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in the year 1926 before the Christian æra, it was known that Amenophis, who was at the head of the dynasty of Thebes, expelled from Egypt the Berbera, who had usurp ed the three dynasties of Tanis, Memphis, and This, where their tyranny had existed nearly three hundred years: these savages spread themselves over the western part of Africa, and, according to Leo, the African, they formed a new dominion to the south of mount Atlas, under the thirtieth degree of north latitude, and between the tenth and twentieth degree of east longitude from the isle of Ferro: and it was from them that this part of Africa received the name of Barbary: some families of these vile shepherds may have also established themselves in the oases of the Zahara.

"During a period of thirty-five centuries, or from the time when the Berberæ established themselves in Barbary, the northern regions of Africa have incessantly been the theatre of the most sanguinary wars, and all the vicissitudes of human nature.

"To the great colonies succeeded those of the Phoenicians: the latter were subdued by the arms of the Romans, who, in their turn, were destroyed by the Arabs, the same race who, under the names of Saracens and Moors, invaded Spain, threatened all Europe, and were several times driven back into Africa.

"The horrid battles of lions and tigers are not more sanguinary than the wars which have been successively carried on by so many different nations.

"In the year 1051, which was not till rivers of human blood had been shed, Abu-Tessifin, of the tribe of the Marabethous, or Marabouths,

founded the empire of Morocco, which extends as far as Tombuctoo.

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"The Turks, in their turn, overwhelmed with blood these unfortunate countries, and for a long series of ages, mankind appeared to exist in Africa only for the pose of destroying each other; at length, by the banishment, in a single day, of nine hundred thousand Moors, whom Philip III. forced to retreat from the Spanish territory, the remains of fifty different people, almost all ferocious and cruel, were at different periods obliged to disperse themselves over the vast solitudes of the Zahara.

SINGULAR MIXTURE OF DIFFERENT RACES PERCEPTIBLE AMONGST THE MOORS.

"It will not appear astonishing, after what has been said, that these Moors, dispersed in hordes, tribes, colonies, and even kingdoms, through the immense deserts of Barbary, and along the northern banks of the Niger and the Senegal, should present, when observed with attention, a mixture of races in every respect different from each other.

"We may perceive amongst them, men whose physiognomy is grave, whose look is penetrating, who have high foreheads, aquiline noses, venerable beards, well-formed muscles, a sallow skin, a serious air, a tranquil countenance, and, in short, the whole appearance of an Arabian philosopher. Others, by their superior stature, vigour, activity, and agreeableness, by their firm and noble aspect, by features of a softer cast, by their bright, though languishing eyes, their courageous and tender looks, and by their yellow, though florid complexion,

complexion, remind us of those Saracen heroes so beloved and gallant in Spain, and who were so celebrated for their courage and

amours.

"There are also amongst them, men of a large size, whose propottions are fine and muscular, whose features are regular, and whose complexion, though brown, is enlivened by the finest natural carnation, like that of the Turks at Constantinople. But the majority of these people are of a vulgar and savage appearance, and by their 'habitual commerce with the Jolof and Foulhas negroes, with whom the Moors of the Zahara often mix, many of them acquire distinctive characters; those characters are mild and benevolent, their legs excepted, which are rather lank and bandy: their forehead is more angular, their nose round, their lips thick, their eyes soft, and their colour red, but deeply impregnated

with black.

"A circumstance still more remarkable is, that one of the characters so generally observed among the Moors in the northern countries of the Great Desert, is that which universally prevails in the physiognomy and conformation of the Jews: many of these savages have a thin body, dry thighs and legs, the spine slightly curvated, the face long, cheeks hollow, eyes sunk, but lively and spirited, the nose small and pointed, the gait light and active, and their language is brief, quick, and sonorous.

"These Moors, like the Jews, are addicted to gesticulation; but it must be admitted that their countenance is more noble, and their look more collected and firm; and though their character is well known, though we are convinced that they are crafty, perfidious and

cruel; that they are dangerous, on account of their propensity to turn traitors, and to become ferocious whenever it may suit their interest, and that, in general, they are unworthy of confidence; I have, nevertheless, discovered their natural character; and the majority of those whom I observed, so far confirmed my ideas of men in a state of freedom and independence, that I felt an attachment towards them, and found it difficult to refuse them my confidence. These Moors are at once graziers and merchants: they are graziers, because in the dwellings which they have formed amidst the solitudes of the Great Desert, they raise numerous herds of goats, sheep, oxen, camels, and horses: they also travel with these animals, and sell them at a great distance in the interior regions of Africa; but they possess none of the virtues, nor the gentle and interesting qualities, which are so peculiarly characteristic of a pastoral life.

