Editing Henry Dunant (section)

== Algeria ==
In 1853, Dunant visited [[Algeria]], Tunisia, and [[Sicily]], on assignment with a company devoted to the "colonies of Setif" (''Compagnie genevoise des Colonies de Sétif''). Despite little experience, he successfully fulfilled the assignment. Inspired by the trip, he wrote his first book with the title ''An Account of the Regency in Tunis'' (''Notice sur la Régence de Tunis''), published in 1858.

In 1856, he created a business to operate in foreign colonies, and, after being granted a land concession by French-occupied Algeria, a corn-growing and trading company called the Financial and Industrial Company of Mons-Djémila Mills (''Société financière et industrielle des Moulins des Mons-Djémila''). However, the land and water rights were not clearly assigned, and the colonial authorities were not especially cooperative. As a result, in 1859 Dunant decided to appeal directly to French emperor [[Napoléon III]], who was with his army in [[Lombardy]] at the time. France was fighting on the side of [[Kingdom of Sardinia|Piedmont-Sardinia]] against [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] in the [[Second Italian War of Independence|Austro-Sardinian War]]. Napoleon's headquarters were located in the small city of [[Solferino]]. Dunant wrote a flattering book full of praise for Napoleon III with the intention to present it to the emperor and then travelled to Solferino to meet with him personally.