EXPEDITION TO THE COURT OF MOROCCO

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 281, 13 February 1862, Page 4

EXPEDITION TO THE COURT OF MOROCCO

A curious expedition, was lately made under the. orders of the British Government, of which little notice has hitherto been, taken by the public journals. It consisted of an. Embassy to, the court of the. Emperor of Morocco, at his residence at Meknas, or Mequinez, some 200 miles in, the interior of the country—a place which, has but very rarely been visited by Europeans. The object of the Embassy was to. endeavour to promote a settlement of the differences betAveen the Spanish Government and the Moors as to the payment of th,e- Midemnity extorted by the former as a condition of peace, and the non-settlement of Avhich may be made a pretext for tlie permanent occupation of a. portion of the Sultan’s dominions. The rapid conversion of the coast and districts near the Mediterranean into dependencies of European, continental Powci’s, the manifest designs of France upon Egypt and upon the island of Sardinia, and the stationary and comparatively deemiing power- of Great Bi*itain ; in, that sea, are circumstances sufficient to. justify, the anxiety which prompted thp expedition in question. The political objects, boAvever, of the Embassy are not what it is iioav proposed to, deal with ; but a cui’soxy description of its progi*ess through a veiy little frequented country, and of the inception accorded by the African monarch, to, the representatives, of the. Queen may be of same interest.

The Embassy o mlisted of Mr. Drummond Hay, the British ambassador in Morocco (a gentleman well kuown as being conversant with the maimers and language. of the. Moors, by whom he is much resppQted.) ; of his attache, Mr. James Hay-; of Captain (now Admiral) the lion. Charles Elliott, of her. Majesty’s ship, St. Jean. cl? Acre, then lying at Tangier ; and Dr. Evans, of the same ship.; and:of Cap-, tain Hood, of hpr Majesty’s !£th Fusiieers, AideTdereamp.to.the Governor of Malta. Wheeled vehjclpa being unknown in, the country, the, journey was to be performed on horseback. The cavalcade left Tangier on the 11th. July. Every preparation consistent with the customs of the country had. been, made to, do honour to the party.' An. escort was in attendance varying in number during the day from 200 to 12.00 horsemen, besicles. a body-guard of about a doaen men to attend closely upon the persons of the Eu ropeans, and to guard, them n;om any insults which a fanatical people might be tempted to offer. • to in. the true prophet. Though sent by their Sovereign, tq, do honour to the British officers, these wild soldiers- of the desert might themselves, it was thought, prove an insufficient protection to tlic Christians, but for tli.e con r

stant presence of a special body of men retained to be in close attendance-upoii them. As it was, however, this magnificent escort—-for magnificent it undoubtedly Was—amused themselves and whiled away the tedium of a march across the fertile yet sandy plain through which their path lay, by constant: displays of their fine horsemanship, by galloping at speed upon their beautiful, barbs,; and by exhibiting in tlieir fleet career that surprising agility in the handling .of thenweapons for which they ajjie celebrated. But, not satisfied with they would ever and anon fire off jbheir. pieces at full gallop, little careful, apparently, in what direction the bullet , might wing its course—for Mahometan bullets, even more than those which are cast in Christian moulds, are subject, it is presumed to the certain laws of destiny. Certain it is that no stray shot reached 'the sacred persons of our representatives. A far more serious inconvenience than the frequent recurrence of these fevx-de-jo'e disturbed the comfort of the party. The plains of Morocco, though fertile and producing wheat, millet, maize, ifec., were scorched up at that season, and the clouds of dust which were constantly raised by the restless cavalry may readily be con-, ceived to have ’ contributed little to tfie luxury of a July journey under an African sun. Such discomforts, however, were not of long duration, each day’s journey being short, and the camps being placed in well-selected places in the neighbourhood of water* The camping places for each night had previously been fixed by order of the Sultan, who had sent a general officer of the highest authority to. accompany and sup.ei*inteiu! the expedition. To his care and attention and to. the full powers with which he was invested for maintaining order, the party were indebted for the satisfactory manner in which their journey was completed. Extensive, arrangements were necessarily required for the subsistence of so large, a cavalcade camping out each night in the open country. Accordingly, the Governors of the provinces through which it was to pass had been wariied to-furnish the necessary provisions;,- ::I The -supplies which were intended for the Ambassador and his retainers alone (independently o-f the escort, but including the servants and mule teem in charge of baggage) were, under the designation of “ Mona,” daily presented at his tent soon after the halt. On these occasions, the Governors pride themselves upon the profuseness and good quality of tlieir supplies, as a mark both of hospitality to the strangers and of attention to the wishes of the Sultan. The following account of what was provided on one occasion is a fair specimen of" the usual “Mona:”—l bullock, 30 sheep, 100 fowls, 1000 eggs, 30 bushels of barley, a dozen large and excellent dishes of coscos opr— -the dishes being about 3 feet in diameter. Coscosoo is a food much used in Morocco, the staple of which is semolina. In addition to this, butter, honey, sweetmeats, &c. were also supplied. It is curious, to, observe how little expeditious is locomotion in this land of horses and horsemen. Here is an expedition which occupied some seven days between Tangier and Meknas, a distance of about 160 miles. In this case, no doubt, dignity and ease .were more consulted than speed ; but the ordinary couriers between the two places occupy three and a half days’ or four tUys’ time at quickest. These to be sure are men on foot ; but they can take a more direct course than the nature of the country permits horsemen to do. On extraordinary occasions the Government sends mounted men with orders to. press any horses they please into their service when their own are tired; but, even in that way, the distance is performed in but little less than four days. / , . During the last two days of.tne journey the heat had become intense, and whether they were camping, or were moving along upon their horses, there seemed to bo little difference to the feelings of the travellers. In the coolest shade that could be found the thermometer constantly stood at above 100°, and on the return journey the heat was even greater. The nights, hoymyer, were always refreshing. On the Bth day they reached Meknas. Their reception, was magnificent. At least 20,000 troops, chiefly csvak*y, were, turned out upon the heights and roads through which they passed on entering the city, a display occasioned pgi;hsps,by a reasonable desire on the Sultan’s part to show that he is not reduced to the extreme of being obliged to accept whatever hard tex-ms the Spaniai*ds may de- : sire to impose upon him.

