3-070-886 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The French Expedition to Tunis: the Island and Fort of Tabarka, 1881. 'The invasion by the French of the territory of the Bey of Tunis, a vassal of the Turkish Empire, is ostensibly justified by the necessity of punishing an unruly frontier tribe, called the Khroumirs, who have committed some acts of violence across the border of Algeria...The Regency of Tunis occupies nearly the centre of the northern shores of Africa to the east of the French Algerine dominion... The island of Tabarka...is to serve as the base of the operations for the attack of the Khroumirs from the north...The castle is built on the north end of the island, overlooking the sea...In our view, the French gun-boat Hyène appears lying at anchor just below the old castle, and one of her boats is taking soundings close to the rocky shore. Three gun-boats, the Hyène, the Chacal, and the Leopard, each carrying two large guns,...were employed in a preliminary demonstration. The commander of the Hyène, Lieutenant Cluze, attempted negotiations with the commandant of the Tunisian garrison, who hoisted the Turkish flag and refused to surrender...The [French] military and naval preparations seem far to exceed those which would be needful for the mere chastisement of border tribes'. From "Illustrated London News", 1881.