Chapter XXVIII: Letter XIX (2)

[Footnote 140: It has been asserted by a physician who has
lately written, _Observations on contagion, as it relates to
the plague and other epidemical diseases_, reviewed in article
20th of the _British Review_, and _London Critical Journal_,
published in May last, that I have asserted that the deaths
during the prevalence of that disorder in West Barbary in 1799,
amounted to 124,500; but on a reference to my account of
Marocco, Timbuctoo, &c., 2d or 3d edition, note, page 174, it
will appear, that this mortality was that of two cities, and
two sea-ports only, viz., the cities of Fas and Marocco, and
the ports of Saffy and Mogodor; the mortality, however, was
equally great in the imperial cities of Mequinas and Terodant,
and in the sea-port towns of Tetuan, Tangier, Arzilla,
L'Araich, Salee, Rabat, Dar el Bieda, Azamore, Mazagan, and
Santa Cruz, or Agadeer; and considerably greater among the
populous and numerous encampments of the Arabs, throughout the
various provinces of the empire; not to mention the incredible
mortality in the castles, towns, and other walled habitations
of the Shelluh province of Haha, the first province, travelling
from the shores of the Mediterranean, where the people live in
walled habitations, the seaports excepted.]
188
Whence proceeds this difference? Is it a different species of
plague, and not so deadly a contagion? Or is it because the remedy
of _olive_ oil, applied and recommended generally by me, and by
some other Europeans during the plague of 1799, is now made public
and generally administered? This is an inquiry well deserving the
attention of scientific men. And His Majesty's ministers might
procure the information from the British consul at Tangier, or from
the governor of Gibraltar: perhaps the truth is, that the contagion
is of a more mild character.

With regard to the remedy of olive oil applied[141] internally, I
should, myself, be disposed to doubt its efficacy unless M. Colaço,
189 the Portuguese consul at L'Araich, is competent to declare, _from
his own knowledge and experience_, that this remedy has been
administered effectually by him to persons having the plague, who
did not _also use the friction with oil_. I say, till this can be
ascertained, I think the remedy of oil applied _externally_, should
not be forsaken; as _it has been proved during the plague in
Africa, in 1799, to be infallible_, and therefore indispensable to
people whose vocation may lead them to associate with, or to touch
or bury the infected. For the rest, such persons as are not
compelled to associate with the infected, may effectually avoid the
contagion, however violent and deadly it may be, by avoiding
contact. I am so perfectly convinced of this fact, from the
experience and observation I have made during my residence at
Mogodor, whilst the plague raged there in 1799, that I would not
object to go to any country, although it were rotten with the
plague, provided my going would benefit mankind, or serve any
useful purpose; and I would use no fumigation, or any other remedy
but what I actually used at Mogodor in 1799. I am so convinced from
my own repeated and daily experience, that the most deadly plague
is as easy to be avoided BY STRICTLY ADHERING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF
AVOIDING PERSONAL CONTACT AND INHALATION, AND THE CONTACT OF
INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES, that I would ride or walk through the most
190 populous and deeply-infected city, as I have done before, without
any other precaution than that of a segar in my mouth, when, by
avoiding contact and inhalation, I should most assuredly be free
from the danger of infection!!

[Footnote 141: Mr. Colaço, having lately observed that oil was
used externally to anoint the body, as a preservative against
the plague; conceived the idea of administering this simple
remedy _internally_ to persons already infected; numerous
experiments were made by this gentleman, who administered from
four to eight oz. olive oil at a dose; and out of 300
individuals already infected, who resorted to this remedy, only
twelve died.]

When these precautions are strictly observed, I maintain, (in
opposition to all the theoretical dogmas that have lately been
propagated) that there is no more danger of infection with the
plague, than there is of infection from any common cold or rheum.

191

JOURNEY FROM TANGIER TO RABAT
_THROUGH THE PLAINS OF SEBOO_,

To accompany Dr. Bell, in Company with the Prince Muley Teib and an
Army of Cavalry.

_Officiated as Interpreter between the Prince and Dr.
Bell.--Description of Food sent to us by the Prince.--The Plains of
M'sharrah Rummellah, an incomparable fine and productive
Country.--The Cavalry of the Amorites,--their unique Observations
on Dr. Bell.--their mean Opinion of his Art, because he could not
cure Death.--Passage of the River Seboo on Rafts of inflated
Skins.--Spacious Tent of Goat's Hair erected for the Sheik, and
appropriated to the Use of the Prince.--Description of the
magnificent Plains of M'sharrah Rummellah and Seboo.--Arabian
Royalty.--Prodigious Quantity of Corn grown in these
Plains.--Matamores, what they are.--Mode of Reaping.--The Prince
presents the Doctor with a Horse, and approves of his
Medicines.--The Prince and the Doctor depart south-eastwardly, and
the Author pursues his Journey to Rabat and Mogodor._

