The Republican., 1889-11-23
NUMBER 50.
The Opening Up of Africa.

- a''''' ~ ~ "a fhiANHs IL " hS given
over to the widest kind of heaihen-
ism and it was the home Of slavery
and the slave trade. A new era be
gan to manifest itself with the dis-
coveries Of Livingstone, followed as
these were by the successful expIora-
ti0ns of Burton. of Grant and Spoke,
of Baker, of Cameron, of Thomas
and Others. British, French, Ger.
mans, Italians and Portuguese found
it convenient to explore the coast
and the French stimulated curiosity
and cupidity alike by establishing
themselves in Madagascar.
There was no strong evidence, rs.
yet, that the East coast of Africa
would become 20 Europe what it has
since become. After the Egyptian
wars If 1882 Africa generally became
more an object of attraction. Eng
land remained on the banks of the
Nile; sand the upper country, through
the Mahdi and Gen. Gordon, vas
forced upon the attention Of the world
ut large. In 1882 the French csiab-
liShed Il protectOrdte over TGni5. The
Germans meanwhile became unu-u.
ally active all along the southwest
ana Bismarck manifested consider.
able interest il the Beers in the
Ina.,t IittI,, u
the Italians, encouraged not little
by the British, took possession Of
Ma3soWah, near the mouth of the
BED SEA. the one grand outlet TO the
sea for the Abyssinian cOuntries,
Slanlcy's discoveries along the line Of
the Congo led to the establishment of
the Congo Free State in 1855. The
Congo scheme, which content plated,
in its full devplOpement. the opening
up of civilization territory equal TO
about 0ne-third of the whole of En-
rope, and which promised to make
a connection between the the tqua-
tOrial lake system, compelled atten-
ton alresh to the East coast.
For some three years past there
have been immense activity and
rivalry among the European Powers
III the way of land grabbing all along
the coast from Cape Colony to the
Gulf of Alden, and up to the Red Sea
as far as MassoWah. a British East
~Afrfcan Company anu German East
A frican Company have. within the
last two years. and with full consent
of the Sultan of Zlnzibar, divided
between them the entire coast from
Mozambique to the Alden prOmOn-
tory, with vast territories stretching
far into the interior. Quite recently
POrtug Il set forth claims, which, if
conceded, would give her possession
of IA belt Of land reaching from sea tU
sea, and covering nearly One-half of
the Continen,. Italy quite recently
established herself as the supreme
authority in Abyssinia. And now
more 10 the South, in the region coy-
ering BechuanaIand and Metabele-
land. sometimes called Ztmbesia,
from its great riYcr Ztmbesi. a new
company has taken pOssessan, This
company, which shall be known az
tde British Southeast \ frican Com
pany, has obtained a th trter from
Queen VictOfia-a charter comforting
sovereign authority and 50 ample
and aIl-embracing in its provisions
As to revive the memory of the now
dpfnnrt East India Company. At
the head of this company are such
persons as the Duke of Abercorn, the
Duke Cf Fife and other prominent
members of the aristocracy and mils
li0nairps,
With such an array of European
force in Africa. aud especially along
the East coast, it is not possible but
that a great revolution will soon be
effected throughout the entire cOnti-
nent. Money will be forthcoming
in abundance and the expenditure
OF money will be accompanied by en-
terpriae. Rich results are looked for.
1t is not for nothing that these vast
schemes are entered into. IN cou-
pie of years from now the Congo rail-
road, making a connection above and
below the falls, will be in working
order; and by means of the great
river and its tributaries there will he
opened up magnificent waterway
from the Atlantic coast to the rich
regions of Central Africa. COnnec-
tions by rail are projected between
the different lakes and the Congo on
the one hand, and the East coast on
on the other. AT no distant dav we
have reason to expect that by rail
and water-railrOad car and steam
hOat-there will be grand COM
mercial highway stretching from sea
to sea. A new world will thus be
opened to commerce; and with the
different national companies at peace
with each other, and in good working
order, the result ought to be an i'm
mense gain alike to commerce and to
civilization. 1t will certainly mark
the termination of the slave trade