, 1879-05-23
FLOODING THE SAHARA.
Importance Of tho Results to Ito Obtained
Nnrpt}As 1TteEIp.

h"rptrs Wttk'p;
Two plans hasc ocea "ct oetose 'lo pau.ll
With regard to tho great project OF hoodtnF tl'o
,vhIcl, n now psncraly conceded 10 ho The bed Of
.s,,.,ss 49, ~ -, ,ho,o ,,1or. l.. an for
'oFtlcs '1'"l'u oc"' o.e -, .N.oo p'". ~ ~"
now In pro9rcss under tho direction Of N. ferll~
nanl de Lcsscps to test tie fousibllityof cutting
" con.l fran Cnhn.. ou the const OF Iuns, to lot
a., so. 1 -, ,.,a .r,,nron ,n,n tho rre.t
Inc "ateFe ol tle "GnAtcttacAl' 'o.o WV t'oAs
Central depression. Reports from these parties
arc very favorable. They find t1la soil free
fron anr}ou. ol,atnrfcs 10 engineering work,
ccncro,iv su,d to a great tcpth, resting on a
se'c1"'ti eauA1 ~ aSp' ,'.,s,.,'.
eatcafeohs fohnant1on' i1cs entcFt"!.l no "oopI
TINT tic wurk Gun bo moro easily accoin~
plshet tlian the excavation Of tho sucz Canal
The other plan Is that OF rcopenInE tie ancient
oas'o' y, tno ,u'''',1 ae, ~ 80 s,"..st 49,,
place called boea ufahue' or o.eat "'outn' ~" ~,
thus filling With wator tile vast depression OF FL
Juf, which lies fnr below tho level of the ocean.
MI. hahn ,rrc1ulnr II, ,honc. extends frun
III. III. =, ~. ..,-.,,r, - a. far
within t"c'vc mics Oh inc eca@eoas. 10 rs iat
south as t,'e region Of Aza'sad anu "aIata, 70
this depression is given at about b01 miles, and
tic greatest breadth nt about 100 miles, atto-
| gether covering I'M Areh OF nbout bD. 600 sNunro
miles. The breadth Of n 3nf Is much Ereaser ~
tic south, but toward the northwest 1t sc-ms
gradually TO get narrower. terminating In the
ereat rlaunpl whtct, IN former years connected
| Il with the Atlantic Ocean. There cHnrot be any
| doubk but that Ell Juf ut onu t!mo formed part
! Of tho Attautic Ocean, md that the connection
existed within historic times seems clear
| enough. Upon the causn which led to the dry
IN; an OF the Ell Juf Son the classic writer's aro
| not very clear. 1t is recorded BY Dtodorus
Siyulus that, according to ancient Tradition, d
lake called ncspcrI5cs, In tic portion u the
Salurn now occupied by Fl Juf was suddenly
dried up. Arab traditions poInt o,lt that sev.
ernl dcprcsstons In The Sahasa were covered
with water In A. D. ti3l, but since the year 12U0
the vnter gradually disappeared.
Thcimpottanco Of the advantages to be Eutncd
by tho accomplishment Of this rast enterprise
can hardly bc ovrrcstttnatcd. Soudan has nun.
ualon OF about $4,000, QUO OF the most tntel!i,
gent and energetic Of all tho African races. They
have sucrcssf7cly bccn brought under tho inltu.
ence e Of Garthagrnian, Roman, Egyptian a,tl
Mohammetlan civilization. TAcy have formed
themselves into Independent States, and possess
| numerous walled towns Of commercial 'impor,
tnuce, They lpvc established laws and cdi,ca.
ffon. md siam pcd out IuanY OF the worst fortns
ot pagan superstition. They cultivate tile SOIL
md carry oil several branches OF manufacture
with remarkable succcsB. The people Of SoudaF
receive their supply OF European merchandise
neross tho Sa!,ara from thu ports of Morocco
Algeria Tuuis, nnu Tripol-a system Of com
n,unication with tic outer world which has TX
ing by any Of these routes can only nuke uul
Journey u year, travers!ns about 1900 miles o
mountainous and lttl!cult country before tat
nearest market OF Sou,lan Ia reached. Thes
tuths, formerly used BY tho merchants OF m
ilauity, nov serve the Arab caenyana. Notwith
standing n1l ttcse difficulties, tho arnua, yalu
, OF the trade between tllo northern ports nIss