820 



WEST AFRICA. 



inhabitants ; Mahis and Ajouda, 150,000 ; Porto 

 Novo, 150,000; Abeokuta, 120,000; and Ogomocho, 

 60.000. The exports of palm oil, the best produced 

 in Guinea, have risen to 10,000 tons a year, besides 

 20,000 tons of palm kernels. The Dahomeyans, who 

 belong to the Pon branch of the Ewe family, are 

 industrious agriculturists. Corn, cattle, ivory, and 

 India rubber are exported from Whydah and Koto- 

 mi. The river Volta separates Dahomey from 

 Ashanti. The expenditure of France for French 

 Guinea in 1895 was 547,500 francs ; for the Ivory 

 Coast, 1,100,000 francs. The local revenue of Da- 

 homey in 1895 was 1,600,000 francs ; the expendi- 

 ture of France in 1896 was 892,500 francs. 



The Central Soudan. Beyond the spheres of 

 influence claimed as yet by the European powers 

 are the independent Mohammedan states of the 

 Soudan. Bornu is already counted by Great Britain 

 as falling within its sphere, and Wadai as in the 

 sphere of France. East of the French Sahara, in- 

 tervening between it and Egypt, lies the country 

 called Fez/an. South of this is the mountainous 

 region of Tibesti, bordering on the Central Soudan, 

 which includes Wadai and the tributary states of 

 Bagirmi and Kanem, reaching from Lake Chad to 

 Darfur, the westernmost province of the Egyptian 

 Soudan. West and south of Lake Chad is the 

 sultanate of Bornu, lying between Bagirmi on the 

 east and Sokoto on the west. The area is estimated 

 at 50,000 square miles and the population at, over 

 5,000,000. The people are of mixed negro and 

 Tibu blood, mingled with Tuaregs in the north and 

 Arabs in the southeast, Makari and Margin negroes 

 in the south, and in the east the Watigas, Beddes. 

 and other pagan tribes. The Magomi, who consti- 

 tute the dominant race, are skillful artificers in tex- 

 tiles, pottery, and metals. The army of the Sultan. 

 or Sheikh, numbers 30.000 men, armed partly with 

 rifles. The cavalry, clad in armor made in the 

 Soudan, are numerous, and there is a small force of 

 artillery, in part uniformed like European soldiers. 

 The capital is Kuka, on the west shore of Lake 

 Chad. It is a busy center of trade and has over 

 50,000 inhabitants. Goods of European manufac- 

 ture and the wares of Turkey and Egypt are brought 

 by caravans from Tripoli, and on the return jour- 

 ney through Fezzan the merchants take huge con- 

 voys of slaves, sometimes as many as 4,000, carrying 

 ivory, ostrich feathers, and other products of the 

 country. 



Wadai, with the tributary states, covers an area 

 of 172,000 square miles, and has a population esti- 

 mated at 2.600,000. The Maba negroes are the 

 dominant military caste, and the Arabs, who have 

 been settled in this region for hundreds of years, 

 form the commercial element. Their caravans 

 take the salt and the manufactured produce of the 

 country to Bornu on the west and to Bagirmi and 

 Dar Banda in the south, and exchange them for 

 slaves, ivory, ostrich feathers, and copper. Many 

 of the Mabas have become adherents of the Mo- 

 hammedan prophet Senoussi. The capital of the 

 country is Abasheh. The Sultan rules directly the 

 northeastern district, and through viceroys, called 

 kamekela, the four other provinces. His army is 

 about 7,000 strong. The soldiers are sent into the 

 vassal states and through the provinces of Wadai 

 to gather the tribute of slaves, horses and cattle. 

 honey, and corn. Kanem, which lies between 

 Wadai and Lake Chad, has an extent of about 30,- 

 000 square miles. The Tibu population, number- 

 ing about 100,000, is oppressed by the predatory 

 Aulad-Sliman Arabs, though these number not more 

 than 1,000 fighting men. 



