He Enumerates Its Districts And Cities, And Says,
Fut And Lubim, Fez And Lybia, &C.
[27] I imagine we shall never know the truth of this until the French
march an army into Fez, and sack the library.
[28] It is true enough what the governor says about _quietness_, but the
novelty of the mission turned the heads of the people, and made a great
noise among them. The slave-dealers of Sous vowed vengeance against me,
and threatened to "rip open my bowels" if I went down there.
[29] The Sultan's Minister, Ben Oris, addressing our government on the
question says, "Whosoever sets any person free God will set his soul
free from the fire," (hell), quoting the Koran.
[30] A person going to the Emperor without a present, is like a menace
at court, for a present corresponds to our "good morning."
[31] _Bash_, means chief, as Bash-Mameluke, chief of the Mamelukes. It
is a Turkish term.
[32] This office answers vulgarly to our _Boots_ at English inns.
[33] Bismilla, Arabic for "In the name of God!" the Mohammedan grace
before meat, and also drink.
[34] Shaw says. - "The hobara is of the bigness of a capon, it feeds upon
the little grubs or insects, and frequents the confines of the Desert.
The body is of a light dun or yellowish colour, and marked over with
little brown touches, whilst the larger feathers of the wing are black,
with each of them a white spot near the middle; those of the neck are
whitish with black streaks, and are long and erected when the bird is
attacked. The bill is flat like the starling's, nearly an inch and a
half long, and the legs agree in shape and in the want of the hinder toe
with the bustard's, but it is not, as Golins says, the bustard, that
bird being twice as big as the hobara. Nothing can be more entertaining
than to see this bird pursued by the hawk, and what a variety of flights
and stratagems it makes use of to escape." The French call the hobara, a
little bustard, _poule de Carthage_, or Carthage-fowl. They are
frequently sold in the market of Tunis, as ordinary fowls, but eat
something like pheasant, and their flesh is red.
[35] The most grandly beautiful view in Tunis is that from the
Belvidere, about a mile north-west from the capital, looking immediately
over the Marsa road. Here, on a hill of very moderate elevation, you
have the most beautiful as well as the most magnificent panoramic view
of sea and lake, mountain and plain, town and village, in the whole
Regency, or perhaps in any other part of North Africa. There are besides
many lovely walks around the capital, particularly among and around the
craggy heights of the south-east. But these are little frequented by the
European residents, the women especially, who are so stay-at-homeative
that the greater part of them never walked round the suburbs once in
their lives.
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