New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-01
rHE FRENCH IN AFRICA.
,vrryT EXPIORAIONS-M GAILLARD'S
UNIQUE RECEPTION.
Paris October Z.

r. N the time when stanley discovered the
Of the Congo geographew had no actual
s.r,.dse Of central Africa. Maps Of the SIX
III and seventeenth centuries show with some
..,,.cv the course Of the Nile and even the 10
.saor ~ the lakes from which'it flows. Ptolemy
"a his contemporaries bequeathed so much knowl-
IA. 70 the world. But equatorial Africa was sun
r,sxplored. Arab geographers. explaining IN their
,.r,astic fashion the direction of the Senegal '"e
v,n,r etc. imagined the existence of an inincnse
liver. which they named Bshr-el Soudan' or nv.
=, the Blacks. II was supposed TO cross noie"
africa and empty into the Nile The eNpior"uoas
= the first part of the nineteenth century ui'
.xav with this theory most efectuaiF'
Tn. course of the Ogoone was first made KNOW"
-. ~. French. who also explored most OF 'n'
.n.Il rivers tributary to the Congo. Inc l"'n.
D1S-..,r uas discovered by an English Traveller.
S..i ard Canfain Van Gelen, of the STATE oi
60 When this river was described IN EUROPE
hox.ver. an eminent Belgian seoefaphel. ="
wauters identified il with the ouele' or writ
Answered rye wears before BY Schweiniur'n. Nv.
~.u. .xn,orstions of Van Gele, Roget ana Mh@
have verified this hypothesis /.
IN. French Republic is deeply interested III
everything pertaining to Africa, and its own pO,-
...s;o,s There are guarded with the utmost pai'
.usv The delegates appointed by france anu U"'
Independent State Of Congo m 1850 70 ia U''
limit Of the French possessions estaohsheu 'ne
line at Mt Pombo, point on the congo 10 o.s'
.ast and degrees south. The valley VI ."e
orbsnohi WIS thus included. contrary to the IN
IGNITION Of the State of Congo. The french e.
80. r.,erouslv consented 10 abandon the nnu'
e,.d nv the French and Belgian delegates ana III
Anr,l 1887. a new agreement was signed IN bru'-
y ~, 81. terms of which the Oubangm RIVER
NJ the fourth parallel of latitude ana
~ longitude was made to form the northern oO"
dairy This left the right bank OF the r'ei -
no~.ssson of the French On the lei' panN' -,
IN, State of Congo, Van Gele and his heu'e''a"
have established the important post congo, ui'e.,!
onnoeite the French station Banghi' Wheie 'no
chief Of station NJ Musy, was murdered ~ '""-
nibals IN 1890 In spite Of the very ciea' .oii'
=, their contract the Belgian and French eNplorers
are constantly encroachng on each o'heI W'
,i,o,v Very recently the administration OF 'ho
c. =, conro announced 10 the Belgian govern
usnt the establishment Of two stations one =.
Yakoma. in an angle formed ny tne ouu&nHni
and the M'bomou, and the other some distance
north. Those two points are both claimed ov
the French, and the two governments are
very much excited over it. YalSoma is on the
considered simple continuation of the Oubsnghi-
The issue is really an important one, lnVoiVlng
the title 10 an immense tract Of country.
For the last three years the French agents on
the Congo have been conducting series Of very
interesting explorations through region hitherto
Unknown After the expeditions Of the brothers
De Brazza on the Iicona and Likoli rivers In
1855, which took them some 500 miles from tne
mouth of the Congo. no more exploring parties
,entured into the north until three years later,
when Paul Crsmpel, then private secretary OF
NJ de Rrazza, obtained from his chief authority
TO explore the region between the Ogoone River
and the CAMERON Mountains. which divide the
French and German possessions. He was able 10
establish to French pr6fectorate A. far as the
frontier between the 10th and 18th degrees OF
longitude. The courses of two very important
rivers were traced, one, the lvindo, being the
principal tributary Of the OgoOne, and the other
the Crampo forming part Of the northern frontier
line.
Crampeps account of his journey contains IN |
interesting description of tribe Of dwarfs the |
largest OF whom was little over one metre in |
height They inhabt tie marshy forests and |
live by hunting elephants for the Pahouin chiefs |
They exchange the ivory for food, etc, but they |
are not slaves or even menlah. In fact, they |
are very independent and if they become the |
least disconnected with their chief they disappear
in the forest and look up new field of action. |
The PshOuins are only too glad to transfer the
dangerous occupation Of elephant huntisg to these
skilful little men, who have been seen by sew
eral explorers since Crampel 1t was in the course
Of this journey that Crampel married" that is
adopted, the little Pahouin girl, Niarinzhe whose
bizarre appearance and eccentric manners created |
such a sensation in Paris whittier she was brought
by the explorer.
Some months later an sgeLt of the French |
Congo, NJ Gaillard, retraced the route followed
by the Crampel party, making a slight detour
TO the west, thus completing the map of the coun-
try north Of the equator as far as the German
frontier. There still remained large blank be-
tween the Ogoone and Oubanghi rivers.
In December, 1882, M. Cholet, commandment of
Brazzaville, received orders 10 take an cxpedi-
ton up the Congo TO the mouth of the Sangha,
and as far up that river as possible. Cholet left
Braz.ayille on February 10, 1890, in his little
the Ballay. and March 30
reached the Sangha. month later he reached
The village Of OuessO situated at the confluence
81 the Massa, narrow river flowing TO the north
sast and the NGoko, which takes the opposite
direction. The Massa not appearing navigable
ne Baay str med up the N'Goko as far its
confluence with the Bomba, almost the limit of
he French Possessions. This expedition was i'm
'ortant in that direct route 10 the north was
established. and the French protectorate was ex-
ended as far as the 4th degree, west
Following the discovery of this northern route
hree steamers we're sent TO explore thoroughly
he Sangha and its principal tributaries. They
we're joined by French and a Dutch trading
'ese, and on March IL the feet passed the point
eached by Cholet. Navigation became more and
more difficult; after three days sailing the river
'ecame impossible TO follow, and Gaillard, who
vas chief OF the expedition gave orders TO return
. ouesso. trading post was established at the
sonnuence of the N'Goll0 and the Bomba, near
ne village of the chief Padingda, who placed
ulnseh under French protection
One boat alone. the little Ballay. attempted to