable supplies as well of this as of many other useful articles, such as naval stores and provisions, from West Barbary.

[115]The Arabs of Woled Abussebah manufacture gun-powder of a quality far superior to that of Europe; for if it be immersed in water during a night, and then taken out, it is perfectly dry and fit for use; 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 quickness.

[116]Harushe is a name applied in Africa to all plains or places covered with basaltic stones, bearing marks of some ancient convulsion of nature. These places are interspersed over the Desert, or Sahara, and in other parts of Africa.

[117]Sonini, in his travels in Egypt, called it hobezé; there is, however, nohin the word, but a gutturalk(خ) an error originating in a partial, and but an oral, knowledge of the Arabic language; or possibly he had seen the word written by a professed Arabian scholar, who frequently omits the punctuation, which he can make out by the tenour of the discourse; in this case the word would have been written with the letterh(ح).

[118]In passing these plains, where such a variety of beautiful flowers grow spontaneously, it has often occurred to me that this country was once in a considerably higher degree of cultivation than it is at present.

[119]Probably the Euphorbium officinalis of Linnæus.

[120]These adhere to every thing which touches them, and seem to have been intended by nature, to prevent cattle from eating this caustic plant, which they always avoid on account of its prickles.

[121]Seepage 118.

[122]See theplate,where it is represented of the natural size.

[123]The plantations of olive-trees in this province are very numerous: there is an extensive one in the neighbourhood of Messa, the trees of which are of great size and beauty, and are planted in a very whimsical and peculiar manner. When I visited Messa, I enquired the cause of their being so arranged, and learnt from the viceroy’s aide-de-camp, who attended me, that one of the kings of the dynasty of Saddia, being on his journey to Soudan, encamped here, with his army; that the pegs with which the cavalry picketed their horses, were cut from the olive-trees in the neighbourhood, and that these pegs being left in the ground on account of some sudden cause of departure of the army, the olive-trees in question sprung up from them. I confess, while I acknowledged the ingenuity of the idea, (for the disposition of the trees exactly resembled the arrangement of cavalry in an encampment), I treated it as fabulous; some time afterwards, however, the following circumstance 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 gardener brought, amongst other things, a few bits of wood without any root or leaf, about eighteen inches long, and three in circumference, which he with a large stone knocked into the ground. Seeing the fellow thus employed, I asked him what he meant by trifling in that way? “I am not trifling,” said he, “but planting your pomegranate trees.” I began to take them out of the ground; but some persons who were near assuring me that it was the mode in which they were always planted, and that they would (with the blessing of God) take root, and shoot forth leaves the next 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 trees when I left Santa Cruz!

[124]Zitis the Arabic for oil;Zitunefor olives.

[125]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 the 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 promote leprosy.Doctor Barrata.

Description of the Inhabitants of West Barbary — their Dress — Religious Ceremonies and Opinions — their Character — Manners and Customs — Diseases — Funerals — Etiquette of the Court — Sources of Revenue.

Theinhabitants 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.

TheMoorsare the descendants of those who were driven out of Spain; they inhabit the cities of Marocco, Fas, Mequinas, and all the coast towns, as far southward as the province of Haha. Their language is a corrupt Arabic, intermixed with Spanish. In my transactions with these people, I have generally observed in them a misanthropic insolence whenever they are addressed with courtesy and respect, but much civility when treated with dignity. They seem to imagine suavity of manners to be an indication of fear.

TheArabshave 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, inhabiting the fertile and extensive plains, and indeed the whole territory west of Atlas, and as far south as Mogodor, or the confines of the Arab province of Shedma. (See themap of Marocco). Thesepopulous tribes travel over the whole of Africa; and are the agriculturists of Barbary and of Bled-el-jerrêde. They speak the Korannick Arabic 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 former loyal one, now become rebellious. This plan of setting one tribe against another is an act of policy of the Emperor, because, if he did not, in this manner, quell the broils continually breaking out amongst them, he would be compelled, in order to preserve tranquillity in his dominions, to employ his own army for that purpose, which is generally occupied in more important business. Hospitality is a prominent feature in the character of these people, insomuch that if an enemy be driven to the necessity of seeking an asylum among them, hostility is immediately forgotten.

