CH. XII. HORTICULTURAL PROGRESS. 313 



what had occurred to interrupt his amicable relations with 

 the Governor. 



To lessen our regret for having failed to see something 

 of the western extremity of the Great Atlas, Mr. Carsten- 

 sen proposed that we should visit the Djebel Hadid, or 

 Iron Mountain, a range of hills, about 2,000 feet in height, 

 that approaches the sea about fourteen miles NE. of 

 Mogador, and extends inland in a NE. direction for a 

 distance of some five-and-twenty miles. So far as we 

 knew, this had not been visited by any European natiualist 

 except M. Balansa, and we willingly accepted the sug- 

 gestion, and, following Mr. Carstensen's advice, arranged 

 to fix our camp next day at Ain el Hadjar, a spot where 

 some copious springs burst forth at the SW. extremity of 

 the range. 



The forenoon of June 1 was spent in the Icasbah, and 

 in a short ramble on the adjoining slopes. The appear- 

 ance of the country was much altered since we had passed 

 here at the end of April. The spring vegetation was then 

 far advanced, and many annuals had ripened their seeds ; 

 but, thanks to the rain which had fallen at intervals during 

 May, a new crop of young plants had sprung up ; and 

 during this and the following days we were able to gather 

 several species in flower that we had before seen only in 

 fruit. The fields where, at our last visit, the corn was 

 being cut, had been ploughed up, and pumpkins had been 

 extensively sown round the kasbah. There was more 

 appearance of a taste for ornamental plants than we had 

 seen anywhere among the Moors. The Governor had 

 transactions with many of the foreign merchants at 

 Mogador, and in that way had no difficulty in obtaining 

 seeds or cuttings of many garden flowers. Amongst these 

 we noted roses, pinks, garden-stock, geraniums, dahlias, 

 Tagetes, and Coreopsis. Oranges and bananas were also 

 cultivated ; but it seemed doubtful whether in ordinary 

 seasons the climate is suitable. The spring rains had 

 recently extended over a wide tract of country, but they 



