The Lieutenant Refused To Comply With This
New And Extraordinary Demand; Upon Which He Was Immediately Seized By
A Party Of Soldiers, Who, After Knocking Him Down, Pinioned Him, And
In This Degrading Manner Marched Him Up To Tetuan, Under A Strong
Escort.
Captain Rutherford (who commands the Swiftsure), on hearing of this
daring outrage, could with difficulty refrain from making instant
reprisals:
But unwilling to embroil the two nations, he sailed without
delay, and arrived in the course of a few hours in this bay. Two days
after Mr. Wickes, the Lieutenant, joined the Swiftsure. He reports,
that, after a most painful march, he was taken before Governor
Ash-Ash, who released him, immediately, and promised to punish the
Captain of the fort for the insult; a promise which, I am pretty
confident, he never performed.
Such an act will naturally inspire you with horror, and induce you to
consider the Moors as a ferocious, barbarous set of people: but,
believe me, it could only have been perpetrated under the government
of _Ash-Ash_. At any other port of Barbary, a British officer will
meet with a most kind and hospitable reception, and every mark of
respect due to him. The Emperor has given Ash-Ash positive orders to
respect the English, and not to take the part of the French, directly
or indirectly; but, as I observed in a former letter, I conceive this
Moor to be completely under French influence.
I am extremely busy in making the necessary preparations for my next
trip; and as you are kind enough to say you are gratified with the
account I have already sent you of the empire of Morocco, and wish me
to continue my remarks, I shall most probably trouble you with a
letter, whenever I meet with any thing that may serve to interest or
amuse you.
LETTER VII.
_Sail for Tetuan - Appearance of the Coast - Enter the Boosega
River - Curious Towers of Defence - Custom-house-Female Dress - Enter
Tetuan over a Road of unlevelled Rock - Disagreeable Streets - Well
received by the Governor - Public Markets - Socco - An Auction Market._
Tetuan; March 14th, 1806
One of His Majesty's brigs having been appointed to convey me either
to Tangiers or Tetuan, the wind blowing due west, we sailed for this
port. As the ship drew near the shore, I had a full view of this wild
coast. The tops of the lofty mountains are prodigious barren rocks,
while their base is interspersed with broom and box. The hills and
dales are covered with myrtles of various kinds, assuming different
shades of lovely green. The towers and castles, which are of a
delicate whiteness, rising in the midst of these groves of myrtles,
render the scene interesting. The plaster made use of in the erection
of these towers is, of itself, extremely white; but the Moors are not
satisfied with this, and they add a whitewash of lime.
The towers are harmless as fortifications, since, for want of skill in
the manufacture of gunpowder, the Moors are very deficient in that
necessary article.
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