The Moors have in general rather a of clothing, which very much conceals the form of their persons ; but the fashion of their dress is supposed to be very ancient, and bears a great re semblance to that of the patriarchs, as represented in paintings. That of the men consists of a red cap, or turban, and frequently of both, the latter being wrapped round the bottom of the former, and ser ving often to distinguish the rank or profession of the wearer, by the number and fashion of its folds ; a pair of linen drawers, reaching to the ankle, over which they sometimes wear another pair of woollen cloth ; a linen, cotton, or gauze shirt, generally banging over the drawers, with large and loose sleeves ; a vest, or tunic, called a caftan, resembling an European great-coat, generally made of cotton in summer, and of woollen in winter, sometimes with and sometimes without sleeves, connected before with very small buttons down to the bottom, and fastened tight around the body with a sash ; a sash or girdle of worsted, fine linen, cotton, and sometimes of silk, in which are frequently stuck a knife or dagger, and one end of which is sewed up to serve as a purse ; a velvet cord, crossing over the right shoulder, and suspending a sabre on the left side ; yellow slippers on their feet, instead of shoes, but no stockings on their legs. This is their usual dress, when in the house, or when employed in any kind of work ; but, when they go abroad, they throw over all, in a care less but elegant manner, a garment of white cotton, silk, or wool, called a hayk *, five or six yards in length, and about two in breadth, very similar to the Scotch plaid,, and supposed to be the same as the peplus of the ancients. Instead of this, and fre quently above it, they use occasionally a blue cloak with a hood, called a burnose, made of woollen cloth, and of a very close texture, so as to resist the rain. The Moors wear their beards long, but have their heads shaved, except a single lock in the middle. The more wealthy have plain gold rings upon their fingers ; and frequently carry a rosary in their hands, .more by way of ornament, than for any religious purpose. The Arabs wear no linen, and, except in paying visits, (when they always put on drawers), have seldom any other garment, than the hayk, which serves them at once as a covering through the day, and a bed during night. They fasten the two upper corners before the breast, and over one of the shoulders, with a wooden bodkin ; and then wrap the rest -of the robe about their bodies, while the outer fold is generally employed to hold such articles as they may have occasion to carry. Their heads are almost always without any covering, except a narrow fillet around the temples to bind up their hair, or the hood of the burnose drawn up shower. On the confines of Sahara, they arc often completely naked, or, at most, have only a pair of thin drawers. The Berebbers wear the drawers and the burnose. The dress of the Jews differs very lit tle from that of the Moors, except that their cap, slippers, and outer garments, must always he of a black colour. Lepers are obliged to distinguish themselt•es, by wearing a straw hat, with a very broad brim, tied on in a peculiar manner. The na tives of Barbary are scrupulously cleanly with re gard to the insides of their houses ; and cannot en dure the slightest contamination to remain near the place where they sit. The frequent ablutions, also, imposed by their religion, (though often performed in a very slovenly manner,) tend to give them a great appearance of personal cleanliness ; but their gar ments are very seldom washed, and are generally in a very disgusting state of filth.
The condition of the women in Barbary is the same as •in other Mahcmmedan countries. Reared in ignorance, and imprisoned in their apartments, they are rather the slaves than the companions of their husbands. Those, who reside in towns, sel dom leave their houses, except for the purpose of visiting one another ; and, when they do go abroad, they are so completely veiled, that they ,cannot he distinguished by their nearest relations. On these occasions, women of rank always ride on mules, or in litters, attended by a slave ; and it is only the ser vants, the aged, and the very lowest of the people, • who arc seen walking in the streets. Among the Arabs, and the inhabitants of the villages, the wo men have more liberty ; but they have also more la bour. They are continually occupied in weaving at the loom, grinding corn with the hand-mill, cook ing the provisions, attending the cattle, and after a day of fatigue, have to trudge, often two or three miles, perhaps, with their infants on their backs, to bring water. They are generally required also to equip the horses, to take down and pack up the tents, and sometimes to carry heavy burdens on foot, while the lazy Arab is riding at his ease. They are subjected in short to every species of drudgery ; and it is even affirmed, that, in some parts of the coun try, they are occasionally yoked with the cattle in the labours of the field. The women of this coun try are generally handsome ; and have a great de gree of rustic simplicity in their manners. Their persons are rather below the middle stature, remark ably fat and square, with large hands and feet. Their faces are round ; their nose and mouth small ; and their countenances, though beautiful, very defi cient in expression. They have, however, a very
