Several Of His Provinces Rebelled, But He
Successively Reduced Them To Obedience; And In The Last Battle Which
He Fought, Before The City Of Morocco, And Gained, He Was Severely
Wounded.
The rebel army was surrounded, and defeated with great
slaughter.
_Muley Yezid_ was carried to the castle, and his wound
dressed; but his treatment was so improper, that, after lingering a
few days in the most excruciating torture, he died in 1794.
The present Emperor, _Muley Solyman_, was the youngest prince, and
lived retired in the city of Fez, assiduously occupied in studying the
Alcoran and the laws of the empire, in order to qualify himself for
the office of high-priest, which he was intended to fill. From this
retreat he was called by the priests, the highest in repute as saints,
in the neighbourhood of Fez, and a small party of the Moorish militia,
and by them prevailed upon to come forward as a candidate for the
crown, in opposition to his three brothers, who were waging war with
each other, at the head of numerous forces. In the midst of this
anarchy and confusion, the young prince was proclaimed Emperor at Fez,
by the name of _Muley Solyman_; and having collected a strong force,
aided by the counsels of a number of brave and experienced officers,
he advanced to Mequinez, which he reduced, after two successive
pitched battles. This place was defended by one of his brothers, who
shortly after acknowledged him as Emperor, joined him, and brought
over to his interests a great number of friends and partisans. He
served Solyman faithfully ever after, which enabled him to withstand
the united forces of his two other brothers. At length, owing to the
little harmony that prevailed in the armies of his competitors, he
effected his purpose. Taking advantage of their increasing animosity,
he advanced towards Morocco, fighting and conquering the whole way. He
entered the capital in triumph, after a general and decisive battle;
and he was again proclaimed Emperor.
This brave young prince had now reduced Barbary entirely under his
sway, with the exception of the kingdom of Tangiers. Thither the two
unfortunate princes retired, in order to make a last and desperate
stand; but after a variety of struggles, to regain some degree of
ascendancy, one was compelled to solicit the protection of the Dey of
Algiers, and the other was taken prisoner, and banished to a remote
province.
From that period, the Emperor has dedicated the whole of his time and
pursuits to the amelioration of his people's condition, by improving
his financial resources, and appointing over his provinces, mild and
humane Governors, whom he strictly superintends, occasionally deposing
such as have deviated from his orders, and often inflicting upon these
his representatives the most severe corporal punishments, previous to
their imprisonment for life.
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._
Fez.
Having extended my last letter to an unusual length, I broke off
rather abruptly; I shall therefore resume the subject in this.
The Governors commanding large districts or provinces in Barbary, are
answerable for the crimes and misdemeanors committed in their
governments, if they fail to bring the offenders to public justice;
consequently they impose very heavy fines on the community, to impel
them to seize, and deliver to them, the murderer or robber. The sudden
and frequent changes in the public offices keep the most powerful
Governors in the empire in continual awe and depression; and the fear
of being, in an instant, hurled from the height of prosperity to the
lowest abyss of adversity, usually prevents them from amassing great
wealth, as it is sure to pass into the Emperor's treasury on their
disgrace; and the same cause prevents the forming of dangerous
cabals. Yet some of them contrive, during their short-lived
administration, to squeeze from their wretched vassals as much money
as they can, by every fraudful artifice and despotic violence. The
sufferers murmur, and complain; but the government appears to wink at
the oppression for a time, and reserves its dreadful vengeance till
the annual review, on the plains of Fez, where the collected spoils of
the cruel peculator are seized, and himself deposed, imprisoned, and
the whole fruit of his rapine transferred to the royal treasury.
This empire is one of the most beautiful and fertile countries,
perhaps in the world; but the despotism under which it has groaned,
and the capricious humours of its former rulers, destroyed, and
prevented the effects of industry; besides, the rapacity of the
Sheiks, who are the Bashaws of the country, carried off every thing
that labour could collect. The present Emperor is endeavouring to
correct these abuses, and to bring about a reformation, which I am
sure he will never effect, owing to the great influence of the priests
and saints in these states. Although this monarch is humane and
impartial, and possesses nothing of the ferocious character of his
predecessors, yet seldom a day passes without some executions.
The people regard their Emperor as a god upon earth, and revere him as
a descendant of their great prophet. All his commands, right or wrong,
just or unjust, they consider as the decrees of Heaven. A blind
obedience to the will of their Sovereign, is inculcated in the minds
of their youth, more as a matter of religion than of state; and the
Emperor may put as many of his subjects to death as he deems
expedient, without assigning any other motive for so doing than secret
inspiration. When at war with any Christian prince, it is considered
as a war of religion, and the Moors who fall in the field of battle,
are accounted martyrs.
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