CHAPTER X

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DIFFICULTIES OF MR. HAY’S POSITION AT TANGIER. 1846-54.

With characteristic energy and perseverance Mr. Hay endeavoured to increase the influence and develope the trade of Great Britain in Morocco, then greatly on the decline. But at every turn he met with many obstacles. Not the least of these was the warlike attitude of France towards Morocco as compared with the peaceful policy of Great Britain. To the ignorant, barbarian Moors quiet strength appeared to be weakness, while they were in a corresponding degree impressed by the restless activity of the French, who, in consequence of the machinations of Abd-el-Kader, were then on uneasy terms with the Sultan, and left no means untried to consolidate their influence and to acquire sole predominance over him. In pursuance of these objects the French Representatives, with whom Mr. Hay individually was on excellent terms, were unceasing in their efforts to promote French interests and gained over to their cause all the most powerful men connected with the Moorish Court,—not a difficult matter with a corrupt and venal Government.

The Sultan dared not depend on the countenance of any nation but the French—fearing that the latter power, if he sought other protection, might, on the pretext of sending a force in pursuit of Abd-el-Kader or rebel Algerian tribes, invade Maroquin territory. But the natives generally were strongly in favour of Great Britain and hostile to France.

Legitimate commerce, then principally in British hands, was ever on the decrease, while contraband traffic was largely increasing.

Mr. Hay urged that, to counterbalance French military influence, a more authoritative tone must be adopted by Great Britain in her dealings with the Sultan, and that certain commercial concessions and reforms should be demanded. He also advised that more frequent visits should be paid by British men-of-war to Moorish ports, from which some vessel of the French navy was seldom absent, while British ships were rarely seen. A year later he pointed out that his rank, as Consul-General and Agent only, militated against his efforts to increase British influence, since both the French and Spanish Governments had Ministers accredited to the Moorish Court, and the Moors, who neither had newspapers of their own nor read those of other countries, who had no postal system, and no native society in which Europeans could mingle, estimated the comparative importance of different nations by the status of their respective employés.

Mr. Hay’s efforts were not unrecognised by the Foreign Office. Encouraging letters reached him from the Chief Clerk signifying Lord Palmerston’s satisfaction, and at the close of 1847 he was promoted to the rank of Chargé d’Affaires.

It was also owing to Mr. Hay’s persistent representations that duties on imported goods were, in September, 1848, reduced ten per cent. The reduction gave fresh impetus to British trade and prevented its diversion into Franco-Algerian channels which seemed at one time imminent.

In the meantime the feelings of the people of Morocco were growing still more in favour of Great Britain and antagonistic to the policy of the Sultan. This potentate evinced great ill-will to Mr. Hay, and even threatened at various times to insist on his recall, should he persist, as hitherto, in enforcing the claims of British subjects.

This ill-will on the part of the Sultan arose, no doubt, in great measure from his having been erroneously led to believe by evil advisers in 1844 that Great Britain would employ armed force on behalf of the Moors, and from his conviction that she had broken faith in failing to do so.

A better feeling towards Great Britain was brought about, however, by an act of kindly courtesy on the part of Her Majesty’s Government. In July, 1849, a British vessel of war was sent to conduct H.S.M.’s two sons to Alexandria, whence they were to journey to Mecca, the same vessel afterwards bringing them back. This act of kindness was received with great gratitude by the Sultan, and in acknowledgement he shortly after sent to the Queen a present of wild animals, horses and specimens of Moorish manufactures. Several Moors accompanied the Sultan’s gift to the Queen and, on their return, in May, 1850, Mr. Hay wrote to Mr. Addington, then Chief Clerk at the Foreign Office, telling him of their delight at their reception:—

The Moors have returned, delighted with their visit to the land of the Nazarenes. Around my house, groups of respectable men may be seen listening to the wondrous tales of Kaid Abd-el-Kerim or of my groom. The old chief hunter, Hadj Abdallah, sits in his village—amidst a motley crowd of Arabs and Rifians—telling them of the magnificence and wonders of London, and the kindness the poor Moors received, from the Queen down to the servants that assisted them. He proclaims loudly to the astonished fanatics that power, wealth, honesty, and charity are to be found in the land of the Infidel and not in the land of the Moslem.

