He Was Besides A Grateful Man, For He Saw Our
James II.
In exile, who had given the admiral liberty without ransom
when he had been captured by English cruisers, and heartily thanked the
fallen prince for his own freedom whilst he condoled with him in his
misfortunes.
But the Moorish envoy, in spite of his great influence, was
unable to conclude the treaty of peace, which was desired by France. On
his return to Morocco, the ambassador had so advanced in European ideas
of convenience, or civilization, that he attempted to introduce a taste
for Parisian luxury among his own countrymen.
As in many other parts of the Mediterranean, France and England have
incessantly contended for influence at the Court of Morocco. Various
irregular missions to this Court have been undertaken by European
powers, from the first establishment of the Moorish empire of the West.
The French entered regularly into relations with the western Moors
shortly after us; their flag, indeed, began to appear at their ports in
1555, under Francis I. They succeeded in gaining the favour of the Moors
whilst we occupied Tangier, and Louis XIV. encouraged them in their
efforts to attack or harass our garrison. The nature of our struggles
with the Moors of Morocco can be at once conjectured from the titles of
the pamphlets published in those times, viz.
"_Great_ and _bloody_ news of Tangier," (London 1680), and "The Moors
_blasted_, being a discourse concerning Tangier, especially when it was
under the Earl of Teviot," (London, 1681). But, after the peace of
Utrecht, conceding Gibraltar to England, and which more than compensated
us for the loss of Tangier, the influence of France in Morocco began to
wane, and the trade of this empire was absorbed by the British during
the 18th century.
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