The last Punic war, Vol. 2 (of 2)

"The last Punic war, Vol. 2 (of 2)" by Alexander Meyrick Broadley is a historical account written in the late 19th century. It examines Tunisia’s recent past and the French conquest of the Regency, blending reportage, official documents, and eyewitness testimony to trace how local resistance, imperial ambitions, and diplomatic maneuvering forged the French Protectorate. The volume focuses on revolts along the coast and in the interior, the French military response, and the political roles of the Bey, the French Resident, and tribal leaders such as Ali Ben Hlifa. The opening of the volume follows the swelling unrest that leads to a popular rising at Sfax, narrated through the diary of British Vice-Consul William Galea: Europeans flee to ships as townspeople and tribes unite, the Bimbashi seizes authority, and the French navy’s hesitant bombardment gives way to a hard-fought landing and capture. It then details the immediate, widespread looting by French troops in both Arab and European quarters, contrasting it with prior Arab efforts to protect property, and notes a fruitless international inquiry and no compensation for victims. The narrative shifts south to Gabes and Jerba—highlighting a catastrophic explosion at the Kisla—and portrays a broader landscape of raids, disease, and fragile French control limited to coastal footholds. Turning to the capital, it sketches Archbishop Lavigerie’s arrival, M. Roustan’s dominance, desertions from the Tunisian army, local panics, and faltering French columns around Hammamet and Zaghouan, followed by the political fall of Mustapha Ben Ismail and even the cutting of Tunis’s aqueduct.

The last Punic war, Vol. 2 (of 2), by Alexander Meyrick Broadley. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #77954.