And nowtliejlabours of thejourney being ended, the not less irksome observances of African ytiquette were to be complied with ; for it is not in European courts alone that royalty protects its dignity by artificial rules, in the making of which an appreciation of what constitutes true dignity is strangely wanting. Be this as it may, “etiquette” is as rigid at the Court of the Sultan of Morocco as in any of the. most civilised Courts of Europe. It differs opjy in this, that its rules are not the same.' In. the present .case, in compliance with etlquefte, our * distinguished travellers, upon, their- arrival at Meknas, became prisoners of state,...Four whole days were they confined tq the. precincts of the house which had beer allotted to them ; nor were ttiqy Sjst ,at liberty until the ceremony ■ oi l‘.px;esentatipp, to, the Emperor had been completed. Such confinement, and • the want of exerQisq, tojd upon the health of some of the party ; aqd even after they were set at liberty, the. restraint under which they lived, whether, caused, by the heat of the climate or by. the. impossibility of moving unattended by an escort amidst the population of the .place, rendered a month’s sojourn at Mcknas, however interesting,

a period of discomfort, if not of suffering, to the Europeans. The sun was their chief enemy, but scorching winds ttii'd storms of dust added their quota of discomfort. At times, on their homeAvard journey, the heat of tho wind was so intense, that it was a greater relief to Use the umbrella tts a shelter from its blast than as a shade fVoni tho rays of the sun itselfi The thermometer constantly stood at much abo\ f e 100 3 iii the coolest places to bo found.

Four days after the party had been safely housed at Meknas, the presentation to the Empei*or took place. At seven o’clock in the morning, the hoxir appointed for their reception, the strangers found themselves riding in company Avitll the high officci’s of State to the Sultan’s palace. After passing through a handsome Moorish arch at the outer gate, a court Avas crossed, and another gate, leading to an inner court, Avas reached, the Avliole distance being lined with troops drawn up on each side as a guard of honour. Flaying entered the coxirt, they then dismounted. Round the square troops Avere placed, all on foot. Here, standing in front of the chief officei*s of state, the Europeans took up their station opposite the gateAvay through which the Sultan Avas to approach. Presently he arrived, preceded by some handsome led horses, and by al>out a dozen men walking tAvo and two—one of them being an executioner with an axe. The Sultan Avas the only person mounted. An officer having announced him, he stood still, and the company gave utterance to some expression of submission and goodwill, bowing their heads to the \*ery ground, except some 600 regular troops, avlxo presented arms. This having been repeated, the Sultan came forward to the centre of the court ; the Europeans then saluted him by taking off* their hats, and being beckoned to

advance, made their bows to his Majesty. He Avas mounted on a Avhite horse—the emblem of peace. The hoi*se is, in fact, the throne of tlie Emperor of Morocco, and, fitted Avith its handsome Moorish saddle and trappings, a vex*y appropriate throne it is for the monarch of such a people. His Majesty is A*ery dark, his mother having been, it is belieA T ed, a pure black. The population of Morocco is, in fact, now \ T ei*y largely intermixed Avith negx*o blood, and persons of all shades of colour, from the comparatively light complexion of the Arab races to that of the African negi’o, are to he found throughout the country. There appeal’s to be no prejudice on account of colour between the diffei’ent races and tribes of men.

