GOREE (in French Goree, and in the native tongue Bir or Berr, that is, a belly, in allusion to its shape), a small island off the west coast of Africa, belonging to the French colony of the Senegal. It lies immediately to the south of Cape Verd, and, according to the Annuaire du Senegal for 1878, in 14° 39' 55" N. lat. and 12° 16' 40" W. long. The distance from the mainland in one direction is about 8 miles, and in another from 3 to 4. Though little more than a barren rock, Goree is of importance as a commercial and military post, and all the more as it has the advantage of a milder climate than the neighbouring mainland. The greater part of its area is occupied by the town, which was constituted a commune in 1872, and placed under the government of a municipal council of 14 members. The streets are narrow, and the houses, built for the most part of dark red stone, are flat-roofed. Among the principal buildings are the castle of St Michael, which occupies the rocky eminence in the south of the island, the governor’s residence, the hospital, and the barracks. The summit of the rock within the citadel is levelled to an esplanade, and in the centre is a deep Artesian well, the only source in the otherwise arid island, which is dependent on its rain-water tanks for its ordinary supplies. Goree is a free port, and forms a convenient centre for the distribution of European goods. It is regularly visited by the vessels of the British and African Steam Navigation Company. The harbour is formed in a small sandy bay on the north-east side of the island. Telegraphic communication with St Louis dates from 1862. A chamber of commerce was established in 1870, and a sanitary commission in 1874. The town was reported in 1878 to have a population of 3243, and the arrondissement of ...