MOROCCO. 
10 
the hiftory of any other defpotic country. The word death, 
It feems, may not be pronounced in the imperial prefence; 
16 that, if it is neceffary to inform the prince that any 
one is dead, it is done by a circumlocution, “ He has 
completed his dediny;” to which the reply is, “ God be 
merciful to him.” Moors, in announcing to each other 
a Jew’s death, fay, Maat bel karan, “ The foil of a cuc¬ 
kold is dead.” Of a Chridian, who bore a good charac¬ 
ter, they fay, Maat mej'quin, “ The inoffenfive or nega¬ 
tive man is dead;” if lie was difliked, Maat el Kafper, 
ce The infidel (Caffre) is dead.” 
As to the ancient commerce of this country, we can 
find no certain or fatisfadlory report. It is probable, 
however, that the Carthaginians, who were an enlight¬ 
ened and indudrious people, and who governed parts of 
Africa and edabliihed fettlements on its coad, mull have 
oonftituted caravans to exchange their products for the 
gold and other productions of interior Africa. The pro- 
grefs which navigation made, in the fourteenth and fif¬ 
teenth centuries, mull have confiderably affected the 
Gommerce of Africa, and have infenfibly attracted it 
from the centre towards the fea-coall, on the well, which 
approaches the equator, and where the French, Portu- 
guefe, Dutch, and Englilh, each emulative of the other, 
have fucceffively formed ellablilhments. The great rivers 
of Africa, which empty themfelves in thole feas, united 
its utmoil boundaries; and the ports of Europe then re¬ 
ceived gold-dud, ivory, ambergris, Guinea pepper, and 
other productions, of inland Africa; the exclufive en¬ 
joyment of which had, till that time, been confined to the 
bordering nations, and even to them became objeCls of 
luxury. After the dedruCtion of Carthage and Rome, 
the Moors, having had no intercourfe of a commercial na¬ 
ture with Europe till towards the fourteenth century, 
mull have confined their trade to the more central na¬ 
tions of Africa, with which they refpeClively interchanged 
their products. There they probably vended their mer- 
chandife of woollen-duffs, fheep-fkins, cloth, corn, fait, 
and dried fruits. In exchange for thefe they obtained 
gold-dud, ivory, Guinea pepper, and Haves. Such was, 
probably, the fird fource of the wealth of the empire of 
Morocco. The Moors on the confines of Africa might 
Hill polfefs nearly the fame refources, if they had the fame 
facility of communication. Thofe of Morocco, whole 
fituation is more central, have, perhaps, profited the lead 
by them during the three lad centuries, either on account 
of the frequent revolutions which their empire has un¬ 
dergone, or becaufe their defpotic government has fo en¬ 
tirely diackled trade and indudry. 
As for the prefent date of commerce, the exports, as 
may very naturally be fuppofed, confid almod entirely of 
raw produce, gums, fruits, bees-wax, ivory, See. Of thefe, 
the value exported from Mogador in 1804, did not ex¬ 
ceed 128,0001. freight and duty included. The imports 
are manufactures, as woollen and cotton cloths, hard¬ 
ware, and fome colonial produce ; and in the fame year, 
there were imported into Mogador about 150,000k worth 
of fuch articles. The traffic of the other ports is very 
trifling. Ceuta and Tangiers export provifions to Gibral¬ 
tar ; and thefe, as well as a few other towns on the coad, 
ufed to carry on a confiderable corn-trade before the ac- 
ceffion of the prefent emperor, who has prohibited the ex¬ 
portation of grain. The whole foreign trade of the em¬ 
pire, therefore, is very limited ; and Mr. Jackfon, who 
feems greatly to overrate the importance of a more inti¬ 
mate connexion with Wed Barbary, aferibes the declining 
date of the commerce to the mifrnanagement of the Eng- 
lidi government in its intercourfe with that of Morocco. 
