forfeit their lives to the laws; the case too often of servants in England,

The domestic negroes are fed, clothed, and provided with every necessary by their owners, have generally a good apartment in the yard of their masters, to retire and to sleep in; and they are in general well treated. They make tolerable good cooks, washers, and attendants; but it is best not to trust them, without check, as stewards, butlers, or in the like offices. They will seldom do the duty, or assist one another in their several depart ments, without being obliged to it by their masters, whom, however, they seldom scruple to disobey.

The negro slaves, tradesmen, are chiefly carpenters, coopers, blacksmiths, or masons; some of whom make tolerable good workmen, if under proper directions; but they are not very skilful in laying out work themselves, or contriving. They, in general, live very comfortable, are well treated, and many of them make tolerable sums of money by jobs they do for others in their own leisure hours.

The negro porters are in general a very idle, insolent, and thievish set of people, and are often guilty of much imposition, especially to strangers, on their arrival in the islands. They are commonly the stoutest and worst disposed negroes belonging to white people, or to free people of colour in the towns, and pay their owners a certain sum daily; but many of them will game away the whole of their earnings, or spend it in liquor, to the great injury of their masters.

The characters of negroes are not so various as one would imagine they would be, from the difference

of the countrythey are brought from to the West Indies; as very few of them, on their arrival in the islands, have the least appearance of having been civilized, or possessed of anyendowments, but such as are merely natural. For the generality of them, on their first introduction, appear as wild as the brute beasts; are indolent and stupid to a degree, so that they hardly know the use of the most common utensil of husbandry, much less the methods of cultivating the ground.

Every thing appears to them as entirely new, as to the infant just come to a moderate degree of vision; but, at the same time, they seem to be so very unconcerned at the sight of the most novel objects, that the bare recollection is not a moment in their minds. They appear insensible to every thing but hunger and thirst, which, however, to satisfy, they have no more nicety than a hog; as any thing, either raw or dressed, is equally acceptable when given to them.

This stupidity of theirs continues a length of time after their arrival in the islands, before most of them can be brought to any degree of proper comprehension; and, with many of them, it is entirely unconquerable.

The creole negroes, that is to say, those who are born in the West-Indies, having been brought up among white people, and paid some attention to from their infancy, lose much of that uncommon stupidity so conspicuous in their new negro parents; and are, in general, tolerably sensible, sharp, and sagacious. But there is actually something so very unaccountable in the genius of all negroes, so very different from that of white people in general, that

there

there is not to be produced an instance in the West Indies, of any of them ever arriving to any degree of perfection in the liberal arts or sciences, notwithstanding the great est pains taken with them; and the only thing they are remarkable for attaining to any degree of perfec tion, is music.

Account of an interview with a prince of Morocco, and a visit to his Harem: from Lempriere's Tour from Gibraltar to Tangier, &c.

a few out-houses; on the other, the space allotted for the horses of the prince. As the climate is open and fine, there are few or no stables in this country, but the horses are kept out in an open yard, and held by pins fixed in the ground.

There was not much of magnificence, it must be confessed, in our introduction, nor did any thing occur to counteract the unfavourable impression, previous to our entering the apartment of the prince. The chamber into which I was conducted, I found a small room with seats in the walls; and there it is custo

without being allowed time to dismount, I was immediately carried to the residence of the prince, which is situated about half a mile to the south of the town. At a short distance, the house, which is small, and was built by the prince, has a great appearance of neatness; but that want of taste and convenience which is universally the characteristic of the Moorish buildings, is presently discernible when it is narrowly inspected. It is composed of tabby, and is surrounded with a high square wall, which also encloses two tolerably neat gardens, planned by an European, and now under the care of a Spanish renegado. The apartments, which are all on the ground-floor, are square and lofty, opening into a court, in the centre of which is a fountain. The entrance is through a small arched door-way which leads into a court-yard, where on one side are

names are announced. I observed a number of singular-looking persons attending here; and, as I was not much disposed to make one of their company, instead of sitting, I amused myself, as other Europeans do, with walking about the room. In this exercise, however, I was a solitary performer; for the Moors, whatever be their object, whether business, conversation, or amusement, are generally seated; and indeed so novel to them was my deportment in this respect, that they concluded I was either distracted in my intellect, or saying my prayers.

