LEAVES FROM THE DIARY OF A BLIND TRAVELLER. A VISIT TO TETUAN. I THINK I hear my readers remark, as they read the title of this paper, how can a blind man have any impressions of Tetuan, or of any other place? still more, how could it enter his mind to make such a visit? how get there? or how surmount the difficulties of such a journey? They may well wonder; for the objects that meet the traveller in Western Barbary are so new and strange, that they would certainly bewilder a man with eyes, and put his ingenuity to the greatest stretch in remembering or recounting them, and cost much time and reflection before he would ever venture to record passing observations on lands so new. As a blind man, however, I have been bold enough to attempt a record of my impressions, and have thrown together my imperfect notes. After having travelled through the greater part of Spain, and visited the glorious rock of Gibraltar for about the fourth time, I was anxious to cross the famous straits which run between Europe and Africa, and actually test the dangerous and romantic waters of that little channel, on which the Moor and the Christian, when bent on thoughts of conquest and rapine, had so often cruized. The first difficulty that beset me in my somewhat wayward determination, was how to get to Barbary; as, from all that I could learn, there was no regular communication between it and Gibraltar; the steamer which used to pass between the opposite shores having been lost during the boisterous weather of the past winter. To make matters worse, I knew no one in Gibraltar who could give me satisfactory information, and was, as the sailors express it, on my beam ends, as to the means of reaching Tangiers or Tetuan. Some advised me to take a Felucca, an open sail-boat of about twenty tons; saying that, with provisions for a day or so, and a prosperous wind, I might reach Tangiers or Tetuan in safety. The inconvenience, however, of accommodation on board these vessels, the absence of a cabin, and the uncertainty as to the length of time I might be detained on the voyage, almost made me despair of effecting my long-wishedfor purpose. At length I remembered that Captain G, with whom I had sailed in the Genoa between many ports of the Mediterranean, and from whom I had received very many acts of kindness, had mentioned to me that his brother was settled at Gibraltar, where he carried on large mercantile transactions. I had frequently heard this gentleman spoken of in the highest terms of gratitude by those whom he had assisted in their travels; and I therefore determined to call upon him, enquire as to the doings of his brother, and trust myself to his guidance. This worthy and excellent man, R. G—, at once received me with all the kindness and attention of an old friend; and was not only most willing to assist me, but even to accompany me to Barbary, where, from his vast knowledge of Moors and Jews, and his frequent commercial intercourse with those people, he would be enabled to render great service to myself and party. He informed me that he could procure a vessel which had formerly been a yacht, and which was tolerably commodious, a fast sailer, and of good tonnage, though the cabin accommodation would be somewhat rougher than the "Albert and Victoria," and the stores less luxurious than those of the Club House, Gibraltar. Having settled the preliminaries with Mr. G, he and I, together with my constant friend and travelling companion, the Doctor, set about providing ourselves with the necessaries of life, which consisted of good beef, bread, and beer, with plenty of tea and brandy. My kind host likewise took care to provide me with every luxury and comfort for the outward man; sending on board the yacht bed and bedding, chairs, tables, and duplicate stores from his own kitchen. After some delay, in consequence of the illness of one of the officers of Her Majesty's 39th regiment, who was to have been of the party, I fairly started off for Africa. On leaving the Water Gate at Gibraltar, many of the by-standers imagined that we were bent on a long and dangerous voyage to some distant and deserted land, as we were loaded with so large a packet of stores and furniture. Our yacht being entirely without fittings, we had a real need of such cumbersome baggage. Once fairly aboard, I found the vessel a goodly little cutter of about fifty tons, with a crew of Spaniards, commanded by a Sicilian captain. The wind blowing from the south-west, a heavy sea running into the Gulf of Algieras, was no very encouraging prospect; and a dirty night was all I reasonably expected. I had made up my mind to steer for Tangiers, which is situated at the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar, on the southern side; but, even long before the west point of land that forms the bay of Algieras was reached, the wind rose to a strong and contrary breeze, the motion of the vessel became most unpleasant to a fine-weather sailor like myself, and the Sicilian captain began to shake his head, and recommend a change, of course; and, at length, boldly asked leave to turn the helm for Tetuan. If such a course was followed, he gave promise of a favourable breeze, a fair run, and a speedy arrival off the Coast of Africa. с Mr. G then told me that Tetuan was much better worth visit than Tangiers, although it was more difficult of access than the latter place; that I should also have to ascend a river in a small boat, and be thus exposed to the dangers of capture by the Reef pirates, who were constantly on the look-out all along the coast for any undefended vessel; and that, supposing this journey up the river was accomplished with safety, there would still be the perils of a desert waste to be encountered, before arriving at the town of Tetuan itself, without hope of getting assistance, should our party be attacked on the road. It was said, however, that Tetuan would amply repay all these risks and troubles; as it was a large city, inhabited by 60,000 Moors and Jews, with but one or two Christians amongst them whilst Tangiers was the residence of many European consuls, and the constant resort of Christian merchants; and thus had lost much of its Moorish character. : I replied to these arguments, that as I had come out to satisfy my thirst for novelty, one place would be as interesting to me as another; and that the dangers and difficulties, dependent on reaching Tetuan, would only serve to make it really more attractive. I sug gested, therefore, that it would be better for us to follow the captain's recommendation, and make for the Reef coast. The helm was soon put about, and, wind and tide in our favour, we glided quickly and agreeably through the water, and suffered but little inconvenience during the night. After a smooth sail of about six or eight hours under the lea of the African shore, we arrived off the coast of Barbary, opposite the mouth of a river on