proceedings he might possibly urge in palliation a regard to his
personal safety, and the possession of a crown which he held by so
precarious a tenure as the caprice of a multitude, who might wrest it
from him with as little scruple as they had bestowed it, if not awed
by some terrible example; but where shall we seek an excuse for his
execrable barbarity to the poor Jews in his dominions, whom he ordered
to be massacred, without distinction? The carnage was most horrible;
and the property of this persecuted people was indiscriminately
plundered by their rapacious murderers. Six young Jewesses, who
ventured to intercede for their unhappy fathers and relations, were
burned alive. My blood runs cold at the idea of such depravity; and I
shrink, from the reflection that our own history will furnish us with
annals, almost or fully as replete with horror as the one I am now
relating.
It is not all surprising that such unjustifiable cruelty should kindle
disgust in the minds of those who were not totally divested of the
feelings of humanity. Several of his provinces rebelled, but he
successively reduced them to obedience; and in the last battle which
he fought, before the city of Morocco, and gained, he was severely
wounded. The rebel army was surrounded, and defeated with great
slaughter. _Muley Yezid_ was carried to the castle, and his wound
dressed; but his treatment was so improper, that, after lingering a
few days in the most excruciating torture, he died in 1794.
The present Emperor, _Muley Solyman_, was the youngest prince, and
lived retired in the city of Fez, assiduously occupied in studying the
Alcoran and the laws of the empire, in order to qualify himself for
the office of high-priest, which he was intended to fill. From this
retreat he was called by the priests, the highest in repute as saints,
in the neighbourhood of Fez, and a small party of the Moorish militia,
and by them prevailed upon to come forward as a candidate for the
crown, in opposition to his three brothers, who were waging war with
each other, at the head of numerous forces. In the midst of this
anarchy and confusion, the young prince was proclaimed Emperor at Fez,
by the name of _Muley Solyman_; and having collected a strong force,
aided by the counsels of a number of brave and experienced officers,
he advanced to Mequinez, which he reduced, after two successive
pitched battles. This place was defended by one of his brothers, who
shortly after acknowledged him as Emperor, joined him, and brought
over to his interests a great number of friends and partisans. He
served Solyman faithfully ever after, which enabled him to withstand
the united forces of his two other brothers. At length, owing to the
little harmony that prevailed in the armies of his competitors, he
effected his purpose. Taking advantage of their increasing animosity,
he advanced towards Morocco, fighting and conquering the whole way. He
entered the capital in triumph, after a general and decisive battle;
and he was again proclaimed Emperor.
This brave young prince had now reduced Barbary entirely under his
sway, with the exception of the kingdom of Tangiers. Thither the two
unfortunate princes retired, in order to make a last and desperate
stand; but after a variety of struggles, to regain some degree of
ascendancy, one was compelled to solicit the protection of the Dey of
Algiers, and the other was taken prisoner, and banished to a remote
province.
From that period, the Emperor has dedicated the whole of his time and
pursuits to the amelioration of his people's condition, by improving
his financial resources, and appointing over his provinces, mild and
humane Governors, whom he strictly superintends, occasionally deposing
such as have deviated from his orders, and often inflicting upon these
his representatives the most severe corporal punishments, previous to
their imprisonment for life.
LETTER XIII.
_Responsibility of the Governors--Empire beautiful and
productive--Humane Efforts of the Emperor--Blind Submission to his
Will--Great Number of Negroes naturalized--The Moors might be truly
formidable.--Emperor's Brother--Fez divided into two
Parts--Magnificent Mosques--Commercial Privileges--Indignities which
Christians undergo--Singular Supply of Water--The Imperial
Gardens--Propensity to
defraud--Factories--Exports--Costume--Character--Manner of
living--Domestic Vermin._
Fez.
Having extended my last letter to an unusual length, I broke off
rather abruptly; I shall therefore resume the subject in this.
The Governors commanding large districts or provinces in Barbary, are
answerable for the crimes and misdemeanors committed in their
governments, if they fail to bring the offenders to public justice;
consequently they impose very heavy fines on the community, to impel
them to seize, and deliver to them, the murderer or robber. The sudden
and frequent changes in the public offices keep the most powerful
Governors in the empire in continual awe and depression; and the fear
of being, in an instant, hurled from the height of prosperity to the
lowest abyss of adversity, usually prevents them from amassing great
wealth, as it is sure to pass into the Emperor's treasury on their
disgrace; and the same cause prevents the forming of dangerous
cabals. Yet some of them contrive, during their short-lived
administration, to squeeze from their wretched vassals as much money
as they can, by every fraudful artifice and despotic violence. The
sufferers murmur, and complain; but the government appears to wink at
the oppression for a time, and reserves its dreadful vengeance till
the annual review, on the plains of Fez, where the collected spoils of
the cruel peculator are seized, and himself deposed, imprisoned, and
the whole fruit of his rapine transferred to the royal treasury.
