Cohen, who is a quack, was once consulted on a case of the harem.  Cohen pleaded ignorance, God had not given him the wit; he could do nothing for the patient of his Imperial Highness.  This was very politic of Cohen, for another quack, a Moor, had just been consulted, and had had his head taken off, for not being successful in the remedies he prescribed.  There would not be quite so much medicine administered among us, weak, cracky, crazy mortals, in this cold damp clime, if such an alternative was proposed to our practitioners.

CHAPTER II.

The Maroquine dynasties.—­Family of the Shereefian Monarchs.—­Personal appearances and character of Muley Abd Errahman.—­Refutation of the charge of human sacrifices against the Moorish Princes.—­Genealogy of the reigning dynasty of Morocco.—­The tyraufc Yezeed, (half Irish).—­Muley Suleiman, the “The Shereeff of Shereefs.”—­Diplomatic relations of the Emperor of Morocco with European Powers.—­Muley Ismael enamoured with the French Princess de Conti.—­Rival diplomacy of France and England near the Maroquine Court.—­Mr. Hay’s correspondence with this Court on the Slave-trade.—­Treaties between Great Britain and Morocco; how defective and requiring amendment.—­Unwritten engagements.

Morocco, an immense and unwieldly remnant of the monarchies formed by the Saracens, or first Arabian conquerors of Africa, has had a series of dynasties terminating in that of the Shereefs.

1st.  The Edristees (pure Saracens,) their capital was Fez, founded by their great progenitor, Edrio.  The dynasty began in A.D. 789, and continued to 908.

2nd.  The Fatamites (also Saracens.) These conquered Egypt, and were the faction of or lineal descendants of the daughter of the Prophet, the beautiful pearl-like Fatima, succeeding to the above:  this dynasty continued to 972.

3rd.  The Zuheirites (Zeirities, or Zereids) were usurpers of the former conquerors; their dynasty terminated in 1070.

4th.  Moravedi (or Marabouteen,) that is to say, Marabouts, [2] who rose into consequence about 1050, and their first prince was Aberbekr Omer El Lamethounx, a native of Sous.  Their dynasty terminated in 1149.

5th.  The Almohades.  These are supposed to be sprung from the Berber tribes.  They conquered all North Western Morocco, and reigned about one hundred years, the dynasty terminated in 1269.

6th.  The Merinites.  These in 1250 subjugated the kingdoms of Fez and Morocco; and in 1480 their dynasty terminated with the Shereef.

7th.  The Oatagi (or Ouatasi) [3] were a tribe of obscure origin.  In their time, the Portuguese established themselves on the coast of Morocco; their dynasty ended in 1550.