The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-12
WHITE MEN AT LAKE TOHAD.
Englishmen Make the Round Trip Be.
fore the World Knows 1t.

I @1A1e Aadk0 Jno hOunQ LTD BE-
fore the World Knows 1t.
From the NeD York S,Gn
The neatest thing In the way of African
travel that has been done for years was &C
complished last winter by the Royal Niger
company. aud they have not until the
present time given the world an inkling of
their interesting enterprise They. in fact,
sent an expedition to Bornu, aad their COM
missioners were comforting fer two months
with the sultan Of the famous country while
the French and Germans were making a
good deal OF noise preparing to send their
expeditions to the same destination.
Bornu Is Mohammedan kingdom larger
than England, bounded on the north by the
Sahara and on the east by Lake Tchad Its
5000, 900 people are chiefly negroes, though
the ruling race are Shuwas of Arab descent,
and Mohammedans of the most bigoted
stripe. Nachtigal, who visited the country
over twenty years ago, is the last white
man to have been there The emperor
has an army of 100000 soldiers.
The slave trade is very active, the
country is fertile, and Kuka its chief town
and capital, on the west shore of Lake
| Tchad, has population of GO, 900 people. 1t
was upon this desirable land, with its brill
liant prospect for trade, if it could only BE-
opened up, that three nations set their eyes.
and England won the race to Lake TcAad
| before her rivals bnew she had started.
The British embassy was about 800
| strong, under the command of Charles
Macintosh, with staff OF two or three
other Europeans. The party were guarded
! by wsil-armed Houssa troops and a large
number OF Dorters carried the food sup
| plies. The Royal Niger company sent a
| draft Of a treaty which it was hoped the
Sultan Of Bornu might be induced to sign.
The party left Ribago near the head of
| navigation on the Benue branch OF the
| Niger in October, last year, and struck
due north about $50 miles to Kouka. The
journey was made in three weeks, and,
unlike the German and French expeditions,
| which met with crushing disaster further
sou h and east, the Royal Niger party
reached the court Of B rnou without any
misadventure. The party had all tho sup
plies they needed, asked nothing from the
natives, and were received il a friendly
manner. As the people OF Bornou had not
seen a white man for over twenty yesrs.
the arrival Of Europeans created sensa-
ton. The sultan assigned quarters to the
embassy in the town, and accepted few Of
the presents which were offered to him as a
preliminary to negotiations.
Two months Of long drawn out Oriental
parleying followed, and during this time
the officers Of the Royal Niger COMPANY
exerted themselves to acquire political and
| CO4DIllSECLdi TtldtlQg co DOsDCu
and her sister states. Arabs thronged upon
them from all quarters, and the Houssa
language, which Is the Lingua France of
the central states of the Soudan, was the
medium Of communication. Mr. Maen-
tosh, with his companions, found that polit-
ical factions abound at the court
of kouka, but they also found
| that all factions were united
in determination to repel the nsidious sp-
proaches of western civilization. They also
learned that the ruling class knew nothing
of the outer world, except what they have
learned from the reports of pilgrims and
trading caravans travelling to Mecca and
other centers of the east. Pilgrims have
been forced for several years, on account
of the Mahdiss rebellion, to take the unusual
route Of Cairo on their way to Mecca, and
the result is that they are now better in
formed with regard to the outer world
than they ever were before; but
increased knowledge Of the progress of
the worlds affairs has welded these central
states of the Soudan more closely to the
eastern aud Nj Jha nmedan countries as oD-
posed to the west aud Christian civiliza-
ton. Macintosh brings back the informa-
ton that the power aud influence of
Senoussism in the central Soudan has in no
way been exaggerated. This great Mo-
hammedan sect is converting the whole Of
northwest Africa, south of the Mediterra-
| ueEu HbdLSs. IO bn6 ulOSJ luI6uSe CppOSlJlO0
TO western ideas as well as to Mahdism
Religious fanaticism, supported by the
sword, is the prevailing spirit of govern
ment in Bornou.
So it was that after two mo nths of con-
sultation with the chief men of his state the
sultan Of Bornou informed Mr.. Macintosh
that he would have no dealings with any of
the western nations. With much dignity
he returned all the presents which in tie
period of his preliminary INDIGESTION he had
accepted, and announced his irrevocable de-
termination to make no treaties of any kind
with the European powers. In fact, he
told the Englishmen plainly that any foot
ing which European power wished to OBJ
thin in Bornou could be gained only by
fighting for it. Throughout these
weeks of negotiation the British and
their caravan were treated with
the greatest kindness, but as soon as the
sultan had reached his decision he begged
them to depart at once before they received
any injury. The English saw that the
military strength of the state was consider
able. AS soon as the decision Of the sultan
was made public the attitude of the natives
changed and the party were informed that
1t would not be safe for them to return by
the way they came. They therefore choose
another route, and in twenty days were
back again upon their own territory There
were hostile demonstrations on the TART Of
the natives, but no fighting occurred.
The treaty with Bornou was brought back
unsigned, but the directors OF the Royal
Niger Company think the Information they
gained was worth the considerable sum of
money which it cost. They are now fully
convinced that if they wish to ad vance their
enterprises toward Lake Tchad they will
have to fight for it. They are not prepared
to engage in u Mohammedan war, and as
they are convinced that no western influ.
ence can be extended to Lake Tchad with
out this preliminary, they have turned their
back upon the race. If France and Ger
many want to get foothold in that region
at the expense Of a war with a ruler who
has 100000 soldiers, good, bad, or indiffer-
ont, they may, but the English company de-
sire to be counted out.
Delight Followed By rormsnt.