I have just been interrupted by Mr. Matra, our Consul. He called to request me to go up to Larache, to attend the Governor, who is dangerously ill, and has sent here for an English physician. I intended to have continued a brief account of this empire, from the time it became a Roman province to the introduction of Mahometanism; also by what means the Moors became mixed with Arabs: but I must reserve this for the next opportunity. LETTER II. _Sketch of the History of Morocco--Road from Tangiers--Simplicity of the Peasants--Moors hospitable--Arrive at a Village--The ancient Zelis--Public Accommodations--Much infested with Vermin--Arzilla, a ruinous walled Town--Arrive at Larache_. Larache, January 1806. Before I proceed to give you the particulars of my journey to this place, I shall fulfil tho promise I made you in my last. The present empire of Morocco is properly the _Mauritania Tingitania_ of the Romans, as the _Mauritania Cæsariensis_ comprised Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis; and was so called from the Emperor Claudius. _Tingitania_ was not decidedly reduced to a Roman province till after the death of _Bocchus_. Augustus afterwards gave the two Mauritanias, and a part of _Getulia_, to the younger _Juba_, as a remuneration for the loss of his father's kingdom (_Numidia_). _Ptolemy_, his son, by _Cleopatra_ (daughter of _Antony_ and _Cleopatra_), succeeded him. In his reign, the Moors of this country were induced to revolt by a Numidian named _Tacfarinas_, who had served in the Roman army, and who, at the head of a set of barbarians accustomed to every species of robbery, assisted the revolt he had excited. After a variety of successes and defeats, they were completely routed by _Dolabella_, the Roman General, and a body of Mauritanians sent to his assistance by _Ptolemy_, This conquest contributed to establish peace for a short time in these provinces; but at the death of _Ptolemy_ (who was treacherously cut off by _Caius_), they again revolted, when _Claudius_ first fixed a Roman army in _Mauritania_. His generals, though not without difficulty, succeeded in restoring tranquillity, which scarcely met with any interruption till the latter end of the fifth century, when the declining state of the Roman power favoured another revolt, in which the Moors entirely shook off the yoke of the Romans, assisted by the Vandals, under _Genseric_, who overran Africa, and obtained possession of most of the maritime towns. The Vandals were expelled in the seventh century by the Saracens, under the Caliphs of Bagdad, a ferocious and warlike race of Arabs, who, from conquest to conquest, had extended and removed their seat of government from Medina to the city of Damascus; thence to _Cufa_, and from the latter place to _Bagdad_; where they established their Caliphate authority.