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STAMA  —  PACIFIC   -  1 
Exhibitic 

SAN     FR AX 


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FRENCH  COLONIES 


PROTECTORATE 


GENERA! 


EMILE    LAROSE 

11,  Rue  Victor-Cousin,  I 
PARIS 


PUBLIC 


(1015; 


FRENCH  COLONIES 

and 

PROTECTORATES 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/frenchcoloniesprOOIarorich 


PANAMA  —  PACIFIC  -  INTERNATIONAL 

Exhibition 

SAN    FRANCISCO 


FRENCH  COLONIES 


and 


PROTECTORATES 


GENERAL    INFORMATION 


May    1915 


EMILE    LAKOSE 

EDITOKL1BRAR1AN 

11,  Rue  Victor-Cousin,   11 
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I.   FRENCH  PROTECTORATE 
OF   MOROCCO 

in  1915. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  SITUATION. 

The  Morocco  is  situated  in  the  North  West  corner  of  Ihe  African 
Continent,  between  the  29°  et  35°  North  latitude.  Its  area  is  about 
500.000  square  kilometers. 


Fig.  1.  —  Native  dwellings. 


Photo  Garaud. 


The  Mediterranean  climate,  softened  by  frequent  showers  ;  the 
mountain  chains  particularly  the  «  Atlas  range  »  whose  high  sum- 
mits precipitate  the  moisture  of  the  sea  winds  upon  the  fertile  costal 


plains  of  the  Atlantic;  the  natural  wealth  of  its  soil  and  subsoil  ; 
its  rivers,  which  are  the  longest  and  most  regular  of  all  north 
Africa  ;  these  are  the  geographical  considerations  which  force 
Morocco  upon  the  attention  of  those  who  are  interested  in  the  deve- 
lopment of  new  countries. 

In  addition  to  all  this,  its  proximity  to  France  is  a  reason  to 
attract  to  the  new  protectorate  colonists,  merchants,  industrial 
workers  and  tourists. 


CLIMATE.  HYGIENE. 

The  climate  of  Morocco  is  very  healthy  and  agreable,  not  so  dry 
as  in  the  other  parts  of  Berbery  :  temperate  on  the  coast  and  more 
uniform  in  going  farther  south.  On  the  Atlantic  coast,  winter  is 
never  cold  (minima  b  to  8°  centigrades  above  0°)  and  summer  never 
very  hot  (maxima  26  to  30°). 

The  interior  plains  (Rharb,  Sebou  valley,  Chaoufa,  the  regions  of 
Fez  and  Marrakech)  are  warmer  than  the  average  in  summer,  and 
in  the  mountain  regions  where  snow-falls  are  not  uncommon,  it  is 
decidedly  colder  in  winter. 

On  the  whole  the  year  is  divided  in  two  seasons,  the  rainy 
season,  which  corresponds  to  winter  and  last  from  november  to 
april,  and  the  dry  season  from  may  to  October. 

The  climate  of  Morocco  is  in  all  cases  suitable  to  European  people 
who  can  remain  all  the  year  round  in  the  country  without  any 
inconvinience  to  health. 


MARITIME  SERVICES. 

The  porls  of  the  Protectorate,  principally  Casablanca,  are  con- 
nected with  Marseilles  and  Bordeaux  by  two  French  navigation 
companies  using  fast  steamers  of  the  first  class. 

Paquet  Company  gives  a  fast  service  between  Marseilles  et  Casa- 
blanca (with  call  at  Tangiers),  leaving  Marseilles  the  first  and  the 
IGth  of  each  month  and  making  the  voyage  in  about  70  hours. 

Passenger  fares  150  francs,  120  francs,  80  francs. 

(1)  By  international  agreement  the  Mediterranean  shore  of  Morocco 
is  under  Spanish  protection,  with  the  exception  of  the  zone  of  Tangiers, 
which  is  governed  by  international  agreement,  and  «  If'ni  »  In  the  South 
which  is  under  Spanish  influence.  All  the  rest  of  Morocco  is  under  the 
Protectorate  of  France  by  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  March  30th  1912. 


The  Gie  Generate  Transatlantique,  gives  a  fast  and  direct  service 
from  Bordeaux  to  Casablanca  in  3  days  and  a  half  (departure  from 
Bordeaux  the  10th  and  the  25th  of  each  month)  Passenger  fares  1st 
class  140  francs,  2d  class  110  francs.  3d  class  70  francs. 

These  two  companies  have  also  cargo  boats  calling  regularly  at 
the  ports  of  the  southern  coast,  Mazagan,  Saffi,  Mogador. 

There  is  another  route  to  Casablanca  through  Spain,  by  Madrid 
and  Cadix  or  Algesiras.  This  service  connects  at  Tangiers  with 
steamers  which  stop  at  the  western  coast  of  Morocco. 

Tares  from  Paris  to  Casablanca  via  Algesiras  :  1st  class  319  fr.  70, 
2d  class  235,30,  3d  class  145,10. 


INLAND  TRAVELLING. 

There  is  in  the  Protectorate  about  600  kilometers  of  light  railways 
(gauge  0,60).  These  lines  have  been  established  by  military  engi- 
neers for  military  purposes,  but  they  have  been  quite  recently  open 
to  commercial  traffic.  A  complete  railway  system,  at  the  standard 
gange  and  connecting  the  chief  towns  of  the  Protectorate  is  under 
survey.  Trips  to  the  interior  are  mostly  made  on  horse-back,  by 
mule,  or  motor  car. 

It  is  advisable  for  the  traveller  to  arrange  for  daily  expenses 
amounting  from  twenty  to  fifty  francs,  according  to  the  degree  of 
comfort  one  desires.  The  average  individual  expense  is  naturally 
commensurate  with  the  size  of  the  party. 

In  certain  places  one  can  find  hotels  ;  the  cost  for  board  and  lod- 
ging ranges  from  ten  to  twenty  francs  a  day. 

The  most  propitious  time  for  travel  in  the  interior  is  during 
April,  May  and  June,  or  in  the  fall  in  September  and  October  ;  and 
along  the  coast  from  May  to  October. 

The  approximate  cost  for  passenger  travel  by  motor  car  from 
Casablanca  to  Fadala  is  10  francs,  Kenitra  100  francs,  Meknes 
250  francs,  Fez  (via  Kenitra)  350  francs,  Mazagan  125  francs,  Mar- 
rakech,  90  francs.  Transportation  of  merchandise  is  eifected  by 
camels  or  mules  and  costs  from  0,80  to  francs  1,25  per  ton  and  kilo- 
metre. When  transported  by  «  arabas  »  carts  1  franc  to  1,50  per 
ton  and  kilometre.  The  prices  vary  according  to  the  condition  of  the 
trails. 

Generally  speaking  one  can  use  the  same  clothing,  kitchen 
ustensils,  and  household  furniture  as  in  the  south  and  south-west 
of  France.  Waterproof  coats  and  shoes  are  serviceable  during  the 
rainy  season.  The  use  of  helmets  is  advisable  in  summer. 


—  6  — 


TOURING. 

In  the  absence  of  railroads  or  well  surfaced  highways,  it  might 
be  thought  premature  to  speak  of  touring  in  Morocco;  nevertheless 
it  would  be  impossible  to  overestimate  the  inducements  that  the 
beautiful  seasons  of  spring  and  autumn  offer  to  the  tourists  at 
Moghreb  el  Aqca,  which  have  for  so  long  remained  unaffected  by- 
European  civilization,  It  is  not  only  Rabat,  the  pearl  of  the  Ocean, 
and  Sale,  the  ancient  pirates  den,  two  wrhite  towns  at  the  door  of  the 
Bou  Uegreg,  dominated  by  the  quaint  tower  of  Hassan,  that  one  can 
visit  with  enjoyement,  but  there  are  also  Mechouar  de  Meknes 
built  with  the  ruins  of  the  Roman  city  of  Volubilis;  Fez,  the  holy 
city  of  Gherif  Moulay  Idriss,  with  its  architecture  copied  after  the 
style  of  the  Alhambra,  and  its  true  mediaeval  character.  All  these 
places  are  abundant  in  delightful  surprises  to  the  tourist. 


.    '.'.' .'"  --'.. 

^js^Bt*.    ; 

^Ute 

***** 

k                                                                   —      ¥     .    -                   .                                                       .  ....        ,                ;.. -     ,    . 

^SttSrC^K         ' 

Photo  Lacharriere. 


Fig.  2.  —  Kasbah  of  the  Goundaft. 


Lastly  passing  through  Marrakech,  where  theKoutoubia,  contem- 
porary with  the  Giralda  of  Sevilla,  will  attract  the  amateur  artists, 
and  the  curious  old  towns  of  Mogador,  Saffi  and  Mazagan  (the 
Portuguese)  the  visitor  can  end  his  tour  of  Morocco,  though  not 
forgetting  to  visit  the  wooded  slopes  of  Atlas,  where  the  Berber 


tribes,  the  predominant  race  of  the  country,  still  exist  in  a  primi- 
tive social  state. 

Private  companies  have  organized  cruising  trips  along  the 
Moroccan  coast,  as  well  as  caravan  and  motor  car  excursions  to  the 
interior(Casablanca-Marrakech-Mogador-Saffi-Mazaganand  return). 


Photo  Segonzac. 
Fig.  3.  —  The  sate  of  the  Mellah  of  Demnat. 


AGRICULTURE. 

Morocco  is  essentially  an  agricultural  country,  and  the  crops  and 
cattle  make  up  nearly  all  of  the  exported  products. 

The  land  is  divided  generally  into  two  types;  the  «  tirs  »,  or 
black  soil,  which  lends  itself  to  a  wide  diversity  of  production  and 
the  red  earth  which  is  especially  adapted  to  the  raising  of  cereals, 
potatoes  and  vines.  The  natives  usually  confine  themselves  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  «  tirs  »,  while  they  use  the  other  soils  for  pasture. 

The  most  widely  grown  crops  are  cereals,  the  production  of 
which  encounter  in  certain  regions  exceptionally  favorable  condi- 
tions;  especially  barley,  corn,  oats,  as  well  as  peas,  chick  peas, 
beans,  lentils  and  other  leguminous  plants. 

The  natives  usually  divide  their  faming  operations  into  two 
parts ;  the  early  cultivation  called  «  Bekri  »   and  the  late  known  as 


—  8  — 

«  Mazouai  ».  For  the  first  (barley,  corn,  beans,  etc.),  the  flowing  is 
done  in  the  early  of  autumn  and  the  seed  planted  in  November.  The 
harvest  is  gathered  from  May  to  June.  In  the  second  crop,  in  which 
maize  is  the  most  important,  the  seed  is  planted  in  the  spring  and 
the.  crop  is  gathered  in  August. 

Potatoes  thrive  while  cotton  and  vineyards  have  given  promise 
of  excellent  results. 

Certain  aromatic  seeds  furnish  a  noteworthy  contribution  to 
the  exports;  carvi,  fenugrec,  cumin,  coriandre,  etc,  being  the 
most  prominent. 

Fruit  trees  are  plentiful,  especially  in  the  suburbs  of  towns  where 
olive,  oranges,  lemons,  figs,  peaches  and  almonds  are  grown. 

Attenlion  should  be  called  to  the  argannier,  a  tree  that  is  peculiar 
to  Morocco  and  which  is  found  only  in  the  Mogador  region.  This 
tree,  which  resembles  the  olive  tree  rarely  attains  a  height  of  more 
than  G  metres.  The  fruit  consits  of  a  drupe  similar  to  a  large  olive 
wilb  a  hard,  thick  stone  for  a  seed  which  contains  a  small,  flat 
almond.  The  natives  make  an  oil  from  the  argannier  which  is  con- 
sumed in  the  country. 

Morocco  regions  most  favorable  to  cultivation  are  : 

Cbaouia,  with  outlets  at  the  ports  of  Casablanca  and  Fedala  ; 

Rharb  (Rabat-Sale,  Kenitra)  ; 

Sebou  valley  (Mchcdya,  Kenitra,  Rabat-Sale,  Meknes,  Fez)  : 

Doukkala  (Mazagan,  Azemmour)  ; 

Abda  (Saffi)  ; 

Haouz  de  3Iarrakech  (Marrakech,  Mazagan,  Saffi,  Mogador). 

The  principal  centres  open  to  colonization  are  : 

1°  Rharb  :  Arbaoua,  Souk-el-Arba  du  Rharb,  Mechra-bel-Ksiri, 
Kenitra  ; 

2°  Valle  of  the  Sebou  :  Mehedya,  Kenitra,  Rabat-Sale,  Petitjean, 
Dar-bely-Hamri,  Meknes  ; 

3°  Hinterland  of  Rabat  Sale  (Zaer,  Zemmour)  :  Rabat,  Sale, 
Temara,  Oued-Yquem,  Bouznika,  Monod,  Tiflet,  N'Kreila; 

4°  Chaouia  :  Casablanca,  Fedala,  Ber  Rechid,  Boulhaut,  Bouche- 
ron,  Mediouna, Ben-Ahmed, Settat, Oulad-Satd,  Mechra-ben-Abbou? 
El-Boroudj  ; 

5°  Doukkala  :  Mazagan,  Azemmour,  Sidi-Aii  ; 

6°  Abda:  Saffi,  Oual id ia  ; 

7o  Haouz  :  Marrakech,  Kelaa,  Mogador. 

The  most  fertile  and  best  irrigated  regions  are  :  The  valley  of  the 
Sebou  and  the  Bharb,  where  some  colonists  have  located  with  their 
families.  It  should  be  advisable  to  those  intending  to  bring  their 
family  to  built  a  confortable  shelter  in  advance. 

Farming  in  Morocco  necessitates  some  technical  knowledge 
which  varies  with  the  kind  of  cultivation  one  wishes  to  follow  and 


9 


a  capital  more  or  less  substantial.  The  cost  of  1,000  hectares  or 
2,000  acres  for  extensive  cultivation  may  vary  from  250  to  375 
francs  the  hectare  near  the  towns  and  from  75  to  100  francs  in 
the  interior  of  the  counlry. 


Photo  Segonzac. 


Kig.  4.  —  Natives. 


Taking  into  account  the  actual  slate  of  the  country,  that  is  to  say 
the  lack  of  transportation  and  the  primitive  conditions  of  the  ports, 
it  would  be  imprudent  to  undertake  to  cultivate  a  large  track  of 
land  without  the  expenditure  of  a  large  sum  of  money. 


STOCK  BREEDING. 


Stock  raising  is  carried  on  by  the  natives  in  nearly  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Tbey  use  for  grazing  the  vast  tracts  of  land  that  are 
not  under  cultivation.  Oxen,  sheep  and  goals  are  found  everywhere 
and  furnish  well  appreciated  products  for  export.  Wool,  hides  and 
goat  skins  are  exported  annually  in  large  quantities. 


10  — 


FORESTS. 


The  interior  of  Morocco  is  rich  in  species  of  timber,  such  as  cedar 
trees,  walnut,  cork  trees,  arganier,  thuya,  and  arar  for  building, 
cabinet-making  and  industrial  work. 

The  regions  near  the  sea  coast  are  by  contrast  much  less  wooded 
Nevertheless  there  are  two  fine  forests,  one  on  the  boundary  of  the 
Chaouia,  the  other,  Mamora,  which  is  very  important,  not  far  from 
Rabat. 

Prior  to  the  Protectorate  these  forests  were  ruthlessly  exploited 
by  the  natives  who  burnt  out  or  chopped  down  the  trees  for  their 
personal  use.  In  order  to  save  the  forests  of  Morocco,  rigorous 
measures  analogous  to  those  in  effect  in  Tunis  concerning  the  exploi- 
tation and  exportation  of  woods,  will  be  put  in  force  in  the  near 
future. 

MINES. 

Indications  of  copper,  iron  and  lead  suitable  for  bearings  have 
been  found  in  the  Sous  as  well  as  in  the  Anti-Atlas  ;  silver-lead  in 
the  Riff  and  Mid-Atlas ;  rock  salt  in  the  Sebou  valley,  etc.,  but  as  a 
matter  of  fact  the  richness  of  Morocco  from  a  mining  standpoint  is 
still  a  matter  of  study,  and  it  is  necessary  to  await  the  development 
of  the  means  of  communication  and  transportation  before  the  mine- 
rals can  be  exploited. 

In  the  case  where  a  country  has  just  been  opened  to  European 
influence  it  is  advisable  that  prospecting  should  be  carried  on  with 
prudence  and  forethought ;  and  before  undertaking  operations  one 
should  obtain  reliable  and  trustworthy  information. 

The  development  of  mines  in  general  is  regulated  by  the 
«  dahir  »  of  January  19th  1£M4.  The  regulation  applies  especially 
to  mines  while  quarries  and  bogs  are  under  ordinary  police  super- 
vision. 

In  general,  considerable  liberty  is  allowed  in  the  prospecting  of 
mines  but  this  exclusive  right  is  subject  to  a  tax  of  0,20  centimes  a 
hectare  a  year,  in  an  area  of  from  1  to  4  square  kilometres.  This 
right  is  negotiable  on  the  payment  of  a  tax  of  300  francs. 

The  exploitation  licences,  given  by  «  dahir  cherifien  »,  are  good 
for  areas  of  from  100  to  200  hectares  and  subject  to  the  following 
charges  :  500  francs  tax ;  an  annual  tax  varying  from  1  to  3,50  per 
hectare  according  to  the  kind  of  ore  ;  in  addition  there  is  at  expoit 
duty  of  3  to  10  0/0  ad  valorem.  The  deposits  of  phosphates,  nitra- 
tes, etc.,  are  obtained  only  at  public  auction.  The  cherifian  govern- 


—  11  — 

merit  reserves  the  rights  to  the  salt  deposits.  A  commission  has 
been  created  to  resolve  litigious  cases  prior  to  the  enactment  of 
mining  regulations. 

For  the  time  being  all  prospecting  has  been  suspended. 


COMMERCE. 

The   maritime   commerce   of  French    Morocco  has    more   than 
doubled  in  five  years,  as  the  following  figures  whill  show. 


Imports 

Exports 

Total 

Francs 

Francs 

Francs 

1909     .     . 

45,579,485 

36,745.240 

84,324,725 

1910     .     . 

40,646,590 

29,644,668 

70,291.258 

1911     .     . 

52,899,202 

'     55,032,778 

107,931,980 

1912     .     . 

92,479,340 

58,087,383 

150,566,723 

1913     .     . 

149,794,979 

30,865,639 

180,660,618 

The  chief  articles  of  french  and  foreign  importation  can  be  divi- 
ded into  two  distinct  groups  : 

a)  Articles  for  the  natives  ; 

b)  Articles  for  Europeans. 

The  principal  articles  for  the  natives  are  :  sugar,  cotton  goods, 
tea,  candles,  semolina,  soap,  spices,  hardware,  silks,  silk  and  cot- 
ton threads. 

The  most  common  articles  for  consumption  by  the  Europeans 
are  :  building  materials  (woods,  iron,  cement,  lime,  bricks),  etc., 
food  stuffs  (spices,  preserves,  wines,  etc.),  flour,  grains,  clothing, 
machinery  and  similar  articles,  carriages,  agricultural  implements, 
hardware,  tobacco,  perfumery,  Paris  products,  furniture,  gazo- 
line,  etc.  The  natives  are  purchasers  of  certain  articles  commonly 
used  by  the  Europeans. 

The  exports  comprise  live  stock ;  animal  products  (horse  and 
goat  hairs,  wools,  eggs,  skins)  :  cereals  and  grains  (wheat,  barley, 
maize,  beans,  lentils,  lima  peas,  alpistes,  lin  seed,  coriandre,  cumin, 
fenugrec)  ;  fruits  (oranges,  almonds,  dates,  nuts)  ;  gums  ;  indus- 
trial plants  (resinous  shrubs,  palm-.trees,  hemp,  rose  leaves,  alfa)  ; 
olive  oil  ;  manufactured  articles  (babouches,  leather  works,  haiks, 
djellabas,  wool  carpets,  copper  works,  guns,  etc.). 

IMMIGRATION. 

The  tide  of  French  and  European  population  floving  to  Morocco 
is  the  most  remarkable  that  French  Colonial  history  narrates.  It 


—  12  — 

was  not  until  twenty  five  years  after  our  arrival  in  Tunis  before 
this  last  country  had  acquired  a  French  population  equal  to  that 
which  Morocco  has  to  day.  By  1st  of  January  1914  the  French  popu- 
lation of  the  protectorate  amounted  to  26,000  souls  out  of  a  total 
European  population  of  44,000  souls. 

The  principal  towns  sought  by  the  colonists  and  immigrants 
are  :  Casablanca  (31,000  Europeans)  ;  Rabat-Sale  (5,000);  Kenitra 
(1,500);  Mazagan  (1,200);  Saffi  (700) ;  Mogador  (650)  ;  Marrakech 
(900)  ;  Meknes  (550);  Fez  (550)  ;  Oudjda  (4,300). 


BANKING  AND  MONETARY  SYSTEM 

Morocco  has  a  monetary  system  peculiar  to  itself,  The  unit  is  the 
«  peseta  hassani  »  which  has  an  actual  value  in  exchange  of  about 
0  franc  80,  but  french,  english  and  Spanish  coins  pass  current  in 
the  country,  especially  in  the  coast  towns  and  are  accepted  by  the 
natives. 

There  is  one  State  Rank  with  branches  in  the  most  important 
centres,  where  several  large  private  Banks  have  also  established 
agencies  in  the  past  few  years. 


General  information  as  to  French  Protectorate  of  Marocco  and 
particulars  about  trade,  commerce,  agriculture  in  the  Cherifian 
Empire  can  be  obtained  from  the  «  Office  du  Gouvernement  Cheri- 
fien  et  du  Protectorat  de  la  Republique  francaise  au  Maroc  »,  34, 
Galerie  d'Orleans,  Palais-Royal,  Paris. 


II.  ALGERIA. 


GENERAL   INFORMATION  AND  PHYSICAL 
GEOGRAPHY. 

Algeria  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  on 
the  south  by  the  Sahara  desert,  and  on  the  east  by  the  Empire  of 
Morocco.  The  country,  like  Morocco,  is  alternately  under  the 
influence  of  damp  north-west  winds  coming  from  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea  and  from  the  Atlantic,  and  the  dry  and  burning  south 
and  south-east  winds,  which  bring  drought  and  barrenness  with 
them.  Algeria's  mountains  consist  of  two  chains  parallel  to  the 
coast  :  one  near  the  sea,  the  other  near  the  desert.  These  two 
chains  are  150  to  200  kilometres  apart  in  the  province  of  Oran, 
but  they  get  nearer  and  nearer  until,  in  Tunis,  they  are  separated 
only  by  the  valley  of  Medjerda.  These  chains  of  moutains,  from 
1,500  a  2,000  metres  high,  form  the  limits  of  three  very  distinct 
regions  ;  the  Tell  running  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the  neigh- 
bouring chain  (the  Atlas  Tellien)  and  pointing  towards  Europe. 
Permanent  rivers,  or  wades  (plural  form  waddy),  are  plentiful. 
The  most  important  one  is  the  Cheliff  (695  kilometres  long).  We 
must  also  mention  the  Tafna,  in  the  province  of  Oran  (145  kilo- 
metres), the  Sig  (215  kilometres)  and  the  Sahel  (200  kilometres). 
In  the  province  of  Constantine  are  the  Seybouse  or  Wade  Chefif 
(232  kilometres),  and  the  Wade  el  Kebir  (245  kilometres). 

All  this  region  is  suited  to  a  great  variety  of  crops  similar  to 
those  which  characterise  the  whole  Mediterranean  region,  namely, 
wheat,  corn,  cereals,  olives,  vines,  fruit  trees,  agrumes,  etc. 

Between  the  two  mountain  chains,  at  an  altitude  of  500  to 
1,100  metres,  are  the  high  tablelands  or  plateaux.  These  cover  a 
surface  of  10,000,000  hectares,  and  are  partly  composed  of  dried 
up  steppes  only  fit  for  sheep  grazing.  Here  grow  prairies  of  Alfalfa 
grass,  and  occasional  depressions  retain  the  water  that  comes 
down,  and  form  the  salt  lakes,  called  chotts  or  sebkas,  which  are 
often  dried  up  in  summer. 

The  high  tablelands  can  be  cultivated,  as  well  as  the   Tell,  in 


—  14  — 

periods  when,  for  some  reason  or  other,  there  is  no  drought,  but 
this  is  exceptional. 

At  the  south  of  the  second  chain  of  mountains,  called  the 
'••  Saharien  Atlas,"  is  the  desert,  where  no  cultivation  is  possible 
except  oasei. 


Fig.  5.  —  Palm-trees  at  Zenegn. 


PhotO  BOURGAULT. 


The  total  length  of  coast-line  in  Algeria  is  1,100  kilometres; 
it  is  rocky,  with  a  few  gulfs,  where  the  chief  ports  are  situated. 
They  are  :  The  Gulf  of  Oran,  where  are  situated  the  bays  of  Oran 
and  Arzew  ;  the  Gulf  of  Algiers;  the  Gulf  of  Bougie,  with  the  bays 
of  Bougie  and  Djidjelli ;  and  the  Gulf  of  Philippeville,  with  the 
bays  of  Gollo,  Stora  and  Bone. 

Algeria  has  5,563,828  inhabitants,  who  belong  to  very  different 
races.  There  are  562,931  French  citizens,  including  188,068  natu- 
ralised foreigners  and  70,271  native  Jews ;  4,711,276  Arabs  and 
Kabyles,  French  subjets,  and  218,362  foreigners,  including  2,375 
Tunisians,  23,115  Moroccains,  135,150  Spaniards,  36,795  Italians, 
besides  20,927  foreigners  of  different  nationalities. 

The  natives,  namely,  the  descendants  of  the  people  who  in- 
habited Algeria  in  1830,  are  the  Jews,  who  have  been  made  natu- 
ralised French  subjects,  by  an  Act  of  Parliament  of  24th  October, 
1870,   and  the  Mussulmen  (Mohammedans).  The  latter  belong  to 


—  15  — 

very  distinct  races,  i.e.,  the  Berbers,  the  Arabs,  the  Moors,  the 
Koulourlis,  and  the  Negroes. 

The  Berbers  are  not  a  homogeneous  race.  They  are  considered, 
however,  in  the  history  of  the  world,  as  the  aboriginal  inhabitants 
of  the  region,  driven  by  the  successive  invaders  to  the  most  in^ 
accessible  parts  of  the  country.  They  are  the  Kabyles,  Chaonias  of 
the  Aures,  Mozabites,  and  the  Tauaregs. 

The  representants  of  these  ethnical  groups  speak  very  similar 
dialects,  wrhich  proves  their  relationship.  The  number  of  indi- 
viduals vho  speak  these  dialects  is  reckoned  at  800,000. 

The  Arabs  are  the  sons  of  the  conquerors  who  invaded  the 
country  in  the  eighth  century,  led  by  Hassan  and  Sidi  Okba.  They 
are  said  to  constitute  only  the  sixth  part  of  the  Mussulman  popu- 
lation. The  other  races  are  secondary. 

The  Moors  or  Hadars,  town  dwellers,  come  from  the  intermaying 
of  several  races  who  came  into  the  country.  Their  complexion  is 
pale,  the  hair  and  eyes  black. 

The  Koulourlis  are  the  sons  of  Turks  and  women  of  the  country. 
They  are  more  energetic  and  prouder  than  the  Moors,  whom  they 
resemble  to  a  certain  extent. 

The  Negroes  are  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Soudanese 
slaves. 


CLIMATE. 

The  climate  of  the  Tell  is  the  same  as  in  the  Mediterranean 
region,  with  a  season  of  vegetation  in  the  spring  and  a  shorter  one 
in  the  autumn,  between  which  are  two  periods  of  rest,  one  at  the 
end  of  summer,  caused  by  the  dryness,  and  the  other  in  winter. 
The  climate  of  the  Tell  is  warm,  as  in  Provence.  It  is  very  healthy, 
and  people  come  to  pass  the  winter  there. 

Marshy  lands  have  been,  for  a  long  time,  one  of  the  scourges  of 
Northern  Africa.  The  transformation  of  those  parts  which  had 
not  been  worked  for  a  long  time,  into  arable  land,  has  rendered  the 
country  normally  healthy  once  more. 

The  drying  up  of  the  marshes  and  the  war  against  mosquitoes, 
actively  conducted,  will,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  render  sanitary  the  few 
spots  where  fever  still  prevails. 

The  climate  on  the  steppes  is  very  dry,  with  great  variations 
of  temperature,  from  one  season  to  another,  or  even  within  the 
space  of  twenty-four  hours.  In  the  summer  the  thermometer  may 
indicate  40°  (Centigrade)  in  the  shade  and  in  the  winter  as  low  as 
8-12°  (Centigrade).  The  temperature  varies  sometimes  25°  to  30°  in 
one  day  ;  this  climate,  in  one  word,  presents  the  characteristics  of 


—  16  — 

a  continental  climate.  So  does  the  Sahara  region,  hut  much  more 
so  on  account  of  the  extreme  dryness. 

The  temperature  reaches  sometimes  50°  (Centigrade)  in  the 
shade  in  summer  and  8°  (Centigrade)  in  winter.  The  variations  are 
more  than  30  degrees. 

