A Jewish Circumcision witness'd by the Author in Mogadore An authentic narrative of the loss of the American brig Commerce, wrecked on the western coast of Africa, in the month of August, 1815 with an account of the sufferings of her surviving officers and crew, who were enslaved by the wandering Arabs on the great African desert, or Zahahrah; and observations historical, geographical, &c., made during the travels of the author, while a slave to the Arabs, and in the empire of Morocco Riley, James 1777-1840 Anderson, Alexander 1775-1870 images nyu New-York Published by the author 1818 3d ed. monographic eng print xiv, [2, [17]-407 p. front. (port.) 8 pl. fold. map, facsim. 22 cm. Many memoirs and fictionalized accounts of Barbary captivity sensationalized their experiences and focused on the exoticizing aspects of their captors’ society, piquing early interest in Algerian dress and regional methods of costume production. Despite varying widely in accuracy, these narratives helped shape American views of the Barbary states and contributed public support for government actions, like the dispatch of naval forces to the Mediterranean. These publications provide insights into daily life in Ottoman North Africa, such as traditions of various religious demographics in the region. Some document ceremonies like “A Jewish Circumcision” or Muslim prayers, pictured in this engraving. By James Riley. ... Preceded by a brief sketch of the author's life; and containing a description of the famous city of Tombuctoo, on the river Niger, and of another large city, far South of it, on the same river, called Wassanah; narrated to the author at Mogadore, by Sidi Hamet, the Arabian merchant. With a new, valuable, and interesting appendix. Illus. and embellished with eleven copperplate engravings. Most of the engravings are signed by Anderson. Commerce (Brig) Slavery Africa, North Africa, North Description and travel Sahara Description and travel 21015234 8178847 DLC 820222 19900412000000.0 991034675319706966 Converted from MARCXML to MODS version 3.5 using MARC21slim2MODS3-5.xsl (Revision 1.107 2016/1/7)