MOROCCO, or Manoeco, frequently called West Barbary, is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea ; on the west by the Atlantic Ocean ; on the south by the Sahara, or the great desert ; and on the cast by Tremecen, Sigelmessa, and Biledulgerid, or (according to modern and more correct orthography) Tlemsen, Se gin Messa, and Bled-ol•jerrede. The whole extent of this empire, including Tafilelt, is contained between 27° 40' and 40' of N. Eat. and between 2° and 10° of NV. Long. from London. It is divided into four great divi sions : 1. The northern, containing the provinces of Er reef, El Garb, Benihasscn, Temsena, Shawia, Tedla, and the district of Fez or Fas; 2. The central, contain ing the provinces of Duquella, Abda, Shedrna, Haha, and the district of Morocco; 3. The southern, contain ing the provinces of Draha and Suse ; and 4. The east ern, lying to the east of the Atlas Mountains, called Tafilelt, was formerly a separate kingdom, but became subjected to the princes of Morocco.
The principal mountains of Morocco are the Atlas Mountains, called in Arabic, Jihbel Attils, The Moun tains of Snow," the different branches of which have distinct names, according to the provinces in which they are situated. The great chain of these mountains runs through the whole extent of the empire, from Ape's Hill to Shtuka in lower Suse, passing within thirty miles of the city of Morocco, where they are of great height, and covered with snow throughout the whole year. They are visible at sea several leagues from the coast; and in a clear day may be seen at Mogadore, a distance of 140 miles. The highest peak is 12,000 feet above the level of the sea.
The rivers which rise to the cast of the Atlas Moun tains are the Draha, which flows through the province of the same name, from north-east to south, and disap pears in the sands of the Sahara ; and the Muluwra, which separates the empire of Morocco from Tremecen, flows to the northeast into the Mediterranean : both these rivers are deep and impetuous in the depth of winter, but small, and often quite dry, in summer. The other rivers, which all flow into the Atlantic Ocean, are the El kose, or Luccos, at El Araiche, which may be en tered at high water by ships of 100 or 150 tons ; the Baht, which partly loses itself in the lakes of the province El Garb, and partly falls into_the Seboo ; the Seboo, the largest river in the empire, rises to the east of the city of Fez, and falls into the sea at Meheduma or Mamora, where it is a large, deep, and navigable river ; the Bu Regrcg, which traverses the province of Benihassen, and 'discharges itself into the ocean between the towns of Salce and Rabat ; the Morbeya, which rises in the Atlas Mountains, and falls into the Atlantic at the port of Azamor ; the Tensift, which passes about five miles north of the city of Morocco, and reaches the ocean six teen miles south of the town of Saffy, is chiefly remark able for the salubrious quality of its water ; the Tidsi, which falls into the sea a little south of Cape Ossem ; the Suse, a fine majestic river, which joins the ocean six miles south of Santa Cruz, where its mouth is almost shut by a bar of sand, but which is supposed to have been once navigable as far as the town of Terodant ; the Messa and Akassa, both of them partly navigable.
The western coast of Morocco is covered with numer ous rocks, level with the surface of the water ; and oc casionally an extensive beach in the intermediate spaces, where the water is shallow, and the surf runs high.
There are several fresh-water lakes, particularly on the coast near the Mamora, one of which is 20 miles in length. These lakes abound with water-fowl and eels. The eels are taken and salted for sale ; and, as the water is not deep, they are killed by a lance, while the fisher man sails along the surface in a slender skill, made of the fan-palm and of rushes.
The climate of Morocco is healthy and bracing. From March to September the atmosphere is almost entirely free from clouds ; and even in the rainy season from September to March, there is scarcely a day altogether without sunshine. In the province of Suse the climate is peculiarly delightful, but extremely hot in the months of June, July, and August, particularly when the Shume or hot wind blows from the desert. In the more inland districts of Draha and Tafilelt, this wind occasions in tense heat in the months of July, August, and Septem ber.