Show THE FRENCH SOUDAN the ear of brench territory and the consequent of I brench in western and ami northwestern nilion have hit hitherto berto aroused little lilile interest in great br UrH etain alii tile results result of 0 these operations within I 1 abi n the lat la id it t decade of at years have been I 1 10 0 give france actual of le lc boudan francais Fran cair a which includes ca u d 8 tit alir whole eji e JI ent of 0 the valleys a and n c act as I 1 na 0 rained drained iby by the ibe upper a aiulu no ell enla to of at the Sene galand and a ot tile the upper niger to ilia he west the brenon soudan li IS bounded by the old colony of 0 saric senegal gal the narrow wedge or of the gambia brit bell lili abiud the portuguese guinea to filhe ll hc southwest it 1113 is limited by fouta Uj Dj allon sierra leone and liberia to south it joins the Frel trench ici ivory cos coast st while the french sphere extends in this direction belond be ond ashanti to D dahomey allo orney likewise french timbuctoo marks the northeast corner cor nr and front from this advanced position to bakel on the senegal the Alle distance as the crow hies flies Is over six hundred miles while front moro lit in the kaarta to ahe source 0 f the niger nicer orr on the frontier of sierra leone the distance Is not less than tour hundred and thirty miles in a straight line toward the east and north the de limitations of the french soudan are indefinable tut but elie french sphere a 0 influence la As recognized as including the whole A I 1 ole of the western estern sahara from lake toll ad to cape euw in regard to ithe caravan traffic across tile the sahara ter tar morocco some settle slight idea of moat it was not long ago may be pained gained from an example fum furnished shed by 2 M Lale lacoste oste the french consul at who gives details ot at the actual caico transported by a large caravan from timbuctoo across the llie desert to Tend on the frontier of morocco afier a journey or of hety alve days in 1987 this carman caravan consisted of 0 camels of oc fell 50 were emiil oyed to carry water and laden indent with merchandise chark illse ivory gold dust ostrich feat feathers bers etc together with fill more than slaves the total value was but the traffic to in slaves will anyhow cease to 10 be carried on by wits mils route in the lace face of the french occupation too export of soudan products front from iloga dor has averaged annually in g gum francs tn in feathers teai frames francs while from tripoli it has teen been valued at francs franca of ivory francs of ostrich feathers athens te and or ft hides francs taking as the center trade mart of the Sou danese traffie le it has been well ivell remarked that there aro are three channels tor for its commerce each of 0 which has its advantages as well as its disadvantages viz the desert the senegal and the niger france Is the ant only y european nation which possesses north ot of tho ilia sahara ports porto along an extensive stretch of 0 the mediterranean coast and therefore the question at 0 a trans sa haran baran railway hats has always possessed a fascination lor for a number of french economists econom lyta and speculators specula tora tile the way it cross across the desert Is healthy the base base of operations on tho the mediterranean frontage is likewise healthy liy by liuro Euro and in close connection with the european porta port the objections lie in the enor enormous distance nearly 2000 miles between the termini the desert nature of the lh intervening country and the bost hostility ly of the mar amiling nomad tribes obstacles fit acles which make any aride of transit exec except tit by a protected line of nt railway liepo filide the way by senegal Is IK infinitely shorter front from kayes kayea at the head or of vie toe navigation ot of the senegal it Is 19 only miles to t Kouli koro on the the senegal in fact forma almost a continuation of the main artery of at tho the nicer and as IT paints out tho the old feoff raphers ra pliers were not far wrong whon ahey described this nile of the It lacka as issuing by way of 0 the donegal delta into the atlantic tim till ot of this bouto aro are the numerous obstacles in the channel of 0 the rivers and further the bars at the mouths and ures which make dakar tallef eife eiva away y from saint loula the true port of 0 the french colony ayton more mor particularly on account of 0 its climate on the coat coast Sene gambia can never become a colony with a permanently resent european population in addition there must lop b taken into account the absence of all convenient harbor a or r dock accommodation last the there re tit Is the natural channel of the lower niger watch traverses a yet more unhealthy in fuel fact a deadly climate the colonial party in franco franc as rori repented by certain publicists in insist I 1 lot U upon pon the construction of 0 the trans trana saharan slav line however costly as indis pen to the conquest con or of this region 11 declares that thai such nuch undertakings 10 lo do not belong to the f state to te they are for cor private enterprise these english push their way into africa merchants engli leers surveyors irve well armed and by syndicates find their thear government only intervenes to protect them trian fr foreign interference and to reap later laler on the fruit ot of their latora labors of 0 what hat good would it be for france to make RW now conquests fa athea africa when there are no frenchmen ready to turn them into account A great french company la Is said gild to be forming to carry out the ne trans gallar on an railway and such an enterprise do serves till all A private coin company parly thus formed ned on oil the pit pattern attern of tho the english comP ariles authorized authorize d by the state stale can andeel claim support a anil 11 a ought to succeed but the french ire are not lit in the habit of doing anything gibout official subsidy lastly there lii is no reabon inay there should be any camily or rivalry between france and konstand throughout these kis areat britain enjoys the moist laMe share of the hAig nin and ran it well afford to be generous bAen ke nerous roua in future boundary the con conquest quent of the saurian io ulan Franci als by our neigh bors bor may lor for a fline divert in a tit nr fling degree noine game of th iha ocl reads train from out oui pote pot on oil the cambria and lit at the mouth at the niger lter or at 1 l sierra 91 leone but with quiet and prosperity in the interior such a general increase of trade must inevitably ensue that liverpool as ag well as bordeaux Dor deaux will sensibly perceive the benefit of 0 french expansion throughout the soudan the quarterly review london july |