Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/861

SENEGAL. 788 SENESCENCE. of Frcncli West Africa uiulp r the name of the Scn- cjiaiiibia and Nif-iT Teiiitory. f<iiice, liowi-vor, this reyion is still for the most part only iionii- iially iimlor the Krciich rule, ami as its cconomio ilcvelopmcnt is so closely oolineeted with Senegal ])ro|icr, it is deemed advisable to apply the name of Senegal in this article to the entire territory between the Atlantic and the Military Territories of French Sudan. The area of Senegal proper is estimated at 80.000 scpiare miles. There arc no reliable figvires for the rest of the country. The region, as far as it is known, is without any prominent elevations. The coast ilistrict is most- ly flat and sandy and most fertile in the valley of the Senegal. The northern part belongs to the region of the Sahara, while the ])ortion south of the Senegal is densely wooded and better watered. In the interior elevations of nearly 2000 feet are occasionally met with. The western part is drained by the Senegal, whose main head- stream is the Bating, and which receives the l'"a- Icme from the south and the Knlu from the north. The Faleme is navigable. The portion south of Gambia is watered by the Salum and the C'asa- manee. The climate of Senegal is on the whole un- healthful. The year is divided into two seasons. The rainy season begins at the end of ilay at the mouth of the Casaniance, and in the middle of .Tuly at Saint-Louis. During the dry season the temperature at Saint-Lonis occasionally falls as low as 4ti", but during April and May the north- eastern wind from the Saliara not infrequently raises it to over 110° in the shade. Yellow fever often comes with the rainy season. The flora of the northern ]iart is on the whole scanty, but abounds in gunimiferous acacia. In the valley of the Senegal the vegetation is luxuriant and the region south of the river is especially rich in palms. In the centre of the colony are vast steppes, suitable for grazing. Earthnuts, which form at present the principal export of Senegal, are grown along the coast, and kola nuts are found along the rivers in the south. The natives also raise millet for local consumption. Senegal is devel- oping very rapidly and promises to be .a success- ful colony. A large increase is shown in the exports. The natives produce some textiles, and metal ware, characterized by more or less skill. The imports have grown from .$5,45().000 in 1S0.5 to .$12,360,274 in 1001, and the exports from $2,400,126 to .$7,373,630. Over one-fourth of the imports consists of cotton goods. Earthnuts form over one-half of the exports, and gum and rubber over one-tenth. The chief waterway of the colony, the Senegal, is navigable during the rainy season as far as Kays, 400 miles from its month. Saint-Louis, the capital, is connected by a railway line (163 miles long) with Dakar, the chief seaport of the colony. Another line from Kays, the head of navigation on the Senegal, to Bammaku on the Niger is in course of construc- tion. The local budget of the colony for 1003 bal- anced at over $1,000,000. The Governor-General of French West Africa, of which Senegal is one of the colonies, is assisted by a privy council of officeholders and a general council of 20 elected members. The colony is represented by a Deputy in the French Chamber of Deputies. The internal administration differs in various parts in accordance with the degree of subjuga- tion of tribes. The eomnuinps of Snint-I.^uis, Goreo, Dakar, and Hulisnnc — on the coast — nro organizeil like the lrcni!i communes, but else- where the rule of the nativi-s, opccially in the northern part, is little interfered with. Ksti- niates place the population at over i.OOD.OflO, in- clniling the population of the Seiiegainbia and Niger Territory. The inhabitants arc com- jiosed of two races, the Moors and the negroes. The Jloors inhabit principally tlu' norlliern part of Senegal and are divided into the three tribes of Trar/a, Brakna, and Diiaisli. and have adopted many traits of their negro subject-, with whom they have largely intermixed. They are engaged principally in the gathering of rubber and trans- liortation and are believed to number about 80,- 000. The most numerous of the negro tribes arc the Yolofs, who inhabit the coast region. 'Ilieir number is put at 400.000. They are charaelerized by a tine pliysjipic and a peaceful disposition, and tlii'ir religion is a corrupt Mohammeilanism. The Sercrs, an inferior negro race, ari' found principally in the regi(m of Baol, near the coast. The liambaras are a mixed race, inhabiting the region of Kaarta, north of the Senegal. The Fiilahs are found all over the region. The Tou- eouleurs are a warlike tribe of mixed origin in- habiting the left bank of the Senegal. They arc zealous Mohamiiicdaii-; and ninnber over 200,000. There are also the Diolas and the Biilanles, the latter being found ])rinci|ially along the Casa- niance River. The principal settlements are Saint- Louis ((].v.) : the capital. Dakar (i|.v.) ; Bakel. a fortified post on the left bank of the Senegal, about 350 miles southeast of Saint-Louis; Bam- maku, a fortified post and commercial centre on the Niger, and the proposed terminus of the rail- way line from Kays; Kavs. with a population of 'about nOOO; Hulisque '(SOOO inhabitants), a railway station near Dakar; and Meilina (,S000 inhabitants), a railway station near Kays. The Senegal was discovered by navigators from Diepiie in the fourteenth century. In l.')82 a French company established a factory at the mouth of the Senegal, which became the town of Saint-Louis in 1626. The Dutch settlements along the coasts were acquired by the French through the Treaty of Nimeguen in 1678. In 17.58 the French possessions of Senegal were taken by the I'.riiish and restored in 1783. but seized again in 1800 and 1800 and finally restored to the French in 1817. The Moorish tribes of the north, who showed the greatest resistauee to the French rule, were pacified by General Faidherbe in 1860. BinuoGnAPiiY. Berenger Feraud. Lex pcu- pla/les lie la ^(■lU'fiamhic (Paris. 1S70) ; Barret, ffeneiinmhic et (liiinfe (Paris. 1887): Bayol, Vmiaqe en Seneriamhie (ib., 1888) : Frey, ffi'n^qal et'fioudan (ib.,' 1S88) : GafTarcl, Keiie/jal el Snii- (Inn /roKfois (ib., 18110) ; Haurigot. l.r SM^gal (ib., 1802) ; Lagrilli^re-Beaudere, Mission au K('ne(l<il et (III ^^oiidan (ib., 1808). SEN'EGAM'BIA. A region in Western Africa. Sec Sknko.m.. SENESCENCE (from Lat. scnescere. to prow old, from .scHirr, to be old, from sencx, old). The state of transition to old age. Old age. rapid decay, and a sudden collapse with death occur in many insects immediately after egg-laying. On the other hand, lobsters and crabs, oysters, and other mollusks lay eggs year