These Instalments
Never Are, Never Can Be Regularly Paid Up.
The debt progressively and
indefinitely increases; and whilst they live like so many
merchant-princes, carrying on an immense trade, they are in reality
beggars and slaves of the Emperor.
They are, however, styled _imperial_
merchants, and wear their golden chains with ostentatious pride.
This credit costs his Shereetian Highness nothing; he gives no goods,
advances no moneys, whilst he most effectually impoverishes and reduces
to servitude the foreign merchant resident in his empire, never allowing
him to visit his native country without the guarantee of leaving his
wife and family behind as hostages for his return. The native merchant
is, in all cases, absolutely at the mercy of his imperial lord. On the
bombardment of Mogador, all the native and resident traders, not
excepting the English merchants, were found overwhelmed with debt, and,
therefore, were not allowed to leave the country; and they were only
saved from the pillage and massacre of the ferocious Berber tribes by a
miracle of good luck.
Since the bombardment of Mogador, the Emperor has more strongly than
ever set his face against the establishment of strangers in his
dominions. Now his Imperial Highness is anxious that all commerce should
be transacted by his own subjects. The Emperor's Jews are, in future, to
be the principal medium of commerce between Morocco and Europe, which,
indeed, is facilitated by many of the native Jews having direct
relations with European Jews, those of London and Marseilles. In this
way, the Maroquines will be relieved from the embarrassments occasioned
by the presence of Europeans, Jews, or Christians, under the protection
of foreign consuls. The Emperor, also, has a fair share of trade, and
gets a good return on what he exports; the balance of commercial
transactions is always in his favour.
I must add a word on the way of treating politically with the Court of
Morocco. The modes and maxims of this Court, not unlike those of the
Chinese, are procrastination, plausible delays, and voluminous
despatches and communications, which are carried on through the hands of
intermediaries and subordinate agents of every rank and degree. You can
never communicate directly with the Emperor, as with other Barbary
princes and pashas. This system has admirably and invariably succeeded
for the last two or three centuries; that is to say, the empire of
Morocco has remained intact by foreign influences, while its system of
commerce has been an exclusive native monopoly. The Americans, however,
have endeavoured to adopt a more expeditious mode of treating with the
Maroquine Court. They have something, in the style and spirit of Lynch
law, usually made their own demands and their own terms, by threatening
the immediate withdrawal of their consul, or the bombardment of ports.
The Shereefs, thus intimidated, have yielded, though with a very bad
grace. Nevertheless, the Americans have received no favours, nor have
they obtained a nearer approach to the awful Shereefian presence than
other people; and it is not likely they ever will succeed beyond their
neighbours.
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