Narrative of a ten years' residence at Tripoli in Africa : from the original correspondence in the possession of the family of the late Richard Tully, Esq. the British consul. Comprising authentic memoirs and anecdotes of the reigning bashaw, his family, and other persons of distinction; also, an account of the domestic manners of the Moors, Arabs, and Turks.

  • Tully, Richard.
Date:
1816
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Narrative of a ten years' residence at Tripoli in Africa : from the original correspondence in the possession of the family of the late Richard Tully, Esq. the British consul. Comprising authentic memoirs and anecdotes of the reigning bashaw, his family, and other persons of distinction; also, an account of the domestic manners of the Moors, Arabs, and Turks. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    (which they take off on going into an apartment), and a pair of long white muslin trowsers, reaching to near the ancle, completed his dress. People of less consequence wear trowsers of white cotton, blue or brown coarse cloth, and less ample. The handsome ones are about seven yards wide. The size of the turban here increases according to the rank of the wearer. Two or three of the highest in the suite that followed these persons had turbans on, of a very moderate size compared to those of their chiefs. The others had red cloth caps, round which was rolled two or three times a coloured shawl twisted, with one end brought round the neck, and the other flung over the left shoulder. These shawls are worn of the very finest texture by people of consequence, but only when they ride or hunt ; and then the young men wear them to cover nearly the left eyebrow, and so high on the right side as to discover the ear. A young Moor thinks himself quite irresistible with this shawl put on, but which is sometimes fatal to the wearer, serving for the instrument of death, as it takes less time to tighten one end of these as they hang round the victim’s neck, than to strangle him with the fatal cord, sent to him from the Bashaw. Hamet Coggia, who was appointed the day before we arrived ambassador to Morocco, had on a dress particular from the rest; instead of the number of coverings I have just described, a bernuse of the finest scarlet velvet with a very broad gold lace, at least six inches wide, entirely round it, wrapped him completely up. These bernuses cost a considerable sum of money, they are a present from the Bashaw to each of his ambassadors at their departure on an embassy. From this description you will conceive the Tripolian dresses, covered almost with gold and silver, and so much rich drapery over them, make a most superb appearance. The city of Tripoli is, or rather has been, surrounded by a prodigiously strong wall and towers, which are now in bad order; but persons of judg- ment in these matters say, that with repairs only, it might soon be made one of the strongest fortifications. The sea washes this town on three sides, on the fourth a sandy plain, called the Messea, joins it to the rest of the country. On the east it is divided from Egypt by the dreary deserts of Barca, where none reside except occasionally the wandering Arab. Not far from this spot it was that idolators paid divine worship to their deity Jupiter Ammon, under the figure of a ram, and here stood the famous temple dedicated to his name, which few could approach, on ac«