After being detained in this disagreeable situation for about an hour, orders were brought from the prince for my immediate introduction, with my interpreter. From the chamber where we had been waiting, we passed through a long and dark entry, which at its termination introduced us to a square

court

court-yard, floored with chequered tiling, into which the prince's room opened, by means of large folding doors. These were curiously painted of various colours, in the form of chequers. The immediate entrance to the room was neat; it was a very large arched door-way, curiously ornamented with chequered tiling, and forming a small porch, or antichamber. The room was lofty, square, and floored with chequered tiling; the walls stuccoed, and the cieling painted of various colours. Much of the beauty of the room was lost for want of windows, which is a defect observable in most Moorish housés.

I found the prince sitting crosslegged, on a mattrass covered with fine white linen, and placed on the floor; this, with a narrow and long piece of carpeting that fronted him, on which were seated his Moorish friends, was the only furniture in the room. Upon my first entrance, and delivering the consul's letter of introduction, which, according to the custom of the country, was presented in a silk handkerchief, I was addressed by the prince with the salutation, bono tibib, bono Anglaise; which is a mixture of Arabic and Spanish, meaning, "You are a good doctor; the English are good;" and was ordered with my interpreter to sit down on the floor, between the prince and his visitors; when I was immediately interrogated by every one present, each having a question to put to me, and that of the most insignificant kind.

The prince expressed great pleasure at my arrival, wished to know whether I came voluntarily or not, and whether the English physicians were in high repute. To the first

question I replied, that I was sent by order of the governor of Gibraltar; to the second, I felt it a duty which I owed to truth and to my country, to answer in the affirmative. He then desired me immediately to feel his pulse, and to examine his eyes, one of which was darkened by a cataract, and the other affected with a spasmodic complaint; and requested me to inform him, whether I would undertake to cure him, and how soon? My answer was, that I wished to consider his case maturely before I gave my opinion; and in a day or two I should be a better judge.

One of his particular friends observed to him, from seeing me without a beard, for I had shaven in the morning, I was too young to be an able physician. Another remarked that I had put powder in my hair on purpose to disguise my age; and a third insisted, that it was not my own hair. But what seemed to produce the greatest astonishment among them, was my dress, which from its closeness, the Moorish dress being quite loose, they were certain must occasion pain, and be disagreeably warm.

The reader may be assured, that a part of this conversation was not very entertaining to me; and, indeed, after the great fatigue which I had undergone, I could well have dispensed with most of their interrogatories; but instead of dismission and the repose which I wished and expected, my patience was exhausted by the absurd curiosity of the whole court, who one after another intreated me to favour them with my opinion, and inform them of the state of their health, merely by feeling the pulse. Having ac

quitted

quitted myself to the best of my abi lity in this curious inquiry, the prince informed me, he had prepared for my reception a good house, whither he desired me to retire, and visit him the following morning early, when I was to examine his case more particularly. The good house promised me by the prince, proved to be a miserable room in the Jewdry, that is, the part of the suburb inhabited by the Jews, situated about a quarter of a mile from the town. It was, however, the habitation of the prince's principal Jew, and the best in the place. This apartment, which was on the ground floor, was narrow and dirty, having no windows to it, but opening by means of large foldingdoors into a court, where three Jewish families, who lived all in the same house, threw the whole of their rubbish and dirt. I suppose my feelings might be rendered more acute by the disappointment; for, on being introduced into this wretched hovel, I was so struck with horror and disgust, that I was on the point of mounting my horse for the purpose of asking the prince for another apartment; but upon being told it was the best in the town, and reflecting that I had voluntarily entered upon these difficulties, I determined to struggle through them as well as I could, and consented for the present to acquiesce in this indifferent fare.

