MAROCCO.

Plate 9.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.West View of (Jibbel Heddeed) the Iron Mountains from the plains of Akkurmutein the Province of Shedma.1Circular encampment of Arabs.3Circular encampment of Arabs at a distance.2Ruined town of Akkermute destroyed by the plague.4Palm of Date Trees.5Sanctuary at the top of the Iron Mountains.London Published June 4. 1811. by W. G. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 9.

West View of (Jibbel Heddeed) the Iron Mountains from the plains of Akkurmute

in the Province of Shedma.

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

Plate 10.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.A South East View of Mogodor.1.Part of the Island of Mogodor.2.A Ship entering the Port.3.A Battery at the entrance of the Port.4.Do.Do.5.A Battery at the Landing Place.6.Building over the Emperor’s Scale.7.Emperor’s Coffee Alcove.8.British Vice Consuls tower.9.Mosque of the Citadel.10.French Vice Consuls tower.11.Spanish Vice Do.12.Batavian Vice Do.13.Entrance Port to the outer town.14.Grand Mosque of Seedy Usif.15. 16. & 17.Mosques.18.Duquella Battery.19.Duquella Gate.20.Gate near the Sea.21.Sandy Beach with loaded Camels approaching the town with the (Stata) or Convoy on horseback.22.Boat entering the passage.23.Landing Place.London Published June 4. 1811. by G. & W. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 10.

A South East View of Mogodor.

1.Part of the Island of Mogodor.2.A Ship entering the Port.3.A Battery at the entrance of the Port.4.Do.Do.5.A Battery at the Landing Place.6.Building over the Emperor’s Scale.7.Emperor’s Coffee Alcove.8.British Vice Consuls tower.9.Mosque of the Citadel.10.French Vice Consuls tower.11.Spanish Vice Do.12.Batavian Vice Do.13.Entrance Port to the outer town.14.Grand Mosque of Seedy Usif.15. 16. & 17.Mosques.18.Duquella Battery.19.Duquella Gate.20.Gate near the Sea.21.Sandy Beach with loaded Camels approaching the town with the (Stata) or Convoy on horseback.22.Boat entering the passage.23.Landing Place.

1.Part of the Island of Mogodor.2.A Ship entering the Port.3.A Battery at the entrance of the Port.4.Do.Do.5.A Battery at the Landing Place.6.Building over the Emperor’s Scale.

7.Emperor’s Coffee Alcove.8.British Vice Consuls tower.9.Mosque of the Citadel.10.French Vice Consuls tower.11.Spanish Vice Do.12.Batavian Vice Do.

13.Entrance Port to the outer town.14.Grand Mosque of Seedy Usif.15. 16. & 17.Mosques.18.Duquella Battery.19.Duquella Gate.20.Gate near the Sea.21.Sandy Beach with loaded Camels approaching the town with the (Stata) or Convoy on horseback.22.Boat entering the passage.23.Landing Place.

13.Entrance Port to the outer town.14.Grand Mosque of Seedy Usif.15. 16. & 17.Mosques.18.Duquella Battery.19.Duquella Gate.20.Gate near the Sea.

21.Sandy Beach with loaded Camels approaching the town with the (Stata) or Convoy on horseback.22.Boat entering the passage.23.Landing Place.

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

The wind being high all the summer, with little intermission, nothing will grow here in sufficient quantity to supply the inhabitants, all kinds of fruits and vegetables are therefore brought from gardens from four to twelve miles distant; and the cattle and poultry are also brought from the other side of the sandy hills, where the country, although interspersed with (Harushe) stony spots, is yet capable of producing every necessary of life. The insulated situation of Mogodor, and the want of fresh water, which is brought from the river a mile and a half distant, deprive the inhabitants of all resource, except that of commerce, so that every individual is supported directly or indirectly by it: in this respect it differs from every other port on the coast. The island which lies southward of the town is about two miles in circumference, between which and the main-land is a passage of water, where the ships anchor; but as there is but ten or twelve feet at ebb tide, ships of war, or those of great burden, do not enter the port, but lie at anchor about a mile and a half west of the (Skalla) LongBattery, which extends along the west side of the town towards the sea. This battery was constructed by a Genoese, and is perhaps more remarkable for beauty than strength, and better calculated for offensive than defensive operations. Proceeding southward, towards the entrance of the road, we come to a circular battery, on which are cannon and some mortars, besides a curious brass gun taken by General Lord Heathfield, during the siege of Gibraltar: the carriage, which is also of brass, is in the form of a lion, opens in the middle, and contains the gun within it.[49]Underneath this Battery is an extensive and copious mitfere, or cistern, into which the rain falls from the flat roofs or terraces during the wet season, and is sufficient to supply the garrison a twelvemonth.

Within the harbour, at the landing-place, are two long batteries mounted with very handsome brass eighteen pounders, which were presented to the Emperor Seedy Mohammed, by the Dutch government. The town is defended on the landside by a battery of considerable force to the eastward, and is fully adequate to keep the Shelluhs and Arabs at a distance.

