The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-22 00:00:00

THE SOURCES OF THE NIGER.

The Paris Correspondent of the Standard says :
"A great geographical discovery is reported to have
been made by two Frenchmen. A telegram from
Sierra Leone states that MU. Zweifel and Moustier,
representatives of the firm of Verminck, of Marseilles,
succeeded during September in discovering the sources
of the Niger. This great river, which waters
the Western Soudan, has hitherto hidden its
cradle in the northern spurs of the Kong Moun-
tains, a chain parallel with the Gulf of Guinea
and one of the bulwarks of Central Africa. Many
explorers had tried to penetrate into these unknown
parts, but failed. The French traveller Caillie, fol-
lowing the Kong Mountains northward, was obliged
to content himself with indicating the course
of the Upper Niger and its tributaries. Messrs.
Laing and Winwood Reade tried in vain to explore
the region of the sources of the Diolibah ; the mistrust
and hostility of the natives forced them to abandon
the solution of the problem. A French merchant,
possessing several stores on the Western Coast of
Africa, resolved to attempt the difficult task. M.
Verminck chose two of his employes, haraened
to the climate and accustomed to treating with the
natives; he sent them mathematical instruments,
books, maps, and money, and told them to explore
the Niger, both from a scientific and commercial point
of view. MM. Zweifel and Mowitier forthwith left
Sierra Leone, followed the course of the Rohelle, and
attained the foot of the Kong Mountains. It was
here that the greatest difficulty had to be encountered;
but they fortunately succeeded in overcoming it. The
warlike tribes who had hitherto refused to allow the
white man to go farther this time let the two French-
men pass the chain and explore the three sources
which, uniting at a short distance, form the great
river of the Western Soudan.

A Renter's telegram, dated North Eaatham (Mapsa-
chusettp). November 16, 6 pro, , lays:—" The shore end of
the new French Atlantic cable has been landed, and signals
have been exchanged between the shore and the Faraday.
The latter leaves to-morrow at daylight to make the final
splice, seventeen milell Ont."

