The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-03-03

ity of the English in Africa awakened
the Gauls to a realization of the danger
they were in. They saw that they would
not be able to resist any sudden move on
Great Brltains part SO long as they were
practically outside of the city and de-
termined to reclaim that which had long
since been conceded to them. RESPONSE
+ bility for taking possession of the city
was Unclaimed by the government, and
the act was said to be wholly nnauthor.
lied. Nevertheless it was noticeable
that the ministry declared in the cham
Der of deputies that there could be no
question of evacuating Timbuctoo. The
French flag had been raised, and it would
be an insult to French valor to lower 1t
voluntarily. .,
Timbuctoo lies on the borders of the
Sahara, about nine miles from the river
Niger. 1t has a population of about 90
600, which IS greatly increased during
h season o. trade, from November tc
January. The houses are closely packed
together ami are mostly built of CLAW
and stone. Some of them are two sto-
ries high and show considerable taste in
their decoration. The port of Timbuc-
too is at kabara, on the Niger, which
has a vast artificial basin, but is access
lble for only four or five months in the
year. the stream at other times being too
shallow for navigation.
The most valuable traffic is by cara
vans, for which Timbuctoo is the cen.
trail station Of northern Africa. Gold
dust is the great article of trade. The
merchants of Timbuctoo are usually
agents of those at Mogadore, Morocco,
Fee and other places in northern Africa.
The inhabitants are a mixed population
Of negroes, Tuariks, Bambarras, Man.
dingoes, Arabs and Fulahs.
The city dates from the twelfth CEN
fury, but it was long known in Europt
only by reports of native travellers until
it was first reached by Major Lainy IN
1896 and furtively visited by Caille III
1928. Barth, the great scientific traveller,
spent seven months there in 1853 and col
lected a lot of valuable data. He WA,
the last white man to reach the CITY till
DIR. Lenz went there in 1880 disguised As
a Mahommedan pilgrim.
The town is not h%ealthful. Numerous
pools of stagnant water between the CITY
and the Niger breed fevers. There are
no public squares or gardens, and the
only verdure is four or five sickly little
trees. They only public buildings are
the mosques, and no European has ever
entered them except Caille. Schools are
connected with the mosques, and here
also are collections of manuscripts. many
of them doubtless of much historical
Importance, though Barth translated and
published the most valuable of them.
Most of the inhabitants can read and
write and know a large part of the Koran
by heart. Some of the men are renown-
ed for their learning. Lenz says that if
he could have spared the money he might
have purchased some very interesting
manuscripts.
Timbuctoo today is only the shadow of
its former self. The time was when the
town did a large trade with the Mediter-
ranean states. Sultan Ell Kali of Moroc-
CO planted wooden posts clear across the
desert to mark the best route for cara
vans between his dominions and Tim
buctoo. The Tuaregs have ruined this
caravan route and almost depopulated
the town.
1t is still, however, the natural center
of commerce and the principal town of
the upper Niger. With Timbuctoo in
their hands. the French will control p
thousand miles of navigation on the great
west African river and NAV maka +bo
place a center Of large influence for the
extension of their authority and trade.
There are at present no means Of esti-
mating the future growth and prosper
ity of inhospithhle Timbuctoo with the
assistance of 'r railroads that are sure
" coming