Up To This Time, The Emperor,
Singularly Enough, Had Made Himself Responsible For All The Debts Of His
Subjects Trading With Gibraltar.
The trade in provisions at Tangier is most active, bullocks, sheep,
butcher's meat, fowls, eggs, game and pigeons, grain and flour, &c., are
daily shipped from Tangier to Gibraltar.
The garrison and population of
Gibraltar draw more than two-thirds of their provisions from this and
other northern parts of Morocco.
This government speculates in and carries on commerce; and, like most
African and Asiatic governments, has had its established monopolies from
time immemorial, of some of which it disposes, whilst it reserves others
for itself, as those of tobacco, sulphur, and cochineal. All the high
functionaries engage in commerce, and this occupation of trade and
barter is considered the most honourable in the empire, sanctioned as it
is by the Emperor himself, who may be considered as the chief of
merchants. The monopolies are sold by public auction at so much per
annum. On its own monopolies, government, as a rule, exacts a profit of
cent per cent.
The following is a list of the monopolies which the Emperor sells,
either to his own employers or to native and foreign merchants.
1. Leeches. - This is one of the most recently established monopolies,
dating only about twenty years back. The trade in leeches was set on
foot by Mr. Frenerry; it brought, at first, but a few dollars per annum,
and now the monopoly is sold for 50,000.
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