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Fine morn. Sun as usual
I make up a parcel of 2 Haiks & 2 Soolhams the pieces uncut & one soolham made up & that has been somewhat worn by the Sheik Siddick - it is tied up in an old cotton handkerchief as he delivered it to me. The finest soolham is folded in a new cotton handkerchief as give to me by -- (20)
Recd 9 am letters from Mr Chaillet by a Courier who left Mogador at 11 am 14th inst.
10½ - Rode out
with Seedy Mohamed,
and a Kaid commissioned by the Sultan to conduct us to several promenades,
with Messrs Williams,
Smith & Abensur
with about 10 of our Tangier cavalry in a S & E direction. I took my
gun & my friends borrowed one from the Schousboes.
My head ached wretchedly from what cause I cannot divine, & the uneasy
Capricious movement of my great grey horse added to my discomfort so that
I had not spirit to note my bearings although I had taken my compass for
the purpose. After riding through some new gardens which the Sultan is
forming at about ¾ mile distant from his palace, having passed in
the first instance by the outer wall of the Jenaan el Erdona
thro' which we rode yesterday & noticed its pretty Kooba called (thence
I presume) Sweetah,(21)
we came to a large reservoir apparently about 250 yards square which is
fed by aqueducts from the distant hills as I understand & supplies
with water {304} numerous gardens between it & the city.
There are extensive ruins of dwellings in tappia work near the reservoir but the whole of these constructions appear to have been neglected for many ages. The construction of these works is attributed to the Moluk Saideea or "the Happy Kings", said to have lived about 500 years ago - and I noticed remains of massive masonry near the foundations of the walls that would do credit to greater cultivators of art than the present Moors.
Proceeding about half a mile further we came to a water mill which we saw in action - the wheat they were grinding was large and beautiful, the millstone which was about 3 feet or upwards in diameter was travelling a rapid pace, but whether the stone was of a soft texture or the wheat lying upon & swept up with broom from the earthen floor collected dirt thence I know not, but the flour I rubbed between my fingers felt as if it had as my merry friend Smith pronounces it "too much sand." From the top of the mill Smith took a very pretty sketch of the Capital.
{306} El Kootoobea bearing N ½ W, I tried to shoot a wild pigeon but without success; I was too much unhinged by a sensation of weakness lassitude & headache. Williams shot a couple of these birds of which many were flying about & some I found built their nest or harboured at least in the numerous deep openings that time and neglect have admitted into the many but subterranean aqueducts that run here at a considerable depth namely from 15 to 30 feet under the surface as I presume. Within some I heard the water rumbling loud as it passed with a rapid current.
We returned by an antient . . . [illegible] that seemed to me about 2½ [iles long & extends nearly in a south direction (or perhaps a little to the west of south) from the vicinity of the Imperial palace, through some of the eastern courts of which, but without its inner wall, we passed to the Garden called Jenaan el Asea where we understood Mr Brown the Surgeon sent hither to attend the Sultan -- (22) ago was lodged or encamped. Thence we were taken through the dirty Millah or Jewery {308} where we noticed much activity in various tradesfolk, decent assortment of goods exhibited in then little shops & and air of business about this singular & here unluckedly enslaved people. Other travellers have written of the women's beauty but of this we c[oul]d not in the little time allowed for our transit acquire even a glimpse. We now made a little detour in our way back to our residence & were favored by the inducting Kaid permitting us at my request to mount a little hillock, within about 250 yards of the Kootoobea, whence we had an agreeable panoramic view of Marocco, counting I think 18 mosque towers.
On my arrival a letter from the Basha of al-Gharb was given to Seedy Mohamed - in which the politic Chief thanked the Cid for his letter in which was explained my sending him back the horse assuring him that the lameness of the animal was unknown to himself, but that on our return he would come out to meet us & bring for me the horse (I think it was a chestnut) which had been pointed out to me by his soldiers although as I understand him to say he had not selected any one for me - although this appears a lame excuse & awkward & absurd apology for an insulting piece of meanness - for the Basha's {309} men would never have dared to give a horse that was not pointed out by their Commander! In short the excuse was lame & impotent that an equally impudent but thorough-bred European trickster would be ashamed of.
{310} Desirous of an interview with the prime minister, whom I understand to be Ben Dris, I desired Abensur to prepare the present for him as on the other side & take it this Evening intimating my wishes to enter on the business with which I was charged.
About 8 pm Seedy Mohamed who had accompanied
Abensur - came from Ben Dris
to me with a handsome message saying, inter alia, that he
would speak to the Sultan of my wishes & make known the Royal pleasure
to me tomorrow. Moreover, understanding that i wished to see the town &
neighbourhood I was at liberty to ride where I liked in & around the
place. I am to receive the two slogies tomorrow. Having heard the subject
of the Basha of Al Gharb's letter to Seedy Mohamed - which the Minister
desired to know - he said they had heard before of the lame horse given
to me which I had returned & he considered that Seedy Mohamed &
myself had acted with perfect propriety. I learn from Ben Dris & others
that the Sultan was much pleased with the Telescopes sent him of which
he gave the 2d in size to his brother. He was astonished at
the power of the largest. he is much pleased and highly entertained with
the camp bed & its air mattress &c.
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