Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-03-12
RICHES OF THE CONGO.
a MISSIONARY ON THE WONDERS
OF AFRICA'S INTERIOR.
NaviSable Rivers Flowing Through
Forests of Rubber and Redwood
TPees-The Natives,

DR.. A. Sims, 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
European and American enterprise arises
from its making the interior accessible.
"The advantages presented by the
Congo" said DR.. Sims in an interview,
"are unequaled anywhere in equatorial
Africa, unless, perhaps, by the Niger. 1t
is only within the past three months that
we have any exact knowledge of the ca
pabilities and resources of the country,
for the tributaries of the great river have
just been explored and the information
of its peoples obtained. The Congo
passes through country about 900 miles
square, containing about 1 900, 600 square
miles, traversing it first north, then across
and then south. Most of this country is
pure virgin forest. 1t has immense tribu-
taries flowing into it, ramifying some
for 1870 miles and some as far as 800
miles. The greatest tributary is the
Mobangi, which is, as it were, repiti-
tion of the Congo, being at its mouth
twelve to fifteen miles wide; 450 miles
in the interior it is two miles wide; 400
miles in the interior it is half a mile wide
in the mountain gorges. The opportuni-
ties for reaching the outhwest Of the
Soudan by this river are unequaled, and
by its means a great riverine hiatus is
filled, and exen the remotest parts of
equatorial Africa are now accessible by
navigable rivers.
"The Loika, which recently assembled
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 pop
ulations discovered some time ago and
described by Schweinfurth and Junker.
l descended the Lomami river, which
runs due south from the opposite side
from the Aluwimi for $50 miles, till we
were right along the Watwa, mentioned
by Stanley in his recent work. At our
turning point the river went still south
and was navigable for probably several
hundred miles. In addition to these,
there are the Buluki, Lulouga, Ikelamba
and Cassi rivers penetrating into all the
remaining country, added to which are
such rivers as the Mukani, Mboshi, Ntsala
with the western tributaries of the Great
Mobangi, which drain all the country at
the back of the seaboard, from the Cam
eroons to tue Gaboons, and empty them
selves into the Congo"
"Now as to the resources, soil, and
that much Disputed question, the eli
mate !"
''The resources of the region are great
and mainly undeveloped. Perhaps half
of this vast territory is virgin forest of
great thickness and value. Wherever I
have been the great rubber wealth of the
country is yet untouched. This will be
accessible as soon as the natives find
there is a market for it somewhere on the
river Considering that at present the
rubber supply of America is inadequate.
it is plain that sooner or later this equa-
torial supply will be tapped and immense
fortunes realized. The quantity 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 trife. The for
ests are filled with redwood, which is
worth $50 a ton in the European market,
but, owing to the present existing diff
culties 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 a fossil state.
, The forests there contain three species of
palms, one of which yields valuable
oil which the natives extract. While
yet undeveloped, the palm oil industry
promises to be one of the richest on the
Upper Congo when Mr. Stanley's railway
is completed. The country of the Upper
Congo is exceedingly fertile. The ma
tives make clearings in the forest for
their gardens and plantations by cut
| ting the tops off the trees and filling the
stumps to their roots. Plantains, ba-
nanas, maize, tobacco, maniocha, pea
nuts and yams are cultivated We have
this part of the country. From my
knowledge of coffee plantations on the
African coast ! am convinced that coffee
plantations on the Congo would be very
| successful.
elbow did you find the people?"
''The people in the Upper Congo show
remarkable spirit of friendship, which
promises well for their future progress in
civilization. We anticipate that they will
J 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 hardy
and industrious, with great commercial
instincts and spirit of enterprise On
the upper portions the natives are given
to cannibalism in its most revolving forms.
This, think, is attributable to the
scarcity of meat and fish. The senti-
ment of the women and children and
many of the men is against it,"
us the Congo free state, in your
opinion, successW
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
the country to civilization and commerce,
to establish friendly relations among the
chiefs and to protect property The Eu-
ropeans in the State number about 800,
including Portuguese English, Belgians,
Dutch and Scandinavians. The Stanley
railrord will greatly aid in the develop
ment of the country. With Mr.. Stanley
at the head of it, there is no question of
its success. speak from my knowledge
: e Al. =. L