Sheshuan. To a recent demand of the Sultan for payment of taxes 
the Beni M'sara repHed that they would pay them in bullets made of 
pesetas if he would send his soldiers to collect them. 
The French Slave Coast Possessions.— M. A. L. D'Albeca 
{Reme de Geographic, September, 1889) gives some precise information 
respecting the French establishments on the Gulf of Benin. These 
are, in French orthography, Ogoue, Grand-Popo, Agome Seva, Togo- 
don, Whydah and its dependencies, Kotonou and territory. Lake 
Denham, with its posts of Aouansori and Afotonou, tre river Ouem6, 
the kingdom of Porto Novo, the river and factories of Addo ; and are 
situated on the slave coast, between 0° 4' W. and 0° 36' E. lat. of 
Paris. The frontage is 150 kilometres, and the boundaries are the 
German settlement of Togo westward, and eastward the English settle- 
ment of Lagos. The ideal line of demarcation between Togo and 
these settlements is prolonged to 9° N. lat. Outlets for commerce are 
looked for towards the middle course of the Niger. The river Addo, 
navigable for 70 miles, divides the French possessions from Lagos. It 
is the natural way to Abeokuta and Oye, two populous native centres. 
Through the action of the barre or Guinea current, there has been 
thrown up a line of sandbanks of varying width, behind which extends 
a series of brackish lagoons. The factories are on this cordon littoral. 
The entire coast is an unbroken sandbank, with nothing to orient the 
mariner save coco trees and the low tower of the church of Agoud. 
North of Grand-Popo and Whydah is a series of terraces which ter- 
minate in a wall at some distance from the ocean. The lagoon of 
Agoue, running west to east, empties into that of Grand-Popo, at the 
confluence of the latter with the Agome river. The last-named lagoon, 
after passing Grand-Popo, Heve, Agogo, and other factories, empties 
itself into the sea by the Bouche du Roi, near Arihoue. The Aroh 
river becomes navigable before entering the Whydah lagoon, which now 
no longer communicates with Lake Denham. It now runs westward, 
receives the Aroh, and finally mixes its waters with those of the lagoon 
of Grand-Popo. The Oueme forms the boundary between Porto Novo 
and Dahomey. The waters of this large river form Lake Denham, 
which communicates with the sea by the canal of Kotonou. The 
lagoon of Porto Novo communicates with Lake Denham, and is 
always navigable. 
Europe. — Corsican Railways.— At the commencement of 1888, 
there was a department of France without a mile of railway in opera- 
tion. The first lines, from Bastia to Corte, and from Casamozza to 