The Hadj tells me that at one time he had almost lost his reason in thinking over what he had seen. His stories have amused me as much as they do the Moors, and I have been almost inclined to publish the ‘Travels of the Hadj,’ or get my brother to do so, as I am rather lazy about writing when it is not a duty.

All the Moors talk much of the Queen and Prince Albert, who they declare sent for them more than once. So England and the English are in the mouth of every Moor since the return of the travellers.

In direct contrast to this exchange of courtesies, the French had continued their dictatorial policy and the feeling in Morocco ran high against France.

Thus, in April, 1849, the French Chargé d’Affaires struck his flag in consequence of an altercation with the Lieutenant-Governor regarding a courier in French employ who had been imprisoned by that official. This courier was found carrying letters of a purely private character from Abd-el-Kader to his former lieutenant, then a State prisoner at Fas. The Moorish Government refused to release the courier who eventually died in prison. After much negotiation and pacific counsel on the part of the Neapolitan Consul, who was in charge of French interests, and of Mr. Hay—who, as he wrote to a relative, could not have worked harder to bring about a peaceful issue, had he been himself a Frenchman—the Moors gave way and offered every reparation. But French pride was roused. Fresh complications ensued, and finally all the French subjects at Tangier and the Ports embarked on board vessels of war. In the meantime the Sultan had begun to collect troops on the Algerian frontier and war seemed imminent. Mr. Hay hurried off to El Araish by sea and interviewed the Moorish Minister for Foreign Affairs who, by an anomalous—though essentially Moorish—arrangement, resided there. He succeeded in persuading him to check all warlike preparations; but it was not till the close of September that matters were brought to a peaceful termination and the French flag hoisted and saluted.

In connection with the foregoing events Mr. Hay relates the following story, which he had from an authentic source.

When relations between France and Morocco were in a critical condition and a declaration of war seemed imminent, the Sultan sent for Abd-el-Hadi, the Kadi of his Capital, said to be the wisest man in Morocco, and asked him what he was to reply to the demands of the French.

‘Refuse the infidel,’ said Abd-el-Hadi. ‘Order the destruction of all your ports; blow up the fortifications; let every man arm and become, as were his ancestors, a wandering Arab, and then tell the French to do their worst!’

When Abd-el-Hadi had retired, the Sultan turned to his Uzir and said, ‘The Kadi ought to have added—Abdicate, encourage anarchy and revolution, and destroy at once the Empire.’

It may be surmised, however, that Abd-el-Hadi was a wiser man than he appears. Desirous of humouring his lord and master by recommending war, he yet put his advice in a light which would show the Sultan the folly of resisting the French.

Not only was the residence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs at El Araish most inconvenient at all times to the Representatives—all of whom lived at Tangier—but it necessitated, as has been seen, frequent hurried journeys on their part to that port.

On one such occasion, Mr. Hay had proceeded to El Araish by land to interview Sid Buselham, and had succeeded in getting from him a reply, which he desired to forward at once to head-quarters by one of the rare steamers to England due to leave Tangier next morning. In expectation of this he had, on his way to El Araish, arranged that four relays of horses were to await his return at different points of the road between that town and Tangier, a distance of sixty miles—and, as soon as he had obtained the Minister’s signature, he mounted and dashed off homewards.