Plate 11.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.North View of the Port of Mogodor taken on the Terras of a House.1.Vessel entering the Road.2.Battery on the Island.3.The Island.4.Battery on the Island.5.A Mosque on Do.6.A Battery on Do.7.A Bastion where the powder is deposited.8.A long Battery mounted with brass Cannon.9.Custom House Entrance.10.Emperor’s Scale.11.Warehouses.12.Sandy Hills and Desert Country.13.Battery near the River.14.The Emperor’s Palace.15.Village of Diabet.16.Dwaria or Summer house, attached to the Emperor’s Palace.17.Wall to prevent the encroachment of the Sea.18.Battery on a Rocky ground, forming the North entrance to the port.19.Cape Tegriwelt or Ossim.20.Road for Shipping.21.Battery where the State Prisoners are confined, previous to their transportation to the Island.22.Sandy Beach.London Published June 4. 1811. by W. & G. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 11.

North View of the Port of Mogodor taken on the Terras of a House.

1.Vessel entering the Road.2.Battery on the Island.3.The Island.4.Battery on the Island.5.A Mosque on Do.6.A Battery on Do.7.A Bastion where the powder is deposited.8.A long Battery mounted with brass Cannon.9.Custom House Entrance.10.Emperor’s Scale.11.Warehouses.12.Sandy Hills and Desert Country.13.Battery near the River.14.The Emperor’s Palace.15.Village of Diabet.16.Dwaria or Summer house, attached to the Emperor’s Palace.17.Wall to prevent the encroachment of the Sea.18.Battery on a Rocky ground, forming the North entrance to the port.19.Cape Tegriwelt or Ossim.20.Road for Shipping.21.Battery where the State Prisoners are confined, previous to their transportation to the Island.22.Sandy Beach.

1.Vessel entering the Road.2.Battery on the Island.3.The Island.4.Battery on the Island.5.A Mosque on Do.6.A Battery on Do.

7.A Bastion where the powder is deposited.8.A long Battery mounted with brass Cannon.9.Custom House Entrance.10.Emperor’s Scale.11.Warehouses.12.Sandy Hills and Desert Country.

13.Battery near the River.14.The Emperor’s Palace.15.Village of Diabet.16.Dwaria or Summer house, attached to the Emperor’s Palace.17.Wall to prevent the encroachment of the Sea.18.Battery on a Rocky ground, forming the North entrance to the port.19.Cape Tegriwelt or Ossim.20.Road for Shipping.21.Battery where the State Prisoners are confined, previous to their transportation to the Island.22.Sandy Beach.

13.Battery near the River.14.The Emperor’s Palace.15.Village of Diabet.16.Dwaria or Summer house, attached to the Emperor’s Palace.17.Wall to prevent the encroachment of the Sea.

18.Battery on a Rocky ground, forming the North entrance to the port.19.Cape Tegriwelt or Ossim.20.Road for Shipping.21.Battery where the State Prisoners are confined, previous to their transportation to the Island.22.Sandy Beach.

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

Various opinions have been given of the strength of Mogodor by the different naval officers who have visited it, and with whom I have gone round the fortifications by permission of the Governor of the citadel; I think the best one is, that if the works were all completely mounted, and well manned, it would require six or seven large frigates to capture, or rather destroy the place;[50]for if it were entered by storm, a dreadful slaughterwould be made among the assailants by the inhabitants from the tops of the houses, every house being a battery from whence the most destructive fire might be kept up with small arms. This was the case when the Arabs of Shedma, headed by their Sheiks, entered the town one Friday afternoon after prayers.[51]The cause was this: some persons in the town being dissatisfied with the Governor, who was a Bukarie black, or slave, and not a (horreh) freeman, engaged the Bashaw of Shedma[52]to enter the town with the chiefs of his province, assuring him, the people were well disposed towards him, and would, in the event of his forcing an entrance, give up the government to him, thereby securing to the town the necessary supplies of provisions, with which it had of late been but ill supplied, owing to the enmity between the Alkaid of the town, and the Bashaw of the neighbouring province. Things being mature for execution, the army of Arabs secreted themselves behind the sand hills in the hollows, about a mile from the town, whilst the Bashaw and chiefs rode in, and reached the entrance gate, just as it was opened after prayers, and secured the gate-keepers until about 17 or 18 of the chief Arabs of the provincehad passed into the town: by this time the inhabitants made a desperate push, and got the gate closed again; and the chiefs running about the streets, were fired upon by the armed populace from the tops of the houses, until the whole were killed. The Bashaw took refuge in an old house near the Haha gate, and offered a large sum of money if they would spare his life, but to no purpose; he was shot by the rabble. In the mean time the scouts from the army secreted in the bottoms seeing no signal from the town for their approach, were dismayed, and too soon found it necessary to return to their homes, with the loss of the flower of the province, the most undaunted warriors, who had so often signalized themselves against their neighbours, the Abda and Haha clans. The Arabs entered the town one by one, with fixed bayonets, a very unusual thing in that country, and the whole was conducted in so private a manner, that whilst I was walking round the town with Mr. C. Layton, we met the Bashaw, who saluted us (for he was attached to the English) and said we had nothing to fear, that all would terminate to our satisfaction before the morning. As the balls were flying in all directions, we went to the battery at the landing-place, and there remained till the tumult was over; and when we returned again into the town, were received by the Governor with compliments of congratulation on our escape.