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"They are merchants, and, in pursuit of this profession, they undertake very long journies, crossing deserts in every direction. On the banks of the Senegal and the Niger, they make prisoners of straggling or shipwrecked individuals, whom they convey to the shores of the Mediterranean, where they sell them for slaves. They bring salt to Galam, and to the country of Bambouk, where they exchange it for gold; they frequent Tombuctoo, Tokrur, Morocco, Algiers, and Tripoli, and proceed as far as the Red Sea; many of them, once in their lives, undertake pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina. SydyMoktar, prince of the Trarshazians, whom we have already mentioned, and who often came to isle St. Louis, had twice performed this pilgrimage:

pilgrimage: he was a hadji, that OF THEIR COLOUR, FIGURE, FORM,

is to say, a pilgrim, and by this distinction he gained great respect, in consequence of wearing, like his forefather Mahomet, a green turban; while his rank of prince, his fine figure, respectable behaviour, and lively imagination, procured him general esteem.

"These Moors also conduct their oxen and horses as far as the sources of the Zayra, a river in the interior of Africa, to the south of the equinoctial line, and at a distance of more than a thousand leagues from their oases. These barbarians particularly delight in bartering and trading like merchants; and they have all the vices and defects of swindlers, rogues, cheats, and thieves.

ON THEIR PERFIDIOUS CHARAC

TER.

"The Moors from whom we purchase the gum, and with whom, on account of this trade, we have frequent transactions, are, in general, indolent and perfidious characters; it is almost always by surprise, treachery, or superiority of number, that they gain their advantages, and after they have succeeded, they commit every sort of excess and cruelty; they possess no sense of compassion, generosity, or pity. Hilly-Koury, whose death I have mentioned, Sydy-Moktar, and some other Moors of the Trarshaz tribe, were the only individuals amongst these savages, who deserved any esteem or confidence, and, in fact, none of the rest received any; the multitude of these barbarians possessed every vice without any virtue, and were capable of the foulest crimes.

HAIR, &c.

"The general colour of their skin is that of a dark copper, inclining to black. The complexion of the women is more clear than that of the men, more smooth, and often bordering on a pale yellow, but almost always mixed with black. In their youth they are well formed, having a graceful and elegant appearance; they have shorter necks than the negresses, but the shape of them is more agreeable; the contours of their reins and hips are likewise more fine, light, and delicate. But it is far different with the Moors, whose physiognomy in general is stern, while the features of the young female Moors combine the charms of regularity with delicacy and mildness; and I am of opinion, that it is with them, as with all the women in the universe, who are naturally handsome and interesting on account of their marked propersity for benevolence, but whose disposition is only changed by the effect of the vicious manners which prevail in the societies amongst whom they live. The Mooreses are doubtless formed to excite the sensations of attachment and love, and these sensations they would always excite, if, from he most tender age, their minds vefe not corrupted by the vice an depravity of the men to whom they belong.

"By the time they have attained the ag of twenty, their attractions, graces, and blooming countenane are faded: these savage and lascivious Moors are unacquainted with any restraint as far as relates to their passions: in short, these men, ignorant of the pleasures of love. do not allow the

beauty

beauty of the females to attain perfection, before their innocence is violated; and the flower of grace and modesty is annihilated ere it has opened to the view. Thus it happens, that all the women who accompany the Moors on their journies, appear hideous when they have attained the age of forty, and their character is as infamous as their ugliness is disgusting.

"I have, however, been assured, that in the oases in the interior of the Zahara, there are many Moorish families whose morals are uncontaminated, because the women and girls never quit the vallies where they derive their existence; and by breathing a more wholesome air, and being accustomed to a gentle and innocent life, they retain their beauty, grace, and agreeableness for a much longer period than those of their sex who follow the Moors on their annual excursions, and reside with them for several months in camps near our factories.

