BAR 



Otlii^rs derive it from "bar" twice repeated, which fignifies 

 a " defert," which was its ancient Hate ; accordingly, they 

 lay that the fugitive kin<r Ifrik, from whom it is pretended 

 the whole African continent derived its name, when clofcly 

 purfiied by his enemies in his flitrht out of Arabia Felix, 

 and hefitating what courfe to purfue, was directed by fome 

 of his retinue by thefe words, "Bar, Bar," that is " To the 

 Uefert, To the Defert." 



The hillory of the word " Barbar," fays Gibbon (Rom. 

 F.mp. vol. ix. p. 4153:), maybeclaffed under four periods. 

 1. In the time of Homer, when the Greeks and Afiatics 

 wi^f'iit probably ufe a common idiom, the imitative found 

 <' of IW'ijar," was applied to tlic ruder tribes, whofe pro- 

 nunciation was moft harfh, whofe grammar was moll: defec- 

 tive. Kaf £i B5;;r5y.p^kivoi (Iliad. ii. 867. with the Oxford 

 Scholiaft, Clarke's Annotation, and Henry Stephens's 

 Greek Thffaurus, torn. i. p. 720.) 2. From the time, at 

 leaft, of Herodotus, it was extended to all the nations who 

 were ftrangers to t'le language and manners of the Greeks. 



3. In the age of Plautus, the Romans fubmitted to the 

 infult (Pompeius Fettus, l.ii. p. 48. ed. Dacier), and freely 

 gave themfelves the name of Barbarians. They infenfibly 

 claimed an exemption for Italy, and her fubjett provinces, 

 and at length removtd the difgraceful appellation to the 

 favage or hoftile nations beyond the pale of the empire. 



4. In every fenfe, it was due to the Moors ; the familiar 

 vord was borrowed from the Latin provincials by the 

 Arabian conquerors, and has jullly fettled as a local deno- 

 mination (Barbary) along the northern coafl of Africa. 



Barbary is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean fea, 

 •H'hich divides it from Europe, on the eall by Egypt, on 

 the fouth by Sahara, Zaara, or the Defert, and on the weft 

 by the Atlantic ocean. Its utmofl extent from eaft to well:, 

 that is, from cape Non, on the moft weftern coaft of Morocco, 

 to the confines of Egypt, is almoft 37 degrees, that is from 

 10° W. to 265 E. long, or about 2200 geographical miles. 

 Its breadth from north to fouth is very unequal ; in fome 

 parts it is not above 6 or 7 degrees ; and where it is wideft, 

 as from cape Non to Tangier, not above 10 degrees. Some 

 geographers, however, have given it a much greater extent 

 both in length and breadth, making the former 4000 miles, 

 and the latter 1200, in order to which, eftimatc they have in- 

 cluded the creeks and windings, which are too precarious 

 and unknown to be depended upon. Others have made 

 the length from eaft to weft to be only 1 200 miles, and 

 the breadth from north to fouth, which is very variable, 

 330 miles. It commences on the weft at the famous 

 mount Atlas, called by the Arabs Ayduacal, or Al Duacal, 

 and inclofcs the ancient kingdoms of Suez and Dela, now 

 provinces of Morocco, and extends north-eaftward along 

 the Atlantic coaft to the pillars of Hercules at cape Fii»if- 

 terre, through the ftraits of Gibraltar, and fo on by an 

 eaftern courfe, along the Mediterranean coaft to the city of 

 Alexandria, which is the fouthern boundary of Egypt, 

 where it joins to this of Barbary. The principal kingdoms 

 into which it is now divided, are thofe of Morocco, Fez, 

 Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoh ; the kingdom of Telenfin or 

 Tremecen having been incorporated with that of Algiers, 

 and that of Barca having been reduced to a dependence on 

 that of Tripoh. (See each of thefe articles.) ]5oth the 

 coafts of Barbary, whether watered by the Atlantic 

 ocean, or by the Mediterranean, are fertile in corn and 

 pafturage ; the former being watered by a multitude of 

 fmall and large rivers which dtfccnd from the great Atlas, 

 and empty tiiemfelves into the ocean ; and the former ex- 

 tending along the dcchvity of a vaft ridge of mountains, 

 fome of which are confiderably higli| ai>tl fjiread above 



BAR 



40 leagues into the inland, fupplying a number of rivert, 

 which after many windings tlirough pleafant and fcrti!; vaU 

 lies, difcharge themfelves into the Mediterranean. Btfidcs, 

 the temperature of the climate contributes to its fertility. 

