The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-07-15
A GREAT PROJECT.

RscIniming the Greatest OF sandy De'er'"
Wonders Of the sahsrn-The "s"'-
,.,,nn.an 10 be Turned into the Desert
A railway between Algeria and S,ne-
Gal, via Timbuctoo, anpears a starting
proiect. vet suc was the scheme aug'
oested on Thursday NIGHT in a lecture
AZ the Smile des Conferences by NJ.
Pan, Soleillet. who maintained that val
uoble mercbandi o from America, des'
tined for pouthern and eastern Europe,
would adopt that ronte, and thus restore
10 the Mediterranean the importance
necessary to the influence ct the Latin
races. M. Soleillet started on an expe'
dition from algiers in December. 1877,
his intention being to reach ~, Louis,
Senegal, via Timbuctoo, but OWING 10
the opposition Of an insnrRent cher, ne
was unable to penetrate further thah
Calah (abont 1000 Kilometres IRON
Algiers). The latter portion OF the
ronte had never before been trod ny
Europeans. He declares it a mistake to
imagine the Sahara a long. continuous
tract of land. lie found along n great
part of the wav n fertile soil. prodnc
ing both an African and a European
fora, including cereals, which are grown
in gardens, but have to contend with a
drv climate. At one point, however, ne
and his four companions bad 70 ans
mount TO make n track for their AMI
mails. and al another the plain was COW
cred by stones Of different colors, one
tint succeeding another.
He believes the dunes are not formed
by the action Of the wind, but are rocKs
decomposed by atmospheric agencies.
This is shown by their VARIETY OF height
and form, and by the undonbted dnra.
bility for at least several centuries OF at
least one of these dunes. He was
struck in traversing the sandy regions
with the sharp outline of distant objects,
and with the colors Of certain stars.
which had the same tints to the naked
eye as they present through a t%eleacone.
He SPEAKS sanguinelv Of the lntelll-
gene. of the Berbers and their ~capability
Of being civilized. The Mnssnlman
clergy he describes ~ possessing great
power. They are the sole Judges OF
questions Of morality, and excommunl-
cation il the severest punishment
known, while the most heinous offence
il marriage with foreign women, a pref
udice he attributes TO n Jewish tribe
converted to Mohammedanism, which
he thinks probably settled there before
the Chris tian era.
He found no dangerous animal in the
Sahara, the ostrich and the gazelle be-
ING the largest OF the fauna. His ex-
pedition was ill.timed OF account OF an
Instruction against the emperor OF
Morocco having broken out, but he
proposes to make a second attempt to
reach Senegal. and he suggests that
French consuls or resid Ants shonld be
stationed alorg the route hs .Joci OF
commerce and civilization, for the in
babitants are sedentary and have
adopted division of labor, and though
slaverv exists, this must he regarded as
an initial step in advancement.
II may be added that an Italian ex'
petition, got mp by private individuals.
has arrived at Tunis for the purpose OF
ascartaining the feasibility OF turning
the waters of the Mediterranean into
the Tunisiau Sahara. a project advocated
by M. de Lesseps before the French
academy of sciences last autumn: The
question at issue is whether the lake or
schouts were connected in classical
times by n canal with the Gulf Of Gabes,
from hich they are now separated by an
isthmus twenty.one kilometres broad,
The explorers will take the levels OF
these lakes and ascertain whether a
canal is practicable. 1t would be a
great advantage to Algeria by opening
up the province of Constantine to trade.
The Bey of Tunnis has shown great
courtesy to the explorers, and placed an
escort at their service. It may be re-
membered that IN expedition assisted
by the French government is about to
cross Africa obliquely from Congo to
Nubia.