Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-24
MYSTERIOUS TIMBUCTOO.
Commerce OF the Great City In the
Desert. Its Foes. and Its Prospects.

MYSTERIOUS TINBUCTOO.
Commerce OF the Great City In the
Desert, Its Foes. and Its Prospects.
Most OF the supplement of a recent
No. Of the Paris Figaro is given up TO
the Niger Valley and Timbuctoo. Sit
uated at the gate Of the desert, and
being the point 10 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 de-
cayed by reason of wars throughout
large part of the territory Of which 1t has
been the metropolis. Other things also
happened to hasten the decay OF this
mysterious city so long closed to Euro
peans. The security of transactions dis
appeared i'm the city itself. and Foulahs
and Touaregs fought over the right TO
lay the great market under tribute.
Thirty-fve years ago the Touaregs had
their way, and then began for Timbuctoo
a critical period. The highways OF the
Soudan were never less secure. and never
did the commerce of Timbuctoo encounter
more difficulties in feeding itself from the
territory of which the city has been the
chief mart Never was the city more
severely pressed or more subject TO eN-
actions The Touaregs thrashed the city
as with a fail. For the last twenty-five
years they have treated II as conquered
city. The population had nothing to do
but TO fly before the army OF pillagers
whom the industry OF Timbuctoo sup
ported. The citizens are far from war
like. I'VE are women they were not
ashamed to say.
The emigration from the city has been
large. There are left only from 100 to
1900 inhabitants now that the French
flag floats over the city. All those lett
are merchants-men. women, and chill
dren. The men give themselves up TO
the wholesale trade, the women TO
the retail.
The exterior commerce OF Timbuctoo Is
divided into two distinct parts-that OF
the north and that OF the south. The
caravans of the north, laden with rock
salt and European goods, come mostly
from Morocco. though few come from
Touat and Ghadames. European mer-
chandse, 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-
tions of such stuffs. Cloths tinted In
red are much sought after in the market
of Timbuctoo. The decoration must be
in lines straight or broken. according To
the Arab taste. After stuffs come next
in Importance paper in reams, tobacco
boxes, groceries, pepper, cloves, SIM
small pearls for embroidery and larger
ones for necklaces, perfumes. knives,
needles. scissors. mirrors, girdles, tea
cups and tea-pots, tea, and sugar. From
Morocco come various African products,
and a few Oriental fabrics. Amber, coral,
and carnelLan also appear In the market
OF TimbuctOo. But rOck-salt Is the cargo
of more camels than any other article.
II comes from mines In the desert on
the route 10 Morocco. 1t Is In mathemau-
cal forms, weighing from thirty 10 thirty
five Kilograms EACH and the price Of
block at Timbuctoo Is from g. TO 50.
In December last there arrived at Tim
buctoo 200 camels, carrying each about
$50 Kilograms of merchandise, or, in the
aggregate, about 355 tons. December,
January. and July are the months in
which more caravans arrive than at any
other time but they come and go the
wear round The caravans of the north
never 20 south Of Timbuctoo. while the
traders from the south never pass be-
yond the city The latter come by the
Niger and its tributaries in canoes or IN
fatboats. The great canoes OF the Niger
carry from twenty-five 10 thirty tons Of
merchandise. Water fails In the south
east and merchandise is carried by oxen
by asses. and upon 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. merchandise is discharged at a
mort about nine miles below Timbuctoo
and the ports OF debarkation vary with
the condition OF the river. the most dis
tant one being about sixteen miles from
TimbuctoO. The merchandise when dis
embarked at any OF the dependent ports
is carried thence 10 Timbuctoo on the
hacks of asses, by camels hired from the
northern caravans. and, though rarely
upon the backs Of men. The southern
trade il directed by negro merchants
These bring to Timbuctoo variety OF
goods. but especially grains millet rice
and a little wheat. They fetch as well
vegetable butter. beans. kola nuts. mon
KEY bread. baobab flour, manloca tama-
rinds. native cotton fabrics, much valued
In the market: cotton bands Of fine weave
saturated with indigo and FURNISHED by
a mechanical process to an incomparably
brilliant metallic lustre, and highly priced
bv the people Of Timbuctoo for turbans.
pottery. breechclouts; calabashes, ele-
plants tusks. gold. and iron In bars.
The commerce Of Timbuct0o suffered
greatly after the French occupation OF
year and a half ago. but IS now revvirg
The importations from the south in Janu-
ary. 1895. were valued at about 500. and
the expectations northward by caravan
amounted TO about $1,000 A railway
from the French possessions southwark
across the desert to Timbuctoo is already
proDhesied.