Jugurtha was a renegade king of Numidia, an important North African nation that at various times had been an important ally both of Carthage and of Rome.

There was the challenge posed by King Jugurtha and his Numidian kingdom west of the new Africa Province.

The reviewer went on to draw a pertinent moral from this, saying, "It is a subject of interesting contemplation for the moralist, to find a native of the land of Jugurtha, one of a race made mere merchandise of for ages, now of equal rank with his fellow men in civilised life, and delighting, by his cultivation and accomplishments, an intellectual British audience" (The Merlin 1 Mar.