MR. BRASSEY, M.P., ON AGRICULTURE.
In London, on Tuesday night, at the meeting of the
Statistical Society held in King's College, Mr. Thomas
Brassey, M,P., the president of the society, delivered the
inaugural address, the subject being "Agriculture in
England and the United States."
Mr. Brassey said that at the present juncture,
while every other industry in the country was gladdened
by the dawn of returning prosperity, a dark cloud still
rested on the landed interest. Its difficulties had
arisen, partly from a succession of adverse sea-
sons, partly from the increased activity of Ameri-
can competition in European markets. He hoped,
therefore, that a summary view of the progress
of agriculture in the United States would not be
inopportune. His information was derived mainly
from documents supplied by Mr. Charles Worthington,
statistician of the Department of Agriculture at
Washington. That gentleman's annual report for
1878 gave the acreage, product, and value of the lead-
ing crops for that year. It showed the largest aggre-
gate production in the history of the United States.
The total acreage in cereals, potatoes, tobacco, hay,
and cotton was 142,474,000 acres. Including the
smaller miscellaneous crops, the area under culture in
farms amounted to considerably over 200,000,000 acres.
The total improved area of lands in farms in 1870, ac-
cording to the census report, was 188,921,099 acres,
which was believed to be much below the aggregate
at that date. The area in maize had tripled
in the last 15 years. It was remarkable that
some of the highest averages were produced by
high culture on the sterile soils of New England, and
some of the lowest upon the rich lands of the
South and West. The facility, however, with which
the virgin lands of the West could be brought under
this culture undermined high farming in the East,
and caused many farmers, especially in New England,
to rely upon Western maize. The price per bushel
received by the farmer had been fluctuating, though
with a general tendency to permanent decline. In
1878 It was 31'8 cents (say is. 4d.), against 99'5 cents (or
45. lid.) in 1864. The fall in price indicated rather
an appreciation in currency than a depreeiation in
actual value. The same general remarks might be
made of the wheat crops. During the last 16 years,
in which the Department of Agriculture had had a
separate existence, it had been noted that the average
yield per acre was the same. The failure of European
crops of late years had created a demand which had
caused the American acreage to increase. In view of
the extraordinary increase in the agricultural produc-
tion of America, it became a grave question for consider-
ation how far the British farmer could hold his own
against the vigorous and apparently illimitable com-
petition to which he was now for the first time exposed.
In the United States the vicissitudes of the seasons
were felt, though not, perhaps, so severely as in our
own country. The crops both of 1875 and 1876, with
a larger area
.tinder wheat than before, were not up to
a fair average. The yield per acre was 11 bushel,' in
1870, and 104 bushels in 1876. Wheat in the United
States was exposed to enemies from which we were hap-
pily free. The far-away States beyond the Mississippi
were sometimes visited with a plague of innumerable
grasshoppers. The freights and railroad charges on
American produce constituted a most essential factor in
calculating the probabilities of a more or less severe
competition from the United States. It had been already
stated that the principal sources whence our importa-
tions of American wheat and cattle were derived
were rapidly shifting westward, while we saw a.
marked decline in the produce of the States con-
tigious to the Eastern seaboard. In the older States
a considerable quantity of land had beenlythrown out
of cultivation, owing to the impossibility of compet-
ing with the virgin soil of the far West, The agricul-
tural machinery was deficient and old-fashioned; the
farmers were content to live as beat they might on
the produce of their own land, and many had sunk
beneath the load of mortgages, which became more
and more burdensome every year. The ever-
lengthening distances from the most fertile corn-
lands to the seaports of the United States pointed
to an increase in the cost of transport, even under
existing tariff, and there was every reason to antici-
pate an advance upon the present low rates on the
American railways.
Much apprehension had been felt that the value of
our flocks and herds would be permanently depressed
by American importation (said Mr. Brassey), but a
careful survey of the most recent phases of sheep and
cattle farming in America scarcely justified this con-
clusion, In considering the prospects of British agri-
culture in competition with the United States and
Europe, the cost of labour was an important element.
If the cost of performing the various operations of
agriculture varied as the rate of wages, it was evident
that British farmers would have little reason for mis-
giving at the prospect of American competition, Ac-
cording to Mr. Caird, the dividing line between high
and low agricultural wages in the United Kingdom
follows the line of coal. In the northern counties the
average weekly wages were lb. 6d. in 1853 and 18s. in
1878. In the southern counties the rate had risen in
the same interval from Bs. sd. to 12s. Taking a rough
general average throughout the Northern States, wages
might be taken at 4s. a day for unskilled and double
that amount for skilled labour. The cost of pro-
visions was lower in the United States than in Great
Britain; but rents, clothing, and every description of
manufactured goods were much dearer than with us. In
view of these and other considerations, a perman mt and
indiscriminate reduction of the rentals of land in Eng-
land-should not be resorted to. In the state of uncer-
tainty in which both landlords and tenants were at
this moment placed, long leases would seem to be
equally undesirable on both sides. The tenant should
be effectually protected against capricious eviction ; he
should be entitled to ample compensation for improve-
ments ; but rents could not be determined on any equit-
able basis for a series of years in advance. Steam and
electricity were great levellers • and the abundance of
capital, the general diffusion of education, the closer
rivalry in every field of human endeavour, combined
to equalize the circumstances of individuals. But, if
we felt the effects of their keen competition in our
markets; they insured us against famine, and fur-
nished our dense and increasing population with wel-
come and abundant supplies. False expectations he
would not dare to encourage ; but when farms were
being abandoned in all directions it was our duty to
make a careful examination of the facts and to
endeavour to allay all groundless apprehensions.
British agriculture would never revive under the fatal
influence of despair. The direction might be changed,
but the forward movement must continue.

The Howard Medal of the society, with a prize of
£2O, was then presented to Mims Beatrice Jourdan for
her successful essay " Oa the Improvements that have
taken place in the Education of Children and Young
Persons during the 18th and 19th Centuries." Mr.
Brassey mentioned that this was the first time the
medal had been awarded to a lady.

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