The houses at Mogodor are built as in other towns of the empire; but those of the foreign merchants are more spacious, having from eight to twelve rooms on a floor, which are square or long, and open into a gallery which surrounds a court or garden in the interior of the house, which, if occupied by merchants, is appropriated to the packing and stowing of goods. The roofs are flat and beat down with terrace, a composition oflime and small stones, and when this is properly done, it will remain several years without admitting the rain, provided it be washed over once every autumn with lime white-wash: these terraces serve to walk on to take the air, and are preferable to the walks out of the town, where there is nothing but barren sands drifting with the wind. When, however, the trade-wind does not blow strong, which is but seldom the case, during the summer months, one may walk without being annoyed by the sand.

Mogodor has a very beautiful appearance at a distance, and particularly from the sea, the houses being all of stone, and white: but on entering the streets, which cross each other at right angles, we are greatly disappointed, for they are narrow, and the houses having few windows towards the street, they have a sombre appearance.

In case of an attack, Mogodor would find some difficulty in procuring water, which is brought from the river, about a mile and half to the south, in jars and casks, by mules and asses.

The Emperor Seedy Mohammed, to impress on the minds of his subjects, his desire to make Mogodor the principal commercial port on the ocean, ordered the Bashaw Ben Amaran, and others of the great officers about his person, to bring him mortar and stones, whilst he with his own hands began to build a wall, which is still to be seen on the rocks west of the town; and, in order to encourage the merchants to erect substantial houses, he gave them ground to build on, and allowed them to ship produce, free of duty, by way of remuneration for their expenses. This is the only port which maintains a regular and uninterrupted commercial intercourse with Europe.

A winter seldom passes but some ships are driven ashorehere by the south-west winds, and this happens generally between the 12th of December, and the 22d of January, the season called Liali by the Arabs, and the only period dangerous to shipping in the bay.

Proceeding to the south along the coast, the next port we reach is Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, called, in the time of Leo Africanus, Guertguessem; it is the last port in the Emperor’s dominions, on the shores of the Atlantic. The town, which stands on the summit of the Atlas, is strong by nature, and almost impregnable; its walls are also defended by batteries; but the principal battery is at a short distance from the town, half way down the west declivity of the mountain, and was originally intended to protect a fine spring of fresh water, close to the sea; this battery also commands the approach to the town, both from the north and south, and the shipping in the bay. The town called by the Portuguese Fonté, and by the Shelluhs Agurem, is still standing at the foot of the mountain towards the sea, and the arms of that nation are yet to be seen in a building erected over the spring. This town was appropriated to warehouses for the merchants of Santa Cruz to deposit their effects during its establishment.

Santa Cruz was walled round and strengthened by batteries in 1503, by Emanuel, king of Portugal, but it was taken from the Portuguese by the Moors in 1536.

This place would make an excellent depot for the produce of South America; the natural strength of the place, situated on the summit of Atlas, would secure it from the attacks of the Shelluhs and Arabs, who would soon become hospitable and friendly: they are addicted to traffic. Plantations of olives, vines, dates, and oranges abound in the adjacent country; itproduces also gum, almonds, copper, lead, salt-petre, and sulphur. Gold dust is brought here from Soudan, silver from the adjacent mountains, and ambergris from the coast to the southward.

The bay of Agadeer is probably the best road for vessels in the empire, being large, deep, and well defended on every side from all winds: a proof of this is, that during my three years residence there, there was not a ship lost or injured. It abounds in exquisite fish, immense quantities of which are caught by the inhabitants of the town, and prepared in ovens, for transportation to the interior.[53]

In the reign of Muley Ismael, Agadeer was the centre of a very extensive commerce, whither the Arabs of the Desert, and the people of Soudan, resorted to purchase various kinds of merchandize for the markets of the interior of Africa; and caravans were constantly passing to and from Timbuctoo. The natural strength of the place, however, its imposing situation, and capability of resisting any force, excited the jealousy of the Emperors, which was confirmed in 1773 by the inhabitants becoming refractory, and Talb Solh, the governor, refusing to deliver it up. On learning this, the Emperor Seedy Mohammed immediately levied an army, and marched from Marocco against it; the place did not make a long resistance, for the rebellious governor, finding it impossible to withstand the imperial army, yielded to the persuasions of the chiefs to accept an invitation the Emperor had sent him to come and declare his allegiance, as on doing that he should receive his pardon; heaccordingly repaired to Tamaract,[54]but found, too late, that this was only a stratagem to seize his person, as he was immediately imprisoned; but procuring, by the assistance of a friend, a penknife, which was sent to him, baked in a loaf of bread, he with this terminated his existence, and the town soon after surrendered. The merchants were allowed but a short time to collect together their effects, when they were ordered to proceed to Mogodor, where the Emperor, as before mentioned, encouraged them to build houses.

Beyond Santa Cruz there is no port frequented by shipping: there is a tract of coast, however, which holds out great encouragement to commercial enterprize, and secure establishments might be affected upon it, which would amply remunerate the enterprizing speculator; the people of Suse are also well disposed towards Europeans, particularly the English; and the communication, and short distance, between this place and the provinces, or districts, where most of the valuable products of Barbary are raised, render it peculiarly adapted to trade.

