316 



MOROCCO 



The central range of the Allan forms the water- 

 -lu-d separating the gtreamg which How into the 

 Atlantic and Mediterranean from those which run 

 Miuthwaril (nwiinl the desert, where they are often 

 loot in inaixhy '-ink-' or xtltkhiit. Anil of the 

 Htreams falling into tin- Atlantic and Mediter- 

 ranean, many are in the hot season or after long 

 drought.-* little better than a succession of |MMI|H 

 connected by threads of water, though rolling in 

 hruwn Hoods from bank to l>ank during the wet 

 season , when they are dangerous to cross. None of 

 them are navigable for anv distance from their 

 mouths, which are always impeded by bars and 

 -hoals. Yet before the 14th century vessels of 

 considerable tonnage went 40 miles up the Sus to 

 Turudant, and stern-wheel steamers could even yet 

 easily navigate the Sehu to within a few hours 

 Hi }'</. But there are not even barges on them. 



The flimate of Morocco varies much, though the 

 western slope, being tempered by the sea -breezes 

 and protected from the not desert -winds by the 

 Atlas, is temperate, the thermometer seldom falling 

 below 40 or rising above 90. Hut in summer the 

 interior valleys are very hot, and in winter snow 

 often falls in Fez and Mequiner, where ice an inch 

 thick is by no means uncommon. In Tangier there 

 has been a slight snow-shower about twice in 

 forty years, and in Mazagan even less frequently. 

 Farther south extremes of heat ami drought are 

 more common, though as a rule the climate is 

 equable, and, unless in swampy places during 

 summer, extremely healthy. In "the Sus country 

 and the region of T;ili let rain is scarce and in places 

 almost unknown. Hut farther north, and on the 

 Atlantic and Mediterranean slopes, it falls with 

 tolerable regularity every year between October 

 find April, t lie amount being at times so great that 

 the low lands are flooded, the rivers impassable, and 

 the mountain Miles, unprotected by wood, furrowed 

 by loin-ill-, sweeping the soil and debris before 

 them into the valleys below. On the upper reaches 

 of the Atlas there is all summer a June-like atmo- 

 sphere ; but in winter they are capped deep with 

 snow. 



Morocco is thus fitted for growing any crops of 

 the temperate and tropical zones, ami' under a 

 better government would liecome, as Barharv was 

 in (Ionian times, the granary ot Europe. \Vheat 

 and barley are grown largely, and were I hey 

 allowed to be freely exported would be produce,! 

 in immense quantities. Maize forms the chief 

 export of Mazagan. Various gums, oranges, ligs, 

 almonds, lemons, and dates are among the other 

 vegetable products. Cotton and hemp are grown 

 for home consumption. Tobacco cultivation is 

 prohibited and its use forbidden by the sultan, 

 though both it ami 'keel" (Indian hemp) are 

 used. Most Eiiro|>caii fruits grow well, and among 

 other product* sugar has lieen raised. Cattle 

 i under treaty arrangement with Gibraltar) are 

 e\|Hirted : but no animals can be sent out of the 

 eouiitry without an imperial permit. The exports 

 (maize, beans, chick -pens, olive nil. wool, almonds, 

 .hill's, fowls, eggs, hides, Imncs, e-palto. cattle 

 lo Gibraltar, \<-.<i amounted to 1,286,723 in 

 I" S 7. and the imports (cotton goods, cloth, 

 ten, coffee, sugar, candles, hardware. \c.) to 

 l.4-.H.:<.-.4, of which 030,245 were fioni Creat 

 Hritain. The interior of the country is so little 

 known, ami the Atlas HO entirely unexplored. 

 except hastily in isolated places, that little can 

 be said with ecitainty regarding its mineral wealth. 

 Hut enough has la-en ascertained to enable 

 US to assert that gold (placer and ill quartz), 

 upper, tin, argentiferous galena, nickel, antimony, 

 iron, and manganese abound, foal and petroleum 

 have been indicated. |[i,-h silver lodes exist at 

 '.on, I, ill near the head -waters of the Sus, and rock- 



salt is mined near Fez. Hut these mineral deposits 

 are scarcely touched, and no European is allowed 

 even to visit the mines. 



