Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/200

 162 NORTH-WEST AFRICA. two projecting wings surrounded by elegant columns, crowns a neighbouring eminence. The space before the triple sanctuary was approached through a triumphal arch ornamented, like the temple, with beautiful sculptures, similar to the decorations of the temples of Baalbek. The whole of this region, covered with Roman ruins, appears to have been a vast forest of olives ; near each building are also still visible cisterns and fortalices, whither the settlers took refuge at any sudden alarm. At the present time this olive country, over which roam the Frashish tribe, yields no other produce except the wool of its sheep, which, how- ever, is the most valued in all Tunis. North of Susa the coast route, confined between the lagoons and the sea, traverses the village of Hergla, which now shows no traces of the Roman period, except in its ancient name of Horrea Coelia, and some shapeless ruins. The surface of a nei«»-hbouring plain is covered with dolmens for a space of about one square mile. Beyond this spot, near the jieak of Takruna, on which stands the village of the same name, lies the farm of Dar-d-Bcy, or " the Bey's Palace," centre of the vast Enfida domain belonging to the Ulad-Said tribe, which was so long disputetl by rival speculating companies, backed up by their respective govern- ments. The annexation of Tunis to France terminated the contest to the advantage of a society from Marseilles, to which other domains have also been conceded. This immense tract, which although not yet surveyed, can scarcely comprise less than 800,000 acres, includes lands of a very varied nature, some arid, others fertile, but on the whole constituting one of the most favoured regions of Tunis. Under the Roman government, this portion of Byzacenae is said to have contained no less than seventeen towns, whose ruins are still met scattered amid the surround- ing brushwood. At present not more than three hamlets, peopled with Berber peasantry, occupy the crests of the hills, and a Maltese village has been recently established miles to the north of Dar-el-Bey. Certain parts of this region are planted with olive groves stretching away beyond the horizon ; and other tracts, abundantly watered, might be utilised as gardens. Extensive plains are here covered with cereals ; forests of pines and thuya clothe the slopes of ]!^[ount Zaghwan, and the pasture lands are pre-eminently fitted for sheep-breeding. The. greatest efforts have recently been made to promote this industry, by introducing Algerian stock, and also to increase the vine plantations ; but unfortunately this work of improvement has its drawbacks, due to the interference of managers and foreign capitalists, which have not failed to arise in this region of Tunis as well as in all the other httifnmlia. The interest exacted by money-lenders, the expenses of commission, the employment of useless middlemen, the dearness of labour, and the hostility of the injured natives, always ruin enterprises of this description, or at least prevent them from producing in a proportion equal to that of small properties cultivated by the owner himself. To prevent the failure of their specu- lation, the grantees of the Enfida estate have been obliged to give up personally directing the work of cultivation ; like the Arab suzerains, they content themselves with letting their lands to the surrounding peasants and shepherds. The rent of these lands is little more than is. 8d. per acre, a deduction being made for tracts