As for what our servant Alkaid Ali ben Abdallah did to ----, the Christian, thy servant, by God we know nothing of it, nor gave him any permission as to any thing that passed between them; and, at the instant that we heard that he had taken thy man, we commanded him to set him at liberty forthwith; and since then we have never manifested any favour to Alkaid Ali, nor was our mind ever right towards him afterwards till he died.
Our Christian servant, the merchant, Bayly, told us, that thou hadst a mind to an ostrich, and we gave him two, a male and a female, which shall come to you, if God will. And, lo! a secretary, our servant, (who is much esteemed by us,) when he cometh he shall bring what goods he hath collected with him, if it please God. And we are in expectation of thy messenger the ambassador; and if he comes, he shall see nothing from us but what is fair; and we will deliver to him the Christians, and do what he pleases, if God will. Wherefore be kind to our servant, with respect.
Written the first of the Glorious Ramadan, in the year of the Hejra 1125 (corresponding with A.D. 1710).
LETTER V.
Translation of an Arabic Letter from the Sultan Seedi Muhamed [221] ben Abdallah, Emperor of Marocco, to the European Consuls resident at Tangier, delivered to each of them, by the Bashaw of the province of El Grarb, on 1st day of June, 1788, corresponding with the year of the Hejra, 1202.
Footnote 221:[ (return) ] Father of the present Sultan Soliman ben Muhamed.
L.S.
Mohamed ben Abdallah, ben
Ismael, Sultan ben, Sultan,
&c.
In the name of God, for there is no power or strength but from God.
To all the Consuls at Tangier.