I happened to be at Tangier when the (_shereef_) prince Muley Teib
was collecting an army to join that of the emperor, which was on
the banks of the river Morbeya, (see the map of West Barbary, p.
55,) in Shawiya. Doctor Bell, who had then recently arrived from
Gibraltar, to attend the prince, whose lungs were affected, was to
192 accompany his Royal Highness; and, as I had nothing to detain me in
Tangier, and was going to Rabat, I engaged to accompany the doctor,
and offered to officiate as interpreter between him and the prince
till our arrival at Rabat; after which I should leave him, and
proceed to Mogodor. The Doctor readily assented to my proposition,
because it is considered more respectable in this country, where
the Jews are reprobated and despised, to have for an interpreter a
Christian; the prince also, when he heard that I had thus offered
my services, expressed himself much gratified, and I received a
very polite message from him. The next day we started from Tangier,
in the morning at ten o'clock. The army halted east of Arzilla, in
the plains: the prince sat down under the shade of a tree to
dinner, Dr. Bell and myself under another tree, about 100 yards
distant. The Prince sent us a capon stewed _à-la-mauresque_ with
saffron, the exquisite flavour of which proved that he had an
excellent cook with him. We departed in half an hour; and the tents
were pitched at sunset, in a campaign country, between Arzilla and
L'Araich. The Ait-Amor or Amorites who formed a part of this army,
a wild, uncontrolled race of Berebbers, saw the attention that was
paid by the shereef to the doctor, and after dinner they were
determined to see what sort of a fellow this doctor was, whom the
shereef treated so familiarly. They galloped their high-mettled
horses up to the doctor; and stopping short to examine him, made a
193 reflection on him and returned. The doctor observed the wild and
tattered appearance of these excellent horsemen. There was nothing
evil-minded in them; but their observations were remarkable. The
Doctor wore powder, a custom unknown in this country: one party
would say, "He has got lime in his head to kill the vermin;"
another would observe that "He was old or grey-headed." The Doctor
was fond of his bottle, and some said _skurren bel akkaran_, i.e.
"The[142] son of a cuckold is drunk." Others would bawl out, _Wa
Tebeeb washka't dowie elmoot_, i.e. "O, doctor, canst thou cure
death?" To which he replied, "No."--"Then," returned they, "thou
art no doctor!" On the following morning at sun-rise we proceeded,
and reached L'Araich at twelve o'clock; we did not enter the town,
but dined in the plains, and proceeding afterwards out of the main
road, we directed our course south-east, till we reached a most
beautiful and very extensive plain, called M'sharrah Rummellah.
This plain was covered with numerous and immense flocks of sheep
and horned cattle, and is many times more extensive than Salisbury
plain. We pitched our tents near a very extensive and populous
douar of Arabs. We departed the next morning at sun-rise, and
reached the plains of the river Seboo about two o'clock in the
afternoon; which plains are a continuation of those of M'sharrah
194 Rummellah; the army were engaged the remaining part of the day and
the whole night crossing the river Seboo, on rafts made of inflated
cow-hides, covered with planks and straw. The river is here about
twenty yards wide, but very deep and rapid; the Arabs had a long
and spacious sheik's tent pitched for the reception of the prince,
about forty feet long and fifteen wide, somewhat similar to the
hull of a ship reversed, having the long side open to the sun.
These tents are the palace of the sheik of the Arabs, and are
erected on great occasions only, such as that of the emperor, or a
prince passing through their territory. The plains of M'sharrah
Rummellah are one hundred and fifty British miles in circumference,
perfectly flat, without a stone, a tree, a hedge, or a ditch; with
the majestic river Seboo passing through the centre of the plain.
The soil of this territory, which, in the hands of Europeans, might
be made a terrestrial paradise, is a rich, productive, decomposed
vegetable earth, which extends, as we perceived from various
chasms, to the depth of several feet from the surface. It produces
incredible quantities of the finest wheat, of a hard grain, very
large and long, clear as amber, and yielding a prodigious increase
of flour, so that a saa of wheat[143] produces a saa and a sixth of
195 flour. The prince, Muley Teeb, seated on an eminence in this
spacious tent, resembled what we should imagine the patriarch
Abraham to have been, entertaining his friends; or Saul upon his
throne, with his javelin in his hand. He had twelve lanciers, six
on each side of him in a row, standing with their lances erect, the
Prince having one in his hand. It appears that this is the Arabian
etiquette; and the Arabs appeared much gratified that the prince
had personified their sheik, with all the paraphernalia of royalty.
His Royal Highness whose mind seemed moved with the beauty of this
country, sent for the Doctor and myself, and asked us if we had
ever seen such a country before. We frankly confessed we had not.
The prince smiled, and said, that the (_sehell_) plain we were on,
although extremely populous, and full of douars, could grow
seventeen times as much corn as the inhabitants could consume; that
there was then corn enough in the matamores[144] of this plain, to
supply (_El garb kamel_) the whole of El garb, i.e. the country
north of the river Morbeya.[145]

[Footnote 142: Intoxication is a damnable vice with these
people; and when they remark drunkenness, they invariably add
an opprobrium to the observation.]

[Footnote 143: A saa of wheat is little less than two
Winchester bushels. The wheat is very heavy, and this measure
weighs 100 lb., equal to 119 lb. English.]

[Footnote 144: The matamores are subterraneous depositories for
corn, in which they preserve the wheat sound and good thirty
years; but when a matamore is once opened, it is expedient to
consume the corn immediately, otherwise it contracts what is
called the matamore twang. These depositories are indispensable
in countries exposed to drought, scarcity, or locusts, and
_should be adopted in our colony of South Africa_. The art of
constructing them is very peculiar, and I devoted some time in
learning it.]

[Footnote 145: See the map of West Barbary.]
196
We took our leave of the Prince, who appeared much gratified with
the hospitable entertainment of the Arabs, and with their
patriarchal style of living, and sent us an enormous dish of
cuscasoe, coloured with saffron.

Encamped in the centre of this plain, when the sun had set, and the
twilight came on, we could have imagined ourselves in the midst of
the ocean. Not a cloud was in the sky, nor a hill on the land, to
intercept the uniformity of the horizon; the moon shone so bright,
that we could read by its light, and the universal novelty of the
scene resembled enchantment.