TheBerebbersinhabit the mountains of Atlas north of the city of Marocco, living generally in tents; they are a robust, nervous, and warlike people, having a language peculiar to themselves, which differs more from the Arabic, or general language of Africa, than any two languages of Europe differ from each other; it is probably a dialect of the ancient Carthaginian. In travelling through the Berebber Kabyles of Ait Imure, and Zemure Shelluh, I noticed many of the inhabitants who possessed the old Roman physiognomy. The general occupation of these people is husbandry, and the rearing of bees for honey and wax. They possess much cunning and duplicity, and are never outwitted by the Moors, or entirely worsted by thetroops of the Emperor, with whom they have had very frequent encounters, but have never been permanently subdued: they esteem it the greatest advantage possible to fight on their own territory. Their allegiance to the Emperor has often been secured by retaining their chiefs at court, conferring favours on them, appointing them to offices of state, and to seats in the Diwan; thus making them hostages, as it were, for the peaceable conduct of their respective Kabyles.

TheShelluhsinhabit the Atlas mountains, and their various branches south of Marocco; they live generally in walled habitations, or in towns, and are, for the most part, occupied in husbandry like the Berebbers, though differing from them in their language,[126]dress, and manners; they live almost entirely on (Assoua) barley meal made into gruel, and (Zimeta) barley roasted or granulated, which they mix with cold water, when travelling. 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 formerly possessed the ports on the coast; but who, after 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 Latin over the entrance, supposed to have been built by the Portuguese, which, being superstitiously reported to be haunted, has escaped destruction. The language of the Shelluhs is called Amazirk.

The Shelluhs are a crafty people; they are, perhaps, better disposed towards Christians than the Moors or the Arabs. The term Kabyle applies to all cultivators of land, and to those who rear the cattle and flocks. Sometimes we discover, in traversing this country, an encampment of Bedouin Arabs, who, in their migrations to far distant countries, pitch their tents wherever they find the country productive and unoccupied; here they sojourn till their flocks have consumed all the pasture, when they strike their tents and proceed on their long journey. These people live, for the most part, on camel’s milk; they are an indolent race, and neither cultivate the earth, nor do any kind of work, attacking and plundering caravans whenever they can do it with impunity. It is these Bedouins, or Saharawans, who sometimes plunder the Akkabahs and caravans whilst traversing the Great Desert of Africa. The Arabs of Woled Abbusebah[127]place a string over the crown of the head, bringing it down behind the ears, and shave the front hair, to prevent, as is pretended, their enemies from catching hold of them. The same custom predominates among the independant Shelluhs of Idautenan, inhabitants of Atlas near Cape de Geer. See theMap of Marocco,lat. N. 30° 30′.

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 exposed to all weathers. Deformedpersons are rarely met with; the loose Arabian dress covers deformity, and their mode of bringing up children, (every thing being left to follow 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 remarkably fine teeth; they universally use a dentifrice,[128]which is procured from vegetables from the interior country. Their complexion, 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 exception of their eyes and hair, which are universally dark.[129]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 lovely or 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 white so much admired by foreigners in our English ladies; indeed their beauty is proverbial, as the termMequinasia[130]is applied 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 extraordinary that the inhabitants of two great and populous cities, situated within thirty miles of each other, should discover such a physiognomical difference, as is apparent between the females of Fas and those of Mequinas, the former being generally of a sallow orpale complexion. The women of Duquella are ordinary and diminutive, whilst the men are the reverse; being tall, and well-limbed, with regular features. The men of Temsena, and Shawia, are a strong, robust race, of a copper colour: the women possess much beauty, and have features highly expressive; and the animation of the female countenance is encreased by the use of El kahol filelly, with which they tinge the eye lashes and eye brows, as already described. In these provinces they are particularly fond of dying their hands and feet with a decoction or preparation of the herb Henna,[131]which gives them an orange colour, and, in hot weather, imparts a pleasing coolness and softness to the hands, by obstructing, in a certain degree, the quickness of perspiration.

