Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-05-15
Flooding the African Desert.

A political exigcncy seems, according to
Geographic dispatches, to promise the real-
zation OF an engineering project yaster in
It's conception than any dreams of the Ro-
man Antonines-the project Of DE Lesseps to
restore the Sahara to its prehistoric condi-
ton OF sea- The GASES are to resume their
former role Of islands Algeria and Tunis
will be partially insulated, the desert will
cease to be place of refuge for razzia-mak-
ing hordes of horse men the slave trade be-
tween the Barbary States and the Soudan
will be checked; and European fleets can
carry on civilized commerce with Central
Africa. There will be- to some extent an
end OF caravans the long trains ofbell tink-
ing camels will cease to travel the skeleton
marked way to Timbucto, and the desert
tribes famous for their skill in pillaging.
must enter the pale of civilization or resolve
themselves into seataring corsairs or settle
down among the tribes Of the Soudan. There
will be an end ofsimooms and sand-storms {;
and those awful moving pillars whose ghast-
~ aspect first suggested to the Arab imagi-
nation the idea of Afrits and genii will no
longer cast their shadows across the yellow
desolation
The present plan seems to differ from the
former one. The Sahara is to be flooded
! from the Mediterranean A canal is to be
cut from the Gulf Of GabeZ to the marshes
OF the Trpoitap frontier, SO as to separate
Tunis from TripOli by lake and that lake
is to extend its borders gradually over the
Sahara
! Now the area Of the Sahara,-not inclu-
ding the more elevated regions Of BOrnou
and Darfour,-is 1914 900 square leagues, as
estimated by Humboldt, or all area three
times larger than France. How soon this
vast region will be converted into sea, or
| how much of it is certain to he covered with
water, we can only ascertain upon receiving
fuller details regarding the surveys aud csti-
mates of the French engineers.
The consequence of the change will prob
ably be felt throughout n great portion OF
! Europe. All Western Europe has long been
heated by the reelection of that glowing des-
! ert, as by an enormous brazier. Malt-Brml
compares Africa to IAN immense furnace
/ beating Arabia, Asiatic Turkey and Eu-
rope" The change of the Sahara into all
ocean of water must effect very notable
change in European temperature. Egypt
will cease to be rainless; Morocco will be-
come far less torrid. Turkey in Asia will
feel the hand of Lesseps, and Arabia cities
which had no commercial importance before
VIII rise 10 great prosperity. ana OtherS Will
dwindle away. The Suez canal partly re-
stored Venice to her former position as
worlds market the work Of lesseps may
do as much for many cities.
The famous plague of locllsts. which from
the earliest Pharaonic period desolated
Northern Africa and Southern Europe a
intervals, would be to a great extent dimin
ished if not eNtirpated.
Politically and otherwise the result O
such work Us this will be so great that
there is much probability of an attempt
ut opposition from jealous European powers
In this matter, however, it is not improbable
D. that France would obtain the strong sup
port of England. Butthe Mahometan powe
in Northern Africa would receive tremcn
dous blow.
Converting about 100000 square mile
of scorching desert into Il sea must produc,
, some appreciablc effect even in distan
5 i.countries-an effect that may yet he perceived
by experts even at the mouth Of the Mis-
sissippi Whether it would involve an,
! serious disturbances of the carths surface
matter in dispute. But those who belicy
that earthquakes are mysteriously cO-inci
dent with changes in atmospheric pressure
will perhaps find that the experiment in
wolves IN immcncc risk.--N., o. Times Dem