On this rich land they use no dung: they reap the corn about a foot
from the ground, and burn the stubble. The produce is greater even
than that of the _new-dyke land_, on the banks of the river Ems, in
North Holland. The allotments of land are ascertained by a large
stone, placed at each corner of the square, when the reapers reach
these stones, they desist from proceeding or reaping the corn of
other proprietors. We rose early in the morning, and found the air
of this terrestrial paradise strongly perfumed with millions of
odoriferous flowers, that were growing spontaneously throughout the
plains. Walking with Dr. Bell through the Prince's camp, we saw a
beautiful grey horse. The doctor admired it. I recommended him to
ask the Prince for it, he was not acquainted with the customs of
197 this country, and ridiculed my observation. "If you wish to have
that horse, Doctor," said I, "I will engage that the Prince will
get it for you. I represented immediately to His Royal Highness,
that the Doctor had taken a liking to the horse, and would wish to
buy it. Not buy it," said the Prince; "he will receive it as a
present from me. Tell him, he deserves seven horses for the benefit
he has done me: all doctors that I have heretofore had have taken
twenty-four hours to give me ease; he relieves me in one. Tell him
so," said the prince, "and that he (_massab ala genibuna_) is in
the number of my dearest friends. (_e jeek elkhere attibib u
asselem_), Good be with you, doctor, and peace be with you." Thus
ended the negociation for the horse. I found afterwards that it
belonged to a sheik of the Arab province of Beni Hassen, who
regretted parting with it, but the Prince gave him the value of it,
and much courtesy withal. We struck our tents next morning at
eleven o'clock, and, travelling southward, the Prince received an
express from the Emperor to join his imperial army forthwith:
accordingly the Prince and his doctor departed south-east, and I
took leave of them, and pursued my journey to Rabat.

198

OF
THE EXCAVATED RESIDENCES
OF THE
INHABITANTS OF ATLAS:
THE
_ACEPHALI, HEL SHUAL, AND HEL ELKILLEB:_

_The Discovery of Africa not to be effected by the present System
of solitary Travellers; but by a grand Plan, with a numerous
Company; beginning with Commerce, as the natural Prelude to
Discovery, the Fore-runner of Civilization, and a preliminary Step,
indispensable to the Conversion of the native Negroes to
Christianity._

The inhabitants of the snowy or upper regions of the Atlas live,
during the months of November, December, January, February, and
half of March, in caves or excavations in the mountains; the snow
then disappears, and they begin to cultivate the earth.

I have repeatedly heard reports of the (_Helel Killeb_,[146])
dog-faced race; of the (_Hel Shual_,) tailed race; and of the race
199 having one eye,[147] and that in the breast. It is extremely
difficult to ascertain the origin of these reports, which are so
involved in metaphor that the signification is not intelligible to
Europeans; their existence is not doubted, however, in Africa. Of
the _Hel El Killeb_ some ignorant people affirm that the Almighty
transformed one of the tribes of the Jews into these people, and
that these are their descendants; others report them to be a
mongrel breed, between the human and ape species; their strength is
said to be very great. The Africans assert with considerable
confidence, which is corroborated, that the Hel Shual have a tail
half a cubit long; that they inhabit a district in the Desert at an
immense distance south-east of Marocco; that the Hel El Killeb[148]
200 are in a similar direction; that the latter are diminutive, being
about two or three cubits[149] in height; that they exclaim _bak,
bak, bak_, and that they have a few articulate sounds, which they
mutually understand among themselves; that they are extremely swift
of foot, and run as fast as horses. The Arimaspi of Herodotus are
called by the Arabs _Hel Ferdie_, these are represented by the
Arabs of the Desert as living at the foot of the lofty mountains of
the Moon, near Abyssinia: the male and female are equally without
hair on their head, having large chins and nostrils, like the ape
species; they are said to have a language of their own; their
costume is a _jelabea_,[150] and a belt, without shoes or head
dress; their country is said to abound in gold. It is "a
consummation devoutly to be wished," that our knowledge of Africa
should increase so as to enable us to unravel the mystery of these
doubtful reports, to ascertain the degree of credit that is due to
these mysterious traditions. These desiderata, however, can hardly
201 be expected, whilst the present injudicious plans for the discovery
of Africa are persevered in. We must, if we desire to discover
effectually the hidden recesses and reported wonders of this
continent, adopt plans and schemes very different from any that
have hitherto been suggested; we must adopt _a grand system upon an
extensive scale_, a system directed and moved by a person competent
to so great an undertaking. The head or director of such an
expedition should be master of the general travelling and
trafficking language of Africa, the modern Arabic: he should
moreover be acquainted with the character of the people, their
habits, modes of life, religious prejudices, and fanaticism. A
grand plan, thus directed, could hardly fail to secure the command
of the commerce of Africa to Great Britain. Then the discovery of
the inmost recesses would follow the path of commerce, and that
continent, which has baffled the researches of the moderns as well
as of the ancients, would lay open its treasures to modern Europe,
and civilisation would be the natural result. Then would be the
period to attempt the conversion of the Negroes to Christianity;
and the standard of peace and good will towards men might be
successfully planted on the banks of the _Nile El Kabeer_, or _Nile
Assudan_, the Great Nile, or Nile of Sudan, or Nigritia, commonly
called the Niger.

[Footnote 146: Apollonius Rhodius calls these people [Greek:
êmikuges] or half-dogs.]

