The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-20

gobbles il all in night. The natives Try
to frighten him OF, but he is not afraid OF
them. Agriculture IS practically an
couse the elephants and hippopotami are
nearly certain to root mp and trample
down anything that is planted. But. for
the matter of that, almost nothing could
be grown there anyway, owing to the bar
renness of the soil. Much has been Sald
of the Congo valley as a garden spot,
but in truth peck measure would more
than hold all the vegetables that have
ever been grown there. The native popu-
lation is able to exist on roots and httle
else, but white folks cannot live on sucn
diet. Expeditions leaving the coast LOT
the interior are obliged TO carry all OF
their food with them, else they wouid
starye on the way. The traders at Stanley
pool are compelled TO get all their supplies
from Europe. 1t is a fact that not one
twentieth of the alleged products OF the
kongo basin come from there at all, put
from along the coast for LOO miles
north and south, the great entrepot beihg
at the mouth of the kongo river. Traders
in small sailing vessel go up and down
along shore from bayou to bayou, ex,
changing intoxicants for goods and
fetching the latter eventually to the
Kongo station. The Free state,
for which Stanley claims $50 miles
of coast line has in reality only thirty
eight miles. The interior is one vast re-
gion of sand and clay hills. If railway
should ever be completed from the sea to
Stanley pool it would cost So for every 81
worth of products brought from the latter
point to the ocean. If the whole interior
were actually overlooking with riches, IN
stead of being the most God-forsaken
country in which man has ever set ms
foot, the expense of transporting them TO
the ocean would be enormously too great
to pay. It costs today 800 TO transport
one ton from the seacoast 20 miles TO
Stanley pool.
According to the general custom Of the
country, market is had every fourth DAY,
usually on neutral ground, where frlend
and foe meet for trading purposes. Such
few goats and fowls as can be raised are
saved for this sort of exchange. There De-
ing no such thing as money, 1t IS often
necessary for Woman-the females 90
the marketing-to exchange her goods Tor
others half a dozen times before she can
get what she wants. OF other domestic
animals there are none, save dogs, which
are more plentiful in that region than any
where else in the world, such as they are.
Such indescribable ours are not to be
found elsewhe on earth. They howl all
night about the villages, and what they
live on goodness only knows.
The call for missionaries from the Congo
country is vociferous and is likely to con-
either die within two years or retire over
come by sickness from the field. AS for
the evangelical results achieved, Henry NJ.
Stanley, himself an earnest Christian, has
testified in writing that the converted
African is usually satisfied TO exhibit his
spiritual regeneration by devoting himself
to singing hymns and begging. Mr.. Tis-
del, while deploring the undeniable
facts, asserts that he has never
met a really ChristianiZed adult native
in all his journeying through Africa.
According TO his account, the missionaries
employ children as servants and try to
educate them and teach them to be good,
but as soon as they grow up they invari-.
ably backslide, though they are willing to
continue to profess piety for pay. The
fact is that these sayages have not the
slightest religious instinct whatever. They
can not be made to take any thought of
the next world, because today and enough
to fill their stomachs for the time being is
always sufficient for them without thought
of the morrow.
Of 600 white men whom the Interna-
tional Commercial Association induced to
enter its employment, only i've were able
to carry out their three years contract.
The rest either died or were made hopeless
invalids by the deadly climate. The form
of contract required to be signed by each
European recruit is now on tle among the
documents at the department of state.
1t is a curiosity In its way. According to its
provisions the person hired agrees to give
three years of service and absolute obedi-
ence to the authorities appointed by the
association. He agrees to give no in
formation, scientific or commercial,
respecting the association and its
operations and plans to any one
during his three years of service and
for five years after its conclusion. In case
he violates this understanding he acknowl-
n.ter4 t.oA. 80 So =
he should die his heirs must preserve the
same stipulation for ten years with the
same penalty of $4,000 attaching to the
violation. All collections made by him
during his term of service are to be
the property of the association. If
he leaves the service at any time
before the completion of his three
years. term he must pay 5000
francs into the treasury of the association,
although the latter reserves to itself the
right to terminate the contract at any time
it may see ut If he should quit the serv-
ice of the association for any reason. he
agrees not to enter any other African serv-
ice for three years after, without the
written consent of the association, the
penalty for violating this proyiso being
1900. 1t is provided also that in no case
can he or his representatives claim
any indemnity or compensation what
ever on account of sickness or accident
causing OcALA OF lCatlaClty lOT WOrk. lnlS
precious document, booming the sgner to
absolute slavery for a given term, with
almost certain death staring him in the
face, winds up with the remarkable asser.
ton that THE end pursued by the asso-
citation is an absolutely disinterested one"
The association swore by all that Is holy
that it made no such contracts, but Mr..
Tisdel procured one in the original form
from dying employee.
The fact Is no white people can live in
the kongo basin for any length of time,
A European or American who goes there
is at once attacked by dangerous bilious
fevers, which are always as likely as not to
take on a fatal form, resulting in death
within few hours. The soil, where it ex.
lists. is a deposit Of rotten vegeta-
ton, with fever germs as thick in
1t as eggs In an ants nest.
A touch OF the spade releases them. to
spread pestilence abroad. In that dread
cline the midday sun is death. The
morning air is death, and so is dewy eve
The climate, engendering lassitude. rem
ders stimuiants necessary; but TO drink
is to die. 1t is promising country for
the colored people of the United States
TO emigrate TO. this famous Free State of
the kongo. RENE BACuE.
LIGHT COMES.