The flura of Morocco is essentially European, 

 so far as the western side of the Atlas is con- 

 cerned, that of the A thus generally being a southern 

 extension of the tem|ierate flora of tne adjoining 

 continent, with little or no admixture of southern 

 types. 



The fauna partakes of a similar character, the 

 Hiirlmry fallow deer, wild lioar, Harliary monkey 

 i found also in Gibraltar), a species of porcupine, 

 and wild cat l>cing the mint characteristic mam- 

 mals; but the lion, once common, is now very rare 

 in the inhabited parts of the country. The birds. 

 and fishes are tho-c of southern Km ope; of the 

 forty species of reptiles and amphibia known, 

 twenty-two also lieloiig to Spain ; and only eight of 

 the Moroccan sjM-cies. according to Bottger, inhabit 

 the Ethiopian region fact- all pointing to a time 

 when the Strait of ( lihraltar did not divide Europe 

 from Africa. Ostriches are seen only in the ex- 

 treme south. Locusts often devastate the country. 

 The Harhary horses have sadly deteriorated ; while 

 in agriculture, oxen, donkeys, camels, and even 

 women yoked with them, are commonly employed 

 to drag the rude one stilted plough and the harrow, 

 which consists of a bunch of thorns. 



The iHlmliHiiiilx consist of six principal groups. 

 The (1) Berbers (Brulitr) or Kahyles, of whom 

 the Amazigh. She-Hull, and Tuareg are only 

 branches, are the altorigincs. They inhabit for 

 the most part the mountain regions, and are still 

 only half siiUlued. (2) The Arabs are descendant* 

 of the invaders who came in the 7th century. 

 (3) The .lews were very early settlers, semi- 

 independent colonies still untwisting in the Atlas 

 and the Sus country, though most of them in 

 the towns are refugees driven out of Spain and 

 Portugal. (4) A few thousands of Euro|K'ans, 

 chiefly Spaniards, are almost entirely confined to 

 the coast towns. (5) The ' Moors,' a term vaguely 

 applied to all the Mohammedan inhabitants, are 

 really Arabs with a large admixture of Spanish and 

 other European bloods, and the name ought properly 

 to lie restricted to the inhabitants of the cities. 

 (6) The Negroes, of whom there are large numbers, 

 were brought from the Soudan as slaves. Most of 

 the latter are still in this condition, though the 

 descendants of some ot them now occupy high 

 places in the army and the government. The 

 .lews, though sorely oppressed when not under the 

 protection of some 'Christian' power, prosper 

 amazingly, and are allowed a certain autonomy 

 in their own affairs, but arc confined in the cities 

 lo a ' inellah ' 01 .lews' quarter. In spite of many 

 indignities, some have managed to hold ofiices of 

 profit in the court. 



The sultan, who is the lost Independent sovereign 

 in the Harliary States (of which Trijioli is now 



directly under the sultan of Turkey), is 01 f the 



most perfect specimens of an absolute nionarchexist- 

 ing. He is 'the state.' His HO called ministers are 

 -imply the favourites of the hour. Everything 

 must pa.ss through his hands. He icceives the 

 entire revenue, liclievcd to lie about 1,8(10,000 per 

 annum, and spends as Jittle or as much of ii as he 

 pleases. Every office is directly or indirectly pur 

 chased, small salaries or none are paid, the holders 

 recouping themselves by plunder and oppression, 

 tempeied by the fact that at any moment they 

 may lie forced to disgorge to the sultan, or in 

 default lie left to rot in the loathsome Moroccan 

 dungeons, or be beaten or tortured to death. All 

 justice is bought anil sold. Yet, owing to the re- 

 ligious fanaticism of the people, and the mutual 

 jealousies of the European powers, whose reprcsen 

 tatives reside lit Tangier, the political equilibrium is 



