, from your
Queen to our Sultan. It is not enough that it is recommended by your
Government. The European sovereigns are accustomed to act by the advice
of their counsellors and ministers; but the Sultan of Morocco always
acts without advice or councils. [25] If the address had come from the
Queen, it would have been received, and an answer would have been
returned accordingly. Then if your Government had been offended at the
answer of my master not agreeing with their opinion, they could have
taken their own satisfaction in any way they might have thought proper
(or have made war on us).

"The money which you say the people of England have spent for the
suppression of the Slave Trade, has been, according to our opinion and
religion, misspent, and employed to destroy a system of which we
approve, and consider lawful. Still, I hope God will give your country
more money to spend, and in abundance.

"The English people and the people of Morocco have been, from time
immemorial, great friends, proofs of which I can give you. The guns that
we get from other Christian nations, are never so good as those we get
from England. Besides, we always give the English whatever they ask for.
When the French were at war with Spain and wished to take Ceutra from
her, the English demanded from our Sultan, a small island near Ceutra,
to prevent the French from landing and seizing Ceutra. To this request,
my Sultan acceded; and to show you that the English are our particular
friends, the English gave the island back to us when the war was at an
end."

Mr. Willshire now endeavoured to present the Address of the Anti-Slavery
Society, praying his Excellency to accept it.

On which, the Governor continued with his usual vivacity, "No; I am
sorry I cannot accept it; if I do, the Sultan must also, for now I act
as the Sultan. Indeed, I dare not receive the address, nor write to our
Lord [26] about it. Nor can I look at it, for in case the Sultan asks me
about it, I must swear that I have not touched nor seen the Address. If
I look at it, and then say I did not look at it, the Sultan will order
my tongue to be cut off from the roof of my mouth.

"And further, O Consul! O Stranger! were our Lord to agree with your
Society, and abolish the traffic in slaves throughout his dominions, all
the people would rise up against him in revolt, and the Sultan would be
the first to have his head cut off.

"Therefore, as a good and wise man, O Stranger--wh