The sun., 1897-12-29
The French on the Upper Nile.

The latest information from Paris gives
some very interesting details of the stages
by which the French have arrived finally
on the Upper Nile and established them
selves at Fashoda, place that would ap-
pear to be as important strategically as
Khartoum OF Omdurman, further north.
The distance between the two places, as
the crow flies. is about 400 miles. Fashoda
has been approached from two sides: from
the west by an expedition under Capt. |
LIoTARD, which, marching from the River
Bomu in the French Congo territory, oc-
cupied the station OF Dem Ziber, on the |
caravan route between Gondokaro, north |
of Uganda and the interior of the Soudan,
at the end of June last. About four weeks
later, by march of over two hundred miles,
1t reached Meshra-er- REX, at the forks of
two of the tributaries of the Bahr-el- Ghazal.
From there the descent to Fashoda was to
three hundred miles.
While this expedition was in progress
other expeditions were making for the
same point by different routes: one,
that of Col. MARCHAND, reported to have
been massacred, but now known to be
safely installed on the Nile; another, a
Franco-Abyssinian expedition, left Gobo, a
place situated about the intersection of
the ninth parallel of latitude and the thir-
ty-ffth degree of east longitude, in the
province of Lega, toward the latter part of
last July for Fashoda. having about $50
miles to march. What the strength and
composition of these forces may be Is
not known, but as the Abyssinian popula-
tion Is contributing a quota, it may be as
sumed that they are in considerable num-
bers; and being under skilled officers and
we'll equipped with modern arms they
make up force to be respected. Stimuli
taneously with these movements railway
from Jibutil, on the south side of the bay of
Obok, in French Somaliland, is being con-
structed to Harrar, over $50 miles to
the southwest. to be extended to Adds
Abeba, one of the Abyssinian capitals.
In October last small Russian mill
tary and scientific expedition was sent
to Abyssinia, apparently in cooperation
with the French m ovements, which, how.
ever they may be disguised, are con.
ceived manifestly in spirit of hostility to
the establishment of a monopoly by Eng
land of the great waterway of the Nile
The territory between the fifth and tenth
parallels of latitude, that lies to the south
west of Abyssinia proper, has been formed
Into an equatorial province of King meme
LIK, but under the administration of Count
LEoNTIEFF, Russian, acting in concert
with Prince HENRI OF Orleans The Abys
sinian claims to this tract of country
stretching eastward from the Nile to tn,
watershed Of the rivers of Italian Somali
land, were nominal and the authort,
shadowy, but they were considered suffi
Client to validate title to the concessions
given by King MENELIK.
In what light this concession is regarde,
by the British Government has not beer
announced publicly, but the persistenc
\ with which the French have pushed OF
their expeditions from opposite directions
DO as to make effective occupation of botl
banks of the Nile at Fashoda, shows tha
they are determined to have a say in tn
ultimate control of that artery of commerce
II cannot be long before some indication
of the British intentions are made mani
lest. The reinforcements recently sent fror
india to support British authority Il
Uganda and the country round LAX