Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-27
ANGL0-FRENCH CLASH
RUNORED CONFLICT OF TROOPS IN
THE LAGOS HINTERLAND.
THE COLLISION SANGUINARY.
So IL In Reported, But the story
Is Discredited Both I'm London and
nt Paris-TroubIe Has Been Expect
ed, However.

BERLIN, November GA dispatch TO
the Frankfort Zeltung from Rome re-
| ports that a sangulnary conflict has
taken place between the French and the
| British at Nikki, In the Lagos Hinter-
land.
THE NEWS IN LONDON.
| LONDON, November 26.--Late In the
| day a rumor was received at the British
| Colonial Office TO the effect that there
had been collision between British and
French forces at Nikh, which is said to
have been captured by the French
| troops.
The officials of the Foreign Office, how
ever regard this report as highly i'm
probable, as the British police in the
| Hinterland, who are in very limited num-
bers. had very strict orders to avoid a
conflict with the French.
| The British forces in the Hinterland,
II is further stated, are being reinforced
considerably.
| THE RUMOR DOUBTED.
| The Colonial Office late this evening
received a cable message from Lagos,
| West Coast of Africa, stating that a
| rumor is current among the natives
| there of q collision between 400 British
| and French troops.
The report, it is believed, will prove
to be founded on conflict between the
French and some natives.
NO INFORMATION AT PARIS.
PARIS, November 26-M. Lebon, the
Minister OF the Colonies, has received
| no information OF collision between
British and French troops at Nikki, in
the Niger region, and discredits the re-
| port.
| CONFLICT WAS EXPECTED.
| A conflict between the French and
British forces in the Lagos Hinterland
\ 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
negotiations for the settlement of their
] respective frontiers in West Africa. and
il was decided in substance that French
| influence and authority should be con-
| fined 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, ana
| during the next five years difficulties
| frequently occurred. Finally it was re-
solved to appoint commissioners to re-
| consider the whole matter, and, as
result, in the course Of the next ten
| years four separate agreements were
| concluded. One dealt with the territorial
| limits of Sierra Leone; the second ar
| ranged a number of disputed points re-
garding Gambia, Sierra Leone, the gold
coast. and Lagos; the third drew line
| between the spheres of the two coun-
| tries in the Niger region, running from
Say, on the Niger, to Baru, on Lake
Chad, and making a detour, so as to in
clude the kingdom of Sokoto in the Brit
| ism sphere, and the fourth settled the in
terror frontier of Sierra Leone, relin-
| gushing the Hinterland TO France.
FURTHER DIFFICULTIES.
But since these agreements were ar
rived at further difficulties have arisen,
owing to the failure Of the boundary
commissioners of Great Britain and
France to agree among themselves az 10
| the frontier lines and especially as to the
| Interpretation of the Say-Baru treaty,
| principally owing 10 the absence OF any
boundary-line 10 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 a number of
| treaties with native chiefs, bringing the
| whole of the Borgu and DahOmey Hin
terland within the British sphere. This
was during the fall of 1884. In the
mean while the French were trying TO
establish a great African empire, TO ex-
| tend from Algeria TO the basins OF the
Congo and the upper Nile. But for this
purpose ii was essential to secure the
Hinterland Of Lagos, and Carnotville, in
1, hn no fnr
dispatching a number of French eXpedi-
| tions into the interior, with this object
| in view.
The British Niger Company however,
getting wind of the French plans. dis
patched Captain now Major) Lugard 10
| Nikki. the capital of Burgu
for the purpose of negotiating treaty
with the native ruler, and the English
| officer was fortunate enough to reach
there before French officer, Command
| ant Decoeur. who was bound for the
same place and with the same intention,
| although the latter had the start, and
Lugard secured his treaty and carried it
away three weeks before Decoeur ar
rived at Nikki.
FRENCH FORWARD TROOPS.
The French, however, seem to have
chosen to disregard this fact, and have
dispatched dTlIieu oAPo''',
to Nikki. but to Broussa. which has all
along been acknowledged to be within
the sphere of British influence. Besides,
the French have raised a question as to
whether the right bank of the Niger be-
low Say is properly included in the British
sphere under the Say-Barua treaty, and
TO settle these and other questions In
dispute commissioners representing
Great Britain and France are now tardily
beginning to deliberate in Paris.