possessed respecting this part o f the world ; having been genera lly men who came suddenly into the country, and travelled through it w ithout knowing anythin g either o f the manners, character, customs, or language o f the people. Indeed, the greater part o f the compositions respecting North A fr ica , are narratives o f jo u in ie s o f Ambassadors, fcc. to the Emperor’s court, generally fo r the purpose o f redeeming captives, compiled b y some person attached to the embassy, who, however faithfully he may relate what passes under his own eye, is, nevertheless from his situation, and usual short stay, unable to collect any satisfactory information respecting the country in general, and what he does collect, is too often from some illiterate interpreter, ever jealous o f affording information to Europeans even on the most trifling subjects. Leo Africanus is, with v e r y few exceptions, perhaps the only author who has depicted the country in its true lig h t ; and although he has committed some errors, chiefly geographical, y e t Marmol, as well as many moderns, h a v e servile ly copied him. T he re is some original matter contained in a book, entitled, “ A Journey to Mequinez, on the occasion o f Commodore Stuart’s Embassy, &c. &c. London, 1725. Lempriere’s Marocco contains an interesting description o f the Horem, or the Seraglio; but the rest o f his account has many errors; the map appears to be copied chiefly from Chenier, some o f whose orthographical errors he has adopted. T h e w ork o f the last mentioned author is the best I have seen,* and this is to be a ttributed to his h a v in g resided in the country several y e a r s ; and though his ridiculous pride did not allow him to associate generally with the Moors, ye t a partial knowledge o f their language, and his natural penetration and judgment, enabled him to make many useful observations d e riv ed from experience.-j- Jt must be obvious to e v e r y one, that a considerable portion o f time and study is .requisite to obtain a thorough acquaintance with the moral and political character o f any nation, but par ticu lar ly with one which differs in e v e ry respect from our own , as does that o f Marocco ; he, therefore, who would he .thoroughly acquainted with that country, must reside in it fa r a length of time ; he must possess opportunities o f penetrating into ik e councils o f the Stale, as well as o f studying the genius o f the people; he must view them in war and in peace ; in public and in domestic life ; note > their military skill, and their commercial * There is a small volume translated from the French of the Abbé Polret, enti- "tlecl,'Travels through Barbary in a series of letters, written from the Ancient Nu- i iuidia, in the years 1785 and 1786, which, contains many judicious observations. The Abbé was doubtless a man of penetration, and understood the character of the people whom' he described. f There is an interesting ¡and, 1 believe, a very faithful account of an embassy from Queen Elizabeth to Muley Abd El Melk, Emperor of Marocco. in 1577, in the Gentleman’s Mag. September 1810, page g IQ, in which the reader may correct thedollowiogerrors of the press : for Elchies, r. Alkaids ; for liutals, r. quintals.
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