When curiosity induced me to visit this coast, I was invited by the Amarani Arabs to establish a factory at a certain eligible place; the Sheik offered to get a house built for me, free of expense, and declared that all exports and imports should be regulated by a duty of only two per cent. on the value; as he was, however, liable to be shot, being a celebrated warrior, and as I was not sufficiently known in England to procure the credit necessary to carry on advantageously such an establishment, I thought it prudent at that time to decline the overture. If, however, I had been able to procure the same support fromEurope that I should have had from the natives and their Sheik, an eligible opportunity would have presented itself to open an extensive and lucrative trade with the interior, which in a short time would have supplied the whole of the inland countries of North Africa with European manufactures and produce.

From Santa Cruz southward the sovereignty of the Emperor slackens, so that at Wedinoon it is scarcely acknowledged, and the difficulty of passing an army over that branch of the Atlas which separates Suse from Haha, secures to the Wedinoonees their arrogated independence. There are but two roads yet discovered fit for shipping between Santa Cruz and Cape Bojador, an extent of coast, for the most part desert, of seventy leagues, the whole of which is inhabited by various tribes of Arabs, who have emigrated at different periods from the interior of Sahara, and pitched their tents wherever they could find a spot capable of affording pasture to their flocks. All along this dangerous and deceitful coast, there are rocks even with, or very near, the surface of the water, over which the waves break violently; and the rapidity of the currents, which invariably set in towards the land, too often drive vessels ashore here.[55]

In these southern climates the people are more superstitious than in the northern provinces; the heat inflaming the imagination, multiplies the number of fanatics, who under the name of Fakeers, or saints, impose on the credulity of the people: they have but few mosques, and therefore pray in the open air, or in their tents. Here we see horses, camels, and other beasts, living together with men, women, and children indiscriminately. When they are in want of water for their religiousablutions, they substitute the use of sand. These restless people are continually at war with their neighbours, which originates in family quarrels; plunder keeps them incessantly in motion, and they traverse the Desert to Soudan, Timbuctoo, and Wangara, with as little preparation as we should make to go from London to Hampstead.

Wedinoon is a kind of intermediate depot for merchandize on its way to Soudan, and for the produce of Soudan going to Mogodor. Gums and wax are produced here in abundance; and the people living in independance, indulge in the luxuries of dress, and use many European commodities. A great quantity of gold dust is bought and sold at Wedinoon. They trade sometimes to Mogodor, but prefer selling their merchandize on the spot, not wishing to trust their persons and property within the territory of the Emperor of Marocco. With Timbuctoo, however, they carry on a constant and advantageous trade, and many of the Arabs are immensely rich; they also supply the Moors of Marocco with (Statas) convoys through the Desert, in their travels to Timbuctoo.

Some of the more enlightened merchants of Mogodor, towards the close of the last century, had a great opinion of an establishment somewhere on this coast, between the latitude of 27° and 30° north; but a famine, and afterwards a most destructive plague, added to various other incidents, conspired to prevent the execution of the plan. It is certain that a very profitable commerce might be carried on with these people; and most probably Bonaparte, if he succeed in the final conquest of Spain, will turn his mind decidedly to an extensive factory somewhere here, which (besides many advantages, which existing circumstances prevent me explaining here) would effectually open adirect communication with Timbuctoo, and Soudan, and supply that immense territory with European manufactures at the second hand, which they now receive at the fifth and sixth.

Having said thus much about the coast, we will proceed to describe the principal inland towns, viz. Marocco, Mequinas, Fas, and Terodant.

Plate 12.Drawn by J. G. Jackson.Engraved J. C. Stadler.West View of the City of Marocco with the Mountains of Atlas.1Circular encampment of Arabs Tents.3Grove of Palm of Date Trees.2Strait encampment of Arabs Tents.4Do.Do.5Atlas Mountains.London Published June 4. 1811. by W. & G. Nicholl Pall Mall.

Plate 12.

West View of the City of Marocco with the Mountains of Atlas.

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

The city of Marocco is situated in a fruitful plain, abounding in grain, and all the other necessaries of life, and depastured by sheep and cattle, and horses of a superior breed, called (Sift Ain Toga) the breed of Ain Toga. At a distance, the city has a beautiful and romantic appearance, the adjacent country being interspersed with groves of the lofty palm, and the towering snow-topped mountains of Atlas, in the back-ground, seem to cool the parched and weary traveller reposing in the plains; for although none

“Can hold a fire in his hand,“By thinking on the frosty Caucasus;”Shakspeare.

“Can hold a fire in his hand,

“By thinking on the frosty Caucasus;”

Shakspeare.

yet, in the sultry season, the traveller, by viewing these mountains, experiences an agreeable sensation, difficult to be described. The lily of the valley, the fleur-de-lis, lupins, roses, jonquils, mignonet, jasmines, violets, the orange and citron flowers, and many others, grow here spontaneously; and in the months of March and April, the air in the morning, is strongly perfumed with their grateful and delicious odours. The fruits are, oranges of the finest flavour, figs of various kinds, water and musk melons, apricots, peaches, and various kinds of grapes, pears, dates, plums, and pomgranates.

