M. Louis Daniel, speaker of the Senegal parliament, has resigned his office, in consequence of the acute political crisis through which the colony is passing. The parliament had been summoned to meet on Monday, but the speaker declined to preside over its deliberations. The crisis has arisen out of the refusal of the ministers to accept certain amendments to the budget proposed by the opposition. The ministers maintain that the amendments are incompatible with the financial position of the colony, and the opposition replies that the ministers are sacrificing the interests of Senegal to those of France. The matter has been referred to Paris, and in the meantime all public business is at a standstill. Senegal, it may be recalled, was first occupied by France in 1889. Senegal, which was first occupied by France in 1889, has a total area of 74,000 square miles, and a population estimated at 4,500,000. The capital is St Louis, on the Senegal river, which has a fine harbour, and a considerable trade. The climate is trying to Europeans, but the natives are a healthy race. The principal exports are groundnuts, rubber, and gum, and the imports consist chiefly of cotton and woollen fabrics, hardware, and spirits. The colony has been of great service to France as a source of labour supply for her West African possessions, and the Senegalese soldiers have fought gallantly in Madagascar and in West Africa.
Original dispatch: Senegal parliament speaker steps down as political crisis worsens