RECENT CAMPAIGNS IN WEST AFRICA. 782 with France wasworth some sacrifices,especially as the larger question of the Upper Nile might at any moment become acute and complicate the situation.

Another important event in West Africa in 1898 was the final downfall of Samory. After Monteil's failure,no serious attempt was made to attack him for some time. The Governors of the French Soudan adopted the policy of strengthening their hold on the native states east and west of his stronghold in the Kong mountains and cutting off his supplies. Efforts hadbeen made at various times toinduce Tieba, the Fulah King of Sikasso, to enter into a were sent to expel the intruders. When they reached Saki, the French had gone on their way to the Niger. The British column made a reconnaissance towards Ilesha,and on the march was attacked by* some thousands of Baribas. After beating off the enemy and inflicting on them a loss of 300 killed and wounded, the Haussas returned to Saki. It was afterwards ascertained that the Baribas had mistaken the column for aFrench expedition. In December, Colonel Northcott was at Wawa, near Boussa. He camped near the French post, and, while reserving the rival claims of their respective Governments, the British and French officers THE NATIVE CHIEF OF LOKOJA.

exchanged friendly hospitality. Happily the dispute was settled by a preliminary agreement in March,1898, which took definite form in the Niger Convention of June,1898, finally ratified in 1899. The Convention was, on the whole, a success for France. She restored Boussa,but was allowed to bring her frontier on the west bank of the Niger south of Say as far as Ilo. She retainedNikki and the west part ofBorgu, and she further obtained territory in the hinterland of Ashanti that enabledher to unite her Ivory Coast and Dahomey colonies and cut off the Gold Coast from theinterior. On the other hand, the British claim to Sokoto and the countries south of Lake Chad was clearly recognised. England could have legally insisted On the evacuation of Nikki as well as Boussa, but throughout the negotiationsit wasevidently recognisedby ourGovernment that a settlement league against Samory*, but he had managedto avoid actually committing himself to anything definite. On his death, his successor, Ba-Bemba, wasinformed that he wouldbe deposed unless he frankly- accepted a French protectorate and co-operated in the hext campaign against Samory. Ba-Bemba had fortified his capital with a rampart fifteen feet thick, and thought he could defy the French artillery. He relused to comply, and on April 1.5th Colonel Audeod appeared before Sikasso with a force of 1,500 men, a mountainbattery, and four heavy guns.

Trenches were opened,the batteriesgotto work, the thick walls were breached at three points, and, after a fortnight's siege, the town was taken by storm on April 30th.

Operations against Samory- had already begun. On January 25th a flying column, under Lieutenant Demars, had seized the town 01