Chapter XIV

Farewell audience—The Sultan’s thanks—Discourtesy of Vizier—Claiming
protection—Designing foreigners—Precautions against them—Artillery
practice—Presents from Sultan—News from home—Books in Fez—Political
results of Mission.

_Sunday, 9th May 1880._

For the fourth and last time Fez was to-day enlivened by the spectacle of His Excellency, attended by three British officers in full uniform, riding to the palace, and for the fourth and last time I entered a solemn protest against the combination of kilts and equestrianism.

The Envoy had been summoned to a farewell audience, and the “photographer,” Haynes, and I, attended to receive His Majesty’s thanks for our labours in his behalf. Sir John left us in an anteroom off the corridor leading to the palace, and after half an hour’s waiting we were summoned by the Eyebrow, who took us through the private garden to a walk, at the end of which was an entrance to the palace, and just inside the door were seated the Sultan and His Excellency. Here the Hájeb[60] left us, but the Envoy beckoning us forward, we advanced, hat in hand, to the royal threshold, and made our bow. His Majesty then addressed us as follows, Sir John interpreting after each sentence:—“I have sent for you to thank you for the trouble you have taken in explaining and setting up the instruments your Government has presented to me. I am also glad to see you here (designating me) to thank you for the reports made upon my ‘Askár[61] by you. I hope you have all enjoyed yourselves, and been comfortable here.” To these very gracious words we replied that “it has been a great pleasure to us to have been of any service to Your Majesty, and we are most sensible of the kindness and hospitality you have shown us in Fez, and for which we beg to thank you.” “The English are my best friends,” said the Sultan, “and I am always glad to see their officers at my Court. I have caused a mark of my favour to be sent you, which you will receive before leaving my capital.” We then withdrew and awaited His Excellency’s return in the room to which we had first been shown, Haynes and I playing a game of chess in the meanwhile with some elaborately cut ivory men and a board we found there. It is a favourite game in Marocco; the king and queen they call Súltán and Súltána respectively, the castle, “Rook,” but I forget the other pieces. As soon as His Excellency joined us we left the palace. The Deputy-Chamberlain had brought us there and conducted us home again, riding in front each way. He is the tall, fat youth who covets my dirk so much, and is always giving me hints that he wants it in a present. After we had left the presence of Majesty, Sir John said, in answer to some enquiries by the Sultan as to the composition of the British army, “The officers who have just gone away are all gentlemen, and sons of people of position in England.” “Then what makes them serve in the _’Askár_ if they can afford to live out of it?” was the somewhat pertinent query of His Majesty. “Well,” said His Excellency, “the English _’Askár_ is different from Your Majesty’s, and men with means of their own enter it for the sake of occupation.” “Yes,” remarked the Sultan, “that certainly seems a different state of things from ours.”

His Excellency and the Grand Vizier have had another difference, the latter refusing to address the Envoy in despatches as “Sir John,” &c. &c., but only terming him “Caballero,” or “Chevalier,” both of which titles His Excellency declines, affirming that if Her Majesty describes him in her letter to the Sultan as _Sir_ John, that is enough for anybody. “Tell the Vizier,” he said to the all-arranging Síd Búbakr, “I have a brother called ‘Tom’ who calls me ‘John;’ in future I shall simply address the Vizier as ‘Muhammed,’ and he may call me ‘John!’” Such apparent trivialities may seem absurd to a European mind, but here there is much more in them than meets the eye. In this case I fancy the ignorance of the Vizier connects the term “Sir” with “Síd,” a title he is loath to confer on a Christian. It seems this liberal statesman has remonstrated with the Sultan about having given the English Envoy five audiences, as he will “thereby establish a precedent;” but the Sultan replied that he would “do as he liked.” “But it is unusual for a minister to transact business direct with Sídna,[62] and not through me.” “Sir John comes to explain matters in which I take an interest, besides business, and I should act in the same way with other Bashadors if they spoke Arabic like the English Envoy.” This kicking against the pricks is a healthy sign in His Sharífian Majesty, but it is to be feared the leading strings will be resumed on the departure of the Mission.

