Of The Strength And Number
Of The Tribes Of The Interior, We Know Scarcely Anything.
The names of
the towns and villages of the South, so frequently beginning and ending
with T., sufficiently indicate
The preponderance of the Berber
population, under the names of Shelouh or Amazirgh, whilst the great
error of writers has been to represent the Arabs as more numerous than
this aboriginal population.
Monsieur E. Renou, in his geographical description of the Empire of
Morocco (Vol. VIII. of the "Exploration Scientifique," &c.) foolishly
observes that there is no way of arriving at correct statistics of this
empire, except by comparing it with Algeria; and then remarks, which is
true enough, "Malheureusement, la population de l'Algerie n'est pas
encore bien connue." When, however, he asserts that the numbers of
population given by Jackson and Graeberg are gross, and almost
unpardonable exaggerations, given at hazard, I am obliged to agree with
him from the personal experience I had in Morocco, and these Barbary
countries generally.
Jackson makes the whole of the population to amount to almost fifteen
millions, or nearly two thirds more than it probably amounts to. Graeberg
estimates it at eight millions and a half. But how, or why, or
wherefore, such estimates are made is not so easy to determine. Certain
it is, that the whole number of cities which I have enumerated, scarcely
represent one million of inhabitants. But for those who like to see
something more definite in statistics, however exaggerated may be the
estimate, I shall give the more moderate calculations of Graeberg, those
of Jackson being beyond all rhyme or reason.
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