The Governor of El Araish, anxious for the British Agent’s safety in those troubled times, had given orders that a mounted escort should also await him with every fresh horse and follow him on the road. These, however, were unable to keep pace with him. On arrival at the little town of Azaila, situated about halfway between Tangier and El Araish, he found no horse prepared for him. Riding at once to the British Consular Agent’s house, Mr. Hay demanded his horse. The Agent, a Jew, explained that it was locked up in the stable of the Basha, who was away, and that the groom was not to be found. ‘Take me to the stable,’ said Mr. Hay, and, calling to four men of the little crowd of idlers that had gathered, he ordered them to lift a large log of wood which lay near and direct it as a ram against the door. ‘Now, all together,’ said Mr. Hay. Down came the door with a crash, and quickly putting his saddle on the fresh horse, and throwing money to the Agent to repay the damage to the door, he mounted and rode on.

Before reaching the river Mishra-el-Hashef, some miles to the west of Tangier, he found his own sturdy pony awaiting him, and riding this, his favourite mount, he galloped to the river bank where the ferry, rowed by two men, awaited him. Shouting to them to stand clear, he jumped his pony into the boat, and out again on reaching the further side. He arrived at Tangier having ridden the whole distance in five hours.

The escorts appointed to accompany him returned to their quarters, having failed to keep Mr. Hay in sight. ‘It was useless,’ said they. ‘We galloped along behind him but he ran away from us, and as soon as he had gone a little way ahead he spread large wings and flew away with his horse!’

As Mr. Hay wore a loose Inverness cape, to protect him from sun and weather, the fluttering of this may have suggested the idea of wings.

An account of a curious and unpleasant adventure which befell Mr. Hay, and which points to the unsettled and fanatical state of the inhabitants of Tangier at that time is given in the following letter to his wife’s sister, Mme. Marcussen.

_July 29_, 1849.

I have also had an affair—and as it may probably be stuffed into some newspaper which might report my death, as was done once before, I will tell you about it in a few words.

A few days ago I was accompanying A., perched on her donkey, and the two children to Madame F.’s. On passing through the little market-place I had remained rather behind to take care of R., who was holding my hand, when I was assailed with abuse without the slightest cause by a wild-looking Hadj from the interior—and, on my calling on the bystanders to arrest him, the fanatic made at me and struck me a blow in the face and on the shoulder, hitting also by chance poor little R. I had nothing in my hand but my little gold-headed cane. Of this, however, I made good use; for I immediately struck the bare head of the Moslem who instantly fell to the ground, stunned, with a gash of several inches from which issued torrents of blood, whilst the wretch looked livid and appeared to be quivering in the convulsions of death. Several of the Hadj’s brethren were near me, but they all seemed so alarmed at the fate of the wounded man that they did not venture within reach of my little stick. You may imagine my astonishment at the effect of such a blow from so small a weapon, and you may imagine also, though I was justified in defending myself, my horror at the appearance of the wounded man.

The man was sent to prison and his head examined. The skull was not hurt, but there was a large gash of the skin and plenty of blood from a severed vein. This was soon put to rights, and as the wretch had received a good lesson for attacking a Christian, and all his brethren came to me to intercede for him, as he was about to embark on board a vessel for Alexandria, I let him out of prison and prevented Basha giving him the bastinado as he had intended. ‘Voilà tout.’

It may be added in connection with the incident here recounted by Mr. Hay that, surrounded though he was by a crowd of angry fanatics—very different in those remote days from the generality of the native population as known to the tourist in these later and more civilised times—he stood his ground, alone and undaunted, and the moment after he had felled his assailant, his only remark was, while pointing to the fallen man with his stick, ‘Erfed e’jifa’ (Take away the corpse).

No fear of consequences held back the wild pilgrims who hated the Christian with the blind, unreasoning hatred of ignorance and fanaticism; his individuality alone kept them in check, where another man might have been torn to pieces.

The Basha, after seeing the wounded man, sent to inquire what manner of sword Mr. Hay had employed which produced such a peculiar and dangerous wound—and was much astonished when shown a light but strong cane with a silver gilt head, formerly the property of Sir Walter Scott, by whom it had been given to Mr. Hay’s father.

