The French in Africa.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 106, 8 February 1900, Page 1

The French in Africa.

The intense interest attached to news from South Africa during the past few months has completely diverted attention from the developments that have occurred in the French Soudan. Yet they are important enough to be studied closely. To all intents and purposes the famous "'forward" policy of the French Colonial Office has been abandoned. It is about two years since Mr Andre Lebon, then Minister for the Colonies, declared that France had an almost uninterrupted scries of posts across the African Continent from Senegal to the Red Sea. The withdrawal of Major Marchand from Fashoda caused a considerable gap in the series, for he had planted many of the "posts," and had left them undefended. Since then the VotiletChanoine mission has como to a disastrous end, and the FoureanLaney expedition has apparently been annihilated. Now the chief, Rabah, has intervened to prevent the establishment of another of these posts, killing M. Bretonnet and his lieutenants. These '• accidents," as the French authorities term them have exercised considerable influence on public opinion which was already beginning to condemn the huge and useless military expenditure on the French Soudan. The campaigu against Rabah will be abandoned, and all forces in the neighbourhood of Lake Chad will be withdrawn, including Lieutenant Jolland's men at Zinder, half-way between the otitpost at Say, on the Niger and the lake. M. Gentil, under whose direction Bretonnet was working, has been directed to fall back on the French posts on Übanghi. As the result of a daring and successful expedition to Lake Chad he was appointed Commissioner of the Upper Shari district, and he set out with fivo hundred soldiers, to plant a station on the shores of the Lake, in spite of the known hostility of Rabah. He divided his small force, and has paid dearly for the blunder. The French will now recognise that nothing is to be gained by attacking the Chief of Bornu, whose capital is actually in the German sphere. The British have at no time interfered with him, for the simple reason that he never raidod their territory. Ten years ago he established a settled form of Government, and would have left the French alone, had they not attempted to occupy portions of his sultanate. The latest announcoment from the French Colonial Office with regard to Africa is that no further expeditions will' be seat out, but that for somo years to come the line of least resistance will be followed, aod every energy will be devoted to the development of the coast lands.

Hi? Trouble. — " Oh, yeV said the dyspeptic, discontentedly, " it's a free country. To . any reasonable exteuf, a man cun say what Jie Jikrs and do what he likes.,' — " What moie do yon want?" " "Well, I wish a oian could eat what ke likes !""