millions, and Lieut. Washington's five or six millions, is abundantly high. At best such estimates must be but the purest conjecture.

One of the greatest difficulties in the way of trade with Morocco, is the want of safe harbors for vessels of a large size. Our seamen have a perfeet horror of the North African coast, and the less they know of it the greater their dread. The freight on a cargo of wool from Mazagan to Mogadore, will be at least fifty cents per quintal more than from Gibraltar, the same distance; and many vessels it would be impossible to charter at any price. This difficulty would have been before this entirely obviated, were it not for the absurd quarantine laws of Gibraltar, which amount, during a great part of the year, to an almost entire prohibition of the trade in small vessels, which would otherwise be carried on, and which would make that port the depot for the commerce of Morocco. Were it not for the quarantine of some articles, and the refusal of admission to others that happen to be pronounced particularly susceptible, by an ignorant board of health officers, the exports of Morocco could be easily taken, as, in despite of this great disadvantage, they are to some extent now, in feluccas, mesticos, and other lateen craft, to Gibraltar, and there transhipped into larger vessels for distant ports. These small boats could enter ports inaccessible to larger vessels could find many places of safety in bad weather could lie much nearer the shore, which, in ports like Mogadore, Saffe, and Mazagan, would diminish the trouble and danger of loading and could pick up their cargoes at the most convenient points on the coast. But several articles of the highest importance are not allowed to be landed at all, and many articles are strictly quarantined-wool, for instance, is strictly excluded; and a single Moorish sash, or piece of cloth, on board a market-boat from Morocco, will quarantine the unlucky boat, cargo, passengers, and crew. The utility of quarantine, in any quarter of the world, and under any circumstances, is exceedingly doubtful; but it is particu. larly absurd in this case, as it is enforced simply to guard against nothing. What can be more ridiculous than that, because they have, two or three times, had yellow fever at Gibraltar, precautions should be taken against the plague, which, in Morocco, they have not had for many years; and which, now that the overland communication with Egypt is broken up, they may never have again? Notwithstanding its manifest absurdity and inconvenience, however, it is idle to expect a reformation in this matter for many years; and any trade we may have with the empire of Morocco, unless some new plan can be devised, will have to encounter all the disadvan tages of its ports. These, however, are not nearly so great as is generally supposed. It cannot be denied, that those on the Atlantic coast are very far from being perfectly safe; but their character has been to some extent misrepresented, and their dangers exaggerated. Proper prudence and good ground-tackle, are all that is necessary to make some of the worst roadsteads of the coast fully equal to many in different parts of the world, which enjoy a comparatively respectable character for safety and facility of access. Let these dangers, however, be estimated at their true value, and they will always be a great drawback upon commercial enterprise.

Mogadore is the most southern port of the empire, and the one that has for a number of years enjoyed the most trade. We quote the observations respecting it, of the late well-known Capt. Riley, who was of course well qualified to judge. "The harbor spreads itself before the town to the south, and is shielded from the sea by an island about two miles long and

half a mile abroad, only distant from the water-port point about five hundred yards. Between the island and water-port vessels enter, keeping the island side close on board, until they run down half the length of it, when they may anchor in two and a half fathoms, at low water, within a cable's length of the island, and with good cables and anchors, ride safe during three quarters of the year. In the months of December, January, and February, strong gales prevail from the westward, which heave in such heavy swells round the two ends of the island, that what seamen call the send, or swing of the sea, breaks the strongest cables, and forces all the vessels in port on shore." But a year since, the truth of the captain's observations was abundantly proved in the case of his own vessel, the brig William Tell, in which he traded for several years with Mogadore. She was forced on shore, a complete wreck; and a French vessel of war, that was in the harbor at the time, escaped the same fate only by getting out six anchors, and throwing her guns overboard; and even then she was so strained, that she was compelled to go to Cadiz for repairs.

Saffe is the next port of any consequence. It is formed by the projection of Cape Cantin. The bay is spacious, and pretty well protected from the winds by the Cape; but the anchorage is very bad, and vessels have to lie pretty well out from land. The landing is troublesome, as the surf generally rolls in strong to the beach. Loading a cargo is of course no easy matter.

Mazagan is safe in the summer months, but it is ineffectually sheltered in winter, and a ledge of rocks is apt to receive vessels exposed to a gale from the southwest. Like Saffe, loading is sometimes exceedingly difficult. At Da el beda the landing is better, but it is safe only in the summer months.

Fidallah is comparatively safe, even in winter, being sheltered by a peninsula which has been frequently called an island; but the landing is bad, and with much wind perfectly impossible.

Rabat, Marmora, and Larache, once famous ports, are all closed up by bars, which will admit the passage of small vessels only. At Rabat the bar is very narrow, and vessels of nine feet draft, by watching their opportunity, can pass it. and when once in are perfectly safe, and lie directly alongside of a ledge of rocks making a kind of natural dock.

