The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-24

likoN 20 ths east. IRE wht.a ~ssar 20 re
west. and The Bisek Niger IL TIA ce2tn-
81 u1lted and .n.errecte3 az IN the upper
Yalss, by large ard small natural canals.
A peculiar feature o. iris district IS tia
grsa- series 81 eleven lakes fgsng 70 tie
west Of IRE rivers. ard separated from
tner1 and from can other b. lines of hills
Tbers existence vas unexpected by Euro
pans though Oscar Leuz nauss have
passed quite close % them. t.l Lieut..
Hoarst, o. TIE Niger fct.lla. cane upon
them 3 few months ago. They cover "a
immense exteat q territory and are con-
neefed with the Niger and each other.
some all the year round s0rne only from
pctqbRr % March. During ths ~fuuDdatt8n
their beds are fall, bat when TIE waters
fall they are ia large part drained and fur
nsa cuItiyable land. Between sons OF the
lakes the water apparently dlters through
the sol, as at the tine OF the rivers -nfna
water can be obtained or the land tnas
separates them BY Simply digging with .hs
hands.
A. FL TFal Hadti. sixty miles from Tim
huctoo. the three branches Of me Niger re-
unite ard the third delta begins. THIS IS
formed on the one hand by tne waters
from the lakes 10 the north OF the Niger
ana on the other BY the numberiess uttie
lakes that dot the whole bend Of the Niger
10 the south as far as the gorge Of Tao
say. eight days BY canoe down stream from
~Timbuct0o- The whole valley from Dienns
10 below TimbuctOo - flied with aIIuvfal
loan. brought own during centuries. and,
as II were. shu. up in the valley. and cut
up by a network Of canals fed BY the river.
When the rains fau on the Upper and Md
Gle Niger, at the end OF August at Dia-
farabe. al the end 81 September at Mopti.
III anuzry az Timbuctoo the water spreads
and overfiows on every SIDE. From east
70 west 80 to lo miles OF land are covered
by Il.
Tbs natives OF these regions are far more
civilized than the negroes OF the coast.
IL ~ the Nttissgiman civilization that has
spread from the Eastern Soudan and the
lands around Lake Tchad. ard which be-
comes more marked the deeper Re pene-
fTate Into the interior OF this part Of
Africa. Inferior 70 the Western c~svfifza-
ton though 3. may be. It has taken a deem
er hold n al parts OF Africa 20 which II
has extended. The people Of The Nlge val
Leg belong 10 the Soarhai race: they are
hard workers, intelligent farmers, who
succeed In raising two crops a year.
Around their villages extend the rice fields.
ana beyond, on the first land laid bare
after the inundation. ne fields of mliiet.
They grow also indigo, vans and cotton.
Tor which the country s admirably adapt
90. and, II properly developed, could pro-
duce all that France needs.
Beyond the cultivated region The nonaad
tAldnS rear great nerds OF sheen, with
long. fine wool. They wander from the re-
gion OF the lakes, along the edge OF the
overlooked lands. as far south as Diafa-
rabe. Throughout the district the cattle
are very fine, and the hides are I'm de-
mand throughout Northern Africa. A
strong breed of horses. resembling the
Abyssiniap horses, Is found everywhere.
The most astonishing statement OF NJ.
Dubois IS that the climate or this Niger
valley and the adjacent region Is extremely
healtnful. There are no marshes as on the
coast; there is no fever, in spite OF the in
undations. Tho Europeans living there
are IN perfect health. SIX months OF fine
weather can be counted on every wear
From October to March It Is not only cool
in the morning and evening. but even cold
at night. and the temperature is even. dav
Ia and day out. The warm season. with
It's rains, lasts from April 10 September.
but instead of making the heat more intoI-
cradle by an enormous increase Of humid
ity. as IN the coast, the rains in the Niger
valley mitigate the heat and lower the
temperature. as In Europe.
To bring Timbucto0 and the fertile coun-
try back of IL within reach OF Euronean
markets. the chief difficulty Is that OF
transportation; the difficulty tina blocks
the Congo and checks ths development of
the country about the great African lakes.
There is no trouble on the Niger itself:
from Tullmandio TO Taosay. below Tim