The city of Marocco was founded in the 424th year of the Hejira[56](1052) by Jusuf Teshfin, of the family of Luntuna, a tribe of Arabs inhabiting the plains east of Atlas, on the way to Tafilelt; and in the time of his grandson, Aly ben Yusif, it is said to have contained a million of inhabitants; latterly, however, it has been much depopulated, and owing to the devastations of succeeding conquerors, retains little of its ancient magnificence; the accumulated ruins of houses and gardens within the town, which were once the sites of habitations, indicate its decay. It is surrounded by extremely thick walls, formed of a cement of lime and sandy earth,[57]put in cases, and beaten together with square rammers. These walls were in many places broken and decayed, so that horses might pass through them; but the breaches were repaired previous to the siege and capture of the city by Muley Yezzid, in February, 1792. Some of the houses are built with much elegance and taste, but being all behind high walls, they are not visible from the street; and these outer walls are of the rudest construction, for every individual here is anxious to conceal his wealth, and to impress the public and the State with an idea that he is poor and distressed!

The imperial palace of Marocco, which faces Mount Atlas, is built of hewn stone, ornamented with marble. It is not so magnificent a building as that of Mequinas; the architecture of the principal gates is Gothic, embellished with various ornaments in the Arabesque taste; the walls of some of the roomsare of filligree-work, and others of (ezzulia, or) glazed tiles, similar to the Chinese tiles, which are fixed in the walls with much art, and have a cool effect. Three gardens are attached to the palace, the first and largest is called Jinen el Erdoua, the second Jinen el Afia, and the third, which is the smallest, and situated at a private door, Jinen Nile, or the Garden of the Nile, so named from its containing the fruits and plants of the Nile, Timbuctoo, and Soudan, with many others, the produce of Barbary. In the two former of these gardens, the Emperor allows the foreign merchants to pitch their tents whenever they visit him, which is generally every time he goes to Marocco, and in the Jinen Nile they have their audience of business, that is, the second audience, the first being an interview of ceremony, and the third, an audience of leave to depart. The two first gardens abound with olives, oranges, grapes of various kinds, apricots, peaches, pomgranates, water-melons, citrons, limes, &c.; these, however, are surpassed in richness by the Jinen Nile, the orange trees of which are small, but very fruitful, and the flowers extremely odoriferous; the roses, in particular, are unequalled, and matrasses are made of their leaves for the men of rank to recline upon. In these gardens are (Kobba) pavilions about forty feet square, with pyramidal roofs covered with glazed tiles of various colours, and lighted from four lofty and spacious doors, which are opened according to the position of the sun; they are painted and gilt in the Arabesque style, and ornamented with square compartments containing passages from the Koran, in a sort of hieroglyphic character, or Arabic shorthand, understood only by the first scholars. As the luxury and convenience of tables, chairs, and curtains are unknown in this country, the furniture of these apartments is very simple,consisting of a couple of sofas or couches, some china, and tea equipage, a clock, a few arms hung round the walls, a water-pot, and carpets to kneel upon in prayers. Here the Emperor takes coffee or tea, and transacts business with his courtiers.

The grand pavilion in the middle of the enclosure is appropriated to the women; it is a very spacious building, and fitted up in the same style of neatness and simplicity as the others.[58]

Near to the palace is (the M’shoar, or) Place of Audience, an extensive quadrangle, walled in, but open to the sky, in which the Emperor gives audience to his subjects, hears their complaints, and administers justice.

In Marocco are many temples, sanctuaries, and mosques; of these, the most curious is one in the middle of the city, called Jamâa Sidi Yusif, built by a prince named Muley el Mumen, on the site of one erected by Sidi Yusif, which the former destroyed with a view to obliterate the latter prince’s name; in this, however, he was disappointed, for though he expended great sums in the erection of the present building, and called it after himself, for the purpose of transmitting his own name to posterity, yet the people continued to call it by the old name, which it retains to the present time.

There is another mosque, said to have been built by Muleyel Monsore;[59]the body of it is supported by many pillars of marble, and under it is a (mitfere) cistern, which holds a large quantity of water, collected in the rainy season, and used by the Mohammedans for their ablutions. The tower is square, and built like that of Seville in Spain, and the one near Rabat already described;[60]the walls are four feet thick, and it has seven stories, in each of which are windows, narrow on the outside, but wide within, which renders the interior light and airy: the ascent is not by stairs, but by a gradually winding terrace composed of lime and small stones, so firmly cemented together as to be nearly as hard as iron. On the summit of the tower is a turret in the form of a square lantern, hence called (Smâa el Fannarh) the Lantern Tower, which commands a most extensive prospect, and from whence Cape Cantin, distant about 120 miles, is distinctly visible. The roofs of the different chambers in this building, which are all quadrangular, are very ingeniously vaulted: and indeed the whole workmanship is of the most excellent kind. Prayers are performed here every Friday in presence of the Emperor. That part of the city adjoining this edifice is quite a heap of ruins.

