370 MOROCCO. _^ 



you are in the midst of a Berber population. The city population is 

 mixed, but chiefly Berber, and the Berbers in Morocco cling to the soil, 

 industriously devoting themselves to agriculture, truck farming, and 

 tree growing. In the mountains they have introduced artificial irriga- 

 tion and careful culture of the soil in terraces. Even the pure Berber 

 tribes of the above-mentioned border land between El Gharb and El 

 Plans have permanent villages in the mountains, in which they live, 

 however, only in summer. The completely "Arabianized " Beni 

 Alisen in the low valley of the Sebu are also settled in their habits, 

 even thougli they live in circular tent villages. Every night they 

 drive their herds into the corral formed by the tents. 



The number of negroes who originally came as slaves from the 

 Sudan is very great in Morocco, and the farther south you go the 

 more numerous they become. But this element is probably on the 

 road to extinction, since increase by immigration is jDrevented by the 

 French occupation of the Sudan. 



Jews are scattered all over Morocco; individual families and 

 groups are to be found far in the interior and in the villages of the 

 Atlas. Like the Polish nobleman of former times, no kadi seems 

 to be able to get along without his court Jew. They are most 

 numerous in the cities, especially on the coast, where they enjoy 

 most protection, and they are wandering there in numbers from the 

 interior. They play an important role in trade and are also handi- 

 craftsmen to a large extent. 



Morocco is entirely an agricultural and pastoral country. Mining 

 is unknown to-day; an industry which once flourished in a high de- 

 gree has fallen into utter decay. It scarcely produces the most indis- 

 pensable articles of daily use, and gradually more and more dress 

 material, metal Avare, and the like are introduced from Europe. In 

 consequence of the inconceivable misgovernment the greater part of 

 the population is impoverished, the spirit of enterprise is deadened, 

 the desire for gain weakened, the export of grain, cattle, horses, and 

 other important objects forbidden, and the construction of roads and 

 bridges unknown. Connnerce, therefore, is but slight. Though th(i 

 basis for the statement is not oflicial, yet it is a fair estimate to place 

 the value of the yearly exports and imports at about $13,750,000. 

 The foivignt'rs chiefly concerned in the exports are the Oernuins, who 

 came to Morocco scarcely two decades ago, but in the imi)orts the Ger- 

 mans yield place to the English and the French. By this time, how- 

 ever, German trade with Morocco is ])()ssibly second only to the 

 English. 



The government is so bad that in times of drought or locust plagues 

 it can not ward off famine, desi)ite all its restrictions upon export, 

 and it provokes fre(iuent uprisings, through which whole districts are 

 SA'stematicallv hiid waste and their iuhnbitants killed off. In fact one 



