CHAPTER IV.
Population of the Empire of Marocco. — Account of its Sea-ports, Cities, and Towns.
Various and contradictory statements have been made by travellers, of the population of this country. From all the accounts which I have been able to collect on the subject, and from authentic information, extracted from the Imperial Register, of the inhabitants of each province, I think the following as correct a statement as can possibly be made:
| Inhabitants. | ||
|---|---|---|
| The city of | Marocco | 270,000 |
| Fas, old and new city | 380,000 | |
| Mequinas | 110,000 | |
| Muley Dris Zerone | 12,000 | |
| Tetuan | 16,000 | |
| Tangier | 6,000 | |
| Arzilla | 1,000 | |
| El Araiche | 3,000 | |
| Mamora | 300 | |
| Salée | 18,000 | |
| Rabat | 25,000 | |
| Total | 841,300 | |
| Brought over | 841,300 | |
| El Mensoria, Fedalla, and ElKasser Kabeer | 1,000 | |
| Dar el Beida | 1,000 | |
| Azamor | 1,000 | |
| Mazagan, Tet, and El Woladia | 3,000 | |
| Saffy, or Asfee | 12,000 | |
| Mogodor, or Sueerah | 10,000 | |
| Santa Cruz, or Agadeer | 300 | |
| Terodant | 25,000 | |
| Messa | 1,000 | |
| Total population of thetowns | 895,600 | |
| The Province of | Erreef | 200,000 |
| El Garb | 200,000 | |
| Benihassen | 300,000 | |
| Tedla | 450,000 | |
| District of | Fas, exclusive of the cities ortowns | 1,280,000 |
| Duquella | 966,000 | |
| Temsena and Shawia | 1,160,000 | |
| Abda | 500,000 | |
| Shedma | 550,000 | |
| District of | Marocco | 1,250,000 |
| Haha | 708,000 | |
| Draha | 350,000 | |
| Carried forward | 7,914,000 | |
| Brought forward, | 7,914,000 | |
| Suse, viz. | ||
| Benitamer, | 11,000 | |
| Idautenan, | 10,000 | |
| Msegina | 87,000 | |
| Exima, | 11,000 | |
| Howara | 80,000 | |
| Kitiwa | 50,000 | |
| Shtuka | 380,000 | |
| Ait Bamaran | 300,000 | |
| Wedinoon | 200,000 | |
| Ras el Wed | 80,000 | |
| Elala | 25,000 | |
| Seedi Hamed O Musa sanctuary anddistrict | 20,000 | |
| Akka, and territory | 10,000 | |
| Tatta, and ditto | 10,000 | |
| Ufran, or Ifran | 10,000 | |
| Ilirgh | 10,000 | |
| Messa, and territory | 10,000 | |
| Teeselerst | 25,000 | |
| The district of Agadeer, or SantaCruz including Tildi, Taddert, and Tamaract | 1,000 | |
| Woled Busebbah, the part of thatKabyle, which now inhabits Suse | 1,000 | |
| Ait Atter | 360,000 | |
| Idaultit, | 400,000 | |
| Carried over | 10,005,000 | |
| Brought over | 10,005,000 | |
| Inferior Kabyles, forming otherparts of Suse, not specified | 336,000 | |
| 10,341,000 | ||
| Total. | ||
| The tribes of the Berebbers ofNorth Atlas altogether | 3,000,000 | |
| District of Tafilelt | 650,000 | |
| Provinces of the Marocco Empire,West of Atlas | 10,341,000 | |
| Inland cities, towns, andports | 895,600 | |
| Total population of the wholeempire, including Tafilelt | 14,886,600 | |
Persons who have travelled through the country, unacquainted with the mode of living of the inhabitants, may, probably, consider the above as an exaggerated statement: but it should be understood, that a stranger, in such cases, sees little of the population, as the various douars of Arabs are at a considerable distance from the roads, from which they always retire, to avoid the visits of travellers, whom they are compelled, by the laws of hospitality, to furnish with necessary provisions for three days, without receiving any pecuniary remuneration; of this fact travellers, in general, have not been apprised, and have, in consequence, formed calculations which represent the population very inferior to what it actually is.
The western coast of Marocco is defended with numerous rocks, level with the surface of the water, which extend along the shore in various parts, from the Streights of Gibraltar to Agadeer: we find, however, occasionally, in the intermediate places, an extensive beach, where the water is shallow, and the surf runs high. The empire of Marocco is separated from Algiers by the river Muluwia, which falls into the Mediterranean sea, in long. W. from London, 1° 30′.
The sea-ports of this empire have but a limited commerce with foreign nations: and are consequently neither very extensive nor populous.
Proceeding along the coast of the Mediterranean, we come to the town of Melilla, (the ancient Ryssadirium,) called by the Arabs Melilia, in possession of the Spaniards, who have a garrison here; the country, in its vicinity, abounds with wax and honey, which latter is equal to that of Minorca, and when kept a year, is nearly as hard and white as loaf sugar. The Goths, in whose possession Melilla was when the Arabs invaded the country, abandoned it; and the latter, after retaining it some years, forsook it to dwell in their tents. The Spaniards took possession of it about the beginning of the 15th century. It was besieged by Seedy Mohammed ben Abdallah, Emperor of Marocco, in the year 1774, but without effect.
The next town worthy of notice is Bedis de Gomaira, situated between two mountains, at the bottom of which there was anciently a city called Bedis, supposed to have been founded by the Carthaginians. The Arabs call it Belis, and some Europeans, by a corruption of the word, Velis, the name given it in most of our maps and charts. In the neighbourhood of this place are forests of excellent timber, with which the Moors, before the Spaniards obtained possession of it, built fishing-vessels.