CHAPTER VI. 
Continuation of the History of Ali Bey. — Notices on the interior of Africa.— 
His presentation to the emperor of Morocco — Visits of the sultan and hU 
court. 
Soon after my arrival at Tangier my situation be- 
came sufficiently agreeable; the first visit which was paid 
to me by the kadi Sidi-Abderrahman Mfarrash; my pre- 
diction of the ^|ljpbe of the sun, which was to take place 
on the 17th August, and of which I had traced the 
figure as it would be seen in its greatest darkness; the 
appearance of my carriages and my instruments, which 
arrived from Europe in a vessel; my presents to the 
kadi, to the kaid, as also to the principal characters 
there; my liberality towards others; all these circum- 
stances contributed to fix on me the general attention, 
and in a very short time I attained a decided superiority 
over all the strangers, and even over all the persons of 
distinction in the town. 
I felt, however, my health affected by the change of 
climate, by my previous fatigues, and by the new man- 
ner of living which I had adopted; I was therefore oblig- 
ed to begin a cooling regimen, and to use sea bathing, 
which soon restored my healthy and I improved the op- 
portunit ies which occurred of improving my collections, 
One day as I was amusing myself with swimming at 
some distance from the shore, I saw coming towards 
me, and almost on the surface of the water, an enormous 
fish, which appeared to be about 25 to 30 feet long. I 
returned in haste to the shore, where my people were 
