_Rivers, Mountains, and Climate of Marocco._
The following are the principal rivers in the empire of Marocco:
_The Muluwia_, which separates the empire from Angad and Tlemsen,
rises at the foot of the Atlas, and, passing through the desert of
Angad, discharges itself into the Mediterranean about thirty miles
S.E. of Mellilla. This is a deep and impetuous stream, impassable in
(Liali) the period between the 20th of December and 30th of January
inclusive, or the forty shortest days, as computed by the old style;
in summer it is not only fordable, but often quite dry, and is called
from that circumstance El Bahar billa ma, or, a sea without water.
_El Kose_, or _Luccos_, at El Araiche, so called from its arched
windings, El Kose signifying in the Arabic of the western Arabs an
arch. Ships of 100 or 150 tons may enter this river at high water;
it abounds in the fish called shebbel: it is never fordable, but
ferries are constantly crossing with horses, camels, passengers and
their baggage, &c.
_The Baht_ rises in the Atlas, and partly loses itself in the swamps
and lakes of the province of El Garb; the other branch probably
falls into the river Seboo.
_The Seboo_ is the largest river in West Barbary; it rises in a
piece of water situated in the midst of a forest, near the foot
of Atlas, eastward of the cities of Fas and Mequinas, and winding
through the plains, passes within six miles of Fas. Another stream,
proceeding from the south of Fas, passes through the city, and
discharges itself into this river: this stream is of so much value
to the Fasees, from supplying the town with water, that it is called
(Wed el Juhor) the river of pearls. Some auxiliary streams proceeding
from the territory of Tezza fall into the Seboo in Liali (the period
before mentioned). This river is impassable except in boats, or
on rafts. At Meheduma, or Mamora, where it enters the ocean, it is
a large, deep, and navigable stream; but the port being evacuated,
foreign commerce is annihilated, and little shipping has been admitted
since the Portugueze quitted the place. This river abounds more than
any other in that rich and delicate fish called shebbel. If there
were any encouragement to industry in this country, corn might be
conveyed up the Seboo to Fas at a very low charge, whereas it is now
transported to that populous city on camels, the expense of the hire
of which often exceeds the original cost of the grain.
_The Bu Regreg._—This river rises in one of the mountains of Atlas,
and proceeding through the woods and valleys of the territory of Fas,
traverses the plains of the province of Beni Hassen, and discharges
itself into the ocean between the towns of Salée and Rabat, the
former being on the northern, the latter on the southern bank: here
some of the Emperor’s sloops of war, which are denominated by his
subjects frigates, are laid up for the winter. This river is never
fordable, but ferries are constantly passing to and fro.
_The Morbeya_ also rises in the Atlas mountains, and dividing the
territory of Fas from the province of Tedla, passes through a part
of Shawia, and afterwards separates that province and Temsena
from Duquella; dividing that part of the empire west of Atlas
into two divisions. There was a bridge over this river at a short
distance from the pass called Bulawan, built by Muley Bel Hassen,
a prince of the Mareen family; at this pass the river is crossed on
rafts of rushes and reeds, and on others consisting of inflated goat
skins. Westward of this pass, the river meanders through the plains,
and enters the ocean at the port of Azamor. The Morbeya abounds in
the fish called shebbel, the season for which is in the spring. This
river not being at any time fordable, horses and travellers, together
with their baggage, are transported across by ferries.
_The Tensift._[20]—This river rises in the Atlas, east of Marocco,
and passing about five miles north of that city, it proceeds through
the territory of Marocco, Rahamena, and nearly divides the two
maritime provinces of Shedma and Abda, discharging itself into the
ocean about sixteen miles south of the town of Saffy. This river
receives in its course some tributary streams issuing from Atlas,
the principal of which is the Wed Niffis, which, flowing from the
south, enters it, after taking a northerly course through the plains
of Marocco or Sheshawa. The Tensift is an impetuous stream during
the Liali, but in summer it is fordable in several places; and at
the ferry near the mouth of the river, at low water, reaches as high
as the stirrups. In many places it is extremely deep, and dangerous
to cross without a guide; about six miles from Marocco, a bridge
crosses it, which was erected by Muley El Mansor; it is very strong
but flat, with many arches. One of the Kings of Marocco attempted
to destroy this bridge, to prevent the passage of an hostile army,
but the cement was so hard that men with pick-axes were employed
several days before they could sever the stones; and they had not
time to effect its destruction, before the army passed. The shebbel
of the Tensift is much esteemed, as is also the water, which is
extremely salubrious, and aids considerably the powers of digestion,
which, from the intense heat of the climate, are often weakened and
relaxed. This river is supposed to be the _Phut_ of Ptolemy; on the
northern bank, where it falls into the ocean, is to be perceived
the ruins of an ancient town, probably the _Asama_ of that Geographer.
