fr 
«« Mahommed having declared that Eng- 
lishmen would at some future period be con- 
verted to the faith, the Moors are led to 
believe that the time is now approaching, as 
there can be no doubt the English have been 
already inspired by the prophet, since they 
have extended theit powerful protection to 
the religion of the musselmen in Egypt. 
Under such a favourable prepossession, it 
was evident our embassy could not have been 
sent at a more propitious moment, for the 
emperor had just received intelligence of the 
defeat of the French army in Egypt.” 
- Their road lay by Alcacere, 2 town 
which is said to have lost 10,000 per- 
sons, half its population, by the plague. 
Our traveller, upon asking the governor 
his age, was greatly surprized to learn 
that he could not answer with exactness, 
and that there was not a Moor in the 
country who could tell his own age with 
precision: all they know. is, that they 
were born a little before or after some 
public event, a battle or a rebellion. 
‘They were entertained here with music, 
and Mr. Curtis mentions with wonder 
that the objeéts of their songs were the 
pleasures of the bottle. It is possible 
that, like the songs of Solomon .and 
Hafiz, they may have been mystic 
poems, whose allegcric meaning was 
not understood. Musquitoes and locusts 
annoyed them cruelly on their journey; 
with their sufferings from the former we 
can sympathize; but we donot understand 
how they could be infested by the latter, 
unless encountered by an army, or the 
stench of a putrefying swarm. At Fez 
they were received with public honours, 
and fared sumptuously, being of a na- 
tion whom the emperor delighted to 
honour. 
*¢ Our house consisted of four large apart- 
ments, with folding doors to each, opening 
in front of an extensive garden filled with 
fruit trees ; a square court-yard, in the centre 
of which was a cold bath of considerable 
dimensions, supplied at each extremity by a 
fountain. The house was furnished in the 
Moorish style, with fine carpets and cushions, 
&c. but we desired them to be removed, and 
substituted in their places our beds and cam 
furniture. The emperor now sent ten large 
dishes of cus-cus sou, made of fowls, mutton, 
and fruit, six huge baskets filled with apples, 
ears, plumbs, and various kinds of fruit 
rom his garden. Presently after, he sent an 
additional supply of six dishes of cus-cus sov, 
some of whie weighed an hundred pounds, 
for our supper, which enabled us to afford a 
glorious repast to our soldiers and muleteers. 
When we retired to rest, we flattered our- 
selves that after a fatiguing march of eleven 
¥ 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
days, we might enjoy thé luxury offurtlise 
turbed repose. But the vast numbers of fro 
and toads which infest the city and its vicinity 
with their hideous croaking from sun-ser ull 
sun-rise, and the quantity which were about 
our bath, absolutely deprived us of rest. 
When TF rose on the morning. of the Gh, and 
offered sonie money to the Moors if they 
would cither destroy or remove them from 
the bath, they peremptority refused, om the 
ground that ‘they were blessed by the pro- 
phet, and if one were killed,. the destroyer 
would inevitably he seized with some malady. 
Fortunately, I found a jew who destroyed 
the whole for the consideration ofsix reals, 
but the Moors were so incensed against him, 
that it might have been attended with fatak 
consequences to the man, had-it not been 
for the powerful protec! # 1 which we afforded 
him. On the most ridiculous pojnis, the 
Moors must not be trifled with, when their 
religion is concerned. 
« The empercrsent this morning a note to 
Hagh-Hagh, in which he commanded the 
alkaide to provide every thing suitable to the. 
dignity of an embassador from so powerful « 
nition, as the English; “‘do nog let us dis- 
grace ourselves,” said he, “ in the eyes of 
the English people, but endeavour to execed 
whatever has been done on any formes oc- 
casion.” ; 
Yet notwithstanding the imperial fa- 
vours, the English were somewhat in- 
couvenienced by the intolerant stupidity 
of Mocrish prejudices. When'they were 
entering the city, a madman insisted 
that they should stop and hear him 
pray: and madmen being saints in Mo- 
rocco, they were obliged to comply. It 
was irksome to walk. the streats: Mr. 
Curtis was repeatediy stopped, that the, 
people might gratify their curiosity by 
inspecting’ his clothes; and often were 
they compelled to turn back and seek 
some other way, because the mob, would 
not suffer them to pass by the house of 
a saint. Two hundred thousand per- 
sons were destroyed in this city by the. 
plague: but Mr. Curtis is very careless 
in his narration, and in another place. 
states the loss at 170,000; and even this 
is probably over-rated, for what a po- 
pulation does it suppose} Moroceo, he 
says, lost 300,000; surely this is ab- 
surdly exaggerated. The circumference. 
of Fez is stated to be between seven and 
eight miles, and the number of persons 
contained within that space, 800,000. 
Was Mr. Curtis ignorant of the si,e and 
population of London? The following 
dccument is curious, and is to be. re- 
ceived with due distrust; it was detailed 
to him by one of the talbs of Fez, 
whom he calls a great historian. — 