Rain  is  extremely  rare  there,  and  though  it  comes  down  very 
heavily  at  times,  it  is  very  much  localised,  so  that  in  one  given 
spot  of  the  desert  it  might  not  rain  for  10  years.  Only  subterranean 
sources  of  water  exist,  and,  where  it  is  possible  to  utilise  them  for 
the  purpose  of  cultivation  by  irrigation,  date  trees  are  planted, 
under  whose  shade  numerous  plants  can  grow.  Such  a  plantation 
is  known  as  an  oasis. 

The  boring  of  artesian  wells  has  also  made  possible  the  creation 
of  new  palm  tree  plantations. 

POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

Algeria  was  successively  conquered  by  the  Carthaginians  and  the 
Romans.  It  enjoyed  three  centuries  of  prosperity  under  Roman 
rule,  but  after  the  invasions  of  the  Vandals,  the  Berbers  constituted 
themselves  into  separate  independent  States,  and  the  Byzantine 
power  was  only  exercised,  effectually,  over  the  province  of 
Constantine.  The  conquests  of  the  Arabs  resulted  in  the  conversion 
of  the  Autocthons  to  Islamism.  Up  to  the  sixteenth  century  the 
history  of  Algeria  is  very  confused,  and  remarkable  for  the  bloody 
wars  between  the  different  religious  sects  created  principally  by 
the  Berbers,  and  afterwards  by  the  intervention  of  Spain. 

Charles  the  Fifth  of  Spain  carried  out  his  conquest  of  Tunis, 
but  did  not  succeed  in  preventing  the  founding  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Algiers  by  Kheir  Eddine  Barberousse,  which  existed  until  the 
nineteenth  century.  This  kingdom  of  pirates  was  governed  by 
Deys,  who,  in  the  eighteenth  century,  freed  themselves  from  the 
power  of  Constantinople. 

The  French  landed  at  Sidi  Ferruch  on  the  13th  June,  1830;  on 
the  4th  July  Algiers  was  taken.  The  most  remarkable  phases  of 
the  war  were  the  resistance  of  Abd  el  Khader,  1830-1847,  definitely 
conquered  by  Marshal  Bugeaud  ;  the  subjugation  of  the  great 
Kabylie  in  1857  by  Marshal  Randon  ;  and  the  repression  of  the 
insurrections  of  1870  and  Bou  Amama  in  1872.  The  country  has 
been  at  peace  since  1884. 

Algeria  is  actually  an  integral  part  of  the  French  territory  divided 
into  the  three  provinces,  Algiers,  Oran  and  Constantine,  which  are 
similar  to  French  departments, 

The  southern  territories  of  these  departments  form  military  dis- 


—  17  — 

tricts,  at  the  head  of  heach  being  a  General  of  Division  ;  the  orga- 
nisation is  of  a  special  character. 

The  whole  of  the  colony. is  under  the  authoritz  of  a  Governor 
General,  who  is  head  of  the  civil  administration  and  charged  with 
tue  preparation  of  the  Budget. 

With  the  Governor  General  are  a  general  secretary  and  two 
councils,  the  "  Government  Council  ",  composed  of  high  officials, 
and  wich  sits  permanently;  and  the  ';  Superior  Council,  "  charged 
with  the  examination  ol  the  Budget  and  the  proper  apportioning  of 
the  taxes. 

The  Financial  Delegations  created  in  1898  are  a  kind  of  Parlia- 
ment, voting  the  Budget  before  it  is  submitted  lo  the  Superior 
Council.  This  assembly  is  composed  of  2i  colonial  delegates  (mem- 
bers), 24  delegates  representing  the  tax  payers  not  colonists,  and  a 
delegation  of  native  Mussulmen,  consisting  of  21  members,  six  of 
whom  are  Kabyles. 

The  chief  towns  are  :  —  Algiers,  172,397  inhabitants,  the  port's 
trade  amounlingto  4,000,000  tons  annually;  Oran,  a  Mediterranean 
port  123,086  inhabitants,  annual  trade  2.000.000  tons;  Constantine 
65,173  inhabitants,  87  kilometres  from  the  coast. 

Othe  principal  cities  are  Moslaganem,  Tlemcem,  Siddi-bel-Abbes, 
Bougie,  Philippeville  and  Bone. 


MEANS  OF  COMMUNICATION. 

Algeria  is  joined  lo  the  continent  by  numerous  services  of  boats 
belonging  to  the  Compagnie  Generale  Transatlantique. 

There  are  lour  weekly  services  each  way  plying  between  Algiers 
and  Marseilles,  two  between  Bone  and  Marseilles,  one  between 
Bougie  and  Marseilles,  two  between  Oran  and  Marseilles,  and  two 
between  Philippeville  and  Marseilles. 

The  Compagnie  de  Navigation  Mixte  joins  Marseilles,  Nice  and 
Port  Vend  res  to  Algiers. 

The  Societe  Generale  des  Transports  Maritimes  has  a  service 
running  three  times  a  week  between  Algiers  and  Marseilles. 

Algiers  has  also  a  direct  service  with  Barcelona,  run  by  thelslena 
Maritima,  and  with  Genoa  by  the  Nederland  Line  and  the  Nord- 
deutscher  Lloyd. 

The  ports  have  also  communication  with  one  another  and  with 
Moroccan  and  Tunisian  ports,  this  service  being  carried  out  by 
regular  coasting  vessels. 

The  total  mileage  of  interior  roads  amounts  to  40,000  kilometres 
and  of  railroads  to  4,060  kilometres.  The  roads  are  very  good,  and 

2 


—  18  — 

suitable  for  automobile  trafic.  On  many  of  them  there  .ire  \*  dili- 
gence  "  services. 

Algers  is  joined  up  with  Oran  and  I  he  Moroccan  frontier  on  one 
side  at  (ihardimaou,  on  the  other  by  a  main  railway  line,  which 
belongs  partly  to  the  Algerian  State,  the  Compagnie  I'aris-Lvon- 
Medi  terra  nee  and  the  Compagnie  Bone-Guelma.  Expresses  run  bet- 
ween Tunis  and  Oran.  From  this  central  line  start  branch   lines  to 


Fig.  G.  —  Port  of  Oran. 


IMioio  Crouzet.  Illustration. 


the  northern  ports  and  towns  :  Bone,  Philippeville,    Bougie,   Ti/.i 
Ouzou,  Mostaganem,  Arzew,  and  interior  branch  lines  towards  the 
south  to  Tebessa,  Khenchela,   Tougghourt,   Berrouaghia.   Tiaret, 
and  finally  Colomb  Bechar. 


MINERAL  PRODUCTS. 


Algeria  is  rich  in  minerals,  principally  in  the  province  of  Con- 
stantine.  Very  beautiful  marbles  are  found,  especially  onyx,  whieh 
is  seen  in  rich  deposits  around  Tlemcen  and  by  Constantine  (Ai'n- 
Smara).    The   export   value   of   these  products   does   not  exceed 


—  19  - 

jiKt.nnii  ErtncSi  hut  B&osphatCs  ivom  the  I  el>essn  region  (C.onstan- 
tine  wjdn  exported  in  1913  to  the  value  of  13,158,000  francs,  the 
tonnage  being  138*001  tons. 

Salt   tfl    very  abundant,    principally   it)    the  sebkas,   where   it    is 
collected,  but  is  not  exported  in  lartre  quantities. 

Annum  other  mineral  products  found  in  Algeria   are   petroleum. 

sine,  lead,  haematites,  galena,  calamine  and  ntrcnty 

In  1913,  1,312,811  Ions  of  iron  were  ex  worth    I8.1:U,000 

franca.  Of  lead,   SMI^IS  tons,  worth    i,i>T:,.dim  f.ano.   and   82.077 

tons  of  line,  worth  13,134,200  franns,  were  also  exported. 


ANIMAL  PRODUCTS. 

The  fauna  of  Mgerta  is  abundant  and  varied.  In  the  mountains 
there  are  large  tailless  baboons  Pitkecu$  hunt  us). 

The  lion  i^  nearly  extinct,  hut  the  pant  her  (harmless  to  man)   is 

plentiful.  Jackals  are  numerous,  and  the  tiger  <-at.  the  w  Ud  oat,  the 
caracal  lynx  .  the  cheetah,  the  fox,  the  Sahara  fox,  etc.,  are  also 
tone  found.  The  wild  hoar,  wieb  i^  abundant,  does  a  lot  of  harm 
to  the  crops.  Stags,  chamois,  gatelles,  antelopes  and  wild  rams 
moufflons  are  also  to  be  found. 
Unong  the  rodents  are  the  jerboa,  goundi  (Ctenodactytu*  Mas- 

SOftn),  the  hare  and  the  porcupine. 

Bird- of  all  kinds  are  plentiful.  So  are  reptiles,  six  species  being 
venomous,  especially  the  terrible  Naja  or  cobra  (N*ja  ffqfe)  of  ihe 
south,  the  bite  being  fatal.  Deaths  from  this  cause  are,  how 
v.'i\  rare. 

Pish  is  rerj  abundant  around  the  coasts,  the  species  corres- 
ponding to  those  in  the  southern  seas  of  Europe. 

i  thing  is  carried  on  extensiYelj,  and  Bah  is  pent  in  large  quan- 
tities to  the  principal  towns.  Fresh  water  fish  is  also  plentiful. 
the  export  of  Qsh  io  1913  amounted  to  about  5,000,000  francs, 
divided  up  as  follows  :  —  Presto  Bab  B45 tons. worth 837,000 fraaos  : 

dry  fob,  salted  and  smoked  il.274  lous,    worlh    2*022,000  fraUCS  j 

canned  Bsh,  sardines,  etc,  1.003  tone,  worth  2,070,000  francs. 

The  era \   lish  is  cauuht  on  Iberoekx   part  of  the  < oa^l. 

Among  the  arachnidane,  or  scorpions,  certain  species  in  the  south 
are  dangerous.  Insects,  wasfa  are  also  ?erj  numerous,  Ho  not  differ 
m  anv  particular  rasped  from  Ihosedf  Burope. 

Ants  arc  a  veritable  pest. as  they  attack  the  crop-. 

tmesag  the  most  harmful  insects  arc  the  locusts,  which  d- 
tate  w  hoi.-  districts  m  a  \  arj  shot!  apnea  of  time. 
Other  deatcuttire insects  ate; in  particular,  the  wine  altise,  the 

ma\  hn_.  and  the  ph\  1)0X8*8. 


-  20  — 

Coral  is  gathered  by  fishermen  on  the  coasts  of  Algeria,  but  the 
amount  exported  is  insignificant. 

Domestics  animal  are  numerous. 

Sheep  constitute  one  of  the  principal  resources  of  the  country. 
The  even  thrive  well  in  the  steppe  region,  where  only  very  meagre 
pasturage  exists.  The  most  common  breed  is  the  Barbary  sheep, 
witha  fine  tail,  the  fiesh  being  excellent. 


Fig.  7.  —  Mehari. 


There  are  also  interesting  variations  in  this  breed,  mostly  as  to 
quality  of  the  wool.  The  average  weight  of  an  Algerian  sheep  is 
48  kilos  105*6  pounds). 

There  are  actually  in  the  country  more  than  8,000,000  head  of 
sheep.  In  1913,  1,190,348  head  were  exported,  representing  a  value 
of  49,756,000  francs. 

The  oxen  belong  to  the  Guelma  breed,  are  small,  active  and  alert, 
but  gentler  than  those  of  Europe.  The  coat  of  this  breed  is  a  faun- 
grey,  the  head  brown  about  the  eyes,  and  the  muzzle  of  a  light 
colour.  They  feed  on  pasture  lands  during  the  whole  year.  Algeria 
exported,  in  1913,  27,171  head  of  beef,  valued  at  7,160,000  francs. 

Horses  belong  to  two  different  breeds,  the  Barbary  and  the  Arab 
breeds.  The  Barbary  horse  has  a  short  and  square  head,  a  straight 
or,  perhaps,  slightly  curved  forehead,  long,  thin  slender  ears,  eyes 
high  in  the  head,  and  a  straight  elegant  neck  often  surmounted  by 


—  21  — 

a  beautiful  mane.  The  back  is  broad  and  concave,  the  rump  well 
developed,  the  chest  broad  and  well  developed.  The  shoulders  are 
full  and  muscular,  the  haunches  slightly  salient  and  inclined,  the 
forelegs  rather  light,  and  the  tail  luxuriant  and  attached  low. 

The  thoroughbreds,  which  are  extremely  rare,  have  slender 
muzzles  with  very  dilated  nostrils.  These  animals  are  quite  domes- 
ticated. They  are  very  sure-footed  in  mountainous  regions. 


Photo  Beaufort. 


Fig.  8.  —  Kiss  Oued  and  El-Haimer  market. 


The  Arab  horse,  which  is  larger  and  stronger,  is  rare  in  Algeria. 
No  other  really  pure  types  are  to  be  found. 

Outside  these  two  breeds,  horses  vary  according  to  the  region. 
The  best  are  to  be  found  on  the  high  table  lands  of  the  province 
of  Oran.  In  1913,  l,3i  1,000  francs  worth  of  horses,  mares,  cobs, 
and  fillies  were  exported.  Of  this  sum,  horses  ares  represented  by 
936,000  francs  (in  value)  comprising  2,285  head. 

Mules  and  donkeys  are  also  very  plentiful  in  Algeria,  the  former 
being  exported  to  the  value  of  more  than  1,000,000  frans  annually. 

Goats  and  pigs  are  bred,  generally,  all  over  the  country. 

In  the  meridional  regions,  as  well  as  in  the  Sahara,  the  drome- 
dary is  to  be  found,  being  a  camel  with  a  single  hump.  Two  leading 
varieties  exist,  the  dromedary  of  Somnee,  which  is  large-bodied  and 


22  

of  a  dark  fawn  colour,  and  the  ruming  dromedary,  or  "  Mehari", 
which  is  smaller  and  sometimes  entirely  withe. 

The  rearing  of  these  animals  is  very  difficult,  and  in  certain 
districts  they  habe  become  rare  on  account  of  the  number  taken 
and  used  up  in  the  Sahara. 

Ostrich  have  also  become  very  rare  and,  up  to  now,  efforts  to 
rear  them  have  been  unsatisfactory. 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS. 

The  most  important  product  of  the  soil  is  the  grape,  which  of  late 
years  has  been  a  source  of  wealth  to  Algeria . 

Algeria  produces  table  wines,  certain  of  which  are  worthy  of 
mention ;  also  liqueur  wines.  In  spite  of  the  high  temperature  in 
the  autumn  it  is  possible,  by  taking  certain  precautions,  to  realize  a 
good  vintage  The  vines  cover  to-day  more  than  160,000  hectares. 
jn  1913  Algeria  exported  4,758,562  hectolitres  of  ordinary  wine(m'n 
ordinaire)  in  casks.  (1  hectolitre,  22.009,668  imperial  gallons).  The 
value  of  this  exportation  was  146,514,000  francs. 

Cereals,  especially  wheat  and  barley,  are  cultivated  everywhere 
in  the  Tell.  The  local  wheat  has  a  hard  grain  and  makes  excellent 
semolina.  The  wheat  is  cultivated  both  by  natives  and  Europeans. 
In  1913,  116,643  tons  of  Avheat  in  grain  were  exported,  valued  at 
33,360,000  francs. 

Barley  comes  next,  94,530  tons,  worth  16,826,000  francs,  being 
exported.  Then  comes  hay,  with  53,199  tons,  valued  at  3,192,000 
francs.  Maize,  sago  and  millet  are  also  cultivated,  but  on  a  much 
smaller  scale. 

The  cultivation  of  tobacco  has  grown  enormously,  being  very 
remunerative.  Kabylie  seems  to  be  the  best  district  for  this  crop, 
the  tobacco  grown  there  being  of  very  good  quality.  The  annual 
production  is  over  9,000,000  kilos.  Tobacco  is  exported  in  the  form 
of  cigars,  cigarettes  and  in  the  leaf.  In  1913,  13,000,000  francs 
worth  were  exported  in  various  forms. 

The  cultivation  of  vegetables  is  carried  out  successfully  along 
the  coasts  of  Algeria,  and  has  increased  greatly,  not  only  on  account 
of  the  development  of  the  large  towns,  but  also  because  the  wild 
climate  of  the  coasts  permits  the  vegetables  to  be  grown  so  early 
in  the  season  that  they  arrive  in  Europe  as  the  earliest  spring  vege- 
tables. 

The  following  is  a  table  of  the  exports,  with  their  values,  in 
1912  :— 


—  23  — 


Tons 

Value 

Artichokes 

6.851 

.       2.055,000  francs 

Broad  Beans     . . 

179 

35,000      - 

French  Beans  . . 

6,908 

.       3,462,000    — 

Peas 

3,434 

.       1,031,000    — 

Tomatoes 

7,078 

.       3,053,000    — 

Other  Vegetables 

797 

160,000    — 

Total  export  value,  8,796,000  francs. 

To  this  total  must  be  added  potatoes,  of  which  21,564  tons,  worth 
4,313,000  francs,  were  exported  in  1913. 

Fruit  is  also  exported.  A  grumes  are  cultivated  in  the  Tell,  and 
also  in  the  oases  of  the  south.  Figs  grow  in  the  Tell  and  in  the 
mountainous  regions.  Dates  are  the  main  source  of  wealth  in  the 
southern  oases.  The  best  come  from  Ouargla,  Wade  Rirh  and 
Biskra.  Fating  grapes,  apricots  and  almonds  are  also  cultivated, 
but  on  a  smaller  scale. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  fruits  exports  in  1913  :  — 


Tons 

Value 

Lemons  and  Orang 

es.      3,646       . 

839,000 

Mandarines 

. .       6,753       . 

.       2,160,000 

Carob  bean 

. .       2,658       . 

318,000 

Eating  grapes  . . 

..     10,717 

4,501,000 

Eatings  figs 

. .       8,872       . 

.       2,750,000 

Dates 

. .       6,648       . 

.       4,720,000 

The  cultivation  of  the  mandarine  has  developed  greatly  during 
the  last  few  years.  In  1906  the  export  value  of  this  fruit  was  only 
1,007,000  francs.  Olive  are  also  cultivated  in  Algeria,  but  not  to 
such  a  great  extent  as  in  Tunis.  The  Kabylie  district  is,  however, 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  olives. 

The  export  of  olive  oil  rose  in  1913  to  1,571  tons,  worth  2,042,000 
francs. 

The  rose  geranium  is  extensively  cultivated  in  certain  regions, 
particularly  around  Algiers.  The  importance  of  the  industry,  which 
it  is  very  easy  to  establish  or  discontinue,  depends  chiefly  on  the 
state  of  the  essence  market,  In  1913  Algeria  exported  38,380  kilos 
of  geranium  essence,  worth  2,379,000  francs. 

Cotton  has  been  grown  in  Algeria  since  1850.  The  events, 
occurring  in  America,  which  brought  about  the  cotton  famine, 
raised  the  price  considerably,  thereby  making  the  cultivation  of 
cotton  very  remunerative  until  1895.  At  present,  cotton  is  grown 
only  in  certain  regions  on  the  coast,  where  the  plentiful  rains 
(heavy)  conduce  to  its  proper  growth.  Some  142  tons,  worth  329.000 
francs,  were  exported  in  1913. 


—  24 


FORESTS  AND  STEPPES. 

Algeria  possesses  forests  of  varying  character  and  density.  Droves 
of  cattle,  and  forest  fires,  have  damaged  many  of  them. 

The  most  important  tree  is  the  oak  cork  tree  [chene- liege),  which 
grows  at  any  altitude  up  to  1,300  metres.  About  500,000  hectares 
in  all  are  under  oak  cork.  All  the  forests  are  not  actually  exploited, 
but,  nevertheless,  cork,  in  all  its  forms,  was  exported  to  the  amount 
of  41,914  tons  in  1913,  worth  13,033,000  francs.  Of  this  amount 
cork  in  flat  pieces  represents  17,883  tons,  worth  9,478,000  francs. 
The  oak  cork  tree  is  found,  chiefly,  in  the  provinces  of  Algiers  and 
Constantine. 

The  cedar  is  found  on  the  mountains,  growing  between  the 
altitudes  of  1,300  and  1,800  metres.  The  area  of  cedar  forests  in 
Algeria  is  about,  40,000  hectares. 

The  pine  of  Alep,  the  evergreen  oak  and  the  zeen  oak  {chene 
zeeii)  are  equally  very  abundant. 

In  the  steppes  is  found  the  alfalfa  (Sdpa  tenacissmia),  which 
is  used  for  paper  making  and  for  the  manufacture  of  articles  made 
of  esparto,  cords,  baskets,  etc.  This  plant  is  of  great  importance, 
covering  a  region  of  about  4,000,000  hectares  of  ground,  which  is 
known  as  the  "  Alfalfa  Sea  ".  This  alfalfa  grass  grows  in  tufts  and 
only  reproduces  from  the  stems  (roots).  A  large  commerce  is  carried 
on  in  this  product,  113,648  tons,  worth  8,523,000  francs,  being 
exported  in  1913. 

Another  product,  wgich  is  gathered  principally  by  the  natives, 
and  worthy  of  mention,  is  a  vegetable  fibre  furnished  by  the  leaves 
of  the  dwarf  palm  trees  (Chamoerops  humilis).  The  latter  is  very 
abundant  in  Algeria,  and,  though  only  gathered  by  the  natives, 
is  exported  in  large  quantities.  In  1913  59,460  tons  were  exported, 
worth  8,324,000  francs. 

To  terminate  this  review  of  the  Algerian  products,  we  must 
mention  the  exportation  of  bark  for  tanning  purposes,  which  rose 
in  1913  to  10,695  tons,  worth  1,926,000  francs. 


III.  TUNIS. 


GENERALD   AND   GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Tunis  occupies  the  north-eastern  extremity  of  the  mountainous 
region  of  North  Africa,  otherwise  called  Africa  Minor  or  Moghreb. 
North  and  east  it  is  bounded  by  the  Mediterranean,  south-east  by 
Tripoli,  and  on  the  south  and  south-west  touching  the  desert  of  the 
Sahara,  and  separated  on  the  west  from  Algeria  by  an  artificial 
frontier  running  directly  north  and  south,  except  just  at  the  south- 
west where  it  describes  a  turn  westward,  embracing  the  Djerid 
region. 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  the  exact  superficial  area  of  the  coun- 
try, as  its  limits  towards  the  south  are  very  badly  defined.  By 
making  its  southern  limit,  however,  the  line  of  the  posts,  one  may 
take  it  as  130,000  square  kilometres.  It  is  a  parallelogram,  the 
greatest  width  of  which  is  550  kilometres  and  the  least  250. 

Tunis  is  traversed  by  various  chains  of  mountains  ;  the  northern 
chain,  being  a  continuation  of  the  northern  border  of  the  high 
Algerian  Plateau,  separating  the  basin  of  the  Medjerda  from  the 
little  coast  rivers  running  into  the  Mediterranean,  and  including  the 
mountains  of  theKhroumirie,  Nefzas  and  Mogods.  Secondly,  a  cen- 
tral group,  a  continuation  of  the  Atlas  Mountains  of  the  Sahara, 
occupying  the  centre  part  of  the  country  with  a  general  trend  from 
south-west  to  north-east,  from  Tebessa  to  Cape  Bon.  The  principal 
peaks  are  the  Djebel  Zaghouan  (1,294  m.),  the  Djebel  Bargou 
(1,280  m.),  and  the  Djebel  Serdj  (1,375  m.).  From  this  group  there 
run  less  important  spurs  towards  the  north  and  south.  There  is 
hardly  any  district  in  Tunis  which  can  be  compared  to  the  high 
plateaux  of  Algeria.  Between  the  two  mountain  masses  flows  the 
Medjerda,  the  principal  river  of  the  Colony,  which,  taking  its  rise 
in  Algeria,  enters  Tunis  at  Ghardimaou,  and  empties  itself  into  the 
Mediterranean  in  the  north  of  Tunis.  It  runs  through  a  wide  and 
fertile  valley,  where  the  stratum  of  arable  soil  is  very  deep.  Besi- 
des this,  each  mountain  is  separated  from  the  other  by  rich  and 
fertile  valleys. 


—  26  — 

Along  the  coast  is  found  the  region  of  the  Sabel,  the  ancient 
Byzantium,  of  which  the  wealth  is  proverbial,  and  which  is  par- 
ticularly adapted  for  the  culture  of  the  olive.  Mor  to  the  south  is 
the  pre-desert  region,  where  the  date  palm  begins  to  appear  ;  with 
the  oases  of  Gafsa  and  Gabes.  These  are  plains,  the  depressions  of 
which  are  occupied  by  salt  lakes  (chotts  or  sebkas)  which  evaporate 
slowly,  leaving  crystallisations  of  salt  in  marketable  quantities. 
These  salt  lakes,  as  in  Algeria,  form  the  northern  limit  of  the 
Sahara  desert.  There  are  other  lakes  in  different  parts  of  Tunis, 
notably  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  City  of  Tunis.  The  groups  of 
oases  of  the  Djerid,  the  Souf  and  the  Nefzaoua,  border  this  Saharan 
region  on  the  north. 

Tunis  as  a  population  of  about  1.900.000  to  1.9o0. 000  inhabitants, 
consisting  of  1  740.000  natives,  50.000  Jews,  88.000  Italians, 
46.000  French  and  11.000  Maltese.  The  race  question  in  Tunis  is  a 
very  complicated  one  by  reason  of  the  numerous  powers  which 
have  held  dominion  over  the  country.  The  natives,  generally  clas- 
sed under  the  title  of  Arabs,  really  belong  to  different  ethnological 
groups,  but  they  all  profess  the  same  cult  of  Islam.  These  natives 
may  be  divided  into  Berbers  and  Arabs.  The  Berbers  occupied  Tunis 
before  the  Phoenician  conquest,  but  they  were  mingled,  time  after 
time,  with  other  races  coming  from  Europe  at  periods  of  great  inva- 
sions, which  races  correspondant  nearly  to  the  Andalusian  type. 
In  general  this  whole  population  is  agricultural  and  sedentary. 
They  do  not  inhabit  the  more  fertile  regions  of  the  country,  which 
are  also  the  most  accessible,  because  they  fled  before  the  Arab 
incursions  and  the  exaction  of  the  Bey's  administration  of  earlier 
times.  The  Arabs  invaded  the  districts  and  the  towns  which  were 
easy  of  access.  By  preference  they  are  nomads  or  traders,  and  form 
\  the  native  citizenship  of  the  large  towns.  They  have  oval  faces, 
iwith  fine  features,  aquiline  noses  and  black  hair,  being  the  exact 
'inverse  of  the  Berbers,  who  have  bolder  features,  and  are  not  infre- 
quently fair  in  complexion. 

The  French  occupation,  bringing  security  and  redress  of  abuse, 
especially  fiscal  abuses  of  administration,  has  helped  to  attract 
these  sedentary  tribes  from  the  inaccessible  regions  to  which  they 
had  fled  to  the  more  fertile  districts. 


CLIMATE. 

The  various  districts  are  not  sharply  divided  like  those  of  Algeria, 
because,  as  we  have  seen,  the  regions  of  the  Tell,  the  high  plateaux, 
and  of  the  Sahara,  are  far  from  being  clearly  distinct  from  one 
another.  The  Khroumirie  and  the  country  of  the  Mogods  resemble 


etoyit  Hu. 

Steoro.  Guillot.  Tunisie. 


Fig.  9.  —  Map  general  Tunisie. 


—  28  — 

the  Kabylie  to  a  certain  extent,  but  the  peaks  are  not  so  lofty  and 
the  winters  are  less  rigorous,  altough  the  rains  are  more  abundant. 
The  region  of  the  high  plateaux  hardly  exists  in  Tunis,  and  it  is 
only  between  Souk  el  Djemaa  and  the  Kessera  that  one  encounters 
a  desert  climate,  cold  in  winter  and  hot  in  summer.  All  these  regions, 
therefore,  as  well  as  the  north  of  Sahel,  have  a  healthy  Mediterra- 
nean climate,  characterised  by  a  long  period  of  spring  vegetation, 
interrupted  by  the  drought  of  summer,  wich  only  lasts  from  July  to 
the  end  of  September,  though  the  rains  end  in  May,  and  which  is 
succeeded  by  a  second  period  of  vegetation,  the  short  autumnal 
season,  broken  up  by  the  advent  of  winter.  The  rain  is  abundant 
and  violent  at  the  end  of  autumn.  If  one  follows  the  Sahel  towards 
the  south  the  climate  becomes  insensibly  modified,  and  gives  place, 
little  by  little,  to  a  desert  climate. 

Tunis  is  a  very  healthy  climate,  in  which  no  particular  disease 
exists.  The  great  heat  of  a  dry  atmosphere  does  not  produce  the 
same  inconvenience  as  it  does  in  tropical  climates.  One  may  con- 
tract fevers  in  certain  districts,  but  Europeans  are  easily  acclima- 
tised. 


POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

Tunis  was  formerly  called  Lybia,  and  had  attained,  before  the 
advent  of  the  Phoenicians  on  African  territory,  a  degree  of  civilisa- 
tion sufficiently  advanced  to  permit  of  the  building  of  towns.  The 
founding  of  Carthage  by  Dido,  the  Phoenician  princess,  took  place 
in  the  ltth  century  b.c.  It  is  not  necessary  to  remember  that  this 
town  was  of  sufficient  importance  to  dispute  with  Rome  the  empire 
of  the  world.  After  three  memorable  wars  it  was  destroyed,  and 
then  rebuilt  by  the  Romans. 

Christianity  was  introduced  early  and  spread  very  quickly,  but 
Tunis  was  soon  the  prey  of  the  Arabs,  who  conquered  it  in  the 
year  698.  To  the  period  of  Arab  occupation  succeeded  another  phase 
of  Tunisian  history,  during  which  the  Berbers  governed  the  coun- 
try. Tunis  was  very  prosperous  at  this  time,  especially  in  the  reign 
of  El  Mostanser  Billah,  against  whom  St.  Louis  directed  a  crusade, 
ad  the  end  of  which  he  died  at  Carthage,  in  1270. 

In  1535,  Charles  V.,  disturbed  by  the  advance  of  the  Turks  in 
the  Mediterranean,  took  possession,  in  his  turn,  of  Tunis.  The  Spa- 
nish occupation  was  very  short,  as  in  1574  the  Turks  seized  the 
country,  at  the  head  of  which  they  placed  a  Dey.  Hussein  ben  Ali, 
Agha  of  the  Janissaries,  in  the  17th  century,  concentrated  the 
whole  power  in  his  own  hands,  and  shook  off  the  yoke  of  Constan- 
tinople. 


—  29  — 

France  intervened  in  Tunis  in  1881,  following  on  the  constant 
disturbances  which  took  place  in  Khroumirie,  on  the  Algerian 
Tunisian  frontier.  A  first  treaty  was  signed  on  the  12th  May,  1881, 
by  the  Bey  Mohammed -es-Sadok,  and  the  Protectorate  was  defini- 
tely established  in  1882  at  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  All  Bey. 

The  Regency  of  Tunis  has  preserved  its  monarchy,  the  sovereign 
being  at  the  present  day  His  Highness  Mohammed  enNaceurwho 
retains  all  his  authority  over  his  subjects.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Bey  has  ceded  to  France  his  military  and  diplomatic  power,  and 
has  given  them  the  fight  of  direct  control  over  the  administration 
of  his  finances.  The  powers  of  the  Republic  are  exercised  by  a 
Minister  Plenipotentiary,  a  Resident  General,  who  is  at  the  same 
time  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  for  the  Bey.  He  exercises  his 
powers  under  the  control  of  the  French  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs. 

Tunis  is  divided  into  Provinces  or  Controls,  administered  by 
native  functionaries  called  caids,  with  whom  is  placed  a  Civil  Con- 
troller, who  is  Vice-Consul  for  France.  The  Capitulations  exists  no 
longer  in  Tunis,  and  French  justice  is  competent  for  everything  that 
concerns  the  European  residents. 

The  principal  towns  are  Tunis  (capital  of  the  Regency),  a  port 
situated  about  10  kilometres  from  the  sea  on  a  lake  connected  by 
a  canal  to  the  port  of  La  Goulette.  An  important  concourse  of 
Europeans  is  established  side  by  side  with  the  old  native  city. 
Tunis  has  200,000  inhabitants,  of  which  100,000  are  natives, 
50,000  native  Jews,  44,000  Italians,  17,000  French,  and  5,000  Mal- 
tese. 

Bizerta  is  a  well-conducted  port  on  the  Mediterranean. 

Sousse,  the  principal  town  of  the  Sahel,  is  a  Mediterranean  port, 
situated  150  kilometres  south  of  Tunis. 

Sfax,  a  port  of  the  Sahel,  is  situated  125  km.  south  of  Sousse 
(Susa),  and  has  75,000  inhabitants. 

Kairouan,  the  holy  city,  is  situated  55  km.  west  of  Susa  in  the 
interior. 

Beja  is  121  km.  west  of  Tunis,  and  has  12,000  inhabitants. 


MEANS  OF  COMMUNICATION. 

It  is  extremely  easy  to  get  to  Tunis,  that  is  with  its  ports,  connec- 
ted with  Marseilles,  Malta,  Palermo  and  Tripoli  by  French  and  Ita- 
lian postal  maritime  services.  Marseilles  has  an  almost  daily  service 
to  Tunis,  which  is  assured  by  the  Cie  Generale  Transatlantique,  the 
Cie  de  Navigation  Mixte  (Touache  Cie),  and  the  Societa  Nazionale 
di  Servizi  Marittimi. 


30 


In  the  interior  of  the  country  there  are  1,800  km.  of  railway 
lines,  of  which  the  following  are  in  actual  use  : — 
Cie  B6ne  Guelma  : — 

Line  from  Susa  to  Henchir  Souatir. 

—  Tunis  to  La  Laverie  and  Tunis  to  Bizerte. 
-«         Tunis  to  Slata. 

—  Mateur  to  Beja. 

—  Tnis  to  Nabeul. 

—  Tunis  to  Kalaa  Djerda  and  Kalaat-es-Senan. 

—  Tunis  to  Bona     (Great  Algerian  line). 

—  Tunis  to  Suza  Sfax  and  Gabes. 

—  Souk  Ahras  to  Tebessa. 

Cie  des  Phosphates  de  Gafsa  : — 

Line  from  Sfax  to  Gafsa  and  Henchir  Souatir,  with  branches 
to  Mettlaoui  and  Tozeur. 

Tunis  also  possesses  a  system  of  4,700  km.  of  very  good  roads, 
which  lend  themselves  to  motor  traffic.  As  a  guide  we  give  below 
a  table  showing  the  distances  separating  Tunis  from  the  principal 
towns  of  Europe  and  Africa,  by  the  most  accelerated  services  : — 

hrs. 


From  Paris 

.     36  hrs. 

From  Naples 

24 

—     London 

.     41    — 

—     Palermo 

12 

—     Berlin 

50   — 

—     Trapani 

8 

—    Vienna 

.     59   — 

—    Algiers 

26 

—     Geneva 

30   — 

—     Biskra 

22 

—    Frankfort  . 

39    - 

—     Constantine  . 

13 

—     Munich 

44  — 

From  Tunis  to — 

—    Cologne 

.     41    — 

Susa 

.    4  a 

—     Basle 

.     35    - 

Kairouan 

.       6  V, 

—     Marseilles  . 

.     24   — 

Sfax 

10 

—    Milan 

.     45   — 

Gabes 

17 

/* 


MINERAL   PRODUCTS. 


The  principal  mineral  wealth  lies  in  the  phosphates  found  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Gafsa.  These  natural  phosphates  are  exported  in 
increasing  quantities,  and  in  1912,  19,101,979  quintals,  value 
47,754,940  francs,  were  exported,  as  against  15,393,968  quintals, 
value  38,384,920  francs  in  1911,  The  principal  importing  countries 
are  in  order  of  importance,  France,  Italy,  England,  Germany,  Bel- 
gium and  Holland. 

Salt  is  gathered  from  the  regions  of  the  lakes  (chotts  and  sebks). 

Lastly,  several  zinc  mines  are  being  worked  at  the  present 
moment. 


—  31  — 


ANIMAL    PRODUCTS. 

Amongst  the  most  numerous  and  important  wild  animals  of  the 
Regency  may  be  cited  the  panther,  which  has,  however,  almost 
disappeared,  and  which  is  now  hardly  ever  encountered  except  in 
Krournirie,  Hyenas  are  less  rare,  and  jackals  are  abundant.  Wild 
boars  swarm,  especially  in  Krournirie,  and  their  destruction  has 
become  necessary  because  of  Ihe  injury  they  do  to  the  crops.  Game 
is  very  abundant— hares,  red  partridge,  quails,  pigeons  and  ring, 
doves. 


Fig.  10.  —Oasis. 


Photo  Arnaud 


Tunis  possesses  1,300  kilometres  of  coasts  washed  by  the  sea- 
which  here  is  very  full  of  fish,  but  the  resufts  of  the  fisheries,  up  to 
the  present,  have  not  been  sufficient  for  local  consumption.  The 
latest  statistics  show  a  considerable  increase  in  the  imports  of  fish, 
and  an  equally  considerable  decrease  in  the  exports,  due  to  the 
decreased  output  of  the  fisheries  as  regards  tunny  fish  and  botargo. 
Between  the  Cape  Roux  and  the  Cape  Negro  are  found  the  Conger 
eel,  shellfish,  sar,  whiting,  red  gurnet,  all  of  which  are  very 
plentiful,  also  lobsters  and  crayfish.  Anchovies  and  sardines  form 
a   very   important  fishing   industry   in  the  districts  of  Tabarka. 


—  32  — 

Soles  and  swordfish  are  plentiful  in  the  Gulfs  of  Tunis  and  Bizerta. 
The  fishing  industry  in  octopus,  or  devil-fish,  is  particularly  active. 
During  the  last  few  years  300  tons  per  annum  of  these  animals 
hawe  been  drawn  from  the  sea. 

At  present  sponges  are  the  most  important  feature  of  the  fishing 
industry.  In  1910  the  importation  of  sponges  was  24.259  kilog. 
(value  481,040  frs.),  but  fell  in  1911  to  15,164  kilog.  (value  335,499 
frs,),  and  to  11,689  kilog.  (value  194,952  frs.)  in  1912.  This  dimi- 
nution applies  principally  to  the  sponges  which  werre  imported 
from  the  Tripoli  and  Metropole  markets.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
exports  of  raw  and  washed  sponges  has  grown  to  the  value  of 
3,367,742  francs  in  1912,  as  against  2.709,401  francs  in  1911.  The 
countries  to  which  these  sponges  principally  sent  are  France,  Alge- 
ria and  Italy. 

Domestic  animals  are  plentiful  in  Tunis,  certain  parts  of  the 
country  being  particularly  adapted  to  breeding.  The  norlb  is 
very  favourable  for  the  breeding  of  cattle,  the  centre  and  the  south 
for  poultry  and  eggs.  The  districts  in  which  the  breeding  of  horned 
cattle  is  carried  on  are  chiefly  lieja  and  Mateur.  In  these  regions 
oxen  of  the  breed  of  the  Guelma  flourish,  also  a  breed  known 
under  the  name  of  Mateur,  the  result  of  a  cross  between  the  breeds 
of  the  Guelma  and  the  Pantellaria.  The  local  breeds  present  certain 
defects,  viz.,  inferiority  in  height  and  weight,  incapacity  for  fatte- 
ning, backwurdness,  quantity  and  quality  of  flesh  poor.  They  are 
also  poor  milk-givers.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Tunisian  cattle  pos- 
sess firts-class  qualities,  viz.,  perfection  of  form,  capacity  lor  work, 
abstemiousness,  rusticity  and  endurance. 

The  breeding  of  cattle  will,  no  doubt,  develop,  hut  it  will  have 
certain  difficulties  to  contend  with  in  regard  to  climate  and  disease. 
The  winter  is  sometimes  very  rough,  the  summer  very  hot,  and 
then  there  is  a  failure  of  green  pasture  and  water  which  is  severely 
felt.  They  also  suffer  from  some  very  dangerous  cattle  diseases, 
especially  imported  cattle  ;  for  instance,  bovine  pyroplasmose,  or 
jaundice.  It  has  been  proposed  to  improve  the  conditions  of  breeding 
by  selecting  native  beasts  and  cross  them  with  those  of  European 
race  ;  or  to  acclimatise  foreign  breeds.  Of  these  methods,  the  cross- 
breeding appears  at  present  to  offer  the  best  chances  of  success. 
Good  results  should  be  obtained  by  crossing  with  the  Charolais 
breed . 

The  imports  and  exports  of  horned  cattle  have  increased  in  Tunis. 
In  1912,  25,688  head  were  exported  (value  5,102,755  frs.),  against 
8,144  head  (value  1,154,085  frs.)  in  1911.  Tripoli  took  10,112  head 
out  of  these,  but  there  was  no  demand  from  that  quarter  in  1911. 
The  presence  of  the  Italian  troops  in  that  country  would  account 
for  the  increase. 


—  33  — 

The  Tunisian  sheep  is  the  "  Barbarin  "  type  with,  large  tails, 
which,  although  much  appreciated  by  the  native  population,  finds 
no  market  in  Europe,  it  has,  therefore,  been  thought  necessary  to 
introduce  the  Barbary  sheep  with  small  tails  from  Algeria,  which 
yields  a  meat  of  better  quality.  The  merino  type  is  also  to  be  found  in 
Tunis,  fairly  recently  imported,  and  lastly,  in  the  south,  one  finds 
the  sheep  of  the  Sudan.  Tunis  exports  from  40,000  to  100,000  sheep 
per  annum.  The  Algerian  breed  is  preferred  on  account  of  its  rusticity. 
An  adult  individual  sheep  will  give  from  18  to  20  kilos,  of  meat.  The 
fleece,  of  good  quality,  yields  2  k.  700  of  wool  from  the  ram  and 
1  k.  300  from  the  ewe. 

The  central  part  of  Tunis  is  well  adapted  for  the  raising  of  sheep. 

The  type  of  horse  found  is  the  Barbary,' which  is  remarkably 
temperate  and  enduring. 

The  donkey  and  the  mule  are  of  the  greatest  utility,  especially 
the  latter,  as  saddle  beasts  and  beasts  of  burden. 

The  natives  own  huge  troops  of  goats,  which  are  a  cross  between 
the  European  race  and  the  Asiatic,  long-tailed,  race.  In  the  towns 
there  are  Maltese  goats,  which  are  excellent  milk-givers.  In  the 
south  the  goast  of  Tozeur  and  Souf  also  give  a  quantity  of  milk. 
In  this  district  goat's-milk  cheese  is  manufatured.  This  breeding 
seems  to  be  growing  less,  as  in  1911  there  were  only  470,000  head, 
as  against  600,000  in  1901.  In  1911,  6,045  head  were  exported 
value  55,704  francs. 

The  pig  is  chiefly  raised  in  Khroumirie. 

The  nomadic,  or  one-hump,  camel  is  abundant.  It  is  used,  not 
only  fort  transport  purposes,  but  also  in  tilling  the  soil  and  in  work 
on  the  various  water-wells.  The  recent  military  expeditions  in 
Tripoli  have  brought  about  a  notable  increase  in  the  export  of 
these  animals. 

Finally,  poultry-rearing,  especially  of  geese,  ducks  and  guinea- 
fowl,  is  carried  on  very  successfully. 

We  may  remark,  in  conclusion,  that  the  rearing  of  domestic 
animals  does  not  seem  to  have  attained  the  development  of  which 
it  is  susceptible,  but  the  local  agricultural  societies  seem  to  have 
decided  to  take  steps  to  study  the  question,  and  adopt  means  of 
improving  the  prosperity  of  this  important  branch  of  agriculture. 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS. 

From  an  agricultural  point  of  view  Tunis  presents  very  varied 
districts,  each  yielding  its  characteristic  products.  Nearly  all  over 
Tunis  the  question  of  water  supply  plays  the  chief  role.  In  the 
north,  where  the  processes  of  re-afforestation  are  carried  on,  the 

3 


—  34  — 

water  is  kept  up  in  the  mountains  for  fertilisation  purposes,  and  is 
kept  from  falling  abruptly  down  to  the  plains  again  through  the 
ravines  which  they  have  formed.  In  the  olive-bearing  regions 
artificial  irrigation  permits  the  constant  extension  of  the  woods  and 
the  restoration  of  their  past  splendour. 

Finally,  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  oases  is  based 
on  the  utilisation  of  water,  and  on  the  fight  against  the  encroach- 
ment of  the  sand. 

Cereals  constitute  the  most  important  agricultural  product  after 
olive-oil.  At  present  there  are  1,170,000  hectares  of  land  planted 
with  cereals,  giving  in  the  good  years  seven  million  of  hectolitres 
of  grain.  Wheat  occupies  000,000  hectares,  barley  a  little  less. 
Oats  are  cultivated  by  the  Europeans,  and  maize,  sorghum  and 
millet  by  the  natives.  The  type  of  wheat  cultivated  is  the  "  hard  T 
wheat,  and  produces  annually  more  than  two  millions  of  hectolitres. 
More  than  three  millions  of  hectolitres  of  barley  are  produced. 

Tunis  is  a  general  exporter  of  cereals,  but  the  value  of  these 
exports  varies  according  to  the  harvest  obtained.  For  instance, 
in  1912,  which  was  a  bad  year,  the  exports  of  cereals  fell  to 
,14,267,994  francs,  whereas  in  1911  the  value  was45, 564, 156  francs. 

The  forage  plants  in  present  cultivation  are  lucerne  grass,  which 
grows  well  in  the  humid  parts  of  the  country,  viz  :  the  cereal- 
growing  districts  of  the  North  and  in  the  oases ;  yielding  from  8  to 
9  cuttings  per  annum.  Maize,  sorghum,  millet  and  barley  also 
serve  for  forage.  Besides  lucerne,  fenugreek,  sulla  or  sainfoin,  vetch, 
trefoil,  and  white  mustard  are  grown. 

The  wine  is  cultivated  almost  exclusively  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  Sahel,  in  the  Tunis  and  Grombalia  controls,  to  the  extent  of 
more  than  25,000  hectares.  Table  wines  are  produced,  including 
muscatel.  The  average  production  is  350,000  hectolitres,  of  w-hich 
only  250,000  hectolitres  is  for  home  consumption.  In  1911  Tunis 
exported  152,603  hectolitres  of  wine  in  barrels  (value  3,357,266 
francs)  and  in  1902,  2,016,211  hectolitres  (value  4,522,475  francs). 
France  is  the  chief  purchaser  of  these  wines,  then  xVlgeria  and 
Tripoli. 

Recently  grapes,  both  dry  and  fresh,  have  been  exported. 

Tunis,  like  Algeria,  possesses  a  country  showing  properties 
specially  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of  fruits  and  vegetables.  Apricot 
and  almond  trees  grow  remarkably  well  in  the  North,  where  also 
are  cultivated  the  Japanese  medlar,  plums,  apples  and  peaches. 
The  Agrumes,  of  which  there  are  said  to  be  40,000  trees,  are  found 
either  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Tunis,  or  in  the  oases,  where  they 
grow  under  the  shade  of  the  palm  trees.  Figs  are  cultivated  princi- 
pally in  the  district  of  Gassa.  Vegetables  and  the  early  growths  of 
same,  such  as  melons,  water-melons,  potatoes,  beans,  kidney  beans, 


CARTE  K  LA 

TUNISIEAGRICOLE 

INDifSTRiELLE^MARlTlME. 

mil 


l°AinDraham'''      //£*        S 


SoukelKftmSi 


hie 

"n, 


;  Mail  /      fowles 


George*    r/ur/. 
Photo  Guillot.  Timisie, 


Fig.  11.  —  Agricultural  Map  of  Tunis. 


—  36  — 

are  cultivated  in  the  gardens  of  the  Europeans  and  the  natives. 
The  olive  grows  in  all  parts  of  the  Sahel.  There  are  to  day  more 
than  360,000  hectares  of  land  planted  with  olive  trees,  representing 
11,500,000  trees,  of  which  8  millions  are  in  full  bearing.  The 
districts  where  the  finest  olive  trees  are  found  are  those  of  Sfax  and 
the  Island  of  Djerba.  Tunis  possesses  200  factories  for  the  extraction 
of  the  oil,  producing  upwards  of  20,000  tons  of  oil,  which  may  be 
valued  at  15  million  of  francs.  The  quantity  exported  varies  with 
the  state  of  the  harvest.  In  1910  the  exports  were  10,073,327  kilos., 
value  15,109.990  francs;  in  1911,  2,170,183  kilos.,  value  3,255,274 
francs;  in  1912.  12,409,486  kilos.,  value  18,614,229 francs.  France, 
and  then  Italy,  are  the  principal  consumers. 

The  date-palm  constitutes  the  principal  source  of  wealth  of 
Southern  Tunis.  The  Tunisian  oases  may  be  divided  into  four 
groups;  the  Djerid  :  Tozeur,  El  Oudiane,  Nefta ;  the  Nefzaoua  ; 
Kebili ;  Fetnassa,  Gafsa  and  Gabes.  There  are  in  Tunis  1,350,000 
date  palms,  of  different  species,  of  which  the  most  celebrated  is 
the  deglet  noor,  or  degla.  In  1911,  903,082  kilos,  of  dates  of  the 
degla  variety  were  exported,  value  587,003  francs  ;  and  in  1912, 
741,083  kilos.,  value  481,704  francs.  In  the  same  years  the  export 
of  dates  other  than  the  degla,  sent  exclusively  to  Algeria,  was 
1,124,176  kilos.,  value  281,044  francs  and  3,590,038  kilos.,  value 
897,509  francs  respectively.  The  cultivation  of  the  date  has  been 
pushed  by  the  natives  to  a  degree  of  perfection  which  is  met  with 
nowhere  else. 

Besides  the  edible  plants  we  have  mentioned.  Tunis  produces 
other  commercial  plants,  amongst  which  alfa  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  important.  This  plant,  which  grows  wild,  is  found  in  several 
parts,  of  which  the  principal  extends  from  Thala  to  Gafsa,  along 
the  Algerian  frontier.  Alfa  is  also  found  in  the  district  of  Gabes 
and  towards  the  frontier  of  Tripoli.  \)iss_(Ampelodesmos  lenax  L.) 
is  also  the  object  of  extensive  exploitation.  Of  these  two  plants 
the  exports  in  1911  were  507,971  quintals,  value  4,063,768  francs, 
and  in  1912,  525,143  quintals,  value  4,201,144  francs.  These  exports 
are  all  sent  to  England. 

The  cultivation  of  tobacco  has  been  commenced  in  the  district  of 
Gabes. 

The  cultivation  of  cotton  has  also  been  taken  up,  without  irriga- 
tion, and  with  but  little  success. 

Amongst  the  agricultural  products  of  secondary  interest  we  may 
mention  the  caroub-trees,  which  grow  everywhere,  but  is  not 
cultivated. 

The  Indian  fig-trees,  very  much  sought  after  by  the  natives  for 
their  fruit,  constitute  an  important  food  for  animals,  especially  in 
the  years  of  scarcity. 


—  37 


FORESTS. 

The  forests  occupy  at  most  680,000  hectares,  and  are  found 
exclusively  in  Khroumirie,  to  the  north  of  the  Medjerda.  They  are 
mostly  made  up  of  groups,  not  by  any  means  dense,  of  oaks  and 
corktrees.) 

Cork-trees  are  the  object  of  very  active  cultivation.  In  1908, 
30,000  quintals  of  cork  were  gathered,  value  about  800,00  francs. 

The  natives  manufacture  silks,  woollen  and  cotton  cloths. 

Kairouan  carpets  and  the  blankets  manufactured  by  the  inland 
tribes,  the  burnous  and  haiks  worn  in  the  Djerba  island  and  in  the 
Djerid,  are  renowned. 

The  same  ,-s  true  with  the  potteries  of  Nabeul. 

Saddlery,  king,  dyeing,  espartero  articles,  soapmaking,  distilla- 
tion of  essences  are  also  in  numerous  centres  encouraging  the  acti- 
vity of  the  natives. 


EUROPEAN  INDUSTRIES. 

The  European  industry  and  chiefly  the  industry  has  already  taken 
a  notable  extension  in  Tunis. 


OIL   MILLS. 

Numerous  Oil-mills  provided  with  the  most  perfect  processess  of 
extraction  have  been  created  at  Sousse,  in  the  Sahel,  at  Sfax,  and 
in  the  Northern  districts  (Tunis.  Bizerte,  Tebourba,  Cap-Bon,  etc.), 
working  the  grignons  the  use  of  which  the  natives  are  ignorant. 


FLOUR  MILLS. 

The  reform  bill  of  July  10th.  1904,  which  established  the  cus- 
toms-union in  matters  concerning  cereales  has  created,  notably  in 
Tunis  and  Bizerte  an  important  industry  of  flour-mills. 


MINES  AND  QUARRIES. 

The  extraction  of  minerals  is  by  far  themos  important  industry. 
Forty  six  concessions  were  granted  for  the  working  of  lead,  zinc 


—  38  — 

and  iron  ores.  In  1912  they  produced  573,000  tons  of  ores,  with  a 
value  of  19  millions  of  francs. 

The  working  of  phosphates  of  lime  is  still  larger  and  is  very 
rapidly  progressing.  It  amounted  in  1912  to  1,900,000  tons  with  a 
value  of  48  millions  of  francs. 

To  sum-up,  the  exports  of  ores  and  phosphates  from  the  Regency 
amounted  to  67  millions  of  francs. 

Works  for  the  transformation  of  phosphates  have  been  installed 
recently  in  the  suburbs  of  Tunis. 

The  working  of  stones  quarries,  furnished  about  800,000  tons 
representing  a  value  of  nearly  5  millions  of  francs. 

Salt-works  are  numerous,  some  are  worked  by  the  Government 
that  has  the  monopoly  of  the  sale  of  salt,  the  others  have  been  con- 
ceded on  the  express  condition  that  all  the  salt  extracted  will  be 
exported. 

MINERAL   WATERS. 

Hot-spring  waters  are  not  uncommon  in  Tunis;  the  better  known 
are  those  of  Hammam-Lif  (chlorate  of  soda  waters,)  utilised  for  the 
external  treatment  of  scrofulous,  nervous  and  rhumatismal  deseases) 
aud  of  Korbous  (chlorate  of  soda  and  sulphurous,  also  calcium  wa- 
ters, for  the  external  and  internal  treatment  of  the  scrofulous,  rhuma- 
tisms,  syphilis,  and  paralysis). Are  also  to  be  noted  Ilammam-Zeriba, 
Hammam-Sguedidi,  El-Hamma  of  Gabes,  El-Hamma  of  the  Djerid, 
Nefta,  Sbeitla. 

A  French  Company  has  created  at  Korbous  a  large  thermal  esta- 
blishment. 

FISHERIES. 

The  coast  of  Tunis  which  extends  on  no  less  than  1390  kilome- 
tres, is  bordered  by  shoals,  where  fishes  of  all  kinds  are  plentiful. 
The  richess  of  the  marine  fauna  is  extremely  large,  as  the  fishermen 
are  generally  furnished  with  the  most  primitive  equipment,  the 
shoals  of  40  metres  and  above  have  never  been  exploited. 

There  are  found  in  abundance  the  tunny,  sea  eel,  denticulated, 
rock-red-mullet,  etc.,  etc.  Certain  crustaceans  such  as,  rock-lobs- 
ters and  shrimps  are  also  met  with  in  great  quantities. 

Fishing  for  anchovies  and  sardines,  which  yields  in  some  years 
more  than  a  million  of  francs  is  carried  on  from  March  to  August 
off  the  coast  of  Tabarka. 

Sardines  are  caught  equally  at  Malidia. 

Should  be  also  mentioned  the  sponge  and  cuttle-fish  practiced  off 


—  39  — 


*    .<JmMouJ3res(P}isj 
^  /   +  v+ 

m-+-*mph°deGal, 

■        Redeyefr  iMetlaoVi 
yCf^j?       /  djJadifaiSelGerfime) 


i 


Toze 


Ph  rip  fpr  pn  Pipl"  pn  rnn<?t™_ 

■   Mines  de  cuivre  concedes. 
•  _  id-  de  zinc  et  dep'lomb  cone 


Mines  en  instance  de  con  cession 
A   Gisements  de  fer. 
+    _  id  _    de  phosphates 


Medenine 


Georges    Hurt. 
Photo  Guillot.  Tunisie. 


Fig.  12.  —  Mineral  Map  of  Tunis. 


—  40  — 

the  coast  of  Sfax  and  giving  occupation   to  many  thousands  of 
seamen. 


COMMERCE. 

COMMERCIAL    STATISTIC. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  French  occupation  the  total  trade  of  the 
Regency  (joint  import  and  export)  did  not  exceed  23  millions  of 
francs  ;  from  1881  to  1889  it  rose  to  an  average  of  54  and  half  mil- 
lions of  francs;  in  1898  it  exceeded  97  millions,  and  reached, in  1902, 
117  millions;  in  1903,  155  millions;  in  1904,  over  160  millions  ;  in 
1907,  206  millions;  in  1912  over  310  millions,  and  attained  in  191.3 
the  figure  of  322, 918, 283  francs.  In  this  total  the  imports  from  the 
United  States  of  America  amounted  to  7,117,039  francs  and  the 
exports  to  the  U.  S.  were  278,755  francs.  These  figures  show  an 
increase  over  the  year  1912  of  524,347  francs  and  251,755  francs 
respectively. 

The  exports  to  France  have  increased  in  an  extraordinary  way 
since  the  enactment  of  the  Customs'  Law  of  1890. 

Under  the  provisions  of  this  beneficial  law  the  share  of  France 
in  the  Tunisian  exports  that  was  only  13  0/0  in  1885-1886,  has 
reached  to-day  an  average  of  60  0/0  including  the  exports  to 
Algiers. 

The  merchandise,  which  at  the  present  time  take  the  lead  among 
the  exports  from  Tunis,  are  :  natural  phosphates,  cereales,  lead, 
zinc  and  iron  ores,  olive  oil,  fishing  products  (poulps,  tunnies  and 
boutargues,  fresh  fish,  also  dryed,  salted  and  preserved)  wines, 
catties,  sponges,  skins,  raw  wools,  alfa,  woven-work  and  dates. 

