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work into Italian ; bnt it was not printed until 1550, in 

 the first edition of Ramusio's " Collection of Voyages and 

 Travels." Excepting Gerhard lloklfs — who, by assuming 

 the garb and professing the faith of a Mussulman, traversed 

 districts where no Christian dare present himself, and who 

 could make only surreptitious observations and trust them to 

 memory — our British travelers were the first Europeans to 

 travel in South Marocco and to reach the Great Atlas. 



Their opportunity and their success were exceptional. It 

 was a botanical expedition, in the spring of 1871, with the 

 president of the Royal Society and director of Kew Gardens 

 at its head, with Mr. Ball, a member, or at least an ex-member 

 of Parliament, as his companion, and a third naturalist, Mr. 

 George Maw, as their associate for half the journey. High 

 influence was required for obtaining the Sultan's permission to 

 penetrate the country at all ; and utmost skill, determination, 

 and no small assertion were called for to surmount the obstacles 

 which were systematically interposed by the authorities, and 

 to baffle attempts to lower the personal importance, and there- 

 fore frustrate the aims, of this scientific embassy. On reach- 

 ing the city of Marocco the playing of the game began. The 

 Sultan's letter instructed the governor of Mogador to " send 

 the English hakim and his companions to the care of my slave 

 El Graoui," said slave being the governor of the whole Great 

 Atlas region. The city of Marocco was not in his province ; 

 and there the duty of providing for the sustenance and com- 

 fort of the travelers devolved upon Ben Daoud, governor of 

 the city. Before entering the town our travelers had managed 

 to learn that a very small house with only two rooms had been 

 provided for them, and that Ben Daoud meant to make as 

 little of them as jjossible. So a message was sent on that a 

 larger house was needed, or else an enclosed garden in which 

 to pitch their tents. In reply, a larger house with four rooms 

 was offered. On reaching this house at nightfall it proved to 

 be mean, dirty, and swarming; so when the mo?ia, or present 

 for the evening meal, came in, it was ordered back with scorn. 

 It was felt that submission to any belittling at the outset would 

 be the beginning of sorrows. 