[Footnote 147: The ingenious author of Philosophic Researches
concerning the Americans, speaking of a race which appear to
resemble the Acephali of Herodotus, or the race of men having
one eye, and that in their chest, says, "There is in Canibar a
race of savages who have hardly any neck, and whose shoulders
reach up to their ears. This monstrous appearance is
artificial, and to give it to their children they put enormous
weights upon their heads, so as to make the vertebræ of the
neck enter, if we may so say, the channel bone, (clavicule.)
These barbarians, from a distance, seem to have their mouth in
the breast; and might well enough, in ignorant and enthusiastic
travellers, serve to revive the fable of the Acephali, or men
without heads." (See Larcher's Notes on Herodotus's Melpomene,
cap. 191.)--Saint Augustin, whose veracity is scarcely to be
doubted, declared in his thirty-third sermon, intituled _"A ses
Frères dans le Désert"--Avoir vu en Ethiopie des hommes et des
femmes sans tête avec des grands yeux sur le poitrine._]

[Footnote 148: We have heard of a pig-faced lady; if there is
such a person, there might also be a pig-faced gentleman, and
these might generate a pig-faced race; and if a pig-faced race,
why not a dog-faced race?]

[Footnote 149: Seven Cubits make four English yards.]

[Footnote 150: The best description I can give of a _jelabea_
is this: Take a large sack and cut a hole in the bottom, big
enough to admit the head; then cut the two bottom corners off
to admit the arms: this garment will then resemble the
_jelabea_.]

202

CAUTIONS
TO BE USED IN TRAVELLING.

_Danger of travelling after Sun-set.--The Emperor holds himself
accountable for Thefts committed on Travellers, whilst travelling
between the rising and the setting Sun.--Emigration of
Arabs.--Patriarchal Style of living among the Arabs; Food,
Clothing, domestic Looms, and Manufactures.--Riches of the Arabs
calculated by the Number of Camels they possess.--Arabian Women are
good Figures, and have personal Beauty; delicate in their Food;
poetical Geniuses; Dancing and Amusements; Musical Instruments;
their Manners are courteous_.

Travellers in West and South Barbary should never be out after
sun-set: it is not safe to travel in many parts of the country
during the night. The emperor holds himself accountable for thefts
committed between the rising and the setting sun; so that, if a
traveller be robbed of property, the value should be ascertained,
and an application being made to the bashaw of the province where
the robbery was committed it will be restored forthwith; but if
there be any demur, an application should be made to the Emperor,
personally, if possible, but if not, by letter; and the district is
immediately ordered to pay double the loss, one half to the person
robbed, and the other half to the Imperial treasury.
203
These robberies, however, rarely occur; for the bashaws of the
provinces and the alkaids of the douars feel it a duty incumbent on
them to protect all travellers and strangers; so that they would,
in the event of a robbery being committed, expose themselves to a
severe reprimand from the emperor, and an intimation that they
were, by suffering such irregularity, incompetent to their
situation, and would be liable to a heavy fine, or a discharge from
their office, for _neglect of vigilance_, which, in this country,
is considered _very reprehensible_.

Travelling through the province of Suse, I once witnessed the
emigration of an extensive douar of Arabs, amounting to about 200
families. They were just leaving their habitation, where they had
been encamped only a few months: it was a fine grazing country; the
camels, horses, mules, asses, oxen and cows, were all laden with
the tents and baggage of these wanderers. On enquiring the cause of
this emigration, I was told that the inhabitants were infested with
musquitoes and fleas to such a degree, that they had all
unanimously resolved to emigrate to another place, which they had
fixed upon, and that they would reach it by night. These wandering
Arabs, without any fixed habitation, are of a restless,
ungovernable spirit: they never cultivate the earth, as do the
Arabs of the plains of Marocco, but live, for the most part, on
camels' milk, occasionally killing a camel or a goat for food;
204 grazing their camels in the adjacent country: they live in the true
Patriarchal style, and seek the means of supplying all their wants
within themselves. To effect this purpose, they barter a few of
their camels for wool, and thus supply themselves with that article
for clothing, which is made in every (_keyma_) Arab tent, by the
women, at their own respective looms; each female being the
manufacturer for her own family. The cloth is wove in pieces of
seven cubits long and about two and a half broad, of the natural
colour of the wool: these pieces of cloth are afterwards converted
into cloaks, mantles, and tunics. Those who choose to indulge in
the luxury of dress, by wearing linen, or turbans, send a few
goat-skins, collected from the goats that have served them
occasionally for food, to Mogodor, or Marocco, or barter them with
some Jews for linen or shoes, and thus supply all their wants; so
that their resources considerably exceed their wants, for some of
them have several thousand camels which cost them nothing. These
animals browse on the bushes in the environs of their habitations,
and are continually increasing and multiplying. They never kill any
animal for food until full grown: this custom, from which the Arab
never departs, is manifestly calculated to increase property,
which, being invested in camels, is transportable, without trouble
or expense, wherever they choose.