I took, however, the first opportunity of representing my disagreeable situation to the prince, who gave orders for apartments to be fitted up for me in his garden; but from the slowness of the masons, they were not finished in time for me to occupy them before I left Tarudant. The prince's Jew had

directions to supply me with every thing that was necessary; and while at Tarudant I had no reason what ever to complain of any inattention on the part of the prince.

Upon my visiting the prince the following day, and examining into the nature of his complaint, I found it to be of the most desperate kind; but as I had travelled near five hun dred miles to see him, I could not be satisfied to return back without attempting something. I therefore gave a formal opinion to the prince in writing, stating, that I could by no means absolutely undertake to cure him; that I could not even flatter him with very great hopes of success; but that if he chose to give my plan of treatment a trial for a couple of months, we could then judge whether the disease was likely to be removed. This plan was approved of, and he immediately began his course of medicines.

I have already intimated, that the prince had totally lost the use of one eye by a cataract; and I may add, that he had nearly lost that of the other by a spasm, which threatened to end in a gutta serena, and which had drawn the eye so much towards the nose, as sometimes to exclude the appearance of the pupil. The only remains of sight left, were merely sufficient to enable him to see large bodies, without distin→ guishing any of them particularly. The spasm was the disease which I was ordered to cure.

But these were by no means the limits of the prince's complaints. For, in truth, his whole frame was so enervated by a course of debauchery, that I found it necessary to put him under a strict regimen; to enforce the observance of which I committed from time to time my

directions

court-yard, floored with chequered tiling, into which the prince's room opened, by means of large folding doors. These were curiously painted of various colours, in the form of chequers. The immediate entrance to the room was neat; it was a very large arched door-way, curiously ornamented with chequered tiling, and forming a small porch, or antichamber. The room was lofty, square, and floored with chequered tiling; the walls stuccoed, and the cieling painted of various colours. Much of the beauty of the room was lost for want of windows, which is a defect observable in most Moorish houses.

I found the prince sitting crosslegged, on a mattrass covered with fine white linen, and placed on the floor; this, with a narrow and long piece of carpeting that fronted him, on which were seated his Moorish friends, was the only furniture in the room. Upon my first entrance, and delivering the consul's letter of introduction, which, according to the custom of the country, was presented in a silk handkerchief, I was addressed by the prince with the salutation, bono tibib, bono Anglaise; which is a mixture of Arabic and Spanish, meaning, "You are a good doctor; the English are good;" and was ordered with my interpreter to sit down on the floor, between the prince and his visitors; when I was immediately interrogated by every one present, each having a question to put to me, and that of the most insignificant kind.

The prince expressed great pleasure at my arrival, wished to know whether I came voluntarily or not, and whether the English physicians were in high repute. To the first

question I replied, that I was sent by order of the governor of Gibraltar; to the second, I felt it a duty which I owed to truth and to my country, to answer in the affirmative. He then desired me immediately to feel his pulse, and to examine his eyes, one of which was darkened by a cataract, and the other affected with a spasmodic complaint; and requested me to inform him, whether I would undertake to cure him, and how soon? My answer was, that I wished to consider his case maturely before I gave my opinion; and in a day or two I should be a better judge.

One of his particular friends observed to him, from seeing me without a beard, for I had shaven in the morning, I was too young to be an able physician. Another remarked that I had put powder in my hair on purpose to disguise my age; and a third insisted, that it was not my own hair. But what seemed to produce the greatest astonishment among them, was my dress, which from its closeness, the Moorish dress being quite loose, they were certain must occasion pain, and be disagreeably warm.

The reader may be assured, that a part of this conversation was not very entertaining to me; and, indeed, after the great fatigue which I had undergone, I could well have dispensed with most of their interrogatories; but instead of dismission and the repose which I wished and expected, my patience was exhausted by the absurd curiosity of the whole court, who one after another intreated me to favour them with my opinion, and inform them of the state of their health, merely by feeling the pulse. Having ac

quitted