To return to our entry of the habitations of the living - mounds of fresh filth, pools of black abomination, squalid countenances of the curious "faithful" disgusting figures of the dirty fair, hooded upto & over the eyes with vile kerchiefs saturated as of necessity with breath & nasal distillations met us now breathing curses on the Nazarenes.

{329} The 2 Schousboes received this mor[nin]g a present of 2 horses from the Sultan. They are I am told not well pleased with the gift - the animals are far inferior to those I have received. Immediately on returning from our ride about 4 pm I was gladdened by letters from Tangier of the 8^th and 9^th instant.

Rained for several hours after sunset & heavily at 11pm

It seems about a week before we left the city that Isaac accompanied Mr Williams into the Millah to visit the sick wife of Smahia Sumbel's relative & correspondent Ben el Ghazal. They met in proceeding to the Jew town a great crowd of people principally women who were engaged in celebrating the Moosoom or feast of Seedy Memon, which they were informed was celebrated every New Year's Day of the Moors in honour of their saint so called. This also, many Moors told Isaac, was the only day of the year upon which their women were allowed to go out & visit the Saints, and the mosques & walk about y^e town. These fair slaves saluted the Jew & Nazarene Kaffers both of whom from Isaac's Frank dress they took to be Xians with the repeated cries of

Beesim ellah errachman errahim!

or "In the name (of) God the merciful who has mercy!"

Others told Isaac that this Feast in honor of Seedy Memon is held on the 3^d day of the Messlem month Rajeb: which cannot be the fact, because, on further enquiry, Isaac discovered that the day of his said visit to the Millah was not the first but the 3^d day of the Moorish month (33) and his informants added that the votaries of the saint make to his sanctity a sacrifice of a Bullock or a sheep according to their wealth which after being presented at the holy man's tomb or kooba or zowia (whichever it be) is afterwards distributed among the people who assisted at the ceremony.

{328} Oftentimes the Moorish devotees, to speak generally indeed all the visitors of their saints' tombs (or Koobas) & Sanctuaries (or Zowias) burn incense inside the kooba or zowia & light candles which they leave then burning. Isaac Pinto tells me they sell at Tangeers (as of course throughout the country) very thin candles of all colors except black* for the purpose which are made of various lengths to suit the longitude of purses or of piety.
*N.B. Black is, with the Moors, a color of ill omen. 

33. N.B. This is what it says, despite the logical incoherence involved!