The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-24
fTY OF T~INBUCT00.
The Commercial Emporium of
the Western Soudan.
ee..cs OCCUPIES IT NOW.
rrsI Trade Center, but War Has
~,u,erfercd With Commerce
Railroad Projected.
> york Sur

esAsrs 40 turned away attention from
~aaf ~ African discovery. h a an
- sf~h a generation age would have
tssn re snshus asn Of all Europe has
- rSaes limos as 3 matter or course,
attracting attention In January
rven~a troops from Senegal took pos
- az T~1mBucIoo. the mysterious CON-
80 capital of the Niger region, from
ssgsgo PARK. the first OF the great
- xzz turned back. and which
80 aav only five white men had Wis
uaf Lang. ia IT,, Rene Caille, IN
usrta IN Iss. Oscar Leuz. IN ISS9, and
&C.. in iss7. Though driven out By
-ts-sgs agmos> Immediately. the
.oe1 recovered the town. and have
..ss. nos for OYER a year. No sooner was
@.e9gsss o. Tlgnbucsoo assured than
v4wars determined 10 ascertain OF
49, 10 France was this new extern
- y her colonial dominion, ard last
- ssut 81. Felix Dubois 10 report. he
-~ssg 70. back 70 France. having made
.s,arn Trip q $50 miles from Tinouc-
- rosat IN the record time Of forty
aVs and Ms first article IN lie Figaro
iced % an enthusiastic description or
- +ssracter % the country aid the ne
Lev :. connecting il with the coast by a
nrgad.
- DESERT for tire valley Of the Upper
=. a,s To- the Western S0udan. Il
80 al the northernnost po!at OF the
80 the Niger before the river turns 20
- AS. and to the north. west Il east OF
.rssh the sands ~ the desert. y IL
:. 80 polnt beyond the sahara that can
\, .aessd by caravans from Morocco.
Ts.ss Algeria and Trip0l. Nature has
r.-ts4 he PLACE for an emporium for the
sssbznss OF goods. From the early Middle
ga % the beginning Of the present cen
tvv Z was kuown by repute To Europe as
fss sreat commercial center OF the Moors
n ta hsari Of Africa. Like ali other pores
IS prosperity depended upon the prosper
~ AZ the country around Il. and Il Is due
10 DISASTROUS series Of internal wars that
Tlnbac,oo has fallen Into decay. With
10 pae.fcaslon o. the country around u,
ana restored security 20 the usual chan
his OF commerce., Timbuci0o must neces-
griy rise again.
TIE decline started at the beginning OF
ne century. with the expulsion OF the
N5ars from Ttmbuetoo hy the Fuiahs.
Constant wars followed. and no sooner DID
the Fulihs feel that their power was Sc
cara than they we're attacked by the Tua-
gsgs. xh9 had held the country for thirty
fye years. and have only recently been
driven cut BY the French. Fulahs and
Taaregs exactsd a large tribute from the
merchants OF Tlmbuctoo. and the extor-
iiols Of The latter tribe. coupled with the
Insecurity 10 the caravan routes caused by
their r0hser bands, rapidly destroyed the
commerce OF the town. They have been a
ver,abie seourKe, treating Timbuctoo like
= conquered ,osu. and leading the inhabi-
taats 10 abandon their homes I'm order 10
escape their prosecutions. For the Tim
tuCt0oans are only traders: they viii not
4nMss Hkaev k9Fe. ~. hnaEFaFHAA - -
we are but women" The emigration
from TIE city las been very great. The
French found IN Il only 1900 inhabitants,
but the a,@p are all men. women and chill
eFen. barn merchants. The men attend 10
ne wholesale business. the women 10 the
real trade; wholesale or retail, every one
hAs town Is either a merchant, a COM
Esxan agent or a drummer.
tzs3cioo's commerce is divided into
fpaearly defined parts. that from the
20 and that from the south. The cara
70 from the north, laden with salt and
@-Fopeah goods. come chiefly from Nor
ne seaport for European articles be-
EAesador, some come from the oasis
Fvas and from Ghadames. ia TriDoli
80 y the chief staple: Il comes from the
.tsashl mines on the caravan track TO
@AAea and Is cut into bars n rcctan-
h-.sF saos weighing from sixty-five TO
.say pounds, which sell at T!mbuctoo for
Hoa y 10 s.. The chief European goods
~ q English or German manufacture.
guinea ci0ih. white cotton from Ham
* rec and striped stans: spices. silk.
catsetY' mirrors, perfumes. tea.
rum AaFseales. From Morocco and
1aoA come k~aftans. b~uruouses. Oriental
aF1eais; from Tuat. tobacco and dates
.lsse an come on the backs az camcls
AfeS the desert, but the camel docs noe
eF9s TIE river ~O "0'
seR me south merchandise Is carried 10
t-as o. tAe Niger above Timbucfoo bv
-, asses, or on mems heads. Il Is then
Ssa On canoes and ratboats and
$50 Gown % the city. T~imbuctoo has
naFoors on the rivev-Kahara. five
-, - WHICH can be reached when the
ss.s . AZ ss highest from January to
49, lay. two miles and a half from
@4eafa on an inlet of the river where
@N*s and from April 20 July. and Korf-
- aRoFe Day. about four miles from
-. Na.en they can reach when the
~ ttfy low. The main staple brought
seeFo merchants Is grain. miilet.
-, - = uttle wheat. but they hrins
s-les msay vegetables. kola NUS.
-. IaNense. Soap. tobacco, hides and
=. nS' native cotton cloth. very fine
.ehs strips ~ fine cotton brilliantly
H. %Nr HHHtN - used Tor tffrHnnGr
o waite and many coiored blankes
~ work, pottery. ostrich fsafrers
saalagn. ''"' sal 1ha b@r"-
3ftant though 80 commerce is Tim
veaS - lew manufactures beyond those
ass, - she immediate use Of the inhahi-
~ - the products OF Is tannerles
Ather workers. Overs and from forx-
"a - 80 As the beautiful e~mhroideries
ue town, a~e much sought after.
.eIrh occupation greatly disturbed
49, or t7e place. bug Arabs and
:. are oe,omitC treasured. and
tAst SIX months ~ IN4 the fmp,rts
a. - sath, declared 20 the French Of
amounted 90 Slsso00. and those from
xNa aa.ta foc iva months "a
"a "-Ae fN thc month of January.
- hsNFeS were 5000 and Sr0.sl A.
NsNse. 1'ts are purely voluntary. VI.
a. -@ates mat these sums represent
nAs-A : nir1 % TIE true arl~es.
ssts as situation. however. Tsmhuct1o
Ner nave acquires commercial i'm
An 1a5eSs che country about Il bad
80 % produce something n -.
s3ves ~ the frs. assonase se-.-,+5,r
sserw anus unCa tea Timer Nfrar Tnr
Ahts s-e as woade-naliv fertile p,
Z purposes as The della - the Nile.
sss~ Nth-rc can Go done u YOU haNe
Nss. Eater aH1 sunshine. and the Time,
plenty az hctA. Ttke che Me 81
a. mandates tae ioNiands every
u~R~ oerth ~ stx or nina fset. ana or
asev-s raVes them covered With RE.
- re PORTION of The valley ri
- @"'l-ei GT che annual iuun3a.
@as es41E fc'a4 So go loo nile,
aaSl"e Urs- extends erou p.eu-e ant
a& 20 LIKE p.t- e- -,-.t-.