nUINS OF PHARAOH. 117 We struck our tents at five o'clock, and travelled very fast to get out of these treacherous habitations ; for we learned that, the preceding night, Alkaid L'Hassan Ramy, a Negro captain of the emperor's army, passed this Douar, and was robbed of his bridles, saddles, and tent equipage, with which the thieves made off, without being discovered. I afterwards met Alkaid L' Hassan Ramy at Mequinas ; and he appeared quite astonished that I should have escaped being robbed at the above Douar, calling the whole Kabyl a set of lawless thieves. On the 17tb, we started at five o'clock, and arrived at Mequinas at nine o'clock, performing the journey from Rabat to Mequinas in twenty-two hours, being sixty-six miles. The city of Mequinas is the courttown of the northern division of the empire : the imperial palace at this place is above two miles in circumference. At the corners are erected (Coba's) square buildings or paviHons, containing one room up stairs, where the emperor frequently transacts business. This palace was built by the sultan Muley Ismael : it is very neat, and consists for the most part of moresque architecture ; the marble columns and other decorations were brought from (Kasser Farawan) the ruins of Pharaoh, about a day's journey to the eastward. There is a superior garden of choice fruit within the wall which surrounds the palace, and in the latter are many elegant apartments, ornamented d-la-mauresque. The ladies of Mequinas are so extremely handsome, that I can-I 3