With  the  exception  of  alfa,  zinc  ore  and  phosphates;  nearly  the 
total  of  these  products  are  shipped  to  France. 

The  imports  which  are  received  in  Tunis  come  principaly  from 
France  :  machinery  of  all  sorts,  cast  and  wrought  iron  of  all  kinds, 
building  materials,  flour  and  semolina,  dressed  skins,  leather 
goods,  colonial  provisions,  silks  and  woolen  cloths. 


IV.  FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS 
IN  TROPICAL  AFRICA. 


A.  —  French  Occidental  Africa, 


1.   GEOGRAPHICAL  SITUATION. 

French  Occidental  Africa  is  the  union  under  one  general  Govern- 
ment of  all  the  Colonies  which  France  possesses  on  the  West  Coast 
of  Africa,  between  the  Rio  de  Oro  on  the  North  and  the  English 
Colony  of  Nigeria  on  the  South.  These  may  be  enumerated  as 
follows  : —  Senegal  and  its  dependencies*  (chief  town  Saint  Louis) ; 
the  territory  of  Mauretania  ;  the  Upper-Senegal-Niger  (chief  station 
Koulouba,  near  Bamako);  the  territory  of  the  Niger  (chief  town 
Zinder)  ;  French  Guinea,  situated  between  Portuguese  Guinea  and 
Sierra  Leone  (chief  station  Conakry) ;  the  Ivory  Coast,  between 
Liberia  and  the  Gold  Coast  (chief  station  Bingerville) ;  Dahomey, 
between  the  Togo  and  Nigeria  (chief  station  Porto-Novo). 

Although  these  territories  are  separated,  as  regards  their  coast 
line,  by  the  Colonies  mentioned  above  belonging  to  other  countries, 
they  are  all  connected  in  the  hinterland-  by  a  common  base  around 
the  mouths  of  the  Niger.  On  the  North  the  French  possessions  are 
bounded  by  Morocco  and  Algeria,  on  the  West  by  Lake  Tchad,  here 
touching  French  Equatorial  Africa. 

The  Colony  contains  3,154,854  square  kilometres,  and  has  about 
twelve  million  inhabitants,  of  whom  five  millions,  are  Mussulmen 

"The  regbn  of  the  Casamance  is  by  the  side  of  the  English  territory 
of  Gambia  South  of  the  Casamance  is  Portuguese  Guinea.  The  Senegal, 
therefore,  is  separated  from  French  Guinea  by  the  region  of  Gambia  and 
again  by  Portuguese  Guinea.  • 


—   12  — 

and  nearly  seven  millions  fetish   worshippers,  who  may  be  thus 
divided  :  — 


Area. 

Inhabi- 

Do. per 

sq.  kilos. 

tants. 

sq   kilo. 

Senegal 

106,720 

1,250,000 

6,35 

(iuinea 

277.000 

1,738,000 

6,27 

Ivory  Coast 

315,250 

1,217,000 

3,86 

Dahomey 

106,880 

800,000 

8,30 

Upper  Senegal  Niger 

816,304 

4,055,000 

6,07 

(to  S.  of!  7th  parallel) 

Territory  of  the  Niger 

.      1,186,260 

1,081,630 

0,01 

Mauretania 

257,360 

225,150 

0.81 

(exclusive  of  the  Adrar) 

3,154,854     11,365,780      4,66 

If  the  figures  given  for  the  superficial  area  are  pretty  exact, 
one  cannot  say  as  much  as  regards  those  given  for  the  population. 
In  this  case  the  figures  given  are  the  minimum,  representing  only 
the  population  taken  by  the  census  for  fiscal  purposes,  but  it  is 
certain  that  the  number  of  the  actual  aboriginal  population  of 
French  Occidental  West  Africa  is  very  much  higher.  At  the  same 
time,  it  is  only  just  to  remark  that  the  low  percentage  of  population 
to  the  square  kilometre  for  the  whole  of  French  Occidental  Africa, 
viz.,  4  66,  is  due,  to  a  great  extent,  to  the  sparse  peopling  of  the 
sandy  regions  of  Mauretania  and  the  Niger.  If  these  parts  of  the 
Colony  are  excepted,  the  density  of  the  population  is  6.17  per  square 
kilometre.  The  administration  does  all  in  its  power  to  encourage 
the  increase  of  its  human  capital.  The  fund  devoted  to  gratuitous 
medical  treatment  of  the  natives  was  370,000  francs  in  1805,  and 
had  risen  to  2,250,000  in  1013,  and  the  construction  of  hospitals 
and  dispensaries  for  the  provision  of  medical  attendance,  vaccination, 
etc.,  increases  year  by  year,  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  number 
of  civil  doctors  (now  40)  and  military  ditto  (50)  attached  to  the 
native  medical  service  and  public  hygiene*.  The  General  Govern- 
ment are  anxious  to  provide  each  circle**  with  a  doctor  entirely 
apart   from  the  medical  staff  engaged  in  the  bacteriological  and 


*  The  special  funds  were  provided  by  a  loan  of  100  million  francs  for 
the  provision  ol  medical  attendance  for  the  natives:  of  which  there  mil- 
lions were  devoted  to  the  building  of  a  large  native  hospital  at  Dakar  ; 
five  medical  stations  in  the  Senegal,  two  in  Mauretania,  two  on  the  Ivory 
Coast,  three  in  Dahomey,  a  hospital  at  Bamako,  a  dispensary  at  Kita,  a 
bacteriological  and  vaccine  laboratory  at  Bamako.  The  funds  used  in 
ordinary  practice  in  19(4  amounted  to  nearly  three  million  of  francs. 

"  An" administrative  circumscription. 


—  13  — 

vaccine  laboratories.  In  1912  840,000  vaccinations  took  place,  and 
1,800,000  visits  were  paid  in  the  whole  of  French  Occidental  Africa. 


ADMINISTRATION. 

The  various  colonies  of  French  Occidental  Africa  are  grouped 
under  one  General  Government,  the  seat  of  which  is  at  Dakar. 
At  the  head  is  the  Governor-General,  who  represents  the  Republic 


Fig.  13.  —  Djenne. 


of  France,  and  who  alone  corresponds  with  the  Government,  He 
is  assisted  by  a  Governing  Council,  as  a  consulting  body,  whose 
advice  is  necessary  in  questions  of  finance  and  public  works  of 
general  interest.  This  Council  is  composed  of  a  permanent  commis- 
sion, not  only  of  Government  functionaries,  but  also  of  commercial 
representatives  :  Members  of  the  Administrative  Councils  of  each 
group  of  Colonies  and  of  the  elected  bodies  (the  Council-General  of 
Senegal  being  the  Upper  Council  of  the  Colonies). 

Each  colony  is  administered,  under  the  orders  of  the  Governor- 
General,  by  a  Lieutenant-Governor,  assisted  by  an  administrative 
council   of  consultation,  comprised  of  the  heads  of  the  colonial 


4  — 


departments  and  of  outside  members  nominated  by  the  Governor- 
General.  This  Council  gives  advice  on  financial  matters  and  also 


regarding  public  works.  In  each  "  radius  "  or  "  circle  "  the  Lieute- 
nant-Governor is  represented  by  an  administrator. 


45 


The  Colonies  forming  the  Government  General  of  French  Occi- 
dental Africa  each  administer  their  own  budget,  which,  however, 
is  a  dependant  part  of  the  General  Budget.  These  local  funds 
are  devoted  to  the  special  needs  of  each  colony  :  administration 
expenses,  police,  postal  antf  telegraph  service,  registrations,  etc. 
The  funds  are  furnished  from  direct  levies  from  the  territory 
itself,  of  which  the  principal  source  is  the  native  capitation  tax. 
and  also  b}f  indirect  receipts  not  provided  for  by  the  general  budget 
of  the  territory  or  the  budget  of  the  General  Government.  This 
general  budget,  created  in  190i,  is  in  addition  to  all  local  budgets 
in  the  colony  It  is  used  to  provide  capital  for  the  general  govern- 
ment expenses,  departmental  services,  such  as  public  works,  legal 
expenses,  inspection  of  the  colonies,  customs,  etc.,  and  is  furnished 
by  a  colonial  debt  of  346  millions  of  francs,  of  which  269,798,053. 


4 

i     j»  iin  i f  ' 

U 1  ~_  -  ? 

J* . 

J0PVH 

.  i 

*r/¥te      : 

' 

Pv 

PhotO    FORTIER. 

Fig.  15.  —  Dakar.  Governor  General's  Residence. 


francs  is  apportioned  to  the  railways,  38,750,000  to  the  ports  and 
harbours,  7  millions  for  the  improvement  of  the  river-ways,  10  mil- 
lions for  the  improvement  of  the  mouths  of  the  Senegal  and  the 
works  of  the  bar  of  same,  10,200,000  for  sanitary  measures  and 
medical  assistance  on  behalf  on  the  natives  2  millions  for  the 
telegraph  service,  and  5  millions  for  military  construction.  Beyond 
the  346  millions  of  authorised  expenditure  the  debt  of  Occidental 
Africa  amounts  to  204  millions. 

In  Occidental  Africa  the  Government  has  the  co-operation  of 
the  commercial  element  in  all  organisations  affecting  questions  of 
internal  economy,  such  as  the  Consulting  Committees  of  the  Kail- 


46 


ways  and  the  Administrative  Councils  of  the  Colonies.  The  com- 
mercial interest  also  expresses  itself  in  the  different  Chambers 
of  Commerce — Senegal,  Dakar,  llufisque,  St.  Louis,  Ziguinchor 
(Haut-Senegal-Niger),  Kayes,  Bamako  (Guinea).  Konakry,  Kankan 
(Ivory  Coast),  Grand  Bassam  (Dahomey),  Porto-Novo.  These 
Chambers  of  Commerce  may,  and  do,  admit  members  of  foreign 
nationalities. 

A  bank  with  special  circulating  privileges  has  been  established 
in  Occidental  Africa,  called  the  Bank  of  Occidental  Africa,  with 
head  offices  in  Paris,  and  agencies  and  branches  at  Saint  Louis 
llufisque,  Konakry,  Bingerville,  Porto-Novo,  etc.  This  bank  is 
privileged  to  issue  its  own  bank-notes,  but  the  monopoly  is  no 
obstacle  to  the  installation  of  private  banks. 


ROADS  AND  MEANS  OF  COMMUNICATION. 


French  Occidental  Africa  only  possesses  three  ports  :  Dakar  a 
large  modern  and  well  constructed  port,  where  unloading  is  easy; 
Rufisque  ;  and  Konakry,  Grand  Bassam  and  Cotonou  are  only 
open  roadsteads  supplied  with  wharves.  A  large  interior  lake  port, 
however,  is  being  constructed  inland  behind  Grand  Bassam. 

As  regards  steamship  lines,  Occidental  Africa  is  linked  up  with 
Europe  by  numerous  lines.  After  touching  at  Dakar  some  boats 
shape  their  course  for  South  America  ;  those  of  other  lines  continue 
down  the  West  Coast  of  Africa.  The  Senegal,  therefore,  is  very  much 
better  served  in  this  respect  than  the  colonies  of  the  south.  The 
following  lines  put  into  the  port  of  Dakar,  in  the  Senegal  :  — 

French— The  "  Sud  Atlanlique  "  line  (from  Bordeaux). 
The  "  Transports  Maritimes  M  (from  Marseilles). 
The  "  Chargeurs  Reunis  "(from  Bordeaux. 

Foreign  —  Cie  Navigation  Generale  Italienne. 

La  Veloce. 

Italian  Lloyd  (coming  from  Barcelona). 
Compagnie  Maritime  (Belgian  Congo),  coming  from 
la  Pallice. 


Besides  these,  there  are  numerous  merchant  lines,  Ph.  Delmas, 
Maurel  et  Prom,  Cyprien  Fabre,  and  Fraissinet  serving  the  principal 
ports  of  Senegal.  French  Guinea  and  the  Ivory  Coast  are  regularly 


—  il  — 

visited  by  the  French  line  "  Chargeurs  Reunis  "  and  the  foreign 
lines,  Compagnie  Maritime  Beige  ;  the  Woermann  Co.  (coming 
from  Boulogne),  and  the  Elder-Dempster  line,  coming  from  Liver- 
pool. The  v'  Chargeurs  lleunis  "  and  the  Woermann  Company- 
touch  regularly  at  Dahomey.  In  Guinea,  the  Ivory  Coast  and 
Dahomey  numerous  French  and  foreign  trading  boats  also  touch. 


POSTAL  AND  TELEGRAPHIC  COMMUNICATION. 

The  postal  service  with  Europe  is  assured  by  the  rapid  steamship 
service  above  mentioned.  Telegraphic  communication  is  maintained 
by  the  French  cable  from  Brest  to  Dakar,  continuing  from  Dakar 
by  French  cable  to  Konakry,  Grand  Bassam,  Cotonou,  etc.  Between 


Fig-  1G.  —  Khombol.  Station. 


Photo  d'Anfreville. 


Konakry  and  Grand  Bassam  there  is  also  a  foreign  cable.  Wireless 
telegraphy  is  installed  at  Port  Etienne  (Mauretania),  Dakar, 
Rufisque,  Konakry,  the  French  station  of  Monrovia,  Tabore  (Ivory 
Coast),  Cotonou  and  Tombouctou  (a  very  powerful  station  of 
great  capacity).  In  the  interior  the  postal  service  comprises  235 
post  offices,  200  of  them  being  also  postal  parcel  exchanges,  and 
1 15  dealing  with  money  orders.  There  are  about  22,000  kilometres 
of  aerial  telegraph  lines  in  the  interior.  This  system,  which  is  added 


—  48  — 

to  every  year,  ensures  facilities  by  letter  and  telegram  combination 
to  the  port  of  departure  of  the  mail-boat,  by  letter  up  to  Dakar, 
and  thence  by  electric  transmission  by  the  French  transatlantic 
cable. 

RAILWAYS. 

Beyond  the  line  from  Dakar  to  St.  Louis  and  a  branch  line  to 
the  Soudan,  the  West  African  railweay  system  is  a  relatively  recent 
enterprise.  The  construction  of  the  various  lines  is  proceeding 
according  to  a  plan  already  laid  down  and  in  accordance  with  the 
nature  of  the  country  and  the  geographical  position  of  the  colonies 
of  French  Occidental  Africa,  which  are  separated  from  each  other  by 
foreign  possessions  on  the  coast,  but  which  have  a  common  interior 
from  the  Soudan  to  the  Haut-Senegal  and  Niger.  The  end  which 
had  to  be  gained  was  to  start  from  a  suitable  point  on  the  coast 
and  from  there  serve  the  interior  of  the  country.  It  was  therefore 
decided  to  link  up  these  lines  at  the  mouths  of  the  Niger  by  a 
trans-Nigerian  line  which  could  have  its  junction  at  Ansongi  or 
some  other  point  of  the  French  trans-African  system  (i.e.,  the 
Soudan  branch).  That  is  the  programme  which  has  been  followed 
out  exactly  ever  since  11)02.  At  the  present  moment  the  French 
West  African  system  consists  of  the  following  lines  :  — 

Kilometres. 

Dakar-St.  Louis,  linking  up  the  two  Senegal  towns.      .      .         264 

Thies  Kayes  (southern  branch,  Thies  to  Kayes),  with  a 
branch  between  Guinguineo  and  Kaolak,  22  km.  ;  and 
a  north  branch,  Kayes-Ambiddi,  doubling  the  River 
Senegal,  44  km.      . 346 

Kayes-Niger  line,  linking  the  basin  of  the  Niger  and  Sene- 
gal rivers 555 

Konakry-lvouroussa  line,  linking  Konakry  to  the  Niger.      .         589 

Kouroussa-Kankay  line  (continuation  of  the  above  to  and 

from  the  Niger  to  Vianvan,  etc.) 79 

Ivory  Coast  line,  from  Abidgan,  through  the  interior  forests 

toBouake 316 

Kotonou-Save  line,  from  the  Dahomey  Port  through  the 

interior  to  Save .         262 

Pahoa-Segboroue  line,  a  branch  of  the  above,  towards  the 

west 32 

Porto-Novo  to  Hollis  country  line,  very  favourable  to  the 

cultures  and  especially  to  the  cotton  industry    .      .      . 82 

Total  of  the  above  lines,  with  their  branches   .      .      2,580 


49 


The  following  lines,  for  wich  money  has  been  voted,  are  already 
in  construction  r— 

Kilometres. 
Thies-Kayes  line  (finish  of  line  from  km.  340  to  Ambidedi).  298 
Bamako-Bougouni  line  (to  meet  the  line  at  Ambidedi)   .  160 

Kanan-Beyla  line,  continuation  of  the  Guinea  line  towards 

the  south     .      .      .      .    - 243 

Ivory  Coast,  a  line  from  Dunbroko  to  Daloa,  traversing  the 

Equatorial  forest  towards  the  Liberian  frontier.  .  .  233 
(C)  Bouake-Kong  line,  continuation  towards  the  north  of 

the  line  from  Abidgan  .      ..........         210 

(a)  Dahomey  line  to  Save-Parakou-ljougou,   continuation 

of  the  Kotonou  line  towards  Soudan 300 

(b)  Grand  Popo-Lokossa,  from  the  extreme  west  of  Daho- 

mey, serving  a  country  covered  with  palm  trees  outside 

the  central  line '.  47 

(c)  Porto-Novo-Kotonou,  continuation   of  the  Porto-Novo 

line  to  Pobe-Sakete 27 

1,548 


When  the  above  railways  are  finished,  a  complementary  system 
is  proposed,  for  which  the  funds  are  not  yet  voted,  and  which 
will  include  the  following  in  the  more  or  less  near  future  : — 

Kilometres. 

Tambakounda  to  Mamou 480 

Kankan  (Niger  to  Bougoumi) 245 

Bougoumi  to  Ansongo,  along  the  Niger 1,200 

Bey  la,  continuation  from  Kankan  on  the  Guinea  line     .      .  340 

Cocude-Boromo 560 

AVaghadoagoa-Fadu 160 

Fad  a  N'parma-Djougou 400 

Parakou-Niger 310 

3,490 


To  conclude,  the  railway  system  of  French  Occidental  Africa 
consists  of  2,580  kilometres  of  line  already  laid  down,  1,458  kilo- 
metres in  course  of  construction,  and  3,490  kilometres  propose  to 
be  constructed. 


—  50  — 


COMMERCE. 

For  many  years,  and  especially  in  the  last  two  decades,  commerce 
has  made  constant  progress  in  Occidental  Africa.  In  this  colony 
trade  is  only  subject  to  two  kinds  of  taxes ;  one  being  the  tax  on 
patents  and  licenses,  which  is,  however,  very  moderate;  the  other 
on  imported  goods,  freight  and  customs.  The  latter  is  only  col- 
lected in  Senegal  and  Guinea  (Act  14th  April,  1905,  and  follow- 
ing). On  the  Ivory  Coast  and  in  Dahomey,  which  colonies  are 
included  in  the  zone  affected  by  the  Franco-English  Convention 
of  June  14th,  1898,  there  is  no  differential  tax  for  persons  or  goods 
(Article  9  of  the  Convention).  In  Senegal  and  Guinea  all  goods 
pay  import  duty,  to  which  is  added,  for  all  goods  other  than  French, 
a  customs  duty.  In  addition,  imported  goods  in  Guinea,  after 
having  entered  another  African  continental  port,  are  subject  to  an 
indirect  importation  tax.  On  the  Ivory  Coast  and  in  Dahomey,  all 
merchandise,  of  whatever  origin,  French  products  as  well  as  foreign, 
pay  an  import  duty.  In  all  colonies  there  is  a  special  regulation 
affecting  the  trade  in  alcohol,  in  arms,  and  ammunition.  Alcohol 
is  subject  to  a  very  high  duty  (300  francs  per  hectolitre  of  pure 
alcohol  imported  or  excised),  and  arms  and  ammunition  are  the 
object  of  very  strict  regulations.  There  is  onty  one  export  duty,  and 
that  is  on  rubber,  this  being  7  per  cent,  ad  valorem.  The  valuation 
of  the  product  follows  the  fluctuations  of  the  market;  it  is  not 
uniform,  and  varies  according  to  the  district  in  which  it  is  produced. 
This  system  of  taxation  is  very  flexible,  and  permits  of  it  being 
raised  or  lowered  in  accordance  with  the  situation  of  the  market, 
without  affecting  the  rate  of  interest. 

This  fiscal  and  customs  system  of  taxes  on  merchandise  and 
products,  being  moderate  in  its  application,  has  not  restricted  the 
brilliant  upward  flight  of  the  economical  situation  of  Occidental 
Africa,  Avhich  improves  year  by  year  in  accordance  with  the 
extension  of  the  means  of  communication,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 


bl lowing  figures 

:  — 

Year. 

Imports. 

Exports. 

Total. 

Frs. 

Frs. 

Frs. 

1845  .     . 

11,605,737 

10,792,717 

22,398,454 

1880  .     . 

20,400,000 

25,400,000 

45,800,000 

1895  .     . 

46,882,773 

31.994,583 

78,777,356 

1900  .     . 

69,061,638 

60,802,704 

129,864,344 

1913  .     . 

52,508,497 

126,227,109 

278,735,606 

—  51  — 

These  figures  are  the  proof  of  an  assured  economic  development, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  they  reflect  the  reality.  The  imports  and 
exports  balance  within  10  percent.,  because  it  must  be  taken  into 
consideration  that  the  value  of  the  imports  is  calculated  at  the  port 
of  unloading,  that  is  to  say,  it  is  augmented  by  the  cost  of  transit, 
insurance  and  unloading  ;  whilst  the  value  of  the  exports  represents 
the  commercial  price  of  the  products,  and  not  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction. It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  since  the  year  1900  the  value 
of  the  native  products  has  risen  by  more  than  100  per  cent.  ;  and 
in  the  period  between  11)00  and  1913,  the  mileage  of  the  French 


Photo  d'Am-revili.e. 

Fig.  17.  —  Trade  house  during  exportation  of  arachides. 


West  African  railway  system  has  risen  from  500  kilometres  (Dakar- 
St.  Louis  and  the  Kayes-Niger  branch)  to  2,580  kilometres.  This 
increase  cannot  be  denied;  in  1911  there  was  a  decrease  on 
1910,  the  figures  being  118  millions  against  124  millions,  but 
the  recovery  was  quick,  as  the  figures  were  120  millions  in  1912 
and  126  millions  in  1913.  This  is  a  very  satisfactory  result  when 
one  considers  that  French  Occidental  Africa,  has  had  to  undergo, 
the  consequences  of  the  world  crisis  in  the  rubber  market.  Occi- 
dental Africa,  however,  possesses  varied  resources,  and  far  from 
its  productions  having  diminished  on  this  account,  the  facts  show 
that  they  have  maintained  their  position  and  have  even  improved 
on  it.  It  would,  of  course,  be  strange  if  during  any  ordinary  year, 
or  period  of  successive  years,  the  harvest  should  be  bad  or  deficient 


—  ;>2  — 

at  one  and  the  same  time  in  Senegal  and  Dahomey,  in  the  Ivory 
Coast  and  the  Soudan.  Compensations  are  established  between  the 
different  colonies  of  the  group,  and  progress  is  certain  "on  the  whole. 
That  is  an  important  point  in  the  financial  condition  of  the  colony, 
because  the  natives  do  not  buy  European  imported  goods  except 
in  proporlion  to  the  advantage  at  which  they  have  sold  their  harvest. 
So  that  the  credit  of  the  colony  (involving  the  continuation  of  the 


Fig.  18.  —  Transport  of  the  rice  on  the  Niger. 


work  of  economic  tillage,  railways,  bridges,  etc.)  remains  intact  as 
though  the  products,  the  importation  duties  and  customs,  etc.,  had. 
not  moved.  This  is  what  has  happened  up  to  the  present  in  the 
colony,  and  it  is  what  will  continue  to  happen. 

One  of  the  richest  districts  of  the  colony  is  the  Upper  Senegal 
and  the  Middle  Niger,  both  for  vegetable  products  and  cattle 
breeding,  but  for  want  of  rapid  means  of  communication,  it  imports 
only  a  small  proportion  of  its  pro  lucts.  The  finishing  of  the  Thies- 
Kayes  Railway,  which  will  bring  the  basin  of  the  Middle  Niger 
and  its  tributaries  into  direct  communication  with  the  outer  world, 


will  change  the  situation. 


There  are,  therefore,  encouraging  prospects  for  French  Occidental 


—  53  — 

Africa,  of  which  the  products  are  sufficiently  varied  to  support  the 
fluctuations  of  the  rubber  market,  which  will  become  only  a 
secondary  article  of  trade  for  this  country. 

The  principal  exports  of  French  Occidental  Africa  are  the 
following  : — 

Ground  nuts,  of  which  308, 8i5  tons  were  exported  in  1913, 
produced   almost  exclusively  in  Senegal.   The  Haul  Senegal   and 


Photo  Desplagnes. 


Fig.  19.  —  Cotton  market  Douenlza. 


Niger  and  Guinea  began  the  cultivation  and  commerce  of  this 
grain  some  years  ago.  An  experimental  station  for  the  improvement 
of  the  methods  of  cultivation  and  selection  of  the  product  has 
just  been  established  in  Senegal. 

Rubber  was  responsible  for  an  output  of  3,609  tons  in  1913. 
The  latex  is  gathered  exclusively  from  the  Landolphia  and  Clitandra 
vines,  and  from  the  Funtumia  elaslica.  Jt  can  only  be  exported 
in  plaques  or  cakes  of  about  1  centimetre  in  thickness,  or  in  very 
thin  sheets  of  crepe  (Act,  September  15th,  1912).  The  natives  have 
been  induced  to  prepare  it  in  this  form  without  difficulty.  The 
change  in  their  method  of  collection  was  initiated  by  the  creation 


of  schools  formed  of  native  overseers  in  the  Soudan,  French  Guinea, 
and  the  Ivory  Coast. 

The  products  of  the  oil  palm  in  the  Ivory  Coast  and  Dahomey 
account  for  steadily  growing  exports,  viz.,  palm  nuts,  38,740  tons  ; 
palm  oil,  14,202  tons.  Whole  territories  of  natural  palm  trees  in 
Dahomey  and  the  Ivory  Coast,  which  have  remained  uncultivated 
until  now,  are  in  process  of  laying  out. 

Some  other  wild  palms,  the  Doum  palm  (Hyphame)  and  the  Pal- 
myra palm,  are  able  to  give  interesting  products,  such  as  vegetabel 
ivory. 

The  timber  of  the  Ivory  Coast,  the  forests  of  which  measure 
112,000  square  kilometres,  is  exported  more  and  more.  This  year 
only  mahogany  has  been  exported.  The  forests  also  contain  species 
giving  timber  comparable  to  oak,  walnut,  lemon  trees,  maple  and 
teak,  the  exportation  of  which,  commencing  in  1913,  reached 
44,651  tons. 

The  exports  of  gums  remained  stationary  in  1913,  i.e.,  3.125  tons. 
An  increase  is,  however,  to  be  expected. 

The  native  plantations  and  stocks  of  coconut  trees  are  extending, 
and  in  1913  680  tons  of  copra  were  exported  from  Dahomey  and 
the  Ivory  Coast. 

Shea-butter  is  very  plentiful  in  French  West  Africa ;  about 
2,000  tons  were  exported  from  the  Upper  Senegal-Niger,  and  some 
was  exported  also  from  Dahomey. 

Kapok  is  beginning  to  take  its  place  amongst  the  regular  exports, 
500  tons  being  sent  from  the  Soudan  in  1913.  The  cutting  down  of 
kapok  and  shea-butter  trees  is  forbidden  in  all  the  districts  of 
French  Occidental  Africa  (Article,  April  8th,  1914). 

Dahomey  exported  900  tons  of  maize. 

There  are  other  products  besides  those  already  mentioned  which 
are  capable,  in  the  near  future,  of  yielding  a  certain  amount  of 
business.  In  the  department  of  cereals  there  is  rice,  of  which  the 
cultivation  is  increasing  in  Lower  Guinea,  and  more  particularly 
in  the  Middle  Niger.  Besides  rice,  there  are  native  cultures  such 
as  mil  mais  and  fonio.  The  arrival  of  the  railway  at  Ambidedi 
permits  the  rice  grown  in  the  Soudan  to  be  exported,  at  least  to 
the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

Amongst  the  textile  plants,  the  cultivation  of  cotton  of  selected 
native  varieties  has  passed  out  of  the  experimental  stage.  In 
Dahomey  and  the  Soudan,  production  is  steadily  increasing.  In 
certain  parts  of  Senegal,  irrigated  cultivation  is  giving  rise  to  hope. 
Sisal  (agave)  is  quite  acclimatised  in  the  Soudan,  and  there  are 
already  twO  plantations  there.  The  Hibiscus  cannabinus,  or  da, 
is  cultivated  by  the  people  living  on  the  shores  of  the  River  Niger, 


—  55  — 

the  fibre  being  utilised  by  them,  and  is  attracting  the  attention 
of  specialists. 

In  Dahomey,  but  more  particularly  on  the  Ivory  Coast,  the 
cocoa  tree  is  capable  of  being  developed  into  a  considerable  local 
trade,  as  on  the  Gold  Coast. 

