In the agreeable society of old friends and new acquaintances, whom we met on board the rather crowded steamer, the voyage to Gibraltar did not appear too tedious, but we were well pleased when, on the afternoon of the 6th, the moment came for landing. We were not destined to see much of the famous ‘Rock’ or its native ‘scorpions,’ whether biped or hexapod. Scarcely had our voluminous baggage been transported to the hotel, when news reached us that an English steamer was about to sail within two hours for Tangier, and we at once decided that not a moment’s time should be wasted. Back again our heavy goods, in which botanical paper was a chief ingredient, were carried to the mole, and after paying the innkeeper a pretty heavy ransom, on account of rooms ordered but not used, and a hastily swallowed dinner, we once more found ourselves afloat. So much haste was not necessary, for the steamer did not start till some time after midnight; but the time was not badly spent, for the steamer was one of those that ply between London and the Canary Islands, touching at the ports on the Atlantic coast of Marocco; and the skipper, who was an old stager, and had formed his own opinions about the country, had plenty of information, of a more or less authentic, but mainly discouraging, character, which he was most ready to impart. The distance from Gibraltar to Tangier is not more than thirty-five miles, and we came to anchor in the open roadstead soon after daylight on April 7. Unlike the ports on the Atlantic coast, the shape of the land here gives some protection from the prevailing westerly seas and winds; but in other respects this is a bad one. The ruined mole, round which sand has accumulated, forms on one side a dangerous reef, and elsewhere the shore shelves very slowly to a moderate depth. Ships of any burthen are forced to lie out far from shore, and the landing from boats is usually effected on the backs of Jews, inasmuch as no Moslem will degrade himself by performing such a service for a Christian. On Good Friday the Jews were all engaged in the ceremonies of the Passover; but, as the sea was unusually calm, we were able to land on the ruins of the mole, and, after floundering through slippery seaweed, we were not long in reaching the sea gate of the city.