There is another tower in the city, which may be mentioned, from the circumstance of its having three golden balls on its top, weighing together, it is said, 10 quintals, equal to 1205 lbs. avoirdupois. Several kings, when in want of money, have, it is said, attempted to take them down, but without success, as they are very firmly and artfully fixed; the superstitious people say they are fixed by magic, that (jin) a spirit guards them from all injury, and that all those who have attempted their removal,were soon after killed.[61]There is a tradition, that the wife of Muley el Mumen, desirous of ornamenting the temple built by her husband, caused these globes to be made of the gold melted down from the jewels which the king gave her.

At the extremity of the city, towards the Atlas, and near the imperial palace, is the department for the Jews, called El Millah, the gates of which are shut at night: these people have an Alkaid appointed over them, to whom they apply for protection against insult: they pay a certain tribute or poll-tax, (called Elgazia), to the Alkaid; they are for the most part rich; but from motives of policy, under this despotic government, they endeavour to appear poor, miserable, and dirty. Not more than two thousand Jewish families now reside here, great numbers having been induced, from various causes, to emigrate to the adjacent mountains, where they are free from taxation.

In this quarter stands the Spanish convent, which, till lately, was inhabited by two or three friars; but it is now deserted.

The Kasseria, or department for trade, is an oblong building, surrounded with shops of a small size, filled with silks, cloths, linens, and other valuable articles for sale. Here the people resort to transact business, hear the news, &c. much in the same manner as is done on the exchanges of European towns; and independent gentlemen, who have no occupation at court, often hire one of these shops, merely for the purpose of passing the morning here in conversation on politics, and other subjects.

The principal gates of Marocco are the Beb El Khumise and Beb Duquella; the former takes its name from a market called Soke El Khumise, or the fifth day’s market, or Thursday’smarket, where horses, cattle, and all kinds of merchandize are bought and sold; the latter, or Duquella Gate, takes its name from the province of that name. Besides these, there is the Gate of the Millah, the Gate of the Luksebba, or palace, and two or three other gates.

The city of Marocco is supplied with water from numerous wells and springs amongst the different olive plantations, and the rich procure it from the river Tensift, which flows at a short distance from the city: this water is very salubrious, and anti-bilious, and is drank in cases of indigestion. There is also a subterraneous aqueduct built of brick, which surrounds the town, twenty feet below the surface, and from which, at about every hundred yards, pipes of brick-work branch off, and convey the water into the different houses; over each of these branches are excavations from the surface, through which persons descend to repair any injuries below; but this aqueduct is now much neglected, and out of repair.

This city being now on the decline, little can be said of its cleanliness; the streets are mostly filled with ruins of houses which have gone to decay; and in the Millah, or Jews’ quarter, heaps of dung and other filth are seen, as high as the houses. The Moors, however, from a natural desire of cleanliness, in which the Jews are scandalously deficient, pay more attention to the streets in which they reside. The houses of the Alkaids, Shereefs, or nobles, and other military officers, are lofty, spacious, and strongly built, with a turret in the middle, or on one side, where the women take the air, and pass the eveningin fresco. The rest of the houses being almost all old, they swarm with vermin, particularly bugs, which, in the summer season, are literally a plague, the walls being covered with them; at thisperiod also, the inhabitants are much annoyed with scorpions, which are frequently found in the beds, and other places;[62]to these may be added the domestic serpent, but this is rather considered as an object of veneration, than a nuisance.[63]

The air about Marocco is generally calm; the neighbouring mountains of Atlas defend the plain in which it stands from the scorching Shume, or hot wind (which blows from Tafilelt and Sahara), by arresting its progress, and the snow with which they are always covered, imparts a coolness to the surrounding atmosphere; in summer, however, the heat is intense, though the nights during that period are cool; in winter the cold is very sensibly felt: but the climate is altogether extremely healthy. The inhabitants, particularly the Jews, are, however, affected with ophthalmia.

On the death of Aly ben Yusif, a private individual named El Meheddi, a man of ambitious character, sprung up in the Atlas mountains, and levying a large army, proceded to Marocco, and laid siege to the town, which was then commanded by Muley Bryhim, successor to Aly ben Yusif, who collecting his forces, marched out to give El Meheddi battle; but being completely overpowered and defeated, he fled to Imsmise in the Atlas east of Marocco. El Meheddi not satisfied with his escape, ordered his general in chief to pursue him with one half of his numerous army, whilst he took possession of Marocco with the other; the general pursued the King so closely, that he arrived immediately after him at Oran, where the latter, finding no support, and being driven to despair, mounted hishorse in the night, and placing his queen behind him, rode out of the place, and clapping spurs to the horse, passed over a precipice, and was, together with his queen, dashed to pieces. His body being discovered, the general, who was a prince, and named Muley el Mamune, returned with the army to the city of Marocco, where, on his arrival, finding El Meheddi dead, and succeeded by his son, he attacked the city, and after a year’s siege took it; irritated at being so opposed, he put El Meheddi’s son to death, and a dreadful massacre of the army and citizens ensued, after which he was proclaimed Sultan and Amer el Mumenine,[64]and established the first Diwan, which consisted of ten men learned in the Arabic language, and in the laws of the Koran. This El Mamune’s posterity reigned at Marocco from the 516th to the 668th year of the Hejira,[65]and then were dispossessed by a king of the tribe of Marin, whose posterity reigned with despotic sway till the year 785 of the Hejira.

