The
Neighbourhood Of Morocco Is Dreadfully Infested By Robbers And
Assassins.
The inhabitants of the empire of Morocco, that are not in a military
capacity, or otherwise immediately in the
Service of the Emperor, are
miserably poor; and the natural indolence of their disposition
preventing them from making any laudable exertions towards gaining a
livelihood, they have recourse to every means of fraud and
violence. It is astonishing how frequently assassinations and
robberies are committed in this empire, notwithstanding the ruffians,
when detected, are punished in the most exemplary manner, by the right
hand and left foot being cut off, and the head afterwards being
severed from the body. The relations of the murderer are all fined
very heavily, and the judgment often extends to the whole village,
near which the crime had been perpetrated; yet seldom a day passes but
some daring robbery is committed, accompanied by the most wanton and
savage cruelty; the unhappy victim of the plunderer being frequently
left in the public roads in a most shocking state of mutilation.
Another ostensible cause of the dereliction of the peasantry from the
laws of humanity, may be the extreme oppression under which they
groan; as, on account of their former propensity to rebellion, they
are now ruled with a rod of iron, which in all probability has
rendered them callous, and deaf to the voice of nature. But,
independently of these occasional depredations, there is a band of
vagrants, who are actuated by no other motives, than what their own
black hearts suggest. They inhabit caves in the sides of enormous
rocky precipices, and go entirely naked: their principal food is the
flesh of wild beasts. This tribe of freebooters appears to be quite a
distinct set of people; they seem to have an invincible aversion to
the Mahometan religion, and worship the _sun_ and _fire_; they speak a
different language from the rest of the inhabitants, a mixture of
African and the _old_ Arabic; all which circumstances favour their own
report of themselves, which is, that they are the genuine descendants
of the original inhabitants. They look down upon the more civilized
Moors with contempt, and consider them as the real usurpers of their
country, and the plunderers of their property. They subsist chiefly
by rapine, and frequently throw a whole village into consternation by
their nocturnal visits; yet their cunning and dexterity are so great,
that they almost constantly elude the vigilance of justice: indeed,
they are never forced from their places of retreat (which are
inaccessible to all but themselves), but when taken, it is either in
the act of robbing, or when they venture to the markets or fairs; and
then the capture is not effected without a strong body of the
military.
I was much disappointed on my arrival at Morocco with the appearance
of the place; for, instead of finding it, as I expected, superior to
Fez and Mequinez, I found it a large ruinous town, almost without
inhabitants. It contains, indeed, a great many mosques, caravanseras,
public baths, marketplaces or squares, and palaces of the Xeriffes,
but all in almost deplorable state of ruin. Not many years since, this
city was the Imperial residence, and contained six hundred and fifty
thousand inhabitants; but the late civil wars, and the plague, which
raged with such violence, in the beginning of the present Emperor's
reign, nearly depopulated it. In consequence of the latter melancholy
event, the court was removed to Fez and Mequinez. To this account we
may place the present desolate appearance of Morocco. The Imperial
palace is, however, kept in repair, as the Emperor goes to Morocco
annually to spend the fast-days, which are during the months of
October and November; scarcely one fourth of the other palaces and
houses are inhabited; but though this city now exhibits evident
symptoms of rapid decay, we may still form a just idea of its former
grandeur and magnificence.
The plain of Morocco is bounded by that long ridge of mountains called
_Atlas_, which screen the town from the scorching heat of the easterly
winds, while the snow, with which their summits are covered, renders
the climate more temperate than in other parts of
Barbary. Notwithstanding the salubrity of the climate of Morocco, a
residence there is rendered miserable, by the multitudes of scorpions,
serpents, gnats, and bugs, which infest the town and its
neighbourhood.
His Imperial Majesty holds a court of justice here, previous to the
commencement of the holidays, and also issues orders for a general
ablution by men, women, and children, of every class: this, no doubt,
is very necessary, as the common people seldom change their linen, and
the greater part of them are covered with vermin. During the fast they
dare not touch any food while the sun is up, and when at night they
are allowed to break their fast, they absolutely make perfect beasts
of themselves. Smoking, or chewing tobacco, and taking snuff, are
strictly prohibited, by an edict from the Emperor: the vender is
punished with the bastinado, and a confiscation of all his goods and
cattle, and the buyer with six years imprisonment.
Owing to the intense heat of the weather lately, there is a great
scarcity of water: so that we were obliged to carry it up in bags made
of goat-skin, to supply us on the road; and coming back we took the
same precaution.
When at Morocco, I was extremely anxious to visit _Mogedor_, a
sea-port town, and the island of _Erythia_, now also called Mogedor,
which island contains a castle of considerable strength, defended by a
strong garrison, stationed there chiefly, as I have been told, to
protect the gold-mines in the neighbourhood; but the distance was very
great, and my time so limited, that I could not spare a fortnight,
which it would at least have required to get there and back again. I
have been returned here two days, and, as I observed before, not so
much gratified as I expected.
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