The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-27 00:00:00

418 3 11

844,

and a worse religion, have corrupted sentiments
and enslaved the understandings, as well as the
persons and consciences, of the people. But the
Moors have no notion of sovereignty without despo-
tism; and to the inherent quality of this tyranny in
repressing improvement, the low state of Moroquin
knowledge may be ascribed. Education, therefore,
is in a dreadful lethargy, for, as Monsieur St. Olen
remarked :—" The Moors of Morocco are not much
addicted to reading." Yet it is scarcely five cen-
turies ago since the intellectual light of 'those regions
beamad in Spain !
With such motley and contradictory. elements, it
is difficult to predict the consequence of an invasion
of Morocco on a complete scale, or what would be
the nature and amount of its army on a crisis. In
this manner he might raise from 150,000 to 200,000
men of sorts with barely any distinction of uniform,
and variously armed, but all capable of enduring
hunger, thirst, and fatigue, _ with the utmost
patience. Indeed, men imbued with the principle
that though it is necessary to do their duty, yet it is
not necessary to live, are not readily put down ;
and opium and predestination, as Prince Eugene
observed, will make any man brave. Averse to the
sea, though dreaded as rovers, they never were good
sailors, but on land seem ever ready for action : and
with them a stranger and an enemy are synonymous
terms. Their general plan of attack is that of riding
up till within a couple of hundred yards of the enemy,
when they level muskets, fire, wheel round their
horses, and gallop away at full speed; after which,
when beyond shot-range, they reload and return to
the charge with loud yells. If the enemy gives way,
or exhibits signs of fear, they venture to push for-
wards; but if attacked, man to man, with the sabre,
we may safely consider their resistance as likely to be
very short, since they are obliged to hold both bridle
and gun in one hand if they use the sword with the
other. The latter they avoid to the, last moment,
preferring to rely on the swiftness of the attack and
retreat, and on a dexterous use of the musket. We
are here speaking of the Moors; but the Berber tac-
tics are, after the first fire, to rush in pell-mell
among the enemy, with bayonets fixed to their long
guns, which they manage with impetuosity and
bravery, placing their dependence rather on steel than
powder.

But should a powerful enemy succeed in occupy-
ing the plains of the country, with their towns and
cities, it is still very far from completing the con-
quest of Morocco; and even to maintain such occu-
pation, it would require that the conquerors should be
absolute in the maritime supremacy of the Mediterra-
nean. Under this military cantonment, the fastnesses
and elevated table-lands of the extensive Atlas range
must remain independent sine die; for they teem with
an unsublued race, in command of difficult passes
untraversed as yet but by themselves, and where
even the footsteps of the stranger would be
instantly traced by their keenness and sagacity.
Full of fire, strength, and courage, they are suspi-
cious, cruel, and implacable; and not at all
remarkable for sparing those who fall into their
clutches. They already view in Abd-el-Kader—who
is descended from one of the most ancient of the
Arabian families—the gallant defender of their
faith, and the heroic chief of the Holy war, in which
light the present contest with the French is univer-
sally regarded. A cry against them has broken forth
throughout North Africa, and given birth to a feeling
which will interfere with colonisation. Fanatically
attached to the rights of their soil, their religion, and
their race, the Atnazirghis—whose very name signi-
fies n9ble and free—live in a state of almost indepen.
dente, under the administration of their Omzargh,
Amzgar, and Amueran, elders and lords who are here-
ditary, and ever ready to lead. Their scheiks are
also active and intelligent in warlike affairs, as, in-
deed, they are expected to be : " The want of courage
in a chief," saith one of the proverbs, " is the standard
of revolt." They are at once very inclined and well
calculated for hostilities, as the rulers of Morocco have
frequently found ; for the mutual jealousies of the
mountain chiefs seem to be the only causes which
preserve to those rulers the shadow of authority over
the tribes.

The population of the Morocco empire is variously
represented. Jackson professes to have had access to
the Imperial Registers, and gives the following as the
result :—City of Morocco, 270,000 ; city of Fez,
280,000; -city of Mequinez, 110,000 ; other cities,
135,000; provinces, 13,991,000. Total, 14,886,000.
There is evident great exaggeration in this statement.
More recent travellers have set down the population
of the city of Morocco as 30,000, and the other towns
in proportion. Another writer is of opinion that the
entire population is not beyond 5,000,000. Perhaps
6,000,000 is nearer the truth. The plain between the
Atlas mountains and the sea is between four and five
hundred miles in length ; and the highest peak of the
chain is 13,050 feet. In 1547, an Arabian chief, of
the race of the Schireffes, ascended the throne, and
his posterity still rules.

