_Their incredible Destruction.--Used as Food.--Remarkable Instance
of their destroying every Green Herb on one Side of a River, and
not on the other._
In the autumn of 1792, (Jeraad) locusts began to appear in West
Barbary. The corn was in ear, and therefore safe, as this devouring
insect attacks no hard substance. In (the _liahli_,) the period of
heavy rains comprised between the forty longest nights, _old
style_, they disappeared; so that one or two only were seen
occasionally: but so soon as the _liahli_ had passed, the small
young green locust began to appear, no bigger than a fly. As
vegetation increased, these insects increased in size and quantity.
But the country did not yet seem to suffer from them. About the end
of March, they increased rapidly. I was at (_Larsa Sultan_) the
emperor's garden, which belongs to the Europeans, and which was
given to the merchants of Mogodor by the emperor Seedi Muhamed ben
Abdallah, in the kabyl of Idaugourd, in the province of Haha, and
the garden flourished with every green herb, and the fruit-trees
were all coming forward in the productive beauty of spring. I went
there the following day, and not a green leaf was to be seen: an
222 army of locusts had attacked it during the night, and had devoured
every shrub, every vegetable, and every green leaf; so that the
garden had been converted into an unproductive wilderness. And,
notwithstanding the incredible devastation that was thus produced,
not one locust was to be seen. The gardener reported, that (_sultan
jeraad_) the king of the locusts had taken his departure eastward
early in the morning; the myriads of locusts followed, so that in a
quarter of an hour not one was to be seen. The depredations of
these devouring insects was too soon felt, and a direful scarcity
ensued. The poor would go out a locusting, as they termed it: the
bushes were covered; they took their (_haik_) garment, and threw it
over them, and then collected them in a sack. In half an hour they
would collect a bushel. These they would take home, and boil a
quarter of an hour; they would then put them into a frying-pan,
with pepper, salt, and vinegar, and eat them, without bread or any
other food, making a meal of them. They threw away the head, wings,
and legs, and ate them as we do prawns. They considered them
wholesome food, and preferred them to pigeons. Afterwards, whenever
there was any public entertainment given, locusts was a standing
dish; and it is remarkable that the dish was always emptied, so
generally were they esteemed as palatable food.
A few years after the locusts appeared, I performed a journey from
223 Mogodor to Tangier. The face of the country appeared like a newly
ploughed field of a brown soil; for it was completely covered with
these insects, insomuch that they had devoured even the bark of the
trees. They rose up about a yard, as the horses went on, and
settled again; in some places they were one upon another, three or
four inches deep on the ground; a few were flying in the air, and
they flew against the face, as if they were blind, to the no small
annoyance of the traveller. It is very remarkable, that on reaching
the banks of the river[163] Elkos, which we crossed, there was not,
on the north side of that river, to my great astonishment, one
locust any where to be seen; but the country was flourishing in all
the luxuriance of verdure, although the river was not wider than
the Thames at Windsor. This extraordinary circumstance was
accounted for by the Arabs, who said that not a locust would cross
the river, till (_sultan jeraad_) the king of the locusts should
precede and direct the way.
[Footnote 163: See the Map of the empire of Marocco.]
224
ON THE INFLUENCE
OF THE
GREAT PRINCIPLE OF CHRISTIANITY
_ON THE MOORS_.
(Mat. vii. 12.)
_Of the Propagation of Christianity in Africa.--Causes that prevent
it.--The Mode of promoting it is through a friendly and commercial
Intercourse with the Natives.--Exhortation to Great Britain to
attend to the Intercourse with Africa.--Danger of the French
colonizing Senegal, and supplanting us, and thereby depreciating
the Value of our West-India Islands._
That it is a Christian duty to attempt, by lenient measures, to
propagate the Christian religion among the Idolaters and Muhamedans
of Africa, I think cannot be doubted; but this propagation will not
spread to any considerable extent until, (in that country,) the
morals of Christians in general shall approach nearer than they
actually do to the standard of Christian perfection. It is,
however, most certain that there never was a more promising, or a
more favourable opportunity of subverting paganism in Africa, and
establishing Christianity on its ruins, than at this present
period; and I think the best method to effect this desirable
purpose is through the medium of commerce, which must, in that
continent, necessarily precede science and civilisation. It is well
225 known, by all men of penetration who have resided in Muhamedan
countries, that the principles of the religion of Muhamed are not
so repugnant to Christianity as many, nay, most persons have
imagined. Various causes, however, tend to increase the hostility
that exists between the two religions. First, it is augmented by
the fakeers, and by political men, who are ever active in bringing
to their aid superstition and enthusiasm, to increase the
hostility. Secondly, it is augmented by the very little intercourse
which they have with Christians, originating, for the most part, in
our ignorance of the Arabic language, an ignorance which has been
lamented by the emperor[164] Seedy Muhamed ben Abdallah himself.