In a former audience, when hinting to His Majesty how much better it would be to have a soldier at the head of the army, His Excellency spoke as usual in parables, and said—“Suppose Your Majesty bought a frigate and wanted some one to sail it, would you employ the Amín of the market as captain?” “Certainly not,” said the Sultan; “I should employ some sailor.” “Well, Your Majesty, it is much the same in the case of the army, and your present Commander-in-Chief, though an able administrator, knows nothing of the interior discipline.” This simile sank into the royal mind; for in a letter from the Eyebrow, telling Sir John that my suggestions were to be adopted forthwith, he wrote,—“His Majesty is about to appoint Síd Muhammed Gavass as khalífa to the Commander-in-Chief, being persuaded of the evils resulting from a system which employs a market official to sail a frigate.”

I described in an early part of my diary (p. 36) one of the methods of claiming the protection of a superior. To-day I was witness of another plan often adopted by an injured or oppressed person. I was riding with Kaïd Maclean to the Court he has to attend daily at 6 A.M. and 5 P.M.; and as we were jogging along at a foot’s pace, a Jewish woman ran forward, and tearing off her cloak, threw it on the ground in front of Maclean’s horse. Having thus established her right to be heard by “throwing all her griefs in front of” the kaïd, she explained how some of the soldiers had burnt down her house because she refused to supply them with cakes[63] without payment, and she could get no redress. My companion told her at what hour he would be at the Grand Vizier’s in the morning, and gave instructions to his orderly to see that she was allowed access at that time. As, however, she looked very poor, it is probable that the minister, who is as expectant of a reward in this world as he is certain of one in the next, will turn a deaf ear to her complaint.

A similar thing happened the other day to White, who, while taking a ride outside the town, passed a man with a rope round his neck being led along by two others. Breaking away from them, the unfortunate man threw himself on the ground, and caught hold of the horse’s leg; but his captors, in pulling him off, made the animal plunge and jump about so much that White, not knowing what to do, took advantage of the confusion and rode off. At the same time, according to the unwritten law of the land, the men had no right to touch their victim after he had claimed protection, and the Sultan himself is bound to enquire into the case of any one who calls upon him by name, in public, for that purpose. As His Majesty does not often ride far from home, his transit from the palace to the mosque on Fridays is almost the only chance of thus waylaying him, in connection with which custom a curious story was told us on our arrival here. It appears that some time prior to the entry of the Mission into Fez, a person having the appearance of a Portuguese renegado, but describing himself as a Christian and a “British officer,”[64] arrived in the town. He was desirous of obtaining an audience of His Majesty, but having no letters of recommendation, was of course unable to do so, nor would the Vizier, or any official to whom he addressed himself, grant him even an interview. Adopting, therefore, Moorish tactics, he met the Sultan returning from the mosque, and with loud cries of “Mulai Hassan, Mulai Hassan,” prostrated himself upon the ground before the Emperor. His Majesty, though startled, was about to make enquiries, but his attendants, who had been warned of the man’s design, affirming that the abject creature at his horse’s feet was merely a lunatic (which class of unfortunates are treated here with kindness and even respect), the procession proceeded on its way. The oddest part of the story is that our informants declared he was dressed in a similar costume to that in which I appeared at Court, and, _à propos_ of the resemblance in dress, they wanted to know if any other of the “tribe” could have passed this way? I disclaimed all connection with my brother “Jebeli,”[65] who, when a lunacy commission is established in Marocco, will some day be found chained by the waist to a wall of one of the prisons, or stumping the country in the capacity of saint.

It is probable that this spurious Highlander was neither a Christian nor an Englishman, and it is satisfactory to learn that the conduct of the very few Christians who do find their way to Fez and the other sacred cities, is happily better than the usual behaviour of the advance guard of their brethren in barbarous countries. The Moors, however, who are suspicious to the last degree of the visits of foreigners to the interior, take stringent measures for their own protection. Thus the introduction of foreign drink, too often associated in their minds with the tenets of Christianity, is strictly forbidden under a heavy penalty in Fez, and even the wines and spirits made by the Jews in their own quarter cannot be taken into any part of the Mussulman city.

The Amín of the army is very sore at the holes which have been picked in his military system, and has refused me permission to see a parade which was held to-day for the purpose of drafting off boys and men unfit for service. Emanating, too, from the same source, or rather from his brother the Grand Vizier, is the following letter I received from the French artillery officer in answer to one I wrote him, asking if I could come and see his gun-practice to-morrow, and which I quote as showing how eager are the authorities to prevent one seeing farther into the nakedness of the land:—“Mon cher Monsieur, on ne tient pas à ce que vous veniez à la séance demain parce que vous avez pris congé, et vous étés considéré comme étant en route. Comme le Sultan assiste au tir votre présence serait en quelque sorte irrégulière. Demain, ‘inshállah,’[66] je viendrai vous serrer la main en sortant du tir.”