The attitude Mr. Hay had adopted in dealing with the barbarous Moorish Government, his firm, upright, and frank policy, began to bear fruit, and in 1850 he writes to his cousin, Mr. R. W. Hay, then Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies:—

I am glad to find that the straightforward course I have always pursued with this Government—though often not very flattering to their vanity and fanaticism—begins to be understood and appreciated, rather than the cajolery they are accustomed to meet with from others.

On the other hand, to Sir Stratford Canning in February, 1851, he says:—

In this country there is nought of interest passing. Our Sultan is a fanatic, and is guided by a set of ignorant and venal ministers, who are doing all they can to ruin the commerce of the country by a system of monopolies. It is no use talking or writing to those who, it appears, won’t or can’t understand.

Their disputes with the French, about frontier, &c., have ceased for the moment, but there are difficulties we must expect to the end of the chapter—or rather, until Algiers becomes Morocco or Morocco part of Algiers.

The difficulties he anticipated were not long in abeyance. In the following December, in a letter to Mme. Marcussen, he tells her:—

The French bombarded Salli on the 25th ult., without giving any notice to us here or to the Sultan or his Government. Not much harm is done to the town: some thirteen persons killed in all, and the French have five killed and thirty wounded. One of their steam frigates was compelled to retire from the combat. After the bombardment they came here, and all the petty affairs they had to settle were settled at once—as they would have been before the bombardment if they would only have been inclined to arrange matters amicably. They saluted the town and peace was concluded. A reference was then made to the Sultan. His Majesty accepts the peace, but asks for explanations about bombardment; so B.[22] has taken umbrage and embarks with all the French subjects, or most of them, leaving the French flag flying and the Sardinian Consul-General in charge. It has been mere bullying; the strong trampling on the weak.

In the midst of these difficulties Mr. Hay continued to press upon the Moorish Government the necessity of a more liberal policy in matters of trade; but French schemes of political aggrandisement and the natural apathy of the Sultan, combined with fear of France, for the time rendered his best endeavours fruitless. In 1853 Mr. Hay seemed as far from his object as ever. Writing in that year to Mme. Marcussen, he says:—

I have been very busy, and have been compelled to suspend all relations with the Moorish Court—though I do not strike my flag. I have given them ten days in which to give way, and have no doubt they will. My demands have reference to our rights in trade in this country, which we are anxious to place on a better footing, not only for Great Britain but for Morocco itself and all countries.

The Moorish Government have announced that they send an Envoy to England; and his object, it is reported, is to complain of the insistance and _audacity_ which I have shown in this negotiation. I am delighted at this manœuvre because it will only tend finally to show these people I am acting up to my instructions and the views of Government. So much for Moorish politics.

Such representations on the part of the Moorish Government to the British Foreign Office were not likely to bear much weight, as may be gathered from the following farewell letter addressed to Mr. Hay by Mr. Addington, then retiring from his post as Chief Clerk at the Foreign Office.

_May 18_, 1854.

MY DEAR SIR,

I have been much gratified by the receipt of your letter, written on hearing of my retirement from the Foreign Office. . . .

No act of mine, while I was in office, is remembered by me with more satisfaction and confidence than the part I had in forwarding your appointment to the post which you now enjoy so creditably to yourself and so beneficially to the public.

Some thought so _young_ an appointment hazardous. I felt satisfied it would succeed, and I therefore pushed it on so far as it depended on me. And it _has_ succeeded, and will yet succeed.

Go on, without swerving, in the same track; vigorous but temperate; straightforward; never condescending to indulge in paltry and un-English intrigue or tortuosity; but not despising the ‘reculer pour mieux sauter’ principle whenever you find turning the bull’s flank more likely to succeed than taking him by the horns; and always remembering that, ‘suaviter in modo, fortiter in re,’ is the real adage for subduing the world and any individual in it.

I wish you every success, and am ever yours very sincerely,

H. CH. ADDINGTON.

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