Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-26
FIGHTING AT NIKKI
Rumored Collision Between French
and British Forces.
CONFLICT WAS GENERALLY EXPECTED
London Foreign Office, However
Processes to Discredit the Story
HISTORY OF THE DISPUTE

BERLIN. November ga dispatch to
the Frankfort Zeitung from Rome reports
that a sanguinary conflict has taken place
between the French and British at Nikki
in the Lagos Hinterland.
News Heard in London.
LONDON, November 26-Whle the ac-
curacy of the statement contained in the
Rome dispatch to the Frankfort Zeitung
announcing that a conflict has taken place
between the French and British troops in
the Lagos Hinterland Is doubted, the Lon
don morning papers today pointed out the
imminent danger resulting from the prox
unity of the two forces in the contested ter
ritory.
Later in the day a rumor was received
at the British colonial office to the effect
that there had been collision between the
British and French forces at Nikki, which
Is said to have been captured by the French
troODS.
The officials of the colonial office, how
ever, regard this report as highly improb
Eble, as. they explain, the British police in
the Hinterlard, who are in very limited
numbers. had strict orders to avoid any
collision with the French. 1t is also under
stood that the French forces had been in
structed not TO come into conflict with the
British The British forces in the Hinter-
land, it is further stated, are being rein
forced considerably.
Conflict Was Expected.
A conflict between the French and Brit
ish forces in the Lagos Hinterand has
been anticipated for some time past. Both
countries have been hurrying troops into
the disputed territory. The trouble is of
about thirty years standing. In 1870
France and Great Britain opened negotia-
tions for the settlement of their respective
frontiers IN west Africa. and ii was de-
cided in substance that French influence
and authority should be confined to the
north of a certain line. and that Great
Britain should have free hand south of
this line.
The outbreak of the Franco Prussian
war interrupted the negotiations. There
was considerable opposition in both coun-
tries to the cesSion of any territory. and
during the next five years difficulties fire.
quently occurred. Finally it was resolved
to appoint commissioners 10 reconsider the
whole matter. and as result in the course
of the next ten years. four separate agree
Eents were concluded. One dealt with the
territorial limits of Sierra Leone; the sec
end arranged number of disputed points
regarding Gambia, Sierra Leone. the gold
coast and Lagos; the third drew a line be-
tween the spheres of the two countries in
the Niger region, running from Say on the
Niger, TO Baru. on Lake Chad, and making
a detodr so as to include the kingdom of
Sokoto in the British sphere; and the fourth
settled the interior frontier of Sierra Leone,
relinquishing the Hinterland to France.
Further Difficulties Arose.
But since these agreements were arrived
at further difficulties have arisen owing to
the failure of the boundary commissioners
of Great Britain and France to agree
among themselves as to the frontier lines,
and especially as to the Interpretation of
the Say-Barua treaty, principally owing to
the absence of any boundary line to the
southwest of Say, where the competition of
the British and French has been very
strong.
The British Niger Company, which was
first in the field, concluded number of
treaties with native chiefs, bringing the
whole of the Borgu and Dahomey Hinter-
land within the British sphere This was
during the fall of 1894. In the meanwhile
the French were trying to establish great
African empire, to extend from Algeria to
the basins of the Congo and the upper Nile
But for this purpose IL was essential to Sc
cure the Hnterland of Lagos, and Carnot-
vile, in northern Dahomey, became the
base for dispatching a number of French
expeditions into the interior with this OBJ
ject in view.
The British Niger Company however
getting wind of the French plans dispatch
ed Capt now ma jor) Lugard to Nikki, the
capital of Burgu, for the purpose of nego-
tiating a treaty with the native ruler, and
the English officer was fortunate enough
to reach there before a French officer,
Commandant Decoeur. who was bound for
the same place and with the same intention,
although the latter had the start, and Luz
gard secured his treaty and carried it away
three weeks before Decoeur arrived at
Nikki-
French Send Troops Forward.
The French. however, seemed to have
chosen 20 disregard this fact and have dis
patched armed expeditions, not only to
Nikk;. but to Broussa, which has all along
been acknowledged to be within the sphere
Of British influence. Besides, the French
have raised a question to whether the
right bank of the Niger below Say is prop
er!y included in the British sphere under
the Say-Barua treaty, and to settle these
and other questions in dispute commis-
siOners representing Great Britain and
France are now tardily beginning to de-
;berate in Paris.
The colonial office. late this evening re-
:eived cable message from Lagos, West
Noast Of Africa, stating that rumor Is
current among the natives there of a col
ision between 400 British and French
troops.
The report, it is believed. will prove to
De founded conflict between the
French and some natives.