But if the Atlantic coast is but poorly provided with harbors, the same complaint cannot be made respecting the small portion of the northern shore which is washed by the straits of Gibraltar. Tangier is one of the most convenient and secure harbors in the neighborhood of the straits. It is in many respects far superior to the bay of Gibraltar, and yet is most carefully eschewed by vessels of both our commercial and national marine. Capt. Riley says, "Tangier bay is the best harbor in the Moorish dominions, its bottom is clear, and it might contain at one time a thousand large vessels, which would ride in safety, being sheltered from all but the northerly winds, which have only the rake of the breadth of the strait, and the holding ground is excellent." Were it not that the province of El Garb surrounding Tangier is unproductive of most of the articles required for export, and that there are no roads through it to the more fertile provinces of the south, Tangier would be one of the principal cities of the empire, and the centre of all its trade. It has been distinguished from the earliest time as a commercial city, and for the advantages of its harbor. Under the Phenicians it was a great trading mart, second only to Carthage. It preserved

the character of its port up to its desertion by the English in the time of Charles II. By the Portuguese it was frequently attacked, but without success. In 1470 the Portuguese made an attack upon Azila, a town about twenty miles south of Tangier, and carried it by storm. The Moors were seized with a panic upon the receipt of the news, and the inhabitants of Tangier, which had hitherto been reputed impregnable, abandoned the town, which was quietly taken possession of by a detachment of Portuguese. It was given to the English as a dowry for Catherine of Portugal, queen of Charles II., and by them retained about twenty years. The Moors, however, gave them so much trouble that it was evacuated, and a fine mole of eighteen hundred feet in length was blown up. The foundations of this mole are still above low water, and afford considerable protection to small vessels. After the desertion of the English the reputation of the bay declined-until, within a few years, the English and French naval officers have found that it is as comfortable a place to lie in as is required. Unfounded notions of foul ground, bad anchorage, and heavy swells, will, however, probably render it for years a bugbear to our service.

But what, perhaps more than all other circumstances combined, has hampered trade, and prevented an extension of the commercial relations of Morocco, are the heavy and fluctuating duties levied at the caprice of the emperor upon the principal articles of export. It has not unfrequently been the case that merchants have been suffered to purchase largely under one tariff, and have then been compelled to pay an increased duty before their property would be allowed to be embarked. This has been attempted not more than two or three years since in the case of a large quantity of grain, which, under the influence of the demand for it in England, had been purchased by agents of European houses. A spirited remonstrance from the consular corps, however, convinced the emperor of the impossibility of any longer continuing the system of seducing merchants into the purchase of the products of the country for exportation under one rate of duties, and then extorting more money from them by an arbitrary and sudden increase of tax. Barbaric pride has suffered such a blow by the capture of Algiers; the entire decay of their naval power, which once carried terror to all the Mediterranean coasts; and by the more manly and decided tone which has been assumed by the representatives of Christian nations, that the merchant has not nearly so much danger to apprehend from the capricious exercise of despotic power, and the uncertainty and variableness of commercial regulations. The present emperor, Muley Abdrahaman, is by no means a man of enlarged views, but he has had the advantage of having been, during the reign of his uncle Muley Suleiman, at the head of the customhouse at Mogadore, and he understands the fact pretty well that too many exactions will diminish instead of increasing his revenue. His chief vice, in the eyes of his subjects, is avarice; but this makes him, as far as he knows how, a patron and encourager of trade. It acts as a counterpoise to his religious and political bigotry, which would otherwise lead him to carry out the principles of Muley Suleiman, who openly avowed his determination to cut off all communication with Christians, and to keep his subjects as poor as possible. Of a mild, quiet disposition, Muley Abdrahaman carefully eschews, where it is possible, any political or commercial difficulties, either with his own subjects or with foreigners; and, as compared with his whimsical predecessors, he may be said to be free from caprice. The fact is, that within a few years past,