A lai*ge body of black men has long been maintained in tlie military service of the Sultans of Morocco, of Avhich Meknas is the head-quartei’s. A very extensive forced immigration of this race, Avith their wives and families, from the south, took place about 200 years ago, and from this and other causes the population has undergone constant modifications. These men, uoav numbering many thousands, are entitled the “ Sultan’s Black Guard,” and are held to militaxy service Avhich is hereditary amongst them. The Sultan himself, though dark and pock-ui rked, aud not avcll favoured, looked avcll and perfectly at home upon his throne. He is afflicted with an unfortunate stutter, which renders his speaking peculiarly unpleasant to Avitness and to listen to, and this was increased by his apparent nervousness on the present occasion—one of ceremony alone. When conversing on business, this defect is said to be less observable. Complimentary speeches having been interchanged betAveen tlie parties, the Europeans Avere free to return home.

During-the remainder of their residence at Mekna.s, they were occasionally invited to tea-parties at the houses of the chief nieri—an honour to Christians almost unprecedented, for which they were indebted, no doubt, to the orders of the Sultan, whose anxiety was great that every attention should be paid to his guests. They spent the greater part of each day in the house, but succeeded in frequently taking an evening ride into the country ; on which occasion partridges, quails, pigeons, and bustards were not uncommonly shot. Upon the whole, the town and neighbourhood of Meknas may be said to be agreeable, and are celebrated for the salubrity of the climate, which, excepting at midsummer, is very enjoyable. Indeed, the. greater, of Morocco is rich and fertile, and capable of great improvement. Birds abound everywhere near Meknas. D,oyes, pigeons, and blue-i*ollers were numerous, as wells as smaller birds—such as stai’lings, swallows, &c. Thousands of hawks are thus plentifully provided with food, and they are seen together by scores on the mosques and walls of the town.

The members of the mission had an opportunity of witnessing, by the Sultan’s desire, a meeting of one of those extraordinary religious sects whose worship consists in bodily extravagances of the most violent description. These people are in the habit of lashing themselves into a state of intense excitement, under the influence of which they suppose themselves to be insensible to pain, and in proof of their insensibility they certainly inflict upon their persons the severest wounds. Eight or ten men of one of these sects entered the. court, beating drums of a peculiar construction, and producing the most discordant tones. They were speedily joined by some of the servants and soldiers of the special escort of the mission, who belonged to the same, sect, one of whom took a very leading part in the performance. (Operations were commenced by one of the party, who, contrary to custom, had at once, attained; the requisite, pitch of excitement, wildly cutting him,self down with a sword* which he wielded with such force as to mfike the bipod spirt

oUt from his face, in half a dozen wounds. The- whole party then danced, at first calidly, and gradually more and mote wildly, to the music, working themselves up to a frantic state-. Oiie of the soldiers—the MoSt ff;tHtic of the party — jumped Up and seized, one after another, two great earthenware jars, and smashed them over liis head, making the blood run, and rushing about as if perfectly mad. An old man of seventy-—one of the guard —could not resist joining. He stripped, and went madly to work like the rest. When in a state in which apparently they might have committed any crime, the quieter ones of the party stepped in and soothed the rest, by changing the music from the drum to a milder instrument like a harp, and by making movements not unlike the passes that are practised to bring pei*sons out of a mesmeric trance. Peace was thus gradually restored, somewhat to the relief of the audience, amongst whom a Jew frightened from the court below, had taken refuge. His alarm was not unreasonable, considering that only a few years ago a member of his race was actually torn to pieces under similar circumstances. A very customary act of these people is to tear a live sheep to pieces and devour it on the spot. There are, it seems, three sects of this kind in Morocco. One of these is milder, the other even more extravagant, than the one which held its religious meetings in the courtyard of the Brittish Mission, and it is not known for certain which of the three is the true sect, though it appears that on this occasion the Moderates enjoyed the -patronage of the Sultan.