In the morning he had written to say, “Il n’y aura aucune difficulté à ce que vous puissiez voir cette séance,” &c.; but an interview at the “Court” altered the matter entirely. I do not despair, however, of being able, from some rising-ground near the palace, to see with a pair of field glasses as much of the “séance” as I require.

Our hours in Fez seem to be numbered at last, and unless Pharaoh hardens his heart again, and sends another order to stop us, we turn our backs upon the “sacred city” to-morrow. We have, however, been so often stopped on the eve of departure, that I shall not be surprised if we find ourselves this day week no farther advanced on our road home; and as the sedative effects of the climate begin to operate, one feels more or less indifferent on that as on other subjects. In fact, sitting lazily at the doorway of my tent, with the setting sun shining warm and red upon the white minarets and lovely landscape beyond, it occurs to me in a misty way that there might be worse places to live in than Fez, and that the monotonous existence of the Moor is not without its charm. The air, too, this evening, is heavy with the scent of orange blossoms and roses, while the hum of the distant town, mingling with the splash of the fountains in the garden, sounds drowsily in the ear, not tending to rouse one to action, or to throw off the lethargy inspired by the surroundings.

* * * * *

My quiescent state of feeling was roughly disturbed by my servant, who having apparently had some private message from His Majesty that he intends letting us go, insisted on packing up the chair in which I was musing, as also the few remaining _objets de luxe et de vertu_ upon which he had not already laid violent hands.

Before dinner I took a farewell stroll in the merchants’ quarter, with the obliging Mr. Náhum as cicerone, and made a few final purchases of some of the coarse blue pottery for which the place is famous, and also some very pretty silk material for dresses. I happened to take off my dog-skin glove while examining the texture of some of the stuffs, and was startled by a young child, who was sitting at the merchant’s feet, setting up a yell of fear, and getting as far away from me as possible. Her father, for such he was, presently reassured her, gently explaining it was the duty of a Nazarene to remove the outer skin of his hand (for so she deemed my glove to be) when touching any article belonging to a true believer.

The “marks of honour” which the Sultan mentioned in the audience of this morning were just passing through the guard as I returned to the Legation. Sir John and the khalífa each received a present of a horse, the gift to the former being supplemented by a most magnificently worked Moorish saddle. Messrs. Secsú and Náhum, the indefatigable interpreters, were each presented with a mule, as also was the old Arab scribe. Each member of the Mission received a “sword of honour,” the scabbards, &c., of some being worked in gold, others in silver; mine was elaborately embellished with the precious metal, the hilt being made of ivory; and in connection with this mark of His Majesty’s regard I received a letter of thanks[67] for my labours in his behalf. Síd Búbakr, who presided at the distribution of Sídna’s largesse, held a paper in his hand in which we were each named or described in some way, and on each sword was a ticket corresponding. This concluding ceremony having taken place, there is every reason to believe we shall be allowed to depart to-morrow, unless His Majesty intends detaining us as hostages for the good faith of the representative of England in the Madrid Conference.

We have not been without news from home during our stay in Fez, though the swollen state of the rivers has made the journeys of the special couriers from Tangier a dangerous undertaking. The last batch of papers we received contained an account of the extraordinary Liberal victories in England. That these topics were vehemently discussed by us it is unnecessary to state, though His Excellency, as a public servant, of course held aloof from polemics, and indeed severely censured the suggestion of a member of the Mission, that an exchange of Prime Ministers between England and Marocco would, under the new _régime_, be decidedly beneficial to the former country. It is certain, however, that the lawless condition of this land is not yet sufficiently developed to admit of the idea that murder and assassination would be the best means of bringing the distressed state of the empire within the “range of practical politics;” nor, up to the present time, does “our Lord the Sultan” allow of the open advocacy of such questionable mediums.