 However the coaft and mountains along the Mediterranean 

 from the ftraits of Gibraltar to Egypt, are rather cold than 

 hot, and fnow falls at certain times of the year ; and the 

 tups of fome mountains are covered with it through the 

 year. The winter in this country commences about the 

 middle of Oclober, and is often fevere ; the rains commonlv 

 begin about the end of the month, and continue to the end 

 of Januai'y ; in February the weather becomes milder ; 

 and in March the weft and north wi;'.ds begin to blow and 

 to produce r.niverfal verdure. During the wl.olc fpving 

 feafon, which begins about the latter end of Ftbru::ry, the 

 weather is generally fcrcne and pleafant, except from the 

 latter end of April to that of May, when refrclhing fliowers 

 are abundant ; which with the concurring heat of the fun, 

 bring the produftions of the earth to maturity ; fo that in 

 the latter end of May, they begin to gather ripe figs and 

 cherries in Tunis, Algiers, and fome parts of Morocco ; in 

 the middle of July, the apples, pears, and plums arc ripe, 

 and grapes and other later fruits are completely gathered 

 before the latter end of September. The fummer begins, 

 according to their reckoning, on the 28th of Mav, and 

 lafts till the 29th of Auguft ; during whicii the heats are 

 exceffive and dangerous ; their autumn commences on the 

 27th of Auguft, and ends on tlie 16th of November, 

 when the heat abates ; and their winter begins on the 

 17th of November, and ends on the i6th of February. 

 The greateft cold begins on or about the 12th of December, 

 and the greateft heat sbout the 12th of June. On mount 

 Atlas, and the higher lands, they reckon but two ftnfons, 

 namely, winter and fummer ; the former lafting from Octo- 

 ber to April, when great quantities of fnow fail, and the 

 latter from April to September, when the heat in the val- 

 lies is exceffive. 



The principal quadrupeds of the ftates of Barbary are the 

 horfe, which has of late years very much degenerated, the 

 afs and mulf, the kumrah, produced between an afs and a 

 cow, the camel, the black cattle, which are fmall and (lender, 

 the goat, and faeep, of which latter there are two fpecies 

 not known in Europe; the one the broad-tailed fhcep, and 

 the other the flieep of Sahara, as tail as our fallow-deer, and 

 refembhng them in fhape. Each of thefe kinds of quadru- 

 peds is very numerous and prohfic. Several Aiobian tribes, 

 who can bring no more than three or 400 horfes into the 

 field, are poflefTed of more than fo many thoufand camels, 

 and triple the number of iheep and black cattle. The Arabs 

 fcldom diminifh their flocks by uhug them for food, but live 

 chiefly upon bread, milk, butter, dates, or what tl.ey receive 

 in exchange for their wool. Among the quadrupeds that 

 are not naturally tame and domefticatcd, we may reckon the 

 " bekker-el-wa(h," or wild cattle, which Dr. Shaw fuppofes 

 to be the bubalus of the ancients, or bos Africanus of Bello- 

 nius; and deer, in fize betwixt the red and fallow-deer; the 

 fithtall or lerwce, fecming in fize, fluip^, and other circum. 

 ftanccs, to be the tragelaphus of the ancients, orF.n animal be- 

 tv.ixt a goat and a deer; the gazell or antilope, cf which 

 there is a fpecies called lidmee, fuppofed by Shaw to be the 

 ftrepficcros or r.ddace of the ancients. Among quadrupeds 

 of a lefs tameable nature, we may enumerate the limi and 

 panther; the faadh or chamas of Pliny, the lelTer panther, 

 and the fliibeardou or Spanifh ginetta; the dubbah or hysna; 

 the decb or jackall; the iiyah-gufli or black -eared cat; the 

 porcupine; the jird, and jerboa. Befides thefe animals, Bar- 

 biry ifo produces the bear or data; the anc or (heddy; the 

 4 H 2 uhneu- 



