author
John H. Drummond (John Hay Drummond) Hay
1816–1893
A British diplomat whose long service in Morocco gave him an unusually close view of nineteenth-century North Africa, he also wrote vivid travel and natural-history sketches. His work blends political observation with scenes of everyday life, landscapes, and wildlife.
1 Audiobook
A memoir of Sir John Drummond Hay, P.C., K.C.B., G.C.M.G., sometime minister at the court of Morocco
by Louisa Annette Edla Drummond-Hay Brooks, Alice Emily Drummond-Hay, John H. Drummond (John Hay Drummond) Hay
About the author
Born in 1816 at Valenciennes in France, Sir John Hay Drummond Hay was educated in Scotland and at Charterhouse before entering diplomatic service. He became closely associated with Morocco, where he spent much of his career representing Britain and eventually served as envoy extraordinary at the Moroccan court.
Alongside his official work, he wrote about the region from direct experience. His best-known book, Western Barbary: Its Wild Tribes and Savage Animals, reflects the nineteenth-century travel tradition, combining accounts of landscape, local communities, hunting, and wildlife with the perspective of someone who knew the country over many years.
Drummond Hay died in 1893. Today he is remembered both as a significant British diplomat in Morocco and as a writer whose books preserve a detailed, personal picture of the country as he encountered it.