. The sun, which beats
upon these hills of filth, exhales the putrefaction from them. The
houses, ill built, resemble hogsties, and are very ill aired. The
streets are narrow, and partly covered with beds of straw.

One day that the New England ambassador, who had taken lodgings in the
city, the consul and myself, were taking an airing on horseback, we were
obliged to alight. The people, under bad government, or rather without
any, run before us, and interrupted us in our journey, as we had no
guards to escort us. Without this precaution, a person runs the risk of
being cut in pieces. In spite of all the care I could take, I got a
stroke on the head with a stone. But I neither could discover from
whence, or by whom it was thrown. Take this as a just specimen of the
city of Morocco.

The character of the inhabitants differs very little from that of those
of the deserts. They are not quite so stout, and rather fairer. They are
more accustomed to the sight of Europeans, and therefore are less
surprised with it, but they are equally addicted to the practice of
insulting them. I have seen many of them enter into the houses of the
consul and M. Duprat, sit down, and without asking it as a favour,
demand of them something to eat and drink; nay, even require that they
should give them what they thought fit to ask. A porter, who had no
other trouble than to open three times to the consul, the gate of the
court where the emperor was, came with great effrontery to him demanding
a gratification. He gave him some silver pieces, with which he was far
from satisfied. He therefore continued holding out his hand, and crying
_Zit_ (give more, this is not sufficient), with an arrogance equally
ridiculous as his demand.

The secretaries and writers behave in the same manner; they impose their
demands on all who have any concern with them. The principal crown
officers are still more greedy of presents, and especially of great
piastres, of which the value is 5 livres and 10 sols. Their master
makes it his daily business, to examine them what they have gained by
doing any piece of business, or executing any commission. He gives them
considerable posts, or sends them upon an embassy; and when it is
presumed that they have amassed a certain fortune, they are accused of
some misconduct, stripped of all their possessions, and left to finish
their days in slavery. Their very children are not exempted from these
acts of barbarity. The same Moule