8 
MOROCCO. 
enjoined the frequency of ablution a&a religious duty to 
the Moors. Their drefs, which fhould be white, is but 
feldom. vvaftied; and their whole appearance evinces that 
they perform this branch of their religious ceremonies 
in but a (lovenly manner. With this degree of negli¬ 
gence as to their perfons, we may be judly furpriled to 
find united a moll fcrupulous nicety in their habitations 
and apartments. They enter their chambers barefooted, 
and cannot bear the (lighted: degree of contamination 
near the place where they are feated. This delicacy again 
is much confined to the infides of their houfes. The 
llreets receive the whole of their rubbilh and filth ; and 
by thefe means the ground is fo railed in mod parts of 
the city of Morocco, that the new buildings always ftand 
confiderably higher than the old. 
With refpedl to the hours for eating, the people of this 
country are remarkably regular. Very foon after day¬ 
break they take their breakfad, which is generally a com- 
pofition of flour and water boiled thin, together with an 
herb which gives it a yellow tinge. The male part of the 
family eat in one apartment, and the female in another. 
The children are not permitted to eat with their parents, 
but take their meals afterwards with the fervants ; indeed 
in mod other refpedfs they are treated exadtly as fervants 
or (laves by their parents. The mefs is put into an 
earthen bowl, and brought in upon a round wooden tray. 
It is placed in the centre of the gueds, who fit crofs- 
legged either on a mat or on the floor, and who form a 
circle for the purpofe. Having previoufly waflied them- 
felves, a ceremony always performed before and after 
meals,each perfon with his fpoon attacks the bowl, while 
they diverfify the entertainment by eating with it fruit 
or bread. At twelve o’clock they dine, performing the 
fame ceremonies as at breakfad. For dinner, from the 
emperor down to the peafant, their dilli is univerfally 
coofcoojbo, the mode of preparing which has been already 
defcribed. Tins difti is brought in upon a round tray 
and placed on the floor, round which the family fit as at 
breakfad, and with their fingers commit a violent aflault 
on its contents: they are at the fame time, however, 
attended by a (lave or domedic, who prefents them with 
water and a towel occafionally to wa(h their hands. From 
the want of the Ample and convenient invention of 
knives .and forks, it is not uncommon in this country to 
fee three or four people pulling to pieces the fame piece 
of meat, and afterwards with their fingers dirring up the 
pade, or coofcoofoo, of which they often take a whole hand¬ 
ful at once into their mouth. We have often, in our 
own country, feen children feed themfelves in the fame 
primitive, Ample, and original, manner. At funfet they 
iup upon the fame diih ; and indeed fupper is their prin¬ 
cipal meal. 
But the common people mud content themfelves with 
a little bread and fruit indead of animal food, and deep 
in the open dreets. This kind of exidence feems ill cal¬ 
culated to endure even in an inactive date; far more fevere 
mud it therefore be to thofe who exercife the laborious 
employment of couriers in this country, who travel on- 
foot a journey of three or four hundred miles at the rate 
of thirty or forty miles a-day, without taking any other 
nourifhment than a little bread, a few figs, and fome 
water, and who have no better (lielter at night than a 
tree. It is wonderful with what alacrity and perfeverance 
thefe people perform the mod fatiguing journeys at all 
feafons of the year. There is a regular company of them 
in every town, who are ready to be difpatched at a mo¬ 
ment’s warning to any part of the country their employers 
may have occaiion to fend them. 
As the Moors are not fond of admitting men into 
their houfes except upon particular occafions, if the 
weather be fine they place a mat, and fometimes a carpet, 
on the ground before their door, feat themfelves upon it 
crofs-legged, and receive their friends, who form a circle, 
fitting in the fame manner, with their attendants on the 
tputfide of the groupe. Upon thefe occafions they either 
drink tea or fmolce. The dreets are fometimes crowded 
with parties of this kind; fome engaged in playing at 
chefs or draughts, at which they are very expert; but 
the majority in converfation. The people of this coun¬ 
try, indeed, are fo decidedly averfe to (landing up or 
walking about, that, if only two or three people meet, 
they fquat themfelves down in the fird clean place 
they can find, if the converfation is to hold but a few 
minutes. 
The Moors have in general but few amufements ; the 
fedentary life they lead in cities is little varied, except 
by the care they take of their gardens, which however 
are kept rather for profit than plealure. Mod of thefe 
gardens are planted with the orange, the lemon-tree, and 
the cedar, in rows, and in fuch great quantities, that the 
appearance is rather that of a fored than of a garden. 
The Moors fometimes, though rarely, have mufic in their 
retreats : a date of flavery but ill agrees with the love of 
pleafure: the people of Fez alone, either from a differenc» 
in education, or becaufe their organs and fenfibility are 
more delicate, make mufic a part of their amufements. 
There are not in Morocco, as in Turkey, public coffee- 
houfes, where people meet to inquire the news of the 
day; but, indead of thefe, the Moors go to the barbers’ 
(hops, which in all countries feem to be the rendezvous 
of newfmongers. 
A common diverfion in the towns where there are 
foldiers, as well as in the country, is what the Moor* 
call the game of gunpowder; a kind of military exercife, 
that is the more pleafing to thefe people, inafmucli as, by 
the nature of their government, they all are, or are liable 
to become, foldiers, therefore all have arms and hones. 
By explofions of powder, too, they manifed their fedivity 
on their holidays. Their game of gunpowder confids 
in two bodies of horfe, each at a didance from the other, 
galloping in fiicceflive parties of four and four, and 
firing their pieces charged with powder. Their chief 
art is in galloping up to the oppofite detachment, fud- 
denly dopping, firing their mufkets, facing about, charg¬ 
ing,and returning to the attack; all which manoeuvres 
are imitated by their opponents. The Moors take great 
pleafure in this amufement, which is only an imitation 
of their military evolutions. 
The Moors marry very young, many of their females 
not being more than twelve years of age at their nuptiaisi 
As Mahometans, it is well known that their religion 
admits of polygamy to the extent of four wives, and as 
many concubines as they pleafe; but, if we except the 
very opulent, the people feldom avail themfelves of this 
indulgence. 
In fome cafes the hulband receives no portion with 
his wife, but pays for her ; but it is mod common for the 
parents to give a portion with the bride, if (lie be repu¬ 
diated, the hulband redores it two-fold: if the hulband die, 
the wife recovers her portion, and the eighth part of his 
effefts. The children of the wives have all equal claim 
to the efl'e&s of the parents ; thofe of the concubines can 
only claim half a (hare. As women are not admitted 
into the fociety of men, young perfons do not marry 
here for love, but for convenience; the relations form 
the contraft, and fettle the terms of it. The purity of 
the bride at the time of marriage is much regarded, and 
proofs of it are required and publicly exhibited. 
Women fud'er but little inconvenience in this country 
from child-bearing; they are frequently up the next dayy 
and go through all the duties of the houfe with the in¬ 
fant upon their backs. In celebrating the rite of cir- 
cumcifion, the child is dreffed very fumptuoufly, and 
carried on a mule, or, if the parents are in poor circum- 
dances, on an afs, accompanied with flags flying and 
muficians playing on hautboys and beating drums. In 
this manner they proceed to the mofque, where the cere¬ 
mony is performed. Children, as (bon as they can be 
made in the lead degree ufeful, are put to the various 
kinds of labour adapted to their age and flrength. Others, 
whoft 
