Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-05-12
RICHES OF THE CONGO.
A Missionary on the Wonders Of
Africa's Interior.

DIR. Sims, a Baptist missionary, who
has returned to Philadelphia after a
years residence in the Congo Free State,
talks very interestingly of the Dark Con
tinent. The present great interest in
the new world which has been opened
up to Europe and American enterprise
arises from its making the interior ac-
cessible.
''The Loika, which 1 recently as
cended to nearly three degrees north OF
the Mombuttu people in the Central
SOudan, where from the rounded clay
houses and native cutlery it was plainly
| evident that we were among Southern
Soudanese populations discovered some
time ago and described by Schweinfurth
and Junker. descended the Lomami
river, which runs due south from the
opposite side from the Aluwimi for go
miles, till we were right along the Wat
wa, mentioned by Stanley IN his recent
work. AT our turning point the river
went still south and was navigable fol
| probably several hundred miles. In ad.
sition to these, there are the Buluki,
! Lulonga, lkelamba and Cassi rivers
| penetrating into all the remaining coun-
try, added to which are such rivers as
the Mukani, Mboshi, Ntsala with the
western tributaries of the Great Mo
bangi, which drain all the country al
| the back of the seabord, from the Cam
eroons to the Gaboons, and empty them
selves into the Congo"
'Now as TO the resources, soil, and
that much disputed question, the eli.
| mattel
''The resources of the REGION are great
and mainly undeveloped. Perhaps halt
| of this vast territory is virgin forest OF
great thickness and value. Wherever |
have been the great rubber wealth of
the country is yet untouched. This
will be accessible as soon as the natives
find there is market for it somewhere on
| the river. Considering that at present
the rubber supply of America is made
| quate. 1t is plain that sooner or later
this equatorial supply will be tapped and
| immense fortunes realized. The guam
! tity of ivory which lies unused and is,
! comparatively speaking, of no value in
| this region, is untold.
Everywhere / saw vast amount OF
it utterly wasted or applied to base pur-
| poses, being used even as chopping-
| blocks and to be obtained for trifle.
The forests are filled with redwood,
which is worth $50 ton in the Euro
pean market, but, owing to the present
existing difficulties of transport on the
Lower Congo, is worthless and was put
| by us into the furnaces of the steamers.
Gum cOpal is found everywhere in fos.
sill state The forests there contain
three species of palms, one of which
| Yields a valuable oil which the natives
extract. While vet undeveloped, the
palm oil industry promises TO be one OF
4 the richest on the Upper Congo when
| Mr.. Stanley;s railway is completed.
The country of the Upper Congo is ex-
ceedingly fertile, The natives make
clearings in the forest for their gardens
and plantations by cutting the tops ofl
the trees and filling the stumps to theil
isyccls, plantains, bananas, maize, to
baeco, Tnaniocha, peanuts and yams are
| cultivated. We have frequently found
coffee growing wild in this part of the
country. From my knowledge of cof-
fee plantations ON the African coast j
am convinced that coffee plantations on
the Congo would be very successful.
SLOW did you find the peopleS"
''The people in the Upper Congo show
q remarkable spirit of friendship, which
| promises well for their future progress
| in civilization. We anticipate that
they will rapidly become quiet and
amenable to the laws of the state. They
suffer greatly from incursions of Arabs,
who devastate their houses and villages,
and carry off their women and children,
The captors treat their captiveS with
the greatest cruelty. The natives are
Industrious, with reatscommercial IN
stincts and spirit of enterprise. On
the upper portions the natives are given
| to cannibalism i'll its most revolving
| forms. This, | think, is attributable TO
| the scarcity of meat and fish. The SEN
timent of the women and children and
many of the men is against it,
us the Congo free state, in your
opinion, suoceSsf"
eyes. Its political aspects are daily
improving. The State is exercising a
great influence over the natives. Inter-
| necine warfare is ceasing /; treaties are
| being made; the state is seeking TO open
| lllc COullIN " Wv llillNloh sAlAA NOAA-
merce, to establish friendly relations
! among the chiefs and to protect property.
The Europeans in the State number
about 300, including Portuguese, Eng
| lish. Belgians. Dutch and Scandinayians
| The Stanley railroad will greatly aid IL
| the deyelOpement of the country. Will
Mr.. Stanley ut the head of it, there Is
no question of its success. speak from
my knowledge of the man. The way ls
now being surveyed, and there are no
engineering difficulties in the way"
"Have the people any religion!"
'sThey have no conception of god of
any kind, and worship nothing. They
believe.in charms to keep off all evils.
They do not believe in sickness or death
as natural, and seek out the cause when
one dies or is taken Ill. Many persons
are thus killed in punishment, and were
1t not for this the population would IL
crease very rapidly. They have appreci-
ated the Gospel, and listened attentiyely
to our teaching. The children are at
tending our schools. of which there
are eleven. These people present q very
hopeful field, free as they are from the
superstructure of Mohammedanism,
with next to no knowledge of God, and
nothing of the Gospel. | believe they
will readily appreciate 2 plan 0f saliva
tion and lay aside their vain supersti-
tions."