Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/368

 296 NORTH- WEST AFEICA. south-west, the Arab war of independence was brought to a close by the surrender of Abd-el-Kader in 1847. Compared with the coastlands and uplands of the Tell, the southern plateaux and regions draining to the Sahara are very sparsely peopled, the Arab and Berber tribes here occupying vast spaces out of all proportion to their numbers, while the French settlers, exclusive of the naturalised Jews, numbered scarcely five thousand altogether in 1881. Yet the ruins of Roman towns and farmsteads in the upland valleys of the Aures and other districts show that many of these extensive tracts enjoy a soil and climate highly favourable to European civilisation. Aures — Batna. The Aures, or Auras, properly so called — that is, the "Cedar Mountains," accord- ing to some etymologists — is comprised between the course of the Wed-el-Kantara and that of the Wed-el-Arab, and is inhabited exclusively by peoples of Berber speech, but of diverse origin. Although there has evidently been much displace- ment of populations since the Roman epoch, the country was never occupied by the Turks nor reduced by the French till the year 1845. Yet the latter are already regarded as the descendants of the " Ruman," or old Roman colonists, and the inscriptions and other local monuments constitute in the eyes of the natives their most legitimate title to the possession of Algeria. "The Rumi, sons of the Rumsln, have only resumed the patrimony of their fathers." To these are attributed all the ruins of the land, and especially the circular graves still scattered in hundreds over the uplands of the Mons Aurasius. Roman blood probably betrays itself in the prevalent fair type, and some of the most important tribes even as far south as the Saharian oases still bear the name of Rumaniya. The current Berber dialect retains many Latin terms, such as the names of the months, hignu (from pinm P), the cedar-tree, bu ini {bonus annus^, the salutation at the New Year, and others. Although traditionally converted to Islam by a certain " Saint " Sidi Abdullah, before the French occupation most of the natives were Mohammedans only in name. But Arabic having been adopted as the official language, both the Arab speech and religion have since been widely diflPused amongst these Berber high- landers. The indigenous dialects, Zenatia in the eastern, Tmazirt (Tem&zirha) in the western districts, often take the general name of Teshawit (vulgarly Shawia), from the Arabic Shawi, " Shepherds," and this term is even collectively applied to all the Algerian Berbers, except the Kabyles. The rising French settlement of Khemhela^ conveniently situated at the con- verging point of several fertile valleys, commands the north-eastern Aures district. It occupies the site of the Roman M'lacula, and numerous ruins are found, especially towards the north in the direction of the old Roman town of Bagai. Megalithic monuments, such as graves surrounded by a circle of stones, are also scattered in thousands over this region. Sidi-Nnji, at the south-eastern extremity of the Aures, in the Wed-el-Arab basin, is noted for its handsome mosque, and in the district