ARZILLA, the ZILIA of the Carthaginians, and the JULIA TRADUCTA of the Romans, is a sea-port town of Morocco, in the province of El Garb, situated at the mouth of a small river which runs into the Atlantic. It was originally built by the Romans, and afterwards fell into the hands of the Goths, from whom it was taken by the Mahometans. It was rebuilt, with great magni ficence, by the Caliphs of Cordoba, and, in 1470, was ta ken by Alphonso, king of Portugal. Population 1000. W. Long. 5° 16', N. Lat. 35° 28'. See Chenicr's Mo rocco, p. 22. ; and Jackson's Account of the Empire of Morocco, 1809, p. 94, 95. (w) AS, the name of a coin and weight used by the Ro mans. See MONEY and WEIGHTS. (ni) ASAi\[, ASSAM, or Asiram, a country in Asia, bound ed on the north by Thibet, on the east by part of the Birman empire, on the south by Mechley, and on the west by Hindostan. The northern part of the country, called Uttareul, is divided from the southern part, call ed Dacshincul, by the river Burrampooter, which re ceives several tributary streams from the mountains on the south of Asam. In the province of Dacshmcul, a considerable part of the country. is populous and well cultivated, and is diversified with the agreeable pros pects of tilled fields, rich gardens, and shaded groves. TISe productions of this division are mangoes, plantains, jacks, oranges, citrons, limes, pine-apples, pumalets, species of amlets, cocoa-nuts, excellent sugar-canes, gin ger, betel vines, rice, and mash. The silks of Asam, which are said to be produced from another animal than the silk-worm, are reckoned good, and resemble those of China. They weave velvet, and a kind of silk called tautbund, of which their tents and kenauts are construct ed. A tribe of mountaineers, called Xanae, imports into Asam excellent lignum aloes, which they exchange for grain and salt, the last of which commodities is exceed ingly scarce, and is chiefly extracted from the plantain tree. These mountaineers wander about naked, and live on snakes, dogs, cats, rats, mice, ants, and locusts, even when they have died a natural death.
The country to the north of the Burrampooter is more populous, and better cultivated, than the southern re gions. It produces abundance of pepper and cocoa nuts ; and the inhabitants of the mountains supply it with musk, kataus, or mountain cows, bhoat and perce, the names of two kinds of blankets ; and also with goont and tan yans, two species of horses.
Gold and silver are obtained in great quantities in every part of Asam, by washing the sand of the rivers. About 16,000 of the population are employed in this labour, each of whom pays to the rajah a fixed revenue of a tolah of gold, equal to seventy carats among jew ellers.
The rajah resides at Ghargon or Ghergon, the capital, which is situated to the south of the Burrampooter. It is enclosed with a fence of bamboos, and has four gates, constructed of stone and earth. A body guard of 7000 Asamians, well armed and accoutred, watch the sitting and sleeping apartments of the rajah.
The natives of Asam have been represented as desti tute of every principle of morality, and inattentive to every species of religious worship. Hence the social virtues arc extinguished in the brutality, treachery, and deceit, which are said to debase their character ; and the only qualities which they possess, are those of an enterprising and ferocious courage, which has checked the progress of the most daring conquerors, and preserv ed to them the independence of their country.
The expenses of the rajah are defrayed from the royal mines of gold, silver, lead, and iron, and hence his sub jects are not oppressed with exactions. The people are addicted to polygamy, and in the most public manner they buy, sell, and exchange their wives. They shave their heads, beards, and whiskers ; and their chief dress is a cloth tied round their heads, and another round their loins. Sometimes they wear blue bonnets, deco rated with swine's teeth, and throw a sheet over their shoulders. Wood, bamboos, and straw, are the mate rials of which their houses are constructed. The prince and his courtiers are carried about in splendid and stately litters, while the other ranks are conveyed in lower ve hicles, called doolies. They have neither horses, camels, nor asses, in Asam ; and such is their terror at a horse, that an hundred armed Asamians will fly before a single trooper. On the death of the rajahs, or any of the lead ing men, they bury in a large cave, dug for the purpose, all his women and attendants, together with the splen did equipage, furniture, &c. which he possessed, when alive. Clothes, food, oil, and burning Torches, are added, *: to supply the wants of the deceased in the future state of his existence. The gunpowder of Asam, according to Turpin, is of the best quality ; and the secret of ma king it, supposed to have been invented in Asam, is said to have passed to the Chinese through the medium of the Peguans. See a Description of -Awn, written in Persian by Mohammed Cazitn, and translated by Mr Vansittart in the ?siatic Researches, vol. ii. p. 171. See also Turpin's Account of Siam, Paris, 1771; and Pen t:bees Diet. Commerf.toin.i. p. 614. (7r)