856 



WEST AFRICA. 



ports are mainly earth nuts, but gum, caout- 

 chouc, and rice are also exported. Iron is abun- 

 dant for native use, and some gold is obtained. 

 The imports in 1897 were valued at 8,551,80;") 

 francs and exports at 4,777,282 francs. The local 

 revenue in 1897 was 2,725,500 francs. The ex- 

 penditure of France for 1899 was 6,873,000 francs. 



The Ivory Coast colony, east of Liberia and 

 west of the British Gold Coast, consists of the 

 settlements of Grand Bassam, Assinie, Grand 

 Lahou, and Jackeville. Attached to it are the 

 kingdom of Kong and other protected territories 

 in the interior. The imports in 1896 were 4,638,000 

 francs in value, of which 800,000 francs came 

 from France; exports, 4,400,000 francs, of which 

 2,236,000 francs were exports to France. 



Dahomey, having a coast line extending from 

 German Togoland to British Lagos, embraces the 

 coast district, which has long been French, with 

 settlements at Porto Novo, Kotonu, Grand Popo, 

 and Whydah, and also the negro kingdom from 

 which the colony takes its name the capital of 

 the protectorate, Abomey, being 70 miles inland. 

 The people of the protectorate are fetich worship- 

 ers, but are industrious and skillful, furnishing 

 the best palm oil shipped from the Guinea coast, 

 cultivating corn, and rearing cattle. The exports 

 of palm oil are about 10,000 tons per annum, and 

 of kernels 20,000 tons. The expenditure of France 

 on this colony in 1898 was 1.885,000 francs. The 

 total value of imports in 1896 was 9.729,000 

 francs, of which 3,741,000 francs came from 

 France; exports, 9,100,000 francs, of which 

 3,896,000 francs went to France. A railroad is 

 projected from Porto Novo through Abomey, 

 Carnotville, and Nikki to Madicale on the Niger, 

 and the first section to Abomey has been under- 

 taken by a company. A head tax of 2 francs 25 

 centimes on the coast and 1 franc 25 centimes 

 in the interior has been imposed, and the chiefs 

 are intrusted with its collection, retaining 25 

 centimes for themselves. 



The exploration of the part of the French Sou- 

 dan between Say and Lake Chad north of the 

 boundary fixed by the Anglo-French agreement 

 of 1898 was committed to Capt. Voulet and Capt. 

 Chanoine after the assassination of Capt. Case- 

 ma joux at Sinder, in May, 1898. The new expe- 

 dition reached Sansanne Hausa, above Sav, on 

 Jan. 2, Capt. Chanoine having marched with 360 

 tirailleurs through the mountainous country of 

 Bandiagary, the country of the Samos. and Mossi, 

 while Capt. Voulet with the rest of the expedition 

 and the stores and ammunition proceeded by the 

 river. In March the expedition set out for *Lake 

 Chad. Lieut. Peteau, who was sent back to the 

 coast, made charges of abuse of authority and 

 gross cruelty to the natives against the leaders 

 of the expedition. Lieut.-Col. Grave, command- 

 ant of the eastern Soudan and the French resi- 

 dent at Say, held an inquiry, the result of which 

 was that the Government ordered Lieut.-Col. 

 Klobb, commanding the northern district of the 

 Soudan, to pursue the Voulet-Chanoine expedi- 

 tion, take over the command, and investigate the 

 charges. Proceeding from Kayes, Lieut.-Col. 

 Klobb, accompanied by Lieut. Meynier and an 

 escort of 45 native sharpshooters, found Voulet 

 at Damangara, near Sinder, on July 14. Capt. 

