The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
FOrREAr PARTT SIZE.
The Largest SRharan Exploring Expedition
Has Not Been Cut to Pieces.

Has Not Been Cut to Pieces.
A despatch from Algiers On Wednesday said
that one Of the most tircless aud intrerid ex-
plorers uf the Sahara. +. FouSau. who is on his
tenth expedition amonE'thc sand wastes and
GASES 20 the south of Algeria, had met with .
great misfortune. \ telegram sent from the
rost Of GharhayH. about 300 miles south Of
AlGiers. on Tuesday last. reported that q large
body OF whites had been attacke cd by the Tua-
reRs " the desert near the wells OF Ain Taiba In
the Eastern Erg, one 81 the greatest sand exc
panses Of the Sahara. about 40 miles south
east of Algiers. and that about 100 men Of the
European caravan had been killed and a part
Of their outfit carried on It turns out. how
ever. that ii there was such "A battle. the Fou-
reau larty were not PARTICIPANTS. The az
plorers arrived safe aud sound at ARades. In
he southern part Of the Sahara, not long ago.
and as the expedition 10 the largest exnloriuG .
party that ever entered the Sahara. IL is worth
while To tell something about Toureau aud
the mission intrustad to him. .
OF the ten EXPEDITIONS in which Foureau haa
been engaged in the past f.w years. the pres-
ent enterprise is by far the mostiambitious aud.
far reaching In carrying out his explorations
hitherto he has had tho financial support only II
private citizens andlsrientiiu' societies. and yet.
with the most slender resources. he has often
achieved very interesting and important geo.,
graphical results. His fell Of research has
been the Sahara south " Algeria. Among the
important facts he discovered in his ninth ex-
petition. early last year, WIS that the famous
oasis OF Insalah. inhabited by Arabs. aud Wis.
tied by. Rohlfs and other explorers. has al.
ways appeared on the lnars:about sixty geo.
graphical miles too far vest. Owing TO hia
modest equipment. or for political reasons ada
vanced by the Government. a number OF his
JOURNEYS have heen CON aratively short OK
cursi"ns into the desert; but. none the less, he
has done more than any other man toward the
thorough study of that part Of the desert
whicl, lies south OF the French colony
This time, however. lie has led into the Sa.
hara Il Government eypedition equipped re-
CARELESS of expense. Its purpose is to rosa
the Sahara and explore the parts OF the Scudan
which. under the treaties with Great Britain
AMI Germany signed between y, and 1904
fell t. the share of France. iIe has instru,-
tons to avoid exciting the comment and sus-
piciOn Of the other powers 10y carefully re-
framing from enterinz any rjart of their terri-
tories. He has with him 1877 Algerian soldiers
lnder the orders Of m Ider Lamy and nve
other officers. The entire personnel pumberA.
about 200 men. and 1000. "amels carry their
equipment for the work. Which is expected t0
require a year and n half m the field.
On Nov. 1" last the execution arrived at the
Arab settle ment and well f Of Temassipin after
crossing the large sand exranse of the ErR.
Nv "a az ~" WI VIC u VI kN0
Tuareg country. The Foureau mission was
one OF peace and the lie ader wished nc trouble
with the warlikt TuIregs. though his party
was believed 10 he str nnR enough to overcome
all resistance. The 5 hortest route is through
the:wide stretchj,f T. iareg lands. and Foureau
believed that the fevies chances Of opposition
would lie met in the. eastern rart Of it. the re-
Gion inhabited by { he Agar Tuaregs. These
denizens Of the sub ara are not Arabs. but are
descendants of tn, Jterhers who Inhabited tho
land before the A'ab invasion. and still hold
their OWL in their native habitat. The AZjar
branch Of The fam lily Is not SO numerous a.
their relatives, the .\haggar Tuaregs, who ad-
ioin them on the we st. but they are more peace
ful. show a decide q tendency to abandon the
nomad for settled life, and a number Of trar-
oilers have been al ie to penet0te far into their
country. On the { iher hand. the record Of en-
ploration among the AhaGgar Tuaregs has
been tragiLal ind ted. Several explorers had
lost their lives III the inhospitable land and
Foureau was un' I%oubtedly sensible in giving
the AhaRRar natil rs a wide berth. e.
The most disa. itrou US Of these i'll -fated e1-
reditions to the .ihaggar region was ina. nt
Col. Flatters IN 1881. He succeeded in pene-
! trating far south, only TO meet with terrible
disaster. The en- ravan .was secretly pursued
by increasing hor les of TuareGs.some Of whom
insinuated thems elves into the presence OF
r Flatters and his pInranions and secured SER
, vice as guides. The attack came when alt
/ plans we're perfec led for the preconcer.ed as
' sault. Flatters himself with one of his cons
rades. was the frs to fall. The camel drivers
fed and the whole BODY Of Tuaregs fell upon
. the baggage train. Only fftv-nine men Of the
Flatters execution were still alive when nigh;
Q fell and in the darkness.theN set out. almost
without food resources. to follow the chain Of
q wells. 100 miles north. 70 WarGla. All the
e Frenchnen OF the exped ition perished Ia this
d disastrous ~.retreat and only thirteen men
reached Wargln after fearful sufferings for
o more than two months, during which they had
q often nothing to drink but blood and no food
EXCEPT human flesh.
o Nothing was heard from Foureau after he
il started into the AzJar region until the news
came that he hsd safelY reached Agades. This
:. fact was not known in this country until it was
cabled on Wednesday. \ very SURPRISING fea
, ture OF the report TINT he had lost 100 men
in a fight was TINT tn battle was said to have
occurred near Ain Tniha. which is over 2W
e miles north OF the place whence Foureau sen,
his announcement that he had reached tn,
Tuareg country. Who are the Europeanl
who have lost 100 zen in a fight with Saharar
nomads? There mas be no truth in the story
but II there is. 1t may relate to the French part,
which was reported a while ago to he following
.v in Foureau's track with the intention OF erect,
d ing Il fort al Temfssiuin and thus extending
Frances away to Il is distant point.
4.