Bagirmi occupies the marshy region south of 

 Lake Chad and east of the Shari river. The peo- 

 ple, who are of pure negro race, formerly numbered 



1,500,000, but wars with Wadai and epidemics have 

 reduced the population. The area of Bagirmi prop- 

 er is about 20,000 square miles. The pagan tribes 

 on the .south over an area of 50,000 square miles are 

 held in subjection, and in the countries of the 

 Kimre, Sokoro, and other tribes beyond periodical 

 slave raids are made. The Sultan, who resides at 

 Massenia, on the Shari, receives his investiture from 

 the ruler of Wadai and pays tribute to him. 



Over a great part of the Central Soudan a con- 

 queror from the Egyptian Soudan and champion of 

 the dervishes, Rabah, formerly a slave of Zobehr 

 Pasha, has in recent times imposed his military rule. 

 Rabah separated from Zobehr Pasha in Darfur, 

 went in 1891 to the south of Wadai to Cuti, where 

 the Sultan Senussi submitted and became his vas- 

 sal. Rabah married this Sultan's daughter, organ- 

 ized and disciplined in European fashion a military 

 force, which was armed in part with Martini rifles 

 that Senussi had taken from the ill-fated Crampel 

 expedition, and after two years went to Bagirmi, 

 which he subjugated in five months, compelling 

 Gawranga, the Sultan, to flee the country. A party 

 in Bornu, discontented with the rule of "the Sultan 

 Ahsem, invited Rabah to invade their country. He 

 crossed the frontier with nearly 9,000 men, of 'whom 

 370 were armed with Martini and Winchester rifles, 

 2,5(10 with double-barreled shotguns, and the rest 

 with lances and swords or bows and arrows. When 

 he arrived at Logun Rabah asked the Sultan Salah 

 to a conference, and then treacherously seized him 

 him and put him in irons, after which he entered 

 the walled town without resistance. Making Logun 

 his headquarters, he advanced upon Kuka with 

 2.000 men. Ahsem, on hearing of his approach, sent 

 out his general, Mohammed taher, with 12,000 men 

 against him. They fought a battle at Jillay, where 

 Taher's army was defeated with heavy loss of life. 

 Ahsem then collected an army of 50,000 men, and 

 met Rabah at a place nearer Kuka, where he was 

 attacked by the invaders, who routed his horde and 

 drove them back upon Kuka. Rabah halted at 

 Xgurnu and challenged Ahsem to meet him in bat- 

 tle on the following day, at which Ahsem fled into 

 the west with his followers. Rabah entered Kuka 

 and established himself as the ruler of the country, 

 transferring his capital to Dekwa. Meanwhile 

 Ahsem had been deposed at Gaidem, and his nephew, 

 Kiari. proclaimed Sultan in his stead. Ahsem ap- 

 pealed secretly to Rabah to reinstate him, on hear- 

 ing of which Kiari had his uncle killed. In the fol- 

 lowing season Kiari advanced with another army of 

 50,000 men against Rabah. They met at Duchi, 

 and at the end of the first day's fighting Rabah's 

 force was badly beaten, but Kiari was wounded, and 

 while he delayed pressing the advantage gained 

 Rabah rallied his men and won a victory after a 

 stubborn conflict. Kiari was captured and be- 

 headed. Rabah and his dervishes thus became the 

 undisputed masters of Bornu. His cavalry, num- 

 bering 2,000, plunder the country. All ivory, os- 

 trich feathers, and gold dust belong to Rabah, who 

 has made preparations to conquer Kanu and Kinder. 

 Since he left Bagirmi Gawranga has returned to his 

 kingdom, Rabah having relinquished his dominion 

 there. Rabah has no relations with the Sultan of 

 Wadai nor any connection with the Sheikh el Se- 

 nussi at Kuira, 



German Possessions. The German possessions 

 are Togoland and Cameroons. Togoland, with 

 Little Popo and Porto Seguro, situated on the Slave 

 Coast, have an area of 23.160 square miles and about 

 800,000 population. The administration is con- 

 ducted by an imperial commissioner. A military 

 force of natives has been organized. The inhab- 

 itants are negroes of the Ewe family. They culti- 

 vate yams, corn, bananas, tapioca, and ginger, and 