The Arabs are gay and cheerful; the brow of care is rarely seen
205 among them. The more children they have, the greater the blessing.
They turn their hands in early youth to some useful purpose: so
soon as they can walk they attend the camels, or are put to some
domestic occupation; thus forming a useful link in the chain of
their patriarchal society. The independence of these Arabs is
depicted in their physiognomy; they are oppressed by no cankering
care, no anxiety, no anticipation of distress. The food and
clothing of the Arab is always at hand; fuel is not required in
this warm country; and a glass of cool water is all that is desired
to allay the thirst. This simple and abstemious mode of living is
congenial to the human constitution; accordingly they enjoy
uninterrupted health: sickness is so uncommon with them that to be
old and to be sick are synonymous terms. They think one cannot
happen without the other. Some of the women of these people, whilst
young, are extremely delicate, handsome, and have elegant figures.
They account it gross to swallow food, that would, they say, fatten
them like their Moorish neighbours; they therefore masticate it
only. Their physiognomy is very interesting and animated; their
features are regular; large black expressive eyes; a ready wit,
poetic fancy, expressing themselves in poetic effusions, in which,
from constant habit, some of them have become such adepts, that
they with facility speak extempore poetry; those who are unable to
206 converse in this manner are less esteemed. Their evening amusements
consist in dancing and music, vocal and instrumental. Generally,
throughout all the Arab provinces, but particularly in Suse, among
the Mograffra Arabs, the Woled Abbusebah, and Woled Deleim, the
whole country is in a blaze of light of a summer's evening; music,
dancing, and rejoicing, is heard in every direction. Their music
consists of a kettle-drum, a flute or reed, similar to what Homer
describes as the instrument of the ancient shepherds, a rhabeb or
two-stringed fiddle, played with a semicircular bow, a tamboureen,
and brass castanets. They play in precise time; and the ladies
arrange themselves at the entrance of the sheik's tent. It is
pleasant to observe the beauty of their fine-formed feet, uninjured
by tight shoes, and free from corns and all excrescences. They
dance some dances barefooted, making very short steps, scarcely
raising the foot from the ground, in a peculiar manner. They have
elegant and circular ankles; and their light motions fascinate the
eyes of the spectators and the admiring strangers, who occasionally
exclaim, (_Allah éhrduh alikume ia Elarb_) "the protection of God
be upon you, O Arabs!" (_makine fal Elarb_,) "there are none
comparable to the Arabs!" They have a very elegant shawl-dance: in
the management of the shawl they display singular grace, and
practise elegant figures, sometimes concealing their faces,
207 sometimes showing their brilliant eyes through an opening in the
shawl. The manners of these ladies is courteous, but chaste;
perfectly modest, but without reserve; and the other sex pay them
courteous attention.

208

ABUNDANCE OF CORN
PRODUCED IN
WEST BARBARY.

_Costly Presents made by Spain to the Emperor.--Bashaw of
Duquella's weekly Present of a Bar of Gold.--Mitferes or
Subterraneous Depositories for Corn_.

The empire of Marocco, west of the Atlas, during the reign of Seedi
Muhamed ben Abdallah, father of the present Emperor Soliman, was
one continued corn-field. At that time the exportation was free to
all parts of the world. It is impossible to conceive the abundance
produced in this prolific land, none but those who have actually
seen the standing corn in the ear, and have seen it reaped, can
form any correct idea of its prodigious increase. The plains of
Rahamena, of Shawiya, of Temsena, of Abda, and Duquella, those
immense plains of M'sharrah Rummellah, of Ait-Amor, and many
others, form each, separately, extensive fields of corn, farther
than the eye can reach. To give an idea of the quantity produced in
the plains near Dar El Beida, it will be sufficient to say, that
250 sail of ships, from 150 to 700 tons, were loaded at that port
in one year of Seedy Muhamed's reign. At the other ports on the
209 shores of the Atlantic, viz. at Arzilla, L'Araich, Meheduma, Rabat,
Azamor, Mazagan, Saffy, and Mogodor, were shipped a quantity,
almost equal in proportion to what was shipped at Dar-El-Beida, so
that the duties at one dollar per fanegue, of 80 lb. weight on the
exportation of wheat, barley, Indian corn, caravances, beans, and
seeds, in one year, according to the imperial registers, amounted
to 5,257,320 Mexico dollars.[151] Besides which, presents to an
incalculable amount were made from time to time by Spain and
Portugal, particularly by the former, to keep the Emperor in good
humour, and to prevent him from prohibiting the exportation of
grain, of which however there was little chance, as his Imperial
Majesty was always diligent in the accumulation of treasure, and
let no opportunity pass of encouraging the agriculture of his
dominions. This system gave general occupation to the Arabs, or
agriculturists, and enriched them so universally, that the
diffusion of wealth among them, produced other incalculable sources
of revenue, insomuch that it was customary for Muhamed Ben Amaran,
Bashaw of Duquella, to present to the Emperor at Marocco, every
Friday, (the Muhamedan sabbath), as he returned home from the
mosque, a massive bar of pure gold of Timbuctoo, valued at some
210 thousand dollars; which was considered as the fee by which he held
his bashawick. The Arabs who are the agriculturists of the
before-mentioned plains, besides the corn exported, lay up immense
quantities in subterraneous caverns, constructed by a curious
process, well deserving the attention of the colonists of South
Africa; these repositories are called mitferes[152], they are
constructed in a conical form, and will contain from 200 to 2000
quarters of corn.[153] It is expedient, in their construction, to
exclude the atmospheric air; and the soil, in which they are
constructed, should be essentially conservative, the air being
never changed, is constantly of the same temperature, very dry, and
not subject to the variations of humidity, which affect the
external air: this, with other necessary precautions being
observed, they will preserve the corn twenty or thirty years
perfectly sound. In countries, (like that of the Cape of Good
Hope,) subject to drought, inundations, or locusts, these mitferes,
or catacombs are indispensable, as they preserve corn as a reserve
stock, in the event of scarcity, or famine, produced by any of the
before mentioned calamities, or providential visitations. It is
211 more than probable that this singular art of constructing mitferes,
was derived in ancient times from the catacombs of Egypt, and that
Joseph might have preserved Pharaoh's corn[154] upwards of seven
years, in similar magazines. The Emperor Seedi Muhamed, who
possessed considerable talent, and had a perfect knowledge of the
disposition and character of his subjects, used to say in the
(_em'shoer_,) place of audience, before all the people, in the
latter part of his reign:--"You complain of my decrees; but when I
am departed from this world, you shall seek for one day of Seedi
Muhamed's reign, but you shall not find it." This prediction has
been literally verified throughout the respective reigns of his
sons Muley Yezzed, and Muley El Hesham, and even his son the
present Emperor has often manifested an anti-commercial system, and
has accordingly (probably by the advice of the Fakeers belonging to
the divan) prohibited the exportation of most articles of clothing,
and provision, such as wool, Fas manufactures, corn, olive oil,
raisins, &c.[155]

[Footnote 151: Barley and wheat imported from different ports
of England and from the Continent into London (which is more
than is imported into Great Britain) in 1818, was 6,179,330
quintals or saas of Barbary, which are equal to 7,415,390
fanegues $.]

