The Tunisian Arabs are beginning to express their feeling towards
the French, just as the Candaharees did towards us, through individual assassinations. M. Seguin, correspondent of the Telographe, apparently a blameless person, who hap- pened to be carrying a Kroumir rifle, which he had received as a present, was attacked by an Arab, near the railway station, and drew a dagger to defend himself. The Arab snatched it away and ripped open the abdomen, inflicting' a wound so terrible that the doctor was unwilling to expose M. Seguin to the useless torture of treatment. Ho was, however, sewn up, but died in an hour. The assassin was
immediately tried, and sentenced to death ; but unless the French annex, assassinations will be frequent, and will be directed against higher persons than M. Seguin. Why annexa- tion should stop them, we do not know ; but it does, probably from some idea in the Mahommedan mind than an annexed country having ceased to be an integral portion of the territory of Islam, his own right to slay for the faith, and thus earn martyr- dom, has ceased also. Intermediately, the French repression in Tunis will, of course, become cruel, every officer thinking of himself as a possible victim. The old Arab officials have been superseded, and the Boy is practically powerless, 5,000 French- men being encamped round his palace. The " protectorate " cannot last, the French being far too logical.
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