348 FUTURE PEOSPECTS OF MAROCCO. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Resources of Marooco — Moorish Government a hopeless failure — 

 Future prospects of Marooco — Objections to European interference 

 — Answers to such objections. 



Scientific travellers, whose attention was mainly engaged 

 in their own special pursuits, and whose opportunities 

 for gaining information were restricted by ignorance 

 of the native languages, have no claim to speak with 

 authority of the condition and prospects of a country so 

 extensive as the Marooco Empire. But it would be strange 

 if we had failed to derive some conclusions from the results 

 of our personal observation and the information gained on 

 the spot. 



Of the material resources of Marocco it is difiScult to 

 say too much. Even under existing conditions, a great 

 portion of the territory is extremely fertile, and supplies 

 for export a large amount of agricultural produce. The 

 two natural disadvantages with which it has to contend 

 are, occasional deficient rainfall and the ravages of locusts. 

 For the first, the remedy is to be sought in irrigation. 

 The unfailing streams from the Atlas already serve to a 

 limited extent ; but the area of productive land might by 

 intelligent management be very largely increased. We 

 have seen an estimate of the quantity of water discharged 

 by the five principal streams that fall into the Atlantic 

 north of the Atlas, which fixes the amount at 9,000 cubic 

 feet per second ; and if to these were added the Moulouya, 

 which falls into the Mediterranean, and the Siss, the 

 Draha, the Asakka, and the Sous, which drain the southern 

 slopes of the main chain, we should probably double the 



