lic t iu ic w u n m a t J ------------------------------. “ W i l l U l t ( J U 1 L u i r , i Araiche, eastward, as far as the foot o f A tlas, is a fine champaign country, extremely abundant in wheat and b a r le y : here are the extensive plains o f Emsharrah Rumellah, famous for the c am p o fM u le y Ismael, great grandfather o f the present Emperor Soliman, where he retained his army o f Bukarrie Blacks to the amount o f one hundred thousand horse. This army possessed the finest horses in the empire. The remains o f the habitations are still discernible. The re is a forest eastward o f E l Araiche o f considerable extent, consisting chieflv o f oak with some cork, and other valuable large trees; more to thè southward and eastward, we discover a forest o f cork only, the trees,of which are as large as full grown oaks. From Meqèinas to Muley Idris ZerOne, the renowned sanctuary at the foot o f A tla s, east o f the c ity o f Mequinas, the country is flat, with gentle hills occasionally, and inhabited b y the tribe o f A it Imure, a Kabyle which dwells in straggling tents, and a warlike tribe o f Berebbers. The Emperor Seedy Mohammed, father to the reigning Emperor Soliman, used to denominate the A it Imure the English o f Barbary.* that it was originally united to Trafalgar and Gibraltar, shutting up the Mediterranean sea, the waters from which passed into the western ocean by a sub. terraneous passage ; and at this day they chll Trafalgar Traf-el-garb. i e the § | ZZZJX2 ? - — *■***?>• * * £ * The ignorance o f the Mohammedans in geography, added to their vanity induces them to imagtne th a t ,he empire of Marocco is nearly as large H i Europe, and they accord,ngly ascribe to the inhabitants of the various provinces he character of some European nation : thus the warlike Ait Imure are compared the Rufsiat ' Pe°Ple °f DUqUel'a ‘° the aniard8' aad < 3 of S h a l to THE DISTRICT OF FAS, AND PROVINCE OF BENIHASSEN. T h e country between Fas and Mequinas, and from thence to Salée, is o f the same description as the fo re go in g ; a rich champaign, abounding prodigiously in corn, and inhabited altogether b y Arabs, with the exception, however, o f the Zimu r’h Sheliuh, another Kabyle o f Berebbers. In short, the whole northern * division o f this empire is an uninterrupted corn field; a rich black, and sometimes red soil, without stones or cla y, with scarcely any.wood upon it (the forests before mentioned, and the olive plantations and gardens about the cities o f Fas and Mequinas excepted), but in calcu lab ly productive. T h e inhabitants do not use dung, but reap the corn high from the ground, and burn the stubble, the ashes o f which serve as manure. During this period o f the year, v iz . August, enormous clouds o f smoke are seen mounting the de clivities o f hills and mountains, penetrating without resistance the woods, and leaving nothing behind but black ashes and cinders : these fires heat the atmosphere considerably, as they continue burning during two months. In sowing, the husbandmen throw the grain on the ground, and afterwards plough it in. Oats th e y make no use o f : beans, peas, caravances, and Indian corn, are cultivated occasionally in lands adjacent to r iv e r s : the fruits are similar to those before described, and are in great abundance, oranges being sold at a ducket or a d o llar a thousand, at Tetuan, Salée, and some other p la c e s ; grapes, melons, and figs o f various kinds, and other fruits, are proportionally abundant. Cotton o f a superior quality is grown in the environs o f Salée and Rabat,, * The country north of the river Morbeya, See the Map.
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