ugh which provinces he passed. On his arrival at Marocco, he
still continued his magnificent establishment and sumptuous mode of
living; distributing money to the people bountifully, on the most
trifling occasions, which mode of conduct procured him universal
popularity among the lower orders. This soon excited the suspicions
301 of Alkaid Bushta, the governor of Marocco, who ingenuously informed
him, that such liberality was fit only for a Christian country, and
that he was mistaken if he flattered himself that it would be
tolerated at Marocco, and actually desired him to adopt a different
and a more parsimonious system, if he wished to be quiet; alleging,
that his munificence exceeded that of his Imperial Majesty, which
was highly indecorous; but afterwards finding little attention was
paid to his injunction, he published a decree throughout the city,
that any one that should be found asking for, or receiving money
from Ali Bey, should have a very severe bastinado! After residing
some time at Marocco, he expressed a desire to visit the Atlas
mountains, which appear a few miles east of Marocco, but which are,
in fact, a whole day's journey; their immense size and height
making them to appear so much nearer than they really are. Ali Bey
apprehending the hostility of Alkaid Bushta, he procured an
imperial order to visit the Atlas, but Bushta opposed it, and would
not, he said, permit him, he being governor of Marocco, without
having himself directly from the Emperor a permission to that
purpose. He then represented to the Emperor the impolicy of
allowing him to go and examine that country; and the imperial order
was immediately countermanded.

People now began to imagine that he was an agent of Bonaparte; and
their suspicion that he was a Christian spread far and near. It was
302 discovered also that he had corns on his feet, excrescences unknown
to Muselmen, whose shoes are made tight over the instep, and loose
over the toes, so that the latter being unconfined and at liberty,
they never have corns.

Notwithstanding all these suspicions, the courtesy and suavity of
the manners of Ali Bey had such influence on the imperial mind,
that Muley Soliman gave him a beautiful garden to reside in,
wherein there was a (_koba_) pavilion. Ali Bey, finding his
inf