The city of Mequinas stands in a beautiful valley about sixty miles from Salée, near the sanctuary of Muley Dris Zerone; and is surrounded by gentle eminences, and highly cultivated vales, ornamented with plantations of dates, grapes, figs, pomgranates, oranges, olives, &c., all which grow in abundance, the surrounding country being well watered by various springs and streams.

This city owes its present extent and consequence to theSultan Muley Ismael, who, after having secured to himself the undisputed sovereignty of the small kingdoms which now form the empire of Marocco, determined, in order to keep his people in more complete subjection, to have two imperial cities, and in consequence made Marocco the capital of the south, and Mequinas that of the north; he at the same time considerably enlarged the city to the westward, and erected a beautiful palace, which is defended by two bastions mounted with a few guns of small calibre.

In the plain, on that side of the city towards the Atlas mountains, is a wall of circumvallation about six feet in height, which was built as a defence against the Berebbers, whose attacks, though impetuous, are momentary, and do not require a long defence. Muley Ismael, and his successor, Muley Abdallah, have repeatedly defended themselves in this city against these people, when, in attempting to bring them under their yoke, they have been routed, and their armies pursued to its very walls.

At the south end of the city stands the palace (which encloses the Horem, or seraglio), a very extensive quadrangular edifice, built by Ismael, after his own design; it contains several gardens admirably laid out, and watered by numerous streams from the adjacent country. I obtained permission to view this building from the Emperor’s brother, as no person is suffered to enter it without leave. In the centre of the enclosure is the horem, within which is a spacious garden, planted with tall cypress trees; it is surrounded by a gallery, supported by columns, which communicates with the adjoining apartments, the largest of which are appropriated to the women (the smaller rooms being for the eunuchs and female attendants), andterminate in a hall, or large chamber, built on a causeway which divides the gardens; here the females look through the iron-latticed windows, and take the air, which, in the summer, is perfumed with the smell of violets, jasmines, roses, wild thyme, and other delectable odours. The palace is also interspersed with buildings called Kobbah, which contain a spacious square room, the roof of which is pyramidical, and on the inside curiously carved and ornamented with painting and gilding.

This extensive palace is rendered more spacious by being built altogether on the ground floor; the rooms are long and lofty, but narrow, being about 12 feet wide, 18 high, and 25 long; the walls are inlaid with glazed tiles of bright colours, which give an air of coolness to the apartments; and the light is communicated by means of two large folding doors, which are opened, more or less, according to the degree of light required in the room. Between the different suites of apartments are courts regularly paved with squares of black and white marble; and in the centre of some of these stands a marble fountain.

The Millah, or that part of the city inhabited by the Jews, is walled round, and is extensive, and in good repair. Many of the Jews live in affluence.

Contiguous to the Millah is another enclosure called the Negroes’ quarter, built by Ismael for the residence of the families of his black troops;[66]of this, however, nothing remains but the walls.

In this city was an hospitium, or convent of Spanish monks,founded about a century since by the king of Spain, for the relief and spiritual comfort of Catholic captives, and Christian travellers. This convent, and that at Marocco, were much respected by the Mooselemin, from the essential service afforded by the monks to the poor, whom they used to supply with medicines gratis; but, after a long practice, they found their prescriptions were grossly abused by the Moors, who took them without any regard to regimen; they were therefore obliged to make a general medicine for all applicants, composed of a decoction of simples with honey, and this they denominated thedua sheriff, or princely remedy. This convent was deserted by the monks previous to the accession of Soliman, the present Emperor.

The streets of Mequinas are not paved, and on this account it is a very disagreeable place in winter, as the rains cause the mud to accumulate, which renders walking abroad very unpleasant. The inhabitants are extremely hospitable: they invite strangers to their gardens, and entertain them sumptuously: indeed, the manners of the people in this part of the empire, are more mild, perhaps, than in any other.

Nature seems to have favoured the women of Mequinas, for they are handsome without exception, and to a fair complexion, with expressive black eyes, and dark hair, they unite a suavity of manners rarely to be met with even in the most polished nations of Europe.

This city (which is divided into old and new, called Fas Jedide, and Fas El Bâlee) is the most celebrated in West Barbary; it was founded about the 185th year of the Hejira(A.C. 786) by Idris,[67]a descendant of Mohammed. It stands for the most part upon gentle hills, except the centre, which is low, and in winter very wet and dirty. It is not so extensive as Marocco, but the houses being more lofty and spacious, it contains more inhabitants. The houses have flat roofs ingeniously worked in wood, and covered with terrace, on which the inhabitants spread carpets in summer, to recline upon, and enjoy the cool breezes of the evening; a small turret, containing a room or two, is also erected upon them for the use of the females of the family, who resort thither for amusement and pastime. In the centre of each house is an open quadrangle surrounded by a gallery, which communicates with the staircase, and into which the doors of the different apartments open; these doors are both wide and lofty, and are made of curiously carved wood painted in various colours. The beams of the roofs of the different apartments are whimsically painted with gay colours in the arabesque style. The portals of the houses are supported with pillars of brick plaistered over. The principal houses have (Mitferes) cisterns under them, containing water used in the baths, which are built of marble or stone. Every house is also supplied with water from a river which rises in the Atlas, and enters the town in various places by covered channels. The hospitals, colleges, and houses of the great and wealthy have, withinside, spacious courts, adorned with sumptuous galleries, fountains, basons of fine marble, andfish-ponds, shaded with orange, lemon, pomgranate, and fig trees, abounding with fruit, and ornamented with roses, hyacinths, jasmine, violets, and orange flowers, emitting a delectable fragrance.

