[quirks-users] d by Colonel Fitz

[Kasack P. <imp...@gu...>]

Te; perfectly modest, but
without reserve; and the other sex pay them courteous attention. 208
ABUNDANCE OF CORN PRODUCED IN WEST BARBARY. _Costly Presents made by
Spain to the Emperor.--Bashaw of Duquella's weekly Present of a Bar of
Gold.--Mitferes or Subterraneous Depositories for Corn_. The empire

of Marocco, west of the Atlas, during the reign of Seedi Muhamed ben
Abdallah, father of the present Emperor Soliman, was one continued
corn-field. At that time the exportation was free to all parts of the
world. It is impossible to conceive
the abundance produced in this prolific land,
none but those who have actually seen the standing corn in the ear, and
have seen it reaped, can form any correct idea of its prodigious
increase. The plains of Rahamena, of Shawiya, of Temsena,

of Abda, and Duquella, those immense plains of M'sharrah Rummellah,
of Ait-Amor, and many others, form each, separately, extensive fields
of corn, farther
than the eye can reach. To give an idea
of the quantity produced in the plains near Dar El Beida, it will be
sufficient to say, that 250 sail of ships, from 150 to 700 tons, were
loaded at that port in one year of Seedy Muhamed's
reign. At the other

ports on the 209 shores of the Atlantic, viz. at Arzilla, L'Araich,
Meheduma, Rabat, Azamor, Mazagan,

Saffy, and Mogodor,
were shipped a quantity, almost equal in proportion to what was shipped
at Dar-El-Beida, so that the duties at one dollar per fanegue, of 80
lb. weight on the exportation of wheat, barley, Indian corn,
caravances,
beans, and seeds, in one year, according to the imperial registers,
amounted to 5,257,320 Mexico dollars.[151] Besides which, presents to
an incalculable amount were made from time to time by Spain and
Portugal, particularly by the former, to keep the Emperor in good
humour, and to prevent him from prohibiting the exportation of grain,
of which however there was little chance, as his Imperial Majesty was
always diligent