The mission left Meknas on the 14th August, and arrived at Tangier on the 18th, after a journey of exhausting heat. What the political results of the expedition may be in suggesting means for the relief of the Moors from the continued pressure of the Spaniards, remains to be seen. The latter still hold Tetuan, a town of importance to the Moors, but inconvenient to the Spaniards 'to retain possession of, as being removed from the sea coast; and it may be hoped that they wil) be persuaded to grant easy terms to the'Moors, upon the Sultan producing as large a part of the idemnity as he is able to levy upon the country, for he is not a free agent in this matter, inasmuch as the warlike population over which he reigns do not readily submit to impositions for such an object.. The Moors, .though perhaps unable to resist the Spanish arms for any great length of time, are nevertheless quite powerful enough to put theii* enemies to immense expense and trouble for an object -which after all may not be one of primary importance to the Spanish Government.

The Sultan of Morocco appears to be a man of reflection and education. He is much addicted to the science of mathematics. On one occasion three- persons, called by appointment at the British Mission— a black man and two. youths. The black man, a small and not intelli-gent-looking individual, opened the conversation on mathematics and astronomy, but he soon got out of his depth. The younger of the two students, an intelligent youth with a fair share of Moorish blood in liis veins, then came forward and asked several questions on points he did not understand—such as how the logarithmic numbers for sines and tangents were obtained. He had an English “ Hutton’s Tables,” with their pi'eliminary explanations ; and he had also a very neat manuscript in Arabic—a trans-. lation of, or notes from, Hutton—which turned out to be of the Sultan’s own doihg. He asked questions also regarding the variation of the compass, which were explained to him. He 5 understood the use of the theodolite, and how to early on a survey, and seemed a really intelligent young fellow. He also asked whether the English yard is any particular division of a degree, and approved of the French measures of distance and weights as affording facility for calculation. The other student said but little. It is a curious fact, however, that these youths are pupils of the stuttering Sultan, and that their mathematics and modern teaching are from. him.

Post Mortem Peace and Quiet. — An old shoemaker in Glasgow was sitting by the bedside of his wife, who was dying. She took him by the hand. “Weel, John, we’re gaun to part. I hae been a gude wife to you, John.” “ Oh, just middling, Jenny,” not disposed to commit himself. “John,” said she, “ye maun promise to bury me in the auld kirk yard at Stra’ven, beside my mither. I couldna rest in peace among unco folk, in the dirt and smoke of Glasgow.” “Weel, weel, Jenuy, my woman,” said John soothingly, “ we’ll just pit yo in the Gorbals first, and gin ye dinna, lie quiet there, we! 11, trv you sine in Stra’ven.” — Ramsay.

Two of Us.—“ "Vf hat. dp you see at the second course-? 1 * “A, trnffle<s turkey !” Presented in the form last' named, the turkey is at its culminating point of ex-* cellence, and, as another observes, “ when it makes its appearance on the table, all, conversation should for the moment bo suspended.” That it is also eaten in silence on some occasions—ejaculations of course excepted—may be inferred from, the following anecdote :—A certain judge, of Avignon, famous for his love of good living, said to a friend one day—“ We have just been dining off a superb turkey t It was excellent! Stuffed with truffles to the very^throat—tender, delicate, filled, with perfume ! We left nothing but the' bones ?” “ How many were thereof you?” ! asked the friend. “ Two” repplied thejudge. “ Two V’ echoed the other in astonishment. “ Yes, two !” repeated the judge, “the turkey—and myself.”— All the Year Round.,

The Metamorphosis of .Crinoline.— Hoops, wheil worn by ladies, have effect of turning them into butts'.— Pir'ch. '

Bull’s Run—The Real Explanation. The N. Y. Dispatch says :—“ One of our exchanges lias discovered the cause of the retreat of our army at Bull’s Run. It says, ‘ when the battle was at its hottest point, and nearly won to our side, there came word that there were two vacancies in the New York Custom-House. Hence the stampede of the leading officers. The men followed.

A Letter- from a young soldier of the Federal army at Camp Crittenden, Missouri says :—“We live on the fat of the land. Any sheep, Hogs, green corn, potatoes, calves, <fce., which do not know the countersign are taken prisoners ; and, if they do not take the oath of allegiance to the Government, they are immediately put to death.” Quite a Different Article. The Aew York Herald says that the arms of ono*of the Bull’s Run-regiments “ shone so brightly that you would fancy they were electroplated. Possibly. .It would need a bolder imagination to fancy that the bearers were Britannia metal.—Punch .

Edible Snails. —The consumption of snails is so great at the present time at Paris'as to interfere greatly with the sale of oysters.

An emerald has been fbnnd in the mines of Muco (South Africa) weighing over 2£ lb., the largest in. the world. When a wild goose is shot in northern climates; the sportsman always buries it in the earth some hours before cooking it, a process which removes the- rank savour of the flesh. Even the fishyflavoured sea birds can be rendered eatable by this curious process. —lt out ledges A T atural History .