The region which is separated on the north from the upper valley of the Mejerdah by the Al-Keff Mountains, and extends southward to 35° N. lat., and eastward to Jebel-Ussalat (10° E. long.), seems to consist of an alternation of hills and plains of considerable extent. Some of the bills are connected so as to form long ridges ; others are isolated. Part of them are wooded, especially in the valleys nod glens which intersect them, and these valleys contain the small tracts which are cultivated by the Arabs. The plains are entirely without culti vation, and serve only as pasture-grounds for sheep and camels. The Arabs who frequent it live in dowars, or clusters of tents. The numerous ruins of large towns which are dispersed over it show that a considerable portion of this tract was once cultivated. This country must be considerably elevated above the sea-level, as frost appears to be common in winter.
To the east of this region lies the plain of Kerwan, which extends from the innermost recesses of the Gulf of Hammamet to the town of Sfax. Nearly in the middle of this plain, which is more than 100 miles in length and about 30 miles in width, the town is situated from which its name is derived. The degree of cold which is experienced in the town of Kerwan proves that this place must be considerably above the sea. The plain is destitute of trees, and nearly without cultivation, except in the immediate vicinity of the town, where a large tract is sown with several kinds of grain. The Arab tribes who wander about over it appear to be much more wealthy than the other Arab tribes in Tunis.
The plain of Kerwan reaches to the shores of the sea between Hammamet and Suss, but farther south it is separated from the sea by hilly tracts, which extend from the town of Susa southward to a point opposite the islands of Karkenab. This tract may be about 24 miles in width in the widest part, as it approaches on the west the ruins called Al-Jem. The interior of this region is composed of a succession of sterile hills; but the eastern border, and the low tract which lies between it and the sea-shore, are tolerably fertile, though the soil is stony. It is chiefly planted with olive-trees, which fre quently form forests many miles long and from two to three miles wide. This coast has several saa-ports, from which oil, wool, and wax are exported : the two last-mentioned articles are brought by the Arabs from the interior. At the most southern extremity of this region is the town of Sfax, whose olive-plantations extend 10 or 12 miles along the sea and from 5 to 6 miles inland, and are intermin gled with groves of pistachio-nuts, and fields of rye, barley, maize, and lentils.
The country which lies to the south of the three last-mentioned regions, and which contains the larger part of the country called by the ancients Byeacium, once noted for its fertility, is at present almost a desert. Along the sea-shore extends a plain, whose surface is varied only by some swelling grounds and a few low hills. A few mountain summits occasionally appear rising far to the west. Along the sea shore the soil consists of sand, but farther inland it is composed of more compact materials. The whole however is without cultivation, but it supplies pasture to some tribes of Arabs, who have large herds of camels, horses, cattle, and sheep. In One or two places on the sea
coast indigo is cultivated to a small extent ; the whole plain is desti tute of trees, and even bushes are rare. The western districts, or those contiguous to the boundary-line of Algiers. consist:of a long valley, which extends nearly 100 miles, from N. lat. to some distance south of 34* N. Lat. Its soil is dry, and only a few small rivers are met with, the waters of which are soon exhausted by irrigation : these are the only spots in the valley which are cultivated. The ridges which inclose the valley are destitute of trees, and nearly without vegetation. Towards the northern extremity of the valley water is more abundant, and there are large tracts of pasture-ground for the wandering tribes.
The southern portion of Tunis le called the Jerid, or Beled-al-Jerid (the country of date-palms). It extends from about 31* N. lat. southward to the parallel of the southern extremity of the great salt lake Al-Sibhah, and on the south is contiguous to the Sahara. This lake is 70 miles long from south-west to north-east, and about 26 miles wide on an average. In summer it is dry, with the exception of the southern part, where there Is always a considerable sheet of water. When dry, the central part, for 15 or 18 miles, is covered with a layer of salt, which is not so strong as sea-salt, and not adapted for pre serving provisions ; but it has an agreeable flavour. Between this layer of salt and the banks of the lake is a tract whose surface is sandy, or partially overgrown with bushes. In winter the whole surface is covered with water to a depth of two or three feet. It may however be passed even in this season along a track which is marked by stones, trunks of trees, skulls of animals, and sticks. The country which extends from the eastern shores of the salt-lake to the Gulf of Gabe consists of a succession of hills. It contains a great number of springs sod small watercourses, to which circumstance its fertility is owing: the water is employed in irrigating the adjacent fields until it is exhausted. It Is particularly employed in irrigating tho plantations of date-trees, which in some places cover several square miles. In other parts the country is studded with numerous little oases of palm trees, each of them surrounding a village; but between these cultivated spots there are large tracts that exhibit no sign of vemetation. In this tract considerable quantities of henna are Great care is taken in cultivating these grounds, and manure is applied to them. Some of the gardens are extensive, and contain a great variety of fruit-trees, as the peach, apricot, vine, almond, orange, lotus, pome granate, and fig. Melons and onions aro grown in considerable quantities. On the west of the Sibbah occurs a similar tract, which extends from the southern extremity of the salt-lake to its middle, and is of superior quality. The dates which are collected in these plantations are of an exquisite flavour, and considered superior to any in Barbary. The inhabitants of this tract are wealthy, and live in well-constructed houses of atone.