The renegadoes, or foreigners, who have adopted the religion of the country, may be considered as forming a distinct class among the inhabitants of Barbary. The greater part of them are Jews, who have sought, in apostacy, a refuge from their oppres sions; others are fugitive criminals, or men of despe rate fortunes, from Spain ; and a few are the younger part of European crews, who have been shipwrecked on the coast. A renegado, upon his conversion, is circumcised, clothed in a Moorish habit, and con ducted through the streets on horseback accompa nied with music. and a great concourse of people. He then chooses a Mahonunedan name, and fixes upon some person, who adopts him as a child, and who is afterwards called his father ; but who is not considered as bound to take any farther notice of him. There may be a few instances of persons of this description having risen, by their abilities and knowledge, to situations of wealth and power ; bur, in general, their condition is exceedingly abject and despicable. The native Moors avoid their society, and seldom allow them to intermarry with their fa milies. They are at liberty only to connect them selves with a negro, or the daughter of a renegado ; and their descendants are not acknowledged as genuine Mahommedans till the fourth generation. They fre quently find their situation so very deplorable, that ' they arc ready to expose their lives to the greatest hazards, in order to make their escape from the country.
In all the states of Barbary, the government is of the most despotic description ; and the inhabitants are subject to the most degrading oppressions. The supreme power is entirely without controul; and the lives and property of the natives are wholly at the disposal of their rulers. Every kind of cruelty and injustice is systematically practised ; and it is even said to be a maxim of government in this unhappy country, that, " in order to rule the people effec tually, there should always be a stream of blood flowing from the throne." The same principle of tyranny descends through the inferior classes of go vernors; and, provided they regularly remit to their superiors the required tribute, they are seldom called to account for their conduct. To be rich, is the greatest of all crimes in the eye of the Barbary princes; and such of their subjects, as have acquired property to any considerable amount, are very rarely permitted to enjoy it in peace. Their wealth is either openly extorted by the hand of power, or unjustly confiscated under the colour of law. The efforts of industry are thus completely paralysed ; and the la bours of the people are almost entirely confined to the supply of their immediate wants. Those, who are affluent, assume the appearance of indigence ; and often, for still greatear security, deposit their riches in the bosom of the earth. The secret of this con cealment, if not extracted by torture, frequently dies with the possessor; and the amount of hidden trea sures in Barbary is supposed to be much greater than the quantity of coin which is in actual circulation. According to the laws of the Koran, indeed, the forms of order and justice are generally observed, but very little of the substance exists; and, in most cases, judgment may easily be purchased by money. Trials arc very expeditiously conducted; and the person ac cused is not always heard in his own defence. Sen tence is as expeditiously executed, as it is pronoun ced; and the condemned are not unfrequently hurried out of existence, without properly knowing for what offence they are made to suffer.
The punishments employed in this country are as severe, as they are summary ; and are continually varying according to the fancy of the inhuman des pots, by whom they are inflicted. Less heinous of
fences are punished by imprisonment and the basti nado, by cutting off the hands or feet, by tossing in the air so as to bruise the criminal by the fall : There are persons, who have learned by practice to inflict the last mentioned punishment so dexterously, as to be able, according to their instructions, to dash out the offender's brains, to dislocate his neck, to fracture his leg or arm, or to make him reach the ground without sustaining any material injury. In the case of capital offences, there are many barbarous methods of inflicting death upon the wretched criminal. He is knocked down with clubs, stabbed, or beheaded with swords, and sometimes literally cut to pieces ; thrown in a bag into the sea, impaled, on a stake, burned alive, suspended from iron hooks, tossed upon sharp pointed pikes, dragged at the heels of a mule, and sometimes actually sawn asunder.
The religion of Barbary is the Mahommedan, of which it is unnecessary here to give a detailed ac count ; but which, it may be observed, the Moors have greatly relaxed with respect to many of its pre cepts, and which, on the other hand, they have bur dened with many additional superstitions. They se drink wine without scruple, and often to great excess ; and easily satisfy their consciences by pro fessing to take it as a medicine. In like manner, they render any prohibited food perfectly lawful, by mere ly ascribing to it some medicinal quality. They have the same ecclesiastical orders, acts of worship, festi val seasons, &c. as other Mahommedans ; but in addi tion to the public mosques, they have a great variety of private chapels consecrated to the devotion of in dividuals ; and they surpass all the followers of Ma hornet in the reverence which they testify to the 'dif ferent orders of saints. These are very numerous in Barbary, and of various descriptions ; but they are known by the general name of Takeers or Mara boots, * and may be distributed into two principal classes. 1st, Those, who, by frequent ablutions, self-imposed austerities, strict observance of the Koran, and other acts of rigid devotion, have acquired the reputation of extraordinary piety. Of these, many are very sincere devotees, who make it their employ ment to visit the sick and to relieve the necessitous ; but the greater part are artful hypocrites, who assume the appearance of sanctity merely to promote their influence with the multitude. Those are particular ly called Maraboots, who lead a retired life like her mits, pretending to possess magical skill, to foretel future events, and to be endowed with miraculous powers. These generally preside at religious cere monies, marriages, funerals, &c.; and employ them selves in selling different kinds of amulets or talismans to their deluded votaries. Under this class may be ranked those itinerant mountaineers, who pretend to be great favourites with Mahomet, and to have power over all venomous reptiles ; and who go about the coun try entertaining the people by eating snakes, vomiting fire, and other juggling tricks. They are sometimes known to run about in a frantic manner, leaping, dan Cing, foaming at the mouth; and in these furious fits they often fall upon the first animal in their way, tear it to pieces with their teeth, and instantly devour it like beasts of prey ; while the people are all the time anxiously soothing them with caresses, and using all possible means to quiet their frenzy.