Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-20
STANLEY AND THE CONGO.
The New Field Of fesesssi csssssss- An In.
issstve People ALREADY Aessirtss CtviIiza.
siou-Tseir Proknble fusurs.

lng i have succeeoe0 IN 8toouSnB many
details Of interest In relation 70 the
Congo question. There is probably at
this moment In Berlin no. man more
busy or more overwhelmed with callers and
invitafisns than ne. He Is, In short. the hero
OF the hour ut the German capital. but when
I called at IL to-day, by appointment, at the
Hotel Royal, the great explorer at once ex-
cused himself from his other guests, and,
conducting me to bis private pa.lor, bade'
me be seated, ensconced himself In another
faut,uil opposite me, aud announced his
readiness to answer any question might
desire to PROFOUND.
al learned, Mr.. stanley said I, "that
the conference Yesterday practically adopted
your definition OF the term Congo Basiu'-
that Is, tract including not only the course
OF the stream itself, but the region CON-
mercIally tributary 10 t."
"Yes-the Congo Basin. as now defined,
is based upon the proposition made by the
American members OF the Conference, aud
urged BY Mr.. Kasson In his speech the
other day. II takes In a strip Of territory
stretching from the west coast across the
continent to the Indian ocean, with q
hitoral OF 1856 miles--i. e., from Ambriz 10
the French Gaboon frontier. on the Atlantic
side, and coast front OF 13o or $50 miles
on the Indian ocean. The principal side
OF the question, however, In this discus.
sion pertains, OF course, to the Atlantic III.
toral, as being the accessible one. and the
natural geographical avenue Of trade from
and TO Europe. so far as the country to
the eastward OF Stanley Pool goes that Is
another matter which time can develop.
We are talking now of the western side OF
the territory referred to-"
"Will you, or the other American repre-
sentatives, take any active participation in
the next question-to-w (, English claims
on the Niger. which Is 20 be brought be.
fore the Conferencey"
~ think not. the mater principally in
teresting us is the Congo .Tade."
"How long will the G, 'ference probably
remain in session."
About three weeks longer, or up TO
Christmas-time, possibly"
'What will be the next step taken In case
the Conference takes such action as II Is ex-
pected to toward opening the Congo region
to trader"
1--WE shall nc once proceed 10 build q
rairoad-by we / mean the International
Associstion-we taking half the stock, and
putting the remainder on the market for
such capitalists as want to come In. The
upper and lower regions Of the Congo are
navigable, but are broken in two by the
falls. making necessary portage OF 235
miles. This portage Is, however, somewhat
reduced by the fact that for seventy
or eighty miles OF IL there is navipa-
BILE water between the falls. In case we
build railroad for tue entire distance, or
the 235 miles, it will cost ei,500,000. lf,
on the other hand, we avail ourselves Of
the extra eighty navigable miles, we shall
have 147 miles Of road 10 build al u cost OF
about Gs00,000. This road would extend
from vivi, 40 miles from the mouth Of the
Congo to Leopoldyille, ut Stanley Pool.
now a settlement OF about 800 persons, all
either Europeans or employees OF our asso-
ciatiOn."
"IIow Is Leopoldvile now accessible 2"
"Ob, we have a good wagon ROAD all the
way thither from Viyi, with posts every
ten miles garris0ned by our own paid sol
diers. We have already taken four steam.
boats over the road, IN pieces, and put
them together again at Leopoldville for use
on the upper part Of the river. The view
OF the hill under the town are no less than
lMtHlN hlGlCtu siliikt-s tut tultlS vi w Nilltu
are all friendly"
"What will be the probable attitdde OF
the natives after the railroad Is completed
and foreign traders flock In 2"
"Tbey have thus far always been friendly.
and have given US every assistance. They
are the most initiative people in the world
more so even than the Chinese-and they
seem to feel pride m associating with Eu-
and uAnnffpD THAR mn a
ways. do not think any danger whstever
is even TO be apprebended from uprIsings
or attacks by the natives. OF course when
dOubtedly will, it will be the duty Of the
Association to see that imposition and out
RACES upon the natives are prevented. The
weaker race in this case VIII not, as In the
case OF the American Indian. die out. II
will assimilate."
"Are the Africans favorable TO methods
OF civilization ?"
You would say so could you see some
OF the dwellings they have put up. know
OF twenty or thirty black men who have
been for ten years or more trading with
the whites, and who have imported from
England three-story iron dwellings costing
them each $4,000 or $4,000, which they
have paid IN palm-oil or palm-sernels.
They live in these houses with their wives
and children, with chairs and tables and
carpeted floors, and great variety OF
cheap bric-a-brac, mirrors, ETC., which they
have a passion for acquiring. know OF
one German trader, Mr.. Schultz. repre-
senting Berlin house, who makes a regu-
lar business in this way. He imports q
complete set Of parIor furniture, pictures,
ornaments, ETC.; puts them all In place in
room in his house, and then invites q
wealthy black TO dine with him there. AZ.
ter dinner. the guest admires the surround
ings, and is finally permitted as favor to
purchase them entire. They are at once
removed to an apartment In his English
built dwelling-he pays in oil good round
price-and then the trader sends home an
order for another set, invites another guest
TO dinner, and so on"
is the climate OF that region healthy
for Europeansi For instance, were one
hundred colonists from Saxony 10 20 down
there. how many OF them would probably
be alive at the end OF the year?"
"That depends. Suppose. for instance,
that you, fresh from the comforts OF Euro
pean life, take steamer ticket from kiyer-
pool TO Viyi, on the Congo. You 90
ashore, and strike inland over the portige
for Leopoldville. The beit, the tremen-
dous efforts required at times 10 push your
way through the tall grass. the burning
equatorial sun, soon fatigue you; the per-
spiration fairly pumps you OUT You
come to a stream and dip up handful OF
cold water TO quench Your burning thirst !;
you set down on damp rock TO rest; you
get a chill; you 20 on again upon your
journey, weakened you scarce know
why. A fever comes on; you miss the
accustomed comforts and quiet OF the
steamer; In nine cases out OF ten II Il too
violent change OF your physical condition
and you die. Now, let the railroad be built !;
let there be here an there such hotels as can
offer any approach whatever TO the COM
forts OF modern life, and provisioned with
such food-canned goods are already plen.
tiful there-as Europeans eat, and will
guarantee that 80 to 95 per cent. OF your
hundred Saxons would be alive at the end
OF twelve months. There are many locali-
ties, even in that equatorial region. where
beautiful scenery, fertile land, saubrious
atmosphere invite settlement"
What is your picture OF the future in
shat rs sgion II this project Is carried out, as
il no doubt viii bei"
"Well, you can form an idea when ! tell
you that while the 1900 miles OF seacoist
now open to trade aud settlement are
already dotted with European settlements
French, German, English, Portuguese, and
Dutch-yery few Americins-this new ar.
raDgement will throw open 10000 more
miles OF new waterfront to similar peo-
plipg. Traders will at once pour ip there
from all parts OF the world, and they will