The  castor-oil  plant  is  cultivated  in  the  Soudan ;  and  sesame  in 
Guinea,  whilst  certain  varieties  of  copal  trees  are  cultivated  in  this 
colony. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  French  Occidental  Africa  is  not  a 
country  in  which  agriculture  is  neglected  ;  on  the  contrary,  its 
products  are  very  varied.  These  productions  are  in  the  hands  of 
the  natives,  who,  seeing  the  possibility  of  reaping  advantage  from 
their  cultivation,  are  devoting  more  care  to  them. 

The  population  is  growing,  manual  labour  is  becoming  educated, 
local  needs  are  increasing,  commercial  traffic  is  developing,  and 
this  position  cannot  but  be  maintained.  The  moral  and  material 
progress  of  the  population  of  the  country  form  the  best  guarantee  of 
the  growing  economic  prosperity  of  French  Occidental  Africa. 


B.  —  French  Equatorial  Africa. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  POSITION   AND  POPULATION. 

French  Equatorial  Africa,  formerly  known  as  the  French  Congo, 
has  a  superficial  area,  according  to  the  return  made  in  1911,  of 
1,734,228  kilometres.  It  lies  between  5  deg,  south  lat.  and  15  deg. 
north  lat.,  the  longitude  being  20  deg.  east.  Consequently,  it  is 
remarkable  for  the  diversity  of  its  territories.  From  the  luxurious 
vegetation  of  the  equatorial  forests  on  the  coast  of  the  Gaboon  to 
the  sandy  deserts  of  the  Kanem,  the  country  presents  the  most 
varied  aspects.  Differentiated  by  their  sub-soil,  their  physical  fea- 
tures, their  oreography,  their  climate,  their  flora  and  fauna,  these 
various  regions  support  a  minimum  population  of  about  10,000,000 
inhabitants. 

Physically,  French  Equatorial  Africa  is  divisible  into  four  distinct 
parts  :  1,  the  mountainous  zone  of  the  coast;  2,  the  central  African 
plateau;  3,  the  trans-equatorial  Highland  Congo;  4,  the  Basin  of 
Lake  Tchad.  Immediately  above  the  maritime  heights  there  is  a 


—  56  — 

zone  or  belt  of  walnut  forests,  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  IS"(iouni»\ 
the  Nyanga  and  the  Mali.  Then  comes  the  belt  of  grassy  plains  at 
an  altitude  of  400  to  700  metres  ;  followed  by  a  belt  of  sandy  prai- 
ries on  the  high  plateau,  at  an  elevation  of  700-800  metres,  exten- 


ffeproduct/on  interdite 


Fig.  20.  —  Map  of  French  Equatorial  Africa. 


ding  as  far  as  the  dividing  line  formed  by  the  waters  of  the  Congo 
system. 

The  principal  rivers  are  the  Ogooue,  the  Kouilou,  called  the  Mari 
in  the  upper  part  of  its  course;  that  part  of  the  Congo  which  is  in 
French  territory,  with  its  tributaries,  the  Duna,  the  Likouala,  the 
Sangha,  fed  by  the  N'Goko,  the  Ibenga,  the  Lobaye,  the  Kouango 
and  the  Kotto;  and  the  Chari,  which  has  no  outlet  in  the  sea,  but 
empties  itself  into  Lake  Tchad,  after  receiving  on  its  right  the 


fM     


Fig.  21.  —  1.  Ancient  House  of  Brazzaville . 

2.  Native  Huts  in  the  Tchad  region. 

3.  House  of  the  «  Messageries  Fluviales  ». 


* 


—  58  — 

waters  of  the  Bahr  Salamat  and  on  the  left  those  of  the  Balir  Sara 
and  the  Logune. 

The  native  population  is  composed  of  sharply  varying  races, 
which  may  he  brought  under  two  headings  : — 

1.  The  forest  tribes,  savage,  suspicious  and  cruel. 

2.  The  bush  tribes,  less  bloodthirsty  and  more  sociable. 


CLIMATE. 

In  French  Equatorial  Africa,  as  in  all  countries  of  the  intertropical 
zone,  in  proportion  as  one  penetrates  into  the  interior,  the  tempe- 
rature freshens,  and  the  air,  saturated  with  moisture  on  the  coast, 
becomes  drier,  the  climate  milder,  the  temperature  lower,  and  the 
rains  less  frequent.  The  year  is  divided  into  dry  and  rainy  seasons. 
Generally  speaking,  there  are  two  great  climatic  divisions  :  the 
Gaboon-Congo  and  the  Tchad. 

The  climate  of  the  Gaboon-Congo  is  characterised  by  excessive 
and  constant  heat  and  humidity.  There  are  two  seasons,  very 
sharply  divided.  The  rainy  season  lasts  from  October  to  June;  the 
dry  Season  from  July  to  September.  The  rainy  season  is  also  the 
hottest;  during  the  dry  season  the  sky  is  always  overcast  and  the 
temperature  very  low. 

On  the  Tchad  there  are  also  two  distinctive  seasons,  but  the 
inverse  of  the  Gaboon-Congo.  The  dry  season  commences  in  October 
and  ends  in  June,  whilst  all  the  other  months  are  rainy,  the  greatest 
rainfall  occurring  in  July  and  August. 

The  climate  is  much  more  unhealthy  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
coast  than  in  the  interior.  Against  this  must  be  set  the  difficulty  of 
re-victualling,  the  absence  of  comfort  in  the  dwellings,  and  the 
scarcity  of  indigenous  foodstuffs,  etc.,  etc.,  in  the  interior.  One  has 
also  to  take  into  consideration  the  prevalence  of  thunderstorms  and 
tornadoes,  which  have  a  great  influence  on  the  native  temperament, 
creating  as  they  do  extreme  electric  tension  in  the  atmosphere.  On 
account  of  these  conditions  it  is  seldom  possible  for  Europeans  to 
spend  more  than  15  to  18  months  in  French  Equatorial  Africa. 


POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

Dating  from  the  Act  of  January  15th,  1910,  the  possessions  of  the 
French  Congo  and  its  dependencies  were  constituted  the  General 
Government  of  French  Equatorial  Africa,  having  as  its  chief  seat 


—  59  — 

Brazzaville,  at  the  head  of  which  is  a  Governor-General  (Monsieur 
Martial  Merlin),  assisted  hy  a  Governing  Council.  The  Government 
is  composed  of  the  colony  of  the  Gaboon  (chief  town  Libreville),  the 
Middle  Congo  (chief  town  Brazzaville),  the  Tchad  (chief  town 
Bangui),  Oubangui  (chief  town  Chari),  and  lastly,  the  military  dis- 
trict of  the  Tchad  (chief  town  Fort  Lamy).  Each  colony  of  the  group 
has  an  autonomous  administration,  at  the  head  of  which  is  a 
colonial  Governor,  with  the  title  of  Lieutenant-Governor,  assisted 


Fig.  22. 


Matadi. 


by  an  Administrative  Council.  As  regards  the  military  district  of 
the  Tchad,  this  is  placed  under  the  command  of  a  superior  officer 
bearing  the  title  of  Commandant  of  the  Military  District  of  the 
Tchad,  directly  dependent  on  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the 
Oubangui-Chari-Tchad. 


COMMUNICATION  AND  TRANSPORT. 


Communication  between  France  and  Equatorial  Africa  is  ensured 
by  several  French  and  foreign  lines.  The  French  line,  *'  Chargeurs 
Keunis,"  runs  from  Havre  every  three  weeks  on  Wednesday  and 


—  00  — 

from  Bordeaux  on  Saturday.  It  takes  21  days  to  get  to  Matadi,  and 
the  price  of  the  voyage  from  Bordeaux  to  Matadi  is,  1st  Glass, 
1,140  francs;  2nd  Class,  875  francs;  3nd  Class,  500  francs. 

Among  foreign  lines,  the  Compagnie  Beige  Maritime  du  Congo 
Beige  has  liners  leaving  Antwerp  every  three  weeks.  The  journey 
hy  La  Pallice  boats  to  Matadi  takes  from  16  to  17  days,  and  costs 
900  francs  1st  Class  and  660  francs  2nd  Class. 

The  Woermann  Line  (German),  despatches  from  Hamburg  on  the 
7th  of  each  month,  taking  11  days  on  the  journey.  The  fare  to  the 
French  Congo  is  :  1st  Class,  825  francs;  2nd  Class,  618  francs; 
3rd  Class,  343  francs. 

The  English  "  African  Steamship  Co.,"  has  steamers  leaving 
Liverpool  every  fortnight,  on  the  Saturday,  the  voyage  costing  : 
1st  Class,  825  francs;  2nd  Class,  603.65  francs. 

The  quickest  way  of  getting  to  Brazzaville,  for  a  passenger  arri- 
ving by  one  of  the  lines  above  mentioned  is  without  doubt  the 
railway  running  from  Matadi  to  Leopoldville.  The  run  covers  about 
399  kilometres,  taking  two  days,  with  a  halt  of  one  night  at  Thys- 
ville,  the  fares  being  200  francs  1st  Class  and  125  francs  2nd  Class. 
Arrived  at  Kinchasso,  the  passenger  for  Brazzaville  can  cross  the 
Stanley  Pool  by  one  of  the  steamers  of  the  Messageries  Fluviales  du 
Congo,  or  one  of  several  other  companies. 

Several  companies  have  steamboat  services  on  the  navigable 
portions  of  the  rivers  leading  into  the  interior  of  the  colony,  of 
which  the  principal  are  : — 

The  Chargeurs  lieunis,  which  has  two  supplementary  services 
on  the  coast  of  the  Gaboon,  one  from  Cape  Lopez  to  N'Djole,  and 
the  other  from  Cape  Lopez  to  Loango. 

The  Cie  des  Messageries  Fluviales  du  Congo,  running  on  the  Congo 
and  Onbangui  to  Zinga  on  the  lower  reaches,  and  to  Bangui  on  the 
upper  river.  On  the  Sangha  River  to  Ouesso  on  the  lower  river,  and 
to  Nola  on  the  upper.  On  the  Alima  to  Diele  or  Lekoto.  On  the 
N'Goko  to  N'Goila. 

The  Cie  des  Transports  Generaux  du  Cong.  Oubangui  (dating 
from  1910),  making  the  transit  between  Bangui  and  Molaze  possible 
in  a  few  days. 

The  Cie  de  l'Ouame-Nana,  which  has  organised  a  series  of  trans- 
ports on  the  Chari  on  the  one  hand,  between  Benoue  and  the 
Lagoon  on  the  other  hand ;  also  assuring  the  transit  of  the  troops 
on  service  in  the  Tchad  district. 

The  Haut  Ogoue  Society,  which  navigates  the  Ogooue  up  to  Fran- 
ceville,  the  Ivindo  as  far  as  M'Vadi,  and  the  Okano  as  far  as  M'Vadi, 
and  the  Okano  as  far  as  M'Zara,  permitting  the  re-victualling  of  the 
troops  on  service  in  these  regions. 

As  a  mean  of  internal  communication  the  road  from  Loango  to 


—  61  — 

Brazzaville  must  be  mentioned,  that  from  Kouilou  to  Loaduiro,  the 
road  from  Libreville  to  Brazzaville,  the  roads  of  the  Upper  Chari 
and  the  Sultanats,  as  well  as  the  numerous  paths  followed  by  the 
native  carriers. 

SOME  OF   THE  PRODUCTS. 

The  mineral  products  of  the  colony,  which  are  chiefly  found  in 
the  basins  of  the  Mari  and  the  Djoue  rivers,  are  copper,  zinc  and 
lead,  of  which  the  two  first  are  specially  important.  For  a  very  long 


Fig.  23.  -  Ivory. 


time  the  natives  have  been  engaged  in  their  extraction,  and  during 
the  last  few  years  a  regular  European  trade  has  been  carried  on. 

The  exports  of  copper,  ore  after  having  been  only  8  tons  in-1 910, 
reached  the  figure  of  1,899  tons  in  1911  and  1,977  tons  in  1912. 

French  Equatorial  Africa  is  rich  in  river  and  big  game.  Amongst 
the  latter,  elephants  rank  high  on  account  of  the  value  of  their 
ivory.  Ivory  has  been  sought  after  from  very  early  times,  and 
reaches  the  high  price  of  16  to  31  francs  the  kilogramme,  according 
to  the  size  of  the  tusks.  In  the  first  years  following  the  advent 
of  Europeans  in  Central  Africa,  the  exportation  of  this  product, 


—  62  — 

which  was  the  only  thing  of  sufficient  value  to  pay  for  the  expenses 
of  transport  by  caravan,  and  of  which  there  were  large  stocks 
in  the  villages  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  underwent  a  very 
sudden  increase.  French  Equatorial  Africa  exported  210  tons 
in  1905.  But  when  the  old  stocks  were  exhausted  exportation 
could  only  be  kept  up  by  hunting  the  elephant.  For  some  years 
exports  have  remained  stationary  between  130  and  150  tons,  and  it 
seems  they  will  keep  somewhere  about  this  figure  in  the  future, 
and  will  vary  very  little.  Eight-tenths  of  the  Ivory  exported  is  sold 
in  the  market  of  Antwerp. 


VEGETABLE  WEALTH. 

French  Equatorial  Africa  is  the  most  favoured  of  all  French 
colonies  as  regards  its  wealth  of  woods.  Like  the  Ivory  Coast, 
Guiana  and  Indo-China,  it  possesses  a  great  choice  of  species  suita- 
ble for  various  uses.  The  wooded  regions,  of  the  Gaboon  especially 
are  close  to  the  sea,  are  easy  of  access  by  water,  and  cover  vast 
spaces.  The  great  equatorial  forests  extend  practically  parallel 
with  the  sea-coast,  and  sometimes  even  grow  down. to  the  beach, 
from  the  frontier  of  the  German  Cameroon  on  the  North  to  that 
of  the  Belgian  Congo  on  the  South,  a  stretch  of  700  kilometres, 
This  wooded  zone  varies  in  width  diminishing  progressively  as 
one  nenrs  the  South,  in  such  a  way  that  it  terminates  in  the  Belgian 
Congo,  but  some  distance  from  the  coast  of  the  Congo ;  in  the  French 
territory  one  may  put  the  average  transverse  dimensions  at  200  kilo- 
metres from  east  to  west.  The  superficial  area  covered  by  dense 
forest,  therefore,  cannot  be  less  than  140,000  square  kilometres.  For 
the  purpose  of  limiting  the  undue  cutting  down  of  young  trees, 
which,  by  impoverishing  the  forest  of  species,  would  lead  to 
depreciation  in  the  markets  of  Europe,  the  Administration  in  11)1 1 
fixed  a  minimum  girth  for  the  output  of  logs  of  timber.  Every  log 
sawn  from  a  trunk  must  measure  at  least  4,50  d.  long  and  have 
a  diameter  of  0,60  (for  Okoume  wood),  and  0.50  for  other  woods 
used  for  cabinet-work.  These  dimensions  are  reduced  by  half  for 
the  pieces  taken  from  the  tops  of  the  trees,  and  for  branches. 

Gaboon  woods  at  present  commercially  used  may  be  divid-ed 
into  five  categories  :  the  mahogany  species,  semi-hard  woods,  hard 
woods,  very  fine  woods  and  ebony,  soft  woods. 

Amongst  the  woods  of  the  mahogany  species  may  be  men- 
tioned : — 

Ordinary  mahogany,  with  slightly  marked  veining,  rendering  it 
very  easy  to  work.  When  this  wood  is  cut  it  is  as  well,  in  order  to 


—  63  - 


Fig.  24.  —  1.  Market  at  Bangui. 

2.  An  important  market. 


—  64  — 

prevent  the  larv,*>  found  in  I  lie  bark  from  penetrating-  into  the  wood 
itself,  to  strip  oil' the  hark  at  once,  and  until  the  moment  when  it 
is  to  he  floated  down  the  stream  the  logs  should  he  placed  at  some 
distance  from  the  ground. 

The  "Okoume"  resembles  mahogany,  but  is  distinguished  from 
it  by  a  coarser  grain  and  by  its  paler  whitish  (male  okoume)  or 
rose-colour  (female  okoumei  lint,  and  its  inferior  density.  It  is  easy 
to  work,  but  as  to  be  cut  with  a  very  strong  saw,  so  as  to  avoid 
the  felting  of  the  edge  and  the  overheating  of  the  blade.  It  lends 
itself  well  to  turning  and  rolling.  It  is  very  much  sought  after, 
especially  in  Germany,  for  unking  cigar-boxes.  It  is  sold  at  about 
70  francs  per  ton  wholesale.  Out  of  9o.747  tons  of  wood  exported 
from  French  Equatorial  Africa  in  1912,  okoume  alone  accounts 
for  80,103  tons. 

Voukow  is  a  little  softer  wood. 

Doukn,  which  is  suitable  for  making  turned  furniture,  carved 
wood,  and  especially  fixed  motor-car  bodies. 

Todo,  which  is  used  entirely  for  furniture  for  dining-rooms, 
wardrobes,  desks,  etc. 

The  Erere,  which  is  much  appreciated  by  German  workmen. 

Ekouka,  etc. 

In  the  category  of  semi  hard  woods  may  be  classed  :  — 

The  Kambala,  which  may  be  used  either  varnished  or  polished 
with  beeswax  for  cabinet- making. 

The  Gaboon  walnut-wood,  showing  a  distant  resemblance  to 
European  walnut,  and  used  for  fine  joiner's  work,  cabinet-work, 
marquetry,  etc. 

The  Mandji,  which  on  account  of  its  resistance  to  rot  and  to 
varieties  of  temperature  is  particularly  adaptable  for  making 
panelling,  carved  doors,  inlaid  flooring,  etc. 

TheBilinga,  for  modern  art  furniture  of  the  best  class. 

The  principal  hard  woods  are  : — 

Coral  wood,  used  for  cabinet-making,  or  tine  coach-work. 

The  Moabi,  used  either  varnished  or  polished  for  cabinet-making, 
but  especially  recommended  for  carvings  or  for  anything  requiring 
great  solidity,  such  as  luxurious  coach-work,  railway  carriages, 
naval  construction,  etc. 

The  Mowingui,  used  for  levers,  pulleys,  parts  of  coach-work 
which  are  subject  to  particular  strain,  spokes  and  hubs  of  car- 
riages, etc. 

The  category  of  the  finest  woods  includes  :  — 

Ebony,  of  which  the  price  reaches  between  220  fr.  and  350  fr. 
per  ton. 

Bubinga,  or  Gaboon  rose-wood,  used  for  making  luxurious  furni- 
ture, or  for  posing  on  commoner  woods. 


—  Go 


—  66  — 

Zingana.  often  named  Zebra  wood,  which  is  distinguishedby  its 
colour  from  nearly  all  other  woods  employed  in  cabinet  work. 

Violey  ebony,  or  rosewood. 

The  soft  woods  have  been  neglected  up  to  the  present.  Later 
on  many  species  will  be  included  in  this  category,  but  at  present 
little  commercial  interest  is  shown  in  them.  They  include. 

The  Fromager,  or  silk-cotton-tree,  used  in  Germany  for  cutting 
thin  sheets  which  are  mounted  on  one  anoter,  reversing  the  direc- 
tion of  the  fibres. 

The  Gombo-gombo,  the  best  parts  of  which  are  used  as  an  imita- 
tion of  cork,  rather  than  as  a  wood  ;  and  also  the  tulip-tree  of  the 
Gaboon. 

The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  exports  of  wood,  registered 
by  the  Customs  authorities,  between  the  years  1898  and  1913  : — 
1898,  2,886  tons  ;  1911,  102,240  tons  ;  1913,  150,688  tons  (value  : 
8,319,239  fr.).  The  results  obtained  in  so  short  a  period  are  very 
remarkable,  and  allow  one  to  hope  for  a  steadily  growing  market  for 
the  future. 


RUBBER. 


French  Equatorial  Africa  produces  rubber  which  is  entirely 
of  the  wild  varieties,  plantations  of  rubber  having  not  yet  been 
considered  in  the  colony. 

This  rubber  is  of  varying  botanic  origin. 

The  plant  rubber  is  extracted  from  the  rhizomes  of  the  Landol- 
phia  heudelotti,  L.  owaricnsis,  L.  davii  and  L.  thollonii. 

The  Ireh  rubber  is  obtained  by  bleeding  the  Funlumia  elastica. 

The  plant  rubbers  have  to  be  extracted  from  the  rhizomes.  The 
vines  themselves  are  frequently  destroyed  by  the  bush  fires,  and 
contain  little  or  no  latex,  compared  with  the  rhizomes.  This 
;rubber,  called  "  pounded  rubber,"  is  extracted  by  beating  the 
rhizomes,  and  is  of  less  value  than  that  obtained  by  bleeding. 

The  following  shows  the  increase  in  the  value  of  rubber  exports 
sfor  the  last  fifteen  years  :  — 

4896     ..         ..          546  tons     ..         ..     value        2,016,334  fr. 
'1912     ..         ..       1,901     — -         17,072,636   — 

The  whole  is  exported  by  the  Companies  holding  concessions, 
who  send  three  quarters  of  the  produce  to  Havre  and  one-quarter 
to  Antwerp. 


—  67 


PALM  OIL,  GUMS  AND  FIBRES. 

The  oil-bearing  palm  grows  abundantly  (Elms  guineensis  jacq) 
in  French  Equatorial  Africa.  The  natives  sold  the  product  prepared 
in  a  very  rudimentary  manner,  but  relinquished  its  cultivation  for 


Fig.  26.  —  Coffee  Tree,  of  Congo  four  years  old. 


that  of  rubber,  and  later  for  that  of  the  precious  woods,  in  spite  of 
the  eflorts  made  by  the  Administration  to  encourage  the  cultivation 
of  oil  palms.  There  are  at  present  several  very  important  installa- 
tions for  the  preparation  of  palm  oil  by  extraction  locally  from  the 
pulp  of  the  palm  fruit. 

The  exportation  of  the  oil  and  of  coconuts  from  the  colony  is 
hindered  for  want  of  economical  transport  by  water,  by  the  paucity 
of  the  population  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  groves  of  Elaxis 


—  68  — 

palms,  and  the  scarcity  of  independent  traders  in  those  districts. 
Only  76  tons  of  palm  oil  were  exported  in  1912.  It  is  true  that 
79  tons  were  exported  in  1910,  but  this  must  be  set  against  the 
166  tons  in  1896.  A  comparison  of  the  export  figures  for  the  last 
fifteen  years  is  a  proof  of  the  previous  assertion  that  the  natives 
now  devote  themselves  to  the  cultivation  of  rubber  and  to  felling 
forest  timber.  The  slight  decrease  in  1912  is  due  to  the  exceptional 
dryness  of  the  whole  winter  season,  and  this  applies  also  to 
the  yield  of  piassava,  of  coffee  and  of  cocoa. 

As  regards  coconuts,  they  exported  359  tons  in  1912,  against 
208  tons  in  1896. 

French  Equatorial  Africa  produces  gum  copal  of  various  qua- 
lities, the  botanic  origin  of  which  is  at  present  not  thoroughly 
understood.  There  are  two  species,  the  red  and  the  white.  They  are 
used  commercially  in  many  ways. 

It  is  supposed  I  hat  the  red  variety  is  exuded  from  the  wounds  in 
the  bark  of  the  Copaiba  Ma  nape  o  Kinitze  (Copaifera  mo  pane  Kirk), 
a  tree  which  attains  a  great  height  in  humid  districts  and  marshes 
and  which  is  encountered  in  the  forests  along  the  banks  of  the 
Congo  The  resin  which  exudes  from  these  trees  is  like  red 
blood  when  it  has  just  been  collected. 

The  origin  of  the  white  copal  is  known,  but  the  tree  which  pro- 
duces it  seems  on  the  point  of  disappearing.  The  gum,  too,  which  is 
collected  from  it  seems  of  very  ancient  origin.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
in  the  inundated  lands  of  the  Upper  Congo,  secretions  of  gum  have 
been  formed  at  the  foot  of  trees  which,  at  times  of  flood,  have  been 
washed  away  by  the  Congo  and  carried  down  to  the  sea.  In  the 
banks  of  alluvial  sand  in  the  river  are  fjund  numerous  pieces 
of  gum,  the  surfaces  of  which  are  worn  away  and  discoloured,  but 
which,  when  cleaned,  still  fetch  110  fr.  to  125  fr.  per  kilo, 
in  Europe. 

The  equatorial  forests  also  produce  other  oleaginous  plants,  such 
as  the  Irwinguin-Gaborensis,  from  which  is  made  k*  Sika  butter," 
the  arachide,  the  owala,  etc. 

The  fibre  called  "  piassava  "  is  extracted  from  the  nerves  of  the 
leaves  of  various  palms  of  the  <k  Raphis  "  species.  They  are  used  in 
common  brushmaking.  When  the  fibres  are  long  enough  they  are 
used  for  the  bristles  of  mechanical  sweepers.  Raphia  is  cultivated 
commercially  in  the  Gaboon. 

The  output  is  subject  to  considerable  variations.  Only  one  ton 
was  exported  in  1896,  rising  to  210  tons  in  1899  It  fell  to  49  tons 
in  1901  ;  was  288  in  1902  ;  then  20  tons  in  1905,  rising  to  253  tons 
in  1908  and  falling  to  40  tons  in  1912.  This  is  due,  as  above  mentio- 
ned in  connection  with  palm  nuts,  to  the  dryness  of  the  winter. 


—  69  — 


CULTIVATED   PRODUCTS. 

The  coffee  plant  exists  in  the  wild  state  in  many  parts  of  French 
Equatorial  Africa,  notably  in  the  islands  of  the  Congo,  the  Sangha 
and  the  Oubangui.  The  local  coffee  is  much  appreciated  by  connois- 
seurs, but  is  unknown  commercially,  and  is  affected  by  the  low  price 
of  Brazilian  coffee.  There  are  also  at  present  several  species  of 
coffee  acclimatised  in  French  Equatorial  Africa  which  have  to 
be  chosen  for  cultivation  in  accordance  with  the  soil  and  situation 
of  the  plantation.  There  are  several  coffee  plantations  in  the  south 
of  the  Colony. 

The  climate  and  soil  of  the  Gaboon,  identical  with  those  of  Ihe 
island  of  San  Thome,  seem  also  most  favourable  to  the  cultivation  of 
cocoa.  For  the  last  20  years  experiments  have  been  carried  out,  and 
at  present  there  are  54  European  exploitations  and  several  native 
ones.  These  represent  a  capital  of  not  less  than  50,000  francs, 
each,  and  several  reach  500,000  fr.  It  is  expected  that  in  1914  the 
exports  will  reach  140  to  150  tons,  as  this  is  the  period  when  the 
plantations  laid  down  with  so  much  care  in  1912,  should  begin  to 
produce. 

The  statistcal  figures  for  the  last  20  years  show  : — 


Year. 

Imports. 

Exporls. 

Totals. 

1892   .. 

3,160,945  fr.    . 

.       2,498,637  fr.   . 

.       5,659,582  fr. 

1902   .. 

5,819,609  —   . 

6,663,455  —  . 

.      14,483,064  — 

1912  .. 

19,987,455  —  . 

.     20,925,218    -   . 

.      48,922,673  — 

1913   . 

21,181,763  —   . 

.     36,487,988  —   . 

.      57,669,751  — 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  average  for  the  ten  years  from  1892 
to  1902  was  11, 500,000  fr.  and  that  that  of  1902  to  1912  34,500,000  fr., 
from  which  it  is  easily  gathered  that  the  progress  realised  was 
670  per  cent,  on  the  imports,  1,460  per  cent,  on  the  exports,  with 
an  average  of  1 ,017  per  cent. 

In  1911  the  trade  of  French  Equatorial  Africa  exceeded  in  impor- 
tance that  of  French  Guinea,  the  Ivory  Coast  and  Dahomey,  and 
was  just  half  that  of  Ihe  whole  Belgian  Congo,  the  superficial  area 
of  which  is  three-fold  larger. 


'0  — 


C.  —  Madagascar. 


GENERAL  AND  GEOGRAPHICAL  DETAILS. 

The  island  of  Madagascar  is  situated  between  S.  latitudes  11°57 
and  25°38,  and  between  E.  longitudes  40°55  and  48°7,  and  is  distant 
10,000  kilometers  from  France  and  400  km.  from  the  coast  of 
Africa,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Mozambique  Channel. 
Its  greatest  length  from  North  to  South  is  1,580  kilometers  and 
its  greatest  width  580  km.  It  has  a  superficial  area  of  580,000  square 
kilometers,  about  equal  to  the  superficial  area  of  France,  Belgium 
and  Holland  together.  The  population  consists  of  3,000,000  inhabi- 
tants. The  coast  line  is  5,000  kilometers. 

The  island  contains  three  well-defined  districts  :  the  central 
plateau,  the  coast  district  of  the  East,  washed  by  the  Indian  Ocean, 
and  the  district  of  the  plains,  sloping  gently  to  the  West  and  boun- 
ded by  the  Channel  of  Mozambique. 

The  average  height  of  the  central  plateau  is  from  1,000  to  1,200 
metres,  and  is  bordered  on  the  East  by  a  chain  of  mountains,  the 
highest  point  of  which  is  2,500  metres. 

