826 



MAGHREB, OR BARBARY. 



nations referred to this race. The light-colored nations in the upper valley of the Nile are, by 

 sonae, referred to this, ana by others to a distinct race ; the Nubians, Abyssinians, Gallas, 

 Ababdehs, Shihos, &c., are of this number. The Foulahs, Fellatahs, or Pouls, are by some 

 included among the Negro races, and by some considered as quite distinct, both from them and 

 from the Berbers. 



The negroes are physically characterized by woolly hair, black skin, projecting lips, flat- 

 tened nose, low and retreating forehead, and the form of the legs. Morally, they are indolent, 

 harmless, easy, and friendly in their disposition ; but even in their more civilized states, many 

 barbarous usages and savage customs prevail. For ages, the blacks have been sought for as 

 slaves in other parts of the world, and even at home the greater part of the population is the 

 property of the rest. Many of the negro tribes live in the most degraded state, without gov- 

 ernment, without any religion but the most absurd superstitions, without the decencies and 

 proprieties of life, naked, and without habitations. Others are wandering shepherds, and still 

 others have organized regular governments, built towns, and cultivated the arts. 



CHAPTER CXXVIII. MAGHREB, OR BARBARY. 



1. Boundaries. This section, comprising all the northern part of Africa to the west of the 

 Nilotic region, is bounded on the north by the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea ; 

 east by Egypt ; south by Sahara ; and west by the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of a narrow 

 strip of fertile country along the Mediterranean, and a series of oases along the southern bor- 

 der, and is traversed by a mountainous chain called the Atlas Mountains. It is politically 

 divided into three states, usually called the Barbary Powers, and the French colony of Al- 

 giers ; but parts of the territory are also occupied by numerous independent tribes of Arabs 

 and Berbers. 



2. Surface and Climate. The Atlas Mountains, which traverse the whole region from east 

 to west in several ranges, rise to their greatest elevation in Morocco, where some of the sum- 

 mits exceed 12,000 feet. The rivers which descend from these mountains reach the sea 

 after a short course, but they fertilize the plains which they water. On the east and south are 

 extensive deserts, dotted here and there with cultivable and inhabitable wadys or oases. The 

 maritime region, sheltered from the burning winds of the desert by the mountains, and open 

 to the sea breezes, enjoys a pleasant climate. 



3. Productions. The productions of the fertile soil of Barbary are not materially different 

 from those of southern Europe, the temperature being nearly the same. Wheat and barley 

 are chiefly cultivated ; beans and lentils are abundant, and in addition to the common fruits of 

 Europe are the date and lotus. 



4. Tripoli. This state occupies the most easterly portion of Barbary, and is the most 

 advanced in civilization ; it has an area of 270,000 square miles, most of which is sterile, with 

 about 700,000 inhabitants. Tripoli Proper is an arid district, thinly peopled. Barca is little 

 more than a desert. Fezzan is traversed by the Soudah, or Black Mountains, and its surface 

 in general is a desert sprinkled with verdant oases. There is little productive soil in any part 

 of the country, and the cultivation is bad. Dates, maize, and barley are laised, and figs, 

 pomegranates, and lemons are abundant. 



Tripoli, the capital, has a good harbor upon the Mediterranean. The streets are straight 

 and wide, and the houses regular and well built ; the architecture is more European than 

 Arabian, and the city is much handsomer than the generality of the Moorish towns. Many of 

 the houses are of stone, and the courts, mosques, and gates are adorned with marble. The 

 great mosque is a magnificent structure, with four cupolas supported by columns of marble. 

 The city is surrounded by a high wall and strongly fortified. Population, 25,000. Derne is 

 a small town, which was taken by the Americans under General ICaton in 1805. 



In the Desert of Barca are several oases and fertile tracts containing the ruins of the ancient 

 Greek colony of Cyrenaica. The inhabitants of the oasis of Augelah. carry on a caravan 

 trade with Bornou and Timbuctoo ; slaves form the principal article of importation. Fezzan 

 is a large province consisting of several oases, which contain a considerable population. 

 JVIoorzook, one of them, with narrow streets and mud huts, is the great mart of the inland 

 trade of Northern Africa, and the rendezvous of the caravans from Cairo, Tripoli, Tunis, 

 Gad ames, Timbuctoo, and Bornou. 



