The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-12-17
IN The CONGO REGION.
A United States Commissioner from
There Makes DiscOuraging Report.
TCfD,;r,,arf E-,,,.-;..-r

States government to visit the Congo
region, has made his second and final
report to the department, from which
the following is taren:
The only roads i'll the country are the
narrow paths from village to village
which are followed by the caravans. and
so narrow are they that the Indian
file of march is by force adopted. No
rule has been observed in the original
laying out of these paths, nor has the
International association improved upon
them since their advent in the country
Only natives can be depended upon to
find the way from MpozO TO Stanley
Pool without guide, and it not unfre-
quently happens that coast caravans and
HOussas cOuriers take the wrong path
and travel many miles, even days, out
of their way before finding their mis-
take. These paths cross each other in
every direction, and great difficulty is
experienced in keeping the right path.
The natives often tie the grass over
path ,ust at the point where the main
path may be intersected by another,
thus purpoSely leading one aStray
In the valleys one may march many
miles through the tall, rank grass,
often twelve TO fifteen feet high, with
out being able to see out either right,
left or overhead. In the dry season as
well as in the rainy season the grass is
wet, and in the early morning the
traveller is thoroughly drenched within
few moments after entering a valley.
Travelling through these valleys is not
at all pleasant, as one is liable to have
ones hands and face badly cut by con-
tact with the sharp blades of rank
grass. The natives often suffer greatly
when attached to a caravan; their
hands not being free when carrying a
load, they can not shield themselves
from the grass.
Mr.. Stanley once made road from
Vivi to Issanghila for the purpose Of
hauling on wheels in sections his small
steamers for use on the upper Congo.
This road served its purpose, but was
not kept in repair, and has now been
abandoned for the native paths, except
in the Bundi valley. The traveller
through the valley of the Congo must
wade through swamps waist deep; he
must swim rivers; he must climb the
rugged clay hills, and cross miles of
arid sandy plains, without water and
without tree to shelter him from the
scorching sun, always following the
zig-zig native trail, sometimes among
of unfriendly people, and then through
vast tract of desert country without
population.
The natives live like brutes, and seem
to have no idea above the brute erea-
ton.
Some of the missionaries claim to
have established schools and to be &C
lively engaged in educating young chill
dren. This is not true, in fact, of the
missionaries in the valley Of the Congo.
The missionaries do take small children
for their servants; they feed them and
clOthe them (after a manner) and at
tempt to inculcate within them a spirit
of religion; but l have yet to see a
Congo man, woman or child with whom
the missionaries have made any pro-
gress. Their morals are of the lowest
type. They have no regard whatever
for virtue, and their immoral practices
place them quite as low in this respect
as are the apes or monkeys of the low
countries. Disorders of the most loath-
some character are rife and apparent
everywhere. They are not a meat eat
ing people, and subsist almost en-
tiely upon ground-nuts and chi
quanga, which latter is the ground
mandioca mixed with fermented palm
tree sap ana sun -DakeQ. cry ICCle
game is to be found in the country, and
such as there is the people are not capa-
BILE of taking. If white shoots an ele-
plant, the natives will swarm around
the carcass by the hundreds and feast
to their hearts content.
The climate of the Congo country, es-
pecially that portion of it below Stanley
Pool, is bad, and but few white men are
enabled to remain any great length of
time without contracting one or more of
the terrible diseases which prevail. A
bilious or pernicious fever is most to be
dreaded, and is usually attended with
fatal results. 1t comes upon one suddenly
and unless Immediately checked as
sumes the phase of yellow fever, caus-
ing death in two or three days, and
oftentimes within a few hours. The
mortality among the white men who
have engaged to serve the International
has been something fearful.
l have never known anything to COM
pare to it in any other country. The
new-c conner is sure to be attacked with
dysentery or small feyers very soon
after arrival in the country; not one
escapes. The latter diseases readily
yield to medical treatment, or are over
come by an immediate change of eli
mate, which is obtained in sending the
patient to the sea shore or to the cool
country of Lower Angola; but the per-
nicious fever generally terminates
fatally