[Footnote 152: Genesis, xli. 9.--"And Joseph gathered corn as
the sand of the sea very much."]

[Footnote 153: I descended into a mitfere in the Arab province
of Duquella, and remained there whilst the Arab explained to me
the mode of constructing them; this was near the douar of Woled
Aisah (see the map): it had just been emptied, and produced
3450 saas or quintals.]

[Footnote 154: Genesis, xli. 48.]

[Footnote 155: The result of this anti-commercial system is,
that corn is dearer than it was during the exportation. Many
millions of acres of the finest and most productive land lies
fallow for want of a market for its produce; indeed, the
produce has sometimes been so low for want of a market, that I
have known instances of the corn having been left standing, not
being worth the expense of reaping. Now this prohibition
undoubtedly will appear to many intelligent readers bad policy
in his Imperial Majesty, but it is nevertheless consistent
policy. The _sine qua non_ of the court of Marocco is to keep
the inhabitants poor. It is asserted by the political
economists of this country, that the Arab should not have more
than sufficient to feed and clothe him; every thing beyond this
turns to evil, and is an incentive to rebellion: the superflux,
they maintain, should go to (_Beit el melh d'el muselmen_,) the
Muselman treasury.]

A wine company, consisting of gentlemen of practical experience in
that branch of business, might form a most beneficial establishment
212 at Santa Cruz, whither the grapes of Edautenan are brought to
market, and other grapes from the Arab countries, of exquisite
quality and flavour, infinitely superior in richness, size, and
flavour to those of Spain and Portugal, or any part of Italy;
indeed, I have no hesitation in declaring, (without fear of
contradiction,) that this country produces the finest grapes,
oranges, and pomegranates in the world, and in the greatest
abundance. I have myself tasted at Marocco, at a Hebrew Rabbi's
table, excellent imitations of burgundy, claret, champagne,
madeira, and rhenish, or old hock, all the produce of grapes reared
in the plains of that city, and in the adjacent mountains. The port
of Santa Cruz, if purchased of the Emperor by the English, would,
besides securing the trade to Sudan, and the interior of Africa,
supply the London market with abundance of all these excellent
wines.
213
DOMESTIC SERPENTS OF MAROCCO.

Every house in Marocco has, or ought to have, a domestic serpent: I
say ought to have, because those that have not one, seek to have
this inmate, by treating it hospitably whenever one appears; they
leave out food for it to eat during the night, which gradually
domiciliates this reptile. These serpents are reported to be
extremely sagacious, and very susceptible. The superstition of
these people is extraordinary; for rather than offend these
serpents, they will suffer their women to be exposed during sleep
to their performing the office of an infant. They are considered,
in a house, emblematical of good, or prosperity, as their absence
is ominous of evil. They are not often visible; but I have seen
them passing over the beams of the roof of the apartments. A friend
of mine was just retired to bed at Marocco, when he heard a noise
in the room, like something crawling over his head, he arose,
looked about the room, and discovered one of these reptiles about
four feet long, of a dark colour, he pricked it with his sword, and
killed it, then returned to bed. In the morning he called to him
the master of the house where he was a guest, and telling him he
had attacked the serpent, the Jew was chagrined, and expostulated
with him, for the injury he had done him: apprehensive that evil
would visit him, he intimated to his guest, that he hoped he would
leave his house, as he feared the malignity of the serpent; and he
was not reconciled until my friend discovered to him that he had
actually killed the reptile.

214

MANUFACTURES OF FAS.

_Superior Manufacture of Gold-thread.--Imitation of precious
Stones.--Manufactory of Gun-barrels in Suse.--Silver-mine._

