h the French it is pronounced as we pronounce Neel;
and this is the intelligible pronunciation in Africa.]

The emperor declared the port of Santa Cruz to be shut; and that no
European merchant of any nation should continue there. He gave me
my choice, either to quit the country, or establish a house at
Mogodor. I entreated a short time to consider which I should
choose, which was readily granted.

The prince Abd El Melk was magnificent in his apparel, the Emperor
dressed very plain; these were two incompatible propensities, the
latter had probably heard of the prince's extravagance in this
respect, and chose to moralise with him by comparing his own
parsimonious and plain apparel to _his_ costly attire; and
insinuating that the iron buckle to his belt answered every purpose
of a gold one, reprimanded the prince for the extravagance and
vanity of his wardrobe, and acquainted his Highness that the port
80 of Santa Cruz should no longer remain open to European commerce.
The prince remained some days after this notification at Maroco; an
annual stipend was allowed him and he was sent to (the _Bled
Shereef, i.e._ the country of princes, viz.) Tafilelt, and had
apartments allotted him in the Imperial Palace at that place, which
is very magnificent and extensive. It is built of marble collected
for the most part from the _Kaser Farawan_ or ruins of Pharaoh, an
ancient city now in ruins, contiguous to the sanctuary of Muley
Dris Zerone, east of the city of Mequinas, on the western declivity
of the Atlas; this marble was transported across the mountains of
Atlas on camels, a distance of fifteen journies to Tafilelt. The
inhabitants of this part of Bled Eljereed live principally on
dates, which abound so in this country that the fruit of one
plantation is commonly sold for 1000 dollars, producing 1500 camel
load of dates, or 4500 quintals; there are thirty-five species of
this rich fruit, of which the _butube_ is unquestionably the best
and the most wholesome; it is rich, of a fine flavour, and sweet as
honey: the _buscre_ is also good; but so dry and full of saccharine
matter that it resembles a lump of sugar. Undoubtedly if this
country were in the hands of Europeans they would extract sugar,
perhaps as much as 150 lb. from a camel load of dates weighing