This empire is one of the most beautiful and fertile countries,
perhaps in the world; but the despotism under which it has groaned,
and the capricious humours of its former rulers, destroyed, and
prevented the effects of industry; besides, the rapacity of the
Sheiks, who are the Bashaws of the country, carried off every thing
that labour could collect. The present Emperor is endeavouring to
correct these abuses, and to bring about a reformation, which I am
sure he will never effect, owing to the great influence of the priests
and saints in these states. Although this monarch is humane and
impartial, and possesses nothing of the ferocious character of his
predecessors, yet seldom a day passes without some executions.
The people regard their Emperor as a god upon earth, and revere him as
a descendant of their great prophet. All his commands, right or wrong,
just or unjust, they consider as the decrees of Heaven. A blind
obedience to the will of their Sovereign, is inculcated in the minds
of their youth, more as a matter of religion than of state; and the
Emperor may put as many of his subjects to death as he deems
expedient, without assigning any other motive for so doing than secret
inspiration. When at war with any Christian prince, it is considered
as a war of religion, and the Moors who fall in the field of battle,
are accounted martyrs.
The number of negroes that have been imported into this country, and
are now settled in these states, is astonishing. The amount is little
less than three hundred thousand. The Emperor's body-guard, which
consists of eighteen thousand horsemen, is chiefly composed of
negroes, who enjoy every privilege that despotic power can confer, and
are ready upon all occasions to enforce the royal mandate.
The great schools for the Moorish gentry are the chanceries of the
Bashaws, where the young men learn the arts of dissimulation and
duplicity in the greatest perfection, and become, very, early such
great adepts in these valuable acquirements, that in my opinion they
are fully able to cope with Monsieur Talleyrand, and the best
politicians at the court of St. Cloud. They are very dexterous also
in the art of temporizing with an enemy, and deluding him by a
thousand little expedients. It is therefore fortunate for Europe, that
the Moors are so indolent a set of people; for the immense power this
empire might have; were it peopled by an industrious and ambitious
race of men, would render it the most formidable in the world.
I shall now return to my own affairs, from the period at which they
were left off in a former letter. The Emperor had requested me to
report to him, personally, every morning, the state of his favourite
Sultana; I therefore waited upon him regularly at five o'clock, and
was extremely happy that I was enabled to make the report more welcome
each day. After this visit to His Imperial Majesty, I daily paid my
devoirs to the blind prince, the only remaining brother of the Emperor
now in Barbary, and who took no part in the disputes of former times;
and I then called upon the great officers of state.
Finding the Sultana in such a fair way of recovery, the Emperor
dismissed his Governors to their respective provinces, and removed his
court to Mequinez, his favourite summer residence, leaving me here, to
complete the cure of the Sultana, and to attend several of his
subjects, who stand high in his favour, in the lower town of Fez. As
the attendance required by my patients does not occupy the whole of my
time, I employ my leisure in observing such things as appear most
worthy of remark.
The town (or rather _towns_ of Fez, this city being divided into two
distinct parts, the one called Upper, the other Lower Fez) is the
capital of the kingdom of that name, and is supposed to contain about
three hundred thousand inhabitants, besides foreigners of their own
persuasion. There are upwards of five hundred mosques: one of them in
particular, which was built by Edris the Second, and in which his
remains were deposited, is magnificent beyond description, and is
about a mile and a half in circumference. There is another very little
inferior to this, which was erected by the Arabs of Caiwan, and
called _Carubin_. The other mosques have been constructed since. To
most of the mosques are annexed several colleges, religious schools,
and hospitals for the pilgrims who visit this place, for, in point of
holiness, it is considered as next to Mecca and Medina.
The lower town of Fez was built by Edris the Second, about the end of
the eighth century, and is taken notice of by Pliny under the name of
_Volubilis_. According to that author, and others, this city ranked
amongst the principal inland towns of Mauritania, and was a Roman
colony. It is a place of considerable trade; the inhabitants are
mostly freed men, engaged in commerce, and reputed to be very opulent
and industrious; they have purchased a charter, by which they ensure a
kind of independence, and are totally unmolested in their traffic; in
short, there are great privileges attached to this town, which are not
to be met with in any other part of Barbary. The lower town is almost
entirely surrounded by hills, which are highly cultivated, and abound
with vineyards, and gardens producing most exquisite fruits.