THE GORGON STEAM-FRIGATE.
Extract of a letter from her Majesty's steam-ship
Gorgon, dated-Monte Video, May 16:—
" The Gorgon is what we call in nautical phrase
' high and dry' on the beach, but as sound as ever. In
a very heavy gale of wind on Friday, 10th May, two
of our chain cables broke, and we let go the third
cable, and tried to steam out to sea; hut failing in
that, and being without anchors of sufficient size re-
maining to hold the ship, we were driven up on the
sandy beach in this bay, about two miles from Monte
Video, and there we stick fast. The ship is 204 feet
long, and draws 17 feet of water; she is eight feet
deep in the sand, and is raised up eight feet above
her usual line of floatation. We are busy in taking
everything out of her, engines, boilers, &c., which
will occupy two months at least, and then we shall
heave her off. The French, American, and Brazi-
lian ships of war have offered their assistance, and
tike beach we are upon is in possession of the party
who are at war with the Monte Videans, and they,
have offered us several thousands of their soldiers if
necessary ; so I think there is no doubt about our get-
ting off again. We think to be afloat in a month, and
it will then take us two months to get all her stores in
again, so should we return to England with the
utmost dispatch, we could not arrive there for six
months from this time ; in this case we should sail
home, but if we wait to put our engines together
again, we could not possibly get to England for some
months longer. The ship is uninjured. The con-
tending parties in this wretched country vie with each
other in showing us every attention ; an officer of the
outside party lives on board to attend to our want,
and provide us with everything the country affords,
and we are more comfortable than we have ever been
before. This day week we were expecting to go to
the coast of Africa, but fortunately that cannot now
happen. We are very well off as to our living and
comforts in general; we have a good supply of beef,
mutton, poultry, and vegetables on reasonable terms,
also milk and butter; and we always bake our own
bread. The weather is getting cold also, hut clear
and dry; we have just put on our winter clothing ;
the air of this country you know is remarkable for
its freshness and purity, and we are all so delighted
with the health and plenty which we enjoy, that we
do not wish to get afloat again for a month or two at
least. Many of our men had not been on terra firma
since they left England, and they pretend to fear they
will be sea-sick when we get afloat again. The war of
extermination still rages with brutal ferocity ; the
beach and country are strewed with the uninterred
banes of its wretched victims. These cold-blooded
and barbarous scenes have sickened me of, at least,
this kind of prolonged and revengeful war which we
call the Indian system of war. In Europe,
where fleets and armies are so expensive, the contend-
ing p irties seek each other, a battle is fought and
peace restored; but here a large portion of the popu-
lation lire by war ; they avoid general combats, they
plot schemes of revenge with Indian patience and
cunning, and exult over their fallen foes in a manner
shockingly revolting to the feelings of those who have
been accustomed to civilised life. The Indian females
fight on horseback alongside their husbands, and
throw the lance with great accuracy. Even hospitals
are not respected; lately an hospital was surrounded,
and the doctor and all the patients put to death.
After the ship is off the beach we shall have to drag
her over the ground in seven or eight feet water for
nearly a mile before she will float, which will occupy
several days. The tides are influenced with the winds,
and inds,
and they rise when it blows from the S.W. (which it
did when we went on shore), and the people all say
here, that it had not been so high for twenty-eight
years as it was during the hurricane when we got
aground. Several houses near the beach were washed
down.

GIG ACCIDENT.—On Wednesday last a very serious
aecident occurred to Sir John
Broughton, Bart., at
Kingston.
The Baronet was riding inhis gig on the
Upper Ham -road, and had arrived opposite Elect Lodge,
Ilicnhis
out horse took fright and shyed. Sir John was
gig into the road, and fell with such
pitched‘of the
his collar bone, and otherwise injure
forcelial. as to break
Ile was assisted by some persons passing at the.
time, and afterwards taken to his own residence by Mr.
Harding, the farrier, at Kingston. Dr. SudlOw Roots was
soon in attendance upon him, and he is fast recovering.
HIGH TlDES.—Yesterday afternoon, shortly after
two O'clock, the neighbourhoods on the banks of the
Thames were inundated by the encroaehtnent of the tide,
which was of unusual height. Some of the steam •boats
had some difficulty in passing under the different bridges,
owing to the funnels coming in close contact with the upper
part of the arches. Parts of Wapping and Tooley-
street, near the banks of the river, were quite impassible
for some time ; the river also rushed into the cellars and
kitchens, doing considerable damage.
THE BUTTER TRADE.—Great excitement prevails
amongst the merchants and persons connected with the
butter trade in this city, in consequence of -intimation
having been received from the other side of the channel,
that extensive frauds are practising on the Weigh-house:
brands, the qualities of butter shipped at this port hav-
ing been altered. An investigation is _to take place before
the sow-committee of the committee of merchants.—Cork.
Examiner.