The present Sultan is hit off capitally, with one hand holding
a bag of money behind him, and with the other stretched out before him,
begging for more.

H B could not have better caricatured the three Shereefian Sultans. The
Moors affirmed that Muley Abd Errahman will keep faith with no one where
his avarice is concerned, and, when he can, he will sell a monopoly
twice or thrice, receiving money from each party. Of his meanness and
avarice, I adduce two anecdotes. Four years ago, Muley-Abd Errahman
ordered some blond for his Harem from Mr. Willshire. Just when I was
leaving Mogador, his Imperial Highness graciously returned it to our
merchant with the message--"It's too dear." Not long before, a man was
murdered upon the neutral land of two adjacent provinces, and a thousand
dollars were taken from his baggage. In such cases, the Governor of the
district is mulcted both for the murder and robbery. The Emperor claimed
two thousand dollars from one of the provinces, for the father of the
murdered man. This province escaped upon the plea that the murder had
not been committed within its territory. The other province refused to
satisfy the demand for the same reason. His Imperial Highness then made
both provinces pay 2,000 dollars each, keeping one two thousand for
himself, for the trouble he had of enforcing payment.

The people of Sous not long ago had a quarrel, which the Emperor
fomented. Its Sheikhs fought; his Imperial Highness sent troops to turn
the balance of the fray, and to pacify the country. Then, he made the
belligerents pay each 40,000 dollars, as pacification-money, the value
of which he levied on slaves. In this politic way, the Imperial miser
replenishes his coffers, and "eats up" his loving subjects.

I made the acquaintance of Mr. Treppass, the Austrian consul, and
Chancellor of the French consulate. Mr. Treppass has been upwards of
twenty years in this country, and was himself once an Imperial merchant,
but sold his business, preferring a small stipend and his liberty, to
being a vassal of the Emperor, fed in luxury and lodged in a fine house.
We had a long conversation upon the various topics connected with this
country.

Mr. Treppass says, the present system of the court is resistance to all
innovation, to all strangers. But the pressure of the French on the
Algerine frontier is agitating the internal state of this country.
Money, which in other countries goes a long way, will almost do every
th