Morocco, City

Sources from old books

1638. The merchants mappe of commerce wherein by Lewes Roberts.

Of the Citie MOROCCO and the Trade thereof.

MOROCCO is the chiefe City of this Kingdome, and in times past was accounted the Metropolis of all Barbary, as once containing one hundred thousand housholds, but now inferiour to Fesse in beauty, spaciousnesse and populousnesse: it is strongly walled about, and within adorned with many private and publike edifices, the chiefe being the Castle or Arsenall, and the Churches, or Mosces; one whereof is bigger, though not so beautifull as that of Fesse, seated in the midst of the Citie and built by Hali their King, augmented by 50. fadome in spaciousnesse by Abdull mumen and Man•…or his sonne with many exquisite Pillers brought from Spaine, he •…lso covered the same with lead, and made a cesterne of the same greatnesse as this Temple was to receive the raine water that •…ame therefrom; besides which he made therein a Tower of Masonry in forme of the Romane Colossus, equall in height to the famous Towre in Bolonia, which being ascended the Hills of Asaffi, being 130. miles distant, may be easily discerned. The Castle is also very large and strong, of the bignesse of a reasonable Towne, in the midst whereof is a Temple, which hath a Towre, whereon is fixed a spindle of Iron passing through three great round Globes made of pure gold, and weighing 130. thousand Barbary duckets, which is 58500. li. starlin, which divers Kings have gone about to take downe and convert into money; but have all desisted, by reason of some strange misfortune that have been inflicted on them, so that the common people imagine they are kept by a guard of spirits.

They have here also a Burse for Merchants, which is now taken •…p by artisens, the late civill warres having eclipsed the glory of the famous trade that was seated in this Countrie, which in its former splendour was found to have severall streets for severall artsmen, and no one artsman permitted to make his abiding but amongst those of his owne profession.

The commodities of this kingdome are the same as in the kingdome of Fesse, spoken of before, save that the same abounds more in sugars, especially in Taradant, where divers Merchants are found to reside purposely for that commoditie, from whence it is exported into other Regions.

The coines currant is also the Sherif common with Fesse, and all these parts of Barbarie, and by some called the duccat of gold, having eight divisions or parts, esteemed to be about nine shillings and foure pence sterling, each 〈◊〉 worth fourteene pence sterling. They are found here to have two severall quintalls, one that doth accord with the quintall of Fesse, specified formerly, and the other which doth agree with the quintall of Sivill, which may be seene there more at large in this ensuing Tract, and there it may be observed, how the same doth agree with the waight of London, and other places; besides which it is observable, that sundry commodities are waighed by this quintall, yet comprehending more or lesse Rotolos, according to the custome in sale of that commoditie which the Merchants must learne to know.

The measure of length here is also covado, agreeing with that of Fesse, as you shall finde in the Chapter before touched.

The customes of Morocco is the same as specified in the kingdome of Fesse, at thentrado 2 per cent. by the subject and 10 per cent. by the Merchant stranger: But the civill warres hath given a period to that famous traffique here maintained by the Barbary Merchants of London, which from this kingdome had its originall, and which flourished in the dayes of Queene Elizabeth; the faction, dissention, and banding for this kingdome and Fesse, overthrew that company, from whose ashes and dissolution, arose the societie of merchants trading into the levant Seas, known by the name of the Turkie Company, which now wee finde to be growne to that height, that (without comparison) it is the most flourishing and most beneficiall Company to the Common-wealth of any in England of all other whatsoever; into whose Patent was at first inserted the Easterne Indies, as onely proper to their navigation, which within few yeares after being by the way of Turkie better discovered, and gathering thereby new strength, it was in the beginning of King Iames Raigne incorporated a societie by it selfe, and for incouragement to adventurers in consideration of the length of the voyage, and of the great charges and dangers incident thereto, it was permitted that all men of what qualitie and profession soever, might be adventurers therein, and be admitted thereunto, contrary to the custome and priviledge of the Turkie, and said Barbary Company, and of all other Societies of Merchants, who admit not any to be a member thereof, but such as are meere Merchants, and none others.

The trade of these Countries by reason of their discontent is almost come now to nothing, every Towne and Province for the most part acknowledging a severall soveraigne; and where peace and unitie is wanting, trade must decay. Some good ports these two Kingdomes are found to injoy for traffique, as Tituan within the Straights, Tanger and Seuta at the Straights mouth, Larache, Maxinara, Sali the old and new, a second Argier, and sure receptacle for Pirats, lately reduced to better conformitie with the English subjects by the valour of some English, under the fortunate and happie conduct of Captaine William Rainsborough, to whose worth I owe this particular remembrance; Assaffe, Mogador, and Santa Crux, with some others; and lastly, Taradant the onely Mart of all these Countries, seated upon the River of Sues, in a spacious plaine betweene the Mountaine Atlas and the Sea, abounding with sugar, and all other kind of provision, the good regard and continuall abode that Mahumet Xeriffe, one of their late Soveraignes made in this place, hath greatly augmented and ennobled this Towne; the observations upon the present trade thereof, I am constrained by reason of my ignorance, to referre to another hand.