The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-03-14
THE CAMEROONS.
A Country That Is Giving Ger-
many Much Trouble,
An African Territory About which the
English Government Is vitality Com
cerned-The Dispute About
It's Boundaries.

.
Battle in the Cameroons, " says a re-
cent cable. What and where are the
Cameroons? This from the New York
Herald will elucidate little:
The Cameroons is territory on the
Blight of Biafra, West Africa, one
hundred and fifty thousand square
miles in extent, and with an estimated
population of two millions. It has .
coast line of one hundred and twenty
miles between the Campo river and the
Rio del Rey, is bounded on the north
east by treaty line running north
east to the east of Yola, on the upper
Benue, and on the south by line rum
ming inland, due east from the mouth
of the Campo river, to about the me-
idian of longitude fifteen degrees east,
which may be regarded as the eastern
)r inland limit of the so-calfed ''pro-
Gectorate."
In 1892 there were one hundred and
sixty-six whites, of whom one hundred
and nine were German and thirty-One
English. It became a German pro-
tectorate in 1884, and is placed under
an imperial governor, assisted by a
chancellor, two secretaries and local
council of three representative mer-
chants. The country is fertile, and
numerous valuable African vegetable
productions grow in profusion. Plan
tations of cacao and tobacco have been
farmed by company, and numerous
factories carry on an active trade in
ivory and palm oil. On January 1,
1855, an import duty was imposed on
European goods, and from this the
revenue is mainly derived. The chief
town is Cameroons, and in the South
BAHAMA, Bimbia and Bakundu Town
are other important trading stations,
and Aqua Town and Bell Town are the
principal native settlements. The i'm
ports and exports are quite large.
In April last, Mr.. Henry NJ. Stanley
wrote to the peace association a letter
in which he attributed the increase of
trade in 1892 at African ports under
German administration to the growing
practice among German merchants of
importing into Africa small arms and
ammunition. These materials of war,
he said, were sold to the slave traders
and, do oinestimable damage. Mr.. Stan
ley inculpated also the Portuguese in
his charges. He appealed to the Euro
pean nations to suppress the traffic in
arms carried on by the Germans and
Portuguese. Unless this step be taken,
trade would be useless.
In February German expedition,
which was under the command of
Freiherr Won Stetten, proceeded from
the Cameroons coast up the river San
naga to Balinga, whence it travelled to
the thiclkly populated district of Tizar
and reached Ngaudere and Yola.
Treaties were concluded with the ma
tive tribes in the districts passed
through. This temperance on the
coast, the Kreuz Zeitung pointed out,
was peculiar in view Of the statement
made by members of the expedition
that Lake Tchad was their goal. 1t is
a fact, though at present an inexplica-
BILE one, that German expeditions fail
to reach the more easterly portions of
the Hinterland of the CameroonS. The |
returned in September.
England and Germany had long
dispute about the boundaries of the
which was settled in May |
last. The third section of the agree
ment reads: ''The German colonial |
engages not to allow
any trade settlements to exist or be |
erected on the right bank of the Rio |
del Rey Creek or waterway. In like |
the administration of the Oil |
rivers protectorate engages not to all |
low any trade settlements to exist or
to be erected on the western bank of |
the Bakassy peninsula from the first |
creek below Arsibon's village to the |
sea and eastward from this bank to !
the Rio del Rey waterway"
According to the German view the |
new agreement is purely fiscal one,
intended to enable the British and |
German administrations to cope with |
the widespread smuggling, which was
detrimental to the Gamer !
oons. There had been no question of |
the frontier laid down by the |
provisional agreement of 1890, which, |
in consequence of disagreement be-
tween the two governments, left the |
Rio del Rey out of count and settled |
the frontier as a straight line running |
from the upper. end of the waterway |
to the rapids of the Cross river. But |
this indefinite upper end" has now |
been fixed as above set forth. Much |
satisfaction was expressed in Berlin at |
the pledge given by the English gov
not to allow trade settlements |
on the Bakassy peninsula, which other
wise would have afforded an excellent |
base for contraband operations.
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