Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/221

 the west and north winds. At the time of the French occupation, it might have been possible to have transferred the capital to Carthage by a bold stroke; the plan of the Roman town still shows the streets cutting each other at right angles, so that the modern houses might be raised on old foundations. In healthiness, picturesque beauty, and commercial advantages, no less than in the glory of its

name, the new Carthage might have been far superior to Tunis; but no one has ventured to interfere with vested interests, or modify the trade routes. Moreover, the greater part of Carthage having, like the hill of Byrsa, become the property of the Church, its acquisition for secular purposes would have been attended with great difficulty. The total circumference of the enclosure is said to exceed 16 miles,