Tangier, Though A Miserable Place Compared To Most Of The Cities In
Europe, Is Something Considerable In Morocco, And The Great Mosque Is
Rather Splendid.
Mr. Borrow justly remarks that its minarets look like
the offspring of the celebrated Giralda of Seville.
The Christians have
here a convent, and a church within it, to which are attached
half-a-dozen monks. There is no Protestant church; Mr. Hay reads service
in the British Consulate, and invites the Protestant residents. Tangier
is the only place in the empire where the Christian religion is publicly
professed. The Jews have three or four small synagogues. Usually, the
synagogues in Barbary are nothing more than private houses.
Before the bombardment of the French, the fortifications mounted forty
pieces or so of cannon, but of no strength; on the contrary, going
completely to ruin and decay, being scarcely strong enough to fire a
salute from. The Bay of Tangier is good and spacious; but, in the course
of time, will be filled up with sand. The shipping is exposed to strong
westerly winds. The safest anchorage, however, is on the the eastern
part, about half a mile off the shore, in a line with the round tower.
With a few thousand pounds, one of the finest - at least, one of the most
convenient - ports of the Mediterranean could be constructed here. There
is a bashaw of this province, who resides at El-Araish, and a
lieutenant-governor, who lives at Tangier. With these functionaries, the
representatives of European Powers have principally to transact affairs.
On the north is the castle, the residence of the governor.
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