ts
consist in dancing and music, vocal and instrumental. Generally,
throughout all the Arab provinces, but particularly in Suse, among
the Mograffra Arabs, the Woled Abbusebah, and Woled Deleim, the
whole country is in a blaze of light of a summer's evening; music,
dancing, and rejoicing, is heard in every direction. Their music
consists of a kettle-drum, a flute or reed, similar to what Homer
describes as the instrument of the ancient shepherds, a rhabeb or
two-stringed fiddle, played with a semicircular bow, a tamboureen,
and brass castanets. They play in precise time; and the ladies
arrange themselves at the entrance of the sheik's tent. It is
pleasant to observe the beauty of their fine-formed feet, uninjured
by tight shoes, and free from corns and all excrescences. They
dance some dances barefooted, making very short steps, scarcely
raising the foot from the ground, in a peculiar manner. They have
elegant and circular ankles; and their light motions fascinate the
eyes of the spectators and the admiring strangers, who occasionally
exclaim, (_Allah ehrduh alikume ia Elarb_) "the protection of God
be upon you, O Arabs!" (_makine fal Elarb_,) "there are none
comparable to the Arabs!" They have a very elegant shawl-dance: in
the management of the shawl they display singular grace, and
practise elegant figures, sometimes concealing their faces,
207 sometimes showing their brilliant eyes through an opening in the
shawl. The manners of these ladies is courteous, but chaste;
perfectly modest, but without reserve; and the other sex pay them
courteous attention.

208

ABUNDANCE OF CORN
PRODUCED IN
WEST BARBARY.

_Costly Presents made by Spain to the Emperor.--Bashaw of
Duquella's weekly Present of a Bar of Gold.--Mitferes or
Subterraneous Depositories for Corn_.

The empire of Marocco, west of the Atlas, during the reign of Seedi
Muhamed ben Abdallah, father of the present Emperor Soliman, was
one continued corn-field. At that time the exportation was free to
all parts of the world. It is impossible to conceive the abundance
produced in this prolific land, none but those who have actually
seen the standing corn in the ear, and have seen it reaped, can
form any corr