Upper Fez is situated on one of the highest of the hills which almost
encircle the lower town, and contains the imperial palace and
seraglio, several old palaces occupied by the sons of the Emperor, and
the habitations of the principal officers in the household. Contiguous
to these, is the inclosed town belonging solely to the Jews, who are
about thirty thousand in number, having one hundred and fifty
synagogues. On that part of the wall of the Jewish town which
overlooks Lower Fez, are placed several heavy pieces of ordnance,
which, in case of an insurrection in the latter, would very soon
demolish it: as the lower town is by much the most populous and
extensive, this precaution may not be unnecessary. The Jewish town is
commanded by an Alcaid, who cannot however shield its unfortunate
inhabitants from oppression and insults. These people are obliged to
walk barefooted through the Moorish streets; and they suffer the
greatest outrages without a murmur, nay, some of them have been
actually murdered in the act of selling their goods to the Moors. No
Christian is allowed to appear publicly in the streets of Fez, without
a special permission from the Emperor, and a military escort.
These towns are supplied with water in a most singular manner from a
river, called _Rasalema_, which takes its source in a valley near the
road to Mequinez. It issues from a rock, about eight or ten feet above
the ground, in a stream, that, from the form of the valley through
which it runs, appears a continued waterfall. It is conveyed into the
Emperor's garden by means of a large wheel, about twenty-five feet in
diameter, round which, at regular distances, are small buckets, which,
as the wheel goes round, are alternately filled, and emptied into a
reservoir at the top of the wall of the garden. From the reservoir the
water is also conveyed to the upper and lower towns by aqueducts.
On the outside of one of the western gates of Upper Fez are the
gardens of the Emperor, surrounded by a good stone wall, within which
are a number of spacious walks, shaded by rows of tall trees, on each
side, and intersected by parterres and grass-plots, on which are
elegant pavilions, some in a pyramidical, others in a conical form,
where the Emperor frequently retires, to take his repose, or to amuse
himself with his courtiers. These pavilions are between thirty and
forty feet in height, covered on the outside with varnished tiles of
different colours, and contain three and sometimes four neat
apartments, furnished in the most simple style imaginable, having in
general nothing more than a carpet, several couches, a few
arm-chairs, a table, a clock, and a tea-equipage of china. The
cornices round the walls of these apartments are embellished with
passages from the Koran, and other Arabic sentences, carved in
cedar-wood.
The propensity to cheating, so prevalent in all Barbary, is no where
so notorious as in the lower town of Fez; and the Europeans who trade
with the Moorish merchants here must employ the same means as
themselves, or submit to be most flagitiously imposed upon.
I have visited several manufactories of carpets, mats, silk, linen,
and leather, of which the merchants export great quantities. I have
also seen some beautifully embroidered shawls, scarfs, and
sword-knots, of the manufacture of this country. Their exports besides
are, elephants' teeth, ostrich feathers, copper, tin, wool, hides,
honey, wax, dates, raisins, olives, almonds, gum-arabic, and
sandrach. They carry on a considerable trade, by caravans, to Mecca
and Medina, the inland regions of Africa, and to the farthermost parts
of the coast of Guinea; from which last place they bring gold-dust,
and a prodigious number of negroes, some of whom are destined to serve
in the Emperor's armies; the rest are slaves in the Moorish houses and
fields.
The dress of the Moors is composed of a linen shirt, over which they
fasten a cloth or silk vestment with a sash, loose trowsers reaching
to the knee, a white serge cloak, or capote, and yellow slippers:
their arms and legs are quite bare. The principal people are
distinguished by the fineness of their turbans, their linen shirts,
and cloth or silk garments, which are richly embroidered with gold;
when they go abroad, they cover this dress with an alhaik, differing
in quality according to the circumstances of the wearer; and which
they fold round them like a large blanket. They never move their
turbans, but pull off their slippers, when they attend religious
duties, or their Sovereign, or visit their relatives, friends,
priests, or civil and military officers.
The Moorish gentry are clean in their persons, in their manners
tolerably genteel and complaisant, far from being loquacious, though
not prone to reflection. They possess an unbounded degree of duplicity
and flattery; are perfectly strangers to the notions of truth and
honour, promising a thing one day which they utterly deny the
next. They are less irascible than many other nations; but when
grossly injured, seek revenge in assassination. They are more
vindictive than brave, more superstitious than devout, firmly attached
to their ancient customs, and wholly averse to every kind of
innovation.
The Moors, in general, are extremely fond of fruit and vegetables,
which contribute very much to their contentment. The peasants eat meat
only on certain great days. They are excessively dirty in their
cooking, and the style of their dishes is not at all adapted to the
taste of an Englishman. Their soups are made most intolerably hot with
spices; and their favourite dish is _cous-ca-sou_, which appears to me
to be prepared in the following manner: The meat and vegetables are
laid alternately in a large bowl, and seasoned; then the whole is
covered with fine wheaten flour, made into small grains, very like the
Italian pastes. It is raised into the form of a pyramid, and I should
imagine stewed, or rather steamed, as the outside remains perfectly
white, which it would not were it baked. The whole of the inside, when
brought to table, is mingled almost into one mass; the meat separating
from the bones, without the smallest difficulty: it does not contain
any gravy, and the Moors eat it by handsfull.
