You profoundly perplex the
mind of Mr. Consul-general Hay."
This leads me to notice the affecting case of the Israelite, Darmon, at
one time the French Vice-consul at Mazagran. This young Darmon was fond
of Moorish women, and always intriguing with them. Hay Mousa, Governor
of Mazagran, reported him to the Emperor, and his Highness sent orders
to have him decapitated. It was said afterwards by the Maroquine
Government, that "The order was merely to bring him to Morocco, and
that, when being conveyed as prisoner, and after attempting to run away,
the soldiers of his escort shot him." The Moorish Government also
pretend that Darmon attempted first to shoot the guards who shot him, in
self-defence.
With regard to his being a French Consul, it is said by the French
Government, that he was not their consul at the time, having resigned.
It appears besides that members of his family are French, and others
Moorish subjects. Indeed, these Mauro-European Jews give great troubles
to the consuls; the various persons of a single family being often under
the protection of three or four consuls. It will thus be seen how full
of difficulties was this Darmon affair, and what a door it opened to
tedious Moorish diplomacy. The French Government arranged ultimately
with the Sultan a compromise, a sum of money being paid to the murdered
man's family, and the Governor of Mazagran was dismissed.
When young Darmon fell into disgrace, his father, one of the Imperial
merchants, was at Morocco. The father inquired of the Minister whether
the Sultan would receive his present now his son had fallen into
disgrace. The cruelly avaricious tyrant deigned to accept it of the
father it is said, at the very moment when the order to decapitate his
son had been sent to Mazagran. No doubt it was a barbarous action, but
the extreme imprudence of the young man provoked the government to
extremities. The court was so irritated at the time, that it even issued
an order to place all Jews, natives, foreigners, or Europeans upon the
same level of exposure to Moorish insult and oppression. Speaking to Mr.
Willshire about this order, he smilingly observed: "Say nothing, it will
soon be forgotten." The government never intended to carry it out. Years
ago, the Emperor gave orders that Jews coming from European countries
should be placed on the same footing as native Jews, but the Imperial
edicts were unnoticed.
A curious order was given about smoking some time ago in this city. It
was represented to the Governor that during Ramadan, Kafer-Nazarenes
went about smoking, occasioning the Faithful to sniff up the smoke, and
so break the Holy Fast. The Christians were likewise accused of going
near the mosques to fill them with filthy smoke.
The Governor, in a circular, begged of the Consuls to prohibit their
countrymen, or "subjects," from smoking in the streets. The French
Consul considering this a police regulation, summoned together the
French subjects, and begged of them to comply with the non-smoking
order. Mr. Willshire took no notice of the affair, knowing it would soon
pass over.
Mr, Willshire is a veteran in Morocco, and understands the genius of its
government. He considers the _laissez faire_ system the very best, and
this is all very well, provided the Sultan respects the heads of Her
Majesty's subjects.
Haj Mousa, Governor of Mazagran, who was mixed up with the Darmon
affair, deserves notice from his brutal ferocity towards Europeans. With
great difficulty and damage to their lives, Europeans reside in
Mazagran, and it is not therefore surprising that the imprudent Darmon
fell into the clutches of this provincial tyrant, who probably ensnared
him as a prey. Up to the time of this affair, Haj Mousa had been an
irremoveable governor. The Sultan himself never attempted to displace
him, although he had committed, from time to time, the greatest
enormities. Other governors had been bled, fleeced, and impaled over and
over again; but the caitiff, Haj, always remained in possession of the
fruits of his tyranny.
The reason for this tolerant conduct of the Emperor towards him is, that
when Muley Abd Errahman was in difficulties and obliged to fly for his
life, in the convulsions previous to his reign, Haj Mousa sent the young
prince a mule and thirty ducats; with this, the prince was enabled to
escape, and he saved his life to be afterwards proclaimed
Meer-el-Moumeneen. On receiving the mule and money, he exclaimed in a
transport of gratitude to the Governor of Mazagran, "I will never forget
you!" It is unfortunate the good faith of the Emperor's word has been so
deplorably abused by this tyrant, for it is considered certain, that
though temporarily removed from Mazagran, he will return, or be made
governor of another city.
A Sous Jew called upon me one day, who is well acquainted with the
Shelouh or, Berber of the South. On asking if he would make a
translation of the book of Genesis from Hebrew into Shelouh, he replied:
"No, I cannot. In the first place, the Emperor would cut off my head for
doing such a thing; and, again, it would be a sin to convert the Holy
Hebrew character into such a language of Infidels."
We continued our discussion on a more practical subject.
_Traveller_ (to the Jew) - "I am told that among you, Jews of Morocco, it
is a merit to rob us Christians and the Moors. Your young children are
even praised by their mothers if they commit a theft without being found
out: [27] is this right?"
_The Jew_. - "You are all _Goyeem_ [28] (Gentiles), but it is not true
that we rob you, Christians. If we rob Mussulmen, it's because they rob
us first."
The case really is, the Jews are literally being robbed every day by the
Moors one way or the other, and, if the people do not rob them, the
constituted authorities continue to make exactions under every pretence.
I am inclined, nevertheless, to think, without prejudice, that it is a
received maxim with _all native_ Barbary Jews, "to rob unbelievers,
Moors and Christians, when you can do so _safely_." This was the opinion
which a very respectable European Jew, resident in Tunis, entertained of
his brethren.