The  coast  is  strewn  with  numerous  islands,  more  particularly 
on  the  North-West  coast.  The  two  most  important  of  these  islands 
are  Nossi  Be*  (22  km.  long  by  15  km.  across)  and  Ste  Marie  de 
Madagascar  (53  km.  long  by  4  km.  across). 

The  inhabitants  appear  to  be  of  Asiatic  origin.  They  are  akin  to 
some  neighbouring  races.  The  race  of  the  Hovas,  superior  to  the 
others,  is  at  the  same  time  more  numerous. 


CLIMATE. 

Madagascar  is  outside  the  torrid  zone,  but  nearly  all  over  the 
island  the  year  is  clearly  divided  into  two  seasons,  the  one  hot  and 
damp  and  the  other  cold  and  dry,  which  is  the  reverse  of  what  is 
usually  found  in  temperates  climates.  The  southern  part  of  the 
island,  which  is  very  dry,  is  almost  a  desert. 

The  region  of  the  plateaux  is  together  the  coldest  and  the 
healthiest  part  of  the  island.  The  West  coast  is  more  healthy  than 

*  Pronounce  Nossee  Ba. 


—  71  — 


<§>    C/>ef-/ieu  de  Colonic         .  • 
___   Chemin  de  fez*. 

„ »    „  projetd. 

t>.   Courd'Appe/ 
r>   Tribunal  de  I' Instance 
UM  Justice  de  feu*  a  competence etendue 
100  200KH 


Reproduction  mterdi 


Fig.  27.  —  Map  of  Madagascar. 


—  72  — 

the  East,  but  marsh-fever  rages  everywhere,  more  particularly  on 
the  coast,  and  hematuric  intermittent  fever  is  also  very  common. 
On  the  other  hand,  dysentery  is  very  rare, 


POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

Madagascar  was  visited  for  the  first  time  in  1506  by  a  Portuguese 
captain  named  ltuy  Pereira.  The  first  French  colonisation  occurred 
in  1638.  The  island  was  definitely  conquered  in  1895,  during  the 
reign  of  Ranavalona  III.  Since  189b'  Madagascar  has  been  a  French 
Colony,  and  is  administered  by  a  Governor- General,  assisted  by  a 
Council. 

The  principal  towns  are  Tananarivo,  which  is  situated  in  the 
middle  of  the  island  and  is  the  seat  of  the  Government ;  Tamatave, 
on  the  East  coast  :  Majunga,  on  the  west  coast ;  Diego-Suarez,  also 
a  port  on  the  northern  part  of  the  East  coast.  The  following  cities 
are  also  to  be  cited  :  on  the  East  coast,  from  North  to  South, 
Vatomandry,  Mananjary,  and  Fort-Dauphin  ;  and  on  the  West  coast, 
Morondava  and  Tulear.  Since  the  year  1912  the  archipelago  of  the 
Grandes  Gomores  has  beeu  attached,  politically,  to  Madagascar  and 
administered  from  there. 


MEANS  OF  COMMUNICATION. 

Madagascar  is  in  communication  with  Europe  : — 

First,  by  the  Messageries  Maritimes  Company.  There  are  two 
mails  monthly  between  Marseilles— Reunion — Madagascar — Mauri- 
tius and  back.  In  addition  there  are  monthly  postal  services  bet 
ween  the  North-West  coast  and  the  Comores,  the  South- West 
coast  and  Lourenco  Marques,  the  East  coast,  Tulear  and  Durban. 
The  time  occupied  in  the  voyage  from  Marseilles  to  Madagascar  is 
from  20  to  26  days. 

Second,  by  the  Havraise  Peninsulaire  Company,  which  have  orga- 
nised a  monthly  service  from  Havre,  via  Bordeaux  and  Marseilles, 
to  Madagascar,  Reunion  and  Mauritius. 

Third,  by  various  foreign  steamship  companies,  which  touch  at 
the  island  more  or  less  regularly,  the  most  important  of  which  is 
the  Deutsche  Ost-Afrika  Line. 

The  interior  of  Madagascar  possesses  a  single  railway  line,  about 
271  km.  in  length,  running  between  Tananarivo  and  Tamatave. 
Another  line,  of  about  160  km.,  is  actually  in  course  of  construction 


2^_AiiL 


—   74  — 

between  Tananarive-  and  Anlsinabe.  The  island  possesses  a  system 
of  roads,  served  by  the  following  motor  vehicle  services  : — 

Tananarivo  to  Fianarantsoa  (South  route). 

—  Mananjary      (        —         ). 

—  Miarimirivo    (        —         ). 

—  Mevatanana  (West  route). 

In  addition  a  certain  number  of  the  rivers  are  being  used  and  are 
undergoing  improvements. 


MINERAL  PRODUCTS 

Gold  is  found  all  over  Madagascar,  in  the  old  or  newer  water 
courses,  in  the  mountainous  regions,  and  in  veins  formed  for  the 
most  parts  of  auriferous  quartz.  The  metal  is  obtained  chiefly  by 
washing  in  a  *■*  battee"\  after  the  earth  has  been  separated  by 
means  of  a  sluice.  The  quartz  is  crushed  by  hand.  During  the 
last  few  years  the  annual  exportation  of  gold  has  risen  to 
Fr.  8,000,000.  Occasionally  the  gold  is  found  in  conjunction  with  a 
little  platinum. 

Precious  stones  are  also  to  be  found  in  the  island — tourmalines, 
beryl,  rubies,  sapphires, garnets,  chrysoprase,  chalcedony,  etc.  The 
amount  of  the  production  of  the  stones  found  is  about  300  kgr.  per 
year. 

Iron  is  plentiful,  and  exists  in  the  form  of  rich  strata,  which 
contain  neither  sulphur  nor  phosphorus,  but  have  manganese  and 
titanium.  It  has  been,  however,  little  worked. 

Copper,  lead,  zinc,  manganese  and  nickel  exist,  but  are  not 
worked.  On  the  other  hand,  graphite  is  regularly,  worked,  and  is 
exported  to  the  extent  of  3,000  tons. 


ANIMAL  PRODUCTS. 

The  most  important  wild  fauna  are  those  of  the  lemurida?  family, 
which  are  characteristic  of  this  region,  and  the  wild  boars,  which 
exist  in  great  numbers. 

Birds  are  plentiful,  and  there  is  a  good  deal  of  excellent  game, 
viz.,  ducks,  waterfowl,  teal,  quails,  larks,  etc.,  etc.  Turtles  and 
crocodiles  are  abundant.  The  rivers  are  full  of  fish.  Domestic  animals 

*  A  kind  of  wooden  cone  which  can  be  filled  at  2/3  of  auriferous  sand 
and  which  serves  to  wash  out  n  ithe  river  the  thinner  sandy  elements. 


io 


—  76  — 

are  numerous,  especially  oxen,  which  are  identical  with  the  Indian 
zebu  These  anhmils  generally  weigh  from  300  to  350  kgr.,  and 
their  height  varies  from  1  in.  20  lo  1  m.  30  from  the  withers.  They 
live  in  herds  of  50  to  100  head,  tended  by  a  cowherd. 

It  is  supposed  there  are  about  live  million  cattle  in  Madagascar. 
Some  of  them  are  deprived  of  their  horns  and  are  used  as  beasts 
of  burden.  They  are  also  fattened  for  food,  and  they  sometimes 
attain  the  weight  of  000  kgr.  In  the  interior  of  the  island  these 
cattle  form  an  important  article  of  commerce,  and  their  raw  hides 
are  exported  in  large  numbers.  In  11)11  the  value  of  the  hides  so 
exported  was  8,008,191  frs.  As.. regards  the  beasts  themselves, 
they,  are  exported  in  the  form  of  living  cattle,  or  as  chilled  or 
preserved  beef.  In  101  I  the  value  of  such  exports  reached  1.130.851 
francs.  These  are  all  sent  to  Marseilles,  Ueunion,  the  Comores, 
Central  Africa  and  the  Mozambique.  The  greater  part  of  the  exports 
is  made. up  of  living  cattle. 

Horses  have  been  raised,  especially  since  the  time  of  the  French 
colonisation.  Instead  of  the  300  horses  which  existed  on  the 
island  at  the  time  of  the  French  conquest,  there  are  now  2,000. 
The  following  stocks  have  been  introduced,  viz.,  Abyssinian, 
Australian,  Barbary  and  Tarban  among  the  stallions,  and  Tarban, 
Barbary,  Normandy,  Gamarguaiee,  Algerian,  Argentine,  Uruguayan, 
Australian  and  Abyssinian  among  the  mares.  These  animals  are 
seldom  all'ected  by  illness.  The  Austrian  stock  has  been  acclimatised 
in  the  South-We^t  of  Madagascar. 

Ostriches  were  introduced  in  1902  at  Tulear  and,  to-day,  this 
station  possesses  over  200  birds. 

The  raising  of  sheep  is  very  slightly  developed.  The  South  part 
of  the  island  is  particularly  favourable.  There  are  about20,000  sheep 
in  the  province  of  Tulear.  These  are  of  the  big-tailed  type  of  Asia 
and  Africa. 

Pigs  exist  only  on  the  central  table-land  of  the  island.  Their 
development  is  due  to  the  cultivation  of  the  manioc,  sweet  potatoes 
and  potatoes.  These  pigs  are  of  the  Asiatic  type,  and  are  black, 
with  rough  skins.  They  are  easily  kittened,  and  are  excellent  eating. 

Chickens  are  raised  in  large  quantities  in  Madagascar. 

Silkworm  breeding  could  be  made  most  successful  in  Madagascar, 
the  natives  having  proved  themselves  to  be  very  clever  in  this 
industry. 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS. 

Almost  the  whole  of  Madagascar  is  favourable  for  agriculture. 
The  plains  of  the  central  plateau,  fertilised  by  the  rains  of  the  bad 


i    T 


\% 


:W*m-W  * 


—  78  — 

season,  called  "  hivernage  ",  are  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of 
cereals,  and  also  for  mulberries.  The  East  and  North-West  coasts, 
whieh  have  a  tropical  climate,  are  good  for  growths  which  demand 
a  rich,  humid  soil.  The  West  coast,  hot  and  dry,  grows  coconut 
trees  and  rubber  plants. 

Besides  these,  the  natives  cultivate,  almost  universally,  rice, 
manioc  and  sweet  potatoes.  Rice  is  the  principal  culture  of  the 
natives.  In  the  middle  of  the  island  the  French  have  introduced 
fruit  trees  and  cereals. 

The  culture  of  rice  is  developing  largely.  From  1900  to  1908  the 
island  imported  800,000  frs.  worth  of  rice.  To-day  it  exports  over 
than  1,000,000  frs.  worth. 

Manioc,  which  is  easily  cultivated  in  the  greater  part  of  the 
island,  has  developed  as  an  article  of  export  in  the  same  way.  In 
the  last  few  years  from  12,000  to  13,000  tons  were  exported,  either 
raw  or  dried,  to  the  value  of  1,500,000  francs  ;  in  the  year  1912,  the 
output  was  raised  to 23,000  tons,  valued  to  3,000,000  francs. 

Sweet  potatoes  are  largely  cultivated  by  the  natives.  Maize, 
wheat,  barley  and  oats  are  also  cultivated  with  success,  thanks 
to  the  irrigation  in  the  central  plateau.  Also  sugar-cane. 

Cape  peas  (Phaseolus  lunatus)  are  cultivated  in  the  alluvial 
districts  of  the  river  deltas  in  the  South-VVest.  They  are  entirely 
exported  to  England  and  the  English  Colonies  of  Africa,  and  reach 
a  value  of  3,000,000  francs. 

The  growing  of  garden  vegetables  has  very  much  developed 
in  the  outskirts  of  the  towns,  and  especially  roud  Tananarivo, 
which  is  kept  abundantly  supplied  with  fresh  vegetables. 

Vanilla  is  cultivated  along  the  coast  between  Antalaba  and 
Farafangana;  also  in  Ste  Marie  and  the  Comores.  It  hns,  however, 
been  specially  developed  to  the  North  of  Maroansetra  and  Nossi  lie. 
The  exports,  which  ten  years  ago  were  only  170,000  francs,  are 
now  upwards  of  100  tons,  reaching  a  value  of  4,000.000  francs. 

Cloves  are  growrn  solely  on  the  small  island  of  Sainte-Marie  and 
the  coast  of  the  mainland  facing  it.  From  130  to  180  tons  are 
exported  annually,  to  the  value  of  250,000  to  350,000  francs. 

Coffee  is  grown  on  the  coast  and  in  the  district  of  Nossi  Be.  Up 
to  the  present  the  two  types  cultivated  are  the  Arabian  and  the 
Liberian.  The  first  variety  yields  the  best  quality  coffee.  The 
Liberian  is  less  esteemed  because  of  its  inferior  product.  Unfortuna- 
tely these  two  plants  suffer  severely  from  the  attacks  of  the  Hemi- 
leia  vastatrix.  A  species  introduced  during  the  last  few  years,  the 
Coffea  congmsis,  approaches  in  flavour  the  Arabian  coffee,  and 
successfully  resists  the  attack  of  this  fungus.  The  Colony  only 
exports  about  300  tons  per  annum.  The  plantations,  however,  are 
developing. 


—  79 


—  80  — 

Cocoa  has  been  imported  into  Madagascar  by  means  of  plants 
brought  from  Reunion,  and  is  found  in  the  coastal  districts  between 
Tanlatave  and  Mananjary,  which  are  favourable  to  its  cultivation. 
The.harvest  only  reaches  about  20  tons,  of  the  valueof  about  40,000 
francs. 

Copra  is  to  be  drawn  from  the  great  plantations  of  coconut  trees 
established  on  the  coast,  especially  in  the  North-West,  but  has  not 
yet  reached  the  productive  stage.  The  present  state  of  the  planta- 
tions, however,  augurs  very  favourably  for  a  good  yield. 

The  production  of  the  Essence  of  Ylang-Ylang  has  reached 
300  kilog.  in  1912.  The  introduction  of  the  plant  giving  this 
perfume  in  Reunion,  Nossy  Be  and  Mayotte,  has  brought  the  price 
down  from  1,500  francs  par  kilogramme  formerly  at  Manilla,  to 
330  francs  in  the  Metropolitan  market  at  present. 


FORESTS. 

Madagascar  possesses  10,000,000  hectares  of  forest,  being  nearly 
20  per  cent,  of  the  entire  surface  of  the  island.  These  forests  form  a 
continuous  belt  round  the  mountainous  region  of  the  island.  Leaving 
the  East  coast,  in  the  direction  of  the  high  table-land,  the  following 
is  to  be  noted  :  - 

1.  The  land  by  the  sea  is  covered  with  Cycas,  Pandanus,  or 
vakoa,  and  other  shrubs,  which  are  not  very  valued  from  a  com- 
mercial point  of  view.  It  is  in  this  region  that  the  coconut  and  filao 
fflourish. 

2.  The  smaller  forests,  which  are  much  more  fertile  than  the 
forests  of  the  more  elevate  I  regions,  commence  at  an  altitude  of 
50  to  60  metres,  and  include  growths  of  "  nato  ",  of  which  the 
bark,  used  in  painting,  gives  a  cachou  colour;  the  yellow  tama- 
rind the  wood  of  which  may  be  turned  ;  the  ebony  tree,  which 
attains  large  dimensions  on  the  sea  coast,  but  of  which  the  diameter 
diminishes  with  cultivation  ;  the  "  haramy  '',  which  is  used  for 
boat-making  ;  rosewood,  mahogany,  the  violet  ebon},  and  the 
"  hintsy  ". 

3.  On  the  edges  of  the  smaller  forests  and  in  the  basins  which 
they  form  one  finds  the  region  of  the  raphia. 

4.  The  region  of  the  ravinala  {Ravenala  Madagascariensis),  or 
travellers'  trees,  begins  about  50  metres  in  altitude  and  extends  to 
about  200  metres. 

5.  Starting  at  200  metres  high,  one  is  in  the  great  forest,  which 


contains  about  the  same  species  as  the  forest  of  the  high  table- 
lands;  the  hetatra,  which  is  an  excellent  wood  for  wheel-making 


—  81  — 

and  is  also  used  for  the  handbarrows  of  filanjana;  the  ambora, 
of  the  family  of  sandalwood  trees,  the  wood  of  which  was  reserved 
for  making  the  coftins  of  the  ancient  kings  of  the  Imerina  ;  the 
lalona,  a  cabinet  maker's  wood  ;  the  merana,  a  white  imputrescible 
wood,  which  makes  good  stilts  ;  the  angavodiana,  a  cabinetmaker's 
wood,  of  a  yellow  colour  enamelled  with  red  ;  the  varongy,  used 
for  parquet  flooring  and  panelling;  the  hintsy,  an  excellent  cabinet 
maker's  wood  ;  the  hazondrano,  a  joiner's  wood,  easy  to  work  ; 
the  voamboana  or  violet  ebony  ;  the  zahana,  a  wood  used  in  tan- 
ning ;  the  rangy,  veined  black  on  yellow,  and  employed  in  mar- 
quetry. Besides  the  valuable  species  and  the  woods  used  in  con- 
struction, the  forest  also  contains  rubber  vines,  colouring  and  medi- 
cinal plants. 

6.  Lastly,  the  sixth  region,  that  of  the  high  valleys  of  the 
Central  Plateau,  which  contain  the  same  species,  less  beautiful 
than  those  of  the  fifth  belt,  but  with  some  additional  varieties  used 
in  carpentering,  joining,  cabinet  making,  and  wheel  making. 

In  approching  the  Central  Plateau  by  way  of  the  West  coast,  one 
notices  the  following  : — 

1.  The  region  along  the  sea  shore  only  bears  Pa?idanns,  C^cas 
and  vakoa,  like  the  East  coast;  these  are  replaced  here  by  planta- 
tions of  mangroves,  which  border  all  the  estuaries  and  extend  a 
good  way  into  the  interior.  The  mangroves  include  one  or  two 
varieties  which  are  used  by  carpenters  (the  red  mangrove),  but  it  is 
chiefly  on  account  of  the  amount  of  tannin  they  contain  that  these 
trees  are  of  commercial  value. 

2.  The  second  region,  or  belt,  that  of  the  cliffs,  includes  the 
fan  palm,  which  is  used  by  the  natives  for  making  cabins;  the 
baobab,  which  has  no  constructional  value  on  account  of  the 
spongy  nature  of  the  wood  ;  the  raphia  ;  some  ravinala  on  the 
heights  ;  then  a  series  of  bushes,  amongst  which  is  the  voavontaka, 
the  mahabiba  (mahogany  nut),  and  the  lacticiferous  species,  the 
tamarind  and  the  voara. 

3.  The  third  belt  commences  at  the  first  line  of  hills,  and  here 
one  finds  again  the  trees  which  grow  on  the  East  coast  ;  the  lalona, 
the  hintsy,  the  merana,  the  varongy  and  the  hazondrano.  In 
addition  to  these  there  are  the  sohitsy,  the  voapaka  (for  joiners' 
work),  the  kindro,  the  tsimahely  and  the  vakakomanga  for  car- 
penters' work,  and  the  andrintsohihy  for  wheel-making. 

4.  The  fourth  region  possesses  only  isolated  groups  of  trees, 
found  at  the  bottom  of  the  valleys,  and  which  represent  the  same 
species  as  are  found  in  the  sixth  belt  already  mentioned.  This 
belt  extends  to  the  edge  of  the  Central  Plateau. 

The  almost  total  absence  of  arborescent  growths,  in  the  centre 
of  the  island,  is  due  to  the  nature  of, the  soil  and  to  the  dryness  of 

6 


—  82  — 

the  climate  which  prevails  for  six  or  seven  months  of  the  year. 
There  are,  however,  several  growths  of  trees  on  the  flanks  of  the 
Ankaratra,  as  well  as  some  forest  groups  between  South  Ambohi- 
manga  and  Haka.  More  important  wooded  tracts  are  found  on  the 
borders  of  the  b3tsileo  district. 

In  the  South  there  is  not  a  single  forest,  but  there  is  a  vegetation 
peculiar  to  itself.  In  this  country  grow  trees  which  are  completely 
bare  of  leaves,  such  as  the  cactus,  the  coral  trees,  and  the  intisy 
(a  Euphorbia  which  yields  rubber  latex). 

In  the  East,  the  limits  of  vegetation  are  clearly  defined,  com- 
mencing at  the  foot  of  the  Western  slope  of  the  Fort-Dauphin 
mountain. 

In  the  AVest  the  coral  tree  is  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Morondava,  while  the  intisy  is  not  found  till  one  reaches  the  Table 
mountain.  This  is  because  the  moisture,  and  the  rains  on  the  West 
coast,  diminish  as  one  approaches  the  South. 

The  timber  products  of  Madagascar  may  be  divided  into  five 
classes  : — 

Woods  used  in  cabinet-making. 

,,  ,,     marquetry  and  turning. 

,,     building. 

;,     wheel-making  and  carriage-building. 
,,  ,,     girders  (or  sleepers).  (Road-building  and  railways). 

Cabinet-making  Woods.  —  The  species  in  this  category  are  — 
ebony,  violet  ebony,  rosewood,  nato,  hintsy,  mango  and  ambora. 
There  are  four  varieties  of  ebony  :  the  ikirina,  which  gives  ebony 
of  the  highest  quality  ;  the  hazomainty  and  varavina,  giving  the 
second  quality  j  the  other  species  not  being  employed.  Rosewood  is 
found  in  the  coast  woods  on  the  Bay  of  Antongil.  The  violet  ebony, 
which  reaches  a  height  of  i5  metres,  with  a  girth  of  om.  50,  is 
found  in  large  number  in  the  Madagascar  forests. 

Mahogany  (rotramena)  in  also  very  plentiful. 

Woods  used  for  Marquetry  and.Turning.  —  1.  The  anjananjana, 
sufficiently  plentiful  in  the  Eastern  forests,  having  wood  of  a  rose- 
white  shade,  very  hard,  fine-grained  and  with  twisted  fibres. 

2.  The  manoka  has  a  very  dense  and  compact  texture,  and 
resembles  French  wood  in  colour. 

3.  Thezahana,  which  is  yellowish  and  very  close-grained. 

4.  The  harahara,  extremely  hard,  shaded  black  and  brown  on  a 
yellow  ground. 

Woods  for  Building.  —  There  are  numerous  species,  amongst 
which  are  the  lalona,  the  hazomena,  the  makambo,  the  merana, 
the  varongy,  the  volonborona,  etc. 


—  83  — 

Woods  for  Wheel-making.  —  The  most  notable  varieties  are 
the  fotona,  the  gavoala,  and  the  valaniranza,  sufficiently  common 
in  the  plantations  of  the  East  coast. 


Photo  D4peche  Coloniale. 
Fig.  32.  —  Funlumia  elastica  six  years  old. 


Road  and  Rail-building  Woods.  —  The  most  valuable  species 
grow  on  the  coast ;  the  asy,  the  hintsina,  the  vahona  and  the 
merana  ;  and,  in  the  more  elevated  regions,  the  vivaona,  the 
longotramena  and  the  herehitsika. 

The  exportation  of  cabinet-making  woods  does  not  exceed  a 
million  tons  a  year,  of  an  approximate  value  of  200,000  francs. 


84  — 


ADDITIONAL  PRODUCTS  OF  THE  FORESTS. 

Rubber.  —  The  Malgache  variety  of  rubber  is  furnished  by  trees 
and  vines.  The  trees  are  less  numerous  than  the  vines.  The  Southern 
part  of  the  island  produces  the  hinlisy,  and  the  forests  of  the  West 
and  East  the  mascarenhasia  family  (barabanja,  guidroa  and  hazon- 
drano).  The  numerous  varieties  of  vines  belong  almost  entirely  to 
the  Landolphia  species.  They  produce  twosorts  of  Malgache  rubber, 
known  as  "  Tamatnve  rose  "or  'l  pinky  ",  and  "Majunga  superior  ", 
sold  on  the  market  of  the  Colony,  the  former  at  5  to  8  francs  the 
kilo.,  and  the  latter  at  3  to  5  francs  the  kilo. 

The  progress  of  the  rubber  exports,  the  value  of  which  was 
onlv  550,000  francs  in  1902,  is  shown  by  the  increase  in  1906  to 
7,500,000  francs,  and  in  1910  to  9,000,000  francs.  This  result  is 
due  in  part  to  the  advance  in  the  market  price.  The  statistics  for 
1911  show  an  exportation  of  800  tons,  to  the  value  of  4  500,000 
francs.  This  reduction  was  due  to  the  restrictive  measures  taken 
by  the  Government  in  order  to  educate  the  native  to  methodical 
production. 

Mangroves.  —  The  bark  of  the  mangrove  is  very  rich  in  tannin, 
and  forms  the  object  of  intensive  cultivation.  The  densest  and 
richest  growths  are  found  on  the  West  coast,  in  the  districts  of 
Analalava,  Majunga,  Maintirano,  Marondava  and  Tulear.  In  1910 
the  exports  reached  30,000  tons,  value  2,700,000  francs,  and  in 
1911  53,000  tons,  valued  at  3,600,000  francs. 

Raphia. —  This  in  found  on  the  Northern  part  of  the  coast  of 
Madagascar  in  much  greater  abundance  than  on  the  East  coast. 
Almost  the  whole  of  the  raphia  exported  from  the  island  is  absorbed 
by  the  horticultural  and  agricultural  industries  in  France.  The 
annual  value  of  the  exports  to-day  is  3,400,000  francs. 

Locally  the  natives  are  making  hats,  blinds  and  everything  with 
the  raphia.  The  fibres  are  segments  of  the  young  leaves  of  the 
Raphia  Ruffia  Mart  Palm. 

Colouring  Products.  —  The  bark  of  a  large  number  of  the  trees 
of  Madagascar  possesses  colouring  matter.  The  most  interesting  of 
these  is  the  bark  of  the  sakoa  (Cythere  tree),  which  gives  a  light 
"  cachou  "  tint  of  remarkable  fixity. 

Animal  Wax  (Beeswax).  —  Among  the  forest  products  we  must 
include  the  beeswax  which  is  found  in  all  the  wooded  districts  of 
the  island.  About  500  tons  are  exported  every  year,  the  approximate 
value  of  which  is  1,500,000  francs. 


—  85  — 


D.  —  The  Reunion 


In  1913,  the  trade  of  the  colony  amounted  to  a  total  figure  of 
41,527,233  francs,  an  increase  of  about  6  millions  over  the  figures 
of  the  preceeding  years,  but  inferior  on  the  whole  to  the  transactions, 
of  tenyears  ago.  In  this  total  the  export  appear  for  16.592.290  francs. 


£    ChefJieu daCohme 

— —  Chemin  de  Fer. 

!>■  Courddppel. 

[>  Tr/buna/  de  /?/nstanC9 

■■  Justice  de  Paix 


Reproduction  tntandita. 


Fig.  33.  —  Map  of  Reunion. 


The  Sugar  Cane,  remains  still  the  principal  agricultural  product 
and  is  cultivated  in  some  places  up  to  and  at  times  above  an  altitude 
of  1 ,000  metres. 

In  1913  were  exported,  almost  entirely  to  France,  38,972  tons  of 
sugar,  with  a  value  of  8,870,288  francs.  To  France  also  is  exported 
Rum,  viz  :  3,694,824  litres  estimated  1,128,162  francs. 

After  sugarcane,  the  cultivation  of  Vanilla  takes  second  place  in 
importance,  and  faces  energeticaly  the  competition  of  the  chemicaly 
produced  vanilline.  Here  are  the  quantities  exported  in  1913: 
61.971  kilos,  valued  1,749,822  francs. 

Among  the  plants  producing  the  essences,  the  Geranium  rosat 


—  86  — 

{Pelargonium  capilalum)  has  reached  for  several  years  a  conside- 
rable cultural  development  and  somewhat  out  of  proportion  with 
the  requirements  of  the  market. 

The  export  of  geranium  essence  lias  reached  in  191 3, 37,390  kilos, 
with  a  value  of  1,851:652  francs. 

The  cultivation  of  Ylang-Ylang  (Cananga  Odorala)  has  extended 
equally,  and  the  ylang  essence  exported  shows  the  figure  of 
1,743  kilos  with  a  value  of  210,605  francs.  The  Vetiver  essence 
comes  in  for  1,846  kilos  valued  107,933  francs. 

The  Manioc  is  cultivated  in  its  sweet  varieties  on  the  coast  and 
also  at  low  altitudes.  Tapioca  in  lumps  was  exported  to  France, 
2,167  tons  in  1913  with  a  value  of  640,940  francs.  The  manufac- 
tures of  fecula  contributed  also  to  the  trade  598  tons  of  fecula  value 
16,904  francs. 

Preserved  fruits  appear  in  the  statistics  for  31  tons,  estimated  at 
24,608  francs.  The  European  vegetables  and  fruit-trees  grow  in  high 
altitudes,  where  barley  and  oats  can  also  be  cultivated. 

