The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-30
IN THE HINTERLAND.
WEALTH OF WEST AFRICA THAT
FRANCE AND ENGLAND ARE AFTER.

conquest Il" mon may Jail TOT AT
filtration 10 Prevent War.
James Pinnook. African merchant oi
Liverpool. who was one of the original
promoters of the Royal Niger company
and director for many years, in the
course of an interview with a represent
five of The Daily Mail, said; ST went
out to west Africa 40 years ago and Wis
tied almost every port and place in that
region, including the Niger, many
times, and my business has been with
west Africa ever since. In 1870 built
a steamer, called the Rio Formoso, spe-
oially for service ON the river Niger, and
with her explored and opened up, for
the first timeNin history, the river For
oados. This river flows into the Atlantic
and is one of the entrances to the Niger
1.-THE Importance of this great river
Niger and the hinterland is well known
to those who are engaged i'll the African
trade, but we can only expect it will
slowly dawn ON the mind Of the British
public. l am convinced however, the
more they look into it the more impor-
tant they will see it is to the interests OF
British trade not to lose any of it.
Fifteen years ago there were four
firms trading on the Niger. They were
the West African company. the Central
African Trading company (and with
this latter Taubman Bros. -one of them
now Sir Taubman Goldie-were con-
nected), Miller Bros. and myself. We
all four firms joined and called ourselves
the United African company, which
was subsequently changed to the Ma
tional African company and after that
again to the Royal Niger company.
"The position today" continued Mr..
Pinnock, would be better understood
if q good map could be put before the
public of the whole hinterland Of our
west African colonies. Suoh thing I'M
fortunately does not exist at present
The strict geography of the country is
only understood by very few. Our
knowledge of the hinterland, however,
has increased immensely during the past
few years, and to instance one particu-
larry large territory would point out
that the French flag is already flying at
innumerable towns and stations extend
ing from degrees east longitude to 2
degrees west longitude and from about
degrees north latitude Tin the neigh
borhood of Porto Novo and the Daho-
mey country to the town of Say on the
Niger, which is between 10 degrees and
IA degrees north. The English flag is to
Ia fN,,nI 10 he ag& nf
extending inland to the neighborhood
of Nikki (now occupied by the French)
to various degrees of latitude wherein
are found the three British possessions
and protectorates of Lagos, the Niger
Coast protectorate and the Royal Niger
company.
at is from the interior, however,
that the future great wealth Of Africa
will be derived, and if all this is allow
ed to fall into the lap of France she
will be possessed of an empire second
only if not equal in the future to the
whole of our Indian empire.
''See what South Africa has already
developed into, and as far only as min
erals are concerned. The soil of Africa
has not yet been barely scratched. The
population of this part of Africa, with
the advent of railways, stoppage Of the
slave trade, cessation of internal tribal
will increase in equal ratio to
that of the most favored parts of the
southern states of America mean as
far as the multiplication of the negro
population is concerned.
1.-The development of this hinterland
will, in my opinion, exceed all the
dreams of the most enthusiastic coloni-
al party in France. Both France and
England have sacrificed many men and
much money in the race to grasp this
priceless treasure, and the difficulty of
it will, / believe, be so
great that it is more than probable, to
avert extremes, it will have to be re-
TERED to some other nation, or council
If nations, to arbitrate ON, as the mat
Ter is far too weighty for easy or speedy
settlement.
"As evidence of the activity of the
French l may point to the railway from
senegal to the upper Niger. This is
,eing pushed forward with further |
'ote of 1, 900, 900 francs from the Caisse
les Depots ct Consignations, thus cut
ing and heading off all our possessions
rom Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Gold
)oast and Lagos down to the river
Niger.
"a very great deal. If not the whole
( the trouble on the Niger, added Mr..
"would never have arisen but
or the obnoxious charter given to the
loyal Niger company. BY reason of
his charter every trader, white and
lack, British or otherwise. is entirely
from the country. Had the
iver and adjacent country been thrown
pen to free and Legitimate trade, as all
merchants have been clamoring so long
or, backed mp by the chambers Of com
nerve Of Liverpool and Manchester, all
he places In question would have long
ince been full OF British subjects, white
nd oolosed Trade would have devel-
ped . thoumndfold, and the French
would never have gone near Lion
ON Mall
Thb One EspseiA1ly.
From. . Paris paper We take the fol-