The manufactures of West Barbary, are of various kinds. They excel,
in the city of Fas, in the manufacture of woollens, cottons, silks,
and gold-thread. The wool and cotton are made into _hayks_, which
are pieces of cloth five feet wide, and about three and a half, or
four yards long, used to throw loosely over the dress, when they go
out into the external air: it resembles the Roman toga, and when
_tastefully adjusted_, gives an elegance to the Moorish costume.
These _hayks_ are manufactured in most of the private families of
Fas; the women employ themselves about them, and sell them to the
merchants. They are sometimes made of cotton mixed with silk, and
also altogether of silk. They make also pieces of silk of various
bright colours, called _bulawan_; the sky-blue, dark-blue, scarlet,
and yellow, are vivid colours, produced by their mode of dying the
silk before it is manufactured. They manufacture their silks from
_Bengal raw silk_, which they call _emfitla_. The _bulawan_ is
215 striped, or chequered, pink, blue, yellow, scarlet, and green: it
resembles what is called, in England, Persian, but it is much
stronger, and more[156] durable, though equally light. The silk
sashes, called _hazam_, are made in large quantities, and are
deserving of imitation in Europe; they are very substantial, but of
the same superior colours with the _bulawan_. They are made
generally half a yard wide, and three yards long: these sell at
Fas, from two to fifty dollars each. The superior kind made for the
ladies of the _horam_[157], or emperor's seraglio, for the ladies
of the bashaws, and for those of the great and opulent, are
intermixed with a beautiful gold-thread, much superior to any that
is manufactured in Europe, insomuch, that the gold-thread imported
from Leghorn and Marseilles is used only in such _hazams_ as are
made for exportation to Sudan, Draha, or Bled-el-Jereed, but those
made for the great and opulent, for home consumption, are
manufactured with the gold thread of the Fas manufacture. Whether
these expert artificers learned the mystery of gold beating, and
gold wire drawing, by which they obtain gold-thread, from the
216 Egyptians, I am not competent to say; but _they_ say they derived
it in ancient times from the Arabs, as well as the art of cutting,
polishing, and setting precious stones. They make a composition in
imitation of amber, which cannot, by the keenest eye, be
distinguished from the natural amber, the latter, however, by[158]
friction attracts cotton, but the manufactured amber does not; this
is the only criterion by which they ascertain the true from the
false amber. They also compose artificial stones with equal
sagacity; the topaz, the emerald, and the ruby they imitate to
perfection. The wool with which they make shawls almost equal in
appearance to those of Kashmere, is procured from the sheep of the
province of Tedla, and is finer than the Spanish Merino. They might
manufacture shawls of goats' hair, equal to those of Kashmere, from
the goats of the eastern declivity of the Atlas, whose hair is like
silk: these goats are called (_el maize Felelley_,) i.e. Tafilelt
goats.[159] There can be no doubt, if our intercourse with Marocco
217 had not been impeded by a general ignorance of the language of that
country, that we might long since have received from the
manufacturers of Fas, shawls of Tafilelt goat-hair, equal to the
finest of the Kashmere manufacture. There is a very extensive
manufactory of red woollen caps at Fas, the contexture of which is
well deserving investigation. There is also a manufactory of gun
locks and barrels; the former appear to have reached the acmé of
the art, the latter are not so good as those which they procure
from Europe: so that a Spanish or an English barrel, and a Fas
lock, is considered a complete gun. Such articles of manufacture as
require a complication of machinery and power to produce they
import from Europe, except only when the market is bare, and then
necessity compels them to attempt their construction. The (_hayk
Filelly_,) i.e. Tafilelt hayk, is a fine elegant woollen cloth,
thin as a muslin. The Emperor Seedi Muhamed ben Abdallah patronised
this manufacture of his native country, and never wore any other.
The art of manufacturing leather is carried to great perfection at
Mequinas: shoes of the thinnest leather are there made impervious
to water. The manufactures at Marocco and Terodant are similar to
those of Fas, with the exception of that of gold-thread, and the
cutting and polishing of precious stones. The preparation of
leather at Marocco surpasses any thing known in Europe: lion and
tiger skins they prepare white as snow, and soft as silk. There are
218 two plants that grow in the Atlas mountains, the leaves of which
they use in the manufacture of leather; they are called _tizra_,
and _tasaya_. Whether these render the leather impervious, I am not
competent to say; every inquiry that I have made at Marocco
respecting this beautiful manufacture, has been unsatisfactory. I
have always found the manufacturers very guarded, and extremely
jealous; but I have often thought that two or three of our leather
manufacturers, well versed in their art, and withal of penetrating
minds, might contrive to extract the secret from them. In the
mountains of Idaultit, in Lower Suse, they have iron-mines, and
they make gun-barrels and gun-locks equal to what are made at Fas.
The temptations to agriculture, however, are such, that sufficient
only for the consumption of their own _kabyl_ are manufactured;
which is done rather from a principle of self-defense, and from the
_amor patriæ_, than with a view to gain. The silver from the mines
of Elala, comes to the Santa Cruz market pure, and in round lumps,
weighing about two ounces each. I have bought it for its weight in
Spanish dollars; but it is generally taken to the Mint for sale.
Ores of gold from the mines of South Barbary, and silver dust from
the bed of the river at Messa, collected personally by me, I sent
to England to be assayed: the person who got them assayed,
reported, that the metal yielded was scarcely sufficient to pay the
charges of assaying; so that the speculation was abandoned.

[Footnote 156: The spirit of avarice does not sufficiently
prevail to induce the manufacturer to make imperfect articles
for the purpose of sale only. Moreover, they are restrained
from deception by an officer, who inspects the quality of
manufactures, and does not suffer an imperfect article to be
sold.]

[Footnote 157: This word is called by Europeans _haram_ or
seraglio; but haram thus applied, is a barbarism: it signifies
_vicious_. Horam is the correct pronunciation: it signifies a
place of safety, that admits of no intrusion.]

[Footnote 158: Thales, the chief of the seven wise men of
Greece, detected the existence of electricity in amber about
600 years before the Christian era. He was the first who
observed _attraction_ to be the distinguishing property of
amber; and he was so forcibly struck with this singular
discovery, that he was almost led to suppose that it possessed
animation. The term electricity is derived from the Greek word
[Greek: êlectron], amber. See Remarks on Electricity and
Galvanism, by M. La Beaume, p. 29.]

[Footnote 159: There was a breed of these goats on the island
of Mogodor, kept there by the emperor's orders. This island is
the state-prison of the empire.]

219

ON THE STATE OF SLAVERY
IN MUHAMEDAN AFRICA.

