724 



MOROCCO. 



MofofgQ. practice, that they can throw persons tip, so as at 



> "V"** pleasure to break the head, dislocate the neck, frac- 

 ture a leg or arm, or let them fall without any material 

 injury. But almost erery mode of cruelty is occasion- 

 ally practised in this miserable country. These pun- 

 ishments are usually superintended by the emperor in 

 person, and used formerly to be frequently inflicted 

 by his own hand, but now are generally executed by 

 some of the negro soldiers. 



Court. The principal officers of the court are the effendi, 



or friend, who is the prime minister and responsible 

 person in the state ; the secretary to the treasury, 

 (united with the office of the effendi,) who disburses 

 the payments of the emperor, has several under secre- 

 taries ; the master of the horse, with 120 assistants; 

 the grand-chamberlain, with 17 assistants ; the grand- 

 falconer, (a hereditary office) with 20 assistants ; the 

 keeper of the great seal; two grand-stewards; five 

 inspectors-general of all the emperor's affairs, of whom 

 the effendi is the chief; three masters of ceremonies 

 for public audiences, with 40 assistants ; an interpre- 

 ter-general for European languages, who is usually a 

 renegade ; two grand keepers of the jewels and plate ; 

 a grand master of the baths ; two grand-keepers of 

 the arsenal; two keepers of the emperor's goods and 

 warehouses ; three inspectors of mosques, &c. ; five 

 keepers of the provisions ; two keepers of the library ; 

 two astrologers ; four masters of the carriages ; twelve 

 sons of renegados, who have not had beards, employed 

 in drawing the small carriages; three principal as- 

 sistants for prayers, with several deputies; three 

 bearers of the umbrella, with their assistants; the 

 bearer of the sabre ; two bearers of the bason ; two 

 bearers of the lance ; the bearer of the watch ; five 

 bearers of the emperor's firelocks, with their assistants; 

 the bearer of the standard ; a physician and surgeon, 

 with many kinds of tradesmen. All these officers re- 

 ceive no salaries from the emperor, but depend en- 

 tirely on the perqusites which are paid to them by 

 those who transact any business with the court ; and 

 even what they receive in this way is often liable to be 

 seized by the sovereign, unless he be gratified by oc- 

 casional presents. 



Harem. The Harem forms a part of the palace, and commu- 



nicates with it by a private door, used only by the 

 emperor. The apartments are also on the ground- 

 floor, square, and very lofty ; and four of them en- 

 close a spacious square area, into which they open by 

 means of large folding doors, which serve the purpose 

 also of windows. These areas, or courts, are floored 

 with blue and white chequered tiling, and have a 

 fountain in the centre, supplied by pipes from a large 

 reservoir on the outside of the palace. Twelve of 

 these courts, communicating with each other by nar- 

 row passages, form the harem ; and the women, whom 

 it contains, have free access to every part of it. The 

 apartments are adorned externally with beautifully 

 carved wood- work ; and are generally hung on the 

 inside with red damask, of various colours, and fur- 

 nished with beautiful carpets on the floors and mat- 

 tresses in different places for the purposes of sitting 

 and sleeping. At each end is placed, merely by way 

 of ornament, an elegant European mahogany bedstead, 

 hung with damask, and covered with mattresses of 

 various coloured silks ; and large looking-glasses, 

 clocks, and watches in glass-cases, are hung around 

 the walls. The Sultana is called the mistress of the 

 harem, but without any controul over the other fe- 

 males ; and she has a whale square for her own use, 



3 



while each of the rest has only one apartment. Each Moro<- fB . 

 female has a separate daily allowance from the empe- T ' 

 ror, according to the rank which they hold in his es- 

 timation, out of which she is expected to furnish her- 

 self with whatever she requires. This allowance, at 

 the time of Lempriere's visit to the Emperor of Mo- 

 rocco, was little more than half a crown sterling to the 

 favourite sultana, and less in proportion to theothers; 

 but the emperor makes them occasional presents of 

 money, dress, and trinkets; and they receive con- 

 siderable sums from those who solicit their influence 

 in obtaining favours from the court. In this way am- 

 bassadors, consuls, merchants, native or foreign, are 

 most assured of gaining their object with the sove- 

 reign, who rather encourages negociations through 

 this channel. These females are never permitted to 

 go out of the harem, unless by an order from the em- 

 peror; and, except an occasional walk within the 

 bounds of the palace, or a journey from one palace t 

 another, they are constantly immured within their 

 prison. Four of these women are considered as wives 

 of the emperor, and the rest as concubines. Many of 

 these are Moorish women, as the Moors consider it an 

 honour to have their daughters in the harem ; some 

 of them European slaves ; several are negresses, and 

 the usual number of the whole is from 60 to 100, be- 

 sides their slaves and domestics. Priestesses, who are 

 so far learned as to read and write, are employed to 

 teach the younger part of the harem to repeat their 

 prayers, and to instruct the older females in the prin- 

 ciples of their religion. The inhabitants of the harem 

 are seldom observed at any other employment, except 

 forming themselves into circles for conversation, or 

 hearing stories, bathing, dressing themselves, and per- 

 haps working a little at the needle. The sons of the 

 emperor's wives are considered as princes, who have an 

 equal claim to the empire ; and they are generally ap- 

 pointed to the government of some of the provinces, 

 as bashaws. But the daughters and the children of 

 the concubines are generally sent at a proper age to 

 the city of Tafilelt (the inhabitants of which are all 

 sharifs, or supposed descendants of Mahommed) where 

 they finish their education and intimacy with their 

 kindred in the place. It is the peculiar privilege of 

 the imperial family, that is, of the emperor himself, his 

 sons, and brothers, to have the benefit of umbrellas; 

 the shade of which, in a climate like that of Morocco, 

 is one of the greatest luxuries. 



The revenue of the emperor consists of a tenth upon Kerenae. 

 every article of consumption as allowed by the Koran ; 

 an annual tax upon the Jews ; custom-house and ex- 

 cise duties ; tributes exacted from his own subjects, fo- 

 reign states, and European merchants, in the form of 

 presents ; which last articles form the chief source of 

 his income. The duties and tributes are so frequently 

 changed that it is impossible to estimate their annual 

 amount with any degree of certainty. 



The army used to consist principally of black troops, Array, 

 the descendants of negroes imported from Guinea, 

 amounting altogether to above 40,000, and sometimes 

 even 100,000, men; of whom two-thirds are cavalry ; 

 but every man is considered as a soldier, and obliged 

 to act in that capacity, whenever the Emperor shall 

 require his services. The present Emperor, Muley 

 Solyman, has diminished the proportion of black 

 troops ; but negroes are still employed as governors of 

 cities, commanders of the body guard, eunuchs in the 

 Harem, and in other offices of state. About 6,000 of 

 the standing army, form the Emperor's body guard ; 



