4 Seven Years in the Soudan.

by its Avoi'k to covering the expenses of the State, and besides this, there is a bahmce in favour of the Government. The whole expense of the administration of Bahr-el-Ghazal and the countries of Xiam-Niam, subject to the former, do not exceed, according to the exact information I have been able to obtain, 7800Z. sterling. The ivory sent to Khartoum from the time Avhen Suleiman ceased to exist, exceeded three thousand hundredweights, representing the value of about 00,000/., and I do not calculate the ivory already accumulated in the stati6ns, and not yet forwarded for want of means of transport.

"As I said before, the country is rich in many other products besides tamarinds, caoutchouc, timber, etc., and ray friend Gessi assures me that the butter of the arachis, and nut oil and palm oil, are so abundant as to be able to form an advantageous item of commerce for the Soudan, but that it is not convenient to export them to Europe, as, by reason of the expense of transport, they cannot compete with those from the West Coast of Africa, where there are French and English establishments exclusively occupied with the exportation of these articles.

" The interior of Niam-Niam was not yet visited by Gessi, but he tells me that he has been informed that copal, so much valued in Europe, is to be found there in great abundance ; he is expecting the arrival of a sample. It was a mistake on the part of the Eg3ptian Government and Baker Pasha to seek for the riches of Africa in the districts of the Equatorial lakes ; the commerce of Uganda does not exceed the fifteen tons of ivory which are annually transported to Zanzibar.

" Gordon Pasha, with the insight that distinguishes him, did well to cease making other conquests in those districts ; they would ultimately have been of no profit, and only weakened the other possessions in Central Africa.

" But that the country may really make progress