Abstract
MANY readers, we believe, know less about Morocco than they do about Lake Tanganyika, the Fiji Islands, or the Arctic regions. Not that there are no easily accessible works on the country; no one, we conceive, who might be anxious to “get up” Morocco would have much difficulty in collecting trustworthy authorities, both in English and French. The modern general reader, however, has so much to do to keep up with a decent percentage of the literature of the day, that, unless for a special purpose, he is not likely to unshelve works of travel of a past generation; therefore, even for countries near at hand and whose names occur almost daily in Reuter's despatches, it is useful now and again to have the narrative of a recent visit. Morocco, though comparatively near us, yet in many respects is so isolated and so far behind the age, that a trustworthy account of its condition is welcome. Dr. Leared was only a few weeks in this country in the autumn of 1872. He landed at Tangier, visited the neighbourhood, sailed down the coast to Mogador, calling at one or two places on the way, and at a time of great internal disturbance visited the city of Morocco, where an attempt was made to poison him, happily without success. He managed to make a very good use of his time and his eyes and his introductions, and the reader will find many interesting observations on the people and the country. Dr. Leared has, however, not confined himself to his own observations, bat has evidently diligently studied various authorities on the country, and taken trouble to acquire information from various quarters. The results he presents throughout the work as he goes along, and especially in a series of concluding chapters on the country and the people, government, law education superstitions, agriculture, natural history, &c. The appendix contains a variety of valuable material, including meteorological observations for Tangier and Mogador. Dr. Leared is strongly impressed with the value of Morocco as a resort for phthisical patients, the climate in some parts, he thinks, being in this respect superior to that of almost any other place. To anyone wishing to have a pretty full, and on the whole trustworthy account of the present condition of Morocco, we can honestly commend Dr. Leared's book, which, we should say, contains a small map and numerous illustrations.
Morocco and the Moors: being an Account of Travels, with a General Description of the Country and its People.
Arthur
Leared
By, &c. (London: Sampson Low and Co., 1876.)
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morocco and the Moors: being an Account of Travels, with a General Description of the Country and its People . Nature 13, 206 (1876). https://doi.org/10.1038/013206a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/013206a0