He accompanied him to Mequinez, and immediately sought the Emperor's Secretary, to whom he had letters. The frank manners of that official at first charmed John; but he soon found him to be but "a master of the French address, joined to all the villainies of the Court of Morocco, and a Jew in the very essence of the word." In a few days he had an interview with the Emperor himself, who in the course of conversation asked to see his instruments. It may interest the modern Artilleryman to know what a bombardier's instruments were in the year 1770. Those which John produced were his "quadrant, perpendicular, and Gunter's scales, together with a case of mathematical instruments." The unfortunate bombardier never saw his instruments after he once let them into the young Prince's hands, and this called forth very severe strictures from him on princely nature. "Plundering," he writes, "is what these Princes are taught from their infancy." The Emperor having expressed a wish to see the three Artillerymen throw a shell, they complied. The mortar was of a different calibre from any they had ever seen, nor did they know anything about the range; fortunately, however, they made a good guess, and the Emperor was much pleased with the practice. He ordered them a daily supply of provisions, "which order, however, was never complied with but in part." From this moment John's domestic troubles were very great. While he had enough meat he never abused it; but when his allowance was cut short, he described it as "carrion meat." He was quartered in a Jew's house, and the Jew plundered him sorely, depriving him of the best part of his provisions. He said little, but thought a good deal; and receiving no satisfaction from the Imperial Secretary, demanded to see the Prince, who came to him immediately. "I acquainted him how ill we were treated with regard to provisions, and as our money was all gone begged of His Royal Highness to take some method that we might be better supplied. He asked whose fault it was. I answered, 'The Chief of the Jews.' He ordered our interpreter to go and tell him that if he did not find us everything, as his father had ordered, he would cut off his head, and burn his body; and desired, whenever we found him in the least deficient, to call a guard of Moors, and bring the Chief of the Jews to him, and we should see him executed. He then dismissed us, and we went home, and almost as soon as we went there one of the Prince's black servants came with the Chief of the Jews, and a halter about his neck, and told us by the interpreter that he was ordered to bring him there, and give him fifty bastinados in our presence, which he did, notwithstanding we offered to buy off the punishment with six ounces."