The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-08
MYSTERIOUS rrMBUCT0o.
Commerce and Prospects Of the Great City
in the Desert.

Commerce and Prospects Oh INC "'o"' Wy
in the Desert.
Most of the supplement OF a recent
number OF the Paris Figaro Is given UP "
the Niger valley and Timbuctoo. Situat-
ed at the gate of the desert. and being the
point to which all the ways OF the eastern
Sahara converge. the city has been the
great mart OF the desert and OF central
Africa. 1t has slowly decayed by reason
OF wars throughout large part OF the
territory of which 1t has been the metro
polis. other things also happened to
hasten the decay OF this mysterious city,
so long closed to Europeans. The securi-
~ OF transactions disappeared in the city
itself. and Foulahs and TouareSs fought
over the right to lay the great market
under tribute. Thirty-iyc years ago the
Touaregs had their way, and then began
for Timbuctoo n critical period. the
highways of the Soudan were never Tess
secure. and never did the commerce o,
Timbuctoo encounter more difficulties In
feeding itself from the territory OF which
the city had been the chief mart. Never
was the city more severely pressed or
more subject to exactions The Touar-
egs thrashed the city as with fail. For
the last twenty-five years they have
treated IL as a conquered city. The popu-
iation had nothing to do but to fly be-
fore the army of pillagors whom the IN
dustry OF Timbuctoo supported. The
citizens are far from wariike. we are
women" they were not ashamed to say.
The emigration frcm the city has been
large. There are left only from 1000 to
1000 inhabitants now that the frehch
flag floats over the city. All those
left are merchants-mcn, women ana
children. The men give themselves UP 10
the wholesale trade, the women ana chll-
din TO the retail.
The exterior commerce OF Timbuctco Is
divided into two distinct paris, that o.
the north and thai of the south. Inc
caravans of the north, laden with rock
salt and European goods. come mostly
from Morocco, though a few come from
Touat and Ghadamcs. European mer-
chandise. except the sugar OF Marseilles,
Is of English or German origin. WHITE
cottonades, of which there is an immense
sale. bear the label Of Hamburg. Guinea
blue Constitutes the basis Of the importa-
lions of such stuffs. Cloths tinted in red
are much sought after in the markets OF
Timbuctoo. The decoration must be IN
lines, straight or broken, according TO the
arab taste. After stuffs come next In I'M
portance paper in reams, tobacco boxes,
groceries, pepper, cloves. silk, small pearls
for embroidery and larger ones for neck
laces, perfumes, knives. needles, scissors,
mirrors girdles, teacups and teapots. tea
and sugar From Morocco come various
African products and few oriental IA
Drics.
Amber. coral and carnelian also appear
in the market of Timbuctoo. But rock
salt is the cargo of more camels thin any
other article. 1t comes from mines IN the
desert on the route to Morocco. II Is In
mathematical forms, weighing from thir-
G,.o
African products and a few oriental FAB
RIGS.
In December last there arrived at TIM
buctoo 1000 camels, carrying each about
80 Kilograms OF merchandise, or in tue
aggregate about 335 tons. December. jan
uary and July are the months in which
more caravans arrive than at any other
time, but they come and 20 the year
round The caravans of the north never
20 south of Timbuctoo, while the traders
from the south never pass beyond the
city The latter come by the Niger ana
its tributaries in canoes or i'm iiatboats
The great canoes of the Niger carry from
twenty-five to thirty tons of merchandise.
Water fails I'm the southeast, and mer-
chandise Is carried by oxen, by asses and
iipon the backs Of men. These take boat
on reaching the Niger. The city has
three dependent boats on the Niger, but
last year so high was the water that
the great canoes went up TO Timbuctoo.
Usually. when the water is highest, NOR
chandise is discharged at a port about
nine miles below TimbuctOo. and the
ports of debarkatlon vary with the con-
| dition of the river the most distant one
being about sixteen miles from TimbuctoO.
Drhe merchandise when disembarked at
| any of the dependent ports Is carried
| thence TO TimbuctOO on the backs OF as
ses. by camels hired from the northern
| caravans, and though rarely, upon the
| backs OF men. sThe southern trade Is
| directed by negro merchants. These
| bring 20 Timbuctoo n variety OF goods,
| but especially grains, millet, rice and
| little wheat. They fetch. as well, VeSeta-
| Bile butter beans, kOla nuts. monkey
bread boabab -four, manioca, tamarinds,
| native cotton fabrics. much valued in the
| market: cotton bands OF fine weave, satu-
| rated with indigo and FURNISHED by a
| mechanical process to an incompafaply
| brilliant metallic lustre, and highly priced
| ~ the people of Timbuctoo for turb1ns,
| pottery. breechcloths, calabashes, ele-
| phants' tusks. gold and iron in bars.
| The commerce Of Timbuctoo suffered
| Greatly after the French occupation OF a
] wear and a half ago, but is now reviving.
| Tho importatons from the south In jan
| uarv. 1895. were valued at about Sb2,'co,
| and the expectations northward by car
AVIAN amounted. to about $DvoD. y rail-
| wav% from the French possessions south
| wardly across the desert of Timbuctoo is
| already prophcsied.