The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-28
FRANCE IN AFRICA.

1t gees without saying that the most in
teresting portion of the globe in the twen-
tieth century will be Africa. America and
Europe will probably 90 on with their ma
teral development, while of Asia no one
can toresee the evolution; but Africa, the
land of the burning sun, the land of eXu-
berant population and tropical luxuriance,
will be likely to 90 through changes more
surprising than any mutations which have
occurred on the earth's surface since the
discovery of America. 1t is possible that
the ancient cradle of civilization may, after
a lapse of centuries, again become its chief
seat.
Powerful and highly civilized European
nations have divided the Dark Continent
between them, but the lions share, in the
partition of the spoil, has fallen to France.
All that part of Africa lying west of the
tenth parallel of east longitude from Green
witch, north of the Gulf OF Guinea and
south of the Mediterranean, either is in
French possession or is steadily drifting
into French hands, with the consent of the
Powers. This comprises, between the
Mediterranean littoral, on which mighty
nations fl0urished before history began, and
the gold coast with its teeming millions,
slaves, the vast arid desert known as the
Sahara, spreading from the confines of
Egypt to the shores opposite the Canary
Islands. Time was, no, doubt, when this
desert was a rich plain, well watered and
fat with verdure, 1t only needs persistent
and intelligent engineering effort to res tore
the water to this region and to resurrect its
pristine fertility. NJ. de Lesseps and others
int bot Of 1alr
could be created in the Sahara by canaling
from the Mediterranean, and how in course
of time the hollows in the sand would grad
ually fill up with fresh water precipitated
from the evaporation from the salt lakes.
All this newly created region, with its opu-
lent fringe of cultivated land, will be
French. When it becomes fit for human
habtation, the African possessions of
France will bear the same proportion to
the mother country that the colonies Of
Athens bore to the city of Pericles.
Three periods of greatness are marked in
the ancient history of Africa. The latest
was the period when learning and science
found their chief seats at Cyreue and Alex
andria, when the sons of rich men through
out the world were sent to Egypt to be edu-
Gated, aud when the chief seaport of the
world was the city which was founded by
Alexander the Great and bombarded eight
years ago by Admiral Seymour. Prior to
that era, and separated from it by a long
age of war and devastation, was the Angus
tan period of Egypt, when Rameses II
brought the country to its highest pitch of
prosperity and made Thebes and Memphis
the centers of the civilized world. The
most ancient of the three periods was the
age of. the pyramid builders. which proba-
bly, extended from B. C. 5000 to 1900. Be-
fore that-for how long Psychologists are
unable to say, but it could only be computed
in thousands OF years-Egypt must have
been populous, wealthy and highly civilized.
1t is now probable that a fourth
period of African prosperity may be
approaching. To the resources of the Dark
Continent of every kind - agricultural,
mineral, industrial. commercially is diff
cult TO set a limit. In comparison, the
densely settled regions of Europe and the
Eastern States seem to have been reclaimed
from their normal desert condition by the
energy of man. In Africa Providence does
the work, and little is left to be done by
man but to reap the harvest In two other
portions of the world an abundant popula.
ton has been brought into existence by &
! bountiful soil--China and British India
| but neither of these can compare in poin
| of possibilities with the continent which il
now being partitioned by France, England
| Germany and Belgium.