314 



FRANCE. 



ers had to contribute 86,000.000 francs. In 1891 

 locusts destroyed pastures in the Sahara and 

 damaged crops in various parts of Algeria. 



Tunis. The principality of Tunis, although 

 nominally a part of the Turkish Empire, has 

 been a protectorate of France since 1881, and is 

 governed by the French Ministry of Foreign 

 Affairs through the minister resident. In 1884 

 a French judicial administration superseded the 

 consular tribunals operating under the capitula- 

 tions. The reigning Bey is Sidi Ali, born Oct. 5, 

 1817. The French representative is M. Massi- 

 cault. The area is about 45,000 square miles, and 

 the population is about 1,500,000 persons, includ- 

 ing 49,000 Europeans, of whom 40,000 live in the 

 city of Tunis, which has a Jewish population of 

 40,000 and 135.000 inhabitants altogether. The 

 receipts from direct taxes in 1888 were 7,208,000 

 francs, and from indirect taxes 8,853,619 francs, 

 while the total expenditures were 27,896,139 

 francs. The debt was consolidated in 1884 into 

 a perpetual 4-per-cent. rente of 6,307,520 francs 

 a year, and this was converted again in 1888 into 

 a loan paying 3-J- per cent, of the nominal amount 

 of 174,427,500 francs, to be extinguished in nine- 

 ty-nine years. The imports in 1889 had a total 

 value of 31,153,936 francs, and the exports were 

 18,104,903 francs in value. Of the imports, more 

 than half came from France, which received di- 

 rectly a fifth of the exports, while, something 

 more than a third went to Algeria, about a fifth 

 to Italy, and an eighth to Great Britain. The 

 chief exportable products are wheat and barley, 

 olive oil, alfa, tan, woolen manufactures, and 

 sponges. There were entered at Tunisian ports 

 during 1889 6,770 vessels, of 1,809,627 tons, and 

 6,503, of 1,807,697 tons, were cleared. Three 

 fifths of the shipping was French, the Italian 

 and the English coming next 



Indo-China. The colonies of Cochin-China 

 and Tonquin and the protectorates of Cambodia 

 and Annam were united in a customs union in 

 1887, and the Superior Council of Indo-China 

 fixes the budget for Cochin-China and advises 

 as to the others. The imports in 1888 amounted 

 to 68,069,305 francs, and the exports to 71,274,- 

 063 francs. 



The area of Cochin-China is 13,692 square 

 miles, and the population 1,916,429, of whom 

 2,537 are French. There are 51 miles of railroad 

 and 1,840 miles of telegraph. The revenue in 

 1890 was estimated at 30,327,033 francs. The 

 mother country contributed 3,548,793 francs in 

 1891. Rice is the principal product, constitut- 

 ing 70 per cent, of the exports, which were val- 

 ued at 60.913,433 francs in 1888. 



Cambodia, ruled by King Norodom, who ac- 

 cepted a French protectorate in 1863, has an area 

 of 46,000 square miles, and from 1,500,000 to 

 1,800,000 inhabitants. The revenue in 1888 was 

 3,275,000 francs, and the expenditure 3,059,236 

 francs. Sugar, rice, betel, cotton, tobacco, indi- 

 go, and cardamom seeds are produced. 



Annam became a French protectorate by the 

 treaty of June 6, 1884. Bun Can was proclaimed 

 King on Jan. 31, 1889. The area is 106,250 

 square miles, and the population about 5,000,000. 

 The exports are cinnamon bark, seeds, tea, to- 

 bacco, cottoh, and sugar. 



Tonquin, a province of Annam that was for- 

 merly tributary, to China, has 34,700 square 



miles of territory, and from 9,000,000 to 12,000,- 

 000 inhabitants. The revenue of Tonquin and 

 Annam in 1888 was 17,321,000 francs, and the ex- 

 penditure 17,034,620 francs. In the French budg- 

 et for 1891 an appropriation of 10,450,000 francs 

 is made for the two countries. The imports in 

 1888 were 23,881,012 francs, and the exports were 

 6,988,249 francs, consisting of rice, sugar, cotton, 

 tobacco, pepper, and oils. Rich mines of copper 

 and iron are worked, and extensive deposits of 

 good coal have recently been discovered. In 

 1890 there were 596 officers and 24,000 soldiers 

 in Annam and Tonquin, and in Cochin-China 

 130 officers and 3,830 men. Fighting with the 

 Chinese and Tonquinese pirates or rebels still 

 continued in 1891, and in the early part of the 

 year the roads were nowhere safe. The rebels 

 carried on their depredations within sight of 

 Hanoi and Sontay. A regular siege was con- 

 ducted by a force of 1,200 French troops against a 

 strongly built fort defended by 3,000 pirates, who 

 were finally driven out after inflicting a loss of 

 300 killed and wounded. In February the French 

 resident of a province was murdered. Whei 

 M. Lanessan was appointed Governor-General of 

 Indo-China on April 21, 1891, he was clothe " 

 with fuller powers than his predecessors. The 

 commander of the land and naval forces wa 

 placed under his orders, and forbidden to under- 

 take any operation, even of a defensive charac- 

 ter, without his consent. The first section of 

 the railroad from Phulang Thuong to Langson 

 was opened in June. It passes through a region 

 that had been abandoned by the inhabitants on 

 account of pirates, but was becoming settled and 

 prosperous again. In the course of the summer 

 the Hang-Son pirates were driven out of the 

 province of Cao Bang by flying columns, their 

 stronghold being captured and their leader killed 

 by Capt. Lassalle's detachment. Rear- Admiral 

 Foumier pursued the pirates on the sea with en- 

 ergy, and stations were established in northern 

 Tonquin for systematic and unremitting opera- 

 tions on land. The French administrators have 

 been encouraged by the growth of the coasting 

 traffic and the transit trade by the Red river 

 route and by the development of new resources, 

 and in France the opinion is taking root that 

 Tonquin will prove in the end to be worth the 

 sacrifices that it has cost. 



Madagascar. By the treaty signed at Tama- 

 tave on Dec. 12, 1885, the Malagasy Government 

 acknowledged the protectorate of France, and 

 agreed to submit to the regulation of its external 

 relations by the French Government through a 

 resident general, who is allowed to maintain a 

 military guard. The French protectorate was 

 admitted by England in the Anglo-French agree- 

 ment of Aug. 5, 1890. The native Government 

 of the Hovas, which remains independent in do- 

 mestic affairs and has control over the other 

 Malagasy tribes, has for its head Queen Ranava- 

 lona III, born in 1861, who married the Prime 

 Minister Rainilaiarivony shortly after her acces- 

 sion in 1883. Madagascar has an estimated area 

 of 228,500 square miles and over 3,500,000 inhab- 

 itants, of whom 1,000,000 belong to the dominant 

 Hova race, which is of Malayan origin. There 

 are about 1,000,000 Sakalavas, 600,000 Betsileos, 

 400,000 Betsirni Sakaras, 200,000 Bavas, 200,000 

 Antatiavas, great numbers of negro slaves, and 



