February, 1880.
THE WEST SHORE.
41
THE DESEKT OF SAHARA.
Much attention ia now being attracted to the
great African desert, Sahara; not altogether
througli mere motives of curiosity, but chiefly
in the intorest of science, and witli the view to
flooding some portions of that region and bring
iug ...mi., mto more lavoraniu conditions lor
cultivation. Two plans for Hooding have beun
suggested, one to let in tho waters of tho Medi
terranean aud make a sea of tho lower portions;
tho other is a moro gradual but equally sura
and more serviceablo mode of improvement, by
which fresh water may spread its fertilizing in
lluonoo over a large portion of those now
drear and arid plains.
It is well known that ovon within historic
times, Sahara has booii a comparatively fertile
aud populous region. Its aucieut fertility was
not derived from rivers, but from wells, "spout
ing wells," they wore called then, which from
disuse or other causo have long since ceased to
How. So that tho very existence or even puasi
bility of such wells, anywhere, had beun almost
or quito forgotten until within a few years,
when similar wells, now known as artesian,
were found in tho Valley of the Seine, from
wheuce their knowledge and use has spread
over almost tho whole civilized world.
That artesian wells once existed among the
oases of tho Sahara doBert is kuowu from what
is said of this region by ancient writers, defer
ences in this direction are giveu by Lieut.
Schroeder, U, S. V, in a paper in the last num
ber of tho Popular BtkMt Monthly, from which
we condense a few paragraphs:
Diodoras, a priest of Tarsus, 1,(100 years ago
spoke of the great oasis, 40 leagues from the
Egyptian frontier, which he said was irrigated,
not by rains or rivers, but by swings which
issue continually from tho ground, not spon
taneously, hut by great labor on the part of the
inhabitants- meaning, of roursu, artesian wells,
bored or ill some way sunk by man. Some of
these old wells have been discovered within a
fow years, aud found tilled with stouo valves,
by which their How could be regulated. Some
of those wells are spoken of by other ancient
writer! as being 500 cubits deep. How tin y
were dug will probably ever remain a mystery.
Several Arabian writers spoke of them over
1,000 years ago, us then Hewing. Ibn Klial
douu referred to them as "spouting wells," and
considered them a miraculous fact. Their origin
had even then beun lost. Modern research has
disclosed the aouroos of supply of these arte
sian waters, which still exists in numerous
localities all along tho eastern aud northern
borders of that great desert rcgiou.
Although our knowledge of its geology and
hydrography is aa yet quito meager, enough is
known to determine that immense subterranean
aheets of water may be found in many places
at a comparatively small depth from tho surface;
and it is ipiito certain that if an enterprising
ami energetic people were planted upon the
borders of this desert, in placo of the bigoted,
lazy Saharau triliea who now roam upon thum,
the desert would soou again becomo clothed
with verdure, aud lie made a most productive
country. It is a curious hut well attested fact
that many ancient wells have been tilled up by
the more recent dwellers, evidently either for
tho purpose of defence against warlike invasion,
or with the view of discouraging the influx of a
more energetic and industrious class of ooplo
than themselves.
Tho French have already commenced a system
of improvement in the desert back of Algiers.
The lirst artesian well was struck aa long ago
as June, 18.VS. Within tho next eight years
aeventy-two successful Wings had len oom
ploted, the deepest of which is only 304 feet
The supply of water ia exceedingly abundant,
and of most excellent quality.
Orujln of the Desert
A M. Lergeau in 1874 visited the Valley of
the Igharghar, with the intention of branching
off to llhadamcs to study the commerce of that
oasis aud teat the practicability of diverting to
Algeria the caravans that come there by the
central route from Soodan. Ho questioned the
',.! mh i - on the causes of the drying of tho groat
Saharuu streams, and fouud that all agreed in
saying that these doad rivers onco ran full
through a country moro fertilo than the Tell
(thu ioum north oi thu Alius inuuulalli s ureal),
but could only explain it by legends moro inter
esting than satisfactory.
M. I.argeau gives tho following explanation
of tho change: "It is known that utetial
pooplo li.nr always boon great destroyers of
forests, for thoy need largo spauea of clear
ground to feed the Hocks that form their wealth
aud to promote security against the wild beasts
that lurk in forests. Even now the Algerian
Arabs aro seen tiring the woods to enlarge the
narrow limits imposed upon them by coloniza
tion. So, although thu great Saharuu si mams
have not been explored to their sources, yet it
A SQUAD OF INDIANS
is known that they commence on thn bare
plateaux that are but tho skeletons of bights
once wooded anil fertile. All accounts of the
inhabitants of these mgio.ir agree on that point.
Consequent upon thu destruction of thn forests
thn eridial rains were replaced by rare and
short though viuleiit storms, the waters from
which, instead of soaking in aa in post ages, slip
by on the rocky masses, carrying away tho rich
sorbin- mold, aud bring about the drying of the
springs, and, as a direct consequence, of the
rivers."
H no un old farmer of the Jersey highlands to
his daughter, fresh from lioarihng.achool: "Nm,
Jane, we haint got no napkins, it wo don't eat
with no forks 'n we do shovel V ther grub, V
we'do smack, mi' we git. our i lls) ws onto tlinr
table ; yoa, we do all of that ; but, Jano, we've
got the pork and beans."
Ciiahi.ch I.amii remarked of MM of his crit
ics: "The more I think uf him, the leas I think
of him."
INDIAN GAMBLING.
The engraving on this age shows a phaae of
aboriginal life whiuh is not often brought for
ward, anil that ia tho passion for gambling. Tho
means employod for this service of ;Fortuna aru
rude aud original with the Indiana. The excite
ment at tending t lie playing of the game extenda
beyond those immediately engaged, for the
men, women and ovou the children gather to
watch for tho signs of victory. The scene
shown in tho engraving ia laid in Arizona, and
is from a photograph taken during Powell's
auivuy of thu Colorado river.
Formation ok CiiAUAiTKii. If aninohody
should give me a diamond to carry to Europe, I
can know exactly how much would be lost to
tho world were I to drop it into the sea; but If
it seed should be given me, I can only regard it
with awe, as concealed within it ia the food oj
AT OAltBLIKG t; am em.
untold generations. That is the difference be
tween liKiking at the truth aa a diamond or a
seed, as Una) or germinal. In all training of
character, continuity and roomy must lie su-
premo. Tim notion that character Is sponta
neous is bold by most people In thn earlier por-
ti f their livea, and ia wrong. When they
discover this, nine-tenths change to tho other
extreme. This la wrong, to,, float of young
men think that their character will form Itself
aud they will nnoeaaarily become better a they
grow older. Hosts of old men believe that
their character is Hied, and that it ia iinpoMi.
bin fur them to become better. Such beliefs
are foolish. People are also wrong in thinking
that they can put olf their bail traits and put
on good traita. The old failures cannot thus In
transformed, but out of the old habits new can
Im formed. This is what many a poor uroatiire
needs to know. We must make what wo am
to be out of what we are already,
"Nu! Algernon dear; I aay that the boy shall
not be brought up oo the bottle. Look at it
grandpa's nose 1"
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