James Grey Jackson

“ I have often admired the velocity with which the camelion thus secures its food, but never could discover whether it were to be attributed to the former, or the latter cause. It is partly nourished by the sun and air; it delights to bask in the sun with its mouth open, to receive the heat of its rays. ”

“ The feet of Europeans, from their not being accustomed, like the Arabs, to this mode of travelling, soon begin to swell with the heat of the burning sand over which they pass; the Arab considering only his booty, does not give himself the trouble to enquire into the cause of this, but abstemious and unexhausted himself, he conceives his unfortunate captive will, by dint of fatigue and travelling, become so too. ”

“ When we recollect, however, that the envoys to Marocco for the last century, have been men almost wholly unacquainted with the manners, customs, and religious prejudices of the people, and ignorant of their language, we shall cease to be surprised that our connection with that empire has been so limited, and impeded by mutual misunderstanding of each others sentiments, originating, but too often, in deficiency and inaccuracy of interpreters. ”

“ Whatever plans future travellers may adopt, I would recommend to them to lay aside [ix] the dress of Europe; for, besides its being a badge of Christianity wherever he goes, it inevitably exposes him to danger; and it is so indecent in the eyes of the Arabs and Moors, that a man with no other clothing than a piece of linen round his middle, would excite in them less indignation. ”

“ The ostrich forms the intermediate gradation between the bird and the beast, for it neither simply flies nor runs, but rather does both, never rising however from the ground, but is assisted considerably by its wings, in its progress through the desert, running over many hundred miles of ground in a short time. They are sometimes seen in Sahara by the Akkabahs of Soudan, in great numbers, appearing at a distance, at twilight, like a host of plundering Arabs. ”

“ It appears to me extraordinary, that a language which is spoken over a much greater extent of country than any other on earth—a language combining all the powers and energy of the Greek and Latin, should be so little understood, that an Arabic letter written by the present Emperor of Marocco, to the King of Great Britain, actually lay in the Secretary of State’s office some months without being translated. ”

“ I have no doubt but the epidemy which made its appearance at Cadiz, and all along the southern shores of Spain, immediately as the plague was subsiding in West Barbary, was the same disorder with the one above described, suffering, after its passage to a Christian country, some variation, originating from the different modes of living, and other circumstances; for nothing can be more opposite than the food, dress, customs, and manners of Mohammedans and Christians, notwithstanding the approximation of Spain to Marocco. ”

“ She answered, How shall I have a son without knowing any man? The angel replied, God has said it, the thing shall happen; it is easy to your Lord, and your son himself shall be a proof of the almighty power of God. ”

“ The Hashisha, or leaves of the plant, are dried and cut like tobacco, with which they are smoked, in very small pipes; but when the person wishes to indulge in the sensual stupor it occasions, he smokes the Hashisha pure, and in less than half an hour it operates; the person under its influence is said to experience pleasing images: he fancies himself in company with beautiful women; he dreams that he is an emperor, or a bashaw, and that the world is at his nod. ”

“ The mode of travelling in Africa will prevent the possibility of his availing himself of these precautions; there is no cafilah, or caravan of itinerant merchants and traders in that country, which does not contain some person who has either been to sea, or has seen nautical instruments, and knows their use. That they are articles for sale would indeed sound very well for a person going through Europe, but there are no purchasers for such things in Africa; besides, no people under heaven are more jealous, or suspicious of every thing which they do not comprehend, than the Africans. ”

“ The inhabitants are robust; and some live to a great age. The Shelluhs, or inhabitants of the mountains of Atlas, south of Marocco, are, however, a meagre people, which proceeds, in a great measure, from their abstemious diet, seldom indulging in animal food, and living for the most part on barley gruel, bread, and honey: the Arabs, the Moors, and the Berebbers, on the contrary, live in a hospitable manner, and eat more nutritious food, though they prefer the farinaceous kind. ”

“ In some part of the country between Timbuctoo and Casina, or Cashna, which is called (Beb Houssa) the Entrance of Houssa, is discovered a race of people, whom the Arabs compare to the English, alleging, that they speak a distinct language of their own, different from all the others known in Africa, and that it resembles the whistling of birds, to which they compare the English language. The people ride on saddles, similar to those of England, and wear rowelled spurs, the only nation in Africa that does, without shoes. ”

“ The children of these concubines, when not the master’s offspring, are born slaves, and inherited by him, who either keeps them for the purpose of marrying them to some black slave of his own, or sells them in the public market; this latter mode of disposing of them, however, is seldom practised, except in cases of necessity; for although the law gives great latitude to masters having slaves, yet the children are generally brought up under the mother’s care, and become members of the family; by serving at an early age in domestic occupations, they earn their living by their work ”

