Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 2.djvu/489

 EU- UIBSANI— AMBiL 408 IJcsitlcs (lutes, some wbeut, barley, mid clover are jptjwn, whenever the winter fl(Kxl8 have bct'ii sufficiently copiouH. Till recently the (Mipulation wa« alnHMt exclusively Arab, but at present it in niixcing every- where crowded out by the ^ aboriginal Berber race. Er-Ri.ssani — Amra. Tafilelt has two capitals scarcely separated by a stone's throw — Er-Rmaui, residence of the governor, in the north-east, and in the south-west Abuam or £u-Aam, where the traders chiefly resort. The latter, the largest and wealthiest place in the whole oasis, is the chief market for the Sahara between Twat and the "Wed Draa. Here all the industries are grouped in separate quarters — in one place clothiers, in an- other dealers in oil, butter, and soap ; elsewhere ar- mourers, carixjnters, sad- dlers, and the leather- workers who were for centuries the glory of Ta- filelt. Its famous jild el- fil41i, or skins tanned with an indigenous plant, doubt- less an acacia, are still forwarded to Fez and Tlemcen. From Sudan are imported ostrich feathers, some gold dust and slaves. Most Eurojiean wares are introduced chiefly from Algeria, although tea still continues to be purchased from Knglish dealers. As in Marocco, the circulating medium is almost exclusively five-franc pieces. The governor is always a brother or near relation of the Sultan ; but his 5'*0' We«t of Greeny. cH Vflla«««. ISMSm.