The  Arabian  Coffee-  Tree  formerly  so  largely  cultivated  and  pro- 
ducing the  well  liked  coffees  known  as  "  native  coffee",  M  Leroy 
coffee",  "Bourbon  pointu  ",  has  decreased  largely  on  account  of 
the  attacks  of  the  "  hemileia  "  and  the  substitution  of  the  more 
robust  4t  liberia  "  variety  has  not  been  sufficient  to  compensate  for 
the d efficiency.  In  1913  the  export  was  8  tons,  value  33,788  francs. 

The  Clove-Tree  and  the  Nutmeg-Tree  are  more  and  more  aban- 
doned ;  cloves  after  having  reached  11  tons  in  1904.  the  quantity 
exported  in  1913  went  down  to  1,090  kilos  valued  1,363  francs. 

Among  the  textile  fibre  plants,  the  planters  at  Reunion  give  the 
preference  to  the  cultivation  of  Green-Aloe  [Fourcroga  Gigantea), 
111  tons  of  fibres,  value  54,765  francs  were  exported  in  1913.  The 
Chou-Chou  straw  (Sec/iium  edule)  used  for  hat-making  shows  an 
export  of  38  tons  value  58,255  francs. 

The  duality  of  the  climatic  conditions  in  the  western  and  eastern 
parts  of  the  island,  as  well  as  the  topographical  relief  which  creates 
various  zones  of  altitude  permits  the  cultivation  of  a  large  variety 
of  vegetables  and  industrial  plants. 


—  87  — 


E.  —  The  French  Somalis  Coast 


The  torrid  climate  and  relative  scarcity  of  water  prevent  the 
development  of  any  large  agricultural  exploitation. 

Commerce  consists  almost  entirely  of  goods  in  transit  for  the 
hinterland.  Plantations  of  date-trees,  coco-trees  and  cotton  promise 
to  give  a  good  result,  as  well  as  some  experiments  made  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  tobacco  and  sorgo.  Market  gardening  is  practised  in  the 
Ambouti  valley,  at  a  few  kilomitres  from  Djibouti  which  provides 
a  market. 


V.  FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS 
IN  ASIA 


A.  —  French  Indochina. 


French  I  ado-China  is  essentially  agricultural.  Its  export  trader 
of  a  total  of  346  millions  francs,  is  supplied  to  the  amouatof  84  per 
ceot,  by  the  products  of  the  soil,  either  as  raw  material  or  as  par- 
tially manufactured. 

The  variety  and  abundance  of  the  products  of  the  soil,  those  in 
particular  produced  by  agricultural  labour,  are  due  to  the  diversity 
in  soil  and  climate  conditions  of  a  territory  situated  between  90  N. 
lat.  and  22°  N.  lat.  covering  an  area  of  720,000  square  kilometres 
and  with  altitudes  rising  to  2,000  metres  in  the  am  ram  chain  of 
mountains,  which  form,  as  it  were,  the  backbone  of  this  vast  tract 
of  land  crossed  by  an  enormous  network  of  rivers. 

Cochinchina,  Cambodia,  Annam,  Tongking  and  Laos  (beside  the 
enclosure  of  Kouang-Tcheow-Wan)  form,  from  south  to  north,  a 
series  of  territories,  passing  from  the  tropical  to  the  sub-tropical 
zone-there  in  the  deltas  of  large  rivers,  which  compose  the  greater 
part  of  Cochinchina  and  Tongking,  is  the  great  centre  of  success 
ful  agricultural  enterprise-outside  the  deltas  and  alluvial  regions, 
bordering  the  great  rivers  and  streams,  where  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil  is  carried  on,  we  find  either  more  or  less  dense  forest,  or  else 
the  brushwood  of  the  primitive  forest,  which  covers  wide  areas, 
and  provides  also  several  wild  crops  which  appear  in  the  commer- 
cial exchanges,  and  represent  considerable  value.  The  exceptional 
mineral  wealth  of  Tongking  and  the  promising  outlook  for  the 
same  in  Laos,  makes  Indo  China  a  country  of  economic  wealth  and 
varied  resources,  with  every  right  to  look  forward  to  a  prosperous 
future. 


—  89  — 


—  90  — 

For  the  agricultural  colonist,  the  centre  of  activity  to-day  is 
Cochinchina  ;  for  mining  operations  Tongking  ;  and  for  cattle  pro- 
duction Cambodia-Annam  will,  sooner  or  later,  be  the  country  for 
the  agricultural  colonist.  It  is  also  the  country  that  offers  the 
closest  analogy  with  the  favourable  conditions  existing  in  Java. 

The  chief  product  of  French  Indo-China,  speaking,  generally  is 
rice.  The  size  of  the  crop,  assured  as  it  is  by  the  rice  fields  of 
Cochin  China  and  Tongking,  gives  Indo-China  the  second  place 
among  rice  exporting  countries,  Burma  occupying  the  first  place, 
During  the  period  1899-1908  the  average  annual  amount  exported 
by  Cochin  China  alone  was  820,000  tons  (which  produces  annually 
2  1/2  million  tons),  and  the  figure  of  1  million  tons  for  the  whole 
of  Indo-China  has  been  exceeded  already  in  certain  years. 

The  rice  of  the  plains  {Oryza  Saliva  L.)  exists  in  nearly  200  varie- 
ties, forming,  for  commercial  purposes,  three  chief  groups  :  the 
Gocong,  the  Vinhlong  and  the  Baixau,  according  to  the  form  and 
the  size  of  the  grain. 

The  ruling  prices  of  Indo-China  rice  in  the  markets  of  Europe 
are  lower  than  those  of  rice  from  Java  and  Burmah.  One  reason 
is  found  in  the  insufficient  sorting  before  the  "  paddy  "  passes  to 
the  millstones  of  the  rice  plantations. 

All  the  rice  fields  of  Cochin  China  are  at  Cholon,  which  is  an 
industrial  sister  town  to  Saigon,  and  most  of  them  are  in  the  hands 
of  the  Chinese  mill-owners.  The  largest  trade  in  rice  is  with  China. 
The  Cochin  China  rice  fields  produce,  on  an  average,  2.000  kilogr. 
of  "  paddy"  per  hectare.  The  Cochin  China  delta  has  still  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  hectares  that  could  be  turned  into  rice  fields. 
Progress  may  be  anticipated  when  quality  and  quantity  have  been 
improved  and  increased  as  a  result  of  research  wrork,  bearing  on 
the  selection  of  seeds,  the  uses  of  manures,  and  motoculture. 

Numerous  varietis  belong  to  the  group  known  as  glutinous 
rices  (Oryza  glutinosa  L),  which  are  used  chiefly  in  the  manufacture 
of  the  native  brandy  commonly  called  choum  choum,  which  plays 
an  important  part  in  the  food  of  the  Annam  natives.  The  interior 
tribes  cultivate  "  mountain  rice  "  (Oryza  Montana  L.)  either  on 
terraced  irrigated  hillsides,  or  else  sown  broadcast  in  the  forest 
clearings.  "  Floating  rice  "  is  an  aquatic  species  cultivated  on 
certain  alluvial  plains,  mostly  inundated.  It  grows  on  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  its  stem  may  be  many  metres  in  length.  The 
harvesting  is  accomplished  by  means  of  boats. 

The  Government  has  undertaken  and  is  now  carrying  through 
important  agricultural  water  works  calculated  to  assure  the  future 
success  of  rice  culture,  and  also  to  encourage  its  extension. 

The  cultivation  of  maize  has  developed  very  rapidly  within  a 
few  years  in  Indo-China.  In  1904,  114  tons  were  exported,  and  in 


91   - 


q 

a 

X! 

<3 


s 

1 

s 


—  92  — 

1913  there  were  134,000  tons.  The  figures  average  about  88,000  tons 
a  year,  and  the  grain  is  grouped  in  three  principal  varieties, 
Tongking,  Annam,  and  Cochin  China,  some  of  these  being  produ- 
ced from  mountain  varieties. 

The  coflee  tree  is  extensively  cultivated,  chiefly  in  Tongking, 
where  the  planters  have  given  their  attention  to  Coffea  arabica. 
In  Cochin  China  and  in  Cambodia  Coffea  liberica  is  cultivated, 
being  better  adapled  to  the  climate.  The  Arabian  coffee  tree, 
contrary  to  what  is  true  in  other  localities,  suffers  much  less  there 
from  Hemileia  vaslatrix  than  from  the  "  borer  ".  This  latter  pest, 
however,  is  not  likely  to  interfere  with  successful  cultivation  in 
the  future.  For  the  Southern  planters  Coffea  robitsta  commends 
itself  at  present,  and  is  accordingly  cultivated.  Tongking  colfee 
commands  good  prices  in  the  market  on  account  of  its  flavour 
when  it  has  been  carefully  grown  and  prepared.  The  annual  amount 
exported  exceeds  200  Ions. 

The  teas  from  Annnm  and  Tongking,  are  chiefly  grown  on  native 
plantations,  and  the  need  of  developing  this  culture  is  clear  when  it 
is  remembered  that  Indo-China  imports,  annually,  about  1,500  tons 
for  local  consumption.  In  1911  the  wine  exports  amounted  to  559 
tons. 

The  pepper  tree  is  also  cultivated,  principally  on  the  shores  of 
the  Gulf  of  Siam  in  the  provinces  of  Halien  and  Kampot,  and  in 
the  island  of  Phu-quoc.  Black  and  white  pepper  are  prepared.  The 
over-production  of  G. 000  to  7,000  tons  lowered  prices  a  few  years 
ago,  but  the  beneficial  restoration  of  the  Customs  Duty  on  all  over 
2,500  tons  reduced  the  quantity  exported  in  1913  to  4,179  tons, 
which  still  exceeds  the  demand  of  the  Metropolis. 

Since  the  Brussels  Convention  the  production  of  sugar  has 
fallen  off,  and  the  quantities  exported  have  dropped  to  a  few 
thousand  tons  chiefly  consigned  to  China.  The  sugar  cane,  which 
is  cultivated  only  by  the  natives,  is  the  "  little  cane ''  of  China, 
very  rich  in  sugar,  but  not  very  juicy,  and  not  giving  its  full  yield, 
owing  to  the  still  primitive  methods  of  extraction. 

The  tobacco  plant  is  cultivated  in  all  the  inhabited  parts  of 
the  country,  but  wholly  for  home  consumption.  It  varies  greatly  in 
quality,  and  the  plants  growing  on  old  forest  soil  are  reputed  the 
best.  The  cultivation  on  a  larger  scale,  with  approved  methods, 
and  with  well  selected  varieties,  would  undoubtedly  give  remune- 
rative results. 

Silk-worm  culture  develops  from  year  to  year,  thanks  to  official 
encouragements,  which  include  bonuses  on  exports  and  the  free 
distribution  of  more  than  three  millions  of  selected  hatchings  of 
silk-worms  per  annum.  The  mulberry  tree  is  cultivated  in  several 
varieties  of  Eastern  Orient,  especially  on  alluvial  river  soils. 


93 


The  long  list  of  native  plants  includes  among  the  esculents  : 
manioc  (sweet  and  bitter);  arrowroot,  soya,  taros,  yams,  sweet 
potatoes,  peas,  beans,  etc.,  in  numerous  varieties. 

Among  the  oil  yielding  products  \\\q  coconut  is  found  in  Annam 
and  in  Cochin  China  ;  the  statistics  for  1913  show  5,645  tons  of 
copra  exported .  There  are  about  30  varieties.  The  ricinus  (castor 
oil  plant),  the  earth  nut  and  sesame  are  cultivated  in  different 
places,  as  well  as  the  Camellia  drupifera. 


Photo  Depdche  Coloniale. 
Fig.  36.  —  Birmane  dedler. 


Of  cultivated  tinctorial  plants,  indigo  alone  remains,  though  it 
is  more  and  more  threatened.  On  the  other  hand,  the  wild  forest 
tinctorial  plants  are  numerous,  and  one  of  them,  the  cunao,  is  the 
staple  of  an  important  trade  with  Tongking  and  North  Annam. 

The  aromatic  plants  cultivated  for  trade  purposes  are  citronnelle, 
lemon-grass,  and  ylang-ylang. 

The  products  obtained  from  the  cultivation  of  plants  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  stimulants  include  the  areca  nut  and  the  betel 
nut,  chiefly  home  consumed.  The  wild  cinnamon,  grown  in  the 
mountains  of  Annam,  is  the  Cinnamomum  cassia,  or  China 
cinnamon,    in  which  there  is  a  good  export   trade  with  China, 


—  94  — 

Certain  of  its  superior  qualities  securing  for  it  extraordinarily 
high  prices  Some  vanilla  is  grown.  Cacao  is  not  cultivated, 
though  in  many  parts  of  the  South  the  conditions  are  highly 
favourable  to  its  growth.  Several  different  kinds  of  cardamom 
are  harvested,  either  as  wild  crop  in  the  forest  lands,  or  as  a 
cultivated  crop. 

The  anise  seed  plant  {Illicium  verum),  which  yields  the  essence 
of  aniseed  or  Indian  anise,  is  a  special  product  of  North  Tongking. 
The  camphor  tree,  formerly  common  in  the  plantations  of  Tong- 
king, is  well  nigh  exterminated  ;  its  cultivation  is  now  contemplated 
in  other  parts  of  the  territory  with  every  chance  of  success.  The 
lacquer  tree  (Rhus  venticifera)  is  also  cultivated  in  Tongking,  the 
latex  rivalling  that  obtained  in  Cambodia  from  Melannorhea 
lacclfera.  Tongking  also  produces  China  wood  oil,  a  wood  oil 
obtained  from  almonds  (Aleuriles  cordala  and  A  molluccana),  also 
sometimes  cultivated  as  shade  trees  in  the  coffee  plantations. 

It  would  take  too  long  to  enumerate  here  the  many  cultivated 
species  of  fruits  and  edible  plants  forming  part  of  the  native  utili- 
tarian flora,  nor  is  it  possible  to  do  more  than  indicate  the  existence, 
among  the  spontaneous  flora,  of  plants  useful  in  commerce  such 
as  benzoin,  gamboge,  stick-lacquer,  gums,  copals,  resins,  wood  oils, 
rattans,  dye  woods,  etc.,  which  form  part  of  the  richly  varied 
forest  flora,  sold  for  profit  by  the  mountain  tribes  of  the  interior. 

There  must,  however,  be  added  to  the  above  some  particulars, 
necessarily  brief,  relative  to  the  production  of  rubber  and  textiles, 
which  are  the  special  object  of  the  Exhibition  in  London. 

The  cultivation  of  rubber  in  Lndo-China  dates  back  18  years. 
The  first  commercial  undertakings  were  those  made  with  the  wild 
creepers,  numerous  species  of  which  are  found  in  the  forests  of 
the  Peninsula  from  north  to  south.  These  creepers,  belonging 
mostly  to  the  family  ApocyneaB,  are  chiefly  species  of  the  genera 
Ecdysanlhera,  Meiodinus,  Paramenia,  Parabarium,  Xylinabariay 
Chonemorpha,  Micrechites,  Bousiyonia,  etc.,  and  give  a  product 
possessing  good  c»  nerve  ",  but  whose  good  name  was  almost  ruined 
by  the  cupidity  of  the  native  gatherers — as  is  generally  the  case 
everywhere — by  their  adulterations  with  other  latex. 

The  third  part  of  Indo-China  in  the  south,  comprising  Cochin 
China,  Cambodia,  a  part  of  Laos  and  of  Annam,  offers  excellent 
conditions  for  the  cultivation  of  rubber  trees,  and  there  are  estab- 
lished, and  conti  n  ue  to  be  established ,  fine  plantations  now  approach- 
ing the  period  of  full  bearing.  The  region  of  the  laterites  or  "  red 
lands  ",  is  specially  favourable,  from  the  point  of  view  of  climatic 
and  soil  conditions.  The  merit  of  the  remarkable  financial  effort 
realized  in  these  splendid  enterprises  goes  to  the  local  French 
colonists.  All  the  plantations  are  cultivating  the  Hevea;  some  are 


95  — 


Reproduction  interd/ts- 


Fig.  37.  —  Map  of  Indochina. 


—  06  - 

endeavouring  to  add  the  Manihot  dicholoma  and  the  M.  pyauhensis. 
The  Manifwt  Glaziovii  and  the  Casltlloa  elaslica  are  abandoned. 

The  Hevea  not  finding  in  the  north  the  conditions  favourable  to 
its  cultivation — normally  its  northern  limit  must  seemingly  not  be 
beyond  the  parallel  In0  N.  latitude — certain  planters  in  Tongking 
have  been  trying  the  Ficus  elastica.  \t  has  certainly  a  less  remune- 
rative yield,  but  it  finds  in  these  parts  conditions  that  can  be 
compared  with  those  in  Assam. 

Jn  1913  the  amount  of  rubber  exported  was  214  tons,  and  this 
quantity  will  rapidly  increase  in  the  statistics  that  will  follow. 

The  group  of  plants  producing  wool  or  textile  fibres  comprises 
several  species  both  cultivated  and  wild. 

The  cotton  plant  is  only,  cultivated  by  the  natives,  especially 
in  the  two  centres  of  production,  in  Cambodia  and  in  Than-hoa 
(Annam),  the  first  producing  a  variety  of  curled  cotlon  very  much 
sought  after  by  the  weavers  of  Japan,  and  the  second  a  short  silk 
cotton  bought  by  the  Chinese.  In  1913  the  exports  were  3,434  tons 
of  cotton  wool,  and  6.459  tons  of  cotton  not  ginned.  This  culture  is 
destined  to  increase  with  the  progress  of  agricultural  hydraulic 
installations. 

The  enterprise  in  both  cultivated  and  wild  Kapok  increases.  The 
Eriodendron  anfractuosum  is  found  in  the  South,  and  the  Bombax 
Ceiba  in  the  North. 

Jute  (Corcfiorus  olltorius  and  C.  capsularis)  as  well  as  ramie 
(Boehmeria  nivea  and  B.  lenacissima)  are  cultivated  by  the  natives. 
Plantations  of  Agaves  are  worked  by  Europeans  in  Tongking  and 
in  Annam. 

In  conclusion  the  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  species, 
spontaneous  and  cultivated,  to  be  noted  as  growing  in  Indo-China  : 

A.  Cottons,  cultivated.  Kapok,  cult,  and  spont.  Coconuts,  Coir, 
cult.  Dicksonia  barometz  or  Kimas,  fern  fibre,  spont.  Wrightia 
mollissima,  seed  wool,  spont. 

B,  Jute,  cult.  Ramie,  cult,  and  spont.  Agave,  cult,  and  spont. 
Manilla  hemp,  cult,  experimental.  Bananas,  wild  and  cult.  Pine- 
apples, cult.  Hemp  (Cannabis  indica),  cult.  Callotropis  giganiea, 
spont.  Crotalaria,  several  varieties,  cult,  experimental.  Sanseviera, 
several  varieties,  cult,  experimental.  Abro ma  augusla,  pont.  Four- 
croya  gigantea,  cult,  experimental.  Abutilon  indicum,  spont.  Sida 
Carpinofolia,  spont.  Hibiscus  tiliaceus,  spont.  Theopesia  populnea, 
spont. 

G.  Various  products,  palm  fibres,  fibres  from  bractea  and 
piassava  (Caryota  iirens  ;  Livistona  sinensis ;  Corypha,  Nipa, 
Chamaerops,  Borassus  JAcuala,  etc.),  the  bark  of  the  Anliaris 
toxicaria,  the  Slerculia  and  sundry  creepers,  etc. 

Indo-China  possesses  abundant  raw  materials  suitable  for  the 


97 


manufacture  of  paper  pulp — several  species  of  Daphne  and  Brousso- 
nelia,  whole  tracts  of  Slreblus  asper,  of  Calophyllum,  and  immense 
areas  covered  with  grass (Imperala  Koenigii)  and  with  bamboo. 


The  profitable  cultivation  of  such  varied  resources  increases 
from  year  to  year,  ajs  is  proved  by  the  figures  given  in  commercial 
statistics, according  to  which  the  export  trade  has  more  than  trebled 
during  the  last  15  years. 


98 


B.  —  French  Settlements  in  India. 


The  totnl  of  the  General  trade  in  Mir  french  settlements  in  India 
reached,  in  1913,  the  highest  figure  of  the  Inst  sixty  years  viz  : 
54,557,210  francs.  The  total  of  the  export  comes  in  for  43  720,095 
francs. 


Fig.  39. 


fieproductonint£P</  * 
Map  of  French  Settlements  in  Indian. 


The  geographical  and  economic  situation  of  this  territory  is 
such  that  native  products  account  for  only  10*,993,065  francs.  The 
greater  part  of  the  provisions  and  merchandise  heing  reexports  and 
in  transit. 


VI.  FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS 
IN  AMERICA. 


A-  *m  Saint-Pierre  and  Miquelon. 


The  general  trade  of  Saint-Pierre  and  Miquelon  amounted  in  1913 
to  a  total  figure  of  10,585,543  francs,  of  which  6,201,798  francs 
went  for  exports. 

Of  this  last  figure  5,590,187  francs  are  represented  by  fishing- 
products,  detailed  as  follow  ;  salted-cod  (mprue  verte),  9,759  tons, 
valued  5,074,685  francs,  dried-cod  599  tons,  value  383,416  francs, 
herrings  and  micellaneous  231  tons,  value  80,624  francs  rogues  de 
morue  (bait)  163  tons,  value  80,624  francs,  cod-liver,  cod-liver-oil, 
89  tons  value  24,272  francs.  Canned  (ish,  lobsters,  etc.,  1,131  kilos 
value  4.618  francs.  An  important  part  of  the  dried  cod  is  exported 
to  the  french  colonies  (456  tons)  and  to  Canada  (70  tons). 


B.  —  Antilles. 


GUADELOUPE  ANJ}  MAftTItflQUE. 

Martinique  and  Guadeloupe  are  essentially  agricultural  countries. 
The  climatic  conditions  and  the  geological  constitution  of  Ihe  soil, 
mostly  made  of  decomposed  volcanic  elements,  are  favourable  to 
the  tropical  cultivation  up  to  an  altitude  of  nearly  1,000  melres. 


—  100  — 

The  yield  of  these  old  colonies  steadily  decreased  during  twenty 
years,  until  1910,  when  the  commercial  activity  revived  in  a 
remarkable  way,  after  having  shown  in  1909,  the  extreme  mini- 
mum of  the  last  sixty  years  for  the  trade  of  Guadeloupe. 

In  1913  the  trade  of  Guadeloupe  amounted  to  a  total  figure  of 
38,462,419  francs;  and  that  of  Martinique  to  51,041,129  francs; 
showing  respectively  a  decrease  of  7,145,999  francs  and  of  1.002,627 
francs  on  the  figures  of  the  preceeding  year. 


THE  GUADELOUPE. 

The  total  of  the  export  trade  reached  18,287,489  francs  in  1913. 

Of  these  exportations  the  products  of  the  sugar  cane  take  first 
place  in  importance.  In  1913  the  exports  of  cane  sugar  reached  a 
total  of  27,000  tons  metric,  with  a  value  of  7  millions  of  francs. 
This  shows  a  decrease  in  comparison  to  the  years  1904  and  1905 
which  showed  a  production  of  36,000  and  28,000  tons  respectively. 
But  this  decrease  is  easily  accounted  for  by  the  competition  of  the 
beet  sugar  in  Europe. 

At  present  the  planters  are  selecting  better  varieties  of  cane,  and 
giving  more  care  to  the  process  of  extraction  than  ever  before. 

The  molasses  shipped  come  to  595  tons  with  a  value  of  82,467 
francs. 

The  rum  shipped  in  1913  reached  10,000  tons  with  a  value  of 
3,971.333  francs,  a  figure  which  is  over  three-fold  more  than  that 
of  1905. 

The  cultivation  of  the  coffee- tree  is  chiefly  practised  in  the 
country  of  medium  altitude,  that  is  to  say  200  metres  above  sea 
level,  and  it  has  not  yet  reached  the  development  that  it  might 
acquire  as  additional  to  that  of  the  cane.  The  kind  cultivated  is 
the  Arabian  coffee-tree  the  "  Liberia  ",  being  used  solely  for  the 
purpose  of  grafting.  In  1913  the  colony  has  exported  1,381  tons 
of  coflee  in  beans  with  a  value  of  3,667,601  francs,  figures  higher 
to  those  of  the  year  1905 

The  cultivation  of  the  cocoa-tree  has  been  steadily  increasing 
during  twenty  years   It  has  developed  chiefly  in  Guadeloupe  itself. 

The  statistics  of  1913  show  an  export  of  948  Ions  of  cacao  beans 
with  a  value  of  1,682.232  francs;  this  quantity  is  some  hundred 
tons  largerthan  the  export  of  the  preceeding  years. 

Amongts  the  aromatic  plants  and  spices,  the  nutmegs,  peppers 
and  clove  were  exported  in  small  quantities  and  together  with 
cinnamon,  the  production  of  which  is  steadily  increasing,  has 
reached  7,086  kilos  with  a  value  of  5,210  francs. 


—  101 

The  vanilla  and  the  vanillon  which  are  cultivated  in  "  Basse- 
Terre  "  vary  greatly  in  quantity  from  one  year  to  another  ;  in  1899 
there  was  exported  24  tons  and  in  1913  20  and  a  half  tons  with  a 
value  of  400,696  francs. 

The  business  of  fruit  growing  which  has  obtained  such  a  rapid 
development  in  the  neigsbouring  foreign  colonies,  ih  not  yet  quite 
so  prosperous  as  one  could  wish,  although  a  notable  progress  has 
been  made.  In  1913  the  exportation  of  bananas  was  II  tons  worth 
1.331  francs;  the  agrumes  228  kilos  with  a  value  of  49  francs, 
fresh  pine-apples  318  kilos  value  439  francs  and  canned  pine-apples 
46,869  kilos  with  a  value  of  83,313  francs.  The  cocoa-nuts  repre- 
sent 10,640  kilos  value  575  francs. 


Fig.  40.  —  Basse-Terre. 

The  cultivation  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree  for  the  production  of  the 
coprah  does  not  seem  to  be  likely  to  reach  any  considerable  deve- 
lopment. 

The  starch  producing  vegetables  such  as  yams,  sweet  potatoes 
choux-caraibes  (youtea),  manioc,  arrow-root  are  chiefly  used  for 
the  local  consumption  and  small  quantities  of  tapioca  and  arrow- 
root appear  among  the  export. 

The  trafic  of  the  dyeing  plants  is  rapidly  decreasing. 

The  prepared  rocou  gave  in  1913,  61  tons  with  a  value  of  24,418 
francs 

The  woods  for  cabinet  making  show  an  export  of  59  tons,  value 
5,897  francs. 

Among  the  other  products  worth  of  notice,  the  volatile  oils  and 
tin1   essences  come  in  for  1,039   kilos,  value   16,429   francs;  the 


—  10-2  - 

liquid  citric  acid  fell*  317  kilos  value  3,030  francs  and  the  woven 
work,  matting  and  the  straw  for  hat  making  show  1,200  kilos  Vaiiie 
7,200  francs.  Among  the  Cultivation  in  Which  Guadeloupe  could 
give  a  certain  development  are  tobacco  and  the  plants  for  perfu- 
mery purposes. 

THE  MARTINIQUE 

The  export  trade  of  Martinique  for  1913^  shows  a  total  figure  of 
28,896,814  francs,  an  increase  over  the  statistics  for  the  years 
anterior  to  1884 ;  nevertheless,  this  total  is  greater  than  that  of  the 


Fig.  44.  —  Fort  de  France. 


Photo  Juvanon. 


year  1904.  the  inferiority  of  which  is  accounted  for  by  the  damage 
caused  to  the  island  by  the  St.  Pierre  earthquake  of  1902. 

As  in  Guadeloupe,  the  sugar-cane  is  the  main  agricultural  wealth 
of  this  island. 

In  1913,  Martinique  exported  to  the  mother-country  40,138  tons 
of  raw  sugar,  with  a  value  of  12,325,651  francs,  and  18,823  tons 
of  rum,  with  a  value  of  12,093,095  francs. 

the  increase  of  rum  is  particularly  important  showing  a  diffe- 
rence of  75  0/0  in  1913  over  the  yield  of  1905. 

In  order  of  importance  the  cultivation  of  the  cocoa-tree  comes 
next,  with  an  export  of  cocoa  in  beans  of  525  tons,  with  a  value  of 
1,071,033  francs. 

The  coffee  in  beans  appear  in  1913  with  10  ton?  value  26,789 


—  103  — 

francs;  this  relatively  small  quantity  demonstrate  that  the  com- 
mercial denomination  oF  ,c  Martinique  "  cotfee  is  wrongly  applied 
to  that  of  Guadeloupe. 

The  vanilla  shows  an  export  of  3,259  kilos  with  a  value  of 
76,373  francs. 

The  cinnamon,  1,935  kilos,  value  1,264  francs. 

The  production  of  fruits  shows,  in  1913,  7,868  kilos  of  lemons 
and  oranges  value,  1,413  francs  ;  69  tons  of  bananas  value  10,134 
francs  ;  21,950  kilos  of  fresh  pine-apples  value  15,077  francs  and 
750  kilos  of  kola-nuts  estimated  1,800  francs.  There  again  the 
trade  of  fresh  fruits  is  far  from  having  the  importance  that  it 
could  have  on  the  French  markets. 

The  casse,  husk  of  the  cassia  fistula,  represent  10  tons,  with  a 
value  of  1,165  francs. 

