Arabic, or Moorish language, which alone is sufficient, without any additional cause, to do away the force and intent of any document, possessing that energy of expression for which the Arabic language is so remarkable. Suppose we were negociating a peace with France, what would be the probable result if there were no person attached to our embassy but a French subject, who understood the French and English languages sufficiently to convey the aggregate only, but not the precise sense of the stipulations? we should certainly have but little expectation of success under such circumstances, and should probably be worse off than if no treaty had been concluded, so easy would it be to give a turn to any clause, the force and point of which was not distinctly ascertained. This has been literally our case with Marocco: treaties have been made without being understood, or even translated, till many months after the conclusion of them; how then can we expect to acquire influence or consideration at a court, where a man who does not speak the Arabic is considered as an illiterate barbarian (ajemmie m’dollem), and is treated accordingly? The Emperor has frequently expressed a wish to communicate with our Sovereign, but the publicity to which his sentiments must be exposed in the present routine of British diplomacy, deters him from it, and restricts or diminishes the intercourse between the two countries.[187] By way of shewing the extreme disadvantages under which our negotiations are carried on with the Barbary powers, I will relate a circumstance which happened during the last embassy to Marocco; I do not mean to say any thing prejudicial to Mr. Matra, who conducted that embassy; he was a man of capacity, and understood the nature of the court, as well as a long residence in the country, without a knowledge of the language, could enable him: he was attended by a Jewish interpreter, a subject of Marocco, who was required by the Emperor to wear the dress of his tribe,[188] but being in the suite of the Ambassador, and his interpreter, Mr. Matra repeated his injunction to the Emperor, alleging, that as he was in his immediate service, he was, and ought to be considered as, a British subject, and therefore entitled to wear the dress which the Jews of Great Britain wore: this argument was admitted by the Emperor, and the Jew was accordingly permitted to appear before him in the English dress. This was certainly a point gained by the Ambassador, and might have been the prelude to more considerable concessions, had it been judiciously followed up; indeed, the Emperor was desirous to temporise with the English, and treated the Ambassador and his suite in a better style than he had done any former one, and, as I was credibly informed, even permitted Mr. Matra to sit down by him, an honour never before conferred on any but a prince. Much affability and politeness of this kind was terminated by a long treaty of peace and amity, written in