mai INTRODUCTION.

between Santa Cruz and Wedinoon. They were

entitled to the office of pitching the Emperor's

tent, and attending his person. They can raise 40,000 men, and they were the first who ac- companied Muley Hamed Dehebby

** in his march to Timbuctoo.

He considers himself now as settled at Tetuan, where he has a wife and children. He left it about twelve months ago, with three

friends, to go to Hamburg (as before men-

tioned.) They were confined forty-seven days

at Ostend, were taken the second day of their voyage ; the English captain put them ashore

at Dover against their inclination, and pro- ceeded to Gibraltar with their goods : this was

in December, 1789.

the country between Terodant and the port of Messa. The encampments of an emigration of the Woled Abusebah

(vulgarly called, in the maps, Labdessebas) Arabs of Sahara,

occupy a considerable district between Tomie, on the coast,

and Terodant. The coast from Messa to Wedinoon is occu-

pied by a trading race of Arabs and Shelluhs, who have inter-

married, called Ait Bamaran, These people are very

anxious to have a port opened in their country, and some

sheiks among them have assured me, that there is a peninsula

on their coast conveniently situated for a port. This cir-

cumstance is tvell deserving the attention of the maritime and

commercial nations of the voorld.

^ The youngest son of the Emperor Muley Ismael con-

ducted the expedition here alluded to, about the year of

Christ 1727. For an account of which see the Appendix,

page 523.