MOROCCO. 



499 



years had amounted to the total sum of $50,979. 

 The assets of the Permanent Church Extension 

 fund amounted to $31,315, or $6,830 more than 

 at the time of the previous synod. The interest 

 of the fund, however, can not be made available 

 for the purposes for which it was created till the 

 capital amounts to $50,000. Efforts were de- 

 cided upon to raise the fund to this amount. 

 The Old Church Extension fund, which was avail- 

 able for use, amounted to $18,533. The Home 

 Mission Treasury returned a surplus of $1.280. 

 The right of congregations to lay representation 

 in the synod was made contingent on their dis- 

 charging their financial obligations. Reference 

 to the lot was ordered to be omitted from all fu- 

 ture editions of the " Provincial Digest." 



A special committee was instituted to consider 

 the matter of the relations of ministers to the 

 Government of the province, and report thereon 

 to the next synod. An advisory board of G lay- 

 men was appointed, to constitute, together with 

 the Provincial Elders' Conference, a joint board 

 for the management and control of all the finan- 

 cial affairs of the province not otherwise provided 

 for. Proposed rules concerning the remarriage 

 of divorced persons, and prohibiting ministers 

 from solemnizing them except in the case of in- 

 nocent parties who had obtained divorce for the 

 scriptural cause, were considered and referred. 

 A debt upon the German mission in New York 

 was recognized as an obligation of the entire 

 Church. Action was taken for raising the stand- 

 ard of scholarship in the Theological Seminary. 

 Certain persons belonging to the Southern Pro- 

 vincial Synod were requested to act as an ad- 

 visory committee to the board of trustees of 

 this institution. The synod desired to give the 

 Southern Synod regular representation in the 

 board, but was prevented by legal restrictions. 



In the Southern Synod the spiritual condition 

 of the congregations was represented as being 

 more encouraging than for several years past. 

 A lively interest in Sunday schools among the 

 country congregations was remarked upon. The 

 formation of a regularly constituted missionary 

 society was decided upon. A subscription of 

 $1.000 for the Theological Seminary at Bethle- 

 hem, Pa,, was approved, and an annual collection 

 was ordered for the benefit of the institution. 

 The appointment by the Northern Synod of rep- 

 resentatives of the Southern Synod as advisory 

 members of the board of trustees of this insti- 

 tution was gratefully acknowledged and accept- 

 ed. Steps were taken toward founding an en- 

 dowment fund for Salern Female Academy. The 

 representation in the synod of the colored Mo- 

 ravian congregation at Salem was ordered con- 

 tinued. Pensions were fixed: To a retired min- 

 ister and his wife, $360 per annum ; to a retired 

 minister, if a widower, $175 ; and to the widow 

 of a minister. $175. 



MOROCCO, an absolute monarchy in northern 

 Africa, established in the year 790. In 1546 it 

 came under the rule of the Shereefs of Tafilet, 

 and since 1669 the Alides, a younger branch of 

 the same family, have reigned. The Sultan usu- 

 ally designates his successor, who, on his demise, 

 is formally elected by acclamation. The Sultan, 

 though claiming to be the spiritual ruler, is not 

 limited in his powers by the expounders of the 

 Koran, as in other Moslem countries, and in 



spiritual matters the Shereefs of Wasan still ex- 

 ercise a share of authority. His temporal power 

 is despotic, but he has often to contend with re- 

 bellions of the more warlike Berber tribes, and 

 therefore maintains a large military force. ' His 

 revenue, derived from monopolies/taxes, tithes, 





THE LATE SULTAN OF MOROCCO. 



and presents from officials, is estimated at $2,- 

 500,000 a year. His regular army, of about 

 10,000 trained infantry and 2,400 cavalry, is re- 

 enforced by drafts from the forces of provincial 

 governors when he undertakes a military expedi- 

 tion or a progress between the capitals, Fez and 

 Morocco, or to other parts of the country. 



The area of the empire is estimated at 312,000 

 square miles, of which 76,000 miles consist of ex- 

 tensive fertile plains and mountain districts, 

 26,000 miles of steppes, and 210,000 form part of 

 the Sahara, including the oasis of Tuat. The 

 population is supposed to be 8,000,000 or 9,000,000. 

 Fez has 140,000 to 150,000 inhabitants, and the 

 city of Morocco 40,000. 



Commerce. The foreign commerce is rela- 

 tively small, owing to restrictions on trade and 

 intercourse. Foreigners are not permitted to re- 

 side, or even travel, in the interior. The value 

 of the imports in 1891 was about $9,000,000, and 

 of exports $8,500,000. Cotton cloth of British 

 manufacture is the heaviest article, after which 

 come sugar loaves, tea, woolens, hardware, can- 

 dles, and silk. The chief exports are chick-peas, 

 wool, olive oil, maize, goat skins, almonds, cat- 

 tle, eggs, gums, slippers, beeswax, woolen stuffs, 

 dates, and canary seed. Export of wheat is pro- 

 hibited. The navigation returns for 1890 show 

 2,512 entrances, with a tonnage of 930,105, the 

 French -and British tonnage being nearly equal, 

 the Spanish next, and the Italian next. 



Kelations with Europe. After a German 

 envoy to Fez had obtained for his country a 

 commercial treaty containing some new conces- 

 sions of little importance, Sir Charles Euan- 

 Smith, the British minister at Tangier, was sent 

 on a special mission to the Moorish court in 

 1892 to press for the opening of the country to 

 foreign trade, which he did in so unfortunate a 

 manner that the negotiations were terminated 



