Recent French Explorations in Africa 



little by little the blank spots on the map 

 are disappearing. In French Kongo, 

 and notably to the north of this colony, 

 these expeditions have been particularly 

 frequent in order to define the lands 

 granted to the great colonizing com- 

 panies. Among these explorers we may 

 mention the journeys of M. Lesieur and 

 Captain Jobit in the basin of the Ogooe. 

 In the basin of the Kongo the course of 

 many tributaries to this great African 

 river have been determined. 



The work of defining the boundaries 

 between the different European colonies 

 on the west coast of Africa has resulted 

 in many detailed surveys ; these bound- 

 aries have been defined between Gold 

 Coast and the Sudan, between Nigeria 

 and Dahomey, between French Kongo 

 and the Spanish piece at Rio Mouni. 

 Finally the reconnais ;ance for a railway 

 route from Konakry to the Niger and 

 the observations of Captain Lenfant 

 as to the value of the Senegal and of 

 the Niger for water routes to the inte- 

 rior of the continent have served the 

 interests of geography. 



The most important topographic, work 

 as yet performed in Africa has been in ■ 

 Madagascar. General Gallieni, gov- 

 ernor of the island since 1896, has 

 adopted the methods used in the United 

 States with such admirable results. He 

 organized a survey of topographers and 

 geodesists ; in four years these officers 

 have made charts of the great island 

 based on a very precise triangulation. 

 The scale is 1 : 1,000,000 and 1 1500,000, 

 and for central Madagascar 1 : 100,000. 

 The maps, which are in colors, were 

 engraved at Tananarivo, the capital, 

 by a staff of natives. Scientific explo- 

 rations have also been carried out in the 

 south and southwest of the island by 

 private individuals — MM. Bastard and 

 Guillaume Grandidier — son of the fa- 

 mous explorer who is today President 

 of the Societe de Geographie of Paris. 



In conclusion I must mention some of 

 the French explorations in Africa in 



territory that does not belong to France : 

 In Egypt, the work of " La Mission 

 Archeologique d' Egypt," directed by 

 the eminent egyptologist, Maspero ; in 

 Tripoli, the journey of M. Mehier de Ma- 

 thuisieulx (1901). This last explorer 

 reports that the country from Tunisia 

 to the great Syrte and to the south of 

 this portion of the coast issterileand only 

 one-twentieth part inhabited. Sooner 

 or later, of course, Italy will gain pos- 

 session of this territory. 



West of Algeria, Morocco is equally 

 coveted by several European powers. 

 The country is still but little known, 

 due to the Mohammedan fanaticism of 

 its inhabitants, who massacre Euro- 

 peans as soon as they get a chance. 

 Quite recently several Frenchmen have 

 explored Morocco, notably Lieutenant 

 de Segonzac, who traversed the Great 

 Atlas mountains and the valley of the 

 Sus. 



In the opposite quarter of Africa, in 

 Abyssinia, the European powers are 

 displaying great political and scientific 

 zeal to gain the alliance of Menelik. 

 In 1900, the celebrated French writer, 

 M. Hugues-Le Roux, achieved some 

 interesting work in the upper valley of 

 the Blue Nile, and has told his story in 

 a book as thrilling as a romance, ' ' Mene- 

 lik et Nous." Starting from Addis 

 Abeba, Hugues Le Roux proceeded to 

 the east across the mountains that sepa- 

 rate the upper basins of the Aouache 

 and the Omo and the Didessa. All this 

 country he describes as exceedingly 

 picturesque, even more beautiful than 

 Switzerland. 



The story of all these explorations is 

 told or summarizedin' ' La Geographie, ' ' 

 the monthly magazine of the ' ' Societe 

 de Geographie " of Paris. The chair- 

 man of its editorial committee is Prince 

 Roland Bonaparte, a great grandnephew 

 of Napoleon I. This illustrious geog- 

 rapher has accomplished many impor- 

 tant scientific excursions, especially in 

 northern Europe, where he has made 