Besides special couriers, there are weekly runners between this and Tangier, who are paid so much—or rather so little—for each journey. To these men are entrusted most of the Government despatches to the Moorish Minister at Tangier, but, as far as I can learn, most of the merchants, and the few other private individuals who can write, send their letters for the coast with the caravans which are perpetually marching through the country. There is no postal system whatever in Marocco, and though the adoption of such a simple means of revenue was recommended to the Sultan on a former occasion, I do not think the measure has been again urged on him by His Excellency. The assurances which His Majesty has given to the Envoy of his intention to introduce certain reforms advocated by him, make one hope that some of the political ends of the Mission may be attained. This seems the more hopeful, too, from the Sultan’s partiality for the English, whose disinterested interference in his affairs, compared with the action of some of the other foreign representatives, must commend itself to the Sharífian mind. The natives, however, look upon things in general from such an entirely different point of view to ours, that it is often hard to explain to them our motives of action, and the explanations are none the more satisfactory to either party from the fact that the one does not believe a word the other is saying! “Will you tell me privately what brings your countrymen here to Marocco?” an old Moor asked me confidentially. “Merely to see the country and study the habits of the people,” I replied. A shrug of utter disbelief was his only comment, and hence it is not to be wondered at that their suspicions are aroused, and every obstacle placed in the way of admitting strangers to the interior. Besides this distrust of foreigners, another great difficulty presents itself in the way of picking up information, and that is, our very limited knowledge of the language. I had hoped that Spanish, at all events, would serve me with educated Moors, but except at the seaport towns it is of no use. On one subject in particular I tried vainly to inform myself—viz. as to the existence of any ancient MSS. in the city, but it seems probable that any which may have existed have been lost or destroyed. Among other literary treasures, the MS. of the lost books of Livy is said to be here; but an enquiry, backed by the offer of a large sum of money, instituted some years ago by Sir John, failed to throw any light on the matter. I am told that in each of the large mosques there used to be a collection of books, but these having been converted into a sort of circulating library, have gone astray, the people who borrowed them being in too high a position for the men in charge of the mosques to insist on their being returned. Dr. Rohlfs, however, whose means of information were much more reliable than mine, writing in 1861,[68] says there were at least 5000 MS. volumes in the mosque of El Karubin, so what the truth may be in this case, as in many others, it is hard to say. The subject is, curiously enough, one on which they dislike being questioned, and as the very few books for sale in the town are only of a religious character, the owners would not part with them to a Christian for either love or money. Even a belt which one of the Mission wanted to buy at a shop was withheld on account of its having a verse of the Koran worked on it. The art of printing is, of course, unknown, and, with few exceptions, no one can read or write.

Owing to the dilatory manner in which the business of the State is conducted here, the formal ratification of the reforms I alluded to has not been obtained from the Sultan; but it appears he will guarantee that, though for the present the restrictions upon corn will remain in force, those on the export of other grain, seed, &c., shall be removed. Considering that even the portion of the country through which we have passed could, if properly cultivated, supply corn to a great part of Europe, the policy of the Sultan’s advisers in keeping up prohibitory export duties seems wholly unaccountable. Negotiations are, however, to be entered into at Tangier for the improvement of trade, for which purpose a port on the coast, south of Mogador, is to be opened. Another point on which the Sultan is anxious to meet the wishes of our Government is in regard to the settlement of claims by British subjects, to which end “Sharífian letters”[69] have already been issued by His Majesty. In view of the near approach of the Madrid Conference, the Sultan is evidently anxious to take the bull by the horns in the matter of improving the condition of his Jewish subjects, and, moved also by the representations of His Excellency, has decreed that whenever cases arise in which Jews are denied justice at the hands of local governors, an appeal may be made by the plaintiffs direct to His Majesty. This to be done through his minister at Tangier, Síd Mohammed Bargash, a statesman of known probity of character, whose opinion, unlike that of most officials in Marocco, is not to be influenced by bribes. The whole of the question, however, of Jewish persecution will come before this assembly of European delegates; but if each of these will cast his eye back upon the annals of his own country as they touch upon the treatment of the Jews for the past one hundred or even fifty years, it is difficult to say which of them will come into court with clean hands; and I am inclined to endorse the opinion of a French writer in 1859, who says—“Le Maroc a été moins dur pour les Juifs que bien des _nations Chrétiennes_; il a donné asile à ces infortunés que proscrivirent en divers temps l’Italie, l’Espagne, le Portugal, la France même.” He might have included England, though at a much more remote period, with equal justice in the same category.