I generally live upon mutton and veal, both of which are very good:
the bread and butter are excellent, but the latter will not keep more
than twenty-four hours without becoming rancid. My greatest annoyance
here is the infinite number of bugs and fleas, which infest me by day
and night most intolerably.
LETTER XIV.
_Fez--Debility of the Moors--Mosques--Antiquities, Roman,
Carthaginian, and Saracen--Storks held in great Veneration--Baths--
Bazars--Inhabitants--Residence--Menagerie--Marvellous Preservation of
a Jew--Lions--Tigers--Leopards--Hyenas._
_Fez_, ----.
Considering the mildness of the climate, the uncommon fertility of the
soil, the number of mineral waters, the fragrancy and salubrity of the
air, one would imagine that the frame and constitution of a Moor
cannot but be beautiful, strong, and healthy; yet, though the most
handsome people of both sexes are to be met with in this great city,
the number of miserable objects, the wretched victims of excessive
early passions, is in a much larger proportion: it is shocking beyond
description to meet them in every corner of the streets. I have
visited a great many of these poor creatures, and found them in such a
state, that decency obliges me to draw a veil over it.
The mosques of this town, which I have before mentioned as very
numerous, are square buildings, and generally of stone; before the
principal gate there is a court paved with white marble, with piazzas
round, the roofs of which are supported by marble columns. In niches
within these piazzas, the Moors perform their ablutions before they
enter the mosques. Attached to each mosque is a tower, with three
small open galleries, one above another, whence the people are called
to prayer, not by a bell, but by an officer appointed for that
duty. These towers, as well as the mosques, are covered with lead, and
adorned with gilding, and tiles of variegated colours. No woman is
allowed to enter the Moorish places of worship.
Several of the aqueducts, which were constructed by the Carthaginians
and Romans, are still to be seen; and the ruins of amphitheatres, and
other public buildings, are found in the town and neighbourhood of
Fez: likewise many Saracen monuments of the most stupendous
magnificence, which were erected under the Caliphs of Bagdad. The
mosques and ruins are frequented by a great number of storks, which
are very tame, and are regarded by the Moors as a kind of inferior
saints.
The baths here are wonderfully well constructed for the purpose. Some
of them are square buildings, but the greater part are circular, paved
with black or white polished marble, and containing three rooms: the
first for undressing and dressing, the second for the water, and in
the third is the bath. Their manner of bathing is very curious: the
attendant rubs the person with great force, then pulls and stretches
the limbs, as if he meant to dislocate every joint. This exercise to
these indolent people is very conducive to health.
The bazars in which the tradesmen have their shops, are very
extensive. These shops are filled with all kinds of merchandise. In
the centre of the town is a rectangular building, with colonnades,
where the principal merchants attend daily to transact business.
The inhabitants of Fez are of a large muscular stature, fair
complexion, with black beards and eyes; extremely amorous and jealous
of their women, whom they keep strictly guarded. Their houses consist
of four wings, forming a court in the centre, round which is an
arcade, or piazza, with one spacious apartment on each side. The court
is paved with square pieces of marble, and has a basin of the same in
the centre, with a fountain. They keep their houses remarkably clean
and neat; but all the streets of this immense town are narrow, very
badly paved with large irregular stones, and most shockingly
dirty. The tops of their houses, like those of Tetuan, and other towns
in Barbary, are flat, for the purpose of recreation.
Among the remnants of several amphitheatres, there is one very nearly
entire, which is kept in constant repair at the expense of the
Emperor, and appropriated as a menagerie for lions, tigers, and
leopards. As I was contemplating it the other day, I felt at a loss to
account for this being kept in repair, while the others were suffered
to moulder into dust, unheeded, excepting a very few, and those but
partially prevented from sharing the general wreck. I had stood some
time, thus employed, when I was suddenly interrupted in my
meditations, by the sound of voices close behind me; on turning I
perceived two Jews, one of whom I knew very well, from having given
advice to some part of his family. I immediately inquired how it
happened that the building before us was so carefully preserved from
going to ruin, as happened to most of the others. He informed me, that
it was a kind of menagerie for wild beasts. "It was the same in the
time of the late Emperor," continued he; "and a very curious incident
befell one of my brethren in that place." As the narrative was not
merely very curious, but really wonderful, I cannot forbear sending
you the substance of it; as to give it you in the very circuitous way
it came to me, would be rather a tax upon your patience, particularly,
as you may not be so destitute of resources of amusement, as, I
confess, I was at that moment.