Thirdly, the hostility of these two religions is augmented by a
very ancient tradition, that the country will be invaded by the
Christians, and converted to Christianity, that this event will
happen on a Friday (the Muhamedan sabbath), during the time that
they are at the (_silla dohor_) prayers at half past one o'clock,
226 P.M.; so that throughout the empire they close the gates of all the
towns on this day, at this period of time, till two o'clock, P.M.:
when the prayers are over, and the people go out of the mosques,
the gates are again thrown open. This tradition, which is
universally believed, acts on the minds of the whole community, and
fans the embers of hostility already lighted between Christians and
Muhamedans, bringing to the recollection of the latter the hostile
intentions of the former to invade and take their country from
them, when an opportunity shall offer. On the other hand, what
tends to reconcile the two creeds is, the influence that European
commerce, and the principles of the Christian doctrine, have had on
the muselmen of Africa. This influence extends as far as the
commerce with Europeans extends. Wherever the Europeans negociate
with the Moors, the great principle of the Christian doctrine is
known and discussed,--that principle which surpasses every doctrine
propagated by the Grecian philosophers, or the wise men of the
East,--that truly noble, liberal, and charitable principle, "Do as
you would be done by," influences the conduct of the better
educated muselmen who have had long intercourse and negociations
with Christians; and they do not fail to retort it upon us,
whenever _our conduct_ deviates from it. Thus, the minds of
muselmen, wherever European commerce flows, are tinctured with this
great principle of the Christian doctrine. And, to an accurate
227 observer of mankind, it will appear that this principle, from its
own intrinsic beauty, has in many superseded the muselman
retaliative system of morality, originating in the Mosaic law,--"An
eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." For I have heard
muselmen, in their individual disputes with one another, advance
this precept as a rule of conduct. If, therefore, this divine
principle be recognised by muselmen, who have had intercourse and
commercial negociations with Europeans, in defiance of the
obstacles to this doctrine suggested by the fakeers and political
men; what might we not expect from the due cultivation of an
extensive commerce, upon a grand national scale, with this
interesting continent? Might we not expect a gradual diffusion of
the principles of Christianity among the muselmen, as well as among
the pagans and idolaters, of Africa? I would venture to assert,
that in the event of the British government engaging, with energy
and determination, to cultivate a commercial intercourse and
extensive connection with Africa, that the negroes, and possibly
even the Muhamedans, might gradually be converted to Christianity.
This event would take a long time to accomplish, but its gradual
progress, most probably, would be more rapid than was the progress
of Muhamedanism during the life of the Arabian prophet.
[Footnote 164: When this Emperor, for the purpose of satisfying
his people that he administered retributive justice, ordered
two teeth of an English merchant to be drawn, he repented so
much of what he had done, that he offered to make any amends
that the merchant might require, expressing his wish that he
had an English consul with whom he could converse colloquially,
without the inconvenience of an interpreter; and for this
purpose the Emperor, after granting him considerable favours,
urged him to accept of the British consulship; adding, that he
himself would secure him the appointment, and that he would
then refuse nothing, but whatsoever the English should ask of
him, they should have.]
Associations have been formed in this philanthropic country,
through the medium of extensive subscriptions, for the civilisation
228 of Africa, and the abolition of the slave trade: the greatest merit
is due to the individuals who have subscribed to such institutions;
their motives have been unexceptionable, but we grossly deceive
ourselves, and the whole is an illusion! The French, as it were,
have taken the staff out of our hands; and whilst we are in vain
endeavouring to abolish the trade in slaves, _by the capture of
slave-ships at sea_[165], they are insidiously cultivating the
growth of cotton, coffee, sugar, indigo, and other colonial
produce, on the banks of the Senegal river; insomuch that if we
shall continue thus supinely to disregard their important African
agricultural operations, the result in a few years will probably
be, that they will be able to undersell us in West-India produce,
in the markets of continental Europe; for they can cultivate, with
free negroes at Senegal, colonial produce at considerably less
expense than our West-India cultivation. The voyage, also, is not
half the distance; so that the continental market for the sale of
West-India produce will be shortly supplied from Senegal, from
229 whence it is more than probable that colonial produce will be
imported to Europe at little more than half the expense of
importing it from the West Indies: thus Great Britain may be driven
out of the market for colonial produce, except for what may be
sufficient for her own domestic supply.
[Footnote 165: Many naval officers concur in thinking, that to
suppress the slave trade, by interrupting the ships, would
employ all the navy of Great Britain; and entail a war-expense
on the nation; besides the enormous expense that will be
necessarily incurred by the various commissions dispatched to
Sierra Leone, Havannah, &c. &c. for the adjudication of
slave-causes. To which may be added, our expensive presents to
Spain and Portugal, to induce those powers to coalesce in the
abolition; which there is too much reason to apprehend will be
evaded by the subjects of those powers.]
