Madame Bousac is, of course, a perfect lady according to Moorish ideas, but her fascinations on the mind of the Emperor, arise more from her wit and ability than her feminine grace and delicacy.  She is anything but a beauty, according to our ideas, being of a dark complexion, of middle height, of large and powerful muscular proportions, very upright, as if bending backwards, and with a hoarse and masculine voice.  Like most women in this part of the world, she is married to a man old enough to be her father, or even grandfather, being even more than double her age.

She herself may be about thirty, at which age the beauty of Barbary women is gone for ever.  Such is the court-dame who has courage enough to speak to the Emperor of Morocco in public.  She conversed with us about her affairs, telling us the Emperor had not yet advanced to her husband the loan of 10,000 dollars as promised, nor did she expect it, for she knew his avarice.  “Rather would he sell one of his Sultanas.”  But he had sent her a present of four haiks, which she shewed us; they were extremely fine and white.  “These,” she observed, “are the ten thousand dollars paid in private, but which the Sultan could not refuse me in public.”

Another character whom we visited, was the distinguished Rabbi, Coriante.  The priest entertained us with dissertations upon various subjects.  First of slavery.  “It is unlawful to steal blacks, the Mosaic law denouncing such theft with the punishment of death.  Nevertheless, if the Jews of this country had the power, they would enslave the Mussulman, and well castigate them.”

This latter remark, Coriante uttered with an emphasis, denoting the revenge which his countrymen would inflict upon their Mahometan oppressors, who had kept them in chains for a series of ages.  He remarked, however, that the Sultan might give way on the question of negro slavery, after the first shock to his prejudices.

The Rabbi treated us with wine, but one of us, moved by curiosity, having touched the bottle, he remarked to his daughter in an under-tone; “It’s all gone,” (the rest of the wine is spoiled).  Among these extremely superstitious Barbary rabbies, it is a pollution to their wine if a Christian touch even the bottle containing the juice of the grape, and they will not drink it afterwards.

We asked the reason of his not being able to drink, and found it was, first, because women work in the vineyards, and the second, because the Pope pronounces his blessing upon the vintage.  After these Jews have eaten meat, they are obliged to wait some time before they can eat butter, or drink milk; in fact, their superstitions are numberless.  The Rabbi read to us portions of the proverbs of Solomon, and told us Solomon was well acquainted with steam engines and railways, “Only they were of no use in the Holy Land when God was always with his people.”  He then gave us his blessing, and me this solemn warning.  “Take care the Emperor does not cut off your head, as he has cut off the head of our young Darmon.” [39]