[35] Graeberg says Noun means the “river of eels,” Davidson derives the name from a Portuguese queen called Nounah; but his editor says the name is properly Nul, was so written when the Arabs possessed Portugal, and that Queen Nunah is a modern invention.

[36] Whatever may have been Mr. Davidson’s faults, I scarcely doubt that the first impressions of Mr. Consul-General Hay were correct.  He says, “I fear, however, that I am not to expect much assistance from him,” (Mr. Hay); and hints, in other parts of his Journal, that Mr. Hay was rather disposed to throw difficulties in his way, than to render him efficient aid.  Mr. Hay’s son (which is very natural) attempts to exculpate his father in an appendix to his “Western Barbary,” and some will, perhaps, think he has done so successfully.  My experience of the diplomatic skill of the late Consul, does not permit me to coincide with this favourable opinion.  The greater probability is, that if Mr. Davidson had been left to his own “inspirations,” and allowed complete liberty of action, he would have succeeded in reaching Timbuctoo; but his health doss not appear to have been sufficiently robust, or himself acclimated, to have brought him back from his perilous adventure.

[37] These cups hold at least a pint each, and every adult male is expected to empty four, if not six.  Of course, they get beastly intoxicated, and suffer a day or two of illness afterwards, a very just punishment.

[38] But I do not think it reaches the point of complaisance, noticed by Monsieur Chenier, when he was French Consul in 1767.  He says, “The veneration of the Moors is so great for this Prince, that they deem themselves happy whenever one; of their daughters is admitted to share his couch.”  On the other hand, many of the beauties presented by the Sultan to his ministers, although brought out of his harems, are virgins.  The poor ladies in the royal harems are only so much stock, from which their Lord and tyrant picks and chooses.

[39] Friend Phillips is always wrestling with these prejudices of Barbary Jews.  When his wife was delivered of a daughter, he was determined to have as much “fuss” made of the child as if it had been a son, to spite the prejudices of his brethren.  So, when he went out for a walk with his wife, he would walk always arm-in-arm with her, although she was a Jewess of this country, which caused great annoyance to his woman-oppressing brethren.

[Transcriber’s Notes:  In this electronic edition, footnotes have been numbered and relocated to the end of the work.  In footnote 35, the spellings Nouna and Nunah both occur.  In chapter 6, the word “convey” was corrected to “conveying.”]