We find here, too, representatives of a remarkable people, called the Fellatah. They belong to a much more advanced family than the negro. They differ from the true negro type in their red-brown color, their finer features, slim figures, and less woolly hair. These Fellatah are to be found, also, considerably farther inland. In the Soudan they are very zealous advocates of the Mohammedan faith.
NATIVES OF SENEGAMBIA.
The western portion of Senegambia is very flat. The Great Desert, its near neighbor, affects it by the dry, hot winds; hence the atmosphere is often loaded with fine sand, and dark with clouds of locusts.
The eastern portion of the country is diversified by hills and elevated land. There are a great many rivers, the Senegal, Gambia, and Rio Grande being the most important.
In the heat of its climate Senegambia ranks with Egypt and Nubia. During the rainy season the heat is most oppressive. Then, from June to November, the country is completely drenched by the enormous fall of rain. During this season the prevailing wind is from the southwest; during the dry season it blows from the east.
The vegetation of Senegambia is very luxuriant and vigorous. The baobab, or monkey-bread tree, is found here. The cottonwood trees, a species of poplar, are very numerous. They rank among the loftiest trees in the world.
The chief trade of Senegambia is in the gums which the acacia forests yield. These forests cover the entire country north of the Senegal.
Farther south we find the factories for the manufacture of palm oil. These are all conducted by Europeans. The palm oil is exported to English ports and is used largely in the manufacture of a superior toilet soap.
The interior sections yield abundant quantities of groundnuts, hides, and wax. These are sent down the rivers and shipped from the coast. Many valuable products, as ginger, pepper, arrowroot, coffee, and rice, are capable of cultivation.