“ The water-melons of Duquella are of a prodigious size, and indeed everything thrives in this prolific province: horses, horned cattle, the flocks, nay even the dogs and cats, all appear in good condition. The inhabitants are, for the most part, a laborious and trading people, and great speculators: they grow tobacco for the markets of Soudan and Timbuctoo. Nearly midway between Saffee and Marocco is a large salt lake, from which many camels are daily loaded with salt for the interior.
The province of Shedma produces wheat and barley; its fruits are not so rich as those of the north, or of Suse ”

“ Finally, the Mohammedan religion recommends toleration; and all liberal Mohammedans insist that every man ought to worship God according to the law of his forefathers. “If it pleased God,” say they, “all men would believe; why then should a worm, a wretched mortal, be so foolish as to pretend to force other men to believe? The soul believes only by the will of God: these are the true principles of Mohammedans.” ”

“ In the consulship of Marcus Plautius Hypsæus, and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus, Africa scarce breathing from bloody wars, a terrible and extraordinary destruction ensued; for now throughout Africa an infinite multitude of locusts were collected, and having devoured the growing corn, and consumed the vegetables, and leaves of the trees, their tender boughs, and their bark, they were finally driven, by a sudden and tempestuous wind, into the air, and being driven by the wind through the air, at length were drowned in the sea ”

“ There is one noble trait in the character of this people which I cannot avoid mentioning, that is fortitude under misfortune; this the Moor possesses in an eminent degree; he never despairs; no bodily suffering, no calamity, however great, will make him complain; he is resigned in all things to the will of God, and waits in patient hope for an amelioration of his condition. ”

“ The Spaniards, who fish on this coast eastward of the Canary Islands, assure us that soundings are to be found quite across to the Continent; and there is a tradition among the Arabs, that in very remote ages those islands formed part of the African continent. In support of this tradition, it may be observed, that the aborigines of Lancerotta, one of the Canary islands situated about thirty-five leagues from this coast, resemble in manners, in physiognomy, in person, and in language the Shelluhs, inhabitants of South Atlas, and retain many of their customs. ”

“ The Moors have a peculiar manner of hunting the partridge: in the plains of Akkermute and Jibbel Hedded, in Shedma, they take various kinds of dogs with them, from the greyhound to the shepherd’s dog, and following the birds, on horseback, and allowing them no time to rest, they soon fatigue them, when they are taken by the dogs: but as the Mooselmin eats nothing but what has had its throat cut, he takes out his knife, and exclaiming (Bismillah) , “In the name of God,” cuts the throat of the game, and by letting it bleed destroys the flavour ”

“ If we except the habitations and castles near the river, the population of the plains is very inconsiderable: a few tents of the Arabs whose original stock inhabit Sahara, are occasionally discovered, which serve to break the uniformity of the unvaried horizon. A person who imagines a vast plain, bounded by an even horizon, similar to the sea out of sight of land, will have an accurate idea of this country.
The goats of Tafilelt are uncommonly large: there is a breed of them preserved by the Emperor of Marocco on the island of Mogodor. ”

“ It is difficult for any one who has not accurately studied the Arabic language, to imagine the many errors which an European commits in speaking it, when self-taught, or even when taught in Europe. Soon after my arrival in Africa, when I had not attained the age of eighteen, I happened one day to be in the house of an European gentleman who had then been in the country twenty years ”

“ The flesh of the ostrich is by no means palatable to an European; it is a dark coloured and strong meat; the fat is much esteemed in medicine for all kinds of bruises and sprains, and is sold at a very high price: but money will not always procure it, friendship or hospitality being more powerful in these regions than even money itself! ”

“ The modern Arabs divide Northern Africa into three grand divisions: the first extends from the Equator to the Nile el Abeede, or river of Nigritia, and is called Soudan, which is an African word indicative of black, the inhabitants being of that colour: the second extends from the river of Soudan to Bled-el-jerrêde, and is denominated Sahara, from the aridity and flatness of the land: the third division comprises Bled-el-jerrêde, the maritime states of Barbary, Egypt, and Abyssinia. ”

“ The Arabs, Moors, Shelluhs, and Jews, equally prize the truffle; it is therefore in great demand, and used in all made dishes, and is a very delicate, nutritious, and wholesome food: they are also highly stimulating, on which account they are more esteemed among this amorous people than for their delicate taste; they are particularly palatable with wine, and often introduced in the dessert. They are very good boiled in water or in steam. In Suse, Abda, and Bled-el-jerrêde, they are found in great abundance. ”

“ The Shelluhs are a crafty people; they are, perhaps, better disposed towards Christians than the Moors or the Arabs. The term Kabyle applies to all cultivators of land, and to those who rear the cattle and flocks. Sometimes we discover, in traversing this country, an encampment of Bedouin Arabs, who, in their migrations to far distant countries, pitch their tents wherever they find the country productive and unoccupied; here they sojourn till their flocks have consumed all the pasture, when they strike their tents and proceed on their long journey. ”

