The record-union., 1897-08-15


tends far beyond the valley of the Nile,
as far as Syria, indeed, for the charac-
teristics of the Nubian desert are al
| most identically those of the larger
waste. In all this tremendous area,
this area as large as Europe, there is a
| population of not more than two OF
three millions. This, of course, is eX-
| Guiding the people of Central Soudan.
Many of these tribes are savage and
warlike and successfully resist the IN
/ trusion of settlers, and for another
| thing, the heat is unbearable IN the
| lower attitudes.
For the most part the surface OF the
! desert is made up Of undulat1ng areas
| of rock, where nothing ever will grow
and vast tracts of water-wOrn pebbles,
equally barren The sand dunes. with
which popular imagination covers the
whole Sahara, do not make up more
! than tenth of the whole area. These
sand wastes lie in streaks or belts, some
of them of great size. That of Isidi is
/ computed to be 1900 miles long and
from fifty to 300 miles wide. The dunes
or hills are or the most part not more
than sixty or seventy feet high, though
| some of them rise to 300 feet. These
| belts offer, on the whole, rather level
| floor for the passage of the caravans
| and are chosen on this account. The
| outlook from the back of camel IN
crossing barren and waterless oceans
but little invites the explorer to inves-
| tigate into what lies on either side.
For the most part he is content to get
| over them as quickly as possible and
! u Ioa mir fcCO Of
the desert who roam about in search of
caravans to pillage, as he may. The
sandstorms, too, sometimes intiict an
enormous amount Of suffering, al
| though the stories of caravans being
engulfed are mostly myths. A very
Slight wind sufficeS to make the dunes
| Smoke" and the singing sands, as
| they are known, when the wind begins
to stir the fine silt which covers the
surface of these belts, are a warning
to the traveller that he is in for an ex-
perience beside which the discomforts
Of the jungle are mild.
! OUED RIR LIKENED TO NOR
MANDY.
Nevertheless, in spite of the generally
| forbidding character of the Sahara,
/
which not only produce good crops, but
where life is anything but unbearable.
| Indeed, a native living to the outh of
Oued Rir who visited France this year
| likened the land of his birth to Nor
mandy. In a general way south from
| Algeria over the line of the proposed
Saharian Railway, which was also the
| general direction of the explorations OF
NJ de Mezieres, there are four distinct
| belts or zones to be traversed. The
| first of these is the oasis region, from
which comes the dates ,and camels for
caravan use; second, the desert region
proper, in which palms are few and
which is characterized for the most
part by vast plains Of sand, stones and
salt, over which roam nomadic tribes
in search of victims for pillage; third,
the gum tree belt, in which cattle,
sheep and horses thrive and the usual
farm crops may be produced; and,
fourth, a zone reaching towards the
Central Soudan, with running water
and tropical vegetation, where the ma
tives are prosperous and trade is fair
ly developed.
The date is, of course, by far the
most important product of this desert
and the chief food of the natives. 1t
is the belief of those who have studied
the question that if its production were
undertaken on a large scale and good
facilities for transportation existed,
the date crop would prove a most
profitable one, and the use of the date
as an article of f00d would become
general all owe rthe world. Besides
this, the desert abounds in salt. After
these in Importance come the usual
| tropical products, spices, dyes, ebony,
cotton, ostrich plumeS, gold dust, and
the like In many of the valleys, how
ever, it will be possible with irrigation,
to raise the usual agricultural crops Of
warmer climates, rice, cotton, fruits,
and the like, and from December to
March additional crops of wheat. bar
ley and similar grains may be grown.
This is not a theory, for it is actually
accomplished in a crude sort of way
in many of the more favored portions
of the desert. M. de Mezieres de-
clares that when he departed from the
beaten track Of the caravan he found
many rivers which, in the springtime,
at least, We're of considerable size,
many of them from three to ten miles
wide. When the water sunk away
into the earth there remained rich
meadows (which would offer splendid
pasturage for cattle and horses. Along
these valleys were often to be found
| fine groves of palms, and for at least
three months in the year the climate
is delightful and not unbearable for
the rest.
GREAT SUBTERRANEAN WATER
COURSES.
BY far the most important result of
NJ. de Mezieres' explorations was the
confirmation of the view long held that
many portions of the desert are under
| laid with subterranean lakes and riv-
ers, for the most part not very far
from the surface, and easy of reach
by the artesian drill. 1t had long been
mystery as to what becomes of the
considerable streams that take their
rise in the great Dlateaus of Alag
gar, Muydir, TasiH, and others. and
after considerable course above
ground are lost in the sands Some
of these underground rivers that were
explored were found to contain fishes,
crabs and similar animal life, indi-
eating that in some fashion these sub
terranean channels are aerated, so
that they may sustain life. In the
estimation of all the travellers who
have made close investigation, the ar
tesian wells will afford not only an
abundance but a permanent supply of
water for irrigation and sustenance, and