| (L. | Ismael son of a Sherrif, God illumine and preserve him. | S.) |
God assist his commanders, and give victory to his forces and armies! Amen. To the Captain of Tangier, Kirk; peace be to those who follow the right way! this by way of preface. Your letter came to the lofty place of our residence, and we understand what your discourse contained. As for the asking a cessation of arms by sea, know that it was not treated of between us till this present time. Neither did we make truce with you concerning any thing but Tangier alone: when you came to our illustrious house we treated with you about that matter for four years; and if you had sojourned there yourself, no Mooselmin would ever have gone into that town hostilely against you, but merely as a (peaceable) merchant.
As to a cessation of arms by sea, it was not negociated by us, neither did we discourse about it; but when you desired it of us, we wrote to your master, in England, saying, “If you desire a cessation of arms by sea, and are willing to receive a firm peace from us, send us two understanding men of the chief of the Diwan of England, by whom the peace of all the Christians here may be confirmed; and when they shall arrive at the lofty place of our residence, and sit before us, whatsoever they shall hear from us, by way of agreement, shall be acceded to.” And we have given you security at sea for four months, viz. from the time
بطنجه الي يوم ورود الجواب منه وقدوم الرجلين المذكورين علي الوصف المدكور واما هولا الذي دكرت في كتابك وانهم قبضوا في البحر فلم يكن عندي بهم علم ولاخبر لان كلامكم في ذلك كان مع علي بن عبد الله وقد انصفكم من المسلمين الذين اخذوا من اشتكيتم لنا بسببه وردّاكم النصارة وسجن البحريين علي ذلك ولم عرفت انا انّهم ظلموكم و وقعت بيني و بينكم مهادنة في البحر كما وقعت لاربع سنين في البر بواسطتك وسبب محبك اكنت انا علقتم و محوت اثارهم و انتقمت منهم اشد الانتقام وقد دكر لنا خدعينا محمد بن حدُ اعطار الذي جامن عندكم ان السباع ببلاد كم قليل وانكم تحبون ر ويته فحين جاء خدعيكم الينا وجد عندنا فرخين صغيرين من السباع فوجهناها لكم معه واعلم اناجاء لنا من عند سيدكم ثلاثة من الخيل المعدّين بحّر الكرثن مع خدامنا الذين كانوا هنالك و الكرثين يحتاج الي اربعة من الخيل يجرونه فلابد ان تبعث لنا حصاناءَ اخر من دلك الوصف ومن دلك ابحعر و من ذلك القدّ والقدر يجرّوه باربعة واغرموا لنا به ولابدّ ولابدّ والسّلام و به لبّتٌ * في السابع من ذي القعده الحرام عام ثلاثة وتسعين و الف
we sent to you our letter to Tangier, till the day that there comes an answer from him, and until the arrival of the two ambassadors aforementioned, after the aforesaid manner. As for those men, who in thy letter thou didst say were taken at sea, I neither know nor have heard any thing of them; your discourse about that matter having been with Ali ben Abd Allah, and he administered justice [to you] upon the Mooselmin who had taken these men prisoners, for the sake of him for whom you made your complaint to us, and he returned the Christians to you, and imprisoned the sailors for capturing them. Now if there shall happen to be a peace between me and you at sea, as there is for four years by land, through your mediation, and by reason of your coming to us, I will hang them, and blot out their footsteps, and be revenged on them with the most severe revenge.
Our Servant, Mohammed ben Hadu Aater, who came from your presence, told us that lions are scarce in your country, and that they are in high estimation with you. When your servant came to us, he found we had two small young lions; wherefore by him we send them to you. And know, that we have received, by our servants, from your master, three coach-horses; now a coach requires four horses to draw it, wherefore you must needs send us another good one of the same kind and size, that they may draw the coach with four horses. Oblige us in this, by all means. Farewell! We depend upon it. Written on the seventh of the sacred month Du El Kadah, in the year ninety-three and a thousand.
Letter from Seedi Muley Soliman, Emperor of Marocco, &c. &c. to His Majesty George the Third.
بسم الَّله الَّرحمن الَّرحيم
وهَو حسبنا و نعم الوكيل * ولا حول ولاقوة اِلا بالله العلي العظيم
من عبد الله اِمير المومنين المتوكل علي بن العالمين سُليمان بن محمد بن عبد الله بن اِسماعيل الشريف الحسَني العلوي اعلا الله امرا سلطان فاس و مراكش و سوس و درعه و تافيلالت و أتوات و جميع الا قاليم المغريبه