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SEMPACH

1723

SENEGAL

merchant-vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, he sailed to England. On leaving Southampton he was pursued by the Federal steamer Tuscarora, blockaded at Tangier, and forced to sell his ship. In August, 1862, he took command of the famous Alabama, built in England and manned by an English crew. Ke then commenced a successful cruise against merchant-vessels. He also sank the gunboat Hatteras off Galveston; but on June IQ, 1864, the Alabama was herself sunk by the Kearsarge in a sea-fight off the harbor of Cherbourg, France. Semmes, however, escaped in an English yacht. He opened a law-office at Mobile after the war closed, but was arrested and suffered a four months' imprisonment. He afterwards wrote and lectured on his adventures during the war. Semmes died at Mobile, Ala., Aug. 30, 1877.

Sempach (zem'pak) / Battle of. See WIN-KELRIED, ARNOLD VON.

Seneca (s$n'e-kd), whose father was a prominent writer, was a Spaniard, born at Corduba (Cordoya) about 4 B. C. He studied law at Rome, where he narrowly escaped being put to death by Emperor Caligula. Later in life he entered the Roman court, but in 41 A. D. lost the favor of Claudius and suffered eight years' banishment to Corsica. After his return he became tutor to Nero, over whom he had a strong and good influence, and was made consul in 57 A. D. by his pupil, who was now emperor. As Nero (q. v,) rapidly sank into crime, Seneca's high moral character aroused hatred, while the teacher's wealth, heaped on him by Nero, is said to have made the emperor jealous. Nero tried to poison him, but, failing in this, had him drawn into the Pisonian conspiracy, for which he was tried and condemned. Left free to choose his own death, he opened his veins and bled to death, 65 A. D. Seneca was a noble and upright man, yet had many enemies. On Foresight, On Shortness of Life and Epistles to Lucilius are some of his writings, besides epigrams and eight tragedies, which show great mastery of style but are unfitted for the stage. For a striking portrait of Seneca see Hugh Westbury's Acte. Consult, also, Farrar's Seekers after God and the Quo Vadis? of Sienkiewicz.

Seneca Falls, N. Y., a village in Seneca County, on Seneca River, the Seneca and Cayuga Canal and the N. Y. Central and Lenigh Valley railways, about 40 miles west of Syracuse. It lies in a notable agricultural region, and was early settled; it also has extensive manufactories, which in large measure utilize the waterpower of the river. Among these are pump, fire-engine, automobile, button and machine-tool works. It is the seat of Johnson Home for Indigent Females, Mynderse Academy and Library and Rumsey Hall, a preparatory school; while in the vicinity it has a

fine summer-resort in Cayuga Lake Park. Population 6,588.

Seneca Lake, one of a range of narrow lakes in the western part of New York. It is 36 miles long, and averages two miles in width and 530 feet in depth. Steamboats ply daily from end to end. It flows into Lake Ontario through Seneca and Oswego Rivers, and is joined by canal to Erie Canal.

Senecas, one of the Indian tribes. See IROQUOIS.

Senegal (sen'$-galr) is a French colony on the western coast of Africa between Gambia River and the Sahara. It extends 900 miles inland, covers 80,000 square miles and has 1,200,000 inhabitants. The colony is unde: civil administration, and comprises the communes of St. Louis, the capital; Dakar, a fortified naval station that is the seat of the general government of French West Africa; Rufisque; and Gore"e. These are directly under the governor, and the inhabitants, numbering 107,826, are French citizens and elect a deputy to the Parliament at Paris. The colony also includes nine circles under other administrators, where the natives are not citizens of France, and other districts that govern themselves under French protectorates. Everything outside of the territories mentioned is the Senegal-Niger colony.

French settlement began as early as 1637, but the colony was taken by the English in 1756 and, except in 1779, held till 1815, when it passed permanently into the hands of France. Progress began in 1854, and prosperity has grown ever since. The colony is self-supporting. The chief towns have schools with over 2,000 pupils. The natives cultivate maize, millet and rice. Other products include castor-beans, cocoanuts, ground-nuts, gums, kola and rubber. The domestic animals are camels, cattle, goats and sheep. Copper, gold, mercury and silver are found. The industries comprise brickmaking, jewelry, pottery and weaving. The imports in 1909 were valued at 67,912,239 francs, the exports at 59,164,917 francs. There are nearly "600 miles of railway 1,241 of telegraph and about 200 of telephone. A submarine cable has connected Dakar with Brest, France, since April of 1905. Dakar also has regular steamship-service to French ports, Hamburg and Liverpool. The chief railroad is the line along the coast that connects Dakar, Rufisque and St. Louis. Another runs from Kayes, the head of flood-navigation on Senegal River (490 miles from St. Louis), to the Niger, so that one can go from Paris to Timbuktu by train and steamer. At Dakar extensive improvements, including a dry-dock, are under way. /

Senegal (senfe-galf), a river of West Africa, has two sources, trie Bafmg and the Bakhoy.