“ The generality of religions, which have made any progress in the world, make it indispensable to believe in its own tenets: Mohammed, although he naturally gives the preference to the religion of his own forming, yet he has the liberality to acknowledge, that those who have professed other religions may be saved, after suffering a degree of chastisement or damage in the life to come, as it is termed by him. ”

“ The air about Marocco is generally calm; the neighbouring mountains of Atlas defend the plain in which it stands from the scorching Shume, or hot wind (which blows from Tafilelt and Sahara) , by arresting its progress, and the snow with which they are always covered, imparts a coolness to the surrounding atmosphere; in summer, however, the heat is intense, though the nights during that period are cool; in winter the cold is very sensibly felt: but the climate is altogether extremely healthy. The inhabitants, particularly the Jews, are, however, affected with ophthalmia. ”

“ River Suse discharges itself into the ocean. This fine river rises at Ras-el-Wed, at the foot of Atlas, about thirty miles from the city of Terodant. The (fulahs) cultivators of land, and the gardeners of Suse have drained off this river so much in its passage through the plains of Howara and Exima, that it is fordable at its mouth at low water in the summer, so that camels and other animals are enabled to cross it with burthens on their backs: at its mouth is a bar of sand which at low water almost separates it from the ocean. ”

“ Wild as the hare, and more fleet than the Barbary courser, they are seen bounding over the plains in large numbers. The antelope, however, soon fatigues, so that the horses of the Arabs gain on it, and the dogs are enabled finally to come up with it; it is hunted rather for the meat, which is similar to venison, than for actual sport, the Arabs having little desire to hunt merely for amusement. They kill and cut the throats of as many animals as they can procure. They often hunt the gazel with the (slogie) African greyhound, a peculiarly fine breed of which is produced in the province of Suse. ”

“ Shella was probably the Carthaginian metropolis on the coast of the ocean. Various Roman and ancient African coins used to be continually dug up here, but the exorbitant price given for them by some agents of European antiquarians, induced the Jews to imitate them, which they did so correctly, that these amateurs were deceived; and lately people have fallen into the opposite extreme, being now so over cautious as to dispute even the antiques themselves; for this reason the Moors often sell them to the silver and goldsmiths for their weight in silver. ”

“ Whilst the Europeans remain in the hands of the Arabs and Jews, they are employed in various domestic services, such as bringing water, possibly the distance of nine or ten miles, to the habitation, and in collecting fire-wood. In performing these offices, their feet, being bare, and treading on the heated sand, become blistered and inflamed, the sandy particles penetrate into these blisters when broken, and irritate in such a manner as sometimes to cause mortification, and death. ”

“ Among the various languages spoken south of the Desert, or Sahara, we have already observed that there are thirty-three different ones between the Western Ocean and the Red Sea, following the shores of the Nile El Abide, or Niger: among all these nations and empires, a man practically acquainted with the Arabic may always make himself understood, and indeed it is the language most requisite to be known for every traveller in these extensive regions.
The Mandinga is spoken from the banks of the Senegal, where that river takes a northerly course from the Jibel Kumera to the kingdom of Bambarra ”

“ Commercial transactions being for the most part in the way of barter or exchange, they need but little specie: gold dust is the circulating medium in all transactions of magnitude. They live in the simple patriarchal manner of the Arabs, differing from them only in having walled habitations, which are invariably near the river.
It is intensely hot here, during a great part of the year, the (Shume) wind from Sahara blowing tempestuously in July, August, and September, carrying with it particles of earth and sand, which are very pernicious to the eyes, and produce ophthalmia. ”

“ These people live, for the most part, on camel’s milk; they are an indolent race, and neither cultivate the earth, nor do any kind of work, attacking and plundering caravans whenever they can do it with impunity. It is these Bedouins, or Saharawans, who sometimes plunder the Akkabahs and caravans whilst traversing the Great Desert of Africa. The Arabs of Woled Abbusebah [127] place a string over the crown of the head, bringing it down behind the ears, and shave the front hair, to prevent, as is pretended, their enemies from catching hold of them. ”

“ The musquitos and other insects attack strangers with great keenness, biting them, and sucking their blood in a most distressing manner. The thick skins of the Arabs, exposed daily to the scorching heat of the sun, are impenetrable to their bite, otherwise they would not be able to exist; for although the country is productive, and the soil good, yet nothing can compensate for the vexation arising from the unremitted attacks of these irritating insects.
Cricket.—This insect abounds in the Atlas mountains, piercing the still air of night with its incessant noise. ”

“ If the present ardour for discovery in Africa be persevered in, the learned world may expect, in the course of a few years, to receive histories and other works of Greek and Roman authors, which were translated into the Arabic language, when Arabian literature was in its zenith, and have ever since been confined to some private libraries in the cities of the interior of Africa, and in Arabia. ”