formed by
the Saracens, or first Arabian conquerors of Africa, has had a series of
dynasties terminating in that of the Shereefs.

1st. The Edristees (pure Saracens,) their capital was Fez, founded by
their great progenitor, Edrio. The dynasty began in A.D. 789, and
continued to 908.

2nd. The Fatamites (also Saracens.) These conquered Egypt, and were the
faction of or lineal descendants of the daughter of the Prophet, the
beautiful pearl-like Fatima, succeeding to the above: this dynasty
continued to 972.

3rd. The Zuheirites (Zeirities, or Zereids) were usurpers of the former
conquerors; their dynasty terminated in 1070.

4th. Moravedi (or Marabouteen,) that is to say, Marabouts, [2] who rose
into consequence about 1050, and their first prince was Aberbekr Omer El
Lamethounx, a native of Sous. Their dynasty terminated in 1149.

5th. The Almohades. These are supposed to be sprung from the Berber
tribes. They conquered all North Western Morocco, and reigned about one
hundred years, the dynasty terminated in 1269.

6th. The Merinites. These in 1250 subjugated the kingdoms of Fez and
Morocco; and in 1480 their dynasty terminated with the Shereef.

7th. The Oatagi (or Ouatasi) [3] were a tribe of obscure origin. In
their time, the Portuguese established themselves on the coast of
Morocco; their dynasty ended in 1550.

8th. The Shereefs (Oulad Ali) of the present dynasty, whose founder was
Hasein, have now occupied the Imperial throne more than three centuries.
This family of Shereefs came from the neighbourhood of Medina in Arabia,
and succeeded to the empire of Morocco by a series of usurpations. They
are divided into two branches, the Sherfah Hoseinee, so named from the
founder of the dynasty, who began to reign at Taroudant and Morocco in
1524, and over all the empire in 1550, and the Sherfah El Fileli, or
Tafilett, whose ancestor was Muley Shereef Ben Ali-el-Hoseinee, and
assumed sovereign power at Tafilett in 1648, from which country he
extended his authority over all the provinces of that empire. Thus the
Shereefs began their reign in the middle of the seventeenth century, and
have now wielded the sword of the Prophet as Caliph of the West these
last two hundred years. I have not heard that there is anywhere a
dynasty of Shereefs except in this country. They are, therefore,
profoundly venerated by all true Mussulmen. It was a great error to
suppose that Abd-el-Kader could have succeeded in dethroning the Em