After the heat and noise, to say nothing of the disagreeable odors of the city, it is a relief to get outside the walls and enjoy the beauty and sweetness of the royal gardens. Here in the cool and quiet is the best place from which to view the royal family, the various officers of state, and such distinguished guests as may be in attendance on the court.
DINNER TIME IN MOROCCO.
The palace of the emperor is far from imposing; there is, in fact, nothing remarkable about it. Some of our hotels present a more elegant and imposing appearance.
The population of Morocco is, as we might suppose, a mixed one. People of all colors, the educated and the ignorant of all classes mingle together. Here, in fact, are all sorts and conditions of men.
Mekinez is the summer residence of the Sultan. It has a fine situation in the midst of olive plantations, about forty miles west of Fez, to which broad streets, lined with beautiful shade trees, present a very pleasing contrast. It is surrounded by a triple row of notched or crenated walls, and the approach to the city in the full light of midday is most beautiful, with the thousands of white terraces standing out in bold relief from the deep blue sky.
Not a column of smoke can we perceive ascending from any of the multitude of houses; not a person is visible either upon the terraces or before the walks; not a sound is to be heard.
We might believe we were in an enchanted city where some "sleeping beauty" lay waiting for the hundred years to expire. We stand in silence, as if spellbound by the grandeur of some wondrous painting.
There is a saying, among the natives, that Mekinez can justly lay claim to having the most beautiful women in the empire of Morocco, the most ornamental gardens in Africa, and the finest imperial in the world.