Journal de Toulouse July 21, 1881 Pages 3-4

Affairs In According to the estimates of captain Zaconne (in Notes of Tunisia) the large Le Temps received the following tribe of the Zlass, whose cultural and dispatches from its correspondents: geographical territories extend between and , account for , July 18, 10:00 morning. approximately 12,000 souls. It is seen as I sent two special couriers to Kairouan. belonging to the “Hasinia” which includes Their information agrees perfectly. Five the tribes devoted to the family of the hundred Zlass cavalry started from reigning bey. In this it is the same as the Kairouan after threatening the governor and Hammama, which traverses sandy and arid obliging the farmers of the concession and regions between Karouan, the oasis of salt not to collect taxes any more. Fifteen and the Algerian border to the south hundred horsemen of the Hamama are of Kef. This tribe provided to the bey a moving on Kef, coming from Gafsa. Other goum and 800 riders and even more tribes march on Mateur and Wadi Saïd; infantrymen. Lastly, the Metellit, of which around Enfida, it is quiet, but the Zlass there had been question in our dispatches intend to go to plunder this region. The of yesterday, camp between and director took refuge in Tunis. Souse, on the shore which faces the The 500 Metellit that arrived at the Kerkenna islands; to come to , gates of Tunis plundered all the enchirs their horsemen would have traveled nearly (rural properties) of the suburbs. It is 2,000 200 kilometers through the interior of the camels of the bey that the have taken, and country, probably by the valley of Wadi not 400, as the first information said. Miliana.) In a garden located at little distance from Bardo, two Maltese were Tunis, July 18, 7:00 evening. assassinated. There is no more safety The most recent news from Sfax is that anywhere. The countryside is infested in addition to the 300 dead already everywhere by marauders. All the announced, the insurrectionists had 200 emissaries report that the tribes openly horsemen killed in a shooting which took state the desire to fight the French and the place last night. bey, to pillage all that they can and to Today, calm has been restored; the city massacre the Christians. is deserted. Most Sfaxiens have left. Even The news from Sfax says that the the gardens of olive-trees in the suburbs natives had 300 dead and 800 wounded. have been abandoned. The European district suffered greatly. The Arabs have moved away from Sfax a little, Tunis, July 18, 7:50, evening. but they camp in the surrounding area. It is I learn that at Gorombalia (between confirmed tha various tribes march on Tunis and Hammamet and barely 35 Tunis. kilometers from Tunis), some marauders, The minister Mustapha arrived at four- belonging, it is said, to the Tripolitanian thirty at . He was greeted by tribes who emigrate periodically at that time twenty one volleys of the cannon. of the year to the Regency of Tunis, removed 1,200 sheep and 250 oxen belonging to the Tunisian general Ben Mustapha has been received at his Turquia. disembarkment by all the people of the A messenger from Kairouan confirms court. The bey embraced his effusively. that 800 horsemen belonging to the Zlass In the course of the day, a great entered this city and have obliged the reconnaissance was carried out around governor to abolish all the town duties, the Manouba and in the nearby plains by two tax on salt and the farming of tobacco, squadrons of cavalry. From Mateur two whose sale will have from now on to be squadrons of hussars have arrived. free. Perhaps would be it imprudent to withdraw These Zlass announced that they were too many troops from this locality, because proposing to go on Tunis, to cut the the Zlass have announced, it appears, their aqueduct which brings water to the city intention to take themselves this direction. from Zaghouan and Djogar (it is the old aqueduct of , restored years ago, Monastir, July 18, 3:00, evening. under the direction of a French engineer, In the combat of the 16 th , under the M. Colin), and finally to destroy the walls of Sfax, were killed the sheik telegraphs and the railroad. It appears that Belgassem-Ben-Djerouba of the Mettellit, the riders which pillaged the enchir of Si- the most intrepid rider of the regency, a Chakir yesterday, belong to these bands. kind of Tunisian Jugurtha, and terror of the Several notable and rich inhabitants of enemies of his tribe; his brother; the son of Kairouan are encouraging the rebels and khalifa El-Hardoui, of the Metellit; and a promising to provide them with corn, barley, nephew of the khalifa of the Neffel. meat and powder. The losses undergone by the Dispatches from Sfax announce that insurgents had to have been great, the chief of the rebels, Ben-Alifa, would be because from many casualties come to among the death along with five or six other seek care in the villages of the Sahel. of most influential individuals among the The death of the Djerouba brothers will Metellit. Their death would have produced a produce a considerable moral effect; the great effect on the insurgent tribes and Arabs say, indeed, that they were worth an would seem to have caused a certain army. discouragement among them.

From http://bibliotheque.toulouse.fr on May 27, 2008.