 Voulet replied to his message that he had 600 

 rifles, and would receive him as an enemy. Lieut.- 

 Col. Klobb, directing his men not to fire if fired 

 upon, advanced, paying no heed to Capt. Voulet's 

 summons to halt and threat to open fire if the 

 party came nearer. When Lieut.-Col. Klobb's 

 party still advanced three volleys were fired by 

 order of Capt. Voulet, killing Lieut.-Col. Klobb, 



severely wounding Lieut. Meynier, and killing 

 or wounding 19 of their escort. Voulet and (ha 

 noine had attempted to escape by forced marches 

 through English territory when they first heard 

 of Lieut.-Col. Klobb's approach, but afterward 

 Capt. Voulet with 100 men had come to Daman- 

 gara to meet him, and had first appealed to his 

 men before ordering them to fire, saying that 

 Col. Klobb would take away the slaves he had 

 given them. The mutinous oflicers, who had 

 under them 2 lieutenants, 1 French sergeant 

 major, 2 sergeants, 1 surgeon, 20 spahis, 50 Sou- 

 danese sharpshooters, and 1,000 irregulars aimed 

 with rifles and lances, were proclaimed as <>ul 

 laws, and messages to that effect were sent to 

 French commands in that part of Africa. Lieut. - 

 Col. Klobb, who had courageously accepted the 

 task of arresting the two madmen, saying that 

 a soldier should never decline a responsibility, 

 found everywhere along the route of his rapid 

 march evidences of the truth of the accusation-* 

 against them. They had massacred and burned 

 without any apparent motive except to spread 

 terror, and dragged along with them a horde of 

 captives like those that Samory collected in his 

 devastating raids, among whom they had formed 

 an auxiliary force which they supplied with rifles 

 fearing that the sharpshooters would not follow 

 them to the end. Capt. Voulet, returning to the 

 mission after the murder of his superior ollieer. 

 informed the Europeans of what he had done, and 

 said that he had revolted against France and 

 that he would take the sharpshooters and his 

 auxiliaries with him in order to create an inde- 

 pendent state in Africa. Those who would not 

 join him might return to the Soudan. Chanoine 

 agreed to join him, and they went off to a neigh- 

 boring village with two noncommissioned oil 

 the sharpshooters, and the guns and ammunition. 

 One of the sergeants came back, and a da\ or 

 two afterward the sharpshooters killed Vould 

 and Chanoine and returned to the mission, of 

 which Lieut. Pallier had taken eommand. The 

 mission occupied Sinder on July 20, putting to 

 flight the chief who had murdered ('apt. ' 

 majou. Leaving Lieut. Toalland then- with 2<K> 

 men, he returned to DO-.-O. dis< harged 300 of his 

 men, and made preparations to join the Komvau- 

 Lamy mission in order to place himself under t he- 

 orders of Major Lamy. Ihe mission of M. Fou- 

 reau and Major Lamy had for its object the 

 opening of communication between Algeria ami 

 Lake Chad. It arrived at the oasis of Air in May, 

 after some slight encounters with the Tua 

 who afterward showed themselves friendly and 

 supplied food and transport. The way to Agadei 

 was blocked by other Tuaregs. who \vere al-o 

 repelled. The caravan reached the southern bor- 

 der of the desert late in the year, but did not 

 venture to approach Lake Chad. Besides the 

 Voulet-Chanoine and the Foureau-Lamy expedi- 

 tions a third one was dispatched from the south 

 to join the others in the neighborhood of Lake 

 Chad, and possibly with their aid strike a blow 

 at the power of the Sultan Rabah. whose capital 

 is near the southern end of Lake Chad. The force 

 coming from the French Congo was the Gentil- 

 Bretonnet mission. The advance guard under M. 

 Bretonnet was attacked near the Shari by Rabah 

 himself at the head of a large force. With three 

 small guns the explorer and his little band held 

 out for several hours and killed a considerable 

 number of the enemy. In the end the three Euro- 

 peans, together with 2 Arabs and 27 Senegalese, 

 were killed, while 3 got away and brought the 

 news to M. Gentil. Another French party under 

 M. de Behagle, sent out by a commercial syndi- 



