Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/858

 840 MOROCCO supply the inhabitants. Indigo, cochineal, and silk could be raised with success, and some parts of the Atlas seem to be well adapted for coffee. Of wild animals, the lion and the panther are found in the forests and valleys of the Atlas, and monkeys in the wooded mountains ; in the level country the hysena, jackal, and wild boar abound; and in the Sahara plains the ostrich, gazelle, and several other species of antelopes. Among the serpents are the cerastes, or horned viper, and a black snake called the luslca, which is 6 or 7 ft. long and very venom- ous. Inoffensive serpents are numerous, and are domesticated in some places, particularly in Morocco, where they are scrupulously respected in the houses. Scorpions, lizards, and the cha- meleon abound, and the locust and a great variety of other insects of all colors, forms, and natures infest many parts of the country. Among the birds are the stork, flamingo, and many kinds of small game. The domestic ani- mals are numerous, and the wealth of many of the tribes consists entirely in their flocks and herds. Horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats abound, but the pastoral art is in almost as primitive a state as agriculture. The small spirited Barbary horses are still raised, but the sultan's prerogative of taking the best for the use of his army wherever he can find them is a serious check on this indus- try. Their export, as well as that of horned cattle, is prohibited ; but a few thousand of the latter are permitted to be shipped yearly for the use of the English garrison at Gibraltar. The sheep are much larger than the European varieties, and have broad tails loaded with fat, often weighing from 30 to 50 Ibs. The wool is of fine quality and almost invariably white. The goats furnish the skins from which the celebrated morocco leather is made. Poul- try abounds, and the rivers and waters of the coast are full of fish. The inhabitants may be divided into five races, Berbers, Arabs, Moors, Jews, and negroes. The Berbers, who are the aborigines, occupy the Atlas and lesser moun- tain ranges. They are a fine race physically, are distinguished for courage, resolution, and temperance, and make good warriors and hunt- ers. They are more laborious and persevering than the Arabs, and follow agriculture rather than pastoral pursuits. They are the best ma- sons in the country, and most of their houses are built of stone. The Arabs, who compose the greater part of the rural population in the plains and in the valleys near the coast, are in general the descendants of the Mohammedan invaders. They also are a fine race physically, but they are braggarts and fanatics, and jealous in disposition; are incapable of supporting prosperity, and are often embroiled with the government. They live in tents, and are mostly agricultural laborers and shepherds. The Moors are a hybrid race, the greater part of them being descendants of those who were driven from Spain. They inhabit the cities and towns, and are generally effeminate, intriguing, and given to pleasure and idleness. In youth they are slender, but become very corpulent in later life. They are more polished in their manner than the Arabs, but less social. Many of them hold official positions, and a large part of the commerce is in their hands. The Jews chiefly inhabit the cities, although some are found among the Berbers, and a few even in the Sahara at Wad Nun and at Akka. They are more ignorant than their brethren in other countries, but are shrewd and enterprising, and many of them become rich, as they are the sole dealers in bullion. Most of them are engaged in commerce. The negroes are slaves or de- scendants of slaves imported from Soodan and other parts of central Africa. As there is no prejudice against color in Morocco, their descendants are of all shades of complexion, and most of the sherifs and principal officials are mulattoes. Many of them become free when converted to Islamism, and are then enrolled in the bokJiary or body guard of the sultan. They are intelligent and docile, but more stubborn and more malicious than the Moors and Arabs. In general the people of Morocco are barbarous and fierce, but not fero- cious or bloodthirsty as they have sometimes been represented. The vendetta is customary among them, but they do not. assassinate stran- gers and travellers. Theft is seldom accom- panied by murder, except in case of prolonged resistance. Craig, a late English traveller, says the rarity of crime is remarkable. The total population has been estimated from 3,000,000 to 15,000,000. Reaumier, who visited Morocco in 1866, thinks the latter number the more probable ; but according to Craig, the popula* tion, which at the beginning of the century, by a valuation considerably exaggerated, was estimated at 14,000,000, does not now exceed 4,000,000. The depopulation is still going on, and in the seaport towns alone has there been any development in the past few years. The chief languages spoken are the Berber and the Arabic. In the south a modified form of the Berber is called Shellooh. The Arabic is but a gross dialect of the language of the Koran, and the pronunciation differs in the different provinces. The Jews speak an almost unintelligible Arabic jargon, and those of Tetuan, Tangier, and El-Araish an idiom of Spanish that is almost as bad. The negroes speak the Arabic with a pronunciation pecu- liar to themselves ; many of them preserve also their native Mandingo and Bambara tongues. The dominant religion is Mohammedanism of the Sunnite division and Malekite sect. The Berbers know generally only the profession of faith of the Koran, and follow blindly the teachings of the marabouts who govern them. The negroes make sincere converts to Islam- ism, but are much addicted to the practice of magic. The Jews belong to the Sepharadic (peninsular or western, improperly called Por- tuguese) division of their race, and follow the Talmud as interpreted by their rabbis to the