The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-05
CONGO-LAND.
Results Addicted by Stanley In the valley
of the Congo.

| To give full summary of the Congo 5
commercial future would be to write
| Mr.. Stanley latest work over again:
but the results already achieved and
| those which are now in process of
achievement may be briefly stated n his
| own words:
Prom the mouth Of the Congo a
| steamer drawing fifteen feet of water
can steam up the river 10 miles, and
| opposite to this point (the head of the
| estuary we have built stations on both
sides of the river. that on the north or
right bank (j. c. Vivid being the princi-
pal. Hence, in order to avoid the
Yellala Falls, we take land journey Of
| 81 miles to a point where we have built
another station. We then take boats.
| and steam or row IS miles to a point
opposite which there are stations con-
structed on each side of the river Then
| comes another land Journey of 95 miles
| to reach our lately built town of Leo
| poldsville. at the entrance of Stanley
| Pool. Hence we steam up uninterrupt-
edly a distance Of ,060 English miles.
With a short road past Stanley Falls we
could proceed $50 miles farther up the
river, and then a portage Of two miles
would give Us 630 more. In addition
! to these distances upon the Congo IL
self, its larger atfiuents make up a to-
tai navioable length of more than 1000
miles. Along the main stream we have
constructed thirteen stations in the most
likely places, among peaceful tribes,
with whom we are on terms of familiar
| intercourse, and who have welcomed us
as brothers.
& u.
which practically bridge over the gap
dividing the inland trade Of the upper
| Congo from the coast trade of its lower
course, can hardly be oyerrated. Even
! in 1888 the annual value of the local
traffic was estimated at S14,000,00 and
now that the Berlin Conference of 1884
| has disposed of the absurd claims of
| Portugal, and established freedom of
| trade throughout the entire basin of the
| Congo, 1t may reasonably be expected
to develop apace. Bounded on the
north by the watershed of the Nile on
the south by that of the Zambezi and
| the Loge, on the east by Lake Tangan-
yika, and on the west by the Atlantic
! Ocean, this vast tract comprises almost
the whole southern portion of Central
Africa, having a length of 1,400 miles
by breadth of POO, and an area of
| 1900, 900 square miles. It's population,
| though mere nothing to that which it
may support with ease at no very dis
tant date, is already very considerable.
In one section Of the upper Congo Mr..
Stanley counted fourteen tolerably
large villages within very limited
space; and the most reliable among the
many estimates OF the total population
rates it as high as 100000.
The lower Congo enjoys the priceless
| advantagesof trayersing an intermediate
zone admirably fitted for cultivation,
| separating two opposing tracts, in one
of which cultivation is rendered impossi-
| BILE by absolute want Of water, and in
| the other by a permanent excess of it.
| The great mass of forest and swamp
| covering the basin of the Niger and al
most the whole Of the west coast stretch
| eS southward n far as the mouth of the
| OgOway River, about fifty miles south
| of the equator. Here II gradually be
| gins to melt away. the rivers being still
| thickly wooded, while the open country
| assumes the form o, wide green savan-
nahs, dappled with clumps of trees. and
representing the ''park-iikc region 50
| often and SO enthusiastically referred to
| BY Mr.. Johnston. This in its turn
gives place by degrees to the scantier
vegetation of the Portuguese provinces
of Benguela and Mossamedes. growing
/ thinner and ever thinner as it recedes
from the limit of the oil palms at the
/ tenth parallel of south latitude till the
/ last trace of vegetable life yanishes on
the border of the great Kalahari Desert.
which lies Immediately north Of the
/ Orange River and Cape Colony
! It is through the great natural park
/ above mentioned that the Congo flows
| downward to the sea, with all the COM
mereial advantages that can be given to
il by magnificent climate and soil
of unexampled fertility. Among the
! products of the Congo basin enumerated
by Mr.. Stanley arc palm oil, cassava.
| plaintains and other fruits, palm wine,
| copper, iron, vernlilion. camwood, to-
baeco. sugar-cane. beans. maize. millet.
sweet potatoes and other vegetables.
mats of palm fibre, nuts, fish, eggs,
/ pigs, goats, India rubber, and ivory.
| The last article is so abundant on the
upper Congo that in one OF the villages
of the savage region near the mouth OF
the Aruwimi an ivory temple is said
to exist, formed of light roof support
| ed by thirty-three entire tuskS. many OF
which are of enormous size. The chief
| local imports are cotton, hardware,
cloth. salt, crockery, guns, and powder.
| the three first-named articles being In
especial demand, and forming in some
| districts the actual currency of the
country, so far as it can be said to have
any. AT the present time" says Mr..
Stanley. .'the quantity OF cheap cottons
sold every year in the Congo markets
amounts to {. 6.250.000 yards and sup
posing every inhabitant of the Congo
basin to have just one Sunday dress
every new year. S20.000.000 yards
would be required. -Darid her. in
Harper's Magazine for March