This has been a favourite scheme of the French, who have now begun
to taste the fruits of it: they have had it in view and in
operation _ever since we gave them possession of Senegal_. It was
the system of her late Emperor, Bonaparte, suggested to him by the
arch and brilliant genius of Talleyrand, to indemnify the loss of
St. Domingo.
Moreover, the French, who are cultivating the territory of Senegal
with indefatigable industry, will be, in a few years, not only able
to supply the continental markets of Europe with colonial produce,
but they will become masters of North Africa, establish another
Ceuta at the African promontory of the Cape de Verd, and, in the
event of a war, annoy incalculably our East-India trade, and
enhance the price of East-India produce in the British dominions;
whilst they will, by the aid of the Americans, who will be always
ready to assist them, form a depot for East-India goods at the Cape
de Verd, and from thence introduce them into Africa and France, to
the almost total exclusion of Great Britain. If we are to prevent
these events from taking place, we must adopt different measures
230 from what we have adopted; we must move in a very different sphere
from that in which we have been accustomed to move; we must be much
more energetic, more vigilant, and more active than we have been,
with respect to African matters. It is presumed that these
suggestions are well deserving the consideration of His Majesty's
ministers. May they view with the eye of an eagle and the wisdom of
the serpent the insidious encroachments that are thus making on our
colonial markets!!
The Africans, by which term I mean the natives, viz. the Moors, the
Arabs, the Berebbers, the Shelluhs, and the Negroes, (not the Jews,
who, although numerous in this country, yet, as they are and have
been ever since their Theocratical Government, a distinct race, and
their customs and manners well known, I do not include them in the
term Africans, although from their birth they are entitled to the
appellation,)--the Africans, I say, are seldom met with in closed
rooms, but are constantly in the open air, transacting their
business in _dwarias_, which are detached rooms, or apartments,
with three sides, the fourth being supported by pillars; this
custom of living continually in or exposed to the external air
renders them strong and healthy, wherefore their bodies, by an
_antiperistasis_, have the natural heat repelled and kept within,
increasing by this action their appetite for food, which is always
strong. They live in a frugal manner, seldom eating but of one
231 food: the prevailing dish throughout North Africa is cuscasoe, a
granulated paste, cooked by steam, and garnished with vegetables,
and chickens, or mutton; this is a very nutritive, palatable, and
wholesome dish. They are not incumbered at their meals with a
variety of dishes; but a large bowl, or spacious plate, is
introduced on a round table, supported by one pillar, like the
_Monopodia_ of the ancients, rather larger than the bowl or dish,
and about six inches high. Half a dozen Moors sit round this
repast, on cushions or on the ground, cross-legged; a position
which they remain in with perfect ease and pliability from custom
and the loose dress they wear. When the company have seated
themselves, a slave or a servant comes round to the guests, to
perform the ceremony of (_togrêda_) washing of the hands; a brass
bason or pan, which they call _tas_, is brought round to all the
company, the slave holding it by his left hand, while, with the
right hand, he pours water on the hands of the guests from a
(_garoff_) pitcher, in the form of an Etruscan vase, having
(_zeef_) a towel thrown over his shoulder to dry their hands. This
ceremony is performed before and after meals. The master of the
feast, before they begin to eat, pronounces (_Bismillah_) the grace
before meat, which signifies, "In the name of God;" after the
repast, he says (_El Ham'd û lillah_) "Praise be to God." Each
guest eats with the fingers of his right hand, none ever touching
the food with their left. If a piece of meat, or a joint of a fowl
232 or chicken is to be divided, two of the guests take hold of it, and
pull it till it is divided. This is somewhat repugnant to an
European's ideas of delicacy; but if we consider that the hands are
previously washed, and that they never come in contact with the
mouth in decent or respectable society, there is not so insuperable
an objection to this way of eating as might otherwise appear. Each
person in eating the granulated flour or cuscasoe, puts his two
fore-fingers into the dish before him, and by a dextrous turn of
the hand converts the quantity taken up into the form of a ball,
which he, with a peculiar dexterity, jirks into the mouth. The
Africans never drink till they have done eating; when dinner is
over, a large goblet, or _poculum amicitiæ_, of pure water is
passed round, and each person drinks copiously; the washing is then
repeated, and the repast is terminated. Afterwards coffee is
introduced, without milk: the cup is not placed in a saucer, nor do
they hand you a spoon, for the sugar is mixed in the coffee-pot;
the cup is presented in an outer cup of brass, which preserves the
fingers from being burned. They use no bells in their tents; but
the slaves or servants are called by the master when wanted, one
generally standing in the corner of the tent to superintend the
others. The pipe is sometimes introduced after the coffee, but this
is by no means a general custom, except among the negroes. The pipe
is of rose-wood, of jasmin, or of rhododendrum wood: great
233 quantities of the latter are conveyed across the Sahara, for
pipe-tubes for the negroes of Timbuctoo, and other territories of
Sudan, bordering on the Nile el Abeed, or Nile of the Negroes
(Niger).