The Moorish dress resembles that of the ancient patriarchs, as represented in paintings; that of the men consists of a red cap and turban, a (Kumja) shirt, which hangs outside 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, however, often dispense with the caftan, and even with the shirt, wearing nothing but the hayk. The Berebbers wear drawers, and a cloak of dark blue cloth, called a Silham. The poor and penurious are contented 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 inthe (Rahayat) slippers, which are scarlet or red. The hair is concealed in a black silk handkerchief, over which they wear shawls of silk or handkerchiefs of various gay colours; they wear bracelets, and armlets 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; these ear-rings have a gaudy appearance, or, as the French express it,“font beaucoup de parure;”they wear also a number of necklaces, generally of amber beads or coral, some large, and others small, and a variety of rings on their fingers.

In their dress, they are partial to striped silks, ginghams, and cottons of particular 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 hooded cloak of white woollen cloth; and in presence of a bashaw, or governor, the hayk is thrown down on the shoulders, which at other times covers the cap, a mode of salutation similar to that of taking off the hat among Europeans.

The religion of the Emperor of Marocco’s dominions is Islaemism, or Mohammedism,[132]which was first planted in West Barbary by the renowned Muley Dris Zerone, on the spot where the town and sanctuary of that name is built, being east of Mequinas, at the western declivity of the Atlas, near an ancient and magnificent ruin, called by the Arabs (Kasser Farawan)[133]theRuins of Pharoah; from hence assuming the name of (Deene-el-Wasah) the unconfined law, it quickly spread itself to the shores of the Atlantic ocean, to Bled-el-jerrêde, Sigin-Messa, Suse, and Sahara. At the beginning of the present reign of Seedy Soliman ben Mohammed, a considerable body of people, who professed Deism, sprung up, and spread themselves over the northern provinces, exclaiming (la Illah ila Allah) There is no God but the true God; in distinction from the Mohammedan, whose creed is (la Illah ila Allah, wa Mohammed, arrasule, Allah), There is no God but the true God, and Mohammed is his prophet. The Emperor, however, by discouraging such tenets, found no difficulty in annihilating 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 maraboot, 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 places are screened from the hand of justice; and the opulent men of the country often, for security, deposit their treasure in them. The toleration of the western Arabs and Moors is such, that the Emperor (although religiously disposed himself) will allow, on proper application being made, any sect which does not acknowledge a plurality of gods, to appropriate a place to public worship;[134]and even the more ignorant and bigotted Mohammedans maintain, that every man should be allowed to worship God according to his own conscience, 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 upbraided 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,[135]as they denominate Christians; or because Mohammed reprobated the ancient trumpet of the Jews, as well as the rattel of the oriental Christians, and substituted the human voice to call people to prayer: accordingly a man (denominated El Muden) goes to the top of the tower of each (Jamâa) mosque, and exclaims with a loud voice, first to the east, or towards Mecca, and then to the south, west, and north, the following words (Allah kabeer! A’shed-en, la illa ila Allah, Mohammed arrasule Allah; haiala essla, Allah kabeer. Allah!) God is great; witness that there is no God but one God, and Mohammed is his prophet: come to prayers: God is great. God![136]

This religious ceremony is performed several times 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 assar) prayers at four o’clock, P.M.; (Sala’at el mogorb) prayers at sun-setting; and (Sala’at el ashaw) prayers an hour and an half after sun-setting. The principal of these prayers is the Sala’at el dohor, when all such as are desirous of being thought true Mohammedans go to the (Jamâa) mosque, on entering which, every one must take off his slippers. Every (Jma)[137]Friday, the Mufti preaches a discourse on religion, similar to the sermons of Christian priests. The mosques have square towers adjoining the body of the building; the principal side faces Mecca, on which is erected 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 prepare, by the necessary preliminary ablutions[138], to prostrate themselves before God at the Dohor service of prayer. At the dawn of day on every (Jma) Friday, the (Muden) man who announces the prayers from the summit of the principal mosque, chants a hymn out of the Koran, which being scientifically sung, in the stillness of the morning, makes a most pleasing impression on the mind. This hymn is concluded with the annunciation of the unity of God, and theglory of heaven, impressing the mind of the Mohammedan with that grand fundamental principle of Islaemism, the unity of God.