There is a small stream two miles south of Mogodor, from whence that
town is supplied with water; and about twelve or fourteen miles more
to the south, we reach
_The River Tidsi_, which discharges itself into the ocean a few
miles south of Tegrewelt, or Cape Ossem, where the ancient city of
Tidsi formerly stood. Passing to the south in the plains at the foot
of that branch of Atlas which forms Afarnie, or the lofty Cape de
Geer,[21] we meet
_The River Benitamer_, which, with the before mentioned branch of
Atlas, divides the provinces of Haha and Suse.
Farther to the south is another river called
_Wed Tamaract_; and about sixteen or seventeen miles south of that
place, and about six south of Agadeer, or Santa Cruz,[22] the majestic
_River Suse_ discharges itself into the ocean. This fine river rises
at Ras-el-Wed, at the foot of Atlas, about thirty miles from the city
of Terodant. The (fulahs) cultivators of land, and the gardeners of
Suse have drained off this river so much in its passage through the
plains of Howara and Exima, that it is fordable at its mouth at low
water in the summer, so that camels and other animals are enabled
to cross it with burthens on their backs: at its mouth is a bar of
sand which at low water almost separates it from the ocean. The banks
of this river are inundated in winter, but in summer are variegated
with Indian corn, wheat, barley, pasture lands, beautiful gardens,
and productive orchards. Either this river, or that of Messa, must
have been the _Una_ of Ptolomy, which is placed in lat. 28° 30′
N. We may presume that the Suse was anciently navigable as far as
Terodant, as there are still in the walls of the castle of that city
immense large iron rings, such as we see in maritime towns in Europe,
for the purpose of mooring ships.
_Draha._—The river of this name flows from the north-east of
Atlas to the south, and passing through the province of Draha,
it disappears in the absorbing sands of Sahara. A great part of the
country through which it passes being a saline earth, its waters have
a brackish taste, like most of the rivers proceeding from Atlas, which
take their course eastward. It is small in summer, but impetuous and
impassable in winter, or at least during Liali. It is not improbable
that this river formerly continued its course westward, discharging
itself into the ocean at Wednoon, and called by the ancients Darodus;
but it often happens in Africa, particularly on the confines of any
desert country, that the course of rivers is not only changed by
the moveable hills of dry sand, but sometimes absorbed altogether,
as is now the case with the Draha, after its entrance into the Desert.
_River of Messa_, called Wed Messa, flows from Atlas; it is, as before
observed, a separate stream from the river Suse, and is drained off
by the (fulah) cultivators or farmers during its passage. It was
navigated by the Portugueze before they abandoned this place for
the New World. Leo Africanus has committed another error (which has
been copied by modern writers,[23] in calling the river of Messa the
river Suse,[24] which I ascertained to be quite a different stream
when I was at Messa, and thirty miles distant from the former,
though they both flow from E. to W. A bar of sand separates this
river entirely at low water from the ocean, but at flood tide it
is not fordable. Between the mouth of the river Messa and that of
Suse, is a road-stead called Tomée; the country is inhabited by the
Woled Abbusebah Arabs, who informed me, when I went there, during
the interregnum, with the (Khalif) Vice-regent Mohammed ben Delemy,
by order of the (Sherreef) Prince, that British and other vessels
often took in water there: it is called by the Arabs (Sebah biure)
the place of seven wells, of which wells three only remain, and these
we found to contain excellent water. After inspecting the place,
and the nature of the road-stead, we returned to the Vice-regent’s
castle in Shtuka. Concerning this remarkable sea-port it would be
inexpedient at present to disclose more.
_River Akassa._—This river is navigable to Noon, above which it
becomes a small stream, fordable in various places; it has been
called by some Wed Noon, i.e. the river of Noon, but the proper name
is Wed Akassa; the word Wedinoon is applied to the adjacent territory.
The Mountains of West and South Barbary are the Atlas and its
various branches, which receive different names, according to the
provinces in which they are situated. The greater Atlas, or main
chain of these mountains, extends from (Jibbel d’Zatute) Ape’s
Hill to Shtuka and Ait Bamaran, in Lower Suse, passing about thirty
miles eastward of the city of Marocco, where they are immensely high,
and covered with snow throughout the year. On a clear day, this part
of the Atlas appears at Mogodor, a distance of about a hundred and
forty miles, in the form of a saddle; and is visible at sea, several
leagues off the coast. These mountains are extremely fertile in many
places, and produce excellent fruits; having the advantage of various
climates, according to the ascent towards the snow, which, contrasted
with the verdure beneath, has a singular and picturesque effect.
