While explorers traveled over the new re gions, signing treaties with the native chiefs, and officers occupied (sometimes peaceably, sometimes by force of arms) territory which later on was to form French West Africa, French diplomacy did not remain passive, but turned these efforts to account to get the European Powers to recognize the countries placed under French influence. The Franco English treaties of 10 Aug. 1889, 5 Aug. 1890, 25 Jan. 1895, 14 June 1898 and 8 April 1904, were completed by fixing frontier boundaries in agreement with Spain27 June 1900), Germany J (24 Dec. 1885 and 23 July 1897), Portugal (12 May 1886) and Liberia (8 Dec. 1892 and 18 Sept. 1907). Hereafter from the south of Morocco and Algeria to the Tchad "West Africa's was master of its own destinies. Very soon, however, the progress of French develop ments in Sudan obliged France to take steps to repress the troubles fomented by the Moors in the territory on the right bank of the Senegal. The progressive occupation, which it was de sired to carry out in a spirit of pacificism, of the regions covered by the treaties of zones of influence was decided upon; the Moors, how ever, were hostile to the organization. of Maure tania and numerous incidents took place such as the murder of Coppolani, the government's commissioner, in May 1905 and the Akjoucht fighting. But whatever might be the extent of these disturbances and however painful the un foreseen consequences sometimes are, regional troubles are always bound to arise, which, how ever, by their very nature are easy to localize, if not so easy to repress, and it is not neces sary to have recourse to those punitive expedi tions of which Continental France, moreover, has never had the monopoly. From a geo graphical point of view, the aspect of the coasts of French West Africa is very varied: the coasts are bordered with sand banks against which the waves break from Cape Blanc to the estuary of the Casamanca; rocky and much cut up in Guinea; bordered with on the Ivory Coast and at Dahomey. French West Africa is relatively flat; the mountainous re gion is situated in Guinea and extends from the Fouta-Djallon to the Kong country: this is the most salubrious part of the colony. West Africa is divided into two quite distinct river basins: the Senegal and the. Niger, both of which have their source in the Fouta-Djallon and follow for some distance the same direction, the former toward Cape Vert where it flows into the sea after joining the Faleme and the Baoule and watering Kayes, Bakel, Matam, Salde, Podor and Dagana,— the Niger flows toward the end of the Gulf of Guinea which it reaches after describing a wide curve on which are situated Toulimandio, Koulikoro, Segousi koro, Sansanding, Mopte and Kabara, one of the three ports of Timbuktoo.
The ethnography of West Africa is as yet difficult to determine in a scientific manner; the type of white man we find there comprise the Berbers, who live in the desert zone and are called Touareg in the Sahara; there is a red African type composed mostly of Feulhs or Foullenes from Senegambia, distant cousins of the Egyptian "fellahs," which is a mixture of the African negro type and the Berbers; finally, there is the black type of infinite variety from the Ouolofs, from Lower Senegambia, which represent the negro type in all its purity, the Sonikes, nomads, the Mandingues, intelligent but warlike and given to pillage, to the Achantis of the Ivory Coast, Dahomenians and Haoussas of Upper Dahomey.
In organizing the immense territorities which the valor of her explorers and the efforts of her politicians had assured for France, it seems evident that the fascination of empty words and the superstition of formula: were not al lowed to prevail; it would have been regrettable not to have resisted any such temptation when dealing with populations so greatly dissimilar as those of West Africa. When, in 1899, it
was proposed to establish an embryonic or ganization in what was later to be known as The Guinea, The Ivory Coast and Dahomey, it appeared necessary to separate them adminis tratively from The Senegal to which they had been hitherto connected under the name of "Southern Rivers and Dependencies." But very shortly the mutual interests of the local governments became evident and a decree of 16 June 1895, which created the General Gov ernment of French West Africa, instituted a supreme authority which could, by reaching a decisive opinion on the spot, make the general interest override any particular tendencies of such and such a colony of the group. But the transformation was insufficient, as was also that effected later by decree of October 1902. It seemed an opportune moment to make a further step toward a more rational and profitable organization of the vast French West African possessions, and by a decree of 18 Oct. 1904, making the general government the instrument for the permanent direction and control of French West Africa by placing at its disposal, through the creation of a general budget, the necessary financial aid for its expenses in the common interest and to represent the civic dignity of West Africa, it was hoped that the general government would be able to develop the possessions in a normal manner.
The decree of 18 Oct. 1904 regulates the present organization of the general government. The immense territories to be controlled by the government have an extent of 3,913,250 square kilometers (1,510,795 square miles), comprising five colonies and a civil territory:— I. Senegal, capital Saint Louis 2. Upper Senegal and Niger 3. Guinea, capttal.Koncary 4. Ivory Coast, capital Singerville 5. Dahomey, capital Porto-Novo 6. Civil territory of Mauretania The governor-general holds mandatory powers from the French Republic and his resi dence is at Dakar. He is assisted by a council. The colonies forming. the group enjoy admin istrative and financial autonomy; each one is administered, under the superior authority of the governor-general, by a governor of the colonies whose title is lieutenant-governor and assisted by a secretary-general. The civil ter ritory of Mauretania is administered by a com missioner of the governor-general of French West Africa. In the organization of West Africa, the question of improving the moral and general situation of the natives has re ceived the constant attention of the administra tion. Evidence of this is found in the con tracts passed between natives, in the improve ment of the situation of natives, the organiza tion of public education, the development of public hygiene and the medical aid rendered to the natives. West Africa is above all an agri cultural country; it is therefore not surprising that agriculture has reached quite an advanced stage among these people so primitive in some respects. The produce of the land may be classed in two categories: agricultural prod ucts and food products, or in other words, those which are cultivated with more or less care; and the products of the forests. First among the agricultural products figure the arachide, or peanut,. which has so enriched Senegal and the cultivation of which even ex tends to the Sudan. Practically the entire ex portations of fruits and grains from Senegal to the Sudan consists of this product. If it is borne in mind that it was only about the year 1840 that this culture was started, its rapid development is seen by the export figures for the year 1913, which show, for Senegal, 229,961,605 kilogrammes (231,500 tons), for Upper Senegal and Niger, 8,577,135 kilo grammes (9,175 tons), and for Guinea 3,541,106 kilogrammes (3,714 tons).