The inhabitants, like those of Barbary (the entire country of North Africa, from Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Mediterranean to the (ireater At- las) in general, consist of Moors, Berbers, Arabs, Negroes, and Jews, with various intermixtures between these races. The Arabians, who have kept their identity not- withstanding the long period of time they have dwelt in the country, are mostly given to cultivation of the land; indeed, they are about the only agriculturists of the country. They dwell mainly in the valleys. The floors (q. V.) are the most mmierous in the cities, and are the dominant race in iMorocco, numbering about 4,000,000; next to them are the Berbers, or Amaziyehs, who amount to about 3,000,000, and include the Ber- bers of the Kiff coast and the Slielluks of the (ireat At- las. Very few Europeans reside in Morocco. The state of civilization is very low. and many of the Amaziyehs are complete savages. Excepting the Jews and the few Europeans, the whole population is Jlohammedan. The negroes, numbering oidy about 20,000, were gener- ally brought into the country as slaves from Soudan, until the abolition of the African slave-trade.
The country is generally mountainous, the Atlas range traversing it in several parallel chains from the south- west to north-east, and sending numerous spurs to both the coast country- and the desert. There are, however, many level tracts throughout ^Morocco, especially at its western and eastern extremities, and on the borders of the desert. IMorocco is divided into four territories — Fez, Morocco, Suse, and Talilelet. For convenience of administration, the empire is subdivided into thirty- three governments or districts ("ammala"), each under the superintendence of a " caid," whose chief duty it is to collect the imposts; but the semi-independent tribes are ruled by their own chiefs, and scarcely acknowledge the authority of the sultan. The government is purely despotic, and in the absence of written laws the will of the sultan and his subordinates decides cverytliing. The public ofhcials eke out their allowances by jjtact ic- ing extortion on those under their charge, and are in turn plundered by their superiors. The sovereign of ilorocco, called by Europeans emperor, is known among his subjects as sultan, and assumes the titles of Einit- til-mumcnin, or " Prince of the Believers," and Khalifit- allah-fi chalkihi, or "Vicegerent of (iod upon Earth." The title is hereditary in the male line, but lioes not necessarily descend to the eldest son. The revenue of the emperor consists of a tenth ujion every article of consumption, as allowed by tiie Kor.nn; an animal tax upon tlic Jews; ciistom-liouse and excise duties; trib- utes exacted from his own suljects, foreign states, and European merchants, in the form of jtrescnls; which last articles form the chief source of his income. The
MOROCCO
649
MOROCCO
duties and tributes are so frequently changed that it is impossible to estimate their annual amount with any degree of certainty.
Among the chief products of the countrj' are wheat, barley, rice, maize, durra, and sugar-cane; and among fruits, the tig, pomegranate, lemon, orange, and date are common ; while cotton, tobacco, hemp, etc., are largely produced both for home use and export. Morocco is rich in mineral treasures; plentiful supplies of copper are obtained at Teseleght, near the source of the As- saker, and gold and silver occur in several places. Iron, antimony, lead, tin, and rock-salt, the last three in con- siderable quantity, are also found. Owing to the char- acter of the country and its thin population (thirty-five to the English square mile), the country is much infested with wild animals. Lions, panthers, hyenas, wild-boars, and various kinds of deer, gazelles, etc., abound in suit- able localities, and occasional devastations are commit- ted by locusts. Ostriches are found in Tafiklet. The Moorish horses, formerly so famous, are now much de- generated. The breeding of sheep, oxen, goats, camels, mules, and asses forms an important item of national industry. Oxen and bulls are chiefly employed in field labor.
The only industrial arts prosecuted to any consider- able extent are the manufacture of caps, fine silk, and leather. In the production of the last article the Mo- roccans far surpass Europeans. There is an important caravan trade between jMorocco and Soudan, and also with Mecca and the Levant. The intercourse with Al- giers has in very recent times become a source of great trouble, and there is danger of war between France and Morocco unless the emperor's subjects shall hereafter prove more considerate of French interests. The Jews of Algeria, who largely control the caravan trade, have been very unkindly treated, and their complaints have been made the subject of special diplomatic service, the end of which is not yet (April, 1875). Education con- sists in learning to read, write, and recite portions of the Koran, and this quantum of education is pretty generalh' diffused among the people; but the art of printing is unknown, and the arts and sciences are at a very low ebb.
The religion of Morocco was no doubt Christian un- til, in the 7th and 8tli centuries, the Saracens overran it, and made converts of the native population. See Africa, in vol. i, p. 94. Since this changed condition Morocco has been faithfid to the Moslem faith. Yet toleration is granted in some measure to any sect which does not teach a plurality of gods ; and on proper ap- plication is permitted to appropriate a place for public worship. There are Roman Catholic establishments in Morocco, Mequinez, Mogadore, and Tangier, but the number of communicants is not much over 200. Protestants are scarcely known in the country, and thus far no missionary efforts have been made in this part of Africa. Until 1814 Christians were frequently held as slaves, but since the power of France asserted it- self on the African coast this abuse has terminated. Some of the practices of the natives are very peculiar. Thus through all the country there are buildings of an octagonal form called ZaAviat, or sanctuaries, with an unenclosed piece of ground attached to each for the in- terment of the dead. In these places is a priest or saint, who superintends divine service and the burial of the dead, and who is often applied to as arbiter in disputes. In these consecrated places the wealthy in- habitants often deposit their treasures for security, and criminals find protection against the hands of justice. Polygamy is practiced in the country generally. The emperor himself supports a large harem, but has one superior wife, who is sultaness, and three other wives. Besides these he has a large number of concubines. Many of these are Jloorish women, as the Moors con- sider it an honor to have their daughters in the harem ; some of them European slaves; several are negresses: in all there are usually from sixty to one hundred, |