TUNIS, a seaport of Africa, capital of the above state, at the mouth of the Medjerda, on the west side of an oval lagoon, communicating by a narrow opening with the sea, 400 miles E. by N. of Algiers,—N. Lat. 36.48, E. Long. 10.24. It is built on a sloping piece of ground, rising from the edge of the water to the heights on which stands the kasbah or citadel; and it is surrounded by two walls, the outermost of which, enclosing three suburbs, is about 5 miles in circuit. A strong fort commands the entrance of the lake, which is called Goletta, and various others protect the approach to the town in different directions. The outer wall is entered by four gates, and the inner, which is much loftier, by six. The commanding position of the town, and its long rows of white buildings, give it a very fine appearance from a distance; but on passing the gates it is found to consist of narrow, crooked, and dirty streets, lined with mean-looking houses of stone or brick. These are in many cases only one storey high, being built in the Moorish fashion, with a courtyard in the centre, and without windows to the outside. Most of the houses have a cistern for collecting the rain-water; and the town is also supplied with water by an aqueduct which conveys it from a neighbouring spring. The finest building is a mosque, which is very richly decorated with columns and other remains brought from ancient buildings in the interior. Of the many other mosques, not a few are handsome structures. The palace of the bey is a fine modern building in the Saracenic style, but badly situated in a narrow street. It has a large number of rooms paved with marble, and opening on marble courts adorned with fountains. Tunis contains a Moorish college, where law and theology are almost the only branches taught; and there are a few minor schools, where the children are instructed in reading, writing, and the koran. But toleration is extended to Jews
and Christians, who have several synagogues and churches in the town; the latter belonging to the Roman Catholic and Greek churches. Tunis has also a Roman Catholic convent, an Italian theatre, several large and well-stocked bazaars, and six large barracks in different parts of the town, one of them a fine building of two storeys, capable of accommodating 4000 men. The principal manufactures of the town are linen and woollen cloth, embroidery, and red woollen caps. The trade is extensive, and has been already described under the state of Tunis. The harbour is not very good, on account of the shallowness of the lagoon, which does not allow large vessels to enter. Hence all drawing more than 6 or 7 feet of water must load and unload by means of lighters. But there is good anchorage in an inlet of the Gulf of Tunis, which has 10 or 12 fathoms, and is sheltered in every direction but the north-east. About 2 miles to the west of the town stands the Bardo, an extensive and fortified palace of the bey, and the usual residence of the court. It is said to contain more than 4000 inhabitants. About 3 miles to the north-east of Tunis lie the ruins of Carthage, which partly occupy the isthmus between the lagoon and the sea. Tunis itself is a very ancient city; and it is doubtful whether it was founded by the native Africans or, like Carthage, by the Phoenicians. Its history is identical with that of the state of which it is the capital. In point of population, Tunis is at present probably second only to Cairo among African towns, as it is estimated to contain from 100,000 to 180,000 inhabitants, of whom 30,000 are Jews.