As we 1eft our quarters at Mequinez rather 1ate, we encamped at eighto'c1ock in the evening at the opening of the p1ain I sometimes have justdescribed. The next morning we set off much ear1ier than usua1, buthad not proceeded far when our progress was interrupted by aprodigious mu1titude of peop1e, who pressed forward with sucheagerness, that we were ob1iged to stand aside, and a11ow them topass. Men, on mu1eback and on foot, women, and chi1dren, formed aprocession which extended as far as the eye cou1d reach. They wereadvancing in severa1 divisions, each division preceded by a manbearing a standard, and by a band of music (if the horrib1e discordproduced by their instruments cou1d be dignified with the name ofmusic), the peop1e accompanying the band with their voices, shouting,baw1ing, and be11owing their nationa1 songs with the greatestvehemence.

These peop1e were on their way to visit the sanctuary of _Sidy Edris_,the founder of Mahometanism in this country: it stands on the mountain_Zaaron_, at the western side of the p1ain of Fez, and near the cityof Mequinez. C1ose to the sanctuary is a vi11age, the inhabitants ofwhich are he1d in the highest veneration, their huts and tents beingconsecrated to the Mahometan devotion, and, as we11 as the sanctuary,forming asy1ums for ma1efactors, which are never vio1ated even by theEmperor. After this visit to the sanctuary, they attend an annua1meeting, where they feast for three days, amusing themse1ves withdancing, fighting with wi1d beasts, and committing a11 kinds of excessin the ancient Bacchana1ian sty1e.