which Tetuan is situated, and up which we had to row, before arriving at a place where we could disembark. Previous to leaving the yacht, we took a hearty breakfast of the good things we had brought with us, and despatched a messenger to the English vice-consul at Tetuan, requesting that he would obtain permission for us to land, and that he would provide a safe escort, together with horses for ourselves and baggage; in order that we might, as soon as possible, reach the city. In less than two hours after casting anchor, we heard the shouts of a Moorish escort; and, concluding that we might prosecute our journey, left the yacht to the care of the captain; and, taking half a dozen of the men with us, entered a small boat and made for the shore. In rowing up the river to the Custom House, we saw several suspicious-looking craft, one of which contained four fierce looking men, who had fixed up a rude pole as their mast, and another as a rudder, and were dragging their huge boat through the shallows. Their savage and half-naked appearance was somewhat alarming, more particularly as they seemed very much inclined to overhaul us; though, when they perceived that we were twelve in party, whilst they numbered four or five, and could not possibly be aware whether we were not fully armed, they clearly dreaded a rough handling, if they came to close quarters with us; and therefore left us to pursue our voyage unmolested. The escort of Moorish soldiers and mule drivers was waiting for us at an old picturesque Moorish fort, which, standing out against the bright sky, looked a formidable battery; though in reality its guns were old and useless. The place of landing, however, was some little distance further up the river, near a hut, which seemed more like an Arab dwelling than a building devoted to the important duties of a custom house. Here we landed, and proceeded to inspect our escort and mules, and have our baggage overlooked by a soidisant Custom House officer. This worthy was a grave old Moor, who sat cross-legged, with pipe in mouth, and whose only duty seemed to consist in levying a sort of Black Mail on all comers. We thought it better, in order to propitiate the favours of this most important functionary, to give him something in the shape of a Backsheesh, or present; in return for which, he said: "May the blessings of Allah attend the Nazarene; may his journey be prosperous to the town of Tetuan; may his shadow never be less, and may he live a thousand years." After these good wishes, it was time to mount the mules and be off; for the aspect of the weather, which had been fine during the morning, had now become gloomy and overcast, and I might, notwithstanding our arrival in sunny Africa, have a good shower of rain and a wet jacket as a moist welcome to Tetuan. The Moorish soldier, who commanded our escort, having found that I was blind, forthwith considered me, according to the superstitions of his country, a sort of sacred personage, and showed me such attention and veneration, that, when it suddenly came on to rain in torrents, he threw his own hhaik, or bournous, over me, and endeavoured, by all the means in his power, to keep me dry. I must have looked an odd sort of figure in this outer garment; "More like an Arab chief than a Christian dog," as one of the mule drivers remarked. After a ride of two hours, having to cross several streams and to traverse a sort of rough, uncultivated plain, I neared the plain of Tetuan. G. and the Doctor were wet through; the latter seemed anxious and uneasy as to the result of our daring experiment; and even Mr. G. was by no means sure that our reception would be an agreeable one. The Doctor, nevertheless, was delighted at the view which burst upon him as the rain cleared away, and looking at Tetuan, still at some distance, at once described it to me. Mr. It presented a very picturesque appearance, situated on the slope of a hill, between mountains; its whitened minerets glistening in the sun, its houses of a truly Moorish character, clothing The the hill side. The whole town was surrounded by a white-washed wall, with battlements and handsome gates at intervals. country, though rugged and mountainous, was highly cultivated in the plains; and the beautiful gardens, which skirted the city on all sides, gave it a pleasant character and refreshing aspect. On arriving at the principal gate of the city, after a ride of nearly two hours, crowds of anxious, and seemingly angry, Moors, came out to meet us; whilst many of the women peered at the strangers from under their large straw hats and peeped through their veils at us, as though we were some wonderful animals from an unknown country. The Captain of the gate, an old shrivelledup Moor, forthwith began a long and angry discussion with the leader of our escort, which of course ended in Backsheels, and permission to enter the town. As we wended our way through the narrow streets of the city, the crowds increased; and by the time we reached the Jewish quarter, it was almost overpowering. Every now and then we were obliged to bow our heads as we passed under some low Moorish archway, whilst the mules of the mounted Moors became so numerous that they not unfrequently totally impeded our progress. After much noise and hallooing, on the part of our escort, the residence of Solomon Nahan, the town hotel-keeper, was reached, and we entered his low and Eastern-looking dwelling, which to external appearance was more like a Moorish prison than a place where weary travellers could rest and refresh themselves. A low doorway led through a passage into the interior of the dwelling, which was small and close, consisting of a lower story of four rooms, all of which opened into the quadrangular court of the house; the blue sky being visible over head from the square opening in the roof. The floor of the house was damp, from the rain that had fallen, and seemed slippery and uncomfortable. Round the upper part of this central building ran a small Moorish gallery, out of which the sleeping-rooms opened. After ascending a narrow staircase, the rooms reserved for the strangers were reached, which were likewise four in number. I occupied the one looking to the East, all the light being derived from the doorway. My room nad two low and curiously carved bedsteads, decorated with gaily painted Moorish ornaments. Two small holes, apologies for windows, and guarded by a very fine open wooden screen, admitted little air and less light. From the rafters of the roof depended brazen candelabra and Jewish vessels, while the whole place seemed to wear the air of such Israelitish antiquity, that I almost fancied myself in the primitive Biblical age, so accurate a copy was it of the dwellings one reads of in Scripture. Solomon Nahan, the Jew, waited on us, enquired as to our wants, and promised us a Jewish dinner. He was a fine, tall, but very coarse, Israelite; his |