A  noteworthy  commerce  exists  in  live  cattle,  preserved  meat, 
fresh  meat,  lard  etc.,  as  well  as  hides,  of  which  189  tons  are  expor- 
ted valued  at  147,758  francs,  also  5  tons  of  small  skins  with  a 
value  of  6,000  francs. 

The  cultivation  of  cotton  has  been  the  object  of  interesting  trials 
in  Martinique  and  Guadeloupe. 


C.  —  French  Guiana. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  GENERAL. 

Guiana  is  a  large  country,  stretching  on  the  one  hand  between 
the  3rd  and  8th  degree  of  North  and  South  latitude,  and  On  the 
other  between  the  53rd  and  64th  degree  of  West  longitude  (1).  It 
is  bounded  oh  the  north  by  the  river  Orinoco  and  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  on  the  east  by  the  Ocean  and  the  mOuth  of  the  Amazon 
river,  on  the  west  by  the  Rio  Branco  and  Rio  Negro,  and  on  the 
south  by  the  Amazon.  Guiana  is  divided  from  the  north-west  to 
the  south-east  in  unequal  parts,  according  to  the  treaty  of  1815, 
into  British  Guiana,  Dutch  Guiana,  French  Guiana  and  Brazilian 
Guiana. 

The  French  portion  lies  towards  the  south  and  east,  occupying 
about  half  of  the  territory.  The  coast  line,  measuring  about  320 
kilometres  in  length,  lies  between  the  mouth  of  the  river  Maroni, 


—  104  - 

which  separates  it  from  Dutch  Guiana,  and  Cape  North,  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  Republic  of  Brazil.  The  total  superficial 
area  may  be  placed  at  77,000  square  kilometres. 

Generally  speaking,  the  coast  of  Guiana  is  low  and  marshy.  A 
little  way  off  the  coast,  ranging  from  south-east  to  north-west, 
Is  a  series  of  islands  :  the  Grand  and  Petit  Connelable,  the  islets 
of  Remire,  the  Enfant  perdu,  and  the  islands  of  Salut  and  the  lies 
vertes. 

Three  chains  of  mountains  traverse  Guiana  in  the  undisputed 
territory,  lying  parallel  to  the  coast  from  the  Oyapock  to  the  Maroni, 
viz.  ;  the  Tumuc-Humac,  from  400  to  800  metres  high,  including 
the  groups  of  the  Lorquin  Gimotakem,  Tapurang-Mannaoc£e,  the 
peak  of  Grevaux,  the  mountains  of  Tayaouaou,  Ourouaitou,  Ttire, 
etc.  ;  secondly,  the  central  chain,  comprising  the  French  mountains, 
the  Magnetic  mountain,  Le  Blond  mountain,  the  Emerillons, 
Mount  Etoupa,  etc.  ;  and  thirdly,  the  coast  range,  from  80  to  300 
metres  high,  including  the  Iron  mountains,  the  Monkey  mountains, 
the  Condamine,  Mounts  Macouria,  Sparouna,  Pelee,  Kawo,  Appro- 
nague,  etc. 

The  river  Maroni  rises  in  the  Tumuc-Humac  mountains,  as  well 
as  the  Oyapock.  All  the  other  rivers  take  their  source  in  the  central 
chain.  After  the  Oyapock  and  the  Maroni,  the  chief  rivers  are  :  the 
Oouanary,  the  Appronague,  the  Kaw,  the  Mahury,  the  Cayenne, 
the  Macouria,  the  Kourea  the  Sinnamary,  the  Iracoubo,  and  the 
Mana.  They  all  run  from  south  to  north,  where  they  empty  them- 
selves direct  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  after  receiving  a  more  or  less 
large  number  of  tributaries,  called  creeks. 

According  to  the  last  census,  the  number  of  inhabitants  is  about 
35,000  The  civil  population  number  21,806,  male  and  female,  the 
proportion  in  most  districts  being  12  men  to  10  women,  although 
the  proportion  of  women  to  men  at  Cayenne  is  lower  to  the  extent 
of  3  per  cent. 

Apart  from  the  civil  population,  the  inhabitants  may  be  divided 
as  follows  : — 

Military  and  naval         . .  . .  868 

Native  Indians      ..         ..  ..         1,885 

Penal  population. .  ..  ..         6,290 

The  most  populous  district  is  that  of  Cayenne,  where  the  civil 
population  reaches  11,896, 

CLIMATE. 

The  year  is  divided  into  two  seasons — the  dry  season  and  the 
wet,  or  winter  season.  The  temperature  varies  between  30J  and 


105  — 


®A1DAB  1Q 


—   !0t)  — 

32°  cent,  at  the  extreme,  and  the  mean  temperature  of  the  coolest 
month  is  about  25°  ;  that  of  the  holtest  month  of  the  summer  about 
27°.  It  is  therefore  a  mild  climate  tempered  by  the  sea.  The  months  of 
January  and  February  are  the  coldest,  and  August  and  September 
the  hottest.  From  July  to  December  the  prevailing  winds  are  those 
of  the  south-east  (south-east  trades).  These  winds  come  from  the 
South  Atlantic  and  cross  Eastern  Brazil  and  the  Tumuc-llumac 
Mountains,  in  which  they  lose  nearly  all  their  humidity.  These  are 
the  dry  winds,  and  their  period  corresponds  with  the  dry  season — 
the  height  of  summer.  Towards  the  end  of  this  season  the  winds 
begin  to  come  from  the  north-east  (north-east  trades),  and  they 
prevail  the  whole  season  from  December  to  April,  and  are  accompa- 
nied by  light  and  irregular  rain.  Towards  February  and  March, 
when  the  sun  has  passed  its  zenith,  the  rains  are  broken  by  two  or 
three  weeks  of  fine  weather — and  this  is  the  lesser  summer.  It  is 
only  in  April,  when  there  are  both  north-east  and  south-east  winds, 
that  the  real  rainy  season  begins,  lasting  till  June  or  July.  The 
average  rainfall  in  Cayenne  yearly  is  from  3m.  to  3m.  50,  and  in 
the  wooded  regions  from  4m.  to  4m.  50.  The  rain  falls  irregularly 
and  not  at  stated  periods. 

During  the  rainy  season  the  barometer  is  generally  maintained 
at  about  764  to  768  m.m.,  and  in  the  dry  season  it  rises  to  772  to 
773  m.m. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  moisture  during  the  whole  year,  the 
hygrometer  often  indicating  95°  to  97°. 

The  longest  day,  June  22nd,  is  12  bours  19  minutes  long,  and 
the  shortest,  December  22nd,  11  hours  42  minutes. 

Meteorological  casualties  are  very  rare  in  Guiana,  if  one  excepts 
the  too  abundant  rains  and  exceptional  dryness. 


POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

Guiana  was  discovered  in  1498  by  Christopher  Columbus,  and 
was  explored  for  the  first  time  in  1500.  Since  that  time  many 
expeditions  have  been  organised,  and  the  foundation  of  Cayenne 
dates  from  one  of  these  in  the  year  1635.  After  many  vicissitudes, 
Guiana  was  attached  to  the  Crown  of  France  in  1674.  Many 
attempts  were  made  to  establish  agricultural  settlements  there. 
Different  circumstances,  such  as  the  abolition  of  slavery  and  the 
discovery  of  the  diggings,  hurried  on  the  economic  development  of 
the  country.  At  the  present  moment  Guiana  is  administered  by  a 
Governor,  assisted  by  a  Privy  Council,  which  consists  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  interior,  judicial,  penitentiary,  and  military  administrations, 


-    107  - 

as  well  as  two  prominent  inhabitants  proposed  by  the  Governor 
and  appointed  by  Decree  of  the  President  of  the  Republic.  The  seat 
of  administration  is  at  Cayenne^  the  chief  city,  a  seaport  on  the 
Atlantic. 

From  an  administrative  point  of  view,  French  Guiana  is  divided 
into  14  communes,  each  governed  by  a  Mayor,  as  officer  of  the 
Civil  State,  assisted  by  a  Municipal  Council. 

The  Council  General,  sitting  at  the  capital  of  the  colony,  is  com- 
posed of  16  members  elected  by  universal  suffrage.  French  Guiana 
is  a  penal  settlement. 


MEANS  OF   COMMUNICATION. 

Up  to  the  present  Guiana  has  only  one  port,  Cayenne,  which, 
unfortunately,  has  a  great  many  drawbacks  of  a  kind  that  hinder 
navigation.  The  port  of  Cayenne  is  in  direct  communication  by 
several  lines  of  steamers  with  France,  the  United  States,  Venezuela, 
and  the  neighbouring  French  and  foreign  colonies  ;  running  to  the 
following  French  ports  :  Nantes,  St.  Nazaire,  Marseilles,  Havre, 
Bordeaux  and  Dunkirk. 

The  interior  communications  are  by  means  of  canals,  and  notably 
the  Laussat  Canal,  which  borders  Cayenne  on  the  south.  There  are 
three  principal  roads  in  the  interior,  viz.  : 

1 .  From  Cayenne  to  Mana. 

2.  From  Cayenne  to  Degrard-des-Cannes, 

3.  From  Cayenne  to  the  Appronague,  which  is  really,  however, 
only  a  badly-made  tane. 

Up  to  the  present,  French  Guiana  has  no  railways. 


MINERAL  PRODUCTS. 

The  most  important  product  of  French  Guiana  is  the  native  gold, 
which  is  extracted  from  auriferous  sand  and  also  from  layers  of 
auriferous  quartz.  The  exports  of  gold  dust  amount  to  about 
10  million  francs,  and  in  this  form  constitute  the  chief  export 
article  of  the  country.  Gold  is  also  exported  in  the  form  of  auriferous 
quartz. 

Phosphorus  in  lump  form  is  also  exported  from  the  island  of 
Grand  Connetable.  This  particular  form  of  rock  is  very  rich  in 
phosphate  of  lime  and  aluminium.  One-fourth  of  the  products  are 
sent  to  England  and  three-fourths  to  the  United  States,  where  the 


—  108  — 

aluminium  is  extracted  from  the  rock,  and  it  is  also  used  for  the 
preparation  of  artificial  phosphates  of  lime. 

Certain  quantities  of  ore  and  precious  stones  are  also  found  in 
Guiana. 

ANIMAL  PRODUCTS. 

The  fauna  of  Guiana  is  very  rich.  There  are  shrimps,  different 
species  of  lobsters,  mussels  and  oysters.  There  are  silk-worms  at 
Cayenne,  and  also  wild  bees  Fish  is  very  abundant  ;  sharks, 
dog-fish,  torpedo-fish,  eels,  carp,  swordfish,  electric  eels,  soles,  etc. 
The  reptiles  are  numerous,  the  mo«t  common  being  the  carail  and 
the  boa-constrictor.  Amongst  the  saurians  one  may  mention  the 
crocodile,  large  and  small  species  of  sea-turtle,  the  kauane  turtle 
and  the  common  turtle. 

The  birds  of  Guiana  are  among  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world  ; 
of  the  number  the  following  may  be  mentioned  :  wild  duck 
(Anas  boschas  L.),  frigate-bird  {Trachypetes  aquilaL.),  the  sea-gull 
(Lotus  canus  L.),  the  teal  (Anas  querquediila  L.),  the  plover 
(Chararius  Sp.),  the  woodcock  (Scolopax  rusticola  L.),  the  snipe 
(Gallinago  medica  grog.),  the  Guiana  heron  (Ibis  rubra  vieill), 
the  grey  crane  (Grus  ctnerea  Bachot),  the  water-fowl  (Galium /a 
chloropus  £.).  the  white  egret  (Herodias  alba),  the  grey  partridge 
(Perdrix  cinerea  Brisu  the  red  partridge  (Perdrix  rubra  Tenun), 
the  quail  (Coturnis  Sp*},  the  common  turtle-dove  (7 urtur  auribus 
Bp.).  There  is  also  a  great  variety  of  parrots.  The  great  eagle  is 
likewise  found. 

Among  the  mammifers  are  the  porpoise,  the  oppossum,  the 
dolphin,  the  large  ant-eater,  the  armadillo,  the  sloth,  the  ringed 
peccary,  the  cougar,  the  jaguar,  the  tiger-cat,  and  the  vampire  bat. 
None  of  these  animals  are  of  any  particular  commercial  value. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  only  the  deep-sea  varieties  of  fish  have  a 
certain  commercial  value,  and  of  these  the  exports  are  about  4.000 
kilogs.,  value  12,000  francs. 

VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS. 

As  was  indicated  at  the  outset,  agriculture  in  Guiana  is  hardly 
yet  fully  developed,  although  there  are  a  great  number  of  plants 
which  could  be  cultivated  successfully,  particularly  cocoa,  coffee, 
earth-nuts,  coconut-palms,  rice,  nutmeg  trees,  sesame,  Indian 
kernel,  cotton,  ramie,  bananas,  aloes,  the  vacquois  (Pandanus 
u tilis),  pineapples,  various  types  of  hibiscus,  the  vanilla  plant, 
which  is  indigenoustoGuiana,  the  cinnamon  tree,  the  pepper-tree, 


—  109  — 

the  clove-tree,  the  ginger  root,  the  sweet  potato,  the  yam,  the  arrow- 
root, castor-oil,  maize,  tobacco,  etc. 

Guiana,  however,  hardly  exports  more  than  20,000  kilogs.  of 
cocoa,  to  the  value  of  20,000  francs,  and  a  little  more  than  two 
million  kilogs.  of  refined  coffee,  value  4,000  francs. 

FORESTS. 

The  principal  source  of  Guiana's  wealth  to-day  lies,  after  gold, 
in  the  forests,  which  are  full  of  precious  woods,  but  which  are, 
unfortunately,  not  sufficiently  exploited  on  account  of  the  insuffi- 
ciency of  labour  and  means  of  transport.  The  chief  products  which 
are  actually  drawn  from  Guiana  forests  are  balata  and  rosewood. 

Balata  (Mimusops  Balata  Gaertn).  —  This  is  a  beautiful  tree, 
much  in  request  for  its  timber  for  carpentering  and  wheel-making 
purposes,  but  above  all  for  its  latex.  There  are  several  varieties 
of  balata  ;  the  true  balata,  egg-yellow  balata,  and  red  balata,  all 
yield  a  fine  wood  for  building,  etc.  ;  but  the  red  balata  (called  the 
44  gum-tree  ")  gives  besides  a  latex  which,  when  coagulated, 
furnishes  the  produat  called  "  balata  "  or  the  gutta-percha  of 
Cayenne.  Each  tree  produces  an  average  of  5  litres  of  milk,  but  after 
a  complete  bleeding  of  the  tree  it  is  necessary  to  leave  it  idle  for 
three  years  :  at  the  end  of  which  time  it  may  be  worked  again. 
Onekilog.  of  the  coagulated  milk  is  sold  in  the  market  for  7  francs. 
As  the  production  expenses  are  very  low,  the  net  profit  on  the 
product  is  about  200  per  cent.  One  hectare  of  land  well  planted 
will  produce  every  three  years  2,500  litres  of  milk,  which,  after 
coagulation,  gives  1,700  kilogs.,  at  an  average  value  of  12,000 
francs.  The  annual  value  of  the  exports  of  Balata  from  French 
Guiana  exceeds  100,000  francs.  Guiana  also  possesses  Hevea  trees, 
of  which,  unfortunately,  the  exploitation  is  rather  restricted. 

Rosewood.  This  wood  is  not  very  much  used  in  carpentering 
work  because  it  is  not  sufficiently  tough,  but  it  is  very  much  sought 
after  for  domestic  furniture  and  other  cabinet-making  work.  About 
1,200  tons  of  rosewood  are  exported  annually,  representing  a  value 
of  100,000  francs.  The  inhabitants  of  Guiana  use  rosewood  for  the 
extraction  of  a  certain  essence  employed  in  the  preparation  of 
perfumes.  This  essence  costs  from  25  to  30  francs  per  litre.  The 
value  of  the  wood  in  its  rough  state  is  from  130  to  .180  francs  per 
1,000  kilos;  its  cultivation,  therefore,  is  fairly  profitable,  but  the 
cost  of  initial  installation  is  great.  During  the  last  few  years  the 
annual  export  of  essence  of  rosewood  has  been  22,000  kilos,  value 
550,000  francs. 

Finally,  the  annual  exports  of  woods  for  cabinet  making  repre- 
sent a  total  value  of  about  100.000  francs. 


VII.  FRENCH  SETTLEMENTS 
IN  OCEANIC 


A.  <**  New  Caledonia. 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  (SENEftAUTIES. 

The  island  of  New  Caledonia,  the  most  impprtapt  pf  the  French 
possessions  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  is  situated  in  the  occidental  part 
of  this  ocean,  and  in  the  Australasian  hemjspjiere. 

New  Caledonia  is  1445  kilometres  frppi  Australia?  Tp  the  northwest 
are  the  neighbouring  small  islands,  Cbeslerfie|d  anp!  Upon,  whjph 
are  also  French-  Tp  the  north-east  lies  tbe  archipelago  of  the  Naw 
fJehrides  ;  to  the  SPUth,  the  cpral  sea,  where  lips  the  small  Nppfplk 
island,  belonging  to  England. 

The  distance  from  New  Caledonia  to  New  Zealand  is  more  than 
1,555  kilometres. 

New  Caledonia  looks  like  a  spindle,  or  distaff,  in  shape,  lying 
from  north-west  tp  south-east,  between  latitudes  20q  10'  and  2Q°  26' 
sputh  and  in  longitude  16j°  30'  east  pf  Paris. 

The  total  area  is  |9,823  square  kilometres. 

The  island  is  di.stipptly  mountainous  in  character,  the  highest 
peaks  being  ?  to  the  north,  the  Papie  peak  (1,642  m) ;  to  the  south, 
Mount  Humboldt  (1,634  m.);  to  the  north,  of  Noumea,  Moupt  Vincent 
(1,445  jg.) ;  to  the  east  pfRoiiloparj,  IVJpuntOuep  (1,319  m.)  between 
Mount  Humbpldt  apd  Npgmea.  Ip  the  centre  tbe  Table- Jlonde 
(1,008  m.),  which  }$  tp  tbe  west  of  Cana'a. 

The  Island  is  supplied  with  water  by  a  fair  number  of  rivers, 
none  of  which,  however,  are  important. 

The  coast  is  very  much  indented  and  surrounded  by  a  bejt  pf 


Ill 


—  112  — 

coral  reefs.  To  the  north  the  island  terminates  in  a  peninsula,  on 
the  partially  detached  island  of  Pounie,  with  the  outlying  islands  of 
Neba  Jande  and  Boualabio. 

There  are  numerous  bays  along  the  coast,  the  most  important 
being  that  of  Noumea,  covered  by  the  island  Nou. 

The  total  population  of  New  Caledonia  is  54,415  souls ;  this  figure 
comprises  : — 

12,253  individuals  of  the  free  population. 
740  military. 

10,506  in  the  penal  settlements,-  and. 
30,916  natives. 

The  capital  of  the  island,  Noumea,  has  a  population  of  7  854, 
amongst  which  are  5,114  individuals  of  the  free  population,  461 
military,  and  1,362  in  penal  settlements. 

The  island  is  inhabited  by  Papous,  Polynesians,  and  numerous 
other  races. 

CLIMATE. 

The  climate  of  New  Caledonia  is  temperate  and  very  healthy. 

The  south-east  winds  prevail  for  a  part  of  the  year. 

The  year  is  divided  into  two  seasons  :  the  hot  season,  from 
December  to  the  end  of  March,  the  average  temperature  of  which  is 
26° ;  and  the  fresh  season  from  May  to  October,  when  the  tempera- 
ture averages  20°  to  21°.  The  rains  are  especially  abundant  in  the 
months  of  January  and  February,  which  is  a  period  of  heat.  In 
October,  and  sometimes  in  January,  there  are  long  periods  of 
dryness.  Hurricanes  and  cyclones  are  very  frequent. 


POLITICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 

New  Caledonia  was  discovered  in  1774  by  Cook,  and  annexed  in 
1853.  It  was  first  placed  under  the  authority  of  the  Governor 
commanding  the  station  of  the  Pacific,  who  resided  at  Tahiti;  in 
1860  it  was  constituted  a  commanding  station,  and  in  1863  a  distinct 
government.  The  Governor  resides  at  Noumea,  the  capital  of  the 
island.  He  is  assited  by  a  General  Secretary,  and  five  Colonial 
Directors,  who  are  placed  over  the  five  districts  of  Noumea,  Canala, 
llonailon,  Taoho  and  Ouigoa.  New  Caledonia  is  also  represented  by 
a  delegate  to  the  superior  council  of  the  colonies. 

A  certain  number  of  islands  are  attached  to  New  Caledonia.  It 
is  sufficient  to  mention  the  following  : — 


—  i  13  — 


Oh 

00 


II 


lies  ties  Pins  (Island  of  Pines). 

lies  Loyalty  (Loyalty  Islands). 

lies  iluon  (lluon  Islands). 

lies  Chesterfield  (Chesterfield  Islands). 

lies  Wallis  (Wallis  Islands). 

lies  Horn  (Horn  Island). 

lies  Clipperton  (Clipperton  Islands). 


MEANS  OF  COMMUNICATION. 

There  is  a  regular  service  of  packet  boats  belonging  to  the 
Messageries  Maritimes,  which  run  between  Marseilles  and  Noumea. 

There  are  sailings  every  28  days,  and  the  journey  occupies  45 
days. 

In  the  interior  of  the  island  there  is  a  railway  running  from 
Noumea  to  Bourail,  and  an  automobile  service  between  Noumea 
and  Moindron. 

The  rivers  of  the  interior  are  also  utilised  for  transport 

Navigation,  around  the  coasts,  is  not  difficult  on  account  of  the 
belt  of  coral  reefs  surrounding  the  island. 

The  Messageries  Maritimes  run  a  regular  service  between  Noumea 
and  the  New  Hebrides,  and,  besides  this,  the  '*  Union  Commerciale 
et  de  Navigation  Caledonienne  "  insures  the  postal  services  between 
New  Caledonia,  Pine  Islands,  and  Loyalty  Islands. 


MINERAL  PRODUCTS. 

The  main  riches  of  New  Caledonia  are  to  be  found  in  its  deposits 
of  nickel  ore,  chrome  iron  ore,  manganese,  copper,  antimony,  and 
red  sulphide  of  mercury.  Deposits  of  gold  are  not  uncommon.  Howe- 
ver, a  great  part  of  these  riches  are  unexploited.  The  deposits  of  nic- 
kel and  chromium  are  actively  exploited.  Cobalt  is  equally  exploited 
The  annual  exportation  of  these  minerals,  and  of  high  grade  nickel 
ores  amount  to  about  5,000,000  francs.  Labour,  however,  is  scarce 
for  the  exploitation  of  these  rich  deposits. 


ANIMAL  PRODUCTS. 

One  of  the  chief  industries  of  New  Caledonia  is  the  canning  of 
meat,  the  export  amounting  to  5,000,000  francs  annually,  repre- 
senting 500  tons  ;  in  round  numbers  400,000  hectares  have  been 


115  — 


—  IK)  — 

converted  into  pasture  or  grazing  lands,  on  which  oxen,  sheep  and 
goats  propagate,  very  well.  Oxen,  especially,  are  reared,  and  more 
than  300  tons  of  raw  hides  are  exported  annually,  worth  200,000 
francs.  Pigs  are  equally  plentiful.  Among  other  animal  products 
we  must  mention  tortoise  shells,  guano,  of  which  5,053  tons  were 
exported  in  1910,  worth  3o0,000  francs,  and  the productsof  fisheries, 
such  as  mother-of-pearl  and  other  shells  (Iloloturies). 


Pholo  Depeche  Coloinale. 


Fig.  46. 


Coffee  Gathering. 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTS. 


Coffee  is  the  most  important  crop  in  New  Caledonia,  and  is  at 
present  in  full  activity,  the  annual  export  being  over  1,000,000 
francs  in  value.  The  variety  cultivated  most  is  the  Co/fea  arabica, 
and  two  varieties  of  the  "  Reunion  "  called  "  Cafe  du  Pays  "  and 
"  Leroy  poinlu." 

The   cultivation   of  cotton   is  increasing, 
amount  to  about  12  tons  per  year. 

Certain  aromatic  plants  are  also  cultivated,  such  as  the  cinnamon 
vetyver  (Indian  aromatic  plant,  the  roots  being  very  odorous). 


The  present   exports 


—  117  — 

Copra  is,  next  to  coffee,  the  most  important  product. 

In  conclusion,  the  natives  cultivate  rice,  manioc  (American 
shrub,  the  roots  of  which  are  used  to  make  a  kind  of  bread),  many 
varieties  of  ignames  (a  species  of  tubers  belonging  to  the  family  of 
artichokes,  Indian  in  origin),  and  especially  the  "  taro  tuber," 
produced  by  plants  of  the  Aracee  family  and  very  much  apprecia- 
ted in  the  different  islands  of  Oceania 

European  vegetables  grow  well,  and  are  exported  in  small 
quantities. 

FORESTS. 

The  Niaouli,  Sandal  and  Dammara  trees  are  especially  exploited. 
The  Niaouli  {Melaleuca  Leucadendrori)  is  used  for  the  production 
of  an  essence,  the  export  of  which  is  more  important  than  that  of 
the  cinnamon  and  vetyver  (Indian  aromatic  plant). 

The  Sandal  wood  tree  (Santalum  oslrocaledonicum)  furnishes 
a  wood  becoming  more  and  more  scarce,  and  commands  fairly  high 
prices. 

The  Dammara  produces  a  resin  called  "  Kaori,"  which  is  often 
collected  in  a  semi-petrified  state. 

Mushrooms  are  collected,  from  old  tree  trunks,  to  the  extent 
that  they  are  exported  to  Australia  in  rather  important  quantities. 


B.  —  The  Oceanic  French  Settlements, 


The  general  table  of  trade  registered  in  1913,  20,584,981  francs, 
of  which  the  exports  were  11,684,507  francs.  This  figure  is  the 
highest  recorded  up  to  the  present  time. 

First  among  the  native  products  exported  from  the  territory 
comes  coprah  with  8,842  tons  at  a  value  of  4,389,623  francs,  a  figure 
far  superior  to  that  of  the  year  1903.  The  greater  part  of  this  coprah 
is  sun-dried. 

The  value  of  Coco-nuts  exported  amounted  to  123,223  francs. 

The  cultivation  of  vanilla,  introduced  from  Manilla  in  1848,  has 
been  progressively  developed.  In  1905  the  export  was  120  tons  and 
in  1913,  194  tons,  with  a  value  of  4,032,507  francs.  The  Tahiti 
vanilla  is  caracterized  by  a  heliotrope  scent  and  does  not  congeal. 


—   118 


—   119  — 

The  cultivation  of  coffee-tree  remains  without  any  commercial 
importance.  On  the  contrary  thatof  cotton,  once  very  flourishing,  and 
later  neglected,  is  once  more  developing  :  and  the  statistics  of  1913 
registered  an  export  of  26  tons  of  raw  cotton  valued  46,104  francs. 

Orange  and  fruit  trade  with  New-Zealand  is  fairly  good ;  the 
export  amounted  to  83.059  francs. 

Mushrooms,  the  export  was  10  tons,  estimated  10,000  francs. 
Also  there  was  exported  8,443  francs  of  bamboo  straw  and  over 
3  tons  of  raw  wax  estimated  7,117  francs.  Timber  trade  is  not  worth 
of  mention. 

Among  the  fishing  products,  mother  of pearl,  wich  in  the  export 
trade  comes  next  in  importance  after  coprah  and  vanilla  amounted 
in  1913  to  465  tons  with  a  value  of  934,818  francs  coming  chiefly 
from  Gambier  islands  and  Tuamotu  fisheries,  the  only  places  where 
necked  diving  is  authorized.  Are  also  exported  for  some  thousands 
of  francs  each  la  biche denier,  and  shark  fin. 

Deposits  of  phosphates  have  been  recently  discovered.  The  export 
in  1913  amounted  82,057  tons  with  a  value  of  1,641,134  francs. 

Presumably  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal,  by  favoring  the 
commercial  relations  with  Tahiti,  will  exercise  positive  influence 
upon  the  economic  development  of  the  principal  centres  of  produc- 
tion of  the  Archipelago. 


INDEX 


List  of  surface,  population,  trade  and  principal  produces.  1 

I.  —  French  Protectorate  of  Morocco 3 

II.  — Algeria      . Id 

III.  —  Tunis 25 

IV.  —  French  Settlements  in  tropical  Africa 41 

A.  —  French  Occidental  Africa '  41 

Bi  —  French  Equatorial  Africa 55 

C.  —  Madagascar 70 

D.  —  The  Reunion 85 

E.  —  The  French  Somalis  Coast 87 

V.  —  French  Settlements  in  Asia 88 

A.  —  French  Indochina 88 

B.  —  French  Settlements  in  India 98 

VI.  —  French  Settlements  in  America 99 

A.  —  Saint-Pierre  and  Miquelon 99 

B.  —  Antilles .      .      .  99 

C.  —  French  Guiana 103 

VII.  —  French  Settlements  in  Oceanic 110 

A.  —  New  Caledonia 110 

B.  —  The  Oceanic  French  Settlements 117 


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