The state of slavery in this country is very different from that
which is experienced by the unfortunate men who are transported
from Africa to work under our Christian brethren in the West India
islands. No man, who is sufficiently erudite to read the Koran can
be (_abd_) a slave in a Muhamedan country. It is incumbent on a
good mûselman to give such his liberty, that the propagation of the
(_Deen el Wâsah_[160]) mûselman faith, be not impeded. A man who
has served his master faithfully[161] seven years, sometimes gets
liberated. This liberation, however, is not compulsory; but
conscientious mûselmen, of good moral character, often adopt this
enlarging system. I have, however, met with many Moors, who, on
offering liberty to their slaves, the latter have declined it,
preferring to continue in obeisance; a clear proof that their
servitude is not very severe. All slaves, without exception, are
brought to this country from the various territories of Sudan, by
the akkabars, kaffilas, or caravans, that traverse Sahara. They are
all pagans or idolaters (from the interior regions). They are worth
220 from ten to twenty dollars at Timbuctoo; and at Marocco and Fas
they sell for, from seventy to one hundred dollars. They are
received into the Moorish families as domestic servants, and soon
forget their idolatrous superstitions, and become (nominally at
least) Muhamedans. After which, many learn to read the Koran, and
becoming observers of ablution and prostration, often procure their
liberation; for if any one should neglect to liberate such a slave,
his brethren in Muhamed will urge him to it, as a good and
charitable work, becoming a true, mûselman.[162]

[Footnote 160: So called by Muhamedans: _literally_ means the
liberal of _wide doctrine_, alluding to that of the Arabian
Prophet.]

[Footnote 161: Jeremiah, xxxiv. 14.]

[Footnote 162: The etymology of _muselman_ is, a man of peace;
from _salem_, peace.]

The man who wrote the letter from Timbuctoo, giving his master at
Mogodor an account of Mungo Park, having visited Kabria, which
letter I read, and reported its contents on my arrival in England
from Mogodor, about the year 1807, to my Lord Moira (now the
Marquis of Hastings), to Sir Joseph Banks, and to Sir Charles
Morgan, was a liberated negro of Seed el Abes Buhellel, a Fas
merchant, whose father had an establishment at Timbuctoo. When
Buhellel liberated this negro, he had such confidence in him, that
he advanced to him, on his own personal credit, goods to a
considerable amount, with which he crossed Sahara, and took them to
Timbuctoo for a market. It were to be desired, for the sake of
_humanity_, that our West-India planters would take a lesson on
this subject from the Moors, whose conduct, in this particular, is
worthy of imitation.

221

THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS.

_Their incredible Destruction.--Used as Food.--Remarkable Instance
of their destroying every Green Herb on one Side of a River, and
not on the other._

In the autumn of 1792, (Jeraad) locusts began to appear in West
Barbary. The corn was in ear, and therefore safe, as this devouring
insect attacks no hard substance. In (the _liahli_,) the period of
heavy rains comprised between the forty longest nights, _old
style_, they disappeared; so that one or two only were seen
occasionally: but so soon as the _liahli_ had passed, the small
young green locust began to appear, no bigger than a fly. As
vegetation increased, these insects increased in size and quantity.
But the country did not yet seem to suffer from them. About the end
of March, they increased rapidly. I was at (_Larsa Sultan_) the
emperor's garden, which belongs to the Europeans, and which was
given to the merchants of Mogodor by the emperor Seedi Muhamed ben
Abdallah, in the kabyl of Idaugourd, in the province of Haha, and
the garden flourished with every green herb, and the fruit-trees
were all coming forward in the productive beauty of spring. I went
there the following day, and not a green leaf was to be seen: an
222 army of locusts had attacked it during the night, and had devoured
every shrub, every vegetable, and every green leaf; so that the
garden had been converted into an unproductive wilderness. And,
notwithstanding the incredible devastation that was thus produced,
not one locust was to be seen. The gardener reported, that (_sultan
jeraad_) the king of the locusts had taken his departure eastward
early in the morning; the myriads of locusts followed, so that in a
quarter of an hour not one was to be seen. The depredations of
these devouring insects was too soon felt, and a direful scarcity
ensued. The poor would go out a locusting, as they termed it: the
bushes were covered; they took their (_haik_) garment, and threw it
over them, and then collected them in a sack. In half an hour they
would collect a bushel. These they would take home, and boil a
quarter of an hour; they would then put them into a frying-pan,
with pepper, salt, and vinegar, and eat them, without bread or any
other food, making a meal of them. They threw away the head, wings,
and legs, and ate them as we do prawns. They considered them
wholesome food, and preferred them to pigeons. Afterwards, whenever
there was any public entertainment given, locusts was a standing
dish; and it is remarkable that the dish was always emptied, so
generally were they esteemed as palatable food.

A few years after the locusts appeared, I performed a journey from
223 Mogodor to Tangier. The face of the country appeared like a newly
ploughed field of a brown soil; for it was completely covered with
these insects, insomuch that they had devoured even the bark of the
trees. They rose up about a yard, as the horses went on, and
settled again; in some places they were one upon another, three or
four inches deep on the ground; a few were flying in the air, and
they flew against the face, as if they were blind, to the no small
annoyance of the traveller. It is very remarkable, that on reaching
the banks of the river[163] Elkos, which we crossed, there was not,
on the north side of that river, to my great astonishment, one
locust any where to be seen; but the country was flourishing in all
the luxuriance of verdure, although the river was not wider than
the Thames at Windsor. This extraordinary circumstance was
accounted for by the Arabs, who said that not a locust would cross
the river, till (_sultan jeraad_) the king of the locusts should
precede and direct the way.

[Footnote 163: See the Map of the empire of Marocco.]

224

ON THE INFLUENCE
OF THE
GREAT PRINCIPLE OF CHRISTIANITY
_ON THE MOORS_.
(Mat. vii. 12.)

_Of the Propagation of Christianity in Africa.--Causes that prevent
it.--The Mode of promoting it is through a friendly and commercial
Intercourse with the Natives.--Exhortation to Great Britain to
attend to the Intercourse with Africa.--Danger of the French
colonizing Senegal, and supplanting us, and thereby depreciating
the Value of our West-India Islands._