Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎310v] (625/1062)

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I sailed for Tadjnra next morning. _
7 Tadiura and Djibouti.-Duving the forenoon, I received a measage from
f'„e (*o\irnor saying that I must excuse the absence of the 1 reneh Commisaronof
from Tadiura, as he was on trek, and he could not get m touch witn hnn.
“ T was off Tadiura about 11 a.m. but a strong Southwesterly wind made tht
anchorage unsafe, so after studying the coast line, I proceeded to fipbontn
From the look of the place from seaward anything might happen at
Tndiura The little town lies on the sea shore, and is not unlike a btras village
in annearance, nestling at the foot of enormous mountains, which „ se sheer
from ?he waters edge. It is sufficient to see the country just once, to realise
tta“with The hostile Danakils in the interior, the French can exercise no real
C “ ship anchored about 3 p.m. off Djibouti, and I sent an officer to call on
the Governor, and make my apologies for not being able to come m person, as I
was on the sick list.
His Excellency was most friendly, and said that he hoped I should be well
enough to receive him next morning, when he would come to return my call.
He came off next day, and was accorded a salute of 17 guns on leaving the
ship The“ sual calls were exchanged with Mr. Lowe, the British Vice-Consul.
M Chappon-Baissac has been going through an unpleasant time recently,
.,S he has been held up to extreme ridicule m the columns of the Matin ”. It
appears that a journalist, Joseph Kessel, accompanied, by a naval lieutenant
and an armv doctor were sent out by the paper, ostensibly tounvestwhe the
Stnt of tte Slave trade in French Somaliland and Abyssinia and as them
-friend and guide they chose the notorious de Manfned.
On arrival at Djibouti, Kessel went to call on His Excellency, accompanied
bv de Manfried. Not unnaturally M. Chappoi^Ba^sae refused
Hitter, and'tlien decliiied to give permission^foi’ the expedition to proceed inland
from Tadjura, saying that lie could not guarantee then sa e y.
U XClUJUJLClj ^ T 1*
The interview seems to have ended stormily, and after spending sometime
in Abyssinia Kessel took his expedition across country from the neighbou-
hood of Dire^laoua in Abyssinia, right through the forbidden regions, imi e e
guidance of de Manfried, managing to avoid the patrols sent out by the Gov
to arrest them.
LIU St LilUlLt. r a
T oral o’ossit) at Diibonti says that this time His Excellency will he ’
hut the same thing has so often been said before, that it semns V ® 1 7 -aw
Certainly?ttle articles in the “ Matin » are very ont^ken Kessdk.sv^
a great deal about the slave trade, and claims to have travelled ai , “ o tte
caravan of slaves through the mountains of M / bla ’^^Hon^as he says, in
slaves gather, before being marched north for embarkation, as
Eritrea
I have sent the papers to Mr. Zaphiro, at Addis Ababa, and hope to l^ ar
his opinions regarding their veracity, before ver> ong.
In conversation with me, His Excellency the Governor referred toth^ ^
trade, and said he thought that the export took lv rat ve sohliw
neighbourhood of Eas Siyan. He complained that he had only nati v ^
North of Has al Bir, and that it was very difficult to control the whole ^
It seems that he lias a grudge against the well known a iij
Issa, and is anxious to imprison him, as he is an associate of de Man - ^
he asked me if I could lay any charges against him. I said I had 1 T ^
of him as connected with the slave trade, and at his request, I wrote
an-official letter, saying what I had heard about tins man.
£ was careful to point out that I was writing quite ^officially,
I had no authority to enter into correspondence with an official ot ais
and had done so solely at his request. ^ t . jf
Before leaving the ship, he pressed me to go and see him m tne ev
I was well enough, and I again found him very friendly. ^
He. seemed very pleased with my letter, and said that if only je cou
* nttle more un-official liaison, he thought we might make the work ot tne
dealers more onerous. . . ^ r i cll dh T
In all my dealings with M. Chappon-Baissac, I have found him "W; ^
and courteous, and I believe that it would be possible to establish am
liaison with him than lias existed hitherto.
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