ed to
be of the Egyptian, and massive style of architecture. There were
still standing two porticos, about thirty feet high and twelve feet
wide, the top of which was one entire stone. I attempted to take a
view of these immense ruins, which have furnished marble for the
121 imperial palaces at Mequinas and at Tafilelt; but I was obliged to
desist, seeing some persons of the sanctuary following the
cavalcade. Pots and kettles of gold and silver coins are
continually dug up from these ruins. The country, however, abounds
in serpents, and we saw many scorpions under the stones that my
conductor Deeb turned up. These ruins are said by the Africans to
have been built by one of the Pharaohs: they are called "_Kasser
Farawan_" i.e. the ruins of Pharaoh.[115] Here begins the territory
122 of the Brebber Kabyl, the Amorites or Ite-amor, said to be the
descendants of the ancient[116] Amorites, whose country was
situated east of Palestine. These people retain their ancient
warlike spirit, but they are a faithless tribe, and intolerable
thieves, unlike the other Kabyles (who are, at least, faithful to
one of their own Kabyl); but these marauders are exceedingly
mistrustful of their own brethren, so that their habitations
consist of two or three tents only, in one encampment; and even
these are sometimes at variance with each other. The lamentable
123 result of this mistrustful and marauding spirit, is wretched and
universal poverty. Their country is a succession of gentle
undulating hills, without trees or plantations of any kind. The
late sultan Muhamed used to compare the provinces or races of men
in his empire, to the nations of Europe, the English he called
warriors, the French faithless, the Spaniards quiet and
inoffensive, the Romans, i.e. the people of Italy, treacherous, the
Dutch a parsimonious and trading people; the other powers of
Europe, having no consul at Marocco, nor merchants in the country,
are known only by name: accordingly, in allusion to the warlike
spirit of the English, he would call the Ait Amor, "the English of
Barbary;" Temsena, the French; Duquella, the Spanish; Haha, the
Italians; and Suse, the Russians. When the sultan Muhamed began a
campaign, he never entered the field without the warlike Ait Amor,
who marched in the rear of the army;