"The har of the men has something in it uncommonly fine and picturesque, and gives to their head a very extraordinary character: this hair, though of the nature of that which is longand thick, never grows lower than he nape of the neck; it is naturallyabundant, and clotted, so that the had of a Moor is magnificently ornamented with a quantity of hair which forms itself into a great number of natural ringlets, the beauty and irregularity of which can never be imrated by art: its colour is that of a deep chesnut, approximating to black. Such of the women as are more confined and restricted by custom, wear their hair in tresses closely plaited, and either pendant, or car ried up to the crown of the head;

it is very long, its colour is blacker than that of the men, and they adorn it with different kinds of ornaments, such as light rings of gold, silver, copper, or ivory, with feathers of different colours, which ornaments they distribute with considerable taste.

OF THE COSTUME OF THE MEN AND
WOMEN.

"The dresses of the men are various. The greatest part of them wear a large kind of shirt, made of cotton died blue, which covers the upper part of the body and the loins, but descends only half down their thighs. This shirt being open from the stomach upwards, exposes their neck and breast; the sleeves are very full, and open at the wrist. The generality of these people wear no other clothing, the above being the only dress of the lower classes, who are always the most numerous: others are covered with a kind of cloak, with a cowl or hood that incloses the head: the form of this cloak is square, its two upper ends join at the breast by means of a clasp, and it hangs down to their heels; it is made of the well-prepared skins of their still-born lambs, the hairy side being outwards. These skins are very fine, and collected with great industry. The kings, princes, chiefs, and rich individuals, wear fine pieces of cotton cloth, either blue, white, or striped with different colours. The kings are often wrapped up in large pieces of light and elastic stuff made of wool, or of goats' or camels' hair. These dresses completely cover them with nobleness and grace, and they are always so arranged, that the body can act without confinement: they

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are generally streaked with broad blue or purple stripes, and the bottom is left white. This dress is fastened to the right shoulder, leaving the arms at full liberty.

The appearance of these princes and chiefs is rendered grand, noble, and striking, by their wearing red or green sashes, the ends of which hang easily behind their loins; by necklaces of gold grains, intermixed with amber and coral, by plates of gold suspended from the breast, several rings of the same metal, which surround the wrists and lower arms, and by rings of gold in the ears, from which are suspended large gold drops.

The dress of the women is composed of two pieces of cotton, generally blue, but sometimes striped with different colours: one of these pieces reaches from the shoulders to the knees; the other descends from the upper part of the loins down to the heels. On their feet they wear slippers, or sandals of Morocco, the colour of which is always red or yellow; their ears, neck, wrists, and arms, are ornamented with rings of gold, while on their reins, and immediately upon the skin, they wear large bands of eight or ten strings of coral, glass-beads, and sometimes of cloves.

ON THE MANNERS OF THE MOORS,

AND THEIR ENCAMPMENTS.

"It cannot be expected that men, who are extremely depraved, indolent, and cruel, who have no social principle, who are acquainted with no natural or political right, and who follow no impulse, except those of their interest and passion, should have any idea of morality; thus, when speaking of the customs and manner of liv

ing of the Moors of the Zahara, it may be said, that their conduct is savage, disgusting, and corrupted.

"Sydy-Moktar endeavoured to persuade me, that in the oases in the interior of the Desert, there existed families, whose customs were patriarchal, and whose manners were gentle and unsophisticated. If we were to form an idea of the inhabitants of this Great Desert, from those with whom we trade on the banks of the Senegal, and the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, we should be obliged to say that the great mass of these savages are the most wicked and abject people of any in the world.

"As the savages of the Zahara are gifted with a considerable portion of wit and information, and as some of them have given an equivocal proof of the most sublime courage, one might be induced to think that their civilization could easily be effected; but this would require many serious and well-concerted means, and could only be effected by time. Such an attempt is every way worthy of our enlightened and scientific age, and towards the execution of which, many advantages are afforded by our situation in the Senegal; in short, it might be attended, in a commercial point of view, with many important advantages.

"There are not on the face of the earth any set of men more literally free than the Moors who inhabit the southern parts of the great desert of Barbary; they are, as I before observed, divided into tribes, each tribe having one or several chiefs, who have almost always descended from a very ancient family, whose genealogy is known.

"The authority of these chiefs is maintained rather by address

and

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