noble gait, a complexion as fair as the females of Europe, and, except when descended from renega does, their eyes and hair are universally black. In the inland districts, especially towards the south west, and in some particular cities, such as Rebel and Mequinez, they are said to be exquisitely beautiful. The lower classes, indeed, and especially the Arab wo men, who are seldom veiled, have a_very swarthy com plexion, and are rarely well-favoured. Those who are generally seen in the streets, are round shapeless bundles, resembling bales of ,cloth in motion. Co vered to the mouth with woollen, and staring through a dirty rag hanging over their face, they have alto gether a very hideous and disgusting appearance. Corpulency is considered as their principal charm ; and the fattening of young women thus becomes a very important object of domestic attention. In or der to promote this growth of beauty, they use in their food a powder called elhortba ; and swallow great quantities of paste heated in the steam of boiling water. But their sedentary manner of life, contri butes perhaps more effectually, than all other means, to produce that plump habit of body, for which they are distinguished. Their dress consists of drawers, shirt, and tunic, nearly resembling those of the men; except that the neck of the two latter is left open, and the edges generally ornamented with embroidery. To their girdles of silk, or crimson velvet, are at tached two broad straps, which pass under each arm over the shoulders, forming a cross upon the breast, and suspending a gold chain in the front. The hair, which it is their great pride to have very long, is plaited backwards from the forehead, in a variety of folds, hanging loose behind, but fastened together at the bottom by a little twisted silk. A long nar row stripe of gauze or silk is then wrapped•round the hair in such a manner, that the ends intermingle, with the tresses, and hang down behind almost to the ground. A handkerchief of linen, crape, or ' common silk, surrounding the head like a close cap, and collected ii. a bow behind, covers and completes the head dress. At the upper part of the ears, they have a small gold ring with a cluster of precious stones ; and at the lower part, another ring and dus ter of a larger size. They wear also rings on their fingers, bracelets on their wrists, rims of gold or sil ver on their ankles, and a variety of necklaces com posed of beads, pearls, or gold chains. They some times use a kind of loose stocking to give the leg a thicker appearance ; and wear slippers, always of a red colour, and generally embroidered with gold, which they take off, when they enter their apart ments. Besides the veil and hayk, with which they cover their heads, when they walk out, they some times wear also straw hats, with a view to keep off the rays of the sun. The dress of the lower classes consists chiefly of drawers, and a coarse woollen tunic tied round the waist by a band,with a common handker chief upon their heads ; but frequently in the house, and especially in the tents, they have no other cover ing than a towel round their loins. At all times, however, and in the midst of all their drudgery, the lowest and most wretched among them• are loaded with all the trinkets which they possess, such as ear rings, bracelets, necklaces, and even small looking glasses hanging on their breasts : This may be part ly owing, indeed, to their having no proper place in which to deposit them. The 'women of the Jews are the most handsome, and the most inclined to in trigue. Those of them who are married, are not re quired to wear veils ; and arc permitted to walk about, without much restraint Their dress is simi lar to that of the other Barbary females, except, that instead of drawers, they generally wear petticoats of green woollen cloth, with embroidered borders. All classes of women in Barbary are addicted to the use of various paints or cosmetics, to which may, in a great measure, be ascribed that shrivelled and aged appearance which their faces acquire at a very early period of life. They stain the corners of their eyes, their eye-lids, and eye-brows, with a black pigment, a preparation of lead ore ; and it is accounted a great addition to their charms to have a long black stripe across the forehead, along the ridge of the nose, on the cheeks, and from the chin down to the throat. They paint their cheeks and chin, the nails of their fingers and toes, and the inside of their hands and feet, with a deep red. They frequently also tinge the whole of their hair, hands, and feet, with a herb called henna, which produces a deep saffron, or bright orange colour ; and which imparts a pleasing softness and coolness to the skin. Most of the wo men among the Arabs and Berebbers imprint, with needles and gun-powder, the forms of flowers and other objects, on their face, neck, and other parts of their bodies. The women of this country very soon attain the state of puberty ; are frequently mo thers at eleven or twelve years of age, and grand mothers at twenty-two or twenty-three ; and, as they live as long as Europeans, they generally witness several generations of their posterity. They lose their bloom, however, and cease from child-bearing about the age of thirty. They suffer very little in.