[Illustration:_Plate 2._
_Drawn by J. G. Jackson._
_Engraved J. C. Stadler._
_A Distant View of the Atlas Mountains East of the City of Marocco
as they appear from Mogodor on a clear morning before the rising Sun
taken from the Terras of the British Vice Consuls House._
1 _Mosque of Seedy Usif._
2 _Atlas Mountains, distant 140 Miles._
3 _Genoese Consuls Tower._
4 _Sand Hills._
_London Published June 4. 1811. by W. & G. Nicholl Pall Mall._]
In many places the mountains are uninhabited, and form immense chasms,
as if they had been rent asunder by some convulsion of nature;
this is the case throughout the ridge that intersects the plains
which separate Marocco from Terodant. In this part is a narrow pass,
called Bebawan, having a chain of mountains on one side, ascending
almost perpendicularly; and on the other side, a precipice as
steep as Dover Cliff, but more than ten times the heighth. When the
army which I accompanied to Marocco crossed this defile, they were
obliged to pass rank and file, the cavalry dismounted: two mules
missed their step, and were precipitated into the abyss: the path
was not more than fifteen inches wide, cut out of a rock of marble,
in some parts extremely smooth and slippery, in others rugged.
In the branches of the Atlas east of Marocco, are mines of copper; and
those which pass through the province of Suse produce, besides copper,
iron, lead, silver, sulphur, and salt-petre: there are also mines of
gold, mixed with antimony and lead ore. The inhabitants of the upper
region of Atlas, together with their herds (which would otherwise
perish in the snow), live four months of the year in excavations in
the mountains; viz. from November to February, inclusive.
The climate of Marocco is healthy and invigorating; from March to
September the atmosphere is scarcely ever charged with clouds; and
even in the rainy season, viz. from September till March, there is
seldom a day wherein the sun is not seen at some interval. The heat
is cooled by sea-breezes during the former period; in the interior,
however, the heat is intense. The rainy season, which begins about
October, ends in March; but if it continue longer, it is generally
accompanied with contagious fevers. The trade winds (which begin
to blow about March, and continue till September or October) are
sometimes so violent, as to effect the nerves and limbs of the natives
who inhabit the coast. The inhabitants are robust; and some live to
a great age. The Shelluhs, or inhabitants of the mountains of Atlas,
south of Marocco, are, however, a meagre people, which proceeds,
in a great measure, from their abstemious diet, seldom indulging in
animal food, and living for the most part on barley gruel, bread,
and honey: the Arabs, the Moors, and the Berebbers, on the contrary,
live in a hospitable manner, and eat more nutritious food, though
they prefer the farinaceous kind.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 20: This river is vulgarly called Wed Marakosh, or the river
of Marocco, because it passes through the district of that name;
but the proper name is Wed Tensift, or the river Tensift; and this
is the name given it by Leo Africanus (Book IX.), the only author
who has hitherto spelt the word correctly; he has however committed
a considerable error in affirming that it discharges itself into
the ocean at Saffy.]
[Footnote 21: A Shelluh name, expressive of a quick wind, because
there is always wind at this Cape; but ships should be extremely
careful not to approach it, in going down the coast; not but that
the water is very deep, as the Cape rises almost perpendicularly from
the ocean, but because the land is so extremely high that those ships
which approach within a league of it, are almost always becalmed on
the south side of it, and are in consequence three days in getting
down to Agadeer, whilst other vessels which keep more to the west,
reach that port in a few hours. This Cape is a western branch of
the Atlas.]
[Footnote 22: Leo Africanus, who undoubtedly has given us the best
description of Africa, commits an error, however, in describing this
river. “The great river of Sus, flowing out of the mountains of
Atlas, that separate the two provinces of Hea and Sus (Haha and Suse)
in sunder, runneth southward among the said mountains, stretching unto
the fields of the foresaid region, and from thence tending westward
unto a place called Guartguessen,[a] where it dischargeth itself
into the main ocean.” See 9th book of Leo Africanus. The Cape de
Geer was formerly the separation of the provinces of Haha and Suse,
but now the river of Tamaract may be called the boundary, which is
fifteen miles to the northward of the mouth of the river Suse; and
Guartguessen, or Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, is six miles north of the
river Suse. Had I not resided three years at Santa Cruz, in sight
of the river Suse, which I have repeatedly forded in various parts,
I should not have presumed to dispute Leo’s assertion.]
[Footnote a: The ancient name of Agadeer or Santa Cruz in Leo’s
time.]
[Footnote 23: Vide Brooks’s Gazeteer, 12th edition, title Messa.]
[Footnote 24: Through the three small towns of Messa runneth a
certain great river called Sus. Vide Leo Africanus, 2d book, title
Town of Messa.]