excels the rest in grandeur and elegance. It was the work of Sidi Mahomet: it is a lofty, square edifice, built of hewn stone, covered with varnished tiles, of various colours. One of the apartments of this pa vilion is a spacious room, floored with blue and white chequered tiling: the cieling is covered with wood, curiously carved and painted, and the stuccoed walls are ornamented with looking-glasses, and watches, preserved in glass-cases.

The apartments of the emperor, in general, have a more confined assortment of furniture than those of persons of inferior rank. Handsome carpets, a mattrass, on the ground, covered with fine linen, a couch, and a couple of European bedsteads, form the chief articles in most of them.

The royal gardens, within the walls of the palace, of which there are several, are very neat; they are planted with orange and olive trees, fancifully disposed, intersected with streams of water, fountains, and reservoirs these, on the outside, are large tracts of ground, with olive trees standing promiscuously, having four square walks, and are surrounded with walls.

I next visited the castle, which is large and ruinous it is almost a town of itself; the outer walls inclose a space of ground three miles in circumference, and it contains a great number of inhabitants, who, in different departments, are in the service of the emperor, and are under the direction of a particular alcaide, who is independent of the governor af

the town. Within it is a mosque, or Moorish church, adorned with three balls on the top, which the Moors assert are of solid gold.

The Elcaisseria is a particular part of the town, where stuffs and other valuable articles are exposed to sale. The shops in this place are numerous, formed in the walls of the houses, about a yard from the ground, like the cobbler's stalls in London, so as to permit the owner to sit crosslegged: the goods and drawers are arranged round him in such a manner, that he can serve his customers without rising from his seat, whilst they stand abroad, exposed to the weather. These shops are common in all the towns of Barbary.

There are three markets, open every day, for the sale of provisions; and two, every week, for cattle. The city is supplied with water by means of wooden pipes, connected with the neighbouring streams, which run into reservoirs, fixed to receive them. The Jews, who are rather numerous here, have a separate town to themselves, under the charge of an alcaide, appointed by the emperor. The gates are regularly shut, every evening, at nine o'clock, after which no person is permitted to go in or out of the Jewdry till the next morning. The Jews have also a peculiar market, and are not suffered to enter the Moorish town, castle, or palace unless they are barefooted. Between the town and the Jewdry are several small pavilions, inclosed in gardens of orange trees, which are designed as occasional places of residence for any

of the royal family, who may happen to be at MoThe situation of this city is charming, it stands in the midst of a beautiful valley, formed by a

rocco.

chain of mountains, on the northern side, and those of the Atlas, on the south and east. The country which immediately surrounds it, is a fertile plain, agreeably diversified with clumps of palm trees and shrubs; numerous small streams, which descend from the neighbouring mountains, intersect this plain in different directions, and the beauty of the scene is completed by the emperor's out-gardens, which conşist of large inclosures of olive trees.

The climate of Barbary is more temperate than those parts of Africa that are farther inland, being, towards the coast, refreshed by sea breezes, and defended from the east winds by the high chain of mountains, called Atlas, the reflection of whose snowy tops tempers the air, and the streams, that descend from its sides, fertilize the earth.

My stay in this city has been prolonged beyond my expectation, for, being at full liberty to proceed where I please, and receiving great indulgence from the emperor, who has taken a particular liking to me, I resolved to wait for the protection of some traders, who will shortly set out for Grand Cairo, by way of the Northern States, when I am advised to assume the appearance of a Mahometan, and travel in the character of a merchant, as the surest precaution for safety. Having been always accustomed to -the daylight of truth, I abhor the darkness of dissi

mulation, and cannot reconcile myself, without difficulty, to such a disguise.

The country I am now in was the ancient Mauritania: it has been successively conquered by the Romans, the Vandals, and the Sarcens, whose descendants are the Moors, a degenerate race, who are tyrants when they rule, and slaves when they obey. The government of Morocco is despotic: the will of the emperor is a law, from which there is no appeal, in both church and state. The property and the consciences of his subjects are equally at his command. When a rich man dies, he appoints himself his heir, leaving to his family, for their support, only such a small portion as he chuses to spare; and he claims a right, as the successor of the prophet, to explain all matters, concerning religion: his decisions are, therefore, enforced by a proclamation through the provinces of the empire, which are received with implicit obedience. From the unjust sources of bribery, extortion, and confiscation, this prince collects a considerable revenue, to which he is not ashamed to add, that which arises from piracy; as a number of corsairs are sent out, from his ports, for the purpose of taking vessels from Christian states, whether enemies or friends; the property on board is seized, and the men sold as slaves, unless redeemed by a ransom that will satisfy the avarice of their masters. Some of these unhappy persons, who have no hopes of ever recovering their liberty, for the sake of obtaining

better treatment, turn Mahometans, and are then called renegadoes.

The Moors of Morocco will afford a fair specimen of their brethren who inhabit the other cities of Barbary, but differ considerably, in their customs, from those who lead a pastoral life, or inhabit the mountains. Their houses, as I have already said, are mean in appearance; the rooms are generally on the ground floor, and whitened on the outside. The roofs are quite flat, and serve as verandos for the female part of the family, who often sit there for the benefit of the air. I paid a visit yesterday to a Moor, who has promised to convey my letters to Mogadore. Some account of my reception will give you a tolerably correct idea of the interior of most of their dwellings. The best apartments being always placed behind, I was introduced into a stable, where I was detained till the women had time to get out of the way. I was then conducted into a square court, paved with blue and white chequered tiling, with a fountain in the centre, which refreshes the air of four long, narrow rooms, without windows, that open with folding doors into the court. These doors are painted in chequers of various colours: the Moors are partial to these coloured squares; all imitations of men or animals being forbidden by the Mahometan religion. None of the chambers have fire-places; and their food is dressed, in the court yard, in an earthen stove, heated with charcoal. The master of the house received me, sitting crosslegged and barefooted, on a