Travels through the Empire of Morocco | Page 2

been presented to His
Majesty. Nay, the pressing solicitations, with which I have since been
honoured on the part of the Emperor of Morocco, through his principal
Minister, to return to that country, I have hitherto been obliged to delay
answering, that I might not, on the one hand, insult, by evasive or false
replies, a government from which I had experienced such friendship
and respect; or, on the other hand, be compelled, by a true statement, to
compromise my own.
The principal design of publishing this account of my journey to the
Barbary States, is to shew the good policy, on the part of this country,
of keeping upon terms of strict amity with the government of Morocco.
The neglect, which, on this occasion, has been evinced of the Emperor's
letter, I cannot but consider, in a public point of view, as extremely
reprehensible, independently of the private injury it has occasioned to
myself. Whether this neglect arose from the misrepresentations of the

Army Medical Board, or from those of any other persons, I will not
pretend to determine; but in any case, a most censurable disregard, even
of the forms of civility, towards a Prince, who, however we may affect
to despise his influence in the great political scale, has it always in his
power materially to promote or to impede the interests of this country
in the Levant, must attach to some quarter or other.
[*] As the members of that body are expected shortly to be dismissed
from their situations, I think it right, lest at any future period injustice
should be done to innocent individuals, by confounding them with the
guilty, here to state that Sir Lucas Pepys, Bart. Mr. Thomas Keate, and
Mr. Francis Knight, Apothecaries, at present compose the body
illegally calling themselves the Army Medical Board, whose conduct
for a great many years has brought disgrace and disaster on that
important department. For a detail of their conduct, see "An Analytical
View of the Medical Department of the British Army, by Charles
Maclean, M.D." 8vo. published by Stockdale, Pall Mall.

CONTENTS.
LETTER I.
Inducement for the Journey--Arrive at Tangiers--Its History--
Situation--Inhabitants--Military--Governor--Fortifications--
Subterraneous Passage--Socco, or Market--Adjacent Villas--Invited to
Larache.
LETTER II.
Sketch of the History of Morocco--Road from Tangiers--Simplicity of
the Peasants--Moors hospitable--Arrive at a Village--The ancient
Zelis--Public Accommodations--Much infested with Vermin--Arzilla, a
ruinous walled Town--Arrive at Larache.
LETTER III.
Conducted to the Governor--Medical Hint from his
Secretary--Governor recovers--Larache--Its Harbour, Shipping, and
Inhabitants.
LETTER IV.
Excursion to Mamora, and thence lo Salee--Friendly Reception by the
Governor of the latter--Rabat--Tower of Hassen--Shella--Mansooria--
Alcasser--Quiber--Its Socco, or Market-place.
LETTER V.

Leave Larache with an Escort--Curious Custom on returning from
Mecca--Arrive at Tetuan.
LETTER VI.
Ill Usage of a Lieutenant of the Swiftsure--Disaffection of the Moorish
Governor towards Great Britain.
LETTER VII.
Sail for Tetuan--Appearance of the Coast--Enter the Boosega
River--Curious Towers of Defence--Custom-house--Female
Dress--Enter Tetuan over a Road of unlevelled Rock--Disagreeable
Streets--Well received by the Governor--Public Markets--Socco--An
Auction Market.
LETTER VIII.
Tetuan--The Jews much oppressed there--particularly the
Females--Costume--Singularity of the Streets in the Jewish
Town--Ceuta--Would be invaluable to England--Melilla--Summoned to
visit the Emperor.
LETTER IX.
Journey to Larache--Annual Socco of St. Martin--No Christian
permitted to witness it--Express Order for that Purpose in the Author's
Favour--Specimen of native medical Skill--Reception at
Larache--Complain of the Impositions of Governor
Ash-Ash--Comparative Tariff--Effect the Renewal of the old Tariff
with increasing Advantages.
LETTER X.
Depart from Larache with a little Army--Moorish military
Salute--Numerous Villages--Customary Procession of the
Inhabitants--Judicial Arrangements--River Beth resembles the
Po--Herds of Camels--Arrive at Mequinez--French Falsehood again put
down--Excellent Road from Mequinez--Fertility and Luxuriance of the
adjacent Country--Procession to the Sanctuary of Sidy
Edris--Multiplicity of Saints--Ceremony demonstrative of the
Emperor's Favour--Take possession of my new Residence.
LETTER XI.
Imperial Review of eighty thousand Cavalry--The Palace--Introduction
to the Emperor--Visit the Seraglio--Beauty of the Sultana--Her
Indisposition--Her Influence over the Emperor--His Person described.
LETTER XII.

Succession of the Sovereigns from their Founder to the present
Emperor.
LETTER XIII.
Responsibility of the Governors--Empire beautiful and
productive--Humane Efforts of the Emperor--Blind Submission to his
Will--Great Number of Negroes naturalized--The Moors might be truly
formidable--Emperor's Brother--Fez divided into two
Parts--Magnificent Mosques--Commercial Privileges--Indignities
which Christians undergo--Singular Supply of Water--The Imperial
Gardens--Propensity to
defraud--Factories--Exports--Costume--Character---Manner of
Living--Domestic Vermin.
LETTER XIV.
Fez--Debility of the Moors--Mosques--Antiquities, Roman,
Carthaginian, and Saracen--Storks held in great
Veneration--Baths--Bazars--
Inhabitants--Residence--Menagerie--Marvellous Preservation of a
Jew--Lions-- Tigers--Leopards--Hyenas.
LETTER XV.
Sudden Departure from Fez--Arrive at Mequinez--Attend the
Emperor--Melancholy Catastrophe--Expedition against wild
Beasts--Extensive Palaces--Seraglio--Visit a Haram--Founders of the
City--A fortified Town--Inhabitants--Jewish Town--Rich Attire of the
higher Orders--Numerous Market-places--Furniture--Saints
Houses--Imperial Field Sports--Pack of Greyhounds--Abundance of
Game.
LETTER XVI.
Courtship--Marriage--Funerals--Sabbath.
LETTER XVII.
Depart from Morocco--Roads dreadfully infested by Robbers--A Tribe
of aboriginal Freebooters--Description of Morocco--Filth of the
common People--Tobacco disallowed--Justice of the Emperor.
LETTER XVIII.
Moorish Character--Form of Devotion--Meals--Revenue--Poll-tax on
the Jews--Royal Carriages--Ostrich-riding--Public
Schools--Watch-dogs.
LETTER XIX.

Face and Produce of the Empire, natural and