We passed ancient Carthage, of which little remains but the cisterns, the aqueduct and a magnificent flight of steps up to the Temple of Æsculapius, and arrived at Tunis. In rowing over the Bay you see a great number of pillars and buildings yet on foot, so that the sea has been concerned in the destruction of Carthage. Tunis is twelve miles distant from this; it is a large and flourishing city. The people are more civilised than in Algiers,[98] and the government milder, but the climate is very far from being so good; Tunis is low, hot, damp and destitute of good water, with which Algiers is supplied from a thousand springs.
The only drawing which he has left of Carthage is a rough pen-and-ink sketch of the interior of the great reservoirs.
We determined to make two excursions from Tunis before setting out on our journey into the remote interior—the first to Zaghouan, where is one of the springs which supplied ancient Carthage, and the other to Bizerta; both these can be done in carriages, and this enabled me for a little while to enjoy the society of a brother, whose health would not enable him to make a long journey on horseback. It also happened that His Highness the Bey was absent for a time from his usual place of residence, and we could not possibly set out on our journey without presenting our respects to him, and obtaining the necessary letters of recommendation.
We left Tunis early on the morning of March 29, by the Bab el-Djizira, or gate of the island, by a road which has been cut through an Arab cemetery, surrounding the shrine of Sidi Ali ben Ahsan. The heights above are crowned by two very picturesque forts, which are prominent objects in the landscape from every point of view round Tunis. The ground being somewhat undulating, the great salt marsh or lake, called Sebkha es-Sedjoumi, which extends to five miles to the south-west of the town, is concealed from sight till we approach its southern extremity. During the winter months this contains a considerable body of water, but in summer it becomes little more than a fetid marsh, with a broad efflorescence of salt around its margin.
Kingston spent several hours yesterday in shooting around this lake, and reports that snipe, plover, and other wading birds are most abundant.
As we approached the Mohammedia we observed, lying in the middle of the road, a very fine cippus of white marble, which had recently been found at Ain Segal, and was being conveyed to Tunis by order of General Kheir-ed-din. It was so heavy that the caratoni on which it was placed broke down. On our return it had disappeared, and as the inscription is probably unpublished I was glad to have copied it, though very hurriedly, on the outward journey. Its dimensions were 4 ft. 7 in. long, 23 inches broad, and 25 deep.
. VIIIAI HORTENSIA . . .
. VRDINIAE . ANTONIAE
. . YMAE . FLAM. PERP . .
. . . E VNIVERSAE . EI . .