Our mission to the court of Marocco in 1880, under Sir John Drummond Hay

In 1880, a British diplomatic mission sets out for the court of the Sultan of Morocco under Sir John Drummond Hay. This account follows the expedition from its preliminary arrangements through its travels, offering a soldier’s detailed observations of the country, its people, customs, roads, cities, and political world.

Drawn from a diary kept throughout the journey, the narrative favors firsthand detail over sensational adventure. Alongside encounters at the Sharífian court are descriptions of changing landscapes, difficult travel, architecture, local geography, and the varied communities encountered along the route.

The book also provides practical insight into nineteenth-century exploration, including maps, explanations of Arabic pronunciation and place-names, and notes on plants collected during the expedition. Photographic illustrations and geographical appendices complement the travel narrative, making this a vivid record of Morocco as observed by an official visitor at a significant moment in its history.