both the rulers and the people, especially of the towns, have undergone a considerable change and improvement. The tone of public opinion has altered, and a feeling of relationship with Christian countries is beginning to be perceptible. The residence among them of foreigners for commercial purposes is not merely tolerated but desired, and although the hatred of Christians is just as strong, it is not so openly and generally expressed. The commerce of this empire, as it is at present conducted, is principally in the hands of the Jews, although in some of the towns there are quite a number of Moorish merchants. The Moors have naturally a strong turn for trade, but it is impossible for them to successfully compete with their Jewish rivals, who have in several particulars very decided advantages. The cunning rascality and faithlessness of the Jew merchants of Barbary has passed into a proverb; and notwithstanding the endeavors of their Moorish masters to emulate them, they are likely to remain unsurpassed. But with all their skill and industry they very seldom get rich; or if they do, it is very seldom that they keep their wealth. The emperor in the end generally proves too much for them. Very few of them commence with any capital of their own. It is always borrowed from the emperor, who loans it in sums of from one to ten thousand dollars, and generally without interest. The only consideration for it is, that the borrower shall "make business," as the phrase is, for the customhouse, and the only security is the power of the emperor to come down at any moment upon his debtor, and squeeze principal, interest, profits and all out of him; when, if he yields pretty well, the emperor will perhaps set him up in business again, again to go through the same process. The greater facility with which this system is carried on with the oppressed and degraded Jews renders it almost impossible for his Moorish subjects to obtain the same favors, and they are therefore compelled to trade upon their own capital. The Jew, with his borrowed capital, is compelled to "make business," without any regard to the demands of trade or the state of the markets. He must buy and sell even if he is sure of a loss, and in many cases he is not allowed to dispose of, to any one in the country, articles he may have collected for export. He must export them himself, so as to pay the export duty into the customhouse. If he does not, he is accused of not "making business," and orders are at once issued to have him squeezed. There are, however, some Jewish agents for foreign houses, who are rather more independent, but even they are subject to many exactions and restrictions, and are often called upon for contributions, in the shape of presents to bashaws and other officials. But by far the most independent business men are the few Christian merchants who have stationed themselves at several points on the coast. Of these the principal is the well known English and Americal vice-consul, Mr. Willshire. He has been largely engaged in a lucrative business for a number of years. In connection with a house in the city of New York, he has been doing a good deal in wool, sheep-skins, and oil, which it is supposed has been very profitable. There are two or three other Christians in the same place. At Mazagan, a European has recently established himself, where he acts as American vice-consul, and agent for a wealthy merchant in Gibraltar. At Rabat and Tangier there has resided for several years a Mr. Ray, the representative of a wealthy French house of Marseilles, who has been doing a very large business, principally in wool and wax. At Larache and Tetuan there are also several Christians who officiate as consular and commercial agents.

They do a small business in wax, coarse wool, and oak bark for tanning. Tetuan was formerly the residence of the corps of consuls-general, but in 1770, an Englishman having killed a Moor, the Europeans were ordered to quit the place. The consuls have since resided in Tangier.*

Of the amount of trade that Morocco carries on with the whole world, it is impossible to arrive at any very accurate conclusion. A table quoted in a number of this magazine, (Vol. 3. No. 6, p. 554,) states the imports of English goods at £74,000. This estimate must be much too low, although we have no data at hand from which we can prove the fact. In 1836 the commerce of Morocco with France amounted to between 7 and 8,000,000 of francs. But to avoid the tediousness of statistical details, which at best are purely conjectural, we shall pass over the discrepant statements of dif ferent observers, and confine ourselves to a few practical remarks upon the more important articles of traffic.

The principal articles of import are English cotton manufactures, woollen cloth, iron, tea, sugar, raw silk, and cochineal. This last is an imperial monopoly: no one is allowed to import it but the emperor, or to sell it but his immediate agents; and as it is essential in the manufacture of the Fas cap, and in the coloring of the fine Morocco leather, he contrives to make a profit of five or six hundred per cent. Sulphur and powder are also prohibited articles. Iron bears a duty of $2 50 per cwt., and raw silk fifty cents per pound. The duty on all other articles is ten per cent ad valorem. Of the cotton goods, such as common white muslins, nankeens, &c., of which a large amount is used, the principal part is English, although the Moors have a strong prejudice in favor of American manufactures. They have an idea that American cottons are made from cotton which has never been pressed into a bale, and that they are much stronger and more durable. So common is this notion that the English have found it convenient to stamp their cotton goods, intended for the Morocco market, with the word American, in Arabic characters. The Moors are great consumers of tea and sugar. Contrary to the custom of the Mohammedans of the Levant, they never drink coffee. Tea is the favorite beverage, and to be palatable it must be made thick with sugar. Indirectly, through Gibraltar, they take from us quite an amount of these articles.

The principal exports from Morocco are wool, oil, wax, leather, goatskins, almonds, gums, cattle, and grain. Of these, woolf is the most important article. It is produced in every part of the empire; but the finest, and that which best bears exportation to this country, is grown in the province of Tedlar. Next in quality is the wool of Temsna. That which grows in the northern province of the empire, or El Garb, of which Tangier is the port, is coarse and difficult to obtain. By a reference to the map it

The diplomatic relations of Christian countries with this empire are kept up by means of consuls-general, who, as diplomatic agents, receive salaries, and are not allowed to engage in business. Their whole number at present is fourteen. Russia and Prus sia are the only nations who have no representatives. Some of them have the dignity of chargé d'affaires, and all of them, except the United States consul, have large salaries, and an allowance for vice-consul, secretary, &c. The presence of the consuls and numerous dependents makes Tangier quite like a Christian town.

+ The wools of Morocco are the finest of Africa. The country being in certain parts cool and mountainous, it produces wool as fine as any part of Spain, and some districts vival in quality the fleeces of Saxony.-Dictionnaire du Commerce.