In the city are a great number of mosques, sanctuaries, and other public buildings; about fifty of these are very sumptuous edifices, being ornamented with a kind of marble, unknown in Europe, procured in the Atlas mountains.[68]

The maintenance of professors and students in the mosques, has lately become very scanty, the wars having destroyed many of the possessions by which learning was promoted. The students are mostly employed in reading the Koran; if any one read a text which he does not understand, the professor explains it to him in public; at other times they dispute among themselves, and the professor finally explains the passage.

A public bath is attached to each mosque, for religious ablutions; there are also public baths in various parts of the town, whither the common people resort;[69]the men at one hour and the women at another; when occupied by the latter, a rope is suspended from the cieling of the first apartment, as a signal to the stranger not to proceed farther; and so particular are they in this respect, that a man would not be here permitted to speak to his own wife, such regard have they for their reputation. These baths produce a considerable sum annually. Besides these there are chalybeate, sulphureous, and antimonial baths; there is also a bath celebrated as a specific for the venereal disease, which is said to be an infallible cure in three months.

The hospitals which have been mentioned by early writers as being in Fas, must have fallen greatly into decay, as there are now very few; in these the poor are fed, but no surgeon or physician is attached to them; women attend the infirm and sick till they recover, or death terminate their sufferings. There is a Muristan, or mad-house, where deranged people are confined; they are chained down, and superintended by men who use them very harshly; their apartments are disgustingly filthy.

There are nearly two hundred caravanseras or inns, called Fondaque, in this city; these buildings are three stories high, and contain from fifty to one hundred apartments, in each of which is a water-cock to supply water for ablution and various other purposes. As the mode of travelling is to carry bedding with one, they do not provide beds in these inns, but leave you to make use of what you have got, providing only a mat: and if you want any refreshment you cannot order a meal, but must purchase it at a cook’s shop, or procure it at the butcher’s, and get it dressed yourself, paying so much per day for your apartment, the master of the Fondaque supplying charcoal and Umjummars, or portable earthen fire-pots, &c.

There are a great many corn-mills in Fas; for the inhabitants being mostly poor, and unable to lay up corn sufficient in store, they purchase meal of the millers, who make great profit by it. The rich buy their own corn, and send it to the mills to be ground.

Each trade or occupation has its separate department allotted to it; in one place are seen several shops occupied by notaries or scriveners, two in each shop; in another stationers; in another shoe-makers: here a fruit market, there wax chandlers;another part is allotted to those who fry meat, and make a light kind of bread called Sfinge, fried in oil, and eaten with honey. Animals are not suffered to be slaughtered in the city; this is done at a distance from it, near the river, and the meat is sent from thence to the different shops in the town, but first to the Mutasseb, or officer who superintends the price of provisions, who, after examining it, sets a price upon it on a piece of paper; this the venders show to the people, who buy at the rate affixed.

The inhabitants of Fas are fond of poultry, which they rear in cages to prevent them from running about the house, and dirting the rooms.

The Kasseria is a square place walled round, and divided into twelve wards, two of which are allotted to the shoe-makers, who work for the princes and gentlemen; the others consist of silk-mercers and cloth and linen shops. There are sixty (Dellel) criers, or itinerant auctioneers, who receive from the various shops, pieces of cloth, linen, &c. and going about crying (al ziada) “who bids more,” sell the lot to the highest bidder.

Fas Jedide, or New Fas, which lies contiguous to Old Fas, is a well built town, in which are the looms and other machinery for the different trades. The gardens here abound with all sorts of delicious fruits; and roses and other odoriferous flowers perfume the serene air, so that it is justly called a paradise. Westward, towards the Emperor’s palace, stands a castle, built by one of the princes of the Luntuna family, wherein the Kings of Fas kept their court before the palace was built; but when New Fas was begun by the sovereigns of the Marin dynasty, the castle became the residence of the Governor of the city.

This is the metropolis of the South, and was formerly that of the kingdom of Suse: the town is spacious, and very ancient. The buildings, generally speaking, are handsome. There is a magnificent palace here, with gardens producing in abundance a variety of the most delicious fruits. The adjacent plains are incredibly fertile. The population of this city has decreased considerably; it is now celebrated for salt-petre of a very superior quality; for the manufacture of leather, and for saddles; also for dyeing. The river Suse passes through the town. Terodant has stood various sieges; and during the last, the inhabitants were reduced to the necessity of eating rats and dogs, and burning their doors for fuel.

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