This Mania Is Happily A Useful One, And Must Advance The
Comfort And Sanitary Improvement Of The People.
It is as good as a
Health of Towns Bill for them.
The merchants having all returned from Morocco, I shall give some
account of their visit to the Emperor. The ancient rule of imperial
residence was, that the Sultan should sojourn six months in Fez, and six
months in Morocco, the former the northern, and the latter the southern
capital. This is not adhered to strictly, the Emperor taking up his
abode at one capital or the other, and sometimes at Micknos, according
to his caprice. He never fails, however, to visit Morocco once a year,
on account of its neighbourhood to Mogador, his much loved, and
beautiful commercial city. The Emperor himself, before his accession to
the throne, was the administrator of the customhouse of this city, where
he has acquired his commercial tastes and habits of business, which he
has cultivated from the very commencement of his reign. When the Emperor
resides in the South, he receives visits from the merchants of Mogador.
These visits are imperative on the merchants, if they are his imperial
debtors, or even if they wish to maintain a friendly feeling with his
government. Upon an average, the visits or deputations of merchants,
take place every three or four years; more frequently they cannot well
be, because they cost the merchants immense sums in presents, each often
giving to the value of three or four thousand dollars.
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