The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-06-22
THE CONGO VALLEY.
A Country Whose Commercial Importance
Can Not he Over-Estimated.

Congo's commercial future would b. 20
write Mr. Stanley'S latest work over
again; but the results already achieved
and those which are now in process of
achievement may bc briefly stated in
his own words:
From the mouth of the Congo 8
steamer drawing fifteen feet of water
can steam up the river ITO 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 lie. Vivid being the
principal. Hence, in order to avoid
the Yellala Falls. we take a land
journey of 52 miles 10 a point where
We have built another station. We
then take boats, and steam or row 50
miles TO a point opposite which there
are stations constructed on each side
of the river. Then comes another land
journey of % miles TO reach our lately
built town of Leopoldsville. at the en-
trance of Stanley Pool. Hence we
steam up unintcrruptedly distance of
1000 English miles. With d short road
past Stanley Falls We could proceed $50
miles farther mp the river, and then a
portage of two miles would give III ESQ
more. In addition To these distances
upon the Congo itself. its larger afiiu-
ents make up total navigablc length
of more than 1000 miles Along the
main stream we have constructed thir-
teen 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"
The Importance of these measures,
which practically bridge over the gap
dividing the inland trade of the upper
Congo from the coas; trade of its lower
course, can hardly be overrated. Even
i'm 1888 the annual value of the local
traffic was estimated at $4,000. OOO;
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. it may reasonably be eN-
pected 10 develop apace. Bounded ON
the north by the watershed of the
Nile, on the south by that of the Fam
beZi and the Logr. on the east by Lake
Tanganyika. and on the west by the
Atlantic Ocean, this vast tract COM
prises almost the whole southern por.
ton OF Central Africa, having length
of l.iO0 miles by Il breadth of /, 200,
and ali area of 100000 square miles
Its population, though II mere nothing
To that which K may support with ease
at no very distant date. is already very
considerable. I'm one section of the
upper Congo Mr.. Stanley counted
fourteen tolerably large villages
within a very limited space: and the
most reliable among the many est.
mates of the total population rates il
a. high a. 40.00O.OO0.
The lower Congo enjoys the priceless
advantage of traverSing an interme-
diate zone admirably fitted for cultiva-
ton. separating two opposing tracts,
in one of which cultivation il rendered
impossible by absolute want of water,
and i'm the other by permanent excess
of it. The great mass of forest and
swamp covering the basin of the Niger
and almost the whole of the west
coast stretches southwark a far as the
mouth of the Ogoway river, about fifty
miles south of the equator. Here il
gradually begins to melt away, the
rivers being still thickly wooded, while
the open country assumes the form of
wide green savannahs. dappled with
clumps of trees, and representing
the ..park-like region" so often and 80
enthusiastically referred to by Mr..
Johnston. This i'm its turn gives place
by degrees to the scantier vegetation of
the Portuguese provinces of Benguela
and Mossamedes, growing thinner and
ever thinner a. il recedes from the
limit of the oil palms at the tenth par
allel of south latitude, till the last
trace of vegetable life vaniShes on the
border of the great Kalahari Desert,
which lies immediately north of the
Orange river and Cape Colony.
1t is through the great natural park
above mentioned that the Congo flows
downward 10 the sea. with all The COM
mercial advantages that can he given
to it by magnificent climate and soil
of unexampled fertility. Among the
products of the Congo basin enumer-
ated by Mr.. Stanley are palm oil, cas-
sava. plRntains and other fruits, palm
wine. copper, iron, vermilion, CAM
wood. tobacco. sugar cane. beans.
maize. millet, sweet potatoes and other
vegetables. mats of palm fiber. nuts,
fish, eggs, pigs, goats, India rubber
and ivory. The last article is so abun-
dant on the upper Congo that in one OF
the villages of the savage region near
the mouth of thp Aruwimi an ssiyorv
temple is said to exist, formed of light
roof supported by thirty-three entire
tusks. MANY of which are of enormous
size. The chief local imports are cot
ton, 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 il can
be said to- have any. ''At the present
time - SAYS Mr. Stanley s.fha nuantify