Fesse, City

Sources from old books:

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

Of the City FESSE and the Trade thereof.

THis City beares this name of Fesse from the aboundance of gold, (as writers record) that was found in digging the foundation thereof; it is beautified with many goodly buildings both publike and private; it is divided by the River Sahu into three parts, containing in all 82000. households, having 700. mosces or Temples, 50. of them being adorned with pillers of alablaster and Iasper; and one seated in the heart of the City called Carucen is the most sumptuous, containing a mile in compasse, in breadth containing 17. arches, in length 120. and borne up by two thousand five hundred white marble pillers, under the chiefest arch (where the Tribunall is kept) hangeth a most huge lampe of silver, incompassed with 110. lesser; under every the other arches hang also very great lamps in each of which burne 150. lights: it hath 31. gates great and high; the roofe is 150. yards long and 80. yards broad, and round about are divers porches containing 40. yards in length, and 30. in bredth, under which are the publike storehouses of the Towne: about the walles are pulpits of divers sorts, wherein the Masters of their Law reade to the people such things as they imagine appertaine to their salvation: the revenewes thereof in Anno 1526. was 200. duccats a day of old rent accounted 100. li. sterlin; untill the late civill warres it was a City of great traffique, and many Merchants of divers Nations resorted hither, and were allowed a publike meeting place for their Commerce, and lodging for their residence, being in forme of a Court or Exchange, inclosed with a strong wall, with 12. gates, and limited with 15. streets for severall Nations to meet for their businesse, and for the laying up of their commodities; and every night for security of their goods and persons the same was kept guarded at the Cities charge, resembling the Besistens or Canes now in use in Turkey and other southerne Countries.

There is here also divers Colledges where the sciences are taught, amongst which Madorac is the chiefe, and accounted for one of the excellentest peeces for workmanship in all Barbarie: it hath 3. cloisters of admirable beauty, supported with 8. square Pillars of divers colours; the roofe curiously carved, and the Arches of Mosaique of gold and asore; the gates are of brasse faire wrought, and the doores of the private chambers of inlaide worke: it is recorded that this Colledge did cost the founder King Abuchenen 480. thousand sultanies in gold, which is in English money 192. thousand pound; which would hardly in these daies were it now to be built performe the twentieth part thereof, and this was not above 150. yeares past, and about that time Henry the seventh King of England did build that sumptuous Chappell in Westminster; which as I have been informed, did in those dayes cost 7448. li. and let it be judged by artists how much more would build the fellow of it in these our dayes.

They have also here for the commodity and pleasure of the Citizens 600. Conduits, from whence almost every house is served with water; besides what goeth to their religious use•…, at the entries of their Temples and Mosces: but I have dwelt too long in surveying this City, I will now see what commodities and merchandise this Kingdome affords.

The commodities found in generall, aswell in the Kingdome of Fess as of Morocco and found transportable for merchandise, is fruits of all kinds, such as is principally of dates, almonds, figges, refins, olives; also honey, wax, gold, and sundry sorts of hides and skins, especially that excellent sort of cordovante from this Kingdome of Morocco called Maroquins, famoused throughout Spaine, France, & Italy; also corne, horses, woolls, whereof the Inhabitants are observed of late dayes to make some cloth: here is also found for Merchandise fabricated here some sorts of stuffes of silkes, as sattins, taffetaes, and some sorts of linen much in use in this Countrey, made partly of Cotton and partly of Flaxe, and divers other commodities.

The moneys of this Kingdome, and generally of all the Kingdome of Moroco is the Sheriffe or Duccat in gold deriving the name thereof from the Sheriffs, who within these few yeares made conquest of these Kingdomes under pretext and colour of the sanctity of their Religion, and is accounted to be about ten sh. starling money, divided into 8. parts, and esteemed ⅛ each part, which may be compared to be about 14. d. in 15. d. starling.

They keep their accounts in these places by duccats, or old sheriffs now almost out of use divided into 8. parts, accounted in common value, but 12. d. every, though worth more, as above is declared.

Their weight here is two, one used in all ordinary commodities which is the Rotolo, containing()ounces or drams, it having been found by observation that the 100. li. haberdupois London hath made here 64. Rotolo, and 100. Rotolos is here a Cintar. The second weight is here the Mitigall, used in the weighing of silver, gold, pearle, muske and the like, agreeing with the mitigall used in Argier and Tunes spoken of before.

The common measure for length is here the Covado, 12. whereof is accounted to a Cane: and it hath beene observed by Barbary Merchants hither trading, that the 100. yards of London make here about 181. to 182. covadoes.

The customs of Fesse and Morocco are paid at the entrance thereinto, as is likewise due at the entrance of any other the Cities of this Kingdome, and is by the subjects natives upon all commodities paid two in the hundred, and by all strangers ten in the hundred collected for what is sold or landed without leave, for exportation againe if once landed; which causeth divers of our Merchants bound for those parts to make their Ships their shops, and consequently land so much of their commodities as they imagine the Market will vent, and no more. But because the Kingdome of Morocco obeyeth the same rules in matters of trade, I will speake a word of that place likewise, and then survey the trade of them both together as they are knowne now to us, to be as it were but one, though indeed different Kingdomes.