Our confuls never underhand Arabic; they mud con- 
•yerfe with the emperor, or his miniders, through the me¬ 
dium of an ignorant jew interpreter, who is always an ob¬ 
ject of contempt, and for the mod part deferves no confi¬ 
dence. With fuch negociators, it cannot be expeCted that 
ahe Moorifli court ihould communicate freely. There is, 
moreover,a marked inattention to this fubjeCt on the part 
of our government, which Mr. Jackfon complains of with 
fome appearance of judice; for he relates, that when the 
emperor of Morocco lately (1809) wrote a mod friendly 
latter to the king of England, it was differed to lie in the 
fecretary of Hate's office for fome months, without any no¬ 
tice being taken of its contents, to the great indignation 
of his imperial majefly. At lad, the circumdance having 
come to the knowledge of the chancellor of the exche¬ 
quer, he applied to Mr. Jackfon to tranflate the letter. 
The refult is not mentioned. 
Another neglecl of the Britifh government, arifing in 
a great meafure out of the former, is pointed out in a 
driking manner by Mr. Jackfon. The crews of the vef- 
fels wrecked on the Barbary coad, are, as is well known, 
after being plundered, carried away and fold as daves by 
the Arabs._ In fixteen years, ending 1806, feventeen 
Engliffi vedels are known to have been lod,and their crews, 
amounting probably to 200 perfons, have been either 
killed in the plunder of the wrecks, or difperfed in capti¬ 
vity in the interior. There mud, befides, have been many 
more, of which no notice ever reached Mogador. The 
Arabs going nearly in a date of nature, wearing nothing 
but a cloth or rag to cover their nakednefs, immediately 
drip their unhappy victims, and march them up the coun¬ 
try, barefooted, like themfelves. The feet of the Euro¬ 
peans, from their not being accudomed, like the Arabs, 
to this mode of travelling, loon begin to fwell with the 
heat of the burning fand over which they pafs. The 
Arab, confidering only his booty, does not give him- 
felf the trouble to enquire into the caufe of this; but, ab- 
demious and unexhauded himfelf, he conceives his un¬ 
fortunate captive will, by dint of fatigue and travelling, 
becomes fo too. In thefe marches the Europeans fufter 
the pains of fatigue and hunger in a mod dreadful degree ; 
for the Arab will go fifty miles a-day without tading food, 
and at night will content himfelf with a little barley-meal 
mixed with cold water; miferable fare for an Englifh fea- 
man, who (to ufe the term that is applied to the richefl 
men among the Arabs) eats meat every day ! They carry 
the Chridian captives about the Defert, to the different 
markets to fell them, for they very foon difeover that their 
habits of.life render them altogether unferviceable, or 
very inferior to the black daves which they procure from 
TombuCtoo. After travelling three days to one market, 
five to another, nay fometimes fourteen, they at length 
become objects of commercial fpeculation, and the itine¬ 
rant Jew traders, who wander about from Wedinoon to 
fell their wares, find means to barter for them tobacco, 
fait, a cloth garment, or any other thing, jud as a com¬ 
bination of circumdances may offer, and then return to 
Wedinoon with the purchafe. If the Jew have a corref- 
pondent at Mogador, he writes to him, that a ffiip had 
been wrecked, mentioning the flag or nation die belonged 
to, and requeds him to inform the agent, orconful,of the 
nation of which the captain is a fubjeCt; in the mean time 
flattering the poor men, that they will fliortly be liberated 
and fent to Mogador, where they will meet their coun¬ 
trymen. A long and tedious fervitude, how'ever, gene¬ 
rally follows, for want of a regular fund at Mogador for 
the redemption of thele people. The agent can do no¬ 
thing but write to the conlul-general at Tangier; this 
takes up nearly a month, before an anfwer is received, 
and the merchants at Mogador, being fo little protected by 
their refpeCtive governments, and having various imme¬ 
diate ufes for their money, are very unwilling to advance 
for the European intered of 5 per cent, fo that the time 
lod in writing to the government of the country to whom 
the unfortunate captives belong, the neceffity of procur¬ 
ing the money for their purchafe previous to their eman¬ 
cipation, and various other circumdances, form impedi¬ 
ments to their liberation. “ I knew an indance, (fays 
Mr. Jackfon,) where a merchant had advanced the money 
for one of thefe captives, who, had his ranfom not been 
1 paid. 
