Salee Is A Walled Town, Strongly Defended By A Large Battery, Mounting
Twenty-Four Pieces Of Heavy Ordnance, And A Redoubt Which Protects The
Mouth Of The River.
It contains about five hundred regular troops,
three thousand militia-men, five hundred sailors, and a number of
Moorish merchants and Jews.
To the north of this garrison is a small
town, in a ruinous state, inhabited by a few negro families. I was
told it was built by Muley Ishmael for the accommodation of his
favourite black troops. To the south, and on the opposite side of the
river _Salee_, is the maritime city of _Rabat_, commanded by a black
chief, and garrisoned with black soldiers.
It is defended by a fort and strong batteries, adequate to prevent a
hostile landing. It contains several ruins of importance; among the
most conspicuous of which are those of a large mosque, and the famous
castle built by _Almansor_ the _Invincible_, together with a superb
square tower; which latter is still in a tolerable state of
preservation, and is called the tower of _Hassen_. This tower is about
two hundred feet in height, strongly built with cut stone, and most
curiously decorated with Arabic characters. It contains a staircase of
easy ascent to the top, whence I had a most extensive prospect of the
Atlantic Ocean, where vessels are descried sailing at an immense
distance.
The walls of Rabat are nearly two miles in circumference, and
fortified by several square towers. Exclusive of its regular garrison,
it contains four thousand militia-men, and about fifteen hundred
sailors, besides several Moorish merchants and Jews; which latter live
in a separate quarter.
This town, as well as Salee, is admirably calculated for trade,
capable of furnishing foreign markets with large quantities of wool,
leather, wax, and other important commodities. These contiguous
cities are surrounded by gardens, watered by plentiful streams, which
are artificially conveyed from a neighbouring spring, that takes its
rise in a valley called _Tamura_, to the south of Rabat, and which
also supplies all the houses of the two towns with fresh water.
Both places contain docks for building vessels, and several small
corvettes in the Emperor's service winter in these harbours: but the
roads, like those of Larache, are only to be frequented from the
beginning of April to the end of September, on account of the shifting
of the sand, which accumulates on the wind blowing from the
south-west, when the bar is rendered unsafe for vessels to pass. Too
great attention cannot be paid by commanders or masters of ships, on
anchoring there, as a great number of anchors have been lately lost,
and many vessels stranded.
Curiosity prompted me to inspect a small ruinous town to the east of
_Rabat_, named _Shella_, supposed to have been built by the
_Carthaginians_: but my approach was rudely prevented by the
inhabitants; no Christian, nor even Jew, being suffered to enter, on
account of its containing several tombs of their most celebrated
saints, while in fact it is only a sacred asylum for malefactors, and
all the rogues of the country.
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