The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-15

Daliar is noted for its excellent harbor.
which Is now being widened and deepened
by the French.
The city lies right under the shadow of
Cape Verde and Is connected with St.
Louis. the capital of Senegal. by railway.
1t has -four French steamship lines.
which make regular passages between it
and France. and there are British and
German lines to Liverpool and Hamburg.
The French are just beginning to develop
their West African provinces.
They are laying out railroads In French
Guinea II deepening the harbors.
They have built a tetty about 1000 feet
long at Conakry. the capital and chief
seaport. and they are cutting wagon roads
into the interior.
In Dahomey there are 5000 natives now
at work on a railroad. which will eventu-
ally extend through the country to AXE
had, and there connect with the line
across the Sahara to Algiers.
Fifty miles of this road has already been
constructed, and the work will be steadily
pushed. Railroads are beng built in the
French Congo, and also from st. Louis,
in Senegal. eastward.
DAHOMEY IS HOT
AND MALARIOUS.
These West African colonies are IN
healthy.
Dahomey is hot and malarious. and the
French Congo is noted for its fevers.
The French can never develop the coun-
try, except by native labor.
They understand this. and are acting ac-
cordingly. They have set out plantations
In Dahomey some distance back from the
coast, and sare raising cotton there for
shipment to France.
The cotton is better than the American,
and am told that 1t brings a higher price
in Europe.
Cotton fields have been laid out in the
French Congo and elsewhere.
The labor is cheap. costing not more
than 10 or 20 cents q day. In come OF the
colonies the people are very Industrious,
Education goes on apace.
There are missionaries in nearly all the
colonies and mission schools. as well as
Government schools.
In the Congo colony alone ffty-six
schools have been established, and a pro-
portionate lumber in Dahomey and on the
Ivory Coast.
All these colonies trade chiefly with Eu-
rope. They buy brght-colored c~alicoes, |
beads. palm seeds and palm oil for them. |
So far the only thing they get from
America is our leaf tobacco. which is sent |
there in hogsheads. being first shipped to
Liverpool.
The freight rate from Liverpool to
Dahomey is about three-fourths of a cent
a pound.
The French have materially changed the |
conditions In Madagascar.
They have claimed to own that island |
for hundreds Of years, but It Is only seven
or eight years ago that it was formally
declared a French colony.
The Queen was then deposed and carried
the French island of Reunion, whence
she was afterwards taken to Algiera,
is the fourth largest island
in the world.
1t has more land than France. and its
population is two and one-half millions.
About one-third Of the natives are Ho-
vas a most intelligent people, who until
ment of the island.
In addition to them are the Sakalaya.
on the west coast inc other tribes on the
east, north and south.
In the coast towns there arc many Arab
traders and also many negroes from Afri-
ca. who were brought in as slaves.
The Island of Madagascar consists OF a
high plateau with a fringe of unhealthy
forest around the edges.
Its chief port is Tamatave, on the east
coast, n the capital Is Tanapariyo In
the heart Of the plateau.
h French are building a railroad from
one to the other.
1t will be over 100 miles long and thirty
five miles have already been built.
T~ananarivo stands on O ridge 200 feet
high. In the center OF a rich farming coun-
try.
It has comfortable two-story houses and
the Hovas, who form its chief population,
have many people Of wealth.
The public buildings Of the Queen are
used by the French officials, who are
modern improvements Of all
kinds.
They have improved the porte. have IN
schools and colleges End are Going
much to better the country.
France has a big sized island empire.
Madagascar alone is a long as from New |.