The Bossier banner., 1882-11-23
The New Route to Stanley Pool.

ferdinand de Lesseps, who presided, in
addressing the crowd who had lust an.
plauded the recital by Savorgnan de
Brazza OF his Journeys between the
Ogoone and Congo, pronounced these
/ words:
''You applaud with reason the story
OF our traveller. He has given YOU,
though briefly, the results of two Years
and a half of explorations which will
mark an epoch in the history of geoera-
ply. The shortest way of access to the
heart of Africa has been found, and the
future Will demonstrate the great import
ance of this fact far better than could one
narration of it.
We have, in fact, arrived at decisive
moment in the history of the opening of
the African continent. The difficulties
encountered by the numerous expeditions
starting from the east coastin the neigh
borhood of Zanzibar, have given birth to
the idea that it would be easier to pen
| citrate into equatorial Africa from the
| west coast. Since the great journey of
| Stanley this thought has taken consist
ency. The great valley of the Congo
has appeared like an open door to the
interior OF Africa. Stanley Pool. above
the rapids of the lower course of the
river, will be the key to it. Stanley has
undertaken to open communication be-
tween Viyi and Stanley Pool, by a road
around the rapids, and the commercial
and missionary societies have rivaled
each otherin their ardor to reach the lat
ter point, for the establishment of factor
les and mission stations, and the employ
ment OF steamboats, to explore all the
basin of the middle Congo and carry
there the benefits of Christianity and
civilization. But in view of the Difficult
ties presented by the rapids of the Congo
it has been asked if there might not be
an easier and shorter route for reaching
Stanley Pool. The last travels of Sayorg.
nan de Brazza, during the years 1880 and
1882, in the region between the 'Oeoone
and the Congo seem to furnish favor.
able answer to this question.
When De Brazza, in 1875, undertook
to explore. the Ogoone, the idea generally
prevailed that it took its rise far in the
interior of the continent, and in his first
journey he reached the Alma and the
Licona and the village of Okauga on the
northern branch of the latter river. He
was Ignorant of the fact that at lust
about that time Stanley was making the
discovery of the great northern bend of
the Congo, and of the northeasterly and
southwesterly direction of that. river
in the lower course, and also that the
Alma and Licona were, in fact, trbuta-
ries of the great Congo. In spite of his,
desire to solve the problem of the hydro
graphy of that part of Africa, that uues-
ton became ever more obscure to him.
Nevertheless, he succeeded in this first
Journey in dispelling the fears and hos
tility OF the native tribes along the bord-
ers of the Ogoone, and uniting all in
common feeling Of goodwill to-
wards the whites. aud thus greatly
facilitating his future task. On his
return t. the coast the news of Stan
ley's discoveries on the Congo made him
believe that the Alma must be an afflu-
ent OF that great river, and the difference
In the structure of the valleys of the
Ogoone and of the lower Congo con-
ylnced him OF the possibility of reaching
Stanley Pool more easily by the former
than by ascending directly the Congo,
In fact, access to the Alma, a river 12O
yards wide and eighteen feet deep at the
point where De Brazza crossed it, is
comparatively easy by way of the Ogoone.
From the latter river to the Alma the
distance is only seventy miles, and the |
country between offers no great obsta-
cles to the transportation of merchandise,
or even the building of railroad, while |
from the point reached on the Alma,
steamboats, of small tonnage could easily |
descend to the Congo. To demonstrate |
these facts and to found two. .civiIizating |
stations. one on the upper Ogoone and |
the other on the Congo. De Brazza left |
Europe in December, 1879, for second |
journey up the Ogoone. In January, |
1880, he arrived at Gaboon, and in June |
OF the same year, after successful voy-
age and peaceable negotiations with the
natives for site, he established his first |
station, IS Franceville," at the confluence
of the Ogoone and the Passa, about 48O
miles from the ocean. Leaving France
vile with a few followers he crossed the
bable-lands occupied by the friendly
Achicouyas, passed down the Lefini by
boat to Ngampo. then leaving the river
he proceeded on foot guided by vassal
chief of Makoko, till he reached the Con-
go. He describes the appearance of the
great river as stretching away to the
northeast like an inland sea, flowing
with current so gentle as
1ot to disturb the sleep of nature with
he sound of its waves After concluding
4 treaty of peace with the war-like Ou-
1andjis, he descended the Congo in one
,f their beautiful canoes as far as Stanley
Pool, on the right bank of which Utamo,
he key to the middle Congo, is situated
having given him the choice of
! location for station on the Congo, he
hose the territory lying between the
'ivers Impila and Djour (the Gordon Ben
lett, of Stanley, and On the 1st of Octo-
,er, 1880, three months after his de-
,arture from Franceville, he laid the
oundation of the town to which the geo.
graphical society of Paris has given the
lame of Brazzaville. In the second
Quincy he had travelled distance of
100 miles in country hitherto unknown,
healthy, fertile, inhabited by numerous
md peaceful populations, easy to cross
With wagons, and which, he thinks, pre-
ents no difficulties for the construction
n a railway r YorI -, III. |