The people of this empire being born subjects of an arbitrary despot, they may be said to have no established laws; they know no other than the will of the prince, which is called (Shra el Mukkuzzen) military law, or (Amer Seedna) our Lord’s decree; and if this should deviate, as it sometimes does, from the moral principles laid down in the Koran, it must nevertheless be obeyed; for no appeal can be admitted againstAmer Seedna, unless his Imperial Majesty should discover an error in judgment, in which case he, and he alone, can alter the decree. Where the Emperor resides, he administers justice, in person, generally twice, and sometimes four times a week, in the (M’shoire) place of audience, whither all complaints are carried:[139]here access is easy; he listens to every one, foreigners or subjects, men or women, rich or poor; there is no distinction, every one has a right to appear before him, and boldly to explain the nature of his case; and although his person is considered as sacred, and established custom obliges the subject to prostrate himself, and to pay him rather adoration 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 proportion. Judgment is always prompt, decisive, plausible, and generally correct.

Civil law is administered by the (Cadi’s) judges, who have attached to their court several (Lokiels) attornies; some ofwhom manage civil controversies, others misdemeanors, and others matters relating to religion, marriages, divorces, &c. These controversies are decided by the laws of the Koran, than which, and the commentaries thereon, they have no other written law. When two persons are engaged in a law-suit, they retain their respective attornies; if they cannot settle the dispute, they go to the Cadi, who generally sets on the ground at the gate of his house, where any one may be present. The two disputants stand before him, surrounded by their respective friends; the plaintiff speaks first, the defendant replies: in these law-suits the respective claims of the suitors are investigated. The Arabs (however ignorant they may be in other respects) defend themselves, whether right or wrong, so long as they have hope of gain, or fear of loss; but their well laid plans to conceal the truth, and elude the purposes of justice, are often exposed and rendered abortive by the penetrating sagacity with which their pretensions are investigated by the Cadi. The Cadi takes the evidence of the witnesses, and pronounces sentence, which is sometimes without appeal. The culprit is then taken into custody till he has satisfied the law; but in cases where he is entitled to an appeal, it is made to the Emperor, who takes the opinion of the (L’Alemma) learned, and decides the controversy by pronouncing judgment. If the crime be punishable by death, the sentence is either executed, or the criminal is delivered over to the aggrieved, and may then purchase of him his life, by money or contrition.

In places remote from the Emperor’s court, the (Kalif) viceregent, or bashaw, has his M’shoire, where he administers justice, sometimes according to the laws of the Koran, and at othersas his caprice dictates; for the same imperious despotism which the Emperor too frequently exercises over his bashaws and alkaids, is exercised by them over those who fall under their government; and the same is done again by their subalterns, when they have it in their power; thus tyranny proceeds progressively from the prince to the lowest of his officers: these petty tyrants are dispersed over the whole empire, and often give sanction to their extortions by effecting them in the name of their master; 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 happens, however, that those who amass the greatest sums in this way enjoy their ill gotten wealth but a very short time; some unexpected order from the Emperor, accusing them of crimes or misdemeanors, is made a pretext for depriving them, in their turn, of their property, which his majesty never fails to inform them can be of no use to them, being more than sufficient to procure the necessaries of life, and ought therefore to belong to the (Biet 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 people is such as might naturally be expected; they are suspicious, 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 affection, for their hearts are scarcely susceptible of one tender impression; thefather fears the son, the son the father; and this lamentable mistrust, and want of confidence, diffuses itself throughout the whole community.

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