A Spanish Consul Once Took It Into His Head To
Strike His Flag And Leave Tangier.
Whilst he was gone, the Emperor
ordered all the Jews to go and take possession of his house and live in
it, as a degradation.
The consular house was soon crammed with dirty
Jews, whose vermin and filth rendered the house untenantable, until it
had undergone a thorough repair and cleansing. Sometimes the Emperor
shows a great affection for a particular consular family. The family of
the Portuguese Consul were great favorites. During the war of succession
in Portugal, the Portuguese Consul contracted debts in Tangier, not
being able to get his salary amidst the strife of parties. The Moors
complained to the Emperor of the consul's debts. Muley Abd Errahman,
though a thorough miser himself, paid the consul's debts, alleging as a
reason, "the consul was a friend of my ancestors, and he shall be my
friend." The Portuguese government wished to remove this consul on
account of his alleged Miguelite propensities, but the Emperor
threatened, if they did, that he would not receive another. Our
government compelled the Portuguese to gratify the personal feeling of
the Emperor. Senhor Colaso is a native of Morocco, as his father was
before him, and the Emperor calls them his own children. The Jewish
servants of the consulates are free from the poll-tax and other
obnoxious contributions, and their Moorish servants are also exempt from
government conscriptions.
At times, very serious misunderstandings and disputes occur between the
consuls and the Emperor on the subject of his Imperial Highness.
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