The mechanic arts, likewise, are in a very rude state among the Moors ; and seem to have undergone no improvement whatever for many ages past. Their tools are very few and simple ; their implements of husbandry, &c. especially their ploughs, mills, looms, forges, are all in miniature, and, at the same time, most clumsily constructed. A goldsmith, for instance, will come to work for his employer in the corner of a court, where he soon fixes his stall. His anvil, hammer, bellows, files, and melting laddlcs, are all brought along with him in a bag : His bellows are made of a goat skin, into which he inserts a reed ; and holding this with one hand, he presses the bag with the other, and thus kindles and blows his fire. trades are carried on with the same rude simplicity ; and yet, so ingenious are the workmen, that they can accomplish comparatively great things, by the most inadequate means. Their wants indeed are few, and easily supplied ; and it is only the most useful and es sential arts, that are generally practised among them. The art, with which they are most conversant, and in which they display most knowled e, is that of ar chitecture. Their mode of buildi seems to have continued from the earliest ages, wit out the smallest alteration ; and appears, upon the whole, to be well adapted to the climate. They are not capable, in deed, of producing any scientific plans, or elegant proportions ; and the distinguishing character of their edifices is massy strength. But their-cement is pecu liarly excellent ; and is very probably the same kind, which has been employed in the most ancient fabrics. It is composed of one part of sand, two of wood ashes, and three of lime, which, after being well sift ed and mixed together, is beaten with wooden mal lets, three days and nights without intermission, and frequently sprinkled, during this operation, with a mixture of oil and water. For the purpose of con necting the earthen pipes of their aqueducts, they beat together only tow, lime, and oil, without any water. Both these kinds of cement acquire, in a short time, the hardness of stone • and are completely impenetrable by water. The walls of the cities and houses of Barbary are generally built of tabby or tabia, which may be called an artificial stone, and which seems to be a iemnant of ancient Moorish art. It is a species of mortar, consisting of lime, sand, and small stones, put into wooden frames, (which are re moved when the work is dry,) and beaten together square rammers. The mosques, palaces, and other public edifices, indeed, are frequently faced with hewn stone, or marble ; and some of these structures are of very great extent, comprehending a number of buildings, surrounded by a wall like a separate town. Their roofs are sometimes of a pyramidal form, and covered with green varnished tiles, which give them at a distance a very lively and agreeable appearance. In the towns and villages the streets are very narrow, seldom paved, never cleaned, and generally heaped with dust and filth. On each side there is frequent ly a row of shops, and behind these are the' uter walls of the houses, which are, for the most part, of a rude construction, that the owners may not be suspected •of being rich. The entrance into these habitations, from the street, has a very mean appearance ; and the first apartment is very commonly a kind of stable, or, at least, a porch or gateway surrounded with benches for the reception of visitors. Through this vestibule is the passage into a square court, which •has some times a fountain of water in the centre, and a porch, supported by pillars, along each of its four sides. This open space, in the houses of the opulent, is pa ved with marble, or with chequered tiling ; and in 'sultry weather (especially when employed, as it often is, for receiving company) is covered by a sheet or veil, which is expanded upon ropes from one side of the parapet wall to the other. The houses are some times two, and•even three stories high ; and, in these cases, there are galleries for each flat, passing along the whole inside of the court, in the same manner as on the ground floor : But they seldom consist of more than one story, about 16 feet in height. Each side of the court generally forms one long, narrow apartment ; and one of these rooms frequently serves a whole family, as a lodging. The entrance into these chambers is from the inner sides of the court, by means of large, folding doors, which are gener ally left half o.ign to admit the light and air ; and which are theMare furnished with hangings on the inside. These doors are ornamented with chequered pannels or carving ; and are sometimes made alto gether of stone, moving upon pivots, fitted to sockets in the lintel and the threshold. The ceilings of the apartments are generally of wainscot, neatly painted or studded with gilded mouldings ; the upper part of the walls is adorned with fret-work or stucco figures ; while the lower space nearest the floor is covered with hangings of coloured cloth, or of the skins of lions and tygers, suspended upon hooks, and thus easily taken down or put up at pleasure. But some times, instead of these curtains, the sides of the rooms are ornamented with looking-glasses of various sizes, or with watchei and clocks in glass cases, or with a display of muskets and sabres fancifully arranged. There are no fire places in the apartments ; and the victuals are prepared, in a corner of the court, in an earthen stone heated by charcoal. The floors are laid with painted tiles, or plaister, and covered with mats or carpets. Along the sides of the walls are ranged mattresses and bolsters, upon which the family it during the day, and generally sleep during the Night. At the same time there is, also, at one end of the chamber a little gallery, raised above the floor to the height of three, four or five feet, in which the beds are frequently placed ; and sometimes instead of these, an European mahogany bedstead may be seen in the houses of the wealthy, but this is intended ra ther for ornament than use. As the use of chairs and tables are unknown in this country, the remain ing part of the furniture consists of a clock, a few arms, a tea equipage, and some china vessels. The Moorish houses are very dark and gloomy ; as the windows are extremely small, and all look into the court, except perhaps one lattice or balcony, above the gateway towards the street, which however is very seldom opened, unless on festival days. The stairs are either in the porch, or in the corners of the court. The roofs are flat, covered with plaister, and surrounded with a parapet : There the female part of the family are accustomed to walk and amuse them selves in the cool of the evening. To the habitations of the more wealthy, an additional building is fre quently attached, called the Ake or Oleah • the apartments of which are used as wardrobes, as places of greater retirement, or as a lodging for strangers. The houses are gerierally whitened on the out side ; and appear, at a distance, like vaulted tombs in a churchyard. The villages are always in the neigh
bourhood of the towns ; and are composed of huts of stone, earth, and reeds, surrounded with thick and high hedges.
