636 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



tliirteen months, froTi the begin- 

 ning of June 1785 to the end of 

 July 17^6), we have availed our- 

 selves of every opportunity to en- 

 joy our liberty; though it was at 

 tivst, with great caution, that we 

 ventured to aliiilit ;it anv of the 

 Mooiish gardens, oi- to enter a 

 Moorish house, particularly out 

 of town. 



In the country, the villages are 

 empty, and those houses sluit tliat 

 have not been opened since the 

 plague, and where whole families 

 lay interred. The IMoors carried 

 a great number of their dead to 

 the sea-shore and laid them in one 

 heap, which seriously affected the 

 town^ till the Christians suggest- 

 ed tlie idea of covering them with 

 lime, which fortunately the Moors 

 have adopted, but only from find- 

 ing themselves dangerously an- 

 noyed, as they consider this ex- 

 pedient a sort of impiety, for 

 which they express great sorrow. 



The habitations in tlie moun- 

 tains of Cuerriana, inaccessible 

 except to the inhabitants, remain 

 entirely deserted. The entrances 

 to the ilwellings are so completely 

 covered up with sand as not to be 

 discovered by strangers ; bnt tlicy 

 are now ropeo])iing, and the rem- 

 nant of tliose who tied tlience are 

 hastening back from Tunis, and 

 the dosc'rts arovind, to recover 

 possession of these strange re- 

 trciits. 



The city of Tripoli, after the 

 ]>lague, exhibited an appearance 

 awfully striking. In some of the 

 houses were found the last vic- 

 tims tliat had pei'slieil in them, 

 who having died alone, unpitied 

 and unassisted, lay in a state too 

 bad to be removed from the spot, 

 and were obliged to be buried 

 where they were ; while in otliers. 



children were wandering about 

 deserted, without a friend be- 

 longing to them. The town was 

 almost entiiely deponidated, and 

 rarely two jieople walked toge- 

 ther. 0;)e solitaiy being paced 

 slowly through the streets, his 

 mind unoccupied by business, and 

 lost in painful reflections : if he 

 lifted his eyes, it was with mourn- 

 ful surprize to gaze on the empty 

 habitations around him: whole 

 streets he pas-ed without a living 

 creature in them ; for be.side the 

 desolation of the plague, before it 

 broke out in this city, many of 

 the inhabitants with the greatest 

 inconvenience, left their houses 

 and (led to Tunis (where the 

 plagu^! then raged), to avoid 

 starving in the dreadful famine 

 that preceded it here. 



Amongst those left in this town 

 some have been s[).u'cd to acknow- 

 ledge the compassion and atten- 

 tion shewn them by the English 

 consul. In the distresses of tiie 

 famine, and in the horrors of the 

 plague, many a suffering wretch, 

 whose days have been spun out 

 by his timely assistance, lias left 

 his name on record at this place. 

 Persons saved from perisliing in 

 the famine who have lemained 

 sole possessors of property before 

 divided among their friends (all 

 now swe])t off by the plague), 

 come forward to thank him witii 

 wild expressions of joy, calling 

 him boni (father), and praying to 

 Mahomet to bless him. They say 

 that besides giving them life lie 

 has preserved them to become 

 little kings, and swear a faithful 

 attachment to him, which there 

 is no doubt they will shew, in 

 their way, as long as he is in their 

 country. 



POETRY. 



