d Audience with the Emperor.--Imperial Gardens at
Marocco.--Prince Abd El Melk's magnificent Apparel, reprobated by
the Sultan.--The Port of Santa Cruz, shut to the Commerce of
Europe, and the Merchants ordered to Mogodor.--The Prince banished
to the _Bled Shereef_ or Country of Princes, viz., Tafilelt, of the
Palace at Tafilelt.--Abundance of Dates.--Face of the Country.
--Magnificent Groves of Palm or Date-trees.--Faith and Integrity of
the Inhabitants of Tafilelt.--Imperial Gardens at Marocco.--Mode of
Irrigation.--Attar of Roses, vulgarly called Otto of Roses (Attar
being the Word signifying a Distillation.)--State of Oister Shells,
on the Top of the Mountains of Sheshawa, between Mogodor and
Marocco, being a Branch of the Atlas.--Description of the Author's
Reception on the Road from Marocco to Mogodor.--Of the Elgrored, or
Sahara of Mogodor._

TO JAMES WILLIS, ESQ.

Santa Cruz, March 15, 1797.

When the emperor Soliman proceeded from Fas with a numerous army to
74 the south, he doubled the export and import duties at Mogodor,
viz., from six to twelve per cent., payable in kind. Those of Santa
Cruz remained as before, but so soon as his imperial majesty
reached Marocco, he sent orders for the prince Abd El Melk, who is
his nephew and governor of Santa Cruz, with the garrison, together
with the merchants, to proceed to Marocco; accordingly we all
departed, the prince having first engaged a revered (fakeer) saint
to accompany the army across the Atlas mountains, the fastnesses of
which it appeared no army would be permitted to pass, without the
protection of this fakeer. We departed about noon, and passed
through the plains of the Arab province of Howara[100], a very fine
country; we pitched our tents at sunset, near a sanctuary, where we
had all kinds of provisions sent to us, in great abundance: we
continued our journey the following morning through the plains, and
about the middle of the day we reached the foot of Atlas.

This country abounds in extensive plantations of olives, almonds,
and gum trees; some plants of the (_fashook_) gum ammoniac are here
discovered. Vines producing purple grapes of an enormous size and
exquisite flavour: (_dergmuse_) the Euphorbium plant is discovered
in rocky parts of the mountains; and great abundance o