The encampments of the Arabs, which are gene rally at a distance from-the cities, consist of a number of tents, from 3 to 300, and are called Douars. Each of these is under the authority of a Sheik, (or Shaik,) who is appointed usually by the government in whose territories they reside, and who is commonly the man of most property in the tribe : The Bereb bers, however, assert the privilege of choosing their own chiefs. The coverings of the Arab tents are made of a coarse thick stuff, of woollen, of camels and goats hair,' or of palmetto leaves ; and is al ways dyed of a black or brown colour. Their form is broad and low, about 8 or 10 feet in height, and between 20 or 25 in length, having the appear ance, according to the description of Sallust, of an inverted boat: " Edificio Numidarunt, gum mapalea illi vocant, oblonga incurvis lateribus tecta, pas: ua ciao: carince essent." Therare divided into sepii rate chambers by means of curtains ; and one of these is always allotted for the calves, foals, and kids, Their furniture is exceedingly simple, consisting only. of a little straw, a mat, or coarse carpet for bedding, a few earthen vessels for cooking, a wooden bason to 'draw water or hold milk, a goat skin to churn the butter, and two portable mill-stones to grind the 'corn. The poles, which support the roof of the tent, are furnished with a number of hooks or pins, upon which are suspended their clothes, baskets, sad dies, arms, &e. These tents are generally arranged in the form of a crescent or circle, and sometimes of an oblong squa-e. The flocks and herds are brought at night into the area ; the entrance of the douar, and the vacant spaces between the tents, are then closed up with bushes and thorns, as a defence against beasts of prey ; while there is in every encampment an ad ditional guard of ferocious dogs, which bark with great fury at the approach of strangers. In the cen tre of the douar there is generally a large empty tent, which serves the purpose of a mosque, a school-house, and a lodging for the traveller. The Berebbers have habitations very similar to those of the Arabs ; but, instead of tents, they frequently construct huts of wicker work, daubed over with mud ; and a collec tion of these is called a Dashkra.
The inhabitants of Barbary are remarkably abste mious in their diet ; and can subsist upon a very small quantity of the simplest nourishment. The lower classes, especially among the Arabs, live chiefly upon the roots of vegetables, wild fruits, and a mixture of meal and water ; a iew balls of which, or a few dates, and a draught of camel's milk, will often support them, on a journey, for a whole day. The principal dish among all ranks, from the prince to the peasant, is cuscasoe,* a kind of granulated paste made of flour very coarsely ground, heaped up in a vessel full of small holes, placed above the pot, in which the vege tables or flesh meat is boiled, and in this manner stewed by the rising vapour : It is then mixed with soup, milk, butter, hooey, spices, pot-herbs, or ani mal food. The more opulent persons have various preparations of almonds, dates, sweet-meats, milk, honey, and other delicacies ; and all ranks in Barba ry use a great proportion of bread, of which they often make a meal, witti the addition of a little oil, vinegar, or milk. The Moors, agreeably to the Jew ish custom, cut the throats of all the animals, which they use for food, at the same time turning their heads towards Mecca in adoration of their prophet; and, after suffering them to bleed freely, they carefully wash away the remaining blood, and divide the meat into small pieces about 2 lbs. in weight. The natives of Barbary are very regular with respect to their hours of eating. They breakfast soon after day-break ; take a slight repast about noon ; and make their prin cipal meal at sun-set. At these seasons, a large, flat earthen dish, full of the prepared food, is placed upon a low, round tray, or merely set upon the floor. Around this the family seat themselves, cross-legged, upon mats ; and, having previously washed their hands, they tear the meat with their fingers, and form it along with the cuscasoe into little balls, which they throw with a dexterous jerk into their mouths. They make no use of knives and forks, and very rarely even of spoons. The male part of the fa mily eat in one company ; the females in another ; and the children, witlithe servants, in the third. But among the Arabs and Berebbers the master of the tent gene rally eats alone ; the dish then passes to thechildren ; text, to the wives ; and, lastly, to the .domestics. After eating they again wash their hands, mouth, and beard ; but sometimes content themselves with wiping their fingers on their clothes, or in the woolly heads of their negro slaves. It must be observed also, that, before beginning a repast, and even before entering upon any kind of work, they reverently utter the word Bismillah, that is, " in the name of God ;" and upon concluding their meals, or completing any underta. king, they say, in like manner, Alhandillak, that is, " God be praised." One of the greatest luxuries among the Moors is I tea, which they greatly prefer to coffee ; but, as it is a very scarce and expensive article in Barbary, it is used only in the houses of the rich. In order to prepare it for use, they put some green tea, a little tansy, the same quantity of mint, and a large pro portion of sugar, into the pot, at the same time ; and then fill it up with boiling water. After it has been infused a proper length of time, it is poured out into very small china cups, and taken without milk. Of this refreshing beverage, they drink very great quantities, whenever it is introduced, and con tinue slowly sipping it with great relish, for the space of two hours together. Besides using snuff, they take much pleasure in smoking tobacco ; and, for this purpose, they use a wooden tube about four feet in length with an earthen bowl. They often mix with the tobacco the cut leaves of the ,hashisha, or African hemp plant, which produces a kind of sen sual stupor, and excites agreeable dreams. The kief, which is the flower and seed of the hashisha, is still more powerful in its effects ; and about one common English tobacco pipe-full is sufficient to produce com plete intoxication. This they prefer to opium, wine, or brandy ; and so great is the infatuation of those who use it, that they cannot exist without its:exhilarating or rather stupifying influence. They have several other plants of a similar quality ; among which the nuts of the palma christi hold a principal place, and have the remarkable effect of intoxicating a person for the space of three or four hours, in such a manner, that he completely opens his mind, and utters all his thoughts.