ury, or since the time of
Ali Bey, who thus describes their wretched condition in his days.

"Continual disputes arise between the Jew and the Moor; when the Jew is
wrong, the Moor takes his own satisfaction, and if the Jew be right, he
lodges a complaint with the judge, who always decides in favour of the
Mussulman. I have seen the Mahometan children amuse themselves by
beating little Jews, who durst not defend themselves. When a Jew passes
a mosque, he is obliged to take off his slippers, or shoes; he must do
the same when he passes the house of the Kaed, the Kady, or any
Mussulman of distinction. At Fez, and in some other towns, they are
obliged to walk barefooted." Ali Bey mentions other vexations and
oppressions, and adds, "When I saw the Jews were so ill-treated and
vexed in every way, I asked them why they did not go to another country.
They answered that they could not do so, because they were slaves of the
Sultan." Again he says, "As the Jews have a particular skill in
thieving, they indemnify themselves for the ill-treatment they receive
from the Moors, by cheating them daily."

Jewesses are exempt from taking off their slippers, or sandals, when
passing the mosques. The late Emperor, Muley Suleiman, [1] professed to
be a rigidly exact Mussulman, and considered it very indecent, and a
great scandal that Jewesses, some of them, like most women of this
country, of enormous dimensions, should be allowed to disturb the decent
frame of mind of pious Mussulmen, whilst entering the threshold of the
house of prayer, by the sad exhibitions of these good ladies stooping
down and shewing their tremendous calves, when in the act of taking off
their shoes before passing the mosques. For such reasons, Jewesses are
now privileged and exempted from the painful necessity of walking
barefoot in the streets.

The policy of the Court in relation to the Jews continually fluctuates.
Sometimes, the Emperor thinks they ought to be treated like the rest of
his subjects; at other times, he seems anxious to renew in all its
vigour the system described by Ali Bey. Hearing that the Jews of
Tangier, on returning from Gibraltar, would often adopt the European
dress, and so, by disguising themselves, be treated like Christians and
Europeans, he ordered all these would-be Europeans forthwith to be
undressed, and to resume their black turban.

Alas, how were all these Passover, Tabernacle and wedding festivals,
these happy and joyous days