Passing through this territory of encampments, when travellers are
disposed to sleep at a douar, one of the party presents himself at
the confines of the encampment, and exclaims (_Deef Allah_) "The
guest of God." The sheik of the douar is immediately apprised of
the circumstance; and after investigating the rank of the
travellers, he enquires if they have tents with them; if they have
not, he has his own or (_kheyma deâf_) the guest's tent
appropriated for the travellers. If they have their own tents,
which persons of respectability generally have, the sheik comes and
directs the servants where to pitch them; the camels and mules are
disburdened, and the sheik declares (_atshie m'hassub alia_) "For
all this baggage I hold myself accountable." Europeans travelling
in this country generally follow their own customs: accordingly,
among the English, tea is ordered; a most delectable refreshment
after a fatiguing journey on horseback, exposed to the scorching
rays of the African sun. If the sheik and a few of his friends are
invited to tea, which these Arabs designate by (_elma skoon û el
hadra_) hot water and conversation, they like it very sweet, and
drink half-a-dozen cups at least. Nothing ingratiates travellers
with these people so much as distributing a few lumps of sugar
234 among them: sugar, honey, or any thing sweet, being with these
Arabs emblematical of peace and friendship. Some of the women of
the Arabs are extremely handsome; in all the simplicity of nature
"when unadorned adorned the most." To fine figures they unite
handsome profiles, good and white teeth, and large, black,
expressive, intelligent eyes, like the eyes of a gazel; dark
eye-brows, and dark long eye-lashes, which give a peculiar warmth
and softness to the eye. They concern themselves little about time,
and will sometimes come to converse after midnight with the
Europeans. When the guard of the tent informs them they cannot go
in, that the Christian is a-bed and undressed, they are not less
astonished than we are to see them sleeping in the open air at
night, on the ground, with their clothes on. When candles are
brought into the tent at night, the servant wishes the company a
good evening: he says "_M'sah elkhere_," the literal meaning of
which is "_Good be with you this evening_;" which salutation it is
courteous to return, even to a slave; and if any one, however great
his rank, were not to return it, he would be considered a bad
muselman, a disaffected and inhospitable barbarian. The morning
salutation is (_Alem Allah sebak_,) "May your morning be
accompanied with the knowledge of God;" or, (_Sebah el khere_, or
_sebahk b'elkhere_) "Good morning to you," or "May your morning be
good." Equals meeting, touch hands, and then each kisses his own
235 respectively; they then say, (I now speak of the middle order of
society,) "And how are you, and how have you been: how long it is
since I saw you! and how are you, and how are your children; (_ûhel
Dar'kume_,) and the people of your family, how are they, certainly
you are well:" and so they will go on, sometimes for a quarter of
an hour, repeating the same thing. If an inferior meets a superior,
he kisses his hand or his garment and retires, when there is a
greater disparity of rank, the inferior kisses the stirrup of the
superior; or prostrates himself if the superior is a prince, a
fakeer, or a bashaw.
Another salutation among respectable individuals is, by each
placing his right hand on his heart, indicating that part to be the
residence of the friend!
The Jews of this country retain the customs of their ancestors more
pure and unmixed than those in other countries.
When a Jew dies he is interred the same day, or the day after at
farthest. The female relations and the friends of the deceased
assemble round the corpse, and utter bitter lamentations, tearing
their faces and their hair in a most woeful manner; they disfigure
their faces with their finger-nails, till they bleed, and during
the whole time keep stamping or moving their legs, beating time, as
it were, with their feet; these lamentations are continued, with
occasional intermission, till the body of the deceased is carried
236 away for interment. The performers of these bitter lamentations
appear to have all the marks of hideous grief inscribed on their
faces, but most of them feel no real concern; some of the girls,
young and handsome, near akin to the deceased, are ambitious to
disfigure themselves, and they lacerate their pretty faces most
lamentably. The more wounds these bear on their cheeks the greater
is their grief considered to be. But the corpse being removed the
mourners regale themselves with _Mahaya_, or African brandy, and
make up for their lamentations, by converting their bitter strains
into conviviality.
There is a strange resemblance between this custom and that
practised by the inhabitants of New Zealand; insomuch that we might
imagine the latter to be one of the lost tribes of this
extraordinary people. It is true that we have no record of such a
perfection of navigation as to enable us to conjecture how a tribe
of Jews could reach New Zealand: but many things remain in great
obscurity even in this enlightened age; and we have had no
historical record transmitted to us from the ancients of many
extraordinary discoveries that recently have been made in Egypt.
237