CAILLIE, ka-ya, Rene, French traveler: b. Manx& Poitou, France, 19 Sept. 1709; d. Paris, 8 May 1838. He became an African traveler early in his career, obtaining his liv ing by trading with the Moors, who taught him Arabic. On his travels he dressed in Arabic style and passed as an Egyptian. Hav ing gone to Senegal he learned that the Geo graphical Society of Paris had offered a premium of 10,000 francs to the first traveler who should reach Timbuctoo. On 13 June 1827 he reached for the first time the shores of the Niger, which he crossed. He then traveled about 200 miles eastwardly over territories never visited before, arriving at Time 3 Au gust. Here he was detained by illness until 9 Jan. 1828, when he struck on a new road previously unknown to geographers, and Peached Jenne on 11 March. Here he embarked for Timbuctoo, where he arrived about 11 April, after one month's sail on the Niger. After a short stay of a fortnight, and after a tedious and painful return passage through the desert, he reached Fez, 12 August, and from there returned to France. On his arrival at
Toulon he was received with the utmost en thusiasm. He was the first European who ever returned from Timbuctoo, and who had achieved success, while expeditions supported by government had resulted in failure. A special prize of 10,000 francs was awarded to him by the Geographical Society, with the annual prize of 1,000 francs for the most im portant discovery. The order of the Legion of Honor was conferred upon him by the King, and he became, at the same time, the recipient of a salary in connection with an office, to which he was appointed in the Sene gal service. Furthermore, a pension from the fund set apart for eminent literary and scientific men was decreed to him by the Minister of the Interior, and his 'Journal d'un voyage it Temboctou et Jenne, dans EAfrique centrale,' with geographical data added by Jomard, was published at the expense of government, and appeared at the beginning of 1830 in three volumes.