Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-02
MYSTERIOUS TIMBUCTOO
Commerce and Prospects Of the Great City
in the Desert.
Center of Flourishing Trade, Which
is Carried on Mainly by Means
of Cnmels.

Most Of the supplement of recent num-
Der Of the Paris Figaro Is given up to the
Niger valley and Timbuctoo. Situated ut
the gate of the desert. and being the point
to which all the ways of the eastern Sa-
hara converge, the city ms 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 metropolis. Other
things also happened 70 hasten the decay
of this mysterious city, so long closed to
Europeans. The security of transactions
disappeared in the city itself, and Foulahs
and Touaregs fought over the right to lay
the great market under tribute. Thirty
five 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 COM
merce of Timbuctoo encounter more diff
cuties 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 a fail. For
the last twenty-five years they have
treated 1t as conquered city. The pepu-
lation had nothing to do but to fly before
the army Of pillagers whom the industry
Of Timbuctoo supported. The citizens are
far from warlike. I'VE are women" they
we're not ashamed to say.
The emigration from the city has been
large There are left only from 1000 to
10000 inhabitants now that the French
flag floats over the city. All those left are
merchants-men. women and children. The
men give themselves up to the wholesale
trade. the women and children to the re-
tail.
The exterior commerce of Timbuctoo Is
divided into two distinct parts. that of the
Forth and that of the SOUTH The caravans
OF the north. laden with rock salt and fIu-
ropean goods, come mostly from Morocco,
pary fr1 and Nhl-
DANES. European merchandise, except the
sugar of Mars eilles, is of English or Ger
man origin. White cottonades, of which
there Is an immense sale, bear the label of
Hamburg Guinea blue constitutes the ba-
sis CT the importations of such stuffs.
Cloths tinted in red are much sought after
I'm the markets of Timbuctoo The decora-
ton 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.
silk, small pearls for embroidery and larger
ones for necklaces, perfumes, knives,
needles scissors, mirrors, gfrdles. teacups
and teapots tea and sugar. From Morocco
come various African products and few
oriental fabrics.
Amber and Coral.
Amber, coral and carnelian also appear
In the market of Timbuctoo. But rock salt
Is the cargo Of more camels than any other
article 1t comes from mires in the desert
NAUTICAL forms. Weighing from thirty to
thirty-ive Kilograms each. and the price of
block of Tfmbuctoo is from IS to 50.
In December last there arrived at Tim
buctoo 1000 camels, carrying each about
100 Kilograms of merchandise. or In the
aggregate about 1876 tons. December, jan
uary and July are the months In which
more caravans arrive than at any other
time, but they come and go the year round.
The caravans of the north never go south
Of Timbuctoo, while the traders from me
south never pass beyond the city The lat
ter come by the Niger and It's tributaries
in canoes or in fattcats. The great canoes
of the Niger carry from twenty-five to
thirty tons of merchandise. Water falls in
the southeast 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 q
port about nine miles below Timbuctoo, and
the ports of debarkation vary with the con-
dition of the river. the most distant one
being about sixteen miles from Timbuctoo.
The merchandise when disembarked at any
of the dependent ports Is carried thence to
Timbuctoo on the backs Of asses, by camels
hired from the northern caravans, and.
though rarely, upon the backs of men. The
southern trade is directed by negro mer-
chants. These bring to Timbuctoo va
riety of goods. but especially grains, millet,
rice and little wheat. They fetch. as
well. vegetable butter. beans, kola nuts,
monkey bread. boabab -four. manioca, tam
arinds, 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 luster, and highly priced
by the people of Timbuctoo for turbans,
pottery. breechcloths; calabashes, ele-
plants tushs. gold and iron In bars.
The commerce of Timbuctoo suffered
greatly after the French occupation Of a
year and half ago. but is now rayiving
The importations from the south in jan
uary, 1905, were valued at about SCI 600
and the expectations northward by car
avian amounted to about $4